Warning re Div 2

WARNING WARNING WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've just finished posting an irate note at the official forums and now let me warn all here of what just happened to me. Seems that the save games for Div 2 are saved to a HIDDEN folder on your C drive. I just upgraded my PC from XP to Win 7. I saved and backed up everything I could think of, but had no idea my SG's were in a hidden folder on a different HD from where I had the game installed. I have now lost at least 40-50 hours of game play ( I'd done every possible quest, etc and was about 2/3 of the way through the game). I won't be replaying it; I have too many other demands on my time, so any review from me will be based on my experiences to date, including this one!! Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous as to put save games in a hidden folder!!??!!

So regardless which hard drive you install it to, the saves always go to your C drive? I always have the 'view hidden folders' option active, but that does sound like an odd move on the part of Larian.

Mixed feelings on this one. It's stored in C:\Documents and Settings\ %username% \Local Settings\Application Data\…, which is a common location for data but should not be used for save games, in my opinion.

Sorry to hear it's lost, Corwin.

Ouch. Thats poor doing from the software team. Saves should be put into the "documents" folder of the logged in user.

I feel your pain Corwin.

Sorry to hear that, but it's indeed a common location for save games. Approximately every 2nd game puts them there. AFAIR it's even a requirement (or at least a recommendation) by MS to get the GfW certificate.

Most of the saved games go straight into my documents(if they are forced onto the C drive). I don't know why they didn't just put them there. Pretty much everyone knows to check 'My Documents' for saved games.

I'm not so sure about it being a common location or what games you're playing that put the saved games there because it's not so common on my end. I just checked that folder and out of the 30+ games loaded right now there are only two saved games in there which are for GTA IV and Divinity 2.

Sorry to hear about the loss of data Corwin. I don't think I could start over either.

Originally Posted by Gorath
Sorry to hear that, but it's indeed a common location for save games. Approximately every 2nd game puts them there. AFAIR it's even a requirement (or at least a recommendation) by MS to get the GfW certificate.

Actually, Microsoft's MSDN recommends My Docs for saves and Appdata for temporary data or other non-user files.

TBH I don't differenciate between all those MS folders. It's all the same for me - I find them annoying as hell. I want my save games in the game's folder.

Is it true that you cannot save in the demo?

So the game puts your saves on drive C even if your "My Documents" folder is somewhere else? That's really bad… sorry to hear about a long playthrough wasted!

I save all my savegames before deleting a game and most of the cases the saves go into My Documents, but I have seen plenty that stores the data in Application Data or Local Settings instead. Assassin's Creed, Ankh 2, Call of Duty 5 and Halo 2 for example.

Whenever I reinstall windows I make sure to back up the following:

Documents and Settings\%User%
> Application Data
> Cookies
> Desktop
> Favorites
> Local Settings\Application Data (Except Microsoft>Windows)
> My Documents
> Start Menu\Virtual Dub

Documents and Settings\All Users
> Application Data
> Shared Documents

Program Files

C:\Documents and Settings\%User%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
(http://support.microsoft.com/default…;en-us;Q196492)

Registry:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.reg
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG.reg
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.reg

C:\Documents and Settings\%User%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch


Both My Documents, my Firefox Profile and by Outlook PST are stored on another partition. The hardest programs to back up IMO are Outlook and Messenger. I often loose something in the move.

Actually I think saves are put on drive C for the very reason that it's easier to find them there…especially if you're going to be installing and uninstalling the game quite often, it remains nice and safe in its seperate little folder on Drive C.. In fact I find this very convenient for when I want to back up my saves to an external, and especially if you're going to be upgrading your system and/or purchasing an additional hard drive.

I suppose devs simply assume that gamers would be sophisticated enough to have their settings on having hidden files visible.

I found saves for the following games in that location:
Especially casual games seems fond of putting their saves there: (not that I played half of these.. *ahem!* )

• Bioshock
• Dracula Origin
• Sherlock Holmes vs Jack The Ripper
• Mystery of the Persian Carpet
• Drawn the Painted Tower
• Everlight of Might and Magic
• Peril at End House
• Imperium Romanum
• Simon the Sorcerer 4
• Pahelika
• Emerald City Confidential
• Dream Chronicles 1-3
• SPORE ( I know, I know… -I was Dork enough to have pre- ordered the stupid thing - it's uninstalled but this folder is still sitting there..)
• The Hobbit
• CSI

I do agree, though, that putting then into "My Documents" makes them far easier to spot than this location.

I would say that the safest thing is to backup the entire Docs and settings whenever you make a move.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. I've had that happen once before and hated it.

Originally Posted by Gorath
Is it true that you cannot save in the demo?

Yes. It'll auto-save while you're playing, but once you shut it down, you'll have to start over. No save option.

Originally Posted by RivianWitch
Actually I think saves are put on drive C for the very reason that it's easier to find them there…especially if you're going to be installing and uninstalling the game quite often, it remains nice and safe in its seperate little folder on Drive C.. In fact I find this very convenient for when I want to back up my saves to an external, and especially if you're going to be upgrading your system and/or purchasing an additional hard drive.

I suppose devs simply assume that gamers would be sophisticated enough to have their settings on having hidden files visible.

I found saves for the following games in that location

Sorry about getting really technical and nerdy for a second, but I know that Bioshock's savegame data is in C:\Documents and Settings\ %username% \Application Data\ not C:\Documents and Settings\ %username% \Local Settings\Application Data\

It's pretty much the same thing, but still not exactly in the same place Also Torchlight was in that folder you mentioned. I don't like this 'hiding the savegames' trend that is going on. If they're going to put them on the C drive then put them in My Documents. Makes it easier to find when backing them up.

Originally Posted by Anderson
Yes. It'll auto-save while you're playing, but once you shut it down, you'll have to start over. No save option.

What a terrible idea. Sounds like a very expensive mistake to me.

Originally Posted by Dhruin
Actually, Microsoft's MSDN recommends My Docs for saves and Appdata for temporary data or other non-user files.

Exactly - and while I agree with Gorath that I want it where the game itself is located, at least MyDocs is becoming fairly standard …

Originally Posted by Gorath
What a terrible idea. Sounds like a very expensive mistake to me.

Well, that's just the demo, of course. Most demos I've played haven't had a save option. It is a little frustrating with a demo this big, though.

I wish they just had some industry standard. I personally think everything should "default" to something like C:\Games\Blahblah, instead of Program Files or Program Files (x86), and that *all* the files for games should be located in their home directory.

Oh, and Virtual Store should be turned off by default.

Originally Posted by Anderson
Well, that's just the demo, of course. Most demos I've played haven't had a save option.

Really? Almost every demo I've ever played had a save option.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Really? Almost every demo I've ever played had a save option.

Don't forget he is coming from a console perspective … and as I have just played the Army of Two PSP demo I was reminded of the typical no-save demos …