Where Should Game Saves Go?

Under Documents? In "Saved Games"? Someplace in the hidden AppData folder? In the cloud? In your Steam data directory? I think I've seen all of these this year. Ever since Microsoft blocked games from saving in their own install folder lo these many years ago, it's been chao… <ahem> … we have been in an experimental phase. So what are the results? Where do you want developers to put your saves?

P.S. No, not on a floppy disk. Not even if it's 3.5"!

On the hosting companies database server.... Where they belong.

Imho in the game's folder - or a sub-folder of that. And compressed, too (not generating Gigs of files like with Drakensang 2, for example).

Best option is to have it configurable. For example, STALKER games have a config file in which you can set the location of your saves and some other config files. By default it is in Public Documents which is a bit odd.
But if I have to choose, I'd go with My Documents (for each user). It's simple and easy to back them up if you have multiple games installed.

It seems no one can agree on a standard.

Personally, I think my preferred location is "Documents/My Games/GAMENAME/" - but a lot of games don't like that.

So, there's really no right answer.

Of course, I grew up with games that didn't even have save games - and when they first started happening - it was on separate floppy disks

Wisdom said:

On the hosting companies database server…. Where they belong.

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That would work real well for me. It would be great for keeping track of saves that can be loaded into following games in the next series. It would be pretty nice for publishers, too, because they could database that save file data to figure out how people are actually using their game. I've got fast internet and no data caps, though. People that don't aren't going to be happy. Maybe it could be used in addition to a normal save?

@Darth Targnan, I think there's an over-abundance of right answers! That's what's driving me crazy: when I want to find a save game file, I have to look in five different places to find the things!
@Ivanwah;, I want to configure it, too, but not for every game. I would rather just tell Windows "put save game data on this drive." Then the game developer would ask Windows where game saves should go and Windows would point the developer to the right place. Happiness ensues.

Unless we can get a standard, in the game folder, in a sub-folder called "save files", and with a backup in the cloud.

Somewhere that I can easily find them if needed. Or the person I hire to find them!

Zloth said:

That would work real well for me. It would be great for keeping track of saves that can be loaded into following games in the next series. It would be pretty nice for publishers, too, because they could database that save file data to figure out how people are actually using their game. I've got fast internet and no data caps, though.

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Sorry Zloth, I was actually just trying to provoke Joxer into an anti-MMO speech

I actually don't' like cloud saves, especially in single player games. I truly do prefer a subfolder in the game directory labelled saves.

That's what's driving me crazy: when I want to find a save game file, I have to look in five different places to find the things!

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I do 100% agree with this tho!

@Darth Targnan, I think there's an over-abundance of right answers! That's what's driving me crazy: when I want to find a save game file, I have to look in five different places to find the things!

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Tell me about it

I've adjusted to it, though - and I just Google immediately if I can't find it within .1 second.

There's this terrible trend of putting it somewhere in AppData - which is also the standard directory for Unity games when you publish them.

I HATE that trend

What's worse, these developers can't even agree on naming directories based on the game, the developers or the god-damned publisher! I mean, imagine how it must be like for the average casual gamer with zero knowledge of the industry - trying to find a save game.

*RAGE*

Zloth said:

@Ivanwah;, I want to configure it, too, but not for every game. I would rather just tell Windows "put save game data on this drive." Then the game developer would ask Windows where game saves should go and Windows would point the developer to the right place. Happiness ensues.

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Yeah, having it configurable OS wide would be perfect. There is already My Games folder in Windows that I bet can be somehow configured through registry, the problem is the games tend to ignore it.

The problem is related to game ports that don't care about "standards" but are forcing stupid defaults on a player.
I on a keyboard is used to open inventory. M is used to display the map. Etc, stuff we don't even think about because it's normal. Until we stumble on a game that uses god knows what keys instead.

If simple keymapping standard is a problem, don't expect a standardized savegame location either.

Yeah, I think it's a shame that windows doesn't make the environment variables for storage locations more customisable. You can move the locations of system folders, but it's hacky and unsupported. It would be great if there was a standard variable %GAMEDATA%, which the user could easily assign to any chosen folder, and which all games respected.

You can change where your Documents folder is without too much trouble in Windows 10: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/310746/configuration-of-the-my-documents-folder. You can move an entire User folder, too, if you want. A few developers will be stupid and try to build that folder name themselves but I'm pretty sure most would get it via a Windows API.

Seems to me that the "Saved Games" folder makes the most sense when you are just talking about the game saves. It gets a little stranger when you start talking about config files but I don't mind them getting saved in there. The folder has been around long enough that I think its safe to use in any modern game. The Windows API will tell you right where it is no matter where the user has moved it. The folder isn't hidden. The only thing I don't like about it is it isn't pinned into Quick Access by default in Win10 or listed under This PC like Music and Pictures are.

Documents\My Games doesn't seem bad but I don't know how the games are getting the directory name from. Square, Firaxis, and Stardock seem to like that directory so it's not games that are "English only." (Unless the directory name comes up as My Games in other languages!?)

AppData is bad. That's a hidden folder! Why do some developers use it!?

Anywhere but the cloud

Fnord said:

Unless we can get a standard, in the game folder, in a sub-folder called "save files", and with a backup in the cloud.

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This is the oldest "standard" I can think of, really ancient.

Alrik Fassbauer said:

This is the oldest "standard" I can think of, really ancient.

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Take out the game disk and insert a blank disk into the drive. Not "drive B," just "the drive."

Heaven help you if it says "tape" instead of disk.

I want level codes back. Of course, with all possible states the game can be in there are quite a few. Might jot down the contents of the savefile down on paper instead.

Local savefile in documents that are synced to the cloud are best. Don't like my saves or settings inside the game directory. Need a better standard though, and I don't consider all hidden files in the Linux home directory a good standard

I like cloud saves (via steam: local and then saved to the cloud). In the long gone past i always had to carry over those "savegame" folders to the new pc or even back it up, to save it from hard drive crashes.
With steam cloud saves i always have them safe and even if i install the game on another pc, i can continue to play from my last save.