[Rant] Why do games insist on putting stuff in the My Documents folder?

Alright, this is getting seriously annoying: I just found out that NWN2 (which I uninstalled some time ago) managed to hide away 270 MB in My Documents. Now I wouldn't mind usually - 270 MB in a 160 GB drive isn't much - but I do mind when it's on my (tiny) system partition. Looking around, I've noticed a bunch of other games out there, but none of them were as bad as NWN (Oblivion took only a few MB per save game, and SpellForce 2 took ~15) - NWN managed to use up 90 MB per save game, which is kinda too much.

Now, I noticed this before, but it used to be a couple of games max, all in a "My Games" folder or similar. Nowadays, half of the My Documents folder is taken up by various games, so I'm wondering: when did this practice start? When did it become ok for various games to put down roots in My Documents, without even asking?

I think what you are looking for is:

Vista compatibility directive.

I think you'll be seeing it in all games from now on.

I also find this to be a pain since I sync up the My Documents folders amongst my various computers … some of them get huge, especially if you take loads of screens as I tend to do.

The stuff started to materialize when Freelancer was released. They were using some directive how and were games should be saved. Nowadays I count on them being there instead of the game folder, a folder i delete after an usual unsucessfull uninstall.

I think its nice to be able to backup my games from one place instead of looking erverywhere for the things i want to backup!

I wouldn't be surprised if my games path is a register hack which you can change.

My biggest grief though is the my music, my pictures folder and all software relying on them. Having an incompetent salesforce (aren't they always) i have to clean out all kinds of pornography and bowie music from my precious servers! Thats a problem!

Originally Posted by woges
Vista compatibility directive.

I think you'll be seeing it in all games from now on.

I don't see how Vista has anything to do with this? And yeah, it's fine if games have it, as long as they ask me so I can tell 'em where to put it.

Originally Posted by mute
I wouldn't be surprised if my games path is a register hack which you can change.

It probably is, but why should I be forced to mess around in the registry when I shouldn't have to?

And yes, I have Freelancers saves too (thankfully, they aren't big) - the first game I noticed to do it was Sid Meier's Pirates (the new version).

Freelancer was the first one I noticed doing that. I wonder if that started with Microsoft games and spread via "Games for Windows".

It's an easy way for the developer to make support for multiple users of the same game on a Windows 2000/XP system. If they stored the game settings and save games in a folder under the game install directory, and still wanted to support multiple users, then they would manually have to manage the concept of an "active user" in the game. The "My Documents" folder is an automatic directory mapping that is set for each user, pointing to the correct user, like for example "C:\Documents and Settings\Kasper Fauerby\My Documents", so the game can just use this mapping and it'll work for an arbitrary amount of users where each user get his own settings and saves (and cannot see or overwrite another users saves).

Also some publishers will *insist* that save games for all their titles are put at a specific place, so their support center can easily know where to find saves and settings when a user calls and complains about something.

I also hate this. I´m chronically low on space on drive C: . I would understand if they suggestested that folder as default, but being unable to select another location sucks.

Well, make your C: partitions larger next time . The tip to make a small C: partition is totally outdated anyway in my opinion. In the times of large 7.2K RPM hard drives (or even 10K+ if you have Raptors or SCSI), making a small C: partition for "enhanced performance" is like someone claiming that wiping the bird shit off the spoiler of his Vette has improved the aerodynamics .

I too had my mind boggled by the amount of space NWN2 used for saves. Each save apparently captures an ungodly amount of detail to replace you where you were--so towards the end I tried to cut it down to three or four savegames.

I don't remember the install program not asking though--there always seems to be a browse button where you can change the install path on most games. Is my memory acting up again?

Originally Posted by magerette
I don't remember the install program not asking though--there always seems to be a browse button where you can change the install path on most games. Is my memory acting up again?

Your memory is correct but the install directory and the save directory are two different pairs of shoes. Some of those foresight-lacking (*ducks* ) peeps here wish they would have been asked about the save directory, not the install directory.

Ahhh, once again your bring clarity to my mind, Mo. So there's no way to get your saves out of My Games without screwing around in the places I fear to go?
How fortunate I have no great need for my saves to be elsewhere then.

Originally Posted by Moriendor
The tip to make a small C: partition is totally outdated anyway in my opinion.

Hey, I agree! That's why it's 20 GB. And it's still too small.

Originally Posted by Moriendor
Your memory is correct but the install directory and the save directory are two different pairs of shoes. Some of those foresight-lacking (*ducks* ) peeps here wish they would have been asked about the save directory, not the install directory.

I wish they'd ask about both! Or at least make it something you can change manually.

Originally Posted by VPeric
Hey, I agree! That's why it's 20 GB. And it's still too small.

Quit storing your pr0n on C: then .

So there's no way to get your saves out of My Games without screwing around in the places I fear to go?

Exactly . And even if you would go to these secret places, you could realistically only change the location of the "My Games" subfolder of "My Documents" which wouldn't help overly much, I believe, since just about every game I have seen recently has created a save folder in the C:\[User]\Documents and Settings\My Documents home directory and not in the "My Games" subfolder.

Hey, look at the bright side you foresight-lacking peeps… not saving in a game creates a greater thrill and challenge anyways .

One reason we'll see it in a lot of future games is that Vista can't store anything anywhere else on your harddrive through an application unless you specifically tell that application to be run as an admin application. Most games that do not save in the my documents folder will simply crash every time you try to save a game, or not even start at all. It's annoying, but not the game developers fault.

Vista has everything to do with this. This is one of MS's requirements to allow a game to be officially Vista compatible. I first saw this with NWN2 and when complaints about it were heard there OE explained it.

Personally, I've never liked the idea of someone calling the folder's I use "My". I didn't put those there. Who is someone else to decide what "My" folder is and where I should keep my data.

One thing it does though it creates a consistent place to put info needed that used to go into the Windows directory. Its not a bad idea of blocking that info out. Plus, by keeping specific user data out of a program's install folder data won't get mixed up for multiple users on the same machine. Some games today still only have 10 save slots for example. I don't want to see a relative's Java scripts when I open up Eclipse…etc.

If all games could be stored in the my games folder, I would be content However, half of Oblivion is now stored in C:/Program Files/…. while the other half is stored in the document/my games/ folder. It it the same for NWN2 and some other games as well. I find it rather annoying and irritating.

I have read somewhere (on the net, I think) that Vista puts all your games data (except the saves?) in your Games folder. Now that's more like it, if this is true?

edit:

The reason for this is of course that multiple users can have acces to their own save games in say Oblivion so that they don't overwrite the other users's files. This is helpful, I think

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147

Short version: Click Start, right-click on "My Documents", set target folder, for example "D:\MyStuff", click ok.


A friend of mine lost our multi player Freelancer savegames once when he reinstalled Windows and didn't know they were saved in "My Documents". I prefer to have my savegames be saved in the game's directory, no need to spread out everywhere.

Originally Posted by Lucky Day
Vista has everything to do with this. This is one of MS's requirements to allow a game to be officially Vista compatible. I first saw this with NWN2 and when complaints about it were heard there OE explained it.

More generically, it is a requirement for the Window's logo, for any program. And we've had to deal with this innanity since Windows ME (I think that was the one), so it's been a headache for better part of a decade now.

Dungeon Siege was the first one I saw it with, back when MS started enforcing this with their own titles. Now it's pretty standard for any game, since you can't write save games or config info into Program Files.

And I also dislike having a "My Documents" folder. My documents go on D:, E:, F:, G:, as well as H: and I: if necessary. As if I could fit all of my games and dev tools on a single drive. Not to mention I work with video. Did you know uncompressed HD video can easily consume at least 120 MBs a second? That's 7 gigs a minute. Disk space is a premium.