How Much of a Savegame Coward Are You?

[Images]

Recently when playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution I had several moments where I realised I am a total savegame coward. Basically, I was playing the game as a ninja type and was enjoying the classic Monty Python pastime "how not to be seen". However every now and then whenever I failed and got a guard's attention I quickly hit the escape button and loaded to several seconds or a couple of minutes earlier and tried again. Now in many of these cases I could probably have killed everyone who did see me quickly with only a medium amount of noise but I didn't want that damn it! I wanted to be a ninja (not even for an achievement, simply ego). It then came to me that I do that incredibly often, anything less than complete perfection and BAM hit the escape button and load. I swear I've probably ruined most my gaming experiences with tension rather than just rolling with the punches and enjoying the thrill.

Are you a savegame coward?

 

[cryogeist]

...yes
examples
in oblivion/fallout i saved like...every 20 feet XD
and on FFT i quicksaved like every time my guys got bashed over the head.

 

[Kae]

No, in fact I rarely save and always end up quitting the game for 2 or 3 days because I forgot to save and have to start over from 2 or 3 levels (and I do mean complete levels), this mostly happens in RPGs, but it's really frustrating.

 

[A_Parked_Car]

I suppose that I am. I load saves like crazy if a Total War campaign goes wrong for me. I have realized now that it makes them way too easy to beat that way. Therefore, I am starting to cut back on how often I load saves and try again.

 

[RatRace123]

Yes, very very much so. Especially in RPGs I save roughly every 10 minutes. Gets a little weird when I start seeing my save game numbers hitting the 900s.

On the plus side I never have to rage quit from losing too much data if I die.

 

[Stammer]

Usually in Mass Effect I'll save after every 10-30 minutes, depending on how tough certain parts are. Like, if I just beat a really tough bunch of enemies on Hardcore difficulty I'll probably save right after.

Though I save like every time I kill an enemy or finish dialogue if the game starts going really buggy. Maybe I just have to re-install the game, but I've had about 6 instances of the game crashing when I click on "Investigate" and twice I've gotten permanently stuck on an elevator (both times after about 30 minutes since my last save >_>.

 

[theSHAH]

yes, very much so, always have been. Back in Socom 2 days I could easily have run and gun my way through most missions, but no, I want to be stealthy. I could be going along fine doing great, but if I get noticed when I don't want to, restart.

 

[TheSaw]

I'm actually quite bad at saving games, I'll normally go ages without saving a game (basically relying auto saves).

In most cases I'll get extremely annoyed (even though it's my own fault) that I have to go all the way back if I die, the game crash or some reason like that.

 

[EdwardOrchard]

Crysis was the worst for this. Every time I came up to a group/camp of enemies, if I didn't take them all out total ninja style I would OCD and have to reload and do it over again.

Edit - Also, when I first read the thread title, I thought you meant saving often... You know, being afraid that you were going to die around the next corner and saving every 10 seconds. I do that, but not because I'm afraid of getting killed... but because I'm afraid that I'm going to step on the wrong spot, and my character will spontaneously glitch combust or something...as in random bug/game crash.

 

[Voulan]

I definitely am when it comes to games that have a history of crashing a lot (like Fallout 3 here).

I've never saved more frequently than in American McGee's Alice. It's really hard, and prone to having moments that can get so nasty that getting onto the very next platform can be a huge relief.

So I am in moderation.

 

[Images]

Edit - Also, when I first read the thread title, I thought you meant saving often... You know, being afraid that you were going to die around the next corner and saving every 10 seconds.

Meh, lets make it a thread for both. Its like AA, each of our addictions to savegames take different forms!

 

[Images]

I abuse the savegame feature ridiculously. Max Payne, move 5 steps, save. Move another 5 steps, save. Thank GOD for the hardest difficulty that only allowed 7 saves per level.

Oh hell yes. Ditto for Hitman. That releases the urge. Makes you pick your times carefully.

Opinion? Should more games have limits on saves?

 

[Sarpedon]

I swing back and forth. Often it depends on the game itself and the current situation. I rarely go through games saving every couple of feet, unless the game has been known to crash on me (Oblivion, Fallout New Vegas). If I sense that a difficult area is coming up, I'll probably stop and save, and then save periodically as I advance through said area so I won't have to do it ALL over again.

I probably saved more often in Mass Effect than anything, because I'd often spend an hour driving around on a planet, then die and have to do the entire thing over again. -.-

 

[DrSpoy]

Dependant on the game, I do it terribly extreme on both ends. Some games I'll save every second (Half Life comes to mind) and other games I'll save only when I'm about to do something major(Just Cause 2 comes to mind)

Note: My kind of saving is the one where I just save every second out of fear of dying

 

[octafish]

In Deus Ex: Human Resources I just try to take out the guards with my stun gun. It hasn't worked yet, I usually get killed. I have always shunned Savescumming. I have been guilty of it on the first lap of racing games, but once I am on the second lap I am not going to start again. You are doing yourself a disservice, especially in games like X-Com where getting your arse handed to you could be the most entertaining part of the game.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

Shin Megami Tensei games have given me a "save early and often" policy for most games I play. Depends on the game how frequent my saving is. In SMT, I end up saving at every opportunity possible, but in something like Fallout 3 I might save every 10 minutes or so. There's always a time when I forget to save though and become a little frustrated at my lost progress.