What changes don't destroy saved games?

Goldmund · Mon 17/10/2011 22:28:55

Hallo! Hallo!

I'm testing my game. It's a long haul. It's very frustrating when I'm at Night 5, my notepad swollen with things to correct, so I go and change them, and then: bang! I have to play from the beginning, Version Has Changed. Over and over again.

I think I'll narrowed it down to changing graphics or character views, which makes the previously saved games useless. Am I right? Do you have any other info about it?

What can be changed in a game until the saved games go to waste?

Cheers! :-)

Hernald · Mon 17/10/2011 22:41:46

It is a pain isn't it?
It looks as if you're fairly safe making scripting changes.
Whenever you add a new global variable it invalidates the saves, so I put in a few place holder global bools; it doesn't seem to mind if you change their names.
New variables in a room will crash the game if you enter that room.

Another problem is that if you want to change the position of objects in a room you have to go back to the beginning, as this is where they are initialised.

Khris · Mon 17/10/2011 23:09:28

Why not write a test function that sets all the variables and adds all the inventory?
I imagine that's far less tedious than having to play through half the game again and again.

Hernald · Mon 17/10/2011 23:16:43

You might just have something there!

Goldmund · Mon 17/10/2011 23:33:54

Thanks, Hernald! It's nice to see someone sharing the pain...
If I know which changes are Evil, I'll postpone them to the end of the work.

LeKhris - this is actually impossible, as the game is really long and so complex I don't understand the whole of it myself -- I've been making it for 10 years. The lines of dependencies are too complicated to just add all the inventory. I need to check it as it is played from the start.

Wyz · Tue 18/10/2011 01:34:39

I once posted about a method I use, and since I'm lazy I'm just going to give the link:

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=43453.msg578220#msg578220

Eggie · Tue 18/10/2011 19:14:36

Wooooaahhhat, do you realise it was almost exactly a year ago to this day that you last posted Mr Goldenmound?
I'm looking forward to seeing what this game is

Goldmund · Fri 04/11/2011 23:16:36

THanks, Eggster, nice to see you

I love slow, but I love deep.