What do most people like: the ability to save anywhere, anytime, which removes unwanted frustration in losing, but also the thrill of risking certain things; or moderated save points which force the player to take some risks. I prefer having set save points, but as long as there is a "quicksave" feature, which allows me to save anywhere, but the save can only be loaded once, which allows you to take a break, but keeps the risks in the game since the save is not a permanent one. What are some opinions on this?

A similar topic has been discussed recently to great extent in this thread as well as a couple of other threads you can find by making use of the Search button.

[edited by - GameCreator on June 24, 2002 3:03:14 PM]

This has been discussed before and it seems that many people determined that save points are better, if they are properly spaced to avoid to much frustration. With save anywhere the game becomes a cakewalk. I have never played a save anywhere game that was challenging. Save anywhere also totally destroys any tension or sense of danger, which in turn damages the immersion. Of course some people will say "just don''t save so often". The problem is, the game is designed around the save anywhere mentality so if you don''t save constantly, the game is almost impossible.

I agree that save and quit should be implemented along with checkpoint saving. If you quit the game your position is saved, so when you reload the mission you are in the same position. If you are killed you must then start back at the last check point. I also think that save anywhere is good for some types of games like Sim City. But I think other genres have been damaged because of save and reload gameplay.

Just wanted to add that I really like how Eternal Darkness handles this. You can save anywhere when there aren''t any enemies. So combat is still intense, yet you can pretty much stop playing at any time.

I have not played that Gamecube game yet, but that does sound like a good save system. That way you can''t hit an enemy, save, get hit, reload, hit an enemy, save etc.

A lot of people slated Project IGI some years back because there was no ability to save the game during a level and one mistake could send everything tits up. This is a foolish idea but I have to admit that the lack of save was what helped me enjoy it so much. Every action had a price and it really added tension. I know it annoyed most people but for me it really drew me in. Each mission had me sweating like a peado in a playschool.