Topic: please give us more on the spot game saves

Considering the Power and Memory on the PS4 why are most game developers insistent on checkpoint saves instead of the save on the spot game saves like bethesda and 505 game titles e.g. Fallout 3, Skyrim, Sniper Elite 3?

Spot on, but fo3 and skyrim arnt on ps4. But there should be.

Some types of games suit on the spot saves.. others don't.

themcnoisy I agree, I would love Skyrim to be ported to the PS4, maybe fallout 3 as well but it will need a bit of visual polish.

Kyleforrester87 yeah, some games are suited to checkpoint saves, I wish Dying light gave you the option for on the spot saves.....sigh

I definitely believe there is a strong argument for checkpoint saves - they create a sense of tension as it is more important that the player performs well. On the spot saving can lead to a dramatically reduced sense of danger, as if you know what is coming you can set up a save at the right point and effectively remove any of the repercussions of death.

I appreciate that some games, in particular open world titles, generally benefit from on the spot saving, but in more linear games I definitely think well done checkpoints are far superior. Just a shame that so many games do checkpoints so terribly (all eyes on you Crysis).

Stevebutler2210 you got a good point there, probably what I'm really banging on about is that I think that all open world games should have the on the spot game save option as well as automatic checkpoints. I agree that games like Dark Souls etc do benefit from checkpoint saves as like you say it builds tension and a heightened sense of danger. Dying light is a great game and would definitely benefit from on the spot saving (if anyone has a better term for this please let me know).

yup agreed. If you look at the gta v template - for open world games it has learnt and improved, on the spot saves whilst roaming, check points on missions. On the spot saves are generally called quicksaves, But I am now going to use the term Spot saves as I think its loads better. Good shout Chris.

For non open-wolrd games (and some open), doesn't standby mode serve that purpose?

kind of. You can save an instance of a game and standby does that as its holding it in RAM. But saving an instance uses a ton of space on the hard drive. Taking the gtav spot save as an example - you still wake up or start outside a building. It doesn't remember pedestrian patterns, cars stuck in the street, dead guys piled up. It just holds key variable information the stuff mentioned above such as pedestrians is too freeform to hold on a drive, it could but you would have gigs of save info everywhere.

Yeah, all depends on the design of the game, really. I agree that having on-the-spot saving in massive open world games is great, but having a good checkpoint system can make certain games that much more intense, as people have already said.

Having said that, when it comes to games like Skyrim, I tend to make my way back to an inn or player home before I save anyway. Not sure if that's just my weird way of playing, or if it means that I actually want some sort of checkpoint system instead.

I know some games allow on the spot saves by going to the menu but others require a checkpoint system. Some games are meant to be this way as part of its design. Would games like Dark Souls/Bloodbourne benefit from a 'on-the-spot' save system? I doubt it and I think it would change the way the game feels. I think its very dependant on the game type and design.