Over at rockpapershotgun, they have some demands. Demands on ten things every PC game should have. Some don’t concern me, some I agree with, and some others…
Some others, actually two, I can’t agree with. Their point #2 is to use standardized install and savegame folders. Fine. But then they want it all to go into “Program Files”. Nonono.
I hate having things buried in “Program Files” or any other place. I much prefer installing a game (or any other app) to the root C:\ directory. Then I know exactly where it is; no hunting around necessary.
Even then, a number of games hide stuff, usually the save game files, in obscure places. Avernum 5 does this. Instead of putting them in the AV5 directory, the saves are stashed away in Documents & Settings/[name]/My Documents/Avernum 5 Saved Games. Bleah!
So put everything in the same place; the same place the game is installed. That would be my demand. And let’s have no funny business about defaulting to “Program Files”.
Then we have point #6, which is “Don’t require the CD/DVD in the drive to play”. I have absolutely no problem with keeping the disk in the drive. Of course, I covered that awhile back in Some Words About DRM. There I pointed out the key disk requires no online activation, phoning home, or limited installs.
I also said pretty much everything I wanted to on DRM in that earlier post, so I won’t go on about this one. Except to say, this is one demand I hope is never met, even though we are, alas, heading in that direction.
On the other hand, I think RPS has some good ideas with their other demands, especially #10, which is that a patch shouldn’t break the game. You know, like deleting Windows files, or invalidating all your current saves. Give a look, and see what you think.
I have to disagree. I prefer games being saved to My Documents\My Games or a standardized location. That way if I need to back up or move them to a new computer its easy, I don’t have to go searching every game folder for saves. Programs I install to my D:\Games, D:\Apps, or similar. I try to keep my C: drive partition down to where it will fit on a single DVD-R and use tools like Acronis to make an image of it a few times a year. I just put a few essential applications and the OS on it. If Windows gets hosed (and that is usually what does), I can restore the C: partition from the image and I am back up and running in minutes.
The first thing I do when I get a new computer or OS install is right click on My Documents, Properties, then move it to D:/My Documents. I don’t want it buried in Documents and Settings/username/My Documents.
Point 5 - that’s particularly dangerous; just erasing the directory the game is installed in. In my years of working on computers I have seen users put files anywhere so if the program does not check and remove only the files it is supposed to, then it can cause problems. Sure, they shouldn’t have put them there, but people do stranger things than that.
“Instead of putting them in the AV5 directory, the saves are stashed away in Documents & Settings/[name]/My Documents/Avernum 5 Saved Games.”
I believe this is actually something you have to do with Windows Vista (and maybe XP if you’re not an administrator). Users don’t have write permissions to C:\Program Files, so newer games put settings and save games in your user directory, so that the game doesn’t need administrative privileges to run.
Though I agree it can be confusing. I tend to install all my games into C:\Games\.
as i understand it vista kind of barfs on permissions in some folders and putting stuff in programs folder isn’t a good idea.
the my documents folder makes much better sense.
I prefer my save games to be under “My Documents\My Games” while the actual program is under Program Files\Games. I hate when its under the companies name and not just by game name.
My system is set up somewhat like Xian’s — programs & OS go to the C: drive; data files to D:. Besides making restores easier, it means the C: drive isn’t as fragmented because of all the 1mb+ rewrites.
What I hate are programs (not necessarily games) that force save locations.
I also don’t mind keeping the DVD in the drive, but that’s because I have 2 drives.