Matrix Games Forums

It would be possible to make a third-party program to implement everything you guys are wishing for. This would need a programmer of course willing to put in the time. A third party program could be started before the game that responds to a hotkey (one not used by SP:WAW) and run in the background. It could then save the working game files and manage those files for you. It shouldn't be a problem for it to load for you as well (maybe a protection fault if you are actually still looking at your units), since you guys indicate you are able to copy, move, overwrite files while the game is running in the background.
Programming is my weak subject so it would be a big stretch for me. Not even sure the best language, probably visual basic since you are in a Windows environment.

The programming that gave us the clunky save system that reduces the utility of an otherwise great concept also gave us the lost leaders and lost turn-based scores bugs. The lost leaders issue compromises the otherwise engaging role playing effect. The lost scores problem compromises the fine work that went into the decision tree system. Better that programming should have compromised on the save function, and put the energy used in defending it into finding the bugs. Spent many hours on work-arounds, but finally gave them up as unacceptable, execerbated, in large part, by the save function. Haven't played an MC since. Many sincere thanks, and over $100 for Mega Campaigns, to Matrix for the gratis effort on SPWAW. Am more than impressed by the outstanding effort done by the MC development teams. However, as a paying customer, am legitimately unhappy with the programming that went into the MCs. Haven't committed to MCSE for this reason. If Matrix intends to produce more MCs for commercial release, the programming issues should be addressed.

I agree with you 200%.[;)]

Having just started trying out the MCs I'm a bit horrified to learn I have one save for the entire campaign! You gotta be kidding right? So I came here and found this thread. It's true! one save

Mr. Michael Wood surely doesn't own the code he wrote and whether he would 'mind' if it was changed is irrelevant. He was a coder I assume either paid for his work on a commercial project or did it for free and in no way either 'owns' the code for the save or has any say in whether it gets changed.

I used to work QA and I'd classify this 'feature' as a bug of class B or C, if a crash occurs then it's A! So fix it.

So getting any replayability from the game with one save the answer is 'hey replay the whole campaign' after the good rbrunsman took 2 years to play it, replaying it say 4 ways is gonna take 8 years eh? And I'll have to write down each choice point as I go because I can't refer to any previous saves.

Now I know programmers hate going into someone else's code to fix something that's not their own and the headaches involved but that's no excuse in this case. In todays world of games that become brands and go through many versions and pass through many team's hands you can't apply that principle of coders only fixing their own code. It's outdated and commercially suicidal.

spwaw itself may be a free game and that let's you screw about with your promises and responsibilities but mcs are not and provide you with an obligation to customer satisfaction.

While it's not a bug as such, it's such an important issue that it would fall within the criteria for needing a fix.

I do of course [&o] mean no disrespect to Wild Bill. Matrix must surely have one programmer that can take care of this fix.

I believe Matrix will fix this when hell freezes over. David Heath told me MG won't commit anyone to complete the small update needed for MCLV so there's no way this will be fixed. It looks to me Matrix is washing its hands of spwaw with the 8.2 version and that's going to be it.

OK - I have a little windows utility that will copy and preserve the latest MC save into a special location that I used for 18 months whilest playing MCNA and MCLV - it saved my bacon on several occasions. I will drag up the source code and send a new build within a few days

You leave the app running while SPWAW is being played - any time you want to save...

1. do a normal MC save/exit. Swap the 'MegaSaver' app in windows
2. Use the "Backup selected Game" button
3. Fill in the description box..
4. Swap back to SPWAW and reload MC

(Takes about 20sec, and keeps all the saves in dated order and has associated description)

• Sample of tool in action is enclosed.
• Allows as many saves as you want.
• Saves are stored in a "Backup" folder in the MC/Save directory.

I assume there are no problems from MatrixGames people with this ?

Only problem is - Where to host the file ??

You could attach it to your post, just rename the file from .zip to something else, like .txt. It should then be downloadable just remind people that they have to rename it back to zip.

Voriax

ORIGINAL: Anthony

OK - I have a little windows utility that will copy and preserve the latest MC save into a special location that I used for 18 months whilest playing MCNA and MCLV - it saved my bacon on several occasions. I will drag up the source code and send a new build within a few days

I assume there are no problems from MatrixGames people with this ?

Only problem is - Where to host the file ??

Looks good, Anthony!

I look forward to trying it out. Let us know when you have it posted somewhere.

ORIGINAL: Anthony

OK - I have a little windows utility that will copy and preserve the latest MC save into a special location that I used for 18 months whilest playing MCNA and MCLV - it saved my bacon on several occasions. I will drag up the source code and send a new build within a few days

You leave the app running while SPWAW is being played - any time you want to save...

1. do a normal MC save/exit. Swap the 'MegaSaver' app in windows

Go put it in The Depot. Bernie will be happy to.

http://spwaw.com/phpBB2/index.php
2. Use the "Backup selected Game" button
3. Fill in the description box..
4. Swap back to SPWAW and reload MC

(Takes about 20sec, and keeps all the saves in dated order and has associated description)

• Sample of tool in action is enclosed.
• Allows as many saves as you want.
• Saves are stored in a "Backup" folder in the MC/Save directory.

I assume there are no problems from MatrixGames people with this ?

Only problem is - Where to host the file ??

Go put it over at the Depot.

http://spwaw.com/phpBB2/index.php

OK - uploaded to the Depot

http://spwaw.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1675

Any comments welcome

Anthony

ORIGINAL: Anthony

OK - uploaded to the Depot

http://spwaw.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1675

Any comments welcome

Anthony

Thanks, Anthony. I don't own any megacampaigns yet (I'm waiting for the General's Edition) but when I do, I'll be sure to try it out.

Thanks again for posting it for the rest of us.

OK - uploaded to the Depot

http://spwaw.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1675

Any comments welcome

Anthony

Dude this rocks.............

I'm only on the second battle of MCLV...
Might just start again!

It should be cool to try different options.[:)]

I started MCSE a couple months ago and got so mad at the lack of saves I gave it up. I'm going to have a go again with this megasaver. Many thanks.

AGAIN, I call on David Heath to fix the MC bugs, not mentioning the LV final update, I'm talking about the BUGS brought up on this thread. MCs are not free games. Matrix owns the code. Get a programmer to fix the damn things.

well i'm just a very pissed customer right now. I was loading a save of the LV megacampaign and the dam thing refused to load saying that it could not load obb [insert a gazillion numbers here]. this was my tenth battle or so... Now i'm starting the whole thing from the beguining since the only save possible got somehow screwed[:@]

Arrg! forget the Megapains...

Knowing what I know now about the megas not getting finished or fixed I would not have purchased any of them. Two weeks ago I again called on David Heath to answer about this and got no word back. I guess spending more than $100 with MG doesn't entitle me to any kind of response.

I really don't see why there's all this complaining about these saves. The game was designed one way, to make the player pay for decisions and mistakes. I strongly disagree with that philosophy, so I work around it and enjoy myself. That utility mentioned above seems to work, plus there are alot of suggested home remedies for this. There's no reason to lose a whole campaigns worth of work for any reason, as long as you save regularly using some method. I have played and am playing all the megas and don't lose a turn, never mind a whole campaign. I also (if I want) play all the variations of each scenario by reloading the saved last turn of the preceding scenario and then choosing the different options for support (air, engineers, whatever is offered as a choice). It's fun, you get the full gamut of experience, and it takes just a minute or so.
I save almost every turn, go out, copy the 3 files from "mega saves" to a folder on my desktop that has each mega and sub folders numbered or named for each consecutive battle, and then go back in and when prompted rename the file for the next turn. I always try to save a turn right before the very end of the scenario, so I can choose the different support options to play in the next. This isn't hard or even inconvenient, it literally takes seconds, and it's a clumsy approach compared to some of the others mentioned above, but it works great for me.
The overall design of the saves most likely won't be changed, so adapt and enjoy. This company is working on other projects, and regardless of how you view that it doesn't mean these games are unplayable or unenjoyable.
Meanwhile, back to Russia, thats where I'll be!
My .02,
Tim

Tmac,

I agree with you. I practice the same stratedgy as you do concerning the save files and I've had lots of fun playing them (megacampaigns).

Rich

The saves problem can be construed as a feature. However, it looks like a "feature" that doesn't work (how many players go through the campaign as designed and never do extra saves?) and should have been addressed long ago along with a couple other things. They should be fixed and/or completed. The silence from MG is deafening. I stand by my original statement. Had I but known.

When playing solo I always save after each turn, but when I started playing MC's I saved at the beginning of each battle, up until just recently.

At my 5th battle in LV the game quit to desktop when finishing a turn, and I was forced to start over. After that I save at the end of each turn, and it really isn't much work. I use the same method as tmac, and compared to the time each turn takes, this is a marginal addition.

Of course I would like an in-game feature, but I'm not holding my breath for it, and the lack of it doesn't really take away from my gaming experience.