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[taizuke]

My biggest gripe with the auto save icon is how it foreshadows something is about to happen, usually used right before a boss fight.

It's difficult to catch you by surprise if video games have taught you to expect something right after an auto save.

Playing Resident Evil Village on PS5 I was relieved a little to see that while it still happens, it's blazing fast. Blink and you'll miss it. However, it's still noticeable.

So, should it be hidden? Should developers find more creative ways to use it? With loading times being faster than ever before this gen I think it's definitely possible.

 

[Pagusas]

All things like that should have a hide/disable option.

 

[MrFunSocks]

Rather it be shown so you know that it happened.

 

[kingfey]

It depends more on the game. Some game have it hidden. Some needs a loading screen. Some will just save itself, while you see the icon. Most of the time, it depends on the system.

 

[NanaMiku]

I think it's better to be shown rather than a chance of save file corrupted because turning off the console while saving.

 

[Sean Mirrsen]

It's not something that can be made diegetic, as it's imperative that the user doesn't interrupt the process. Whatever inconvenience it may cause by interfering with immersion, is vastly preferable to even one instance of irreversibly corrupting the savefile. And autosaves usually happen after, not before important events anyway, because failing the important event usually gives you the option of a "retry", and the game only commits the save after you're through it.

 

[Decontamination Silo]

I should be able to depend on a game saving. Perfect example is the Souls series. I can quit out of that motherucker at any moment and know all my fuck ups are preserved for eternity. Never seen a save icon in it. But I know it's saved. Because many times I wish it wasn't.

 

[Javthusiast]

I never got spoiled by a save icon, so no keep showing them so I know I can quit without problems.

 

[Kuranghi]

I hate when its really bright and taking your attention, thats rubbish yeah, its best when its semi-transparent and really tiny in the corner.

 

[wvnative]

I like to know when my game auto saves so yes.

But for people who don't like an option to get rid of it would be good

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[sainraja]

I think the auto-save icon is displayed so people don't end up quitting or shutting down the console, basically, to prevent save data corruption. I am sure they use other means to prevent data corruption as well but it's better to avoid it from happening! Because of this, they kinda have to show the save icon. It is a usability/UX thing.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

It needs to be there, there's even warnings not to turn off the system when you see it.

 

[elliot5]

Pretty sure console manufacturers demand it to be visible if developers want their game to pass QA.

Could be wrong though.

Yes. Having a moving icon during loading and saving is part of certification on modern devices. It lets you know if the game has frozen or stalled.

 

[nerdface]

It was important back when we could accidentally pull a memory card at the wrong time.

I don’t see the point anymore…

 

[Captain Toad]

All things like that should have a hide/disable option.

Especially your face. Zoom!

 

[MrS]

OP asking the important gaming questions

taizuke poll pls

 

[zeorhymer]

Doesn't it appear in the corner when it auto-saves?

 

[TonyK]

I hate it. The worst I've seen is the one in Metro Exodus. It's so intrusive that I can't believe it can't be hidden. Periodically I came back to options saying "nah, it's impossible, must be possible to hide it, I simply didn't find the option yet". But no, it can't be hidden.

 

[junguler]

i think every game should default to showing it with the option to hide it.

 

[yurinka]

It should be somewhere that doesn't hide anything important, but should be visible to remind you that if you shut down the conole while saving you may lose the savedata.

 

[Vagswarm]

Doesn't it appear in the corner when it auto-saves?

Yes, the topic is about hiding it so that it doesn't interrupt the gameplay, because it always happens right before a boss battle, leaving no element of surprise.

 

[Chakker]

Dark Souls actually does have a little flame icon that appears briefly when autosaving. And there are instances, such as falling off a ledge, where if you are extremely fast you can reload to before the fall.

 

[zeorhymer]

Yes, the topic is about hiding it so that it doesn't interrupt the gameplay, because it always happens right before a boss battle, leaving no element of surprise.

I guess I block it out cause it happens so often when just walking around.

 

[Vagswarm]

I don't know if it's just Steam, but the achievements popping up after major boss battles and at the end of the game are equally as annoying. Some bosses have multiple layers and respawn, but this is a dead give away that the fight is over. And when the game ends, literally as soon as you take the last hit on the final boss -- without even going to the cut scenes or credits -- the achievement pops up with an explanation that you just beat the game.

 

[Urban]

My biggest gripe with the auto save icon is how it foreshadows something is about to happen, usually used right before a boss fight.

It's difficult to catch you by surprise if video games have taught you to expect something right after an auto save.

Playing Resident Evil Village on PS5 I was relieved a little to see that while it still happens, it's blazing fast. Blink and you'll miss it. However, it's still noticeable.

So, should it be hidden? Should developers find more creative ways to use it? With loading times being faster than ever before this gen I think it's definitely possible.

Wait till you notice that the "enemy" music stops once you kill them all. I hate it! I know that im safe now...

 

[Great Hair]

I´m so sick of this L2 autonomous driving gaming, can not wait to buy games for $100 and not having to play them no more! I´m sick of playing games, i wan´t them "to unfold their magic in front of me", with out having to do jack shit.

Why do we pay again $100? C´mon, gimmie an easy mode and if possible an elderly mode as well, so that all those elder folks out there, who are missing out on playing the next Gears of War, can finally be hip again.

 

[01011001]

hot take ... most games should have no auto save feature at all but only manual saves and normal good old checkpoints

the Souls games need auto save due to it being an intrinsic part of the Gamedesign (it's harder to cheat with saves that way) but most games can do without it. a simple "save and quit" option would be way better imo

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

I don't know if it's just Steam, but the achievements popping up after major boss battles and at the end of the game are equally as annoying

No this is up to the devs, they build in the flags when an achievement is considered "complete".

 

[taizuke]

OP asking the important gaming questions

taizuke poll pls

Poll added. Will take the time to reply to other people in this thread later.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Now that fast SSD is a thing. Next up large capacitors to hold just enough charge to put the machine in a save state before total loss of power.

 

[Griffon]

There are better ways to avoid corrupted saves. If done right, the icon is superfluous nowadays.

 

[kiphalfton]

Show it.

As is the case with Bayonetta, I want to get up and leave but the dumb fuck devs didn't incorporate mid-chapter manual saves from what I can tell. Same with other games. Sometimes I just wait for some sort of symbol so I can shut the game off, ans go do something else.

 

[SSfox]

Depends on the genre of games, but usually i'd say no.

 

[taizuke]

I think it's better to be shown rather than a chance of save file corrupted because turning off the console while saving.

It's not something that can be made diegetic, as it's imperative that the user doesn't interrupt the process. Whatever inconvenience it may cause by interfering with immersion, is vastly preferable to even one instance of irreversibly corrupting the savefile. And autosaves usually happen after, not before important events anyway, because failing the important event usually gives you the option of a "retry", and the game only commits the save after you're through it.

I don't know about you guys but i go through a couple steps before quitting the game:

1) Make sure the game finished saving.
2) Return to title screen.
3) Quit the game.

All this to avoid any chance of a corrupted save file. And to be clear i don't want the save icon to disappear entirely, in fact i want it visible. It's just it needs to be better implemented. For example I'm currently playing FF: VII Remake Intergrade and I've noticed the game auto-saves when you enter a cutscene, not before it (from what I've noticed). And if you were to load that last save it leaves you right there before the cutscene.

I should be able to depend on a game saving. Perfect example is the Souls series. I can quit out of that motherucker at any moment and know all my fuck ups are preserved for eternity. Never seen a save icon in it. But I know it's saved. Because many times I wish it wasn't.

Only Souls games I've played are Dark Souls and Demon Souls (PS3) and IIRC they both showed the auto-save icon when quitting the game which i have no problem with.

It needs to be there, there's even warnings not to turn off the system when you see it.

I agree. It's just I've lost count at the many foreshadowing auto-save icons and some of the most egregious example are definitely the RE series.

Doesn't it appear in the corner when it auto-saves?

Once i notice it's difficult to not see it. From a transparent circle to a floppy disk saving icon... I just ask that i don't see it before something's going to happen.

 

[Decontamination Silo]

The great/terrible thing about Souls autosaving is it even sneaks it in when you smash Alt+F4. Wonder why other games struggle with this.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

The reason why they used to be more visible for longer on screen was to mask as a loading icon at the same time.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

My biggest gripe with the auto save icon is how it foreshadows something is about to happen, usually used right before a boss fight.

It's difficult to catch you by surprise if video games have taught you to expect something right after an auto save.

Not once have I seen the save icon and thought, “oh boy, something big is about to happen”.

 

[A.Romero]

Visible. If you happen to turn off you device while saving, a ton of fuckery can happen.