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How many "Saves" do you use during a gaming run?

I've noticed a few threads where folk have mentioned "I'm stuck, I have no previous saves, what can I do?"
Personally, especially in Infinity Engine games, I run at least 2 saves as well as the Auto-save and Quick-save feature (which I usually don't use very often except for interruptions (phone, door, children killing each other, kitchen on fire...etc).
Perhaps I'm overly cautious ( wife calls it paranoia) but I've been burnt many times in the past and see this as the lesser grief.
Your mileage?
[Deleted User]CrevsDaak

Comments

  • BillyYankBillyYank Member Posts: 2,768
    I use three and I switch between them whenever I reach a point I deem "significant".
    Tresset
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    I generate hundreds of archive saves every run.
    [Deleted User]JuliusBorisovButtercheese
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    TressetCrevsDaak
  • craymond727craymond727 Member Posts: 208
    I usually make a save at the beginning of every chapter or quest setting, then utilize QS in between.
    luskanJustLeftArunsunCrevsDaak
  • SvarSvar Member Posts: 157
    I tend to make another save whenever I want to leave myself open to go back and explore a different dialogue option or just out of paranoia that there might be a terrible bug waiting for me in a new area. I only got up to four in Throne of Bhaal, because I save over old stuff that isn't relevant anymore.
  • dunbardunbar Member Posts: 1,603
    I run three: A "current" one, a "back-up" of same (updated regularly) and what I call my "wtf" save for when I don't have a clue what I'm doing, but whatever it is seems important. The latter sometimes spawns a bastard offspring of the original game which I continue playing as well and finish it with a different party or by a different route.
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    Usually around 3 or 4.

    Main save file: used for saving whereever and whenever.
    Level-up save file: sometimes used before I level up to be able to go back if I click incorrectly or change my mind about proficencies or similar
    Final save file: the save I end every sitting with and the one I load when I play next time. Just for convience, it's always named "FINAL" so that in a huge list of saves with different character, I know in which save I have progressed the furthest.
    Sometimes I add situational saves if I'm at a forkroad in a story plot or before experimenting with NPC's, quest rewards and want to be able to reload later on if it didn't work out well.
  • OlvynChuruOlvynChuru Member Posts: 3,075
    I usually have one save file for each playthrough, but I mostly use quicksave and autosave.
    sarevok57CrevsDaak
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    edited November 2015
    It depends on how serious a playthrough I'm having. If I'm doing a speed run of some character I'm not very attached to ill keep like two, but if it something I want be be able to come back to ill have lots. I think my first run of bg2:ee I have about 35 saves, I remember naming them in Roman numerals got confusing (wait, was the underdark "meagloth IX" or "XI," now wait, that would be "XVI," no, ahh.... Screw it. "Meagloth 15.")
    I like to have a bunch of chronological saves so I can load up a game at any level/point in the story if someone has a bug or trouble with something on the forums.
    To many saves, however, tend to slow down the game on my iPad, or before that, my windows '98 machine. So occasionally I have to go back and do some housekeeping, which makes me sad.
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
    I usually have 2-3 saves per run. I overwrite these as I go depending on what milestones I reach.
    JuliusBorisov
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  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    I use quick saves all the time. Over the course of a normal run, I will also have 5-10 other "history" saves, which I name and number in case the quick saves and auto saves both get overwritten or broken somehow. So, I'll have a save named "poppy 1," "poppy 2," "poppy 3," and so forth. It also lets me go back and check on things midway through I run I've since completed, to see what XP and items and spells they had at each point in the game.
    JuliusBorisov
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    I have multiple saves in my game directories, there are; all the games where I'm just about to fight the last boss (which is basically half my saves) there are incomplete runs that I have abandoned ( which is almost the other half) I have the save that im currently working on ( sometimes I play 2 or 3 games at once, going back and forth if I get rerollitis) then I have the quick/auto save that the majority uses, and then I have one save slot dedicated to being called; "back up" I use that save slot for scenarios if im trying to do an almost game breaking exploits and if things go awry after my quicksave or autosave I can always go to my backup save
  • IsabellaGrangerIsabellaGranger Member Posts: 52
    edited November 2015
    I usually use three... Though... As I like to toy with the console with EE Keeper (and Shadow Keeper at the time xD), I usually have like three others that I use to have certain banters or reactions, etc, only for mere future amusement xD
    But the ''official'' ones are only three. It gets tiring to have to click the ''Save'' button everytime I want to make a safe save, so I'm an adept of the ''Quick Save'' key command xD I overwrite the files all the time, but if I ever want to save something just in case it goes the wrong way, or I regret having chosen certain options or done certain things, then I make a safe save I make sure not to overwrite because of habit. I use Auto-Save as well, but only when that certain event I want to go back to if regretting actions, isn't that important :)
    semiticgoddess
  • Son_of_ImoenSon_of_Imoen Member Posts: 1,806
    Lots. I save at level-up, at the start of major battles, when I've won a major battle, when I'm given a new quest, when I save to continue later, when I save to make a note in the wording of the save-game etc.

    I've finished BG2 3 times so far. The first playthrough of a game always gets the most saves, as I don't know what will happen I save more often the first time around. I do 'clean-up' of saves once every so often to stop loading times from getting too long.

    My first playthrough counts 948 saves, the second 932 saves and the third one 838 saves
    semiticgoddess[Deleted User]
  • JustLeftJustLeft Member Posts: 76
    I save at the start of each chapter, I also have a misc save that I use about every 30min as a secondary quick save in case I miss up. I do also a save for locations with a lot of contents example Durlag Tower, Watcher's Keep, Baldur's Gate, Athkatla and also a save for a stronghold quests.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    I do a lot of tests with EEKeeper, so I have tons of leftover saves named "test" or ending with "Edited 0001."
    IsabellaGrangerJuliusBorisovCrevsDaak
  • IsabellaGrangerIsabellaGranger Member Posts: 52

    I do a lot of tests with EEKeeper, so I have tons of leftover saves named "test" or ending with "Edited 0001."

    Same with me, though that name bothers me and I end up deleting the file once I finished testing xD
  • DraekinDraekin Member Posts: 40
    I quicksave after every fight, many times in between as well. I do a hard save probably every 4th quick save or so.
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    Depends on what I'm doing and what I'm playing.
    Ps:T -> Hundreds or more than saves per run, Quick Save a LOT to avoid losing progress on crashes.
    BG(2):EE -> One save per run, use Quick Save during session, real save later or whenever I want (as the game progresses, I save less as it takes more time, because the .sav file is bigger).
    BGT -> One save per run, abuse Quick Save to be on the safe side if the game crashes.
    No-reload BGT -> One save per run, I only save at the end of the session, Quick Save a lot 'cause it's BGT.
    IwD:EE -> More than one save per run (I have 3 right now), save a lot, Quick Save even if I don't need to (it's my first time, that's why).

    If I'm testing, I usually don't even save ;p
    And for non-Infinity Engine games, too...
    Divinity - Original Sin -> One save slot, rely on the many autosaves, save before getting in combat and after.
    Pillars of Eternity -> Shitloads of saves. It just makes so much autosaves I didn't bother to search for my previous save to overwrite it, so I have a lot of saves so far (and I started the game two days ago...).
    JuliusBorisov
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