My New Game+ option is gone. Why?

[Bramicus]

Okay, two things happened today that could have caused this — maybe. First of all, when I started playing the game from where I left off (this is before patch v1.0.3), it quickly bombed and I sent an error report. I rebooted and it asked me if I wanted to try it in "safe mode." I said yes. This time when I started the game, I was treated to another very long episode of "Building Shaders." Halfway through, the game bombed again. (I think maybe the game was updated with new shaders before the new patch v1.0.3 went live.)

So after checking to make sure my video driver is the latest and greatest (it still is) I reinstalled it anyway and rebooted and said "no" when asked if I wanted to go to safe mode. This time, after my computer spent a considerable amount of time completing "Building Shaders" (something had changed!), I decided to see what "Grounded" difficulty was like. Unfortunately, I soon found out that when playing "grounded" the game modifications available after playing the entire game through the first time (which I had done) had been turned off and locked. Okay, so I quickly found that it "grounded" is too difficult for me without infinite everything and one shot kills. So I loaded an old "second time through" game and started playing. The game modifications (a.k.a. "demigod mode") were available again, but this time there was no "New Game+" available and all my artifacts (and other upgrades) were gone. Huh?

Okay, so as I was writing this I rebooted my computer again and found out the game is now being updated with Patch v1.0.3 — so I expect that no matter what, I'm going to have to start all over again. Now in Prologue, hasn't bombed yet. Still no "New Game+" option available.

But meanwhile, does anyone know if (and why) playing "grounded" resets everything so that New Game+ is no longer available?

[azogthedefiler25]

This happened to me 4 days ago after a patch dropped. I had to replay the last hour or so on both the main game and the left behind dlc. Only then did the new game + show back up. I was lucky that I had been saving a lot.

[stage]

Do you have a COMPLETE Autosave?

[Bramicus]

Originally posted by stage:

Do you have a COMPLETE Autosave?

I probably deleted it. Do I need to keep a COMPLETE autosave in my saved games list for New Game+ to function properly? That would 'splain it, if so.

[rogb1970]

There are 100% saves in Grounded mode available on Nexus Mods. I'd download one and keep it as a backup. Saves like this are often imported from consoles, but, I've used them in the past and they've worked. It can be fun to see Steam achievements popping up when you haven't even played the game!

[Bramicus]

Originally posted by rogb1970:

There are 100% saves in Grounded mode available on Nexus Mods. I'd download one and keep it as a backup. ... [And it] can be fun to see Steam achievements popping up when you haven't even played the game!

Thanks, but I'd rather go through it again as a "first timer" to build up artifacts and mods for the next time I do get a New Game+.

As for achievements, I've always hated them. I want to play the game in order to have fun playing the game, not for some meaningless trophies or "achievements" that produce bragging rights that no one other than possibly myself cares about. I'd rather just turn off the achievement generator and get rid of the ones I have now. They just take up space on my screen, as far as I'm concerned. - LOL

[stage]

Originally posted by Bramicus:

Originally posted by stage:

Do you have a COMPLETE Autosave?

I probably deleted it. Do I need to keep a COMPLETE autosave in my saved games list for New Game+ to function properly? That would 'splain it, if so.

Yes. Those are there so you can just load the data from it. So if you deleted all your saves is normal to not have em.

[rogb1970]

Originally posted by Bramicus:

Originally posted by rogb1970:

There are 100% saves in Grounded mode available on Nexus Mods. I'd download one and keep it as a backup. ... [And it] can be fun to see Steam achievements popping up when you haven't even played the game!

Thanks, but I'd rather go through it again as a "first timer" to build up artifacts and mods for the next time I do get a New Game+.

As for achievements, I've always hated them. I want to play the game in order to have fun playing the game, not for some meaningless trophies or "achievements" that produce bragging rights that no one other than possibly myself cares about. I'd rather just turn off the achievement generator and get rid of the ones I have now. They just take up space on my screen, as far as I'm concerned. - LOL

Yeah, no worries, I get that. I was saying it was an option in case you didn't back all your saves up. I'd keep your own copies, just in case the Steam Cloud or anything else messes up.

[shade00]

always back up your saves
i did and i found out the hard way newgame+ disables after starting newgame+ hard+ or any other
still have my files but kinda a bummer to find out the hard way

everything you did should still be in your files, collected items and should
was missing one comic and achivement unlocked when i found it, didnt make me refind them all.

[Bramicus]

Originally posted by shade00:

always back up your saves
i did and i found out the hard way newgame+ disables after starting newgame+ hard+ or any other still have my files but kinda a bummer to find out the hard way

Thanks. Are you saying newgame+ only works once and then disables? And where are those saved game files so I can back them up?

[shade00]

Originally posted by Bramicus:

Originally posted by shade00:

always back up your saves
i did and i found out the hard way newgame+ disables after starting newgame+ hard+ or any other still have my files but kinda a bummer to find out the hard way

Thanks. Are you saying newgame+ only works once and then disables? And where are those saved game files so I can back them up?

computer - drive - user -saved games - last of us
but be known all you do adds up there is a master data hidden in the saves or something
which tracks your unlocks and i think collectables and who knows what else

[acowsik]

Originally posted by rogb1970:

There are 100% saves in Grounded mode available on Nexus Mods. I'd download one and keep it as a backup. Saves like this are often imported from consoles, but, I've used them in the past and they've worked. It can be fun to see Steam achievements popping up when you haven't even played the game!

I did one playthrough on Grounded to get the plat and unlock all the extras content. NG+ is only required if you really want to max out the pill skills and the weapons which tbh kinda seems pointless.

I also have save backups at different points before achievement triggers like for the safes, locked doors, pendants, conversations, training manuals and jokes so if anyone wants those I can share mine

[rogb1970]

Nine times out of 10 completing the game once is enough for me. There are sometimes things that you lose in NG+. In Horizon Zero Dawn's NG+ you could have Aloy start the game with everything EXCEPT the best armour that you had to grind the most to get. I didn't see the point of that.

It's not often I revisit one and done games that don't offer much after the story is done.

[acowsik]

Originally posted by rogb1970:

Nine times out of 10 completing the game once is enough for me. There are sometimes things that you lose in NG+. In Horizon Zero Dawn's NG+ you could have Aloy start the game with everything EXCEPT the best armour that you had to grind the most to get. I didn't see the point of that.

It's not often I revisit one and done games that don't offer much after the story is done.

I played HZD on Ultra Hard on NG (I doubt anyone even does that cos there is no achievement and it only exists for NG+) but I did everything the game has to offer... had 100% in game completion stats on both main game and DLC.

Playing NG+ on that game was just a formality for the last 2 achievements and the plat so I just rushed through the story missions alone cos there is absolutely no difference in NG and NG+ in terms of enemy behavior.

[Bramicus]

Originally posted by rogb1970:

Nine times out of 10 completing the game once is enough for me.

That really depends on the person. I did the game all the way through on "Moderate" and it was a challenge because my console skills are not the best. I want a challenge but I wanted it easier to get things done.

I enjoyed the game even more the next time because I went into demigod mode (infinite ammo, crafting, and melee durability, one-shot weapon and melee kills, touch of death, and exploding arrows), but it wasn't boring because at the same time I cranked the game difficultly up as far as I could while still being able to use the "Extras" game modifications, i.e., Resources at SURVIVOR, and all the other categories (Player, Enemies, Allies, and Stealth) at GROUNDED. In other words, I made the game harder to beat but made my abilities to defeat the enemy and survive much easier. I liked that. And those exploding arrows were really fun!

[acowsik]

Originally posted by Bramicus:

Originally posted by rogb1970:

Nine times out of 10 completing the game once is enough for me.

That really depends on the person. I did the game all the way through on "Moderate" and it was a challenge because my console skills are not the best. I want a challenge but I wanted it easier to get things done.

I enjoyed the game even more the next time because I went into demigod mode (infinite ammo, crafting, and melee durability, one-shot weapon and melee kills, touch of death, and exploding arrows), but it wasn't boring because at the same time I cranked the game difficultly up as far as I could while still being able to use the "Extras" game modifications, i.e., Resources at SURVIVOR, and all the other categories (Player, Enemies, Allies, and Stealth) at GROUNDED. In other words, I made the game harder to beat but made my abilities to defeat the enemy and survive much easier. I liked that. And those exploding arrows were really fun!

Play a new game on Grounded with no cheats... that is the real challenge.. you have to scrounge around every area for resources and conserve your ammo. Plus you dont have HUD or listen mode.

Having never played the game before, I beat it on Grounded first playthrough.