Death / saves

[Reaper]

Roguelike is mentioned in the description, so I'm assuming this is one of those games with permadeath and no loading of savegames? The kind you're supposed to fail and restart from the beginning over and over. Is that right?

[A Nickel]

Yes, once you are dead that is the end of it.

If you'd like, you can try out the full game at http://unrealworld.fi/ before you decide if you want to buy it.

Enjoy! If you have any questions, feel free to add me.
-Andrew

[Privateer]

Once you create a "survivor" a folder by the same name is created in the game directory.
You can make backup(s) of this folder to "restore" a character.

A simular method to how you migrate a character in standalone version(s)

[EthanT]

It's even easier than changing files around. If you cant stand the permadeath thing when your screen goes black and says you died just alt f4 before clicking anything else. Then just reload.

I've only done this once, because I accidentally fell into my own trap fence and refused to accept it :P

[Reaper]

Thanks for all the answers/tips. There are lots of games now where I'm very interested by the depth, but very put off by the permadeath. I just struggle with the concept. You spend so many hours developing a character, and then lose all of it in an instant. That's bad enough, but then you're supposed to just start over from scratch and feel like doing that whole thing all over again from the beginning? I just can't imagine it. I think it must be a mindset thing though. Maybe I'll learn to appreciate it some day.

[A Nickel]

Originally posted by Reaper:

Thanks for all the answers/tips. There are lots of games now where I'm very interested by the depth, but very put off by the permadeath. I just struggle with the concept. You spend so many hours developing a character, and then lose all of it in an instant. That's bad enough, but then you're supposed to just start over from scratch and feel like doing that whole thing all over again from the beginning? I just can't imagine it. I think it must be a mindset thing though. Maybe I'll learn to appreciate it some day.

Like Privateer mentioned, you can just backup your character's file at regular intervals to simulate saving. Permadeath is indeed a really frustrating thing, but it makes the life of each character you have that much more important. Most of the battles and hunts I've been on would not of been nearly as tense if I could just load an earlier save. Hope you find a way to enjoy the game!

[urman.gamer]

I'd also offer that URW seems a little different in that while your character does develop some, most of the change is in skills that you use a lot and in the character's possessions. Attributes like endurance or dexterity can only be changed a little. Characters also pretty much can craft the same items, as long as they have materials. There's not a lot that gets unlocked as the character advances; it's mostly character wealth (in items, spare food, etc.) and development of your camps.

Some players might also find that the most interesting/fun game is actually the first few months of a character's life, when things are a little more desparate. After serious amounts of food are secured, and a camp is completed, you might retire the character and start a new one just for the challenge.

[katsuragi]

Originally posted by Reaper:

Thanks for all the answers/tips. There are lots of games now where I'm very interested by the depth, but very put off by the permadeath. I just struggle with the concept. You spend so many hours developing a character, and then lose all of it in an instant. That's bad enough, but then you're supposed to just start over from scratch and feel like doing that whole thing all over again from the beginning? I just can't imagine it. I think it must be a mindset thing though. Maybe I'll learn to appreciate it some day.

Indeed, once you play games for enough decades, games without consequences seem pointless.

[Antorius]

Re: perma-death. It is a mindset, but that's not to say that players who embrace these games don't occasionally grieve/rage when a character dies. You should give Faster Than Light a try. In my opinion it's the quintessential rogue-like. I have literally died within 5 minutes of starting a new game, but I have also gotten to the last map. You do that enough times in a randomly generated environment and you start to understand that the fun is indeed in starting over and seeing how far you can get.

[Reaper]

Originally posted by katsuragi:

Indeed, once you play games for enough decades, games without consequences seem pointless.

Nah, that's not it. I've played games through my fair share of decades, and plenty of young people like permadeath. It's gotta be mindset.

I just prefer the feeling of always making progress, not starting over. But I'm also not used to this type of game design. I don't really want to cheat the system since the game was designed this way. I'll give it a try eventually and try to get in the right frame of mind.

[Reaper]

Originally posted by Antorius:

Re: perma-death. It is a mindset, but that's not to say that players who embrace these games don't occasionally grieve/rage when a character dies. You should give Faster Than Light a try. In my opinion it's the quintessential rogue-like. I have literally died within 5 minutes of starting a new game, but I have also gotten to the last map. You do that enough times in a randomly generated environment and you start to understand that the fun is indeed in starting over and seeing how far you can get.

I don't mind the ones where I die in the first 5 minutes. But playing for anything over 30 minutes and then losing it all just drives me nuts. Being near the end would only make it worse. I'd like to get over that hurdle though because there are a lot of cool game designs going into roguelikes these days. When they have some kind of persistent upgrades, it does lessen the sting a bit.

[Antorius]

Originally posted by Reaper:

When they have some kind of persistent upgrades, it does lessen the sting a bit.

Take a look at a game called Battlestation: Harbinger.

[Othobrithol]

I was really impressed by how Desktop Dungeons and Guild of Dungeoneers handled it. Quick runs through a single level dungeon with just enough strategic character building, where all gains are used to upgrade a central town/guild. Sadly they do lack the depth of development and mechanics that you'll find in a more traditional roguelike such asUnreal World, ADOM or Dungeons of Dredmoor. If someone can bridge between the two extremes I'd love it.

[DopamineDaydreams (Shardj)]

Any way to restore a dead character from the ancestors directory? My game bugged out and I spawned in a village that was hostile to me for no reason

[A Nickel]

I don't believe so, ancestor is just a text log and it doesn't hold the actual save data.