How to turn off Ironman?

[Boj'ana]

I've been enjoying the game but it doesn't have a tutorial so you've gotta learn as you play. I don't mind that. The problem is I only have finite time to learn, being an adult, so I'd like to be able to go back to previous saves when a freak mistake happens so I can keep learning about game mechanics and research and upgrades/build trees etc.

[MostLostNoob]

Unfortunately, you can't turn off the Ironman gameplay & since the game doesn't have the normal save/load mechanic that's been an industry standard for decades, the only workaround is manual copy/paste of the save files.

Every 20 minutes, the game will auto-save 2 "_Backup" files in your Documents directory (Windows+R: %USERPROFILE%/Documents\My Games\They Are Billions\Saves). Copy/paste these 2 files somewhere safe. When backing up the "_Backup" files, do not rename them as the game will not recognize renamed files. Instead, you may want to create a main folder for all the backup files & then create subfolders with the game day & time (like 010.07) to put the actual files into, that way you can have multiple backups & can go back as far as you want to.

When you need to load the backups, first, go back to the game main menu (New Game, Continue, etc). Second, go to the Saves folder & delete any files in there. Third, go to the appropriate backups folder & copy/paste your backups to the Saves folder. Forth, switch back to the game & click Continue to load your backup. You wont see "Backup", only the original name of the game when you first saved it.

I don't recall 100% because it's been awhile, but to get this to work, you may need to turn off Keep Saves in Steam Cloud via Library > They Are Billions > Properties.

[Catbeard Beardcat]

The only way to play this game is Ironman mode. Not having a save/load mechanic isn't bad game design, it's part and core of the game. It's hardcore strategy.

[Boj'ana]

Well that sucks, but thank you. Beings I have a life I guess this game isn't worth any more time then because I don't wanna take 30-50 hours learning basic game concepts. It's too bad I can't still refund it but oh well.