Saves getting saved over

[Imhotep]

I manually make a new-name save at the end of each turn. If I progress to the next turn (and make a new save) and then load the previous save, it will be the new turn.

For example:

I make Save A at end of Turn 5, then progress to the beginning of Turn 6, where I make Save B.

If I quit and load Save A, it will be saved over as though it was Save B, at the beginning of Turn 6. Save A is therefore effectively erased.

Why does it save over my saves?

[mtod198986]

This is a really annoying feature of the game. I wish autosave could be turned off. When I do a save at the beginning of a turn I copy that save to a separate folder so that the game doesn't save over it. Then if you need to load the original save copy it back to the campaign folder and load that save.

[EgoVermin]

The reason why this type of autosave is in the game is because the campaigns were designed around it. Unity of Command II originally released without the "Save As" function because the very idea of being able to create your own save-games in the middle of scenarios and campaigns would allow you to circumvent the penalties related to the score system; penalties which you get from restarting scenarios and conferences. Thus an enterprising "saver" could run the same save games over and over to achieve a perfect score and avoid the penalties that are integral to the campaign experience.

I myself am not a fan of the "Save As" function because of the aforementioned score loophole but I do admit there are a couple of examples where I understand why it would be used:
1. To avoid redoing the battle preparation phase. The battle prep phase is incredibly important but somewhat tedious, especially in the much larger scenarios on the Eastern Front. Making a mistake that costs you the scenario/gold medal late on and having to redo obnoxious battle prep phases repeatedly, to the point you can end up memorising exactly what reinforcements you want to buy or exact placements of supply hubs, can be very annoying.
2. Trying different history tracks without starting a new campaign. Especially prevalent in the 'Stalingrad' campaign whose first four missions are both difficult and lengthy and the 'Victory in the West' campaign for its sheer length.

Unity of Command II is very different from other strategy games to the point where I would consider it more of a "tactics" game than strategy. Thus in my opinion, unless you're a perfectionist (which the devs recommend not being), the ideal way to play is to simply have at it and damn the saves, restarting scenarios only if you've taken losses or completely failed.

[mtod198986]

I've heard this explanation from the folks with the "survival" viewpoint on turn based games more often than I can count. You admitted that there were at least two good reasons for save as. Here are a couple mote: How about if you are playing multiple campaigns (a scenario or two from each then go on to the next one) and want to keep it straight which one you load for the next play? In any case, I find "the developer wants you to play the game their way" a bit over the top for this type of historical game.

[ElGuapo]

There are two ways around this.

[Alexander]

All I can say is that I hope any future games have a normal save system. I like the game and played all the DLC but the lack of a proper save system has started to annoy me more and more over time. A single bad turn can force you to restart and that can get tedious real quick. Especially with the larger scenarios.