[Scummvm-tracker] [ScummVM] #10133: MOHAWK: Riven: Please add a 'Prompt to Save' feature to the game.
macca8
trac at scummvm.org
Tue Aug 15 05:09:19 CEST 2017
#10133: MOHAWK: Riven: Please add a 'Prompt to Save' feature to the game.
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Reporter: macca8 | Owner: (none)
Type: enhancement | Status: new
Priority: normal | Component: Engine: Mohawk
Keywords: | Game: Riven
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Currently, whenever the player exits the game in progress for any reason
(Quit, Return to Launcher, Load), any unsaved changes will be lost without
warning. This puts the onus back on the player to remember to save before
exiting the game. In my opinion, this is really poor form.
It doesn't happen in the original, so technically it could be argued that
this is a bug in ScummVM. However, I'd prefer to consider it an essential
feature not yet implemented.
Riven already boasts an impressively featured and robust save/load
mechanism (far superior to the original). It makes sense to prompt the
player to use it when it's most needed.
If the feature already exists or is pending, then that's great, but if
not, here's the basic concept as I see it:
- monitoring of unsaved changes.
- an appropriate dialog to alert the player & initiate the save (if
required).
- identify the player actions to activate the feature.
**1. Unsaved changes.**
A property (**_saveChanges**) should be established & initialised/set to
**false** in these situations:
- starting a new game.
- loading a saved game.
- after completing a save.
This property is set to **true** by the first valid mouse, or keyboard
navigation, event (something changes) that follows any of these
situations. Supporting this with an appropriate conditional statement
avoids unnecessary resets (for example, if !_saveChanges then set
_saveChanges to true).
**2. Dialog.**
The dialog should contain a simple message & three buttons:
*Message: **Save changes?**
*Buttons (left to right):
- **Cancel**: return to game.
- **Don't Save**: continue player exit call.
- **Save**: open usual Save screen, then, if save completed: continue
player exit call.
Cancelling in either the Save or Load screen should always return to the
game.
This guarantees that the player can only exit a game without saving
unsaved changes by clicking **Don't Save**, the desired result.
**3. Trigger actions.**
Dialog should only appear **if _saveChanges is true**.
If true, then any of these player initiated exit calls:
- **Riven Options Menu (F5):** Quit, Load.
- **Global Main Menu (Ctrl-F5):** Quit, Load, Return to Launcher.
- **Keyboard:** Cmd-Q (Quit on Mac OS X) & its equivalent on other
platforms.
No doubt, implementing this feature is probably more complex than it
appears here, but then, this isn't a trivial request, so I hope it's
viewed favourably.
As an end user, I'd expect this as a standard feature for ''any'' game
with save support, not just Riven. As such, there's an expectation of
built-in protection against ''any'' predictable loss of unsaved changes.
It's taken many years and much effort to prepare Riven for official
support. Please don't leave it vulnerable to what is basically an
avoidable error.
Thanks for your consideration.
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Ticket URL: <https://bugs.scummvm.org/ticket/10133>
ScummVM <https://bugs.scummvm.org>
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