Save Files

[Beatlemaniac19]

I think a great feature would be allowing members to share their game save files with other members through the Launchbox database. For example, for people who want to play Super Smash Bros. Melee without grinding to unlock all of the characters and stages, they can download someone's 100% complete game save file and insert it into their Launchbox folder. They could do this for all of their games without having to waste countless hours beating games they beat as a kid. This would be an amazing feature. You can create a system similar to Game FAQs. On their site, you can search a game on their search box and the results populate links for "FAQs", "Cheats", "Saves", "Reviews", "Answers", "Images", "Videos", and "Board" for every game that appears in the results. Once you click on "Saves", it lists all of the different save files that members have uploaded with a text description of what contents are on the save file and the save files are listed in order of file extension. For example, if you're using Project64, you'd download the available .eep rom files and the like, or if you're using Retroarch, you'd download .srm files. Members can get creative, like uploading a completely named roster save file for a game in the NCAA Football series or a complete created wrestler roster in WWF No Mercy. The possibilities are endless! Tell me what you guys think of this idea, and if it's possible to implement. Thanks.

[SentaiBrad]

Of course it's possible, and a great Idea. Should make a Ticket for it on the LaunchBox Games Database BitBucket. Sharing Save State files and System Saves is a good idea.

[Beatlemaniac19]

Thanks for the speedy reply Brad. Another consideration, if Game FAQs and their administrators allow it, is to scrape all of the saved files and metadata from Game FAQs. Therefore, if allowed by Game FAQs, you can already have a rich database with save files for most games and users can add their own save files as well. Another aspect that's important is DLC. Any game with DLC from the 7th gen or before has shut their servers down so the only way that people can protect their DLC files are to back them up on the cloud; in this case the Launchbox database. I don't want to push my luck, but let me know how what Jason and the community think of this suggestion. I've watched most of your tutorials and Jason's developer sessions. I must say, very high quality work. Maybe ask Jason if he can get Launchbox users' feedback on this idea in his next YouTube video. Just an idea. Thanks again. P.S. In Jason's last video, he mentioned that you guys could charge $50 an hour or so for a one-on-one training session to answer any of our needs. For the record, I think it's a great idea and think there is definitely a big audience that feels the same. Keep up the good work.

[SentaiBrad]

It is not allowed by GameFAQ's. We wanted them as a scraper a long time ago and it was never going to happen. However, with our own Database now we need these sites less and less. Even if there is no way to play Games or DLC anymore, it's still technically illegal and we're going to stay away from that. That stance could change in the future, but even if you had a way to get those files, unless someone reverse engineers them they're pointless anyways. In the end it would still be illegal for us. You can make requests, theories and ask all you want. We just ask users to try and search to see if their idea has been talked about or asked on the BitBucket before. Otherwise we love the suggestions. I had similar thoughts about the Database being able to distribute other files like save files before too, I love knowing others are just as dedicated to think of this stuff as well. Thanks for the posts, we do appreciate the kind words and the dedication. It's why our jobs exist.