Stop the game from creating a folder in My Documents!?

[SirGarnet]

How do I STOP the game from creating a fieldofglory top level folder with a Launcher.ini and a slitherine top level folder in my My Documents folder when I start the game? When the first is deleted, it comes back of its own accord. The second I'd like to have moved elsewhere, or just keep it deleted. For efficiency the number of top-level folders in My Documents has to be limited to one vertical pop-up screen in applications. Now that the holiday is over, this is a serious problem.

Please help.

[pipfromslitherine]

It's a Windows standard that games keep their save files in My Docs these days - it is to support limited users who cannot write to pretty much anywhere else.

Cheers

Pip

[batesmotel]

It's a Windows standard that games keep their save files in My Docs these days - it is to support limited users who cannot write to pretty much anywhere else.

Cheers

Pip

Might make sense to allow a user to specify an alternative location for save files at installation or as a game option.

Chris

[SirGarnet]

Thanks for the courtesy of a response.

I can't politely express how infuriating and offensive I find such intrusive software behavior. I don't like being treated like an idiot by software - I've found a wife quite sufficient for that purpose.

Surely there is a registry or other change that can fix this? Or provide a simple shell that can automatically delete these directories when the program is unloaded? Or is uninstalling the only solution (the programs I hate most are the worm-like applications that are not really uninstalled and require registry changes or worse)?

[IainMcNeil]

The only reason we do it is because Windows requires it. If we try to save anywhere else significant numbers of machines fail to save and load the files. YOu shoudl talk to Microsoft!

[SirGarnet]

How are other games able to offer the option of a default or other location?

[batesmotel]

The only reason we do it is because Windows requires it. If we try to save anywhere else significant numbers of machines fail to save and load the files. YOu shoudl talk to Microsoft!

I thought that Microsoft requires this as default behavior but doesn't restict you from providing an option for a user to specify another location? It would slightly complicate the installation to provide this as another option that the user can choose to change but it would seem a worthwhile one to offer.

Chris

[pipfromslitherine]

It might be the case, but I'll add that I have never seen a game which offered an option of where to save your savegames. They tended to just go into the install folder, until XP/Vista and the new guidelines, and now they go into the Docs dir.

Personally I prefer into the install dir, but building and supporting multiple possibilities is not a trivial amount of extra work.

Cheers

Pip

[SirGarnet]

So Microsoft mandates no saves in the Program Files, no saves in the already somewhat annoying My Games subfolder, just all top level folders to further annoy our users who play games?

[pipfromslitherine]

I guess we could look at making the directory in My Games (or create it if it is not there). At least then there are no additional ones at the top level. We'll have to see what issues there might be.

Cheers

Pip

[SirGarnet]

I guess we could look at making the directory in My Games (or create it if it is not there). At least then there are no additional ones at the top level. We'll have to see what issues there might be.

Cheers

Pip

I am very enthused by that idea!

[Toby42]

So what's the big deal of saving games to My Documents?

[keithmartinsmith]

Can you please accept the following:-
1) Microsoft has a number of suggested rules for developers. One is that dynamic content is saved to the My Documents folder.
2) It is no longer safe to put dynamic content in the program files folder
3) It is not a good idea to put dynamic content in a custom folder e.g. c:\blah blah
4) If we were to do (2) or (3) then depending on your user and security settings the game could have a number of file violation errors writing to the system causing a crash.
5) There is another suggested place for dynamic data that many companies use and thats the app data folder but thats a hidden folder and using that could also mean that only one user of the system could play FOG. With the current settings all the users on a single pc can play the game.
6) If we did move the save game to another folder e.g. c:\save games then where there is more than one player on a single pc their save games would overwrite each other.

There is no practical alternative to this.
Keith

[Yanitch]

5) There is another suggested place for dynamic data that many companies use and thats the app data folder but thats a hidden folder and using that could also mean that only one user of the system could play FOG. With the current settings all the users on a single pc can play the game.

The AppData folder (on Win7 at least) is within the Users\<username> folder so it should be user-specific and so not restrict the settings to one user?

I think that MS have provided too many locations for user settings (Registry, My Documents, My Games, AppData\Local, AppData\LocalLow, AppData\Roaming, etc) and maybe it all gets a bit confusing as everyone uses different places!

/tuppenceworth

[SirGarnet]

Putting the FOG and Slitherine folders In My Games as mentioned should be OK with Microsoft. Not ideal but would be fine since I can't say there isn't a lot of stuff in there already.

I'm happy to reinstall to do it.

[SirGarnet]

Can you please accept the following:-
1) Microsoft has a number of suggested rules for developers. One is that dynamic content is saved to the My Documents folder.
2) It is no longer safe to put dynamic content in the program files folder
3) It is not a good idea to put dynamic content in a custom folder e.g. c:\blah blah
4) If we were to do (2) or (3) then depending on your user and security settings the game could have a number of file violation errors writing to the system causing a crash.
5) There is another suggested place for dynamic data that many companies use and thats the app data folder but thats a hidden folder and using that could also mean that only one user of the system could play FOG. With the current settings all the users on a single pc can play the game.
6) If we did move the save game to another folder e.g. c:\save games then where there is more than one player on a single pc their save games would overwrite each other.

There is no practical alternative to this.
Keith

This boils down to it's too problematic not to put it in the My Documents folder, but I've not heard of any restriction as to where. Just to be clear, does that mean that it CAN be put in the My Games subfolder as other games do?

I'm posting today since I determined to wait a week before posting again.

[IainMcNeil]

We're loking in to it but not sure what is going to be possible yet.