Idea universal player data can be used in diferent games

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Dengar

Guest
The idea is simple. Player data is universal to several games. These would be more rpg/action type games that use stats

So you can take your character and load it into diferent games. Some games would have a few skills and items that are useless in other games. But ur character could gain skills, items, and levels in any game.

Sword art online gave me the idea. But has this been done before in actual games, or does anyone wanna help we create it, or how does the idea sound to you.
 

Coded Games

Member
Ok. The idea isn't particularly new nor hard to do. The first game that I can think of that does this is Pokemon. You just have games save and load data all in the exact same way in the same file. The problem with this though is that if you ever change anything you may break your game file for other games.
 
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Me Myself and I

Guest
Yes, this has been done: Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Base Command. While you can't play characters across games, you can link accomplishments and earn unique incentives.

I'd recommend that model over playing characters across games. Or maybe there's a way you can use link Google Games Achievements to accomplish the same goal?

EDIT: I think you can also play your Neverwinter Nights Online/Star Trek Online characters on both PC/Mac and console as well if you link your Arc Games account with your PS/MS accounts, that's only for the same titles - you can't bring a character from one game to the other.
 
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McWolke

Guest
Phantasy Star Online ( / Offline) did this, you had a Character with skills, items and so on, you could play and Level him up on Episode 1 and use him in Episode 2, too. You can even go back to Episode 1 while keeping all the Episode 2 exclusive Items.
 
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Dengar

Guest
Yea im talking about using the same character for multiple games.
 
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Me Myself and I

Guest
Yea im talking about using the same character for multiple games.
Sounds like a fun project, but we probably don't see it more (or at all) due to the effort/cost of making the two titles compatible - you'd either have to co-develop them with compatibility in mind or create an import/export function that transfers the data from one to another. I think it's more cost/time effective to make a single title and then expand it but that's just mho.
 
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Dengar

Guest
Sounds like a fun project, but we probably don't see it more (or at all) due to the effort/cost of making the two titles compatible - you'd either have to co-develop them with compatibility in mind or create an import/export function that transfers the data from one to another. I think it's more cost/time effective to make a single title and then expand it but that's just mho.
My thought would be to create the player data first and then create the multiple games afterwards. Its not a perfect idea but thats the way im thinking about approaching it.

EDIT: thinking about it tho means thered be a database for player data and then each game would have its own database/server that would each acess the same player data.

Or the player data would be convertable. So each game holds there own data and when u log into a new game then itd simply convert ur data to the new game. So items would mostly convert over and stats would be converted to that games equivelent stat.
 
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Dengar

Guest
im working on this concept again, so im open to input on it.
(any and all ideas welcome!)

right now im thinking the data is gonna be a simple string of data like "name*hp*str*speed*magic*inventory*" just for example.
now items and skills I think would have types suchas an ar15 riffle and a crossbow are both range weapons so theyll convert and can be used in different games. also a potion and a medkit are both healing items.

I was talking with a friend who uses unity and this system could easily be used across different game engines. aslong as there built to use this system.

the 2 biggest issues I see are...

how is data transferred(is it kept online? or just an exported save file). online would be an added layer of complexity with a database and name/password system, but exporting a save file would mean the player has multiple save files to pick from.

and keeping games balanced (so 1 game doesn't give unfair items or experience, though I may just have to accept itl happen)
 
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Taddio

Guest
For game balance, you can't really take your, say, lvl 50 char from Game#1 to Game#2 and expect someone that didn't play Game#1 and starts Game#2 with a lvl 1 char to work as-is without some kind of tweaking.
A workaround I'm thinking of would be make the enemies levels proportionnal to the player level (like Final Fantasy 8, for example). But that in itself makes level gringing pretty much useless as monsters level up at the same rate as you. It's something to think about.
Another way would be to import purely esthetic ^^ non-game-breaking items, like a pet, collectibles, healing skills(?), etc. or even change the storyline of Game#2 if Game#1 is completed...
Just my 2 cents and food for thought!
 
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Dengar

Guest
Working on refining this idea more and i think a character can be exported at anytime. but it can only be imported into another game when starting a new game. that way the new game can adjust wildly overpowered stats back down to a resonably level for a starting character. u still get bonuses but not as extreme and any character sprites or items or skills that can transfer like healing items. and then from there its just a regular game.

but ultimately itll be upto the developer to set how much can be used and what can be transferred. all im doing is creating the opportunity.

im still working on what data will be used and how to transfer sprites.
 
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dannyjenn

Guest
I really like the idea. I was going to do something like this with two RPGs I was working on (though at this point I think I'm just going to combine them into a single game).
 
The data transfer itself is relatively easy. Just use a map to store all the pertinent character data and save the data/sprites/etc that will need to be accessed across multiple games in a folder somewhere. Because GM is sandboxed you'll have to use an extension to save/load where ever it is that you want the data stored (unless you don't mind the user messing around with a standard Open File/Save File window to load in the character data). If you wanted it to be imported automatically, you'd have to use the extension method.
 

YanBG

Member
I think in Paradox's grand strategy games you can load saves(or finished sessions) into the next chronological title(CK>EU4>Victoria>HI4) because the world map is more or less the same.
 
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