New Savegame Format Features

[walkawayy]

Now that a new savegame format has been introduced, let's tackle a list of issues and feature requests that can be implemented before backwards compatibility will be broken.

• Feature request: new savegame format #277
• Feature request: increase number of save slots #170 (could be nice to add this in same release as other save improvements)
• OG Bug: bad weapon replacements #406
• Feature request: Subfolder for Saves #87
• Feature request: make Lara's starting health configurable #365
• OG bug: Pierre's dropped items disappear after reload #396
• Feature request: restart level feature #48
• Feature request: Select Level #197
• Feature request: save level stats to be used later #336
• Prevent music triggers from playing again after loading a save file #371
• Feature Request: Add death count to level statistics #388
• Feature: Game completion stats screen #385
• OG bug: Lava particles not working on load in UB #226
• OG Bug: flame, lava and water emitters state is not saved: return to default after loading #418

[walkawayy]

@rr- let me know what you think. Tried to gather all issues related to savegames. Also I'm pretty busy until Friday, so I won't be able to provide much testing / features until then. I can try and finish / test restart level at least. But I don't think we need to rush this since this is a big change. Maybe it should be a 3.0 release?

[walkawayy]

Ok I striked out level select out but the backend is in place for it to be added in the future.

I'll assign issues to myself and add 2.6 milestones for:

1. Restart level (basically done)
2. Prevent music triggers from playing again
3. Emitters
4. Possibly saving current music track / buffer position

Does that work? Seems like the rest of the 2.6 issues just need PR testing. Only thing I think is left undone / unassigned would be saving death count and adding that to level stats and end game stats?

[rr-]

Yeah. I can take care of that before the weekend 👍

[Richard-L]

@walkawayy

• Select level: can you add a new page after "Load Game" in the passport? That would make most sense to me, as it's a PC feature next to a PS1/Saturn one. I didn't know the passport had that many textures, but it seems there are a few options
  
  ^ where are the later passport pages with some travel stamps in used? This texture dump is from XProger.
• Saving the music buffer and enabling an adequate "music position resume upon load" would be huge imo.

Side notes:

• I love the RERO wikipedia link, even if it's not my nature.
• More people are asking re gamepad support in the Discord now. Perhaps something to consider before a big new version number?

[rr-]

The stamps are used to texture the first page depending on the progress of the game.
Sadly we cannot alter the passport number of pages without hacking the mesh data.

[Richard-L]

Oh the progress indication is so sweet. Good game.

Shame about the passport indeed.

[Rapora9]

Two issues that might be relevant:

• unlike normal switches, underwater switches can be pulled again even if they're set as one-shot. I haven't found them causing any issues in TR1 (there are rarely one-shot underwater switches anyway), but they caused a problem in a custom level where the switch was not activating all flags/bits but only 1.
• A common speedrun strat: in Sanctuary of the Scion, an underwater current takes Lara away when the rooms are flipped after using an underwater switch under the huge statue. However, if player saves and loads just after using the lever, the current doesn't work. Why? Indication of some bigger problem with flipmaps/currents?

[Richard-L]

Can you link a video of the speedrun strat? I don't remember it.

[Rapora9]

Using Footi as a source again: https://youtu.be/i6Am1jdLC7M?t=2690

[rr-]

I believe this can be closed. @walkawayy