To Save Scum Or Not To Save Scum (The Jimquisition)

[@Dr170]

Judicious scumming that eliminates gameplay bloat is fair game by any metric.

[@marti5420]

You could almost say it's by design, if it wasn't for the fact that games arent designed to be fun anymore. 😂😂😂😂😂.... please end me

[@masterbasher9542]

Just as much as one can say "to save chest, edit or backup" in case of other genres.

[@MaxiTB]

Real gamers switch to Dungeon and Dragons units instead of using metric :)

[@lexruptor]

*reloading Let's not call it scumming, since most people don't call it that

[@sandwich2473]

The hardcore "new game +7 soul level 1 no hit no roll" darksouls player I play with tells me to just save backup at boss fog walls I trust her opinion on things all hardcore gaming

[@phaedrussocrates7636]

Ever since I read instruction book for Fallout 1 they got it ingrained in my brain: "save constantly, save often, save some more and keep saving" is what they've said 😁

[@manub9750]

I remember a conversation between npcs in Fallout 2. In a "break the 4th wall" kind of way, these npcs were the former hero of Fallout 1 and one of them told something like "my player gave me no points in pickpoketting, and he kept trying to steal every npcs he came across ... The number of save and reload we did ..." :D

[@ironmilutin]

Hopefully they also mentioned loading those saves too

[@nathanlevesque7812]

the steal stat did barely anything or nothing, so this is optimal @@manub9750

[@renatocorvaro6924]

@@manub9750 Cafe of Broken Dreams. Really fun tongue-in-cheek sequence for those who played Fallout 1. Also, you can recruit Dogmeat there.

[@MrQwertyman111]

@@manub9750 That was funny, especially looking back at how much I had to reload in every playthrough when trying to steal a Bozar from the guards in from of Busters tent. Good times 😁👍

[@SnooDoodle]

Can you imagine a world where someone doesn't save before a legendary pokemon battle and the damn thing Struggles itself to death and they've now just no way of getting that thing in their game without starting from scratch. There's a reason most games with limited save locations tend to hand you a save spot before tough fights, they want you to USE 'em! To take anything you learned from that specific scenario and succeed this time.

[@Darca1n]

A great example of this is Shadow Gambit, which not only allows for save-scumming, but heavily encourages it and even has it as a literal in-universe tool.

[@glenngriffon8032]

The first Tomb Raider comes to mind. Heck one of the last levels opens up with a boss fight, and the game always asks if you want to save when you finish a level. Megaman Legends drops your little monkey Data, who is the game's save point at many critical points and in the early game you'll find him all over the place, one notable moment is just before a two part boss fight thing and then immediately after that fight he's standing right by the door that takes you to another difficult fight.

[@michaelh878]

@@glenngriffon8032 What does saving before and after difficult fights have to do with reloading after not getting the result you want from a dialog choice?

[@glenngriffon8032]

@@michaelh878 just an example. Although in MML the fights i referenced can decimate the city if you're not good or fast enough and you will need to pay some of yourhard earned zenny to make repairs... Although there's really no consequences for letting the city get leveled or not fixing it unless you're like me and take your RPing seriously

[@jackielinde7568]

Yes, I can. There are KZbinrs who do such runs. They're called hard core runs for a reason. And you know what? That's a perfectly valid play style, too. However you want to play the game that makes it fun for you, do it. Just don't be the ass who uses these exploits of a system specifically when other players are involved and it adversely affects them.

[@SeanORaigh]

When I first heard the term "save scumming" I had only a vague guess as to what it meant. When I learned what it meant I was like "oh lmao I do that all the time"

[@onedeadsaint]

i like to think of it like when i was a kid reading those choose-your-own adventure books. i loved having my fingers holding several threads open for my own backtracking. it felt like i was traversing a maze in book form and when you reach a dead-end you reload your save or go back to where my ring finger was holding my place.

[@Vamptonius]

I always used to think that was cheating in my Interplanetary Spy books - didn't even slightly stop me.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

And when there were stats involved, I just plainly ignored them. Of course my level 1 Mage with no spells can kill that big dragon, now just tell me what's going on? Oh, I need a holy amulet that is hidden on a dangerous dungeon somewhere to continue? Yeah, no, I probably have a duplicate on me somewhere or something. Just... Let me enjoy the story, OK? It may be fun in a video game, or with a group, but alone with not even a pen readily available, I'll cheat and no one can stop me

[@ClanCrusher]

Real life D&D may not have save scumming, but if your DM isn't a total ass, they'll usually have interesting fallbacks or contingencies in place for failure, or they'll interpret the failure in an interesting and/or creative way. And of course, on occasion, they'll just simply flub the dice rolls. The DM in Baldur's Gate is an unthinking and unfeeling machine, so if I need a conveniently timed flubbed dice roll, I'll bloody well do it myself.

[@tubensalat1453]

Yeah; I remember a fight where one of our heroes started out by cutting off his own leg with his two-handed sword and it took some creativity on all sides to proceed in an agreeable way.

[@Permafry42108]

It absolutely depends on the dm too. As a DM, i actually built save scumming and nonviolent tools (such as knocking people out if they get bellow 1hp if the player decided not to kill the enemy) as features in my campaign that are explicitly explained to the party as a part of my introducing them together and what the social expectations are for the game. You can even go full undertale and say that there's a god of fate that will give people the ability to try a fight again, but with the cost that each time they do this, they have an increased risk for, for instance, sorcerer magic to go wild. There's plenty of ways to play games, both in video games and in d&d and other tabletop games. the main thing in both is you make it clear from the onset what the expectations and restrictions are, and that all players consent to those restrictions. The biggest problem isn't that these features aren't possible in games, its that the devs and dms alike aren't willing to trust their players enough to be able to make their own choices;

[@CatHasOpinions734]

We've got house rules around what we call "devil's gambits", where when the dice sabotage you at something you should be good at or you make a good enough case that something should play out differently, the GM will come up with an idea, not tell you exactly how it'll play out but it's always interesting, and the player can choose between that or rules-as-written. We pretty much ALWAYS pick the devils gambit. One time someone rolled a one and a three on a sneak attack they'd been setting up for a while, and what happened in game was that they lost balance, fell but weren't immediately seen, mid-air flung their rapier at the target who took that and all the ambush damage. The goals were still accomplished, the effort wasn't wasted, but the rest of us had to work to be a distraction while the rogue got back where they needed to be and then after we had a little mini quest to get their sword back. It was fun and hilarious and a good time was had by all.

[@MRdaBakkle]

What is inspiration except for save scumming? Also it's important to note that a good GM hopefully isn't going to be making every single person roll for things they should just know. Shadowheart should just have a good grasp on religion especially Seluna and Shar worship. Gale should have a grasp of Arcana and History without having to roll. Missing out on content when your character is supposed to be good at these things sucks, BG3 forces a lot of rolls that in an actual TTRPG wouldn't get rolled.

[@whitewall2253]

Flubbing dice rolls in the players favour is an important part of being a GM. some times you do just fucking die of course but I'm hesitant to punish players for being bad at rolling dice. More than happy to punish players for making terrible decisions though.

[@AikenDrum1715CE]

This is what I love most about you , Steph. It's that you keep abreast of current controversies and expose them without shame or hesitation.

[@SaltyRocksPew]

huge, jiggling, round, massive controversies.

[@jackielinde7568]

I think it's utterly ridiculous how you're trying to milk her gags for all it's worth. (Why, yes! I am a Dad. What does that have to do with my jokes?)

[@Lawnie]

And making such titillating content all the while.

[@marcelomeirelles6039]

The thing about save scumming in rpgs is that death is not the only “fail state” If i want to roleplay a romance with a certain character, failing a specific roll to romance them will feel to me like failure, even more so than death, which we are all accustomed to. Also, many times i misclicked and wasted a critical combat turn. In baldurs gate 3 this often leads to combat dragging out a lot more than it should. Sometimes it completely wrecked my chances to win and if I didn’t reload I would waste some 30 minutes fighting an impossible battle.

[@AikenDrum1715CE]

@@marcelomeirelles6039 In tabletop there is a rule that offers taking a 10 on a skill roll. It's not usable in stressful conditions like combat, but many times these rolls would be available as a 10. Why can't they include that as an option in BG3?

[@Wyattporter]

To save scum or not to save scum? Answer: who gives a shit. Play how you want

[@caolanmoore4027]

Based

[@BlackTestament]

Casually Based Wyatt Porter W

[@rusteddamsel5848]

Mood

[@Wyattporter]

@@BlackTestamentthanks Voice Dude Guy

[@Kris-2]

correct answer

[@arskakarva7474]

Personally I think save scumming is part and parcel of games taking a really long time to complete: The options are wasting possibly well over 30 hours (in case of RPGs, possibly over 80 or 100 hours) replaying everything again, or saving that time through save scumming.

[@Tanniekun]

All really good points. One that I think is worth adding though is that a lot of the times you can go for an option dialogue wise and the way is delivered or the tone, changes what you thought you were conveying. I had it with Larian's previous game Divinity 2 where I'd be in a discussion and the outcome would lock me out of something or piss off the wrong person because the option I picked closest to what I wanted to say was delivered in a more aggressive way than intended.

[@SuperPoodleboy]

Viva La Dirt League have a video parodying exactly this kind of dialogue tree. A player character attempting to seduce an NPC but the most likely dialogue choices are always delivered in a very unexpected, confrontational tone. It's titled "trying to romance and NPC"

[@xxtz2007xx]

Divinity 2 is a different, much older game. I believe you're referring to Original Sin 2.

[@ic5889]

glass him

[@thomasgiles2876]

As a software tester, I will guarantee that any combination of inputs will ocur, especially if you put them next to each other. If developers put in manual saving, they want you to be able to do this.

[@MekamiEye]

Considering how LONG the game was in production(I heard 3 years??), and how much of it was a passion project for the dev team, they absolutely knew that players could and would save scum. So yes, I'll agree with your point, it's an option that they allowed players to have. Whether or not a player uses it, is up to that(those) player(s).

[@Nassifeh]

A save hotkey COULD just be to guard against bugs and crashes. The load hotkey is really how you can tell.

[@Wrynwynn]

Been waiting for the Stephanie Sterling Femdom arc for literal years. I think we all knew this was inevitable.

[@slyceth]

Compare it to Disco Elysium. It also has dice rolls

[@alexis_electronic]

I would 100% be down being findommed by Steph

[@Wrynwynn]

@@alexis_electronic same queen

[@MamboCat84]

I for one am very happy to see Steph's Booblins... BOGLINS! Boglins. Yeah.

[@leondreamer9392]

May I suggest, Booblins perhaps?

[@karl_margs]

Booboblins?

[@vincentvega3093]

Calm your gobblins

[@peterclarke7240]

I for one thoroughly enjoyed ogling their Boglins. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to put this sock back in its drawer and then maybe have a little nap...

[@DrErikNefarious]

The HEAVING toy chest

[@mjc0961]

"It's taken an enjoyable thing and made it a drag" with footage of Elon Musk as Wario was absolutely brilliant.

[@ZMannZilla]

Many sins are forgivable. Elon's committed most of the ones that aren't, and several among them he committed on SNL.

[@benl2140]

This implies that Twitter was ever enjoyable, and I'm not sure I can agree with that.

[@synnical77]

Were you making a derogatory comment about Sterling?

[@c7261]

@@synnical77 Wut?

[@synnical77]

@@c7261 Read the quote and apply it to Sterling. It is a play on words: "It's taken an enjoyable thing and made it a drag"

[@GameHammerCG]

I have to say, as someone who watched your content years ago but for some reason just got distracted and missed a few years, it’s wonderful to see you so clearly happier and more comfortable in yourself.

[@beckstheimpatient4135]

The change is night and day, isn't it? Love to see it!

[@mushuwu]

Save scumming imo encourages experimentation and mixing up strategies without having to slog through whatever comes before the boss/enemy you keep losing to.

[@topdamagewizard]

This exactly. Especially in a game that doesn't tell so much and has the "mind" of a DM quietly saying "you may certainly try"

[@cheesi]

Yeah, in some games I like seeing where my bad choices get me (including this one!) but there are some cases I've run into in BG3 where I really just go 'this situation is just shit for the story I want to make happen and I'm going to roll back and see if there's a better way'

[@TheLexikitty]

This right here, I love exploration even in games that aren’t necessarily about it. Currently replaying the Quake II remaster and saving all over the place to find every secret.

[@ramonandrajo6348]

@@TheLexikitty Quake II remaster sucks in a way, so no. XD

[@FelisImpurrator]

I actually have fond memories of the hilarious method of savescumming in the OG Nethack. Its RNG is tied precisely to the computer's date and time, so by manipulating the clock and triggering events at the precise second, you can reroll things in an exact, predictable way. It was great fun, like unlocking the secret time wizard class to wish for better dragon scale armor. Same with messing around in Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and having a grand old time resetting every RNG event for alien artifacts, then using them to rocket to the end of the tech tree roughly twenty times faster than every other AI faction. Feels good, honestly. Great fun just breaking the game and seeing what happens.

[@DimitriKatsuro]

It's awesome to have games like Baldurs gate 3 and disco Elysium where your actions really matter, but in the end, you make your own story, you have the tools to play whatever the fuck you want, so do what makes you happy.

[@TheKickPuncher]

@@LilMonsterInc That is what Baldurs Gate 3 is.

[@DrGandW]

⁠​⁠@@LilMonsterIncthe basic premise of the comment is completely wrong, there’s a different kind of fun in save scumming and we should acknowledge that. The moment you start saying either playstyle is objectively better as a player you’re wrong. The fear of consequences can be thrilling, but actual consequences can be unentertaining. If failure isn’t fun than there’s no reason why save scumming wouldn’t be a funner option. What makes save scumming more fun than abstaining is a threshold that varies by player.

[@Nassifeh]

@@LilMonsterInc Are you John Q. Videogames who invited the video games or something? How can you seriously say something like this in the year of our lord 2023, on this actual channel, like... what have you done with your life that actually gives you the idea that you can speak for the rest of us on what we think is fun? If I didn't think it was fun, I wouldn't do it.

[@christiandauz3742]

Saving a lot breaks the flow, concentration and fun

[@nathanlevesque7812]

dice roll outcomes matter choices less so

[@missdeadite9696]

I was not expecting nor was I prepared for the braglins. "A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."

[@BobfatherGaming]

I wish more games had both checkpoints and save states. I want to "live with the consequences" in most cases but if you die then you have to reload a save which makes it feel no different to reload a save to prevent a bad decision. It's like I'm being tasked with choosing the appropriate difficulty at every moment of the game.

[@benl2140]

"It's like I'm being tasked with choosing the appropriate difficulty at every moment of the game." Funnily enough, this is part of the reason why I tend to prefer games with very restrictive save systems. In games that allow for frequent saving (particularly ones where you don't "reset" and heal to full at the end of every fight, or that have permanent character death), how much you save can be a sort of secondary difficulty selection. It can sometimes be hard to tell if it's intended that you save constantly to avoid the worst consequences. By contrast, in games that have only 1 save slot that's updated automatically (The Banner Saga trilogy and Thronebreaker come to mind), the game is implicitly telling you (assuming that the devs aren't complete sadists, which admittedly isn't a guarantee), that no matter how badly you screw things up, you will still be able to finish the game. That can be freeing, as it allows me to roll with the punches, without constantly worrying that I've ruined everything.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

​@@benl2140Pretty sure The Banner Saga has actually multiple auto saves. You generally don't look at it, because it's more fun to accept your consequences (I only reloaded twice, including the big decision end of Banner Saga 1). Banner Saga is also good, because it eases you on this. Early on, ressources are plentiful, and you see that even seemingly huge consequences are acceptable. By the end, when you're scrapping by to survive, you have gotten used to the system, and are getting impacted by things you did in the very first game, so you just have to deal with your consequences, baring restarting a whole run (I'm really glad to hear you mention Banner Saga, honestly. That game is so good, and it managed to give me a beautiful ending for my "botched run". I don't even want to restart and try to "do better". I'm at peace with the consequences of my actions even if both main player characters died)

[@benl2140]

@@shytendeakatamanoir9740 It does have auto-saves, but I'm pretty sure you only get one save slot, so once it auto-saves, you're stuck with all the decision you've made up to that point. Another thing it does is give you a character early on who is very unlikely to make it to the end of the first game (and in fact can die very shortly after you first meet him). That's basically the game telling you "Hey, some of these guys probably won't make it, and that's OK." Thronebreaker does something similar, with a character who'll leave the party for all sorts of reasons.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

@@benl2140 Yeah, he died in my party. I honestly don't remember if there's only one or more. But since you don't know how good your decision is until much later, even if it kept the 4-5 last save states, it would be irrelevant anyway

[@nathanalves3284]

honestly everything I want in a game and not have to deal with the consequences, real life has enough stress and consequences in games I want to have the free freedom of being able to fix my mistakes mainly because I'm a mega perfectionist and I can't stand it make something wrong

[@Canadamus_Prime]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could play a single-player game any way you wanted without being shamed for it?

[@beckstheimpatient4135]

I savescum so much I have a save for every single roll for the process of reading The Necromancy of Thay. I have zero regrets, and ALL the fun.

[@Shimamon27]

That's exactly why I usually don't share my gaming experience with people xD

[@mariatelos]

Imagine playing Star Ocean 3 without save scumming. You can permanently ruin your character's BIS weapons or even destroy them if the IC RNG demands it.

[@Vasoslaihiala]

as a person who has never participated in any games forum or thread or discussion, the fact of someone caring how you play sounds like sociopathic behavior. Why is everyone such a nosy, gossipy bitch? And /these/ are the people who make fun of 'Karens' and 'Nancy's'?

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

yeah but I tried to play tears of the kingdom a second time and I still accidentally did two of the main quests or the 3 main quests on accident before because I didn't know I didn't know that you weren't supposed to go up to the top before the other and then it just goes mean quest completed completed completed now I want I missed the story I got confused I planted carrots

[@undercoverduck]

I'm playing The Stanley Parable Deluxe Edition rn and [minor spoiler alert] I was oddly starstruck and had a strange sense of parasocial pride when I saw that they displayed the glowing review by James Stephanie (for the original) as one of their crowning achievements. Completely unrelated to the video but it was such a nice moment.

[@batt3ryac1d]

That made me happy too and when I realised vampire survivors that I'd bought was the one Jim the steph Sterling had been talking about for ages and probably is the reason I bought it without realising.

[@clementineshetheyfae8312]

Save scumming is simply a tool of the game. I like to suffer the consequences of my actions so I don’t save scum “bad outcomes” but I do save constantly because I don’t want to replay more than 30 seconds lol

[@TheLexikitty]

Yea, repetition kills run for me, especially for boss fights.

[@afatchimp]

Not to mention all the moments quests simply break

[@ambds1975]

Yeah I save constantly because I do not want to lose hours of play (and rolls). I have one save labeled Live Save that is the last save of my session, and I'll delete the autsaves to keep save file size down.

[@CyberJedi1]

Exactly, I save a lot but just so if I die or if the game crashes (which is happening a lot to me), i don't have to replay 30 minutes

[@HydratedBeans]

Yeah I save scum for bull shit, not mistakes. If I tell a character to fuck off and that has consequences then I’ll live with it. But if I get a bullshit team wipe I am scumming.

[@Maddness101]

Disco Elysium is a rare gem in that you’ll end up save scumming in order to fail a roll as the result will likely be hilarious.

[@daviddeacon4258]

Right? One word: karaoke

[@holdengreggains2476]

Look man, fuck the hat!

[@MoonShadowWolfe]

I just finally started playing that, I haven't gotten to do karaoke yet! Now I'll hope to fail.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

Also, the devs were aware save scumming was going to be done so even heroic rolls may not be enough to get what you want. You'd have to build certain characters as well. So either way, you're bound to play the game multiple times.

[@nw42]

I literally killed myself in DE. I only did it because I knew I could reload and I was curious to see if the game would Go There… and by god, it did. Oh, it did. And even though I could (and did!) reload afterward, that experience still haunts me.

[@gorimbaud]

the way to prevent save scumming is to make the failures at least as interesting and fun as the successes. i only save scummed while playing disco elysium once, and it's because i made kim upset enough that he wouldn't hang out with me for the rest of the day, which is bad enough on its own, but made worse because it meant i wouldn't have his backup when i went to meet up with pigs later. every other roll i failed was more fun to stick with. (i was also prepared to scum the roll to get the jackets, but i succeeded on the first try)

[@cian.horgan]

The vast majority of my reloads are because I misunderstood what a choice meant. Not like "oh right yeah I set fire to a barrel of oil" or "oh no I shouldn't have mentioned his family", those ones are mostly unintended consequences that I could have seen coming but didn't think of. But there are a lot of cases where the button I press does something completely different to what I thought it did, like a dialog choice that I thought was an honest question turning out to be an insult or accidentally hitting someone instead of talking to them

[@Elementalsight]

I love how deeply you believe in having fun while playing a game. And allowing yourself whatever tools you need to have that fun.

[@archmagusofevil]

Related to save scumming due to failing a check: I recommend checking out the game Hard West. There is an interesting mechanic where if you miss an attack with, say, 70% chance to hit, you get 70 points in a luck pool. You can spend those points on any roll to increase your success chance one-for-one. The end result is I'm not too upset about missing a shot that I had a good chance of hitting because that means later on I'll be able to boost a wild pot-shot into a certain hit.

[@Ramsey276one]

Wait ... I have it in Switch!! Caught a sale and completely forgotten What game could have done that... Astral Chain, possibly XD

[@tenyokensekia8088]

Huh, I actually really like that solution. Thats a neat idea.

[@isaacsalume6287]

Something I've only really seen a lot of in tabletop; where failure, bad luck, or sub-optimal outcomes result in getting a sort of karmic currency that can be spent later on.

[@thelastremnantofevil]

You've honestly made me wanna check this game out. Thanks man.

[@TatharNuar]

Luckamancy.

[@sarahbuck2506]

I'm generally not a fan of bras, but you make a compelling case with the boglins

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

Trust me he needs more than a brah to hold his sorry I said he and his I meant Stephanie needs at least at least that the hold her tits out

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

Bbbbbbeeeewwwwbbbbsss

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

Sometimes you got to whip them out can we see her testicles next sorry inappropriate, inappropriate inappropriate

[@freddogrosso9835]

They should have Danny Devito's voice.

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

@@freddogrosso9835 those boobs the size of Danny DeVito's had

[@dorpth]

I always thought "assisted ironman mode" would be a cool feature. You choose Ironman mode where saving is disabled except when quitting, but then the game gives you some extra boosts. It can give you chance of winning hopefully on par with playing it safe, but with that extra spice of danger.

[@Vamptonius]

And that's a real 'player choice' to get behind - choice.

[@TheDeceptiveHero]

“How desperate for coping with their own irrelevance by gatekeeping others can people get?” The Gamers™: “Yes.”

[@ramonandrajo6348]

Whatever you say, salty. XD

[@xionkuriyama5697]

​@@ramonandrajo6348I swear if yall make *saving the game* a culture war thing then gaming will deserve to die

[@ramonandrajo6348]

@@xionkuriyama5697 Do you mean saving a game as it really is? Or cheat in a game like Dark Souls because through mods?

[@Justiceisahero]

@@ramonandrajo6348 you’ve sat here and replied to every comment that says save scumming isn’t a bad thing, who’s salty here?

[@ramonandrajo6348]

@@Justiceisahero Fighting against casuals and all those who misinform is a great duty. ;)

[@grand_tourist46]

Gotta love it when Steph devotes a video to a legitimate discussion among gamers that HASN’T gone horribly toxic (or at least not so toxic that the video can’t get away from it).👍

[@SuperDoNotWant]

Sorry it's not a legitimate discussion. How someone else plays doesn't affect you, so mind your own business. You play your way, they'll play theirs. How you to prefer to play is the "best way" for you. This is not like anime, where clearly people who prefer dubs are wrong and should be cast into the pits of hell.

[@grand_tourist46]

@@SuperDoNotWant Fair enough. On reflection, “discussion” might not have been the right word there. I think of it more as a debate worth having for its own sake (while keeping things civil, obviously). Though, point about anime, I legit CANT do subs. My low processing speed cant keep up with the speed of the subtitles AND keep up with what’s happening on the screen. Dubs are the only way I can get any enjoyment out of it. Sorry if that qualifies me as untermensch in your book.

[@medes5597]

​@@SuperDoNotWantit's 100% a legitimate topic. They're not saying that people save scumming is wrong they're asking if it's possible that they're actually having less fun and enjoying the game less by playing in such a way. That's a legitimate question.

[@Miraihi]

​@@SuperDoNotWantGood dubs are obviously better than subtitles. But that's pretty rare sight so subtitles 95% of the time.

[@benl2140]

​@@SuperDoNotWantThat attitude would seem to preclude...pretty much any discussion about single-player games.

[@Akava2005]

All I'll say about save scumming is this: If you can handle the bad outcome, it might lead to cool scenes you never would have seen otherwise. If the outcome makes you so sad that you aren't even enjoying the game anymore, load that save; because the potential to see cool scenes won't matter if you stop playing before you get to them. Or just do what the hell you want, doesn't bother me.

[@Raletia]

I haven't seen a video from Stephanie for a while (thanks KZbin & my memory?) but holy hell I have to say she looks absolutely amazing. Thank God for you for being an inspiration to us who are struggling with identity and acceptance.

[@Sleeper_6875]

Your way of playing BG3 is very similar to mine, though I also just have a self imposed limitation of no mid-fight saves no matter how long. It forces me to come up with better strategies and that’s what I enjoy. I love that the game allows for several different methods of approach based on preference, it’s great

[@Xeroxthebeautiful]

I don't even have any special rule for not saving mid combat it just never even occurred to me that it was an option and honestly feels kinda wrong. I won't judge anyone who does do it it's just how I personally feel when playing.

[@zennistrad]

More games should acknowledge and encourage save scumming as an integral part of the gameplay, IMO. I'm still blown away at how Undertale managed to make the practice of save scumming an absolutely integral part of its plot and characterization.

[@ramonandrajo6348]

No. XD

[@zennistrad]

@@ramonandrajo6348 Yes.

[@JohnSmith-ot4hq]

That's a poor argument because it broadens the definition of save scumming to the point of uselessness. Save scumming is probably not. 'whenever you reload a save for amy reason '

[@ramonandrajo6348]

@@zennistrad Whatever, dude. XD

[@Ashtarte3D]

Might I interest you in Shadow Gambit then, it turned the prominent save scumming of Mimimi's previous games into a core mechanic.

[@wulf_95]

The smile on your face when you said "Braglins!" has added years to my life 🤗

[@andreareventon]

Fun Sierra Fact! One reason Sierra games were so notoriously evil with its puzzles and consequences, according to Al Lowe, was that they realized they sold more hint books than copies for said games at times, so it became a backup income where copy protection had failed.

[@TNTITAN]

Also Sierra hint books were at times very funny with the fake hints.

[@robinofmoxley]

It's important to remember that ttrpgs are at their best when everyone is crafting a story together. Save scumming is one of the best tools to replicate that experience in a video game. If they didn't want us to craft our own experiences, then they wouldn't have given us the tools to do so.

[@gentleman_oni]

I'm pretty sure the devs wanted you to be able to play the game how you want, without forcing you to start again.that's why they included: - Quicksaving in the middle of conversations - Multiple save slots per character - Karmic Dice -The ability to re-roll your class (along with stats an skills)

[@megablandfox]

If other folks want their 40 hour story to end with, "rocks fall and everyone dies," they can. But I'm going to an actually satisfying ending.

[@KingOfHarems]

I, for one, must say, that Stephanie Sterling is looking absolutely amazing, and I have a lot of respect for all that does. Truly, thank God for her

[@JimSterling]

💛💛💛💛💛

[@EnderGraff1]

Thank GOD for her

[@ambds1975]

I love the pink details in today's outfit. Especially that lip; perfect shade! Off to save 14,000 times!

[@ysucae]

YES i wish i was this stunning the enbys are becoming too powerfuuuuul *shake fist*

[@jadedheartsz]

​@@JimSterling I think you also look great and wouldn't be opposed to you do only OnlyFans. I will say you are wrong about Quantic Dreams games as i've done every single choice in Detroit and I can tell you for a fact that there is definitely more then one story in that game and some decisions you do make will have a lasting impact for the rest of the game. Like if you have Connor die enough times it'll eventually cause Clancy Brown's character to have a breakdown over his sons death and the people can turn for or against the androids depending on what actions you do when you lead the protest. Heavy Rain also has a fair amount of different endings and outcomes.

[@zshinra3504]

I save scum. I have absolutely ZERO shame 🤷🏻‍♂️🤣

[@TheDunbartxeen]

no shame to save scum.

[@noskes1]

Why would you? I save scum in a lot of games and it more fun for me. Also how low form of life someone must be to shame other people playing single player like they want ? ;)

[@Deipnosophist_the_Gastronomer]

I did save scum, once, but I felt so guilty that I reloaded. 😉

[@Indi_51]

Stephanie, you're a goddess and I love how happy and confident your vibe is nowadays, even if the games industry is still garbage. Keep it up, and stay strong! Keep em coming, my partner and I adore your work!

[@freazeezy]

The difference with disco Elysium is that you are never completely blocked when you fail a roll. The game keeps going when you flub it and failing is often more fun then success

[@Shimamon27]

...The only game ever where I had fun just seeing what happens, and had no desire to go back. It's unique in that way.

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

​@@Shimamon27The Banner Saga is similar. I just rolled with all of my choices (except at the end of Part 1, because it's an important decision I had to carefully consider), and even if it was far from perfect (I messed up big time more than once), I never regretted it.

[@piccolo917]

I’ve been DMing for a group of people who were all first time players save for 1. We have been helping them make the more optimal choices but I have allowed people to go back on their decisions if they weren’t as fun as they thought they’d be. With important dice rolls, it’s of course not possible to change it but I’ve softened blows. It’s just more fun that way.

[@lsynno]

Speaking as an XCOM Player. Every gamer has a unALIENable right to Savescum.

[@darkangelgeneral]

XCOM- Me 95% chance to hit while flanking, miss. Enemy 5% chance to hit with full cover, crit and kill. Reloading

[@Maxislithium]

I fumbled a grenade and died posting this response.

[@theomegajuice8660]

I like the idea of "Ironman" mode but it kinda stops the game being fun. "Bronzeman" which allows for full mission restarts is the perfect balance between having real consequences but not risking a TPK because you went one square too far, reveaaled 3 alien pods at once and then missed two 90+% shots in a row!

[@leetri]

@@darkangelgeneral I missed a 100% chance shot with my sniper once and almost lost my entire elite squad because of that on the final mission. 🙃

[@HydratedBeans]

I save scum so hard in Xcom and I will not apologize.

[@chill_hill2324]

Lets not forget that D&D itself does not always need to be played by the books. There is an unspoken rule/agreement that DM's can use to make actions or choices that should not have worked still happen: The Rule of Cool Sometimes you can bend the rules a bit or allow for somethint to happen because it is thematic or would have made the story better. In D&D its a matter of the DM just saying "Sure, I'll allow it" but in things like BG3 its called Save Scumming. Enjoy what you purchased, enjoy the story you are creating with your character.

[@MillicentOak]

Whether or not I save scum depends not only on the points you've covered, but also things like: - What does this cool-sounding thing that is totally out of character do? - Was that dialogue option completely different to what it looked like from the description? - Do I have the number of spoons right now that I've had for most of the rest of the game? For the most part, I don't save scum in Dwarf Fortress, because I like the idea of the landscape being populated with these fallen fortresses that have their own lore, and the game is deep enough that starting a new fortress can offer a whole new experience. But if I'm playing to wind down after work, and I tell them to channel out an area rather than carefully telling them which tiles to dig one at a time, resulting in a cave-in that kills ten dwarves and maims plenty of others, then I consider it self-care to save scum and not punish myself for the mistake. If I don't then I'm just going to avoid playing when I'm that tired in case I mess up again, which in turn makes me question whether I'm alert enough, which saps all the possible enjoyment out. I'd rather the fort fall because my mistake was genuine, or I knew I was taking a risk and it didn't pan out. That's what adds tension to the game for me. On the other hand, there are times where I'm glad I haven't save scummed. One of my favourite Crusader Kings II experiences came after I was ready to give up, because my small but growing, newly independent Duchy in North Africa was suddenly engulfed by an Aztec invasion that took over a huge area of both that continent and South Europe. At first I felt frustrated, because all my plans had been dashed, and hopeless, because my new liege's military power was too strong to rebel against. But that game has so many different options, and I was able to keep carrying on my religion in secret, eventually getting some of the Aztec rulers involved. When the group was strong enough it publibly declared its allegiances, which led to numerous civil wars and shattered the Aztec Empire. Even though at one point it felt hopeless, by the end of that game I was really glad I'd kept going, because that rollercoaster had much more fun, intrigue and variety than gradually accumulating power and snowballing into a powerful empire does.

[@emiliocerchiaro4386]

Stephanie, your idea of braglins is simply brilliant. I was so mesmerized by the sheer ingenuity I had to rewatch that clip several times just to process the mere thought of it. Truly one of the fashion-forward minds of the century 🍷🧐🧠

[@PrinceGastronome]

I love that Sterling is focusing on the inherent flaws of tabletop D&D.

[@antoniusweezel876]

There are a few points in bg3 that feel really unfair in a context where you aren't savescumming. For example there's a sudden, un-telegraphed and extremely pivotal fight in act 2 that can wipe out about 6 important Npcs that will, if dead, cut a bunch of content later in the game with no upside - you could end up blundering into this fight with no resources as soon as you enter this area

[@SaltyRocksPew]

That fight is on something. No shame if you scummed there, lol. I barely managed to squeak through it by spamming heal magic on THE important NPC, but another one important bought it and I didn't even know they were important til I was in the next area.

[@sagadellic6616]

I savescummed the fuck outta the Zithisk. Game needs to communicate to you that; "Hey, you or Lae'zel failed this check! Heres the permanent stat debuffs you got: etc etc etc"

[@C64_Mat]

Definitely depends for me. If it's something where I'm trying to role play and feel the consequences of my actions, I try not to as best I can. If it's something trivial, say I miss three headshots in a row in Fallout 3 and alert an entire enemy encampment, then I'll reload to be more stealthy.

[@RemnantSoul]

This was by far one of the best videos you've ever done Stef! I was ROLLING at Savescumio and just the humor in general. Now, I am a perma-DM for D&D and I'll say that I like that Balder's Gate allows players to see different outcomes and to a degree steer their campaign. Cause D&D adventures are not short. However, I have a homebrew rule that I call: "Temporal Intervention" Where the entire party must unanimously agree/vote to have it happen, and they all must roll D20s and match or surpass a combined score (depends on how many are in the party). If they succeed, a Homebrew God of Time rewind time to an earlier point in the adventure (within reason. Typically had to be in the current session). However I throw in that "Rewinds can be tricky, echoes of the future may linger and alter the new present." (IE: Don't push it.) Depending on campaign difficulty I only allow this as a 1 - No More than 3 time thing. Making it a SERIOUS decision in itself. As someone who believes in fun. I added this as a "Continue" option should the party wipe (cause sometimes the Dice are utter bullshit), or should a player really, really, really, REALLY fuck up the campaign. That said... I don't see to big an issue with save scamming. Ultimately it's a player choice. See everything possible in every playthrough or make every replay something truly unique. Kind of like live service games...not everyone is going to be a min/mixer, tryhard, or casual.

[@tristanmestroni6724]

I remember save scumming so much in Abe's exodus that I was stuck in a loop. I do not regret it at all.

[@tenzhitihsien888]

It's never scummy to make good use of a game's inherent features.

[@0Gumpy0]

I thought a lot about this recently with the genie at the fair. they even hyped up this encounter pre-release, how you can catch him cheating and he can turn you into cheese, or you can steal his cheating ring. but the first time I did it I didn't see him cheat. just failed a perception check (with a +8 to perception checks lol). it can be fun to lose. but it's not fun to just not experience something at all

[@soul_survive]

I'm a Fire Emblem fan so save scumming is basically in my DNA.

[@whiteraven562]

Hell, in Three Houses, save scumming is a divinely bestowed gift and a core gameplay mechanic

[@TheSkyfolk]

People who don't want to save scum are welcome to never do it, but it truly makes one a boob to try and hold it up as a moral imperative.

[@communistpropagandist4608]

Not sure if you read the comments but I just wanted to say that you're my hero Steph. I'm in the games industry and trans and it's been very inspiring to see someone be so unapologetic and confident about their identity. I'm not really very confident in being out and I've really struggled this week but to watch you flashing your boglins with glee really gives me hope for my future. Thank you.

[@roseredflechette-vidya]

TBF they were pretty nice Boglins and deserved to be flashed.

[@jeremiah1293]

Those Hero Forge stills were wonderfully done!

[@chasesmay7237]

So, I usually get wrapped up in ‘choice paralysis’ when I focus on how I ‘want’ an event to play out in a game I’m playing, trying to get an optimal output requires some save scum…However, in BG3 I haven’t run up against this too many times (saving deep gnomes is the exception, it was really hard and complicated lol) There are simply too many choices for me to feel inclined to save scum for one over the other, and I love it. BG3 has offered more freedom, which means I’m less constrained by the 2 or 3 Big choices we usually see in games. I don’t like to play with guides my first time through games (or often at all, really) I’ve also had a Ton of fun failing some random checks and laughing my ass off at the consequences… most of the time lol

[@_foxpuppet]

I feel this. I get choice paralysis really bad, and if I know the game's entire outcome is based on two or three key moments, I'm paranoid about doing the thing that results in a shit ending. Because it's usually not the "bad" or "good" ending you get stuck with. It's a cop-out, no thought put into it middle ground with no thematic pay off. It's rare a game is so good I'll play it more than once, so on top of just being incapacitated by making decisions as simple as "do I want this chocolate bar or this one?" in real life, let alone decisions that have emotional sway on me (like in games), I also have the fact that if I'm only going to see one ending, it's got to be the one I think is most interesting. (Usually, the good ending, I'm a goodie-two-shoes, lol)

[@Nagatem]

I’m going to reload as much as I want and anyone that looks down on that is the real Scum, stopping ruining fun, you fun haters

[@SkeletonDanceParty]

I love Scumdinger O'Rerollio, I hope Jonathan plays him in the movie/tv adaptation. Also glad to see you getting them out after all this time!

[@AnnoyingSquib]

I have proudly been "save scumming" since the Choose your own Adventure books. Dog earing a choice page and then picking the page that obviously kills you in a horrible fashion is hilarious and one of the best ways to enjoy the books.

[@DeadMech1]

I used to do that. even went back if I picked the right choice by mistake. Meant I got to digest the book completely in an afternoon.

[@devarious5004]

I absolutely love Project Zomboid, a game notoriously difficult, where it takes hours of real-life time to grind one skill up a single level, and ONE SINGLE MISTAKE will see you bitten by a zombie and that character lost forever, without even the option to savescum and undo that error. I also absolutely love Rimworld, a game where I can savescum when my favorite colonist loses her eye and redo the fight until she comes out of it as pretty as I want her to be by the time my colony has become a self-sustaining metropolis. I play games on their own terms, unless I'd have more fun playing them on my own.

[@DevilishlyDutch]

Hit the nail on the head, save scumming is a very personal thing on whether it increases or decreases your enjoyment in that moment. The consequences of your actions can be quite fun! But not when you're on a completionist run and the consequences are you missing out on something, then the consequence of your actions is you get/have to do it again, which is still a consequence!

[@wookieehugger]

I’m all in on Braglins. I’d pay for that pin up set without a second thought!

[@fightthepowerman]

I second this. I would like more avenues to offer support to Steph, much like those kind boglin boys.

[@adams3627]

I've always tried to resist save scumming, but there are a few failures I can't abide. I HAVE to dance with Kim, and when he trusts me, when he *truly* trusts me, I CANNOT fail him.

[@halfpintrr]

Agreed. I will fail at every other point if need be but not those two.

[@TerraHv1]

I love save scumming. Wish I could do it in real life.

[@Revealingstorm.]

So many cringe moments in my life would be mitigated lol

[@Doshirrosden]

My favorite “glad I couldn’t save scum” story comes from Dragon’s Dogma. I was doing a quest that had me looking for a powerful grimoire, and after finding it, it occurred to me that I could use the game’s forgery system to complete the quest and keep the book for myself. After handing the forgery over to the quest giver, I opened the grimoire up to see what benefits it had for me. What I didn’t know was that the grimoire was basically a single use magic bomb that I had just set off on a crowded city street. The grimoire vanished from my inventory, the guards threw me in prison, and I had to pay a bribe worth a third of the money I had received from the quest to buy my freedom. But it didn’t end there. Hours later I was fighting a particularly intimidating boss, when who should appear but the man who’d asked me to retrieve the grimoire. He was going to use the powerful magical tome to aide me in my moment of need. At least that was his plan. Seeing as the book he had was a forgery, his spell fizzled and he spent the entire fight standing uselessly on the sidelines while I struggled to defeat the boss all on my lonesome. After the fight, the grimoire guy very passive aggressively made it clear that he wasn’t angry, he just knew better than to trust people like me now.

[@The_Drewid]

There are some great reasons to save scum in BG3 that weren't even mentioned. Like when you intend to click on an enemy, but managed to be one pixel off because some asset was z-fighting and suddenly your fighter has decided to walk into a flanked position instead of attacking what you wanted them to.

[@ZMannZilla]

Yeah, BG3 is in dire need of an Undo button.

[@IsaacIsaacIsaacson]

or accidentally hitting your party member with a firebolt because you miss clicked them instead of the goblin next to them.

[@TheMike91393]

I've started to click on the portraits on the top of the screen when the fight is in a tight area.

[@psychronia]

I never feel bad about save scumming. I am a dialogue eating fiend, and I want to hear everyone say everything if I can help it. I also don't have all the time to spare, so I'll take any shortcut I can in this power fantasy.

[@jadedheartsz]

same here

[@s7robin105]

Save scumming is a great way to explore alternative outcomes for any situation in Baldur's Gate

[@jesseblackmore8338]

I've done it in a lot of games so I can check out dialogue options I'd normally not pick and I've found some over the years that are just insanely funny and I'd have missed them otherwise.

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

Or to fix the carnage after Gale just randomly wanders near a patch of explosive mushrooms

[@maninthemists2299]

@@jesseblackmore8338 "Ok, I've just about had my FILL of riddle asking, quest assigning, insult throwing, pun hurling, hostage taking, iron mongering, smart arsed fools, freaks, and felons that continually test my will, mettle, strength, intelligence, and most of all, patience! If you've got a straight answer ANYWHERE in that bent little head of yours, I want to hear it pretty damn quick or I'm going to take a large blunt object roughly the size of Elminster AND his hat, and stuff it lengthwise into a crevice of your being so seldom seen that even the denizens of the nine hells themselves wouldn't touch it with a twenty-foot rusty halberd! Have I MADE myself perfectly CLEAR?!"

[@kpp8349]

Oh no, how dare you have fun in a way that isn’t the same as the way I have fun. You must stop that NOW

[@IamHat]

I'll be honest in the beginning I was listening with my phone in my pocket. As soon as Steph said they'll bring em out I started frantically slapping my pockets to find my phone.

[@Vamptonius]

Can't miss out on Boglin Ogling.

[@BrendanT-n2w]

As a competitive Pokémon player, save scumming for good stats on monsters is just a part of the game!

[@Ariento]

Certain pokemon require save scumming (or incredible luck) to be obtained as shiny too! Save scumming is just part of being a pokemon player.

[@CleverCover05]

If you ever meet someone that seriously is upset with you for save scumming, you will also have met someone that needs to lay in some grass.

[@EmeralBookwise]

This was always something I prefaded about Mass Effect's conversation system. The player either had the stats to succeed a persuasion check or not, no dice roles.

[@PJ_TheAverageGamer]

11:53 Man, I loved police quest, but jeez in the first one If you take the woman's phone number instead of giving her a ticket you don't realise you screwed yourself until a few hours later. In PQ3, I messed up by not taking the batteries for the torch in the first part of the game, and 4 hours later, it came back to haunt me.

[@Kingboy]

Was NOT expecting the "The Government Knows" cameo shot…

[@ZMannZilla]

THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS WHAT YOU DID AT 12:51

[@darkswabber2]

I’ve felt so bad for a long time about save “scumming”, save states and rewind usage because so many people told me it “ruins the intended experience” and I was better off “not playing the games as they’re just not for me”. It gave me anxiety and self doubt. I stopped caring about wether others see it as legitimate and started caring about my own enjoyment which is enhanced by using those tools. Thanks steph for always covering accesibility features like these and making me discover there’s no harm with using it!

[@cheesi]

Yeah, at the end of the day nobody should be making you feel bad about it. I try to hold back on reloading saves unless I think I have a really good reason that'll nake the game more fun, because I know that having some ups and downs in my adventure will make it more rewarding for me in the end, but I know that what's fun for me might not be for everyone.

[@Ashurman666]

It's your playthrough, play however the fuck you want and don't let anyone tell you that you're playing it "the wrong way" or that "You'l have more fun if you don't min max and don't save scum"

[@persephiroth23]

I was today years old when I learned that people get mad over save scumming. I value my time, and having to work back up to where I was before a difficult fight detracts from my gaming experience.

[@Nudoru]

I think what you said at the end is important. It's how you're having fun. In the end, playing a game in a way that's most fun for you is what counts.

[@bryanpeterson5646]

I think the best way I've heard it put is that games need a special version of easy mode called "I'm 35 and have an hour to play this"

[@jamestolliver9970]

I think with all games one of he most important ways to prevent savescumming is making failure interesting and making sure players understand the consequences of their actions or whats at stake.

[@kezia8027]

also, don't include dialogue options that the selection button says one thing, and then the character actually says something completely different from how you interpreted the line in the prompt.....

[@ordinarylady157]

I'd say Disco Elysium does this really well. Some of the best moments in the game come from failing red checks, and most of the white checks can be retried by taking Thoughts or putting points into the relevant skill. I could have save scummed a lot more in that game than I did, but I actually only did it like twice, which is a testament to how good the writing is.

[@jemolk8945]

@@ordinarylady157 I only really savescummed DE once -- a check that I had made difficult for myself due to my lopsided character build that was my only remaining way into the harbor on day 2 without accepting Measurehead's race theory (or, I suppose, savescumming to be able to punch him out).

[@JHawke1]

Another option could be long term consequences. Make it so that the result of your actions doesn't become apparent until much later in the game so the player has to decide to lay in the bed they made or go back a few hours.

[@jemolk8945]

@@JHawke1 See, that's just going to annoy people and push them toward using guides to avoid screwing themselves over. You have to make people _want_ to run with the consequences of failure, rather than trying to force them to. There are always workarounds. Things like ironman modes are one thing; optional settings that remove the temptation to break a rule you yourself set. But there are workarounds even there if someone feels forced to engage with such a mode, for example on the basis of achievements. So if you really want people not to savescum, you have to convince them that they shouldn't.

[@georgekostaras]

Save scumming is an ancient and noble tradition

[@enterchannelname8981]

At the DND table, I try to make it so every failure is still fun. Every setback is just as fun as it was before, even if it isn't as glamourous. You die? You come back as a ghost or control an npc until the party can fight their way to the shrine of ressurection or whatever. This works because I can change everything on the fly as a DM, so there is almost always something more fun than a do-over where it goes right. The game can't do that - it can't see how you're feeling or if you would stop playing if you lose this fight or whatever. Instead of a DM curating your experience, you have to do it yourself. I personally don't like savescumming to be in my games, becasue I don't like being forced to replay content, but when dying makes you do the last two levels unless you savescum then that's saving me from pointless replaying

[@ikarikaoka]

I personally like to try to be perfectionist in my playthroughs and the manual save helps with that (or other in-game tricks). I remember that I maxed out Fallout 4's attributes so I could have access to all the benefits and perks I wanted. Two references that I had in terms of tension and unpredictability were Darkest Dungeon and Mordheim: City of the Damned (both PS4). Every time my groups entered the dungeon and/or area in question, the game performed a frequent sadistic autosave and the amount of wrong (or dangerous/unfair) things that could afflict you were gigantic. Always restarted new playthroughs when one of the party members was knocked out or killed in combat.

[@classica1fungus]

Editing was great this episode

[@ZMannZilla]

Thank you!

[@classica1fungus]

@@ZMannZilla this is your work? Nice! You have a gift

[@ZMannZilla]

@@classica1fungus The greatest gift is patrons like Steph. I appreciate you!

[@tonyjoestar2632]

I play Ace Attorney, I save scum like crazy

[@theomegajuice8660]

"I know exactly what the answer is but I need 3 or 4 attempts to work out the exact way the game wants me to inform it that I've worked it out" - Ace Attorney in a nutshell!

[@ramonandrajo6348]

Ace Attorney? Really, dude?! XD

[@LOZFFVII]

First rule of AA: If the music doesn’t go quiet, quit and reload.😂

[@Incompetent_Hero]

​@@ramonandrajo6348There aren't any gates to keep here bud, go elsewhere

[@arahman56]

@@LOZFFVII Sometimes though, read the amusing reactions first. Some other times, its not a penalty, so why bother?

[@Nibelhiem86]

Definitely a non issue. I’ve played BG 1 and 2 a hundred times each and I’m an expert on all the best times to save

[@Armaggedon185]

Nice to hear someone else feels the same way. I've said it for years: save scumming exists because, in those games, failure is neither fun nor interesting. If you want people to stick by decisions, you have to make the outcomes worthwhile.

[@manusterra1236]

Yayyyyy for the Knower clip!! Great vid as always!

[@ZMannZilla]

THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS WHAT YOU DID AT 12:51

[@PlatinumPaladin]

I'd never considered there to be an ethical perspective to this. Didn't know it had a name. When a game like Death Stranding creates an additional save file everytime it saves, it almost feels like they want you to partake in the practice. Especially when I've failed to achieve something because a new game mechanic hasn't been explained properly, or a new ability is far more underwhelming and less effective than it was initially presented to be, or because a glitch in the game renders you vulnerable. I mean, who are we hurting by doing this? If you're watching a movie at home, your kid starts crying, the phone rings or someone sneezes and you miss a crucial bit of dialogue, do you wind it back and watch it again or let it run to the end wondering what it's all about?

[@illCMAC]

I am a big believer in the idea that when you buy a game it becomes your property. So if you want to save scum thats a right you paid for.

[@thealgerian3285]

It requires a LOT of trust in the game designers to not save scum. I've never seen a game where that trust would be justified.

[@trollconfiavel]

Any souls-like

[@InvocareIgnis1]

@@trollconfiavel to be fair having to walk back to the boss because you died is not really gameplay, especially since there are often shortcuts you unlock right before boss fight... if i had the option i would rather reload than to wait for that god damn elevator to come down, then taking the elevator up and having to pickup my souls during the bossfight while also fighting the camera-boss

[@trollconfiavel]

@@InvocareIgnis1 makes sense if there are no enemies on the way. But if there are, than it's gameplay ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ Anyway, level design failures exist. Doesn't mean the autosaving is always bad.

[@thealgerian3285]

@@trollconfiavel Dark Souls 1 and Sekiro are both my top 2 favorite games of all time, but there's like literally nothing to save scum for in the first place. You don't really make any decisions unless you're the kind of guy who attacks NPCs for no reason, and failing has little to no consequences on anything.

[@InvocareIgnis1]

@@trollconfiavel true, saving at will would destroy the whole roguelike genre ;)

[@misapheonix]

As a heavy modder for making games as immersive and usually as difficult as possible, I still think this is some genius take on the subject. The best take, in fact! I sure hope you dont need to switch up the channel subject matter. The insight and comedy is kinda unrivaled!

[@SquackSpencer]

06:12 - HEY!!!! OZOB!!!! Glad to see him in a Jimquisition video! For those not in the know, Ozob comes not from Cyberpunk 2077, but from a Cyberpunk 2020 campaign made on a old-school podcast from a major nerd media on Brazil. He's the character from one of the owners of said media, and the most popular character in that campaign. CDPR put his character as a spin-off mission on 2077. There's even a book on the fucker: Ozob: Molotov Protocol. Really glad to see he made an impact worldwide! ..... Oh yeah, as for the subject of the video, IDK, save scum if you want to, don't if not. Fuck it, it's your bloody game and you bought it with your bloody money. Or, frankly, pirated with your own internet, IDK.

[@09csr]

Your work these last months have been great! I've had a blast through more or less eveey one of them!