simtel

Join Date 12/2005

Can we choose where save games go?

Actually, not just save games, but the entire GalCiv2 folder in My Documents... I always hate it when anything uses that folder. If windows allowed it, I would turn it off. I have my Windows installation on a very size-limited partition, and when anything starts stuffing things into it, I run out of space there quickly.

I don't mind if it's the default, as I imagine the majority of users don't care, but it's always been a peeve of mine when games start saving there. (it also makes finding where savegames are a bit more of a pain).

Contrary to the popular PC gaming paradigm, space is not unlimited.

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I have to agree here. I also keep my OS on a separate drive, and would like to allocate the save space to a larger drive.

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You can always tell windows to put "my documents" somewhere else (Right click the my documents and choose properties) (I also do that with the user and windows temp dirs and for the IE temp folder (not that I use IE much)

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...

That sounds too easy.

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Frogboy

Join Date 03/2001

+2420

We don't like it either. But Microsoft is pushing for companies to use it.

Perhaps that provides the opportunity for a product -- something that lets users configure the sub-folders of My Documents to be located elsewhere.

You can, btw, control where the My Documents folder is.

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Perhaps that provides the opportunity for a product -- something that lets users configure the sub-folders of My Documents to be located elsewhere.

There allready is, it's from MS, called TweakUI. Several other 3rd parties allow it to be changed as well. (And as noted it can be changed like I said rather easily.. )

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We don't like it either. But Microsoft is pushing for companies to use it.

And they're damn right to do it, IMNSHO. Putting savegames and configs in the install directory is a disease from the happy old DOS days. Today, Windows is a multi-user system that should separate data from programs. A well-programmed application allows for an application to be installed once and then be used by unprivileged users without the users having any chance whatsoever of screwing up the "experience" for the others. Un*x already has this since what? Twenty years? And I don't hear anybody crying that $HOME is a bad concept. Not being able to run a program as an unprivileged user because it absolutely needs to put its stuff where it doesn't belong is one of the key reasons why Windows is an insecure virus propagation mechanism, and IMO MS should have sent all those programs to hell at least with XP if not with Win2k, and enforced a strong user/admin system by making it really uncomfortable to work as an administrator, screw compatibility.

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Using My Documents folder also means that you won't lose your ship designs, custom race, settings, and save games if you need to re-install GC2.

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I agree with Diredog.

It is much better for data to go to your own space.

In particular, if you run under XP-pro and have activated full security (because you don't want your children to mess up with the system for exemple), then "My Documents" will be the only place where a standard player will be allowed to write on the disk. Of course, you can always make allowances, but that's really a bad policy, and always problematic. I rememeber setting my XP-pro to full security 4 years ago, but had to come back later to light security (when changing my computer) because the games were always giving headaches... (they did not write to "My Documents" at that time.)

The other advantage of this is that it is much easier to control the amount of space used (wasted ?) by users (just check the size of "My Documents" to know who is using 80% of that 40Gig partition). On my computer, I warn that I can delete anything not in "My Documents" at my own whim... (still, I don't touch desktops...)

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Well there you all go, shooting my arguments out of the water.

Could I then amend my request to a little string telling me where the game will be saved? What prompted my original request was having to search all over creation for where my savegames were. For a long time, it didn't even occur to me to check "My Documents", because I don't use that folder for anything.

On a marginally related note, does anyone who's still reading this thread know if it's possible to change where the "Documents and Settings" folder is? While it's helpful to be able to move where "My documents" points to, it doesn't solve the root problem of user data is being places on a very space-constrained drive.

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? What do you mean ? The folder will always be named my documents but the location on my system is e:\users\guido\my docments\, not c:\Documents and Settings\guido\my documents (No not running Vista, have had it like this for years)

Just right click the my documents and choose properties and change it.

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Frogboy

Join Date 03/2001

+2420

Yea but you can't control the sub-folder locations, only the main documents folder. That's my complaint with MS's system.

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I don't just want to change where "My Documents". I want to change the entire user-data directory. Under windows, user data goes into C:\Documents and Settings\$USER

It seems like MS only did a partial fix if they only let you change C:\Documents and Settings\$USER\My Documents. If I could, I would map the entire C:\Documents and Settings to elsewhere. Better yet would be the ability to map individual user to different places.

So shall I take it from Frogboy that there's no nice, easy way to do this?

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You can change it during install IF you make your own ISO (Sort like an Unattended install) and in theorie perhaps after installation (but may break the OS or programs..)

Go to http://www.nliteos.com/ download the program (RC3 seems to have a problem so you may need to go for RC1) and have fun

To change the profiles path you must select "tweaks". it defaults to %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings but you can change it to d:\place_stuff_here or whatever you like.

You can also change the "windows" path, the "program files" (in the unattended setup option, may brake Windows 64bit), number of TCP/IP connections, set the services and, tweak the way Windows behaves during boot/shutdown, looks etc etc..

Or even better, kick out all unneeded drivers and use only those you need provided you have them handy.

Use at your own risk, change to much or set wrong option and you can really wreck your old installation. But with this nice util it is possible to have several Windows installs on the same drive.

If you want to change it on your current install I can try to find out if it is possible but I doubt it's easy and that it will work without any problems.

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