Documents Folder

[baerdesklopapies]

Can't you move Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, and Downloads folders to arbitrary location/filesystem? Yes, you can. The "C: drive" is not a real issue.

Yes and if you had read my "rant" carefully you might would have had noticed this:

[...]
I have relocated my Windows user folders while installing Windows because of this reason, [...]

I have to say i would not do this again, because it creates other Problems with some other Programs i use. Maybe in the future i relocate specific Folders (e.g. Egosoft), like Daemonjax already has had it described (interesting!).
I also would never go again for a 500GB C Drive, but the time i have had built up this Rig the 1TB (or more) was not available.

There is no reason for that only laziness to not define a save folder inside the the Game structure or the Steam system or somewhere where the player have to expect to have some free space for saves!

Game is under Steam. Steam is under Program Files, which is in C: drive ... (unless one sets up more "Libraries" in Steam).

I´m sorry but if you have installed your Steam under the Windows Program Files, i would say you're doing it wrong!
And if you have only one Drive installed, you probably dont care about System sorting (unless you have Split your Drive virtually which gives you a new letter for the splitted part) and have decent space on that one Drive to spare for Games or Programs.

Honestly, at this stage documents folder is probably more correct than the games folder. So few companies use the games folder and instead use documents that trying to be correct makes you the outsider.

For example Diablo IV, an AAA budget brand new game released after X4, uses Documents root for its folder. Trying to find a game that correctly uses My Games is quite difficult, the only example that comes to my head outside some Microsoft developed games is the Borderlands series.

Whats the reason for using Documents Folder for Game developers beside some easy access?
When you install your Game you have to set a Folder (these Days Steam/GOG/... done this for you), and then the Program File structure gets installed obviously. The Devs know exactly where the bits and parts, and the Save Game folder, are going to...otherwise the Program/Game would not function at all.

As i remember, Microsoft has given the User folder structure with Documents/Pictures/... in the first place to give the User (mainly Companies) to share their Work with easy access inside a Network.
The fact that the complete User Folder is always Present in every Windows installation (since WinXP?) would serve the same purpose. Why they choose the Documents folder? If they would had chosen the Pictures folder and i rant about it, would i be still in the outside? .
(Yes i know the hidden Apps folder is mainly there for the Programme, to Store and save their operating things, but using it for Saved Games would be more the wrong Way than the Documents folder...i agree to that )


Now this is a complete mess with lots of quotes. And maybe my English Skills confuses more than i expect....apologize but i do not know how to handle it better right now

o7
PS: oh and...yeah my rant is completely unnecessary because it would make no difference at all if Egosoft changes their Savegame Folder (for X4 or even in X5) because others keep using this method anyway.

[Skeeter]

@Imperial Good - About nothing much in "my games folder"

I got 43 games in the "my games" section of documents, mix of old and new games like aoe3, borderlands 2, chivalry, coh 2, crysis, dirt 3, fallout 3 and nv, farming sim 2019, grid 2, hw rm, mafia defininitive edition and 2nd game, civ 4 and 5, skyrim, south park, the division, warthunder, xcom, watchdogs etc.

It would have been nice if there was a choice where to save as u might want a dedicated saves drive or parition somewhere. I do also find it annoying companies just fill up our my docs folder with their saves and stuff without asking. Should always ask its polite

Tho these days meh i aint too fussed tbh but i do see why its a important topic not just ego but in general about my docs been filled instead of games asking which some i think do ask where ud like to put ur saves.

[Alan Phipps]

Probably the best thing about having something like an 'industry standard' for game saves, screenshots and settings location would be the ability to backup the whole lot in one go, or transfer them all in one go when changing system. The current requirement is to go find them all wherever they are and remember to put them back in the right places (if not backing up or transferring the entire system of course).

I used to really dislike the odd game that made saves or important progress flags solely in the registry!

[Imperial Good]

When you install your Game you have to set a Folder (these Days Steam/GOG/... done this for you), and then the Program File structure gets installed obviously. The Devs know exactly where the bits and parts, and the Save Game folder, are going to...otherwise the Program/Game would not function at all.

Program Files should be locked to require administrator permission to modify. User level applications like games should not be able to write to Program Files to prevent them modifying the program files located there. Some do, some needed explicit work arounds, e.t.c. but still that was pretty much what Microsoft wanted.

I got 43 games in the "my games" section of documents, mix of old and new games like aoe3, borderlands 2, chivalry, coh 2, crysis, dirt 3, fallout 3 and nv, farming sim 2019, grid 2, hw rm, mafia defininitive edition and 2nd game, civ 4 and 5, skyrim, south park, the division, warthunder, xcom, watchdogs etc.

And then you have games like Anno, Diablo, Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft II, and the like that do not. Some developers do use a folder for all their games though, like Egosoft and Paradox Interactive.

[Skeeter]

That wasnt the point the point was you said there was nothing in my games folder most of the time. Thats all i was replying to on that bit of my post. It is obvious that other games just dump em in the my documents folder instead but again that wasn't the point.

[Nanook]

IMO, Microsoft should have by now created a My Games (or something similar) folder at the same level as Pictures, Videos, etc. instead of cramming all the games' saves, screenshots and whatever in the Documents folder. They are not documents! This is a failing that should be taken up with Microsoft, not Steam, not Egosoft, nor any other game developer.

[Fulgrymm]

A 'My Games' folder has existed since Windows XP, it's just that not every game makes use of it.

[Nanook]

Yeah, and it's in the Documents folder. My point still stands.

[Fulgrymm]

Sorry, wasn't trying to refute whatever point you were making.

[MarcusInVR]

Again, the biggest issue with doing that would be that it would cause significant problems with the Steam Cloud. Making something like that an "expert" option doesn't really solve the problem; we would still get the blame if an "expert" lost their savegames by fiddling around with their settings resulting in them being deleted or overwritten by Steam!

I find this statement interesting, considering that on Linux, the saves are in ~/.config/EgoSoft/X4/STEAM_ID/save. I symlinked my saves from the proper location, no issues.