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Nintendo severely limits save file options for Animal Crossing on Switch
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
faustshausuk
Ars Scholae Palatinae
I go into each new Nintendo system knowing it will be ass-backwards, it’s saved a lot of heartache.
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god forbid someone cheats at Animal Crossing... *rolleyes*
A dead switch that loses my saved game I spend hours playing - will seriously piss me off knowing full well I have PAID for Nintendo online services.
A dead switch that loses my saved game I spend hours playing - will seriously piss me off knowing full well I have PAID for Nintendo online services.
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It will never happen but Animal Crossing fans need to create a stink storm with nintendo on twitter and other platforms about this. You should be able to back up your game files and have the ability to move them from system to system.
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Nintendo will sell many millions of copies of this game, and new Switch hardware to users who want the game. They won't change because consumers can be morons, and will be in this case.
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Stuff like this is why I haven't bought any mainline Nintendo console for a while now. With the competition offering so much more convenience and less headache, it's just not worth it to me. I grew up with and love franchises like Mario, Zelda, and the like, but not so much that I'm willing to put up with this kind of crap.
I did buy the DS and 3DS, and played a while on those, and those were enough for me to get my Nintendo fix. The switch is kind of tempting since it has a handheld mode, but so far, I don't have the time to play it even if I got one, so I haven't bought one yet.
Also, now that Monster Hunter's no longer a Nintendo exclusive, I have even less of a reason to get a new Nintendo console than ever, since that series was the main reason I kept getting their systems. I'm really enjoying Monster Hunter World on my PC and Xbox.
I did buy the DS and 3DS, and played a while on those, and those were enough for me to get my Nintendo fix. The switch is kind of tempting since it has a handheld mode, but so far, I don't have the time to play it even if I got one, so I haven't bought one yet.
Also, now that Monster Hunter's no longer a Nintendo exclusive, I have even less of a reason to get a new Nintendo console than ever, since that series was the main reason I kept getting their systems. I'm really enjoying Monster Hunter World on my PC and Xbox.
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It's one thing when Nintendo locks down services on its platforms without charging an annual fee. It's another when people are asked to pre-pay $20/year with the expectation of cloud save support in first-party titles, whether to retain progress due to a lost console or to more easily transfer save files to a new device. I certainly don't pay Nintendo for NSO because of its VOICE CHAT app nightmare.
In the end, anybody who uses a jailbroken Switch will possibly have a better experience with handling their save data than those who pay Nintendo directly for a subscription. That's not how this should work, Nintendo.
In the end, anybody who uses a jailbroken Switch will possibly have a better experience with handling their save data than those who pay Nintendo directly for a subscription. That's not how this should work, Nintendo.
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If I am unable to move my save from one switch to another, that is a deal killer. Animal Crossing is a multi year endeavor, which means it always outlasts the original hardware for me.
I won’t be getting it until this changes.
I won’t be getting it until this changes.
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Under the EU digital services regulation Nintendo are selling a service (cloud saves) that is deficient and doesn't work with Animal Crossing. They have to add this which might explain the note about a feature coming later for EU. Failure to do so would result in them having to refund subscription costs.
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"We're planning to offer a service for recovering backed up data from the server in certain circumstances such as console damage or loss,"
Does that imply they are backing up some data but not willing to share it? Is save scumming somehow going to impact players not doing it?
Sounds like your island is saved in the cloud to enable online island visits.
Does that imply they are backing up some data but not willing to share it? Is save scumming somehow going to impact players not doing it?
Sounds like your island is saved in the cloud to enable online island visits.
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Why the fuck? This is a dealbreaker for me and I won't be playing the game.
It always amazes me how willing Nintendo is to make their products worse for everybody just so that a few players who want to use said products in unsanctioned but entirely harmless ways can't.
It always amazes me how willing Nintendo is to make their products worse for everybody just so that a few players who want to use said products in unsanctioned but entirely harmless ways can't.
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Dear Nintendo,
I have loved you for so long, but the surprising difficulty I've had with moving games from my Switch to my Switch Lite makes me question why I'm so in love with you.
Please stop punishing your loyal customers. You've been great, but this world is more full of options today than ever before and some of them are really starting to look like interesting ways to spend my free time.
I have loved you for so long, but the surprising difficulty I've had with moving games from my Switch to my Switch Lite makes me question why I'm so in love with you.
Please stop punishing your loyal customers. You've been great, but this world is more full of options today than ever before and some of them are really starting to look like interesting ways to spend my free time.
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Statistical
Ars Legatus Legionis
Who cares? It isn't like this is a persistent single world (MMO) where one person cheating hurts other players. So someone cheats on their single player game and "goes against the artistic intent". So what? How is that any different than someone fast forwarding through the parts of the movie they find boring? I know Nintendo is a control freak but locking the game down to the detriment of all players because some player might play it "wrong" is insane.
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I love that they're locking people's saved games to one system when they released a SECOND system that they expect people with the original console to buy as well. So are people that have both the original Switch and Switch Lite just supposed to have two different save games then? At least make your game infrastructure policies in line with your current marketing strategy...
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And once again this is a case of pirates offering a better service, I'll be able to manually back up my saves for AC on my hacked Switch
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This seems like someone so focused on a problem they don't stop to think about their solution beyond a fix to that problem. How many issues did you just create for the non-cheaters so that a few people can't cheat at what is essentially a single player game.
To bastardize an Ian Malcolm quote - "You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn’t stop to think if you should."
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I want to see that collision between Nintendo and the EU courts.
Nintendo's lawyers are almost as good as Disney's --the only difference between the two is that The Mouse wants total global domination and Nintendo thinks that Africa and nations South of Mexico don't exist at all.
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I just have to ask one question. Who cares if someone cheats in Animal Crossing?
I ask as someone that's definitely going to purchase this game.
I ask as someone that's definitely going to purchase this game.
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Disappointing, especially since cloud saves mostly-sorta work for bouncing across two Switches.
Notwithstanding the annoying primary/secondary console thing, I've found Switch Online to be mostly adequate for my needs (which, let's be honest, is pretty much just playing Smash Bros with one of my buds). The NES/SNES games make it an easy pill to swallow for $20 though.
Notwithstanding the annoying primary/secondary console thing, I've found Switch Online to be mostly adequate for my needs (which, let's be honest, is pretty much just playing Smash Bros with one of my buds). The NES/SNES games make it an easy pill to swallow for $20 though.
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The details are unclear. If I borrow a friend's Switch, buy a cartridge of Animal Crossing. Play it for awhile then buy my own Switch a few months later, will I still have access to my saved game?
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The worst part of this is with a functioning cloud save, you COULD entirely lock down the save file to prevent cheating/scumming AND still allow players to move to any system they want.
How in the actual F@#$ does this make any sense?
I couldn't save scum my ironman game in xcom on xbox because the cloud save always syncs with the system and it will prevent you from trying to get around that.
I mean, seriously, it's completely possible when you control the hardware AND the cloud. UGGH NINTENDO.
How in the actual F@#$ does this make any sense?
I couldn't save scum my ironman game in xcom on xbox because the cloud save always syncs with the system and it will prevent you from trying to get around that.
I mean, seriously, it's completely possible when you control the hardware AND the cloud. UGGH NINTENDO.
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If they felt it go against that artistic intent, then they should be releasing it as a visual novel. So this way, they can force the player the specific way they want it to be.
As it is Nintendo, I'm not surprised with their stance. They are completely out of touch with the reality as usual. Really, who cares what the players did with the single players game. Let them play whatever they want. If it come to multiplayer component, then their stance will be agreeable with this. But single player game? C'mon....
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I remember when people were arguing that Diablo's inability to hold as many things in inventory as one wanted to hoard was a good thing because of 'that's how the game is played' or some other nonsense.
Nope. It's dumb and this is dumb. The Switch is my last N console and last console forever (I gave up on Xbox/PS after last gen). PC fo' me.
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Nintendo should take a closer look at what Sega and Paramount are doing. The game has changed. Artistic intent needs to be tempered by audience expectations. Make the fans happy and get rewarded. The audience expects cloud saves now. Gaming is a business so balancing artistic vision with the business aspect is critical, and I don't think Nintendo has struck the right balance here.
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Weren't the Wii- and GC-versions of AC also locked down regarding save-files?
Must be some kind of running gag at Ninty.
Must be some kind of running gag at Ninty.
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Hey, Nintendo is a relentless force, born for war on its customers.
And, yet,... Nintendo's customers will still circle jerk around the Nintendo alter.
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The Nintendo email for the one time transfer reads as follows:
You have one chance to transfer your Animal Crossing progress before we delete it.
The last time you played Animal Crossing we securely encrypted your files.
We have your save data.
If you would like to transfer this information to a new console send the required amount of BTC to our wallet.
Do not try to cheat us! We know when you have read this message.
You can visit the police but nobody will help you.
We know what we are doing.
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The stupidest part is that they locked down the Switch like this because of save files presenting jailbreak backdoors on previous consoles, but I'd bet that a whole lot of people interested in jailbreaking their Switch wouldn't be interested without this stupidity surrounding backing up saves.
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Nope. If you have two people in the same household playing the game on the same Switch, they don't get their own saves either, it's one per console, locked to that console. It's purely a design decision, it's actually uploading your save constantly because other people can visit.
Animal Crossing has always tried to push the idea that it's a little world in the console, the seasons change with the real-time seasons, day/night is locked to the real clock, one save only, etc. It's an interesting thought experiment, but it's fucking terrible game design and doesn't line up at all with how people play games and use devices in 2020.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons will create a singular save data, one island/town, that the console has access to. That save data is forever locked to that Switch, unless they offer some cloud transfer tool. Switch games save all data to the console, while the DS/3DS in past saved the data to the game card.
Multiple people playing on the same console will have to share the same island. Which is how New Leaf worked on the 3DS. One person was mayor while others were residents. But with save data on the console now, you are hard restricted by console vs. multiple game cards to have more than one town and the ability to play it on other hardware.
GameCube you could easily move/load your city since you used physical memory cards. You would load your town (memory slot 1), visit the train station to visit another town (in memory slot 2). And play it on any hardware.
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Thanks @Xavin and @Sufinsil
I've been holding out for a Switch refresh since i don't NEED one, but I LOVE Animal Crossing so was considering buying a used one and selling it a couple months later.
But not being able to bring my game with me to my eventual personal console is a deal breaker. It also means I cannot borrow the console from a friend and purchase my own cartridge.
Today is a sad day.
I've been holding out for a Switch refresh since i don't NEED one, but I LOVE Animal Crossing so was considering buying a used one and selling it a couple months later.
But not being able to bring my game with me to my eventual personal console is a deal breaker. It also means I cannot borrow the console from a friend and purchase my own cartridge.
Today is a sad day.
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It makes sense there's some limitation because Animal Crossing saves aren't saved per-user where they're tied to a Nintendo ID and their respective cloud backup but instead it's this one-off system where it's saved globally and shared across all local users. So it doesn't fit into the existing per-user cloud backup system. It probably has to invent its own form of cloud backup instead of using the OS-level feature.
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For Pokémon, I could mostly understand this limitation as, essentially, "We don't want people duping Pokémon by abusing the trading system." They could've fixed it by requiring internet access to trade (so they can record "Pokémon X is now owned by user Y and not user Z"). But then you're storing the user's canonical save in the cloud, which probably means you want the user to be signed up for NSO so you can pay for the storage and bandwidth. Pokémon trading requiring NSO would be a pretty severe limitation... and a hybrid system where some users have NSO saves and some users have local saves would probably still be vulnerable to dupe bugs when the two interact.
But for Animal Crossing, this just seems completely idiotic.
But for Animal Crossing, this just seems completely idiotic.
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I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure you actually can share a save between two different Switches. You just can't transfer the save between systems via NSO. The way you would do that is via the local multiplayer function, allowing users from multiple switches to the same island.
That doesn't help if your switch dies, though.
Edit: From the Nintendo Site:
I'm not 100% sure what that means, but it sounds at minimum you'd need 2 copies of AC to share across 2 Switches.
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