I don’t like this, more because I can see how this would be a route to making games shittier long-term by forcing you into a perpetual subscription to the game you bought.
Like, I can see how it’d be useful and fun. But I can also see how, if this new type of save takes off, game design would change so you would no longer be allowed to have old school local saves that don’t require an internet connection. I think my alarm bells go off because you COULD work this into a local single-player game experience, but the way it’s constantly tied to streaming in the article suggests they won’t bother.
So it smells like bait–they’ll do something cool, but also pretend it could only be implemented with this attachment to streaming and subscriptions.
In a new patent filed by Sony earlier this month, it was revealed that the tech titan plans to bring about a feature allowing users to cherry-pick exact moments from which they can replay a game. It’s a feature that would empower users to track back through a campaign and select a specific moment in time to change a decision, re-experience something epic, or recount their steps, without needing to replay entire chapters – or the whole game.
CDPR will hate it. I remember reading that when they made the first Witcher they designed the choices so that you wouldn’t know the outcome of it until later in the game, it was to discourage save scumming and reloading a save until you got a “best” or “optimal” result.
OH MAN I GET SO EXCITED WHEN COMPANIES PATENT GAME MECHANICS OH BOY GOD I LOVE THAT SHIT SO MUCH MMMMM I LOVE ME SOME EXCLUSIVITY
fuck you Sony.
Edit: Sony might actually run into some issues with prior art in this case. For one thing, based on the article it sounds vague enough to conflict with game saves in general; however even from the standpoint of being able to load from any point in the game, regardless of saves, even that has been done before. For an example, Factorio’s demo/replay system allows you to load a demo from a save that you’ve enabled it on, scrub through the demo to a specific moment in time, and then save that moment as a new save to continue from.
Why is this even patentable? Games already have this, and quick resume on the Xbox does a very similar thing. It’s not unique enough innovation in my mind to be able to do it at multiple points in time IMO.
Kind of… It’s like infinite automatic save states. At least that’s a good way to explain it, but the streaming thing they mention is more accurate. Nope like those flashback rewinds in racing games.
I was underwhelmed at first and wanted to be snippy cus fuck patenting game mechanics, but it really is a complex and interesting feature they want to develop
It should just not be patented.
Sony trying to patent replay/rewind as if it isn’t a common thing in emulators.
Now… a method to quickly capture that state, manage the deltas in changes, and then restore to a point in time without bottlenecking as a particular technique might be but the concept itself isn’t new.
For example here’s Modern Vintage Gamers overview of how these work
I did this all the tine with SNES roms in emulators, you could even fast-forward in them.
The patent seems like bullshit, and will be easily challenged by any prior art. At first when I read the title I thought they were going to patent something nifty, like use CPU native VM support to simulate what emulators did and truly save and return to any point possible, but it’s just a concept that has a hefty amount of prior art already substantiated.
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I don’t like this, more because I can see how this would be a route to making games shittier long-term by forcing you into a perpetual subscription to the game you bought.
Like, I can see how it’d be useful and fun. But I can also see how, if this new type of save takes off, game design would change so you would no longer be allowed to have old school local saves that don’t require an internet connection. I think my alarm bells go off because you COULD work this into a local single-player game experience, but the way it’s constantly tied to streaming in the article suggests they won’t bother.
So it smells like bait–they’ll do something cool, but also pretend it could only be implemented with this attachment to streaming and subscriptions.
So it’ll never exist.
Fuck software patents.
You can copyright loading auto saves?
If you had unlimited funds, you could virtually do this all the way back on Sony’s own PS1 with memory cards…
This is only going to be weaponized.
CDPR will hate it. I remember reading that when they made the first Witcher they designed the choices so that you wouldn’t know the outcome of it until later in the game, it was to discourage save scumming and reloading a save until you got a “best” or “optimal” result.
*save states.
OH MAN I GET SO EXCITED WHEN COMPANIES PATENT GAME MECHANICS OH BOY GOD I LOVE THAT SHIT SO MUCH MMMMM I LOVE ME SOME EXCLUSIVITY
fuck you Sony.
Edit: Sony might actually run into some issues with prior art in this case. For one thing, based on the article it sounds vague enough to conflict with game saves in general; however even from the standpoint of being able to load from any point in the game, regardless of saves, even that has been done before. For an example, Factorio’s demo/replay system allows you to load a demo from a save that you’ve enabled it on, scrub through the demo to a specific moment in time, and then save that moment as a new save to continue from.
Why is this even patentable? Games already have this, and quick resume on the Xbox does a very similar thing. It’s not unique enough innovation in my mind to be able to do it at multiple points in time IMO.
Because the US patent office doesn’t understand video games.
FTFY
That and their under paid but job protected peeps don’t give a damn
You guys recreated save states
They invented differential backups
Kind of… It’s like infinite automatic save states. At least that’s a good way to explain it, but the streaming thing they mention is more accurate. Nope like those flashback rewinds in racing games.
I was underwhelmed at first and wanted to be snippy cus fuck patenting game mechanics, but it really is a complex and interesting feature they want to develop It should just not be patented.
But now they can sue you for implementing it in a game !
They invented Autosaves. Good job?
Waoh, someone invented frequent incremental auto-save !
Sony trying to patent replay/rewind as if it isn’t a common thing in emulators.
Now… a method to quickly capture that state, manage the deltas in changes, and then restore to a point in time without bottlenecking as a particular technique might be but the concept itself isn’t new.
For example here’s Modern Vintage Gamers overview of how these work
https://youtube.com/watch?v=HBnIM2PsC1A
deleted by creator
As far as I know this has already been implemented in the PC port of Spider-Man. It saves and syncs when you put it to sleep while playing.
I doubt this patent would affect this
I did this all the tine with SNES roms in emulators, you could even fast-forward in them.
The patent seems like bullshit, and will be easily challenged by any prior art. At first when I read the title I thought they were going to patent something nifty, like use CPU native VM support to simulate what emulators did and truly save and return to any point possible, but it’s just a concept that has a hefty amount of prior art already substantiated.