Serious Problems with the Save System? Anybody Else?

[Bloot]

Yeah, so I'm kinda ranting here. I think the save system is one of the major drawbacks to this game. Don't get me wrong, I really do love it, but I've had to restart from the first day like three times already! It just irks me that if I happen to forget all my hard work goes down the drain. >_< Ehhh...

So anyone else just want to rant? I'm sure I'm not the only person to have this problem...

 

[knowlee]

Yes, I do agree that the save system is a bit of a problem in the game especially when you lose certain items and the progress you have when you travel back in time to do so. But there's also another way to save the game without having to travel back in time.

You know those owl statues that you see around at certain places? Well, if you hit those with the sword making it's wings fly out and then talk to it, it will allow you to save your game without having to play the Song of Time. Having those statues there makes it a lot easier to save your game and come back later to play it.

 

[Bloot]

See, I do use the owl statues but I've forgotten to go back to them before turning the game off. My own, stupid, fault I know, but still I find it to be a little over cumbersome. I wish it had interrupted saves like OoT, but I guess the point isn't to make it easy.



.

 

[Flagpole]

I actually love the saving system, makes the game much challenging...

I wouldn't get angry with Nintendo because of the saving system, they did the right thing.
What Nintendo wanted to do is that, for example, an hour passes (in MM, obviously) you can't go back in time unless you play the Song of time.

It's all based in time: if you are in a temple and lose some time, then it's your fault, and have to continue playing through it unless you don't mind reseting it.

Of course, something Nintendo (apparently) didn't notice is that, if you get the temple's treasure (the Hero's Bow, for example) you can reset time and still keep the treasure, so you can have more time to go through the temple.

That's why I don't care about this saving system and, instead, I think it's great...


Well Bloot, remember you don't need to care about time nor the saving system...
Have some rupees and want to reset time?
Warp to Clock Town and save your rupees at the bank.

You are doing something before a temple?
No problem, don't worry

You are in a temple and are worring about time?
Use the shortcut I mentioned above.

 

[Ikana]

Well the game does not give you much time even if you slow time.There is a glitch to where you can go to the fourth day.You cant run out of days if you do it.But the problem is if you talk to the gossip stones you freeze your game up.Plus everyone in clock town is gone.The glitch is only use full if your not doing anything in clock town.

 

[Petman1325]

I actually did not find a problem with the save system. In fact, I actually found it better in most cases.

One example I use with this statement is the use of this saving system would have to be in the numerous side quests. Usually, in OoT, specifically the Biggeron Sword quest, you would have to restart from a certain point if you saved and quit. In MM, all you have to do is go to an Owl Statue, then resume your side quest without any trouble at all. This is helpful in 3-day side quests like Anju & Kafei or the complex Business Scrub trading sequence, as well as trying to do different things in Romani Ranch in the specific period of time.

The only objection I have to it is when you go back in time, all the puzzles and side quests reset, which isn't a great thing. In OoT, if you saved during the middle of a dungeon, it would retain all the puzzles you completed. Then again, in MM, the puzzles would also remain the same. However, if you messed up a puzzle and messed up the temple (Not sure how that happened, but that should be in a MM remake), all you would have to do is go back in time and prevent yourself from doing so.

Plus, as Flagpole suggested, it is a lot easier to save up rupees in the bank, go back in time, fill it up some more, go back in time, and it just goes on and on until you have 5000 rupees so that way you could get that heart piece. Plus, controlling time was interesting.

Now, the only problem I have ever encountered with the saving system is how it throws you immediately back into the game, which is exactly what it is supposed to do. I think of it as a downer because if you forgot what happened within the last time you played, you could be in a world of trouble. But, that is my only problem in my opinion. Other than that, I don't think there was something wrong with this. By the way, if you slow down time, you get at least two hours real time. Normal flow is just one hour real time.

 

[CZG]

All is fine. I really liked the saving system and the idea behind it. And the whole game too!

But they should had made a bank of some sort to store basically everything but rupees (money is really the least usefull, you only save for the heart piece really). I kinda got fed up collectiong boms and arrows before you could even attempt to go anywhere else. Getting things like magic seeds or potions was too much trouble.

Oh, and a bit more variations of scarecrows and anju's mother, being able to skip hours at will.
For example, getting the bomb bag.... You just stand there for ten-15 minutes to wait for the event, when you dance with the scarecrow, you skip right past the whole scene...

I wished you could have more influence in how many hours you skip at times. Or go to 3 o' clock on the second day if you wanted to. Perhaps even after finishing a side quest. I spend a awful lot of time waiting.

 

[Niko Bellic 817]

I really don't like saving at all. I'd prefer them letting you save whenever you wanted. Though when you did that you would be in the same spot. Also, I don't like how saving is only temporary. If I forget to save at an owl statue and turn the game off, it resets. I don't understand why it couldn't just start you off at the statue again. Also, I dislike the permanent saving feature also. When you save by going back in time, it should be about fully recording progress and not half-recording it. I really don't want to have to resolve a temple's puzzles, get the stray faries in a dungeon again, or lose all my bombs and arrows. These are reasons why this is my least-favorite Zelda game.

 

[Pocket Asian]

I love the saving system in Majora's Mask. It made so much use of the Song of Time unlike Ocarina of Time where you only played the Song of Time to open the Door of Time and to remove blocks. It also makes more sense to be able to control time with the Song of Time. Also Majora's Mask (as of my knowledge as of now) is the only game that lets you re-fight bosses. Yes, the only being able to warp six hours ahead was annoying, and the waiting for events as well, but they still did a good job of using the Song of Time.

 

[Octo Rocked]

I love the saving system in Majora's Mask. It made so much use of the Song of Time unlike Ocarina of Time where you only played the Song of Time to open the Door of Time and to remove blocks. It also makes more sense to be able to control time with the Song of Time. Also Majora's Mask (as of my knowledge as of now) is the only game that lets you re-fight bosses. Yes, the only being able to warp six hours ahead was annoying, and the waiting for events as well, but they still did a good job of using the Song of Time.

So true. In fact, Majora's Mask used the Ocarina of Time way more than Ocarina of Time. Hm....

Anyway, the 3 day system and unique save system are the biggest complaints the game gets. Of course, the game's really not the same without them.

 

[BoxTar]

Yes, I have to agree with you, the saving is a bit of a flaw. But I also see it as another thing, a second chance, as with the whole Anju-Rafei situation. I have messed up countless times with them, but thank god I could restart it and try again. I admit, I messed up elsewhere once. I was in the middle of Snowhead temple, and I forgot to go to an owl statue. I had to do EVERYTHING all over again. But the good thing was: I knew exactly what to do, when to do it, and got to the boss with time to spare.

Overall, the time could be good and bad, and it's a good thing they went back to the save wherever you want method with the newer games.

 

[CZG]

Anyway, how come you have another chance? If you load an owl save file, the game deletes it upon opening.
Did you copy your game file to the second slot or something? I couldn't do that, because my brother played the other file. But I can imagine it made your quest so much easier. Messing up on the wedding mask quest on the last step was a bit nasty.

I liked having three save files.

 

[NoRush]

I believe this is the best spot for my question to be asked.

With this save feature, is there any way I could do something at a wrong point in the 3 day cycle and NOT be able to do
another event because I did the first one at a certain point? Is there something one should know before playing this game
like, if I do this after that, I can never go back (or forward) and need to completely restart the whole game?

 

[miku]

Well the game does not give you much time even if you slow time.

Explain the existance of the 6 day challenge then. The ones I've seen finish with plenty of time to spare. That's all dungeons and essential side quests in one 3 day cycle. Surely you can do 1 dungeon in that time.


NoRush, your question is a little vague, but I can't think of anything like that. Whenever you start a new cycle, everything except for important things like attaining a new item resets. MM is the Zelda version of Groundhog's Day. Part of its appeal to me is that by doing various things over and over, you become some sort of all-knowing demi-god by the end.
But if it answers your question, I don't think there's anything you can do to a file to make it impossible to 100% complete the file. You can use one cycle to give an important land title deed to that hand in the toilet to use as toilet paper, then start a new cycle and get the deed again but use it for the land trading. Etc. Every cycle is a new chance to do things differently or do different things.

I breeze through the Anju/Kafei quest like nothing now. =D Except those few periods where you just have to wait, especially waiting till 1pm on day 3 in the Laundry Pool.. so boring.

 

[NoRush]

Miku you did answer my question perfectly. But I just realized, I missed a heart piece and would now have to start all over. I didn't complete the pictograph challenge before making the poisonous water clear....is there really no other way to....oh HO! Before I finsh my complaint, I went and travelled a bit, and I just realized that dungeons get reset. I would have thought that something as paramount as a dungeon being completed woulf not be reset. Wow. Okay then, for any other noobs...your safe!