Ironman Mode for EUIV?

[StephenT]

My question to you is - What if I'm playing in Ironman mode, load up a save, play for few weeks, then boom CTD? If I try to load up that save again... The game recognizes that it'as already been loaded and is like "bro, no more ironman for you."

Probably, yes. But all that means is the specific game you were playing won't get the special Ironman achievement. You'd still be able to play on with that save in non-Ironman mode, or alternatively re-start a new game.

And honestly, Paradox games hardly ever CTD these days. Those times are past.

 

[k-59]

no thank you

i would prefer a 'the hulk' mode where one of your armies turns into a massive green monster for a few years allowing you to crush your enemies

iron man sucks

Now, this is something I would enjoy.

 

[GreatSlayer]

More autosaves increase the temptation to savescum?

Yes. The further back the mistake, the more autosaves will be tempting to use because they may reach so far back it covers it.

Well you're not altering a save, you're making an exact replicate of it, so that you can back it up. Sorry I do not know what a trainer was. My point was that anybody who is so tempted by savescumming that they cannot refrain themselves from doing it despite wanting not to, would simply just savescum in this very slightly less convenient way.

No... But I was trying to prove that save-file recognition isn't the quantum leap alien technology that require immense amount of dev time and research to produce, since they've done something similar before. Also, a Trainer is a cheating tool allowing you to manipulate the hex code in real time using the game's RAM, giving more money or turning back time, or make your men invincible etc. So if you're so dedicated to actually reload to before any mistake so that you'd alt+tab, copy paste a save in a special folder, which you'd have to do every IG year (?), why'd he even have Ironman activated? If you're that dedicated to not playing Ironman like Ironman, a Trainer would have sorted most of your issues I bet. It's a bit different when you ragequit and know you have to live with your mistake, than when you ragequit and can just reload at an earlier point in time.

 

[Red_warning]

Even if we had an ironman mode there's nothing stopping someone from making a copy of the save. Then if anything goes wrong just restoring the copy.

Nah, just have 1 save file per game limit in a iron mode save folder that autosaves every X minute

 

[Featauril]

Why not just hold yourself to it? Just never reload and never use cheats, takes exactly zero coding.

The only way I can hold myself to it is to have an ironman setting. For the reasons others have mentioned.

Otherwise I'm too tempted to reload when something terrible happens - I get invaded by a big bad in the middle of a life-or-death struggle that's just starting to go my way, my whole army gets annhilated due to a terrible roll, I get a regency council and lose that PU I was working on for so long, etc...

As for those who say that it would be easy to get around it - sure. But then what's the point in playing Ironman? Autosaves should still be around in order to restore in case of CTDs, but there ought to be only one, and no save without exit feature.

 

[Nimic]

I'm not sure what the point really is, considering how easy it is to cheat in Paradox games. You can directly edit save files. What's to stop you from editing your crappy 3-3-3 monarch to an 8-8-8 monarch even with Ironman? And if you've got enough willpower to resist that, then why do you need Iron-man in the first place? People mention "perks" like something showing that you've played Ironman, but that would be completely pointless with how easy it would be to cheat anyway. It wouldn't be any sign of "status" at all.

The only way I can hold myself to it is to have an ironman setting. For the reasons others have mentioned.

If you are unable to keep yourself from cheating, what's to stop you from editing the save file to circumvent the Ironman restrictions? It's incredibly easy. You could literally just change three numbers and the entire game is different.

 

[Featauril]

If you are unable to keep yourself from cheating, what's to stop you from editing the save file to circumvent the Ironman restrictions? It's incredibly easy. You could literally just change three numbers and the entire game is different.

The inconvenience.

 

[Gunnarr]

But what about those who have no willpower and no friends? This a really amusing thread. I wonder though, those that want an ironman mode, are you sure you won't just quit to desktop and start the whole game over then?

well, seeing as it takes quite a long time for my computer to load the game, i would imagine i would not!

 

[Gunnarr]

If you are unable to keep yourself from cheating, what's to stop you from editing the save file to circumvent the Ironman restrictions? It's incredibly easy. You could literally just change three numbers and the entire game is different.

Well, first of all, I do not know how to do any of that stuff. Second, if I did, it would be a pretty large inconvenience compared to what is done now, resign reload. and if it required restarting the game, it would just take a long time

 

[Don_Quigleone]

For those saying that "you can just copy/edit the save files", the same flaw in Ironman exists in XCOM (and other games with Ironman), and people playing Ironman don't use it. So I don't think it's a major factor. Many people who play XCOM talk highly of Ironman mode, so I think it works as intended. I see no reason why Ironman mode can exist in XCOM, and not in EUIV. It is not a technically difficult thing to do. At a minimum it's just a matter of removing the "save" and "quit" options from the game menu, leaving only "save and quit" option.

I think people will find it to be a great addition, and it will make single player more like multiplayer in it's unpredictability.

 

[GreatSlayer]

I'm not sure what the point really is, considering how easy it is to cheat in Paradox games. You can directly edit save files. What's to stop you from editing your crappy 3-3-3 monarch to an 8-8-8 monarch even with Ironman?
[...]
If you are unable to keep yourself from cheating, what's to stop you from editing the save file to circumvent the Ironman restrictions? It's incredibly easy. You could literally just change three numbers and the entire game is different.

Did you know EUIII not only track your console history but the identity of your save game? So if you have altered the save, the game automatically knows this, and disable achievements for Divine Wind.

I answer with a quote for emphasis.

 

[Dankysh]

Incorrect.

Care to explain?

 

[Baneslave]

I answer with a quote for emphasis.

What about trainers or memory editors?

Should game have active anti-cheat methods multiplayer games use?

 

[GreatSlayer]

What about trainers or memory editors?

Should game have active anti-cheat methods multiplayer games use?

Ironman is a feature for those who wants a challenge. Why the hell would they use that and why the hell would we care? People going that far out to cheat is not gonna want to play on Ironman, so I fail to see the issue here.

 

[k-59]

Ironman is a feature for those who wants a challenge. Why the hell would they use that and why the hell would we care? People going that far out to cheat is not gonna want to play on Ironman, so I fail to see the issue here.

By that same logic people who wanted a challenge would just not save and reload. So there is no need for an Ironman mode.

 

[panzerschreck!]

Originally Posted by Nimic
I'm not sure what the point really is, considering how easy it is to cheat in Paradox games. You can directly edit save files. What's to stop you from editing your crappy 3-3-3 monarch to an 8-8-8 monarch even with Ironman?
[...]
If you are unable to keep yourself from cheating, what's to stop you from editing the save file to circumvent the Ironman restrictions? It's incredibly easy. You could literally just change three numbers and the entire game is different.
Originally Posted by GreatSlayer
Did you know EUIII not only track your console history but the identity of your save game? So if you have altered the save, the game automatically knows this, and disable achievements for Divine Wind.

I answer with a quote for emphasis.

Ironman is a feature for those who wants a challenge. Why the hell would they use that and why the hell would we care? People going that far out to cheat is not gonna want to play on Ironman, so I fail to see the issue here.

By that same logic people who wanted a challenge would just not save and reload. So there is no need for an Ironman mode.

I think I am becoming dizzy with circular reasoning. Maybe there should not be an iron man mode. Maybe this is intentional on the part of Paradox do strengthen the willpower of their players.

 

[apsycobear]

Apparently a lot of people have shitty willpower.

 

[GreatSlayer]

By that same logic people who wanted a challenge would just not save and reload. So there is no need for an Ironman mode.

I think I am becoming dizzy with circular reasoning. Maybe there should not be an iron man mode. Maybe this is intentional on the part of Paradox do strengthen the willpower of their players.

With those kinds of logical conclusions, we shouldn't have difficulty settings either, since it costs devtime and resources to implement a feature that people can circumvent.

It would obviously be meant for people who Wants to play that way, as intended. Not for people who cheat. You can't design a game with cheaters in mind. You design it with an aim to balance fun and challenge for those who don't.

 

[bitmapmedivh]

If you are unable to keep yourself from cheating, what's to stop you from editing the save file to circumvent the Ironman restrictions? It's incredibly easy. You could literally just change three numbers and the entire game is different.

People using this argument are forgetting that most Paradox players dont' mod their games, don't copy save files and don't know the first thing about editing their save files. Not even everyone on this forum do that, and the forum members are a minority of Paradox's player base.

 

[Dankysh]

People using this argument are forgetting that most Paradox players dont' mod their games, don't copy save files and don't know the first thing about editing their save files. Not even everyone on this forum do that, and the forum members are a minority of Paradox's player base.

Furthermore, quickly resigning and reloading the closed save is very quick and tempting. Quitting game, finding out how to edit the save, edit the save, reload game is not remotely appealing.