Developer Blog - Importing Your Save Game
Welcome back to this developer blog for Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers! Today, by request, we're going to talk about the save game data import system -- the way you bring your decisions from the original Arcade Spirits forward into this upcoming game.
The Standalone Sequel
The New Challengers is what we're callng a standalone sequel. It follows a new protagonist and a new group of characters, facing new challenges and forging new friendships. And yes, new romances. But this is still a tale from the distant future year 20XX, an alternative timeline in which the arcade scene never went away... and if you did happen to play the original Arcade Spirits, the decisions you made can be brought forward to reshape the world of 20XX.
When you complete the original Arcade Spirits, Iris will pop up and ask if you want to save your character for use in any "future expanded content." (This is a sneaky dev way of saying "we didn't know for sure we'd be doing a sequel but wanted to future-proof without promising anything.") If you pick Yes, then Iris will export your decisions!
Keep in mind there is only one export slot available. Every time you tell Iris Yes to that question it overwrites what was there previously. So if you want a "canon" playthrough of Arcade Spirits to bring forward, don't keep saying "Yes" to Iris again and again and overwriting your export. Just say no!
At the start of The New Challengers, Iris will detect if you have exported data from Arcade Spirits. You can choose to import your decisions, or start from scratch; up to you!
If You Import Decisions...
We want to reward long-time fans by delivering something that feels like a continuation of their efforts. So, while this is a new story, it has many connections to what came before.
- Family First: Use the same surname you used before and see what happens! Or be someone totally new and unrelated.
- Less Exposition: We can skip over the "Here's how the year 20XX timeline works" part. You already know, so we get you into the story a little quicker!
- The Arcade of Destiny: Without spoiling anything, the decisions you made in Level 06 of Arcade Spirits establish much about the leading arcade in the city.
- Oh Hey I Remember That: Characters will refer to the events of Arcade Spirits now and then, notably that whole Deco's Palace affair.
- The Iris Saga Continues: The story of Iris is expanded, from the brief hints of her true origin and purpose. Learn more!
- Cameos, Perhaps?: I wouldn't want to reveal any surprises, but perhaps you'll see some returning friends.
If You Play Fresh...
Man, who needs all of that? This is your story, not someone else's. Let's streamline things a bit!
- Full Exposition: You won't be left behind if you aren't already familiar with 20XX! The world will be explained fully.
- Undeniable Destiny: The whole Deco's Palace thing still happened, but you don't know much about what went down, nor does it really matter to you.
- Less Clutter: We keep the narrative lean 'n mean and focus on what matters most to the New Challengers.
- The Iris Saga Still Continues: With Iris central in much of this, her story continues -- but if you missed the first chapter, that's fine, and she'll bring you up to speed.
- Sir Not Appearing In This Film: Returning characters may still show, but under different contexts and with proper introductions.
How to Prepare
Want to get ready for the New Challengers when it arrives in 20XX? (That's sneaky dev speak for "We can't commit to a date yet.") If you're playing on Steam or Itch.io but aren't planning to play New Challengers on the same machine, you can copy your files to your new system! The directories you'll want to copy are named "persistent" and "Arcade Spirits-1487458431".
- Windows: These directories are located in %APPDATA%/RenPy or C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Roaming\RenPy
- Mac OS X: ~/Library/RenPy
- Linux/Other: ~/.renpy
If you bought Arcade Spirits on itch.io but buy The New Challengers on Steam (or vice versa) everything should work just fine. They're interchangable.
While we haven't officially announced The New Challengers for any game consoles (That's sneaky dev speak for "Obviously we're planning for it but the ink on those contracts is still wet so let's not make any promises yet") the save data process should be much simpler -- just play the game on the same machine you played the first game on and your export will be waiting for you. Refer to your game console's instructions for how to back up and transfer save data, since it varies a lot.
Whether you're continuing your story or starting over, we're looking forward to giving you the best possible story when The New Challengers arrives in the year 20XX!