Can I update a game while saving people's progress?

Hi [MENTION=36127]Calder[/MENTION] what platform will this game run on?

If you're using INI++ or Arrays or a whatever, as long as your game doesn't fundamentally change the way it reads those files and they exist in the same location, then yeah this shouldn't be a problem?

you can also use an Array to save Data. so you can reload it after every update of your game. (esp. for Mobile gaming)

Arrays are a pretty universal thing in programming - think of it as storing data in a "table" - here is a randomly Googled tutorial: Please login to see this link.

?
You create a save file with all the info.. (like mygame.sav) your update should NEVER come with a save file.
then once you start the game you load the file back in, and set all the values wherever needed.

you store it on your drive somewhere, or in the same game folder.. (usually the userapp data folder)
like how any other game works with an auto save or with a save button.

Ehm, What do you want to do? what so you mean by players... what are you trying to accomplish
Maybe look at some tutorials..
You just create a save file... There are tons of examples on the board, you tube, the web.
a save file is just a save file... nothing more, nothing less.

so you create a save file, once you update your game, the savefile stays untouched. you create it just under an event

Using the AppData directory is the right way to go. All other save game locations may cause trouble if the app is not run with admin rights on the machine.

Before saving there you have to create a save game location using the File-object: AppDataDirectory$( "File" ) + "\mygame\". After that you can save your data there (for example an array or ini called "settings") using the File-object: AppDataDirectory$( "File" ) + "\mygame\" + "settings"

example: Please login to see this picture.

You only need to create the directory for saving once, re-creating it will do no harm tho - if the directory already exists this operation will change nothing (all save data in this directory will stay untouched).

Updating your .exe will not change or erase any files in the AppData directory. Like the others said, just make sure not to change your file saving and readout routines.

Quote from Calder

So if other people download the game, and it doesn't detect a save file in that directory, will it recreate it on that person's computer for any version of the game to use?

A save data directory needs to be created manually, like I outlined. If it already exists, the event to create the directory will not override the directorly or saved files in that directory. The version of the .exe does not matter, as long as the events loading the save data refer to the right AppData folder.

Tutorial on Array/ Ini plus example .mfa (not checked the download myself though): Please login to see this link.