Talk:Saves

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Windows Save File Location

FYI: My saves are stored under Appdata\Roaming\StardewValley\Saves. However, using the method described on the page (and by ConcernedApe on the Chucklefish forums) still works -- Windows finds the "Roaming" subfolder and opens it.
I am curious if the saves are stored directly under "AppData" on Win10, since I'm using Win7. margotbean (talk) 19:07, 17 September 2017 (BST)

Nope, it's the same path in Windows 10. The %appdata% part is a shortcut understood by Windows which resolves to your application data folder (usually C:\users\<username>\Appdata\Roaming). —Pathoschild (talk) 04:40, 18 September 2017 (BST)

Thanks for the reply! I thought Windows was actually being smart about searching the whole AppData folder, but then I moved "Saves" to "Local" and then "LocalLow" and Windows couldn't find it either time. So, it seems %AppData% = the "Roaming" folder only. TIL today. Now if I could only figure out why it takes 10 seconds for the game to find my saves.... margotbean (talk) 18:22, 18 September 2017 (BST)

How to specify the savefile location in linux

In linux one can override the default save file location by setting the XDG_CONFIG_HOME environment variable to the desired directory, e.g. invoking the game with

bash -c 'XDG_CONFIG_HOME=/path/to/custom/savefile/directory ./start.sh'

I thought it would be a useful tip to share on this wiki page. But its a well organized page right now and I'm not sure of the best place to try to fit it in. —Firstnamelastname (talk) 16:22, 26 April 2020 (UTC)

Hmmm... perhaps the info could go in its own section under "Advanced". It doesn't seem to fit under "find your save files", since you would know where they are if you've altered an environment variable and set the path already. I'd like Pathoschild's input on this. margotbean (talk) 16:32, 26 April 2020 (UTC)

It's an interesting tip, but I'm not sure it fits the page:

• it's more of a general Linux tip (the game uses the standard .config/AppData folder, so any method to change that will work);
• we'd also have to document how to do it with SMAPI vs vanilla, the caveats when not launching the game through Steam, etc;
• it's probably not a very common thing players need to do.

—Pathoschild (talk) 18:15, 26 April 2020 (UTC)

It's minor, agreed. But it's available - there for a reason. A reason we cannot always know beforehand. And we cannot know every other person's reasons. It's what configuration is all about. Use defaults for the huge majority of circumstances, but leave the mechanism to override: specialty cases. To do this kind of thing is usually simple, but you need to have a few basics of information. The newbie (or one new to a special need) needs to know the mechanism exists, and what the fundamental technique is. Here, you need to know what environment variable name to set.

To document something like this, in any(each) system, takes only a little info, but it's critical if you need or want it. As a specialty item, it should have its own specialty document (article) to go in, referenceable from elsewhere if needed. How about calling it "Configuration"? It can be kept short, sweet, and to a single point. And then the very uncommon players will have what they need also.

Organize by system at the top level, vanilla override next, further special cases (SMAPI, Steam) lower. Split even into separate articles if you must (but suppress info to what is specific to an SV player - don't let it grow too far). Butterbur (talk) 18:39, 26 April 2020 (UTC)

It's not a Stardew Valley option though. This just sets a system option, which would work with any game that stores files in the standard config folder. It's covered by documentation elsewhere, so I'm not sure it belongs on the Stardew Valley wiki. —Pathoschild (talk) 22:06, 26 April 2020 (UTC)

AH! So I agree, not on SV Wiki. Butterbur (talk) 06:19, 27 April 2020 (UTC)

I don't think its entirely a operating system issue, as some apps and games follow the XDG standards and some don't. I think its also notable that Stardew Valley puts savefiles in the configuration directory, as opposed to the runtime data file directory (XDG_DATA_HOME) some other games use. But the third point above is perhaps fair, not many people may have a need to change it. It would have saved me some investigation effort if I had found it here, but I'll defer to your preference. —Firstnamelastname (talk) 13:59, 28 April 2020 (UTC)

You are correct too, that I can only say the above applies the GOG version. I don't know what the case is in a SMAPI or Steam environment. —Firstnamelastname (talk) 14:17, 28 April 2020 (UTC)

I added a sentence to clarify where the savefiles are found, but omitted any instructions for overriding it, since that falls within the realm of operating system usage, and might not be the same for Steam/SMAPI users. I hope this will satisfy all of the concerns noted above! —Firstnamelastname (talk) 15:03, 29 April 2020 (UTC)

I agree that how Stardew uses these system options is a Stardew matter and could have a place in the Wiki. And while the numbers of people who may have interest could be small, I don't think that's a good reason for not having it. Everyone matters. My preference would be to see your information here put into a configuration article of some kind, as a starting point. Others could add in configurations for other platforms as they will, and we will thus have a collection point for the info. But I'm just another editor here and don't feel I have the authority to decide. Butterbur (talk) 18:51, 29 April 2020 (UTC)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I like this suggestion. I remember there were a few extra steps I did when running the installation script to get it to build the game directories where I wanted them. Unfortunately I don't remember exactly what those were right now :-) but maybe I'll try and recreate the installation sometime to see if I can jog my memory. I could see linux installation and runtime considerations fitting together pretty well, on a page just for collecting linux specific issues. —Firstnamelastname (talk) 14:24, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Glad it helped. And yours is a good thought too. Installation and configuration are commonly a pair. I even customize my Windows/Steam install. But all Unix is an open system, and provision should especially be made for it as that is part of its primary philosophy. Still my favorite OS. After the core, it's all window dressing. ;) Butterbur (talk) 15:52, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Rewriting the 'Transfer a save' section

While none of the information listed in the save transfer section is incorrect, I think the way it's structured could be improved. Despite the name, the steps in the "between two PCs" section work for transfers between any two PC, iOS, or Android devices. All three platforms allow saves to be accessed on-device and support services like cloud storage or usb drives that allow for moving files. I think the current iOS and Android sections should be kept, as wired transfers may be preferable for some, but the "between two PCs" section should probably be framed as a more general process. I'm just checking to see if anyone has input on this before I make changes. - Odin (talk) 21:36, 19 July 2020 (UTC)