Explanation of Requirement 1.9
Requirement 1.9
In games with internal progress (new levels unlocked, records, achievements, upgrades) and WebApp that implies saving (for example, notebooks or phone directories), saving changes occurs immediately after a player's action or by pressing a special save button. Refreshing the page should not affect the saved data.
The key rule is the user should have the ability to continue playing after refreshing the game's page without losing their achievements or records. Saving must occur after each user action or by a special button; other saving mechanics should be described in the developer's comment.
When to Save Progress
In games where a user can set a record or achieve something (for example, win, complete a level, or acquire an item), it is necessary to save progress. Then the user will be able to play from where they left off in the previous game session.
It is not necessary to save progress in simple games where there is no progress or where it does not affect the gameplay. For example, this is the case in simple coloring games, puzzles, quizzes.
Examples
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Saving Required |
Saving Not Required |
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A new level unlocks only after completing the previous one. |
All levels in the game are accessible immediately. |
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The game allows you to set a record, achieve something, win. |
The game has no records, achievements, or the possibility to win. |
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The difficulty level increases as the game progresses. |
The difficulty level does not depend on the user's progress. |
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Completing a level can take several average gaming sessions. |
Any level can be completed in one average gaming session, all levels are available immediately. |
Save Mechanics
The progress should be saved:
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immediately after a user action or by pressing a special button;
Note
If the game has a different saving mechanic, describe it in the developer's comment.
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regardless of whether the user is logged in or not;
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when changing the orientation of the device (for mobile games).
If saving is set up correctly, then after refreshing the page at any moment (after pressing the save button, if saving is done by it) progress will be the same as it was before the page refresh.
For mobile games, it's important that progress is not lost when changing the orientation of the device: after rotating the device, the same game state should be displayed on the screen as it was before the orientation change.
Examples
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Correct |
Incorrect |
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After refreshing the game's page, records or progress are restored. |
Records or user's progress are not restored after refreshing the game's page. |
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Progress is saved immediately after a player's action or by a save button. |
Progress is saved periodically. |
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Progress is saved at the end of the completed level or after achieving something on the level. |
The game does not save records or the user's progress. |
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There is no progress in the game: levels, challenges, records, so there is no progress saving. |
There is progress in the game, but it is not saved. |
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On device orientation change, the game state is displayed as it was before the orientation change. |
On device orientation change, the game state that was before the orientation change is not restored. |
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Progress does not save automatically right after a player's action or by a save button — save mechanic is described in the developer's comment. |
The game has a different progress saving mechanic, but it is not described in the developer's comment. |
|
Save progress works for every user regardless of whether they logged in or not. |
User's results are saved only on the leaderboard. |