Josh GramsAug 29, 2023

Itch.io is having to switch hosting providers sometime in the next three months, and that's going to act like clearing your browser storage: you'll lose your current saves.

So if you're playing long-form #InteractiveFiction or other web games that save to the browser, here's a little thing that should let you download your data and restore it after the switchover... https://crocmiam.itch.io/itch-localstorage-export-import

(Itch's post on the subject is here: https://itch.io/t/3099694/notice-for-html-game-devs-upcoming-change-to-cdn-domain)

#GameDev

(Edit: to be clear, this isn't mine; I'd like to think I would have seen it eventually but Florian Cargoët spotted the possibility and implemented it almost immediately)

Itch localStorage export/import by CrocMiam

itch.io
Show threadJosh Grams

Of course now I'm wondering: are there existing games that exploit this information leakage in creative ways?

Easter eggs for achievements in your other games // your friends' games // favorite games you play? "Wow, you made it to level 15 in Curse of the Bubble Arachnids III on hard mode? Have an extra life! No, have two!"

Trawling through the save data and "price matching" with random other games? "You were down to 10 ammo, but apparently in some other game you had 82 ammo on level 17, so... we don't want to be stingy."

#GameDev

Aug 30, 2023 at 12:14pmWeb
Show threadLeonardo Giovanni ScurAug 30, 2023

@JoshGrams I think the classic example of this is the Psycho Mantis fight in Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation, which reads off your memory card.

But as far as I know it doesn't have gameplay implications, it's just creepy as hell if you're not expecting it.

I guess there are two issues with such a feature nowadays:

  • As far as I know, consoles have data isolation between games, you can't just read any file willy nilly (so do browsers and mobile phones). You either need cooperation from the game to be read, or it has to be a PC-only feature.
  • Games use a variety of save formats which save a variety of levels of information detail, so the save-reading has to be implemented per-game.