/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.3838391]

Why is it that so many games on the NES, and even into the SNES era, had no way to continue playing the game from where you left off? So many NES games must be completed from start to finish in one sitting. I can't beat many of these games on original hardware, because I'm so busy with work and often have to stop playing for long periods. Instead I emulate and use savestates so as not to lose progress.

What's the point? I know it was expensive to implement a battery save system, but it's not like implementing a password system was difficult.

[Anonymous No.3838417]

>>3838391
just leave your system on for weeks like a normal person so you can resume anytime.

[Anonymous No.3838420]

>>3838391
Many games were arcade conversions with scores and stuff like that. But also, a lot of NES games were short as fuck. At the time, increasing game's length was a big point. No passwords = more game hours.

[Anonymous No.3838540]

Most games didn't need passwords or saves.

[Special Snowflake !!/BFXlBKfzlK No.3838548]

>>3838391

Don't do the crime if you don't want to do the time.

Lots of games probably had problems to memorize your items and different variables, too. So they just said "who cares" and left out the passwords, dumb kids will play it anyway

[Anonymous No.3838563]

I think Mario's warp zones were supposed to function as a sort of save system.

[Anonymous No.3838626]

>>3838563
Not quite because you still lose all your lives and score and there's no way to warp to specific levels, or even worlds. You're stuck with the 3 they give you and you must start from level 1 of each world.

[Anonymous No.3838632]

>>3838391
You don't realize how expensive memory was back then. To have a save feature required a battery and SRAM chip, parts that added to the cost of manufacture, and ultimately the MSRP. Also the concept was fairly new at the time. Software password systems are annoying, but cheap.

Also, with how expensive games were (think $60+, sometime $80+), you had to get a lot of mileage out of a game before getting a new one. These games had replay value because they required skill and memorization to get good at, unlike the spoon-fed hold-your-hand gentle-hallway feel-good simulators we have today.

[Anonymous No.3838635]

>>3838626
But there's another warp zone in 4-2 ya dingus

[Anonymous No.3838638]

>>3838632
>You don't realize how expensive memory was back then
>>3838391
>I know it was expensive to implement a battery save system

[Anonymous No.3838650]

>>3838638
reading comprehension dails me when splitting attention between running simulations and posting on a chinese cartoon forum

[Anonymous No.3838653]

>>3838391
Other then answers like what >>3838548 >>3838540 and >>3838632 was there was another big reason: difficulty.

Many games from the third and fourth generation were only around 1-3 hours, some like where's waldo on nes take like 15 to see everything but that's more of it's own thing. Many companies where scared children would choose to rent out games instead of buying them since thay would just complete them in a weekend. To try to avoid this they made them both ruthlessly difficult and have no way to save progress. Not to say this is the only reason, those answers above apply as well, but this was definitely a reason. I believe this was quite less of a problem in japan, many games were often made more difficult between their eastern and western releases. One notable example is battletoads. The japanese release is much easier the the us release.

[Anonymous No.3838673]

>>3838391
You gotta get better. most games with no pw or save system are under an hour once you get them down pat. once you optimize the early levels and are pretty much doing it on muscle memory, it only takes a few minutes to get to the hard parts

[Anonymous No.3838694]

>>3838632
It's a good thing you exposed yourself as a f/v/cktard in the very last sentence who only plays shitty games

[Anonymous No.3838742]

SRAM cost serious money, didn't even see it in a Mario game till 3. If it's a long-ass game I prefer finding a romhack that adds saving over save states, it's still cheating but fuck it, it feels purer.

[Anonymous No.3838936]

>>3838417
This. A powered-on NES is only using 9 watts.

[Anonymous No.3839927]

You can find speedruns of incredibly difficult games that are 30mins long or so.
Imagine being a kid and saving your allowance or getting a game for your birthday and beating it in the same day. It's not worth it, is it?

I used to use save states when I first began emulating, then I eventually decided to stop using them. The feeling of beating the game is completely different without them.
Replaying the same stage over and over isn't necessarily a chore. You can play a game through the end and never really learn how to properly play it when you use save states.
Play a game until you get a game over. Then next day try it again, you'll go a little bit further and faster. Keep doing that and you'll eventually beat the game. No cheats and no bullshit, just with your skill.

At least it's what I do.

[Anonymous No.3839956]

>>3838391
Being such an expert on coding password systems for old nintendo consoles I'm amazed you have to work 12 hour shifts at a minimum wage job just to make enough money to live. kek

[Anonymous No.3840268]

>>3839956
wut