[sanmadjack]

I've been working on a program that can automatically back up and restore save games and settings called MASGAU. FreeSpace 1 & 2 are supported, as well as fs2_open if you add the folder it's installed to. More information is available at http://masga.sourceforge.net/ and I would greatly appreciate testing feedback. Since there is no universal way to detect a save game each game has to be manually configured, so information on games not on the supported list would be very helpful.

I'm hoping this is related enough for the General FreeSpace forum, but if not I apologize.

[sanmadjack]

I just posted v.0.2 of MASGAU to http://masga.sourceforge.net/
Changes include:

• Bug Fixes!
• The ability to detect games through registry keys and start menu shortcuts!
• Support for mods!
• More progress bars!
• A logo!
• 8 new supported games!
• Updated definitions for most of the already supported games!

Once again it would be quite helpful if you submitted save information for any game that isn't marked with a Yes or an Untested on the supported games list on the web site. Confirming Untested games using the program would also be helpful.

[karajorma]

This is a nice idea.

Does it back up the campaign saves files too or just the pilot file?

[sanmadjack]

As far as the Freespaces go it backs up the entire players folder, pilots and all.

[sanmadjack]

This week sees the release of v.0.3 of MASGAU.  New features this time around include:

Respect for system permissions with an All Users mode for admins and a Single User Mode for everyone!
Ability to backup up PS1-3 and PSP saves stored on a flash drive or PSP!
Date check while backing up! No more wasting time compressing files that've already been archived!
The ability to override the date check!
Tweaks galore!
24 added Windows games!
14 added PS1 games!
57 added PS2 games!
33 added PS3 games!
16 added PSP games!

Download is as usual available from http://masga.sourceforge.net/

[General Battuta]

It just occurred to me that this could be very useful. We could generate pilot files at various points in major campaigns, so people don't need to restart if they hit major errors or pilot file corruption.

[sanmadjack]

Release time! Today brings with it the release of version 0.4! HIGHLIGHTS!

A real-time monitor that watches for new and updated saves AS THEY ARE MADE!
The ability to create custom archives that only contain files you specify! Perfect for sending just one save to a friend or uploading saves to a save sharing site or forum!
The ability to exclude games! Feel the loneliness!
The ability to create multiple backups over a period of time!
Only 4 new games! Come on people I need more information!
Bug fixes! Less crashes!

As usual more info and downloads can be found at the poorly addressed http://masga.sourceforge.net/

[sanmadjack]

0.5 today. The rundown:

New MASGAU Analyzer for generating reports on save games that can then be submitted by e-mail.
NSIS-based installer instead of MSI installer. Makes everyone's life easier.
Installer can now install .NET and 7-zip if necessary (after asking, of course).
5 more supported games.

Not much, I'm mostly focusing on fixing bugs these days. If anyone has any ideas for new functionality, I'd love to hear them.

[sanmadjack]

0.6 kicked the me in the face yesterday, so I threw it out into the wild.

New relative path! %SAVEDGAMES%!
Games that don't keep their saves in the install folder no longer require detection!
MASGAU no longer uses the archive's name to determine what game it is for, so you can name and rename any new archives whatever you want (as long as it ends with .gb7)!
So many bug fixes! SO many!
22 new games!

According to Sourceforge's super-broken download counter, MASGAU recently hit 1,000 total downloads. I did a little dance at work yesterday to celebrate. You should too!

I would also like to remind everyone that MASGAU now has a save game analyzer that can be used to generate reports to e-mail to me. This way you can contribute information without ever needing to open an XML file! I'm running super-low on games that I can get my hands on, so if MASGAU is going to continue to support more titles I'm going to need more info. To those who have already contributed information, thanks for the help! It's much appreciated!

[sanmadjack]

0.7! Released!

Loads of interface polishing!
Ability to back up G4W user data (necessary for restoring saves for Arkham)!
So many crash fixes it boggles the mind!
Superficial Windows 7 integration!
42 new games!

Feature wise there's not much new. This release is mostly focusing on interface and stability. I'd like to thank everyone who contributed save information for this release, without you this'd be the least impressive release yet.

[sanmadjack]

It came to my attention earlier today a pattern between using MASGAU in All Users mode and my brother's account logging in with a temp account. Turns out MASGAU hasn't been releasing each user's registry hive after scanning them for path information, resulting in the system being unable to log into the account until the system was rebooted. I'm not sure how long this has been going on, but it's resolved now. I posted a 0.7.1 release to http://masga.sourceforge.net/ that contains a fix for the problem. I'd like to emphasize that this is a non-destructive problem, but it may give the impression that an account has become corrupted when it has not. I apologize to anyone whom this bug may have inconvenienced.

[S-99]

....as we all need a new program to hold our hand to backup your saved games in fs2, especially after where we already know where to find them.

Are some easy things that hard to find and too hard to back up manually?

[Mongoose]

This isn't just intended for FS2; it supports a whole list of games.  It's a hell of a lot easier to open one program and hit one button to back up all your settings files for thirty games than to open up each individual folder, dig around for the files you need, and copy/paste them to your backup location.

[Thaeris]

Besides, given the effort involved and that it's open source, I think sanmadjack's efforts are most commendable. 

[S-99]

This isn't just intended for FS2; it supports a whole list of games.  It's a hell of a lot easier to open one program and hit one button to back up all your settings files for thirty games than to open up each individual folder, dig around for the files you need, and copy/paste them to your backup location.

I gathered it was for more than fs2 with everyone else talking about it being more than just for fs2.

I still prefer the arduous method you mention here. It doesn't require any unnecessary hand holding and it's not very hard to find where your save files are in a game directory (this is still a really easy task and doesn't require any extra resources that you may or may not need to program and learn how to use...go the method you already know and keep it simple). Then again, vista/7 users can expect to find everything inside of the my saved games folder in their user folder.

Given the effort involved, sure i can agree with that. The fact that it's opensource doesn't play into what i was talking about at all. I'm a big supporter of opensource and free opensource software (aka F/OSS), but that isn't to say that anything under those licenses is not a stupid project.

I'm not calling this specific little program stupid. It just operates underneath and underwhelming theory. I still recommend the method i go by, and for "others". "Others" as in people who hardly know how to use computers and don't even know the layout of their filesystem and they call themselves power users, or knowledgeable...maybe even expert.

[Galemp]

I really like this idea, and I commend its implementation. What's important for me is, can it back up and restore game registry entries?

For example, I had The Sims 2 and about six expansion packs installed on a secondary hard drive when I needed to format my system partition and reinstall Windows. Now all my save games are there, and all the game data is there, but it won't run because it's not in the registry. If this tool could save me from having to reinstall from disc the main game and all of its expansions, I would be delirious with joy.

[S-99]

I think you're only option there is for editing your registry yourself, or reinstall and let the game install do it for you (but why do that when the game is perfect on your hard drive right now?). ****ing registry, now the game wont run because it thinks you pirated it.

A program for editing your registry is what you need and a program that only backs up save files sounds like it has nothing to do with editing your registry.

[sanmadjack]

...it's not very hard to find where your save files are in a game directory (this is still a really easy task and doesn't require any extra resources that you may or may not need to program and learn how to use...go the method you already know and keep it simple). Then again, vista/7 users can expect to find everything inside of the my saved games folder in their user folder.

These are about the furthest things from the truth. The vast majority of computer users aren't even able to figure out where My Documents is on their hard drive, much less able to deduce where a game is saved. It's easy for guys like you and me, but we are hardly the norm. This point has been driven even more by the response to MASGAU. I've gotten enough e-mails asking me how to figure out where saved games are that I'm planning on writing a program to watch the files written by a game so that I can get save information out of even the most basic users.

As for the Saved Games folder, to date I have encountered 4 games that use it. The vast majority of games still put their games wherever they please.

The "hand holding" argument is a perfectly viable one, and that's exactly what I've been shooting for. Backing up saves isn't a complicated task, one which definitely has a lower priority than just about every task. Unfortunately in my experience it's a task that needs to be done (so many lost saves...). So, I wrote a program to handle the task for me (I actually was originally using Cobian Backup for the task, but got frustrated with it during OS transitions). The process of writing the program served the dual purpose of producing the program and of giving me something to learn C# with, making it more than a worthwhile endeavor.

The registry backup thing has been bought up before, but I had decided that it will not be added. Restoring registry entries from a past system might seem harmless, but it can have devastating results when something goes wrong. It's unlikely entries for a video game would be that risky, but the decision was cinched by the fact that the general level of computer skill out there would not be able to supply information on the entries in sufficient quantity to make the effort viable.