20120718 Comments:
I must have played the first level to this game at least 4 times by now. The first time I simply played the demo on Steam. The second time, I helped my friend play the demo on someone's Xbox (Xbox Live Arcade). I next played through the first level when I purchased the game. And finally, for the Steam Winter Sale, I had to play the first level again in order to complete an achievement.
On multiple occasions, when trying to move my Steam install, I lost my progress. Thankfully I had played no more than the first level. This happened most recently when I wanted to move my Steam files from my laptop to my PC in Maryland (20120207).
On the bright side, the loss of progress isn't a big deal. I love the narration of the game a lot. Moving about the world was a little difficult with a keyboard, because the game uses an isometric camera. One should have much better luck with a gamepad.
The art is also good, but I am going to repeat myself and emphasize how much I love the narration. It brings so much life to the concept of games and story telling.
I look forward to playing more.
Steam Game Time: 54 minutes
[20190113 Edit]
20130203:
Unknown progress.
20131225:
Due to moving the steam folder around, I've had to play the first level of the game several times now and only once before today did I play one level beyond the first. I've tried reading about the save file location before, but had no luck finding a helpful answer. As of 20131228, I both found a solution and started usingGameSave Manager. See the Save File Locations section below for more information.
In any case, today (20131225) I started the game and, as many times before, played the first level of the game again. Unlike my previous playthroughs, today I played multiple levels. According to Steam, I played for about 3.9 hours, over three times the cumulative time spent with the game before today (1.2 hours).
Overall, losing a save file is a huge discouragement to continuing a game. Now that I think about it, that's the main reason I haven't been playing Orcs Must Die. However, I absolutely love the narration of Bastion and I never minded playing this particular game from the beginning, because it feels like I'm just watching a movie.
The narration in this game is awesome and I believe that's already a good enough reason to play this action RPG. Of course, the game mechanics and upgrade system are solid as well.
I do, however, have two minor dislikes which come to mind. The first minor dislike is the ability to fall off the level by walking off. I personally find this an unnecessary element of realism and/or difficulty. The second minor dislike is how the Kid (player character) keeps landing flat on his face at the entry of every level. Come on now, doesn't he learn how to gracefully land after a couple of tries?
Personal Preferences:
I tried using the Bolt Burst on the repeater but didn't like it compared to the Whirl Wind or Dancing Shot.
General Tips/Comments:
Charge your Breaker Bow and let go immediately as you flash for a Power Shot.
: If you can manage, let go the moment you hear a whoosh sound. No hesitation here. The slightest start to the whoosh and you release the bow for a guaranteed Power Shot.
Press Q to use your special attack. Don't be afraid to use it often, because vials to replenish it are often readily available.
Press R to reload the repeater manually.
Press Shift for shield at the right moment for a counter attack.
Press Space often for extra mobility.
Don't be afraid to just move on, don't need to backtrack to get health, at least in any situation I've encountered thus far.
You can conveniently restart a challenge level by going to the restart level button. Any lower level prizes you have claimed will be recorded.
Gameplay Log:
Breaker Barracks
: The level only lets you use the bow provided to you in the center of the level.
: For first prize, you have to land five Power Shots.
Windbag Ranch
: The key as the tool tip says is to stand where the green ones spawn and kill them right away. Otherwise they run away from you and you'll have to probably waste time throwing the machete at them.
: I made use of the Werewolf
[20131225 Assumed Post Date][20190113 Edit]
20131228:
I played the level Trapper Shingle today.
Gameplay Log:
Trapper Shingle
: I made use of the first repeater upgrade: Double Clip.
: Also crucial is to press shift to have the player character automatically lock onto the targets.
Bastion (PC) (2011)
Relevant Links:
Bastion (Supergiant Games Website)
Bastion (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Bastion Wiki (bastion.wikia.com)
Save File Locations:
The game's save file location is different depending on whether you run the game executable from inside or outside of Steam. However, I would recommend using GameSave Manager instead of backing up save files manually (see the next section, Personal Experience on Saving the Game).
See [1], [2], [3], and [4] below.
[1]
...\steamapps\common\bastion\Content\Saves
: Automatic saved games made on a per level basis.
: Example Contents:
: Save File Location = either [2] or [3].
: Caution! Make sure you store a backup in a different location, there may be a chance that Steam Cloud may not behave the way you want.
: When copying to [3], restart Steam to let it synchronize with Steam Cloud. See also "Personal Experience on Saving the Game" below.
[2]
...Users\[COMPUTERUSERNAME]\Saved Games\Bastion\
: This should be the game's save file location when running the game executable from outside Steam.
[3]
...\Program Files\Steam\userdata\[STEAMUSERID]\107100\remote\
: This folder should contain the save files as Steam Cloud sees them.
: Example Contents:
...\Program Files\Steam\userdata\[STEAMUSERID]\107100\local\
: I suspect the contents of this folder are just local configuration settings like Screen Resolution and Control Configuration.
: Example Contents:
Personal Experience on Saving the Game:
On 20131228, I avoided the issue of backing up my save files altogether by running GameSave Manager. This is something I should have done a long time ago, because manually backing up save files was both risky and time consuming. This was especially true due to number of times I moved my Steam Game installations around (whether between multiple computers or just from one hard drive to the next).
I also realized that creating a new profile in the Bastion menu isn't just for the settings. It's actually the method for creating a new game save. Checking both Profile 1 and Profile 2 (dated 20120209 and 20130203, respectively), I found that they both only went up to the completion of the introductory level ("Now the Kid sees something stranger still. His mind races. Did anyone else survive? Sure enough he finds another. He finds me.")
Simply deleting them isn't an option. Upon starting the game, Steam Cloud replaces them with existing copies in the Cloud.
Solution:
20240127 Snapshot:
Steam Game Time: 8.3 hours (cumulative game time) / 8h 17m (Playnite)
Last Played: 20231229
I must have played the first level to this game at least 4 times by now. The first time I simply played the demo on Steam. The second time, I helped my friend play the demo on someone's Xbox (Xbox Live Arcade). I next played through the first level when I purchased the game. And finally, for the Steam Winter Sale, I had to play the first level again in order to complete an achievement.
 |
| The Kid charges the Breaker's Bow. |
On multiple occasions, when trying to move my Steam install, I lost my progress. Thankfully I had played no more than the first level. This happened most recently when I wanted to move my Steam files from my laptop to my PC in Maryland (20120207).
On the bright side, the loss of progress isn't a big deal. I love the narration of the game a lot. Moving about the world was a little difficult with a keyboard, because the game uses an isometric camera. One should have much better luck with a gamepad.
The art is also good, but I am going to repeat myself and emphasize how much I love the narration. It brings so much life to the concept of games and story telling.
I look forward to playing more.
Steam Game Time: 54 minutes
 |
| The Arsenal |
[20190113 Edit]
20130203:
Unknown progress.
20131225:
Due to moving the steam folder around, I've had to play the first level of the game several times now and only once before today did I play one level beyond the first. I've tried reading about the save file location before, but had no luck finding a helpful answer. As of 20131228, I both found a solution and started usingGameSave Manager. See the Save File Locations section below for more information.
In any case, today (20131225) I started the game and, as many times before, played the first level of the game again. Unlike my previous playthroughs, today I played multiple levels. According to Steam, I played for about 3.9 hours, over three times the cumulative time spent with the game before today (1.2 hours).
Overall, losing a save file is a huge discouragement to continuing a game. Now that I think about it, that's the main reason I haven't been playing Orcs Must Die. However, I absolutely love the narration of Bastion and I never minded playing this particular game from the beginning, because it feels like I'm just watching a movie.
 |
| The Kid (player character) swings the Cael Hammer. |
The narration in this game is awesome and I believe that's already a good enough reason to play this action RPG. Of course, the game mechanics and upgrade system are solid as well.
I do, however, have two minor dislikes which come to mind. The first minor dislike is the ability to fall off the level by walking off. I personally find this an unnecessary element of realism and/or difficulty. The second minor dislike is how the Kid (player character) keeps landing flat on his face at the entry of every level. Come on now, doesn't he learn how to gracefully land after a couple of tries?
Personal Preferences:
I tried using the Bolt Burst on the repeater but didn't like it compared to the Whirl Wind or Dancing Shot.
General Tips/Comments:
Charge your Breaker Bow and let go immediately as you flash for a Power Shot.
: If you can manage, let go the moment you hear a whoosh sound. No hesitation here. The slightest start to the whoosh and you release the bow for a guaranteed Power Shot.
Press Q to use your special attack. Don't be afraid to use it often, because vials to replenish it are often readily available.
Press R to reload the repeater manually.
 |
| The Kid with the War Machete. |
Press Shift for shield at the right moment for a counter attack.
Press Space often for extra mobility.
Don't be afraid to just move on, don't need to backtrack to get health, at least in any situation I've encountered thus far.
You can conveniently restart a challenge level by going to the restart level button. Any lower level prizes you have claimed will be recorded.
Gameplay Log:
Breaker Barracks
: The level only lets you use the bow provided to you in the center of the level.
: For first prize, you have to land five Power Shots.
Windbag Ranch
: The key as the tool tip says is to stand where the green ones spawn and kill them right away. Otherwise they run away from you and you'll have to probably waste time throwing the machete at them.
: I made use of the Werewolf
[20131225 Assumed Post Date][20190113 Edit]
20131228:
I played the level Trapper Shingle today.
 |
| The Distillery. |
Gameplay Log:
Trapper Shingle
: I made use of the first repeater upgrade: Double Clip.
: Also crucial is to press shift to have the player character automatically lock onto the targets.
Bastion (PC) (2011)
Relevant Links:
Bastion (Supergiant Games Website)
Bastion (video game) (Wikipedia.org)
Bastion Wiki (bastion.wikia.com)
Save File Locations:
The game's save file location is different depending on whether you run the game executable from inside or outside of Steam. However, I would recommend using GameSave Manager instead of backing up save files manually (see the next section, Personal Experience on Saving the Game).
See [1], [2], [3], and [4] below.
 |
| Proving Grounds: Trapper Shingle |
[1]
...\steamapps\common\bastion\Content\Saves
: Automatic saved games made on a per level basis.
: Example Contents:
[HOSTNAME1]-PC_ProtoIntro01a: "To use any of them, rename the file to 'Profile1.sav' and copy it to your save game location." (source)
[HOSTNAME1]-PC_ProtoIntro01b
[HOSTNAME1]-PC_ProtoTown03
[HOSTNAME2]-PC_Challenge01
[HOSTNAME2]-PC_Challenge03
[HOSTNAME2]-PC_Crossroads01
[HOSTNAME2]-PC_Falling01
[HOSTNAME2]-PC_Holdout01
[HOSTNAME2]-PC_ProtoIntro01a
[HOSTNAME2]-PC_ProtoIntro01b
[HOSTNAME2]-PC_ProtoTown03
: Save File Location = either [2] or [3].
: Caution! Make sure you store a backup in a different location, there may be a chance that Steam Cloud may not behave the way you want.
: When copying to [3], restart Steam to let it synchronize with Steam Cloud. See also "Personal Experience on Saving the Game" below.
 |
| The Forge |
[2]
...Users\[COMPUTERUSERNAME]\Saved Games\Bastion\
: This should be the game's save file location when running the game executable from outside Steam.
[3]
...\Program Files\Steam\userdata\[STEAMUSERID]\107100\remote\
: This folder should contain the save files as Steam Cloud sees them.
: Example Contents:
profile1.sav (20120209 12:18AM)[4]
profile2.keyctrls (20130203 11:59PM)
profile2.mousectrls (20130203 11:59PM)
profile2.sav (20130203 11:59PM)
profile3.keyctrls (20131225 6:43PM)
profile3.mousectrls (20131225 6:43PM)
profile3.sav (20131225 8:25PM)
...\Program Files\Steam\userdata\[STEAMUSERID]\107100\local\
: I suspect the contents of this folder are just local configuration settings like Screen Resolution and Control Configuration.
: Example Contents:
activeProfile (20131225 6:42PM): I opened the "activeProfile" file with Notepad and it simply says "*Profile3," where * is some unknown character. Indeed I am currently using Profile 3 among the possible configuration settings. The timestamps also match the moment I switched from using Profile 2 to Profile 3.
Profile1.profile (20111231 8:55PM)
Profile2.profile (20131225 6:41PM)
Profile3.profile (20131225 8:25PM)
 |
| Level Select |
Personal Experience on Saving the Game:
On 20131228, I avoided the issue of backing up my save files altogether by running GameSave Manager. This is something I should have done a long time ago, because manually backing up save files was both risky and time consuming. This was especially true due to number of times I moved my Steam Game installations around (whether between multiple computers or just from one hard drive to the next).
I also realized that creating a new profile in the Bastion menu isn't just for the settings. It's actually the method for creating a new game save. Checking both Profile 1 and Profile 2 (dated 20120209 and 20130203, respectively), I found that they both only went up to the completion of the introductory level ("Now the Kid sees something stranger still. His mind races. Did anyone else survive? Sure enough he finds another. He finds me.")
Simply deleting them isn't an option. Upon starting the game, Steam Cloud replaces them with existing copies in the Cloud.
Solution:
1) Exit Steam.
2) Copy out the files I wanted to keep. In this case "profile3.keyctrls", "profile3.mousectrls", and "profile3.sav".
3) Corrupt the files in "Steam\userdata\[STEAMUSERID]\107100\remote":
: Proceed with caution.4) Delete remotecashe.vdf in "Steam\userdata\[STEAMUSERID]\107100\"
: Run command prompt.
: Type "powershell", enter.
: Type "clc C:\Program` Files` `(x86`)\Steam\userdata\[STEAMUSERID]\107100\remote\*", enter.
5) Start Steam. Start Bastion. The sync conflict dialog appears.
6) Delete all the corrupted files and then put the files I wanted to keep back.
7) Return to the sync conflict dialog and click "Upload to the Steam Cloud".
(source)
 |
| The Kid, Zulf, Zia, and Rucks. |
20240127 Snapshot:
Steam Game Time: 8.3 hours (cumulative game time) / 8h 17m (Playnite)
Last Played: 20231229
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