• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is 6.2 GB, won't allow to transfer save between consoles (and no cloud saves)

nikos

nikos

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,998
New York, NY
This has been one of my most anticipated games for years and I'm honestly considering not purchasing it anymore.

I can get over not being able to play on both of my Switches, but to never be able to transfer is sort of unacceptable. I'm left with the option of never being able to play in docked mode on my Lite or playing on a launch day console forever.

Nintendo always manages to make some kind of asinine decision with their releases.
 

bertosan

Member
Sep 4, 2019
15
I have a 2019 Switch to play home and a Lite to play while traveling. According to this, I won't be able to transfer the save from OG to Lite for travels right? :(
 
Madao

Madao

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,684
Panama
what does locking your save to one console even accomplish?
it was already one thing to not allow people to backup their save in some games but this is a new low and complete nonsense. with previous games that didn't support cloud saves you could at least move to a new console on a console refresh if you were worried about your old Switch failing but they're now taking away even that.

i wasn't planning to buy this but now i'll definitely not buy it at any point. i refreshed my Switch last year with the improved battery model and i'm not going to be locked if a new model comes out.
 
ZugZug123

ZugZug123

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,412
Why am I paying for Switch Online if my console breaking or faulting will lead to me losing my town and all the effort and time I put into it? WTF get on with the times, Nintendo.
 
pillowtalk

pillowtalk

Member
Oct 10, 2018
2,562
So I don't have a switch, but when I do... do I need to pay for online to play with friends who are sitting in the same room as me with their own switch? like visiting their town.
 
elenarie

elenarie

Game Developer
Verified
Jun 10, 2018
9,800
Atheerios said:
Guys, even if devs didn't care about cheating, cloud saves as they are currently implemented are just not supported by the game, as the save data is common to every profile, and the current cloud save backup implementation is per profile. There's no way to backup a console-level save.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You can tie a backup to a hardware id, so it doesn't get synced to another device. Not exactly rocket science.
 

Raccoon

Member
May 31, 2019
15,896
nikos said:
This has been one of my most anticipated games for years and I'm honestly considering not purchasing it anymore.

I can get over not being able to play on both of my Switches, but to never be able to transfer is sort of unacceptable. I'm left with the option of never being able to play in docked mode on my Lite or playing on a launch day console forever.

Nintendo always manages to make some kind of asinine decision with their releases.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm almost certain that the warning applies only to single user transfers to another Switch, not full system transfers

I know Nintendo's radio silence is frustrating but y'all need to chill out and wait for actual clarification
 
Vivian-Pogo

Vivian-Pogo

Member
Jan 9, 2018
2,033
So basically if any Nintendo game has any significant online component, don't expect cloud saves.

No local save transfers is beyond nuts.
 
Eeyore

Eeyore

User requested ban
Banned
Dec 13, 2019
9,029
Atheerios said:
Guys, even if devs didn't care about cheating, cloud saves as they are currently implemented are just not supported by the game, as the save data is common to every profile, and the current cloud save backup implementation is per profile. There's no way to backup a console-level save.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

There's no reason to have a console level save, Nintendo when they released the Switch allowed multiple profiles and regions. I'm not sure why Animal Crossing is some special case where people just get screwed if they have two consoles (something Nintendo wants!) or they have a hardware issue.
 

Raccoon

Member
May 31, 2019
15,896
ZugZug123 said:
Why am I paying for Switch Online if my console breaking or faulting will lead to me losing my town and all the effort and time I put into it? WTF get on with the times, Nintendo.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Vivian-Pogo said:
So basically if any Nintendo game has any significant online component, don't expect cloud saves.

No local save transfers is beyond nuts.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
cloud saves is literally just because of Animal Crossing and Splatoon producer Nogami Hisashi
 
Dyle

Dyle

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
29,915
Madao said:
what does locking your save to one console even accomplish?
it was already one thing to not allow people to backup their save in some games but this is a new low and complete nonsense. with previous games that didn't support cloud saves you could at least move to a new console on a console refresh if you were worried about your old Switch failing but they're now taking away even that.

i wasn't planning to buy this but now i'll definitely not buy it at any point. i refreshed my Switch last year with the improved battery model and i'm not going to be locked if a new model comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
it isn't that it accomplishes anything, it's that nintendo's os team is apparently unable or unwilling to add a special functionality to either their system transfer or cloud save features just for this one game. The save data is being handled differently than every other switch game so they took the easiest way out rather than updating the other parts of the system to work around it.
 
TheCongressman

TheCongressman

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,064
The way they seem to be handling save transfers, no cloud saving, and forcing same console users to share an island is just the most stupefying thing, I swear. It makes absolutely no sense.

Dyle said:
You get to live together and share the experience. You and your SO can complain about how you keep geting crappy villagers instead of Gabriel and Pietro or work together to make public works projects and whatnot. While forcing you to the same island is crappy, not letting you share the island would suck a lot
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That's the point, there's no reason it should be only one way. People who want to play together should be able to, and those that don't, don't. Some people keep saying "well I like playing together so this is good" as if the option would even effect them. I don't get it.
 
Quasicat

Quasicat

Self-requested ban
Banned
Nov 2, 2017
169
Yay! Amiibos! I have over a hundred cards including the Hello Kitty ones from Japan. Now, hopefully there is some crossplay with Pocket Camp.
 
MrWonderworld

MrWonderworld

Member
Sep 18, 2018
432
So if I buy another Switch to replace my launch Switch, the save won't transfer and is stuck on my old one? Is that correct?
 
OP
OP
Atheerios

Atheerios

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,097
RX1VT4t.png


I've been thinking about the Save Data Settings option in the main menu since we first saw it but now it finally makes sense.

I think the way devs implemented the saves, Animal Crossing won't appear in the list of Switch saves, in the Settings app. That's how they manage to disable save transfers. And thus the only way to manage the game's save data and deleting it is through the game itself.
 
Madao

Madao

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,684
Panama
they're making the 3DS look like an upgrade compared to the Switch at this point.
 
neon_dream

neon_dream

Member
Dec 18, 2017
3,644
Dyle said:
it isn't that it accomplishes anything, it's that nintendo's os team is apparently unable or unwilling to add a special functionality to either their system transfer or cloud save features just for this one game. The save data is being handled differently than every other switch game so they took the easiest way out rather than updating the other parts of the system to work around it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It's not incompetence by the OS team.

It's a conscious design decision by the game production team. Animal Crossing has always featured restrictive saves. Animal Crossing 3DS saves were encrypted so you couldn't back them up or restore them. Whoever is in charge of the AC franchise believes the game's economic features need to be protected by save restrictions, as ridiculous as that seems.
 
chrisPjelly

chrisPjelly

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
10,494
Why tf is Animal Crossing like this?? I sort of get the Pokemon excuse since the whole game hinges on collecting and trading, but Animal Crossing???? Is there some overall economy of goods in game that gets devalued if people savescum them?
 
MarkRJR

MarkRJR

Member
Oct 25, 2017
355
The lack of cloud saves is bad enough, but having the game's save file locked down to the console is incredibly stupid. I can't wait for the sticks on my Switch Lite to start drifting and having no way to transfer my save file to a new Switch. That's not even bringing up the fact there is likely going to be an upgraded Switch next year.
 

Raccoon

Member
May 31, 2019
15,896
MrWonderworld said:
So if I buy another Switch to replace my launch Switch, the save won't transfer and is stuck on my old one? Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I don't think so. It seems like the warning is the logical result of one player leaving to a new Switch not being able to take the existing island with them. A whole Switch transfer will almost certainly transfer the save
 
7Z7

7Z7

Member
May 30, 2018
159
What are we waiting for to yell loud enough for Nintendo to listen to us like they did with Mario Maker?

No Savegame on the cartridge.
No Cloud Backup.
Unable to transfer his data.
You have to reset the system. You lose everything.

It's inconceivable that we don't have any way to keep a backup safe in case of failure. If we later bought a Switch Pro, we couldn't even transfer the backup?

Let's be serious, we're regressing here. We have to get Nintendo to listen to us and come up with a solution.
 
ZugZug123

ZugZug123

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,412
Raccoon said:
cloud saves is literally just because of Animal Crossing and Splatoon producer Nogami Hisashi
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Aren't these people supposed to be the "new guard" at Nintendo? If that is their mentality it will take another 25 years for Nintendo to catch up to the rest of the world in online functionality....
 
Kirbivore

Kirbivore

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,925
On second thought, this sounds like the first game to block you from transferring saves by transferring your profile.

Ew
 
ze_

ze_

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,937
ZugZug123 said:
Aren't these people supposed to be the "new guard" at Nintendo? If that is their mentality it will take another 25 years for Nintendo to catch up to the rest of the world in online functionality....
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm not sure why people would assume only a single individual is enforcing any sort of rule. These are group decisions.
 
Conrad Link

Conrad Link

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,644
New Zealand
WTF??

Even before the game was announced I expected no cloud saves, that's one thing.

But I can't even move my save to a new system?? WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY THINK WE'RE GONNA DO WHEN THEY MAKE A SWITCH PRO AND WE WANNA MOVE TO THAT CONSOLE?

We just have to start again in Animal Crossing?? Are they fucking serious?
 
OP
OP
Atheerios

Atheerios

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,097
elenarie said:
You can tie a backup to a hardware id, so it doesn't get synced to another device. Not exactly rocket science.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's not about how Nintendo can do it, I know there are multiple ways to do it, but the Switch OS cloud backup functionality doesn't support it right now, and I doubt Nintendo will develop a new OS level feature for just 1 game.

The only feasible solution I see is having the game itself sync its data with a server in-game with its own custom implementation, but after seeing Splatoon 2... This is too much for Nintendo.
 
Dyle

Dyle

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
29,915
TheCongressman said:
That's the point, there's no reason it should be only one way. People who want to play together should be able to, and those that don't, don't. Some people keep saying "well I like playing together so this is good" as if the option would even effect them. I don't get it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I wasn't defending this shit policy, just explaining why it's important that players have the option to play in the same town, besides just tradition. It's an integral part of the series but they took the worst route imaginable to make it work.
neon_dream said:
It's not incompetence by the OS team.

It's a conscious design decision by the game production team. Animal Crossing has always featured restrictive saves. Animal Crossing 3DS saves were encrypted so you couldn't back them up or restore them. Whoever is in charge of the AC franchise believes the economic system needs to be protected by save restrictions, as ridiculous as that seems.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's both. It's easier to do it this way and it fits their design philosophy.
 
Mipmap

Mipmap

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 1, 2017
378
Uhh this is pretty bad. If I upgrade to a new switch mid 2020, I have to start my town from scratch?
I hope they rethink this..
 

Deleted member 36578

Dec 21, 2017
26,561
I'm assuming like all the more recent Nintendo systems in the digital age, there's going to be a transfer tool that lets ya get all the save data, games, ect. from one device to the other when you upgrade. I'm not worried about them locking us to our original devices in the slightest. I'll gladly eat crow if I'm wrong.
 
Jessie

Jessie

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,921
This is toxic as hell. There is no justification for something so consumer unfriendly.

Nintendo truly reaps what it sows when it comes to hacking and homebrew.
 

Raccoon

Member
May 31, 2019
15,896
ze_ said:
I'm not sure why people would assume only a single individual is enforcing any sort of rule. These are group decisions.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I mean, that's a given. I meant more that it's a trend with games produced by Nogami

brokeastronaut said:
I'm assuming like all the more recent Nintendo systems in the digital age, there's going to be a transfer tool that lets ya get all the save data, games, ect. from one device to the other when you upgrade. I'm not worried about them locking us to our original devices in the slightest. I'll gladly eat crow if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
giphy.gif


occam's razor, people. a system transfer is a system transfer, but a single account upgrading cannot take a copy of the island with them. makes perfect sense.
 
Qwark

Qwark

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,021
Well this is annoying. Me and my s/o share a Switch. Eventually we're going to get a second one, but one of us will have to completely start over? That really dampens my AC hype.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.