Best Practices for Adding New Data to Saves

[tnsi]

I'm currently beginning work on a significant collection of scripts, which adds significant functionality to an RM game- but also handles a large amount of new data that doesn't exist within the default scriptset of RPG Maker. Is there a best practice for adding new data- while retaining compatibility?

Basically, what I'm seeking to do is define a new set of data within the save file that handles another set of variables, and I don't want to conflict with existing scripts or access variables accessible in the RM GUI.

[DerVVulfman]

Aliasing would be best, and I do have a method of sorts you may wish to look at: Game Data Sneak. That may not work COMPLETELY with VXAce, due to its use of a new manager class for the data... but it is a start.

[Taylor]

It depends on what you're asking? What you're talking about my instinct was handling "header" data for save files. In VXAce, instead of accessing the main body of saved data in actors, system, etc, it creates a set of data that's used for showing in the save menu.

This is in the DataManager module for my own game, albeit slimmed down:

PHP Code:

<?php 

def self.make_save_header

    header = {}

    header[:characters] = $game_party.characters_for_savefile

    header[:partysize]  = $game_party.members.size

    header[:playtime]   = $game_system.playtime

    header[:location]   = $game_map.display_name

    header[:day]        = $game_variables[4]

    header[:image]      = $game_variables[5]

    header

  end 

[tnsi]

Looks like aliasing the make/extra save contents did the trick. Thanks guys.