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Why use a database instead of just saving your data to disk?
You can look up data from a database relatively rapidly. Databases are fault-tolerant. Databases can handle very large data sets. Databases are concurrent; multiple users can use them at the same time without corrupting the data.
When would it make sense not to use a database system?
if not needed for the user as it can cast a huge amount and overheads of purchasing the database and maintaining it. then it make a sense not to use database system.
What was the first video game to have save files?
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda was the first ever game to allow saving on console. In recent consoles, which use disc-based media for storing games, saved games are stored in other ways, such as by use of memory cards or internal hard drives on the game machine itself.
Is SQL used in gaming?
Online games almost always use SQL on the back end for the persistent world, player accounts, etc. (Though there are exceptions.) Single player games or games with no persistent world almost universally do nothing with relational databases at all (although again, there are exceptions, often involving SQLite.)
How to choose how to store game data?
On the client side, you might store cached data about other players in a non-relational database (as mentioned above). On the server side, you’re storing all game data in a relational database to persist it. And then again on the client side you’re probably storing log data, configuration data, etc. in XML/flat files for easier accessibility.
How to choose how to store data in a database?
Ultimately you don’t want your data to be coupled too tightly to any product or file type. It’s ultimately best if you can store stock data (levels, enemies, etc.) in some kind of abstract format (tab delimited files, XML, etc.) that you can easily parse and store in a database/file system at compile or load time.
Do you need a database for online games?
If you’re talking about games with an online component, though, that would be crazy. Go the database route and save yourself the headache. Let the server manage all of your data using a back-end cluster. Hope some of this feedback helps.
How to store game type data in Unity?
For the online game we used a MySQL database each time the player loaded the game, they would download the database (JSON setup) and we would parse it on the client side and it would be good to go. However for an offline RPG I don’t have the luxury of storing my game type data online.