Transferring saves to iPad

[bugblatterbeast]

First, let me say that I bought this game on Steam last week, and I am hooked. It is amazing, and I love it!

As an iPhone/iPad user (and developer - for the past 8 years), I would love to see save games transferable to iPad/iPhone.

This is actually a quite easy feature to add for iPad, and is fully compatible with the apple sandbox.... here's how:

There is a feature called iTunes File Sharing, which you can enable for an app ( 'UIFileSharingEnabled' in the info.plist file).

Once enabled, when the iPad is plugged in to a computer running iTunes, an option is then enabled in iTunes which allows the user to drag and drop files/folders in to the shared folder for the app.

Additionally, in the iOS app you can observe the documents/sharing folder using GCD, or simply check its contents for valid save games when the app enters the foreground.

The save games can then be imported and added to the iPad version.

This could also work the same way, with an option to 'export' a save game, and the app would copy it to the iTuns folder, where the user can then drag it to their desktop from iTunes and copy to the Steam install folder.

Thanks for reading,

bbb

[Cory Trese]

Yeah, I do this all the time. Of course our application is configured this way -- people have been doing this with our games for years.

Thanks for the post!

Unfortunately it isn't this easy on Android

[Cory Trese]

Moving to Tips and Tricks since this isn't an RFE!

[Kobey]

So I just added the mobile version to my collection and I remembered glancing at this before but now I'm back to ask silly questions:

1) You're telling me I can move my save game between my PC and iDevice?
2) Where can I find out the specifics of this?
3) If this is all true and that easy why is it not plastered over the steam and app stores as a feature?

I mean I've been bouncing around reading as much as I find and this should have been a LOT more prominent. And if I missed it others did too. I'd even be willing to bet half the people who have bought one or the other versions don't know about this and *if* they did they would be seriously inclined to buy ANOTHER copy for the other platform.

[fallen]

Yep, 100% doable.

Here is a link to the FAQ where saved games are on Steam:
startraders.gamepedia.com/FAQ#Where_are_my_saved_games.3F

Use iTunes to move the entire folder onto your iDevice.

#victory

[Cory Trese]

We don't talk about it much because it requires that you connect your phone to iTunes and move the saved games to your PC computer. You can also move your PC saves onto the iPad or onto another PC or have Dropbox synchronize them for you.

We don't list this as a feature because all we do is avoid interfering. We haven't yet had the resources to build the required infrastructure to support an automated (and feature-listing worthy) save sync.

[angelofswords]

Would it be possible to get updated instructions for iPad users? I went it seems like iTunes no longer allows you to move files, so I'm feeling stuck. Can the same thing be achieved with iCloud, or is there another method? I've made quite a bit of progress on my PC, and would like to be able to pick up where I left off.

Thanks!

[Cory Trese]

Works here. What seems to be the issue?

Here is the lastest guide:
support.apple.com/en-us/HT210598

• If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier or a Windows PC, use iTunes to share files between your computer and your iOS or iPadOS device.
• If you're using macOS Catalina, use the Finder to share files between your computer and your iOS or iPadOS device.

[starscream]

Is this procedure valid only for moving saved games between Steam and iOS devices, or does it work for moving saved games directly between iPad and iPhone too, without Steam?

In case it's doable moving/copying saves between iPad and iPhone, how can I do it?

[SergZak]

Nov 4, 2020 11:51:33 GMT -5 starscream said:

Is this procedure valid only for moving saved games between Steam and iOS devices, or does it work for moving saved games directly between iPad and iPhone too, without Steam?

In case it's doable moving/copying saves between iPad and iPhone, how can I do it?

It's linked to by Cory in his latest post above...follow his link to Apple's "File Sharing" document. This is specifically for transferring/sharing files between iOS devices. Certain iOS app files can be enabled/flagged by the app developer to be "shared" or have the ability to be accessed & backed up by the user. This applies only to specific files set by the developer; in this case, the save files used in STF (and most other Trese Brothers games).

Basically, you need to connect the source device (the device you want to get the save files "from") to a Mac/PC running iTunes & use iTunes File Sharing to back up the save files to the Mac/PC. You then connect the destination device (the device you want to save the save files "to") and transfer those files to the destination device.

The procedure will be different depending on which version of macOS you are running:

If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier or a Windows PC, use iTunes to share files between your computer and your iOS or iPadOS device:

support.apple.com/en-us/HT201301

If you're using macOS Catalina or after, use the Finder to share files between your computer and your iOS or iPadOS device:

support.apple.com/en-us/HT210598

The reason for the two different procedures is that macOS versions Catalina or higher no longer use iTunes...these versions have moved to using Finder instead for a lot of what iTunes was previously used for.

[starscream]

Thank you so much for your help, SergZak!
I've appreciated it very much!!

[olddaedalus]

Sorry for the necro, but it seemed better to ask on this thread than start a fresh one.

Is there any way to access saved files on iOS without getting a computer involved? There’s not a folder visible to the “Files” interface, and I haven’t found a way to get at “Documents and data” natively on iOS. Do you know of anything?

Thanks, either way!

[SergZak]

It's not possible without using a computer. The save files are stored in the game's sandboxed environment. Other iOS apps are not allowed to access it's sandboxed environment. The devs will allow access to the save files but they're accessible only on a computer using apps that can access the save files (documents).