Imported from FahadBinHussain/automata (tools/game-saves/AGENTS.md). Install upstream with npx skills add FahadBinHussain/automata --skill game-saves. Copyright stays with the author.

Game save backup (local notes)

always capture both progress (save files) and settings (registry/config).

per-game engine (PREFERRED — own repo FahadBinHussain/game-saves)

The engine lives in its own private repo: <user-home>\Downloads\game-saves (engine/game-save.ps1, per-game configs in games/<slug>/game.json). Backups go to GitHub Releases. Every backup is categorised by kind so a game can hold main + device + mod backups side by side:

.\engine\game-save.ps1 list [-Game <slug>] [-Kind main|device|mod]   # games, or backups for one game
.\engine\game-save.ps1 backup -Game <slug>                            # main (default)
.\engine\game-save.ps1 backup -Game <slug> -Note "post-dinner save"
.\engine\game-save.ps1 backup -Game <slug> -Kind device                # device (auto = this machine)
.\engine\game-save.ps1 backup -Game <slug> -Kind device -DeviceName <machine>
.\engine\game-save.ps1 backup -Game <slug> -Kind mod -ModName <modname>
.\engine\game-save.ps1 restore -Game <slug>                            # latest MAIN backup
.\engine\game-save.ps1 restore -Game <slug> -Kind device -DeviceName <machine>
.\engine\game-save.ps1 restore -Game <slug> -Kind mod -ModName <modname>
.\engine\game-save.ps1 restore -Game <slug> -Tag <full-tag>            # specific backup

• game identity = store URL (matches the 2ndbrain Notion collection), slug = url sanitized. -Game accepts the URL or the slug.
• game.json encodes save dirs, registry keys, expected file patterns, restore steps — agents don't re-investigate per-game save locations and can't silently skip save files (a past mistake only captured a display .reg, real progress was in a NaninovelData\Saves\*.nson-style path).
• backup verifies expectedFiles exist and warns loudly if a save dir or expected file is missing.
• restore with no -Kind = latest main only — a mod/device backup can never silently clobber a main playthrough. manifest records kind/device/mod for traceability.
• add a new game = drop games/<slug>/game.json + README.md; no engine changes.
• for a standalone game with no store URL, use a plain slug as the fallback (its game.json storeUrl field holds the plain title).

DO NOT USE Notion for game saves anymore

Game-save backups are repo-only (FahadBinHussain/game-saves). Never upload save backups to Notion again. Reasons: Notion has a 1-hour upload window, 5MB cap, and an extension whitelist that blocks .reg/.sav; backups can be lost when external links expire. The 2ndbrain game pages are legacy read-only notes — do not attach backup files to them.

legacy (DEPRECATED, reference only) workflow - manual registry scan, Notion upload

• search HKCU:\SOFTWARE for game keys and export the matching ones (achievements, unlock states, play time, and session data often live there instead of save files).
• don't only match root key names against the game's title — Unity PlayerPrefs live under HKCU\Software\<Company>\<Product> where Company is the dev company, not the game name.
• use recursive scans looking for game-like keys by:
  • (a) the game's own name AND known dev/company names
  • (b) Unity PlayerPrefs signatures (Screenmanager * values, unity.player_* values, *_h\d+ hashed value names)
  • (c) keys modified around the game's last run
• then export the whole matching company/product key.
• also check HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion MuiCache/App paths for the exe path when in doubt.

save/config files

• locate in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Low, %LOCALAPPDATA%, %APPDATA%, and the game install folder, excluding telemetry/analytics folders.
• zip the save files together with the registry export (.reg).

notion page (2ndbrain DB)

• search the 2ndbrain Notion database for an existing page with the same title and update it instead of creating a duplicate; create new under 2ndbrain only if none exists.
• page name = store URL (Steam store.steampowered.com/app/{APPID}/{game-name}, GOG gog.com/game/{game-name}, otherwise the store URL or plain game name).
• put the zip's SHA256 hash plus restore instructions (where to extract saves, which registry keys to import) in the page body.
• upload the zip with C:\Users\<user>\Downloads\automata\notion.com\notion-upload-file.ps1 (see the notion.com AGENTS.md for whitelist/flow).

achievements for cracked games (research)

cracked/repacked games replace the real steam dll with a steam emulator so the game thinks steam is running. these emulators can also simulate achievements locally.

emulators and achievement support

• Goldberg Steam Emulator — most common. auto-generates achievements.json/stats.json from the game's own definitions, so it has the full real achievement list matching steam exactly. achievements unlock locally as you earn them, but no popup notifications by default (no toast/sound).
• SmartSteamEmu — can show a small in-game overlay message when achievements unlock, but it's basic, not steam's toast + sound.
• CreamAPI / SteamworksFix — just DLL replacements to bypass steam ownership checks; no achievement tracking.
• Steam Achievement Manager (SAM) — force-unlock tool, but only works for owned games on steam (pointless on cracked).

popup notifications

• short answer: mostly no. emulators log unlocks to local files, no steam-style popup by default.
• SmartSteamEmu is the only one that can show an in-game overlay message on unlock.
• RetroAchievements — real popup notifications + progress tracking, but only for emulated/retro games, not modern repacks.
• Playnite (library tracker) — can show toast notifications if a connected achievement data source feeds it, but cracked games typically have nothing feeding it.

no pre-built database

no emulator ships a pre-built database of every game's achievements. each game defines its own achievement list (ids + names) inside its steam_api binary, and the emulator reads that game's definitions at runtime. so the emulator has that game's full list, but only for games you actually crack.

realistic options for steam-style popups on cracked games

• SmartSteamEmu overlay (basic) — works for any game the emulator supports
• RetroAchievements — works for emulated retro games with real popups
• Playnite + plugin — works if the game has an achievement data source
• otherwise, need the legit steam copy for real steam notifications