Collectible Card Game Headquarters

Yes, what I'm using is using the snapshot functionality of virtualization software like VirtualBox (it's free) or VMWare or similars.

Basically it's like a PC emulator(*) you can run a second copy of Windows XP on and you can take snapshots of how the machine was at a given time and restore them. You'll need a second Windows XP license though.

An added bonus of using it, is that you can use any supported operative system (including Vista, 7, MacOSX, Linux, etc.) and still have the same compatibility of WIndows XP.


(*) = it's not really an emulator, but the differences are not something important for the sake of the discussion

For the record, I approve of this option, if you're not using it to cheat

Ok xanathar..
But I dont have this feature (you say VirtualBox or like this), and no other winXP.
So save/load is missing.

I don't know if you can cheat with virtual OS because once the game is setup, you can't change your deck order and winning condition rely a lot on luck for the last challenges, even if you rollback you don't have much choices (omg I hate dev challenge with a passion).

stassy wrote:I don't know if you can cheat with virtual OS because once the game is setup, you can't change your deck order and winning condition rely a lot on luck for the last challenges, even if you rollback you don't have much choices (omg I hate dev challenge with a passion).

It depends on when you take the snapshot.

If you take it at the mulligan window or after, it basically doesn't allow you to cheat (unless you did a mistake/blunder.. it allows you to replay the same match).

If you take it at the end of the previous match (at the "you won window"), everytime you have a different shuffle with a different opponent. So you can't cheat in the sense that you can change your deck, etc. but if the AI starts with "Strip Mine, Black Lotus, Black Vise, Black Vise, Winter Orb".. you can reload and cheat out of that lost match.

Enchanteur wrote:Ok xanathar..
But I dont have this feature (you say VirtualBox or like this), and no other winXP.

I was just trying to suggest an alternate approach to the problem.

Ah ok, so it would just work as a "savestate before shuffle", though I wonder how much you rolled back until you could win the challenge...

Another alternative to virtual box is instant snapshot with some hard disk save software, though I don't know if it will also retain virtual memories or software running (OOdisk keeper...)

I would take anything I can get. My game crashes constantly on Windows 7, often when I'm 6-7 games into a challenge. Sometimes it's particular cards (Goblin Matron almost always crashes me). Sometimes it just hangs instead of crashing but won't move on. My problem is the autosave is so up to date that when I try to use it, it generates the same card(s) that cause the crash, effectively making me go back to square one. I have a deck that's been pretty successful but despite playing a couple of weeks, I've only unlocked one challenge. I've been very close on two others but every single time it crashes before I can beat them. I haven't tried the others much as I'm generally a "go in order" kind of guy.

I would take whatever I can get, but my personal preference would be something that wouldn't let me change my deck but would save my progress. Meaning if I want to change even a single card, I should have to start over -- fair's fair, and who's to say the minor tweak wouldn't have cost me an earlier game. But if there's just been a crash (or frankly even a catastrophically unlucky draw), I'd rather not play the other games again. The challenge variety is fun. Having to play through games I know I can consistently beat just to get a chance at a game that often crashes is honestly not fun. I'd be willing to pay a penalty for the privilege, like having to beat the level 2-3 times to make up for my own lucky draws. It'd still be more fun than playing the first level dozens of times because of crashes.