Saturday 15 August 2015

Using Dropbox to sync saved games (and more) across multiple computers

Over three years ago I made a post on Reddit explaining how to do this, since then Steam introduced cloud saving, so all saved games were sync'd without a second thought, I kinda grew used to it. Long passed is the time when I'd backup my saved games on CD's and DVD's with fear of losing all those game hours to a computer failure.
However I got hit with this problem recently when I bought Banished on GOG, while it's great that they sell all the games DRM free, it's a shame they don't have cloud saving yet, so I went back to the old technique and decided to share it on a more permanent place than reddit.
Please note that instructions cover Windows 7, Linux and OSX, now Win 8 or 10, honestly I don't know if shell link extension works there, if there's an alternative and as of now, I don't care.
The original post:


I started using this technique to sync saved games so I can continue my massive Civilization games when my gf is sleeping at her house. It's the same I've used for years to sync my pidgin settings and .vimrc across my linux machines, but yeah using it for gaming:
First of all you need [...] Dropbox (why on earth are you not using this yet anyway?) make and account and stuff. If you're on Ubunto it's available on the software center thinggy.
Windows 7 only: Get Shell Link Extension 
(my pictures examples are with wow addons and settings on windows 7)
Now find what you want to sync and MOVE it to a folder on dropbox:
In this case I'm moving the Addons folder
On windows, drag the folder back to where it was with the right button and select Drop Here -> Symbolic Link, it will pop up an authorization thinggy, but it's ok.
On Mac and Linux pop open a console and use the "ln -s /path/to/drobox/place/where/you/put/your/stuff /original/path/thing" command
And you're done! Yey
Bonus, you can share folders with your friends so you all can use each other's computers to play or whatever, for instance, next I'm making sure me and my gf can play WoW on any of our computers with the same addons and addons preferences.

Not that I condone this kind of thing, but if you got you pc games at the special Bay shop and thus don't have steam, you can use this technique.