Question Handling Meta Files when Clearing game save data

At the moment, I have individual folders for each save data, and each folder's save file can be deleted in-game.

However, I need to know if the meta files exist or not when a game is packaged, so I could delete them at the same time. Do they only exist when working with the project? Or do they still exist when a game is packaged?

 

Do you mean you are saving directly into your project hierarchy??!

If so, none of that will work once you build.

Generally NOTHING about the project hierarchy can be directly manipulated at runtime after you build.

Load/Save steps:

https://forum.unity.com/threads/save-system-questions.930366/#post-6087384

An excellent discussion of loading/saving in Unity3D by Xarbrough:

https://forum.unity.com/threads/save-system.1232301/#post-7872586

Loading/Saving ScriptableObjects by a proxy identifier such as name:

https://forum.unity.com/threads/use...lds-in-editor-and-build.1327059/#post-8394573

When loading, you can never re-create a MonoBehaviour or ScriptableObject instance directly from JSON. The reason is they are hybrid C# and native engine objects, and when the JSON package calls

new

to make one, it cannot make the native engine portion of the object.

Instead you must first create the MonoBehaviour using AddComponent<T>() on a GameObject instance, or use ScriptableObject.CreateInstance<T>() to make your SO, then use the appropriate JSON "populate object" call to fill in its public fields.

If you want to use PlayerPrefs to save your game, it's always better to use a JSON-based wrapper such as this one I forked from a fellow named Brett M Johnson on github:

https://gist.github.com/kurtdekker/7db0500da01c3eb2a7ac8040198ce7f6

Do not use the binary formatter/serializer: it is insecure, it cannot be made secure, and it makes debugging very difficult, plus it actually will NOT prevent people from modifying your save data on their computers.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/serialization/binaryformatter-security-guide

 

I had heard that binary was insecure, so thankfully I did not use it.

I am not saving directly to project files, I am aware those are not available in runtime. I am however using Application.persistentDataPath, I think that puts it in appdata when it's packaged as standalone. What I'd like to know is if meta files exist when I game is packaged or not.

 

Nevermind, my bad. Instead of Application.persistentDataPath, I accidentally had Application.dataPath. All good, thanks.