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Josh Sawyer says he tries to design against save-scumming, but his experience with Pillars of Eternity left him wishing he had been more skeptical about how players would respond to its rest system. The examples he discussed in a GamesRadar+ report published October 1, 2026, show a broader design problem: players may choose a predictable, time-consuming workaround over accepting a chance of failure, even when that choice blunts the intended trade-off.
What Sawyer says he tries to prevent
“I do just about everything I can to not encourage save-scumming,” Sawyer said, according to GamesRadar+. Save-scumming generally means reloading a saved game to undo an unwanted result, such as a failed check or lost battle. His reported aim is not simply to punish players for reloading; it is to anticipate how a mechanic will shape their choices, including whether a low-risk workaround makes another system feel unnecessary.
Sawyer also cautioned that probability can be difficult for players to accept. GamesRadar+ reported his observation: “Many people don’t understand probability very well and many of them are resistant to having it explained to them.” The article attributes that line to a Bluesky thread; the original post was not independently available to verify here, so the comment should be understood as Sawyer’s reported view, not a measured finding about players generally.
Fallout: New Vegas: why not let players shoot locks open?
GamesRadar+ describes Fallout: New Vegas as an example of designing around a tempting brute-force option. Players cannot shoot locks open, according to the report. Sawyer’s reported reasoning was that if a player could try shooting, reload after a failure, and repeat until it worked, that approach could pull players away from investing in the Lockpicking skill.
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The trade-off is about more than whether a lock can be opened. If a reloadable alternative can replace a character investment at little lasting cost, the skill may lose much of its purpose. Removing that route keeps the decision focused on the character’s capabilities rather than on how many attempts a player is willing to rewind.
Pillars of Eternity: the cost of resting versus the risk of carrying on
In Pillars of Eternity, the reported design problem concerns rest and replenishment. Players can rest at camp by using camping supplies or rest at an inn for gold; resting restores health and per-rest abilities, GamesRadar+ reports. That creates a choice between spending a resource, paying for an inn, or continuing without replenishing those abilities.
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Sawyer’s reflection was that some players may prefer a predictable detour to town over the possibility of losing a battle. He put it this way: “Many players’ aversion to the idea of losing a battle is greater than their aversion to marching 10 minutes out of a dungeon to buy more healing supplies,” according to the report. The ten minutes is part of Sawyer’s illustrative description, not a measured average, and the anecdote does not establish how many players behave this way.
The design tension is clear even without treating the behavior as universal: a supply cost or long walk may feel manageable because it is certain, while a battle carries an uncertain outcome. A system intended to make resources matter can therefore prompt players to spend time avoiding risk instead of accepting the risk the designers meant them to weigh.
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Why the same question applies to narrative choices
Sawyer’s reported point extends beyond combat and resource systems to quest writing. When a quest offers several options, designers need to ask why a player would choose each one—not only whether the choice exists. As he put it in the GamesRadar+ report: “Sometimes designers will create a quest where players can choose options a) b) or c) and it’s our job to ask ‘Why would anyone want to pick c?’”
That question tests whether the options offer distinct reasons to act or whether one is an obvious answer and another is likely to be ignored. It also leaves room for choices that invite players to consider what they value, rather than merely identifying the mechanically safest route.
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The design lesson: account for the workaround, not just the intended choice
The two games illustrate different versions of the same design challenge. In New Vegas, the concern was that a reloadable brute-force method could undermine investment in Lockpicking. In Pillars of Eternity, the concern was that the certainty of restocking could outweigh the risk of pressing on. Neither example proves that all players respond alike; both show why designers need to consider how players may weigh skill investment, time, resources, and uncertainty in practice.
Save systems and workarounds are part of the experience players encounter, whether or not a designer intends them to become central strategies. Sawyer’s hindsight, as reported by GamesRadar+, is a reminder that a mechanic’s intended trade-off is only one part of its design: the other is the alternative players see as safer, cheaper, or more predictable.
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