Idea: Multiple User Profiles / Save Directory Switching #259

New issue

Open

opened 2026-11-13 18:10:03 +00:00 by alexesba · 1 comment

alexesba commented

2026-11-13 18:10:03 +00:00

The idea

Summary

Add support for multiple user profiles (or a save directory selector) so multiple people playing on the same PC can maintain separate save progress.

Problem / Motivation

Unlike the original N64 release which featured three in-game save files, the Nintendo Switch 2 remake only provides one manual save slot per user profile. On the console, families or roommates work around this by creating separate local user profiles.

Currently, Hookshot routes all save data to a single directory (user on Windows / ~/.local/share/hookshot on Linux), meaning multiple players sharing one installation have to manually swap folders or risk overwriting each other's progress.

Proposed Solution

Implement a lightweight profile switcher that redirects the virtual save-data mount path based on the active profile. A few ways this could work:

Launcher / Overlay Dropdown: Add a simple profile selector to the in-game overlay or startup UI that lets users create, rename, and switch between profiles (e.g., user_1, user_2, or custom profile names).
Command-Line Flag (Optional Bonus): Support a CLI argument like --profile <name> or --save-dir <path> so users can also create dedicated desktop shortcuts per player.

Additional Context

Being able to switch profiles without manually moving files around the installation directory would make Hookshot much friendlier for shared PCs and living-room setups.
Thank you for all the incredible work on this project!

Anything else

No response

### The idea ### Summary Add support for multiple user profiles (or a save directory selector) so multiple people playing on the same PC can maintain separate save progress. ### Problem / Motivation Unlike the original N64 release which featured three in-game save files, the Nintendo Switch 2 remake only provides **one manual save slot per user profile**. On the console, families or roommates work around this by creating separate local user profiles. Currently, Hookshot routes all save data to a single directory (`user` on Windows / `~/.local/share/hookshot` on Linux), meaning multiple players sharing one installation have to manually swap folders or risk overwriting each other's progress. ### Proposed Solution Implement a lightweight profile switcher that redirects the virtual save-data mount path based on the active profile. A few ways this could work: * **Launcher / Overlay Dropdown:** Add a simple profile selector to the in-game overlay or startup UI that lets users create, rename, and switch between profiles (e.g., `user_1`, `user_2`, or custom profile names). * **Command-Line Flag (Optional Bonus):** Support a CLI argument like `--profile <name>` or `--save-dir <path>` so users can also create dedicated desktop shortcuts per player. ### Additional Context * Being able to switch profiles without manually moving files around the installation directory would make Hookshot much friendlier for shared PCs and living-room setups. * Thank you for all the incredible work on this project! ### Anything else _No response_

alexesba added the

kind

feature

label

2026-11-13 18:10:03 +00:00

gab9281 referenced this issue from MagicBeanDev/LongshotLauncher

2026-11-14 18:50:52 +00:00

Launcher redesign: who's playing, a home for each kind of player, and a splash for RecompLauncher and the Deck #68

HumanBean referenced this issue

2026-11-14 20:15:38 +00:00

WIP: feat(cheats): save the game where Link stands, from the Cheats page, the control bridge and test input #461

dyst referenced this issue

2026-11-15 07:03:48 +00:00

feat(options): settings in the launcher's user folder, so an update keeps them #729

HumanBean referenced this issue from a commit

2026-11-15 08:12:13 +00:00

feat(options): settings in the launcher's user folder, so an update keeps them (#729)

BeanIssues commented

2026-11-15 10:03:22 +00:00

Collaborator

From Elmazz on Discord:

The requester wants to manually set the save directory to make switching between an emulator and Longshot simpler. They currently use a Windows mklink /D; screenshot shows AppData\Roaming\Longshot\save containing a directory named 5a3c9e1f0b7d24680000000000000001.

From [Elmazz on Discord](https://discord.com/channels/1569849200047427645/1571411133598802092/1571411133598802092): The requester wants to manually set the save directory to make switching between an emulator and Longshot simpler. They currently use a Windows `mklink /D`; screenshot shows `AppData\Roaming\Longshot\save` containing a directory named `5a3c9e1f0b7d24680000000000000001`.