Topic: Another user ID thread: Sorry... can I get some help?!

Hey all! I'm sorry, you've probably seen 100 threads like this, and I HAVE searched the board, but I'm still unsure.

So, I've been googling and searching the forums and everything, and it's just serving to confuse me more rather than help me. I created a nintendo network ID when I bought my WiiU since I was prompted, but now I don't like it - it has my name in it and I wouldn't be comfortable giving it out. So, I was going to just delete it and make a new one. I didn't know at the time it would be my ID for everything ever and it wouldn't be changeable, so I didn't think about it, I just slapped something down so I could play my game.

Firstly: I have no eShop purchases or downloads or balance. I have no friends in my friends list (This is why I want a new one, to make friends without throwing out my name!) so I don't really have to worry about that being deleted. It's linked to my 3DS, but I have nothing on there either. All I've done is play physical games on the system. Yes, I'm that boring.

Now... Is the user the same as the network ID? Can I delete the user, and the network ID will be gone? I've created a new user and am in the process of creating a new network ID to go with it, so I can just use that, but what about the "old" me? Read something about formatting the system or something...?

And about save data, I'm a little bit confused. I have no downloaded games, but what about my physical save data from my actual games? Like, disc games. Will I lose that? Because I have a lot of games where friends have played and don't want to eff up their info and saves. If so, is it transferable? Can I save it to an SD card or something, and then still have it with the new user and user ID I am using? What about save data for Wii games that I did a system transfer for over to the WiiU?

It is looking like the best thing to do is to create a new user, create a new user ID, but keep the old one just in case for my saves. That is really the only thing I am concerned about - my save data. I think I read somewhere that if I delete the other user, but don't delete the Network ID, I can get it back if I want? I will be linking the new net. ID to the 3DS too. Whole new identity going on.

Sorry, I'm just really baffled by this whole process and want some good solid answers before proceeding...

Thanks for your answers in advanced. I want to play MK8 online, since I have no physical friends who will play it with me, but I need a new ID!

If you have nothing to lose, just delete it and start anew.

I have nothing to lose but save data. if it was just mine I wouldn't really mind, but I have friend's save data on some of my games that would be miffed if it was suddenly gone. I don't want to be THAT person and just say screw you, start over. So, if there's any way to keep it...?

I really wish they would let us change our IDs, I was shocked that ACK was not available early on (it is everywhere else I've ever tried to use it) and so I just added some gibberish to the end thinking most games would use my Mii nickname (as Nintendo games do), but third-parties tend to use the NNID, unfortunately. It's a huge bummer because my I have no attachment to my NNID and when I see it on a scoreboard it often doesn't even register as me.

Strangely my wife ran into the same problem with her nickname. It's also available everywhere but as an NNID and even though it was available for her CN account, the NNID was gone right away. She has the SME frustration as I where we'd both prefer to dump our NNIDs, but they are attached to too much content...

Is saved data linked to the NNID? I thought only eShop purchases and online rankings and that sort of stuff was linked to NNID. Anyway just to be on the safe side I would just explain the situation to my friend that's all.

I'm not sure, that's why I'm posting. I read things about people losing their save data, and I'm never sure if they're talking about just eshop purchase data, or ALL save data. Nintendo's support site just says "save data and eshop purchases," it doesn't specify. It SEEMS like save data is linked to users - in the sense that if you create a new user, none of your save data will be on there if you use that user (..right?) so it seems that if I delete my user or ID, bye bye save data? It seems like physical game save data would just be in the console, not linked to the ID, buuuuut.

I don't know. That's what I'm mostly confused about. Maybe it's possible to back it up on an SD or USB stick? Figured there's bound to be someone here whose done the same thing and can tell me for sure. I MIGHT just go ahead anyways... but if I can save the save data I would like to.

Well I can tell you now that if the save data is linked to your NNID backing it up on a SD card or USB Stick wont work. Once you delete the NNID the save data on the stick wont work. It's Nintendo's way of make sure people dont pirate games.

Saved data is linked to your user account on your Wii U (you can make a user with out NNID).

There is no way to transfer save data between users unless it was added in 5.0 update and I didn't see that it was.

I believe if you delete the user that all the save data will get deleted as well...I could probably test this pretty quickly when I get home as I have some users I may delete.

Wii U save game management sucks. You can backup you save data to USB but it combines it with patches or the entire game (meaning you like need many GB to backup all your saves, I can't fit all my stuff on an 8GB flash drive and it takes super long to backup anything). Also this data is locked to your console....you can not take you game save to your friends console. I wish more people complained about this so Nintendo would bother to fix it.....(by the way the customer service is pretty clueless about all this in my experience)

I would advise to just create a new user with a new NNID and keep the old one. Give out the new one to play online. The only issue you will have is that you will be starting almost all games over from the beginning on this new user account. I think there are some games that only have 1 save for all users but most separate your save data.

Damn. that's what I was afraid of. Oh, well, since it's my friends' saves I'm worried about, I'll just change the nickname to "guest" and have that be their user profile. I'll go ahead and keep the user juuuust in case Nintendo decides to pull their head out and make a way to keep the saves, and if they ever do, then I'll delete it. I don't know anybody else with a WiiU, so trying to use data on a friend's console isn't an issue. I did shoot Nintendo an email about it - only one voice, but one more overall at least!

I don't mind starting over too much myself. I don't actually have very many games - 2 Mario games, Skyward Sword and Mario Kart Wii. I'm not out much, I'll be sad about the SS save since I never ACTUALLY finished, but I can always go back to the old user and keep playing it if I want!

If you ever do test it out, let me know what you find. I suspect you're right, but still, good to know for sure. And thanks for your answer, that's exactly what I was looking for!

Wii game saves are not associated with your NNID and can be transferred and backed up with SD cards. You really need to be specific when asking for help, because this is one convoluted situation.

Anyway, if you delete an NNID, or log into another, it shouldn't have any effect on your Wii games' progress.

This is true...which reminds how stupid it is that you have to select a user when quickbooting to Wii mode. Did they fix that in the 5.0 update?

Sorry, I thought I was being specific and explained the situation well. I might have rambled off topic.

That's two totally contradicting answers, too, now. Dang. I think I might just wing it and see what happens unless blaisedinsd can test it for sure. (This is why googling it was not helping me at all - some people say one thing, others say something different!) I'm starting to care less and less what happens to the saves the longer I think about it!

It's not contradictory....he was talking about Wii saves and I was talking about Wii U saves.

He is correct that anything you do on the Wii U side, short of formatting the entire system, will not effect the Wii saves you transferred over to the virtual Wii. The virtual Wii saves can only be accessed in Wii mode and Wii mode only has access to the same limited amount of Memory the Wii was made with....it can't take advantage of the extra console memory or USB drives (Just the SD card). You have to think of the Virtual Wii and the Wii U as two completely separate consoles basically.

I believe it will erase your Wii U saved games however based on my experience with the console (unless something changed in the 5.0 update that just came out)

Thank you, I missed that. Obviously. I'm glad I'll still have the Wii saves because those are 98% of what I want to keep (Mostly Skyward Sword). Mario can be replayed, so can Mario Kart.

Looks like I'm good to go, then. Thank you everybody, and I'm sorry for bringing up a topic that has probably been brought up a bunch of times before. It's very much appreciated!

I'm pretty sure a lot of people use their real first names/nicknames on NNIDs (me and my wife included). I don't see how that can be a problem unless you put your full name...then yeah.

My NNID is Sean.Aaron; I'm not the only Sean Aaron in the world (there's apparently a recording artist by that name), but there's not many of us. I don't see the big deal myself.

I just deleted a user off my Wii U the other day with my currently up to date (5.0) console.

It gives you a warning that you are going to delete save data and stuff for the user and that it can not be recovered. You Wii saves are separate and are managed in vWii mode only.