But what about keeping track of offline games (which [at least for me] are the majority). A few possibilities:
-Text file: very easy for anyone with Computer 101 to change. (XML/INI?)
-Binary file: Still easy to cheat, as glest is open source, but a lot better.
-Registry Entry: Only good for windows, so completely useless here unless you want to make an alternative for linux/mac/etc;
-Server: As suggested, but can't be used for offline gaming.
Of this, Binary files are the best, as they can be produced easily enough by the programmers for testing and debugging, but are a bit harder for most users, as only coders or someone with a coder's program could make them. What do you think?