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Save states

If you find a game really too long, too difficult and that it doesn't have saving options (or that the existing options are not so interesting), then you will be more than interested by the blueMSX save states features !

You can choose between two features. In both cases, blueMSX saves the complete CPU state, including the emulated machine with all his specifications and the path to the rom, dsk or cas file of your game or application.

So don't try later to load a save state in another machine and don't change the place of your games on the harddisk !
It's also recommended to put your games in a directory with a simple path (for example : C:\MSX\Roms) before your first CPU save states if you have the intention to share them with other fans.

If you use cheats, the parameters of the cheats are not saved. So it means that if you load later a save state, you need to re-apply exactly the same cheats on the game after loading of the save state.

Quick save states


This feature is really fast, because you leave blueMSX decide for you the name of the .sta file, that will be stored in the QuickSave directory.

The more easy way to make a quick save state is the hotkey : F8 by default. You can also use the File menu and select the option "Quick Save State"

A unique file name is always created, by using this system : the name of the game or demo, followed by "_" , a number of 2 digits (the first combination is "00") and the extension .sta.

Customised save states


This feature is slower, because you must precise yourself the name of the file (with the extension .sta) and the path to this file on your harddisk

The more easy way to make a customised save state is the hotkey : LAlt+F8 by default. You can also use the File menu and select the option "Save CPU State".

Questions and answers

How to run a save state ?
The .sta file can be runned in blueMSX almost like a .rom, .dsk or .cas file.

The more easy way to run a save state is the hotkey : F7 by default (only for the quick save states) or LAlt+F7 by default.

You can also use one of these 3 procedures to load a save state :
- use the File menu and select the option "Quick Load State" (only for the quick save states) or the option "Load CPU State";
- drag and drop a .sta file in the window of the emulator;
- double-click on a .sta file (only if you have first registered some files types with blueMSX by using the menu Options / Settings / Windows Environment).

If you choose the option 'Load CPU State", you can preview the different save states and check their exact time (hour - day) of saving, so you can more easily select the save state that interests you.

How to know the exact content of a save state ?
If you are very curious about the exact content of a blueMSX save state, simply rename the .sta file with the extension .zip and unzip the file !

The number of files that you'll find can vary from one machine to another, especially if you compare a boosted machine to a non-boosted machine.

In all cases
- a screenshot of the starting point for the save state is included, it's a .bmp file
- different binary files keep the parameters for all chips and extensions of the used machine, the names of these files end with _00
- the path to the cas/dsk/rom file on your harddisk is kept in the binary file board_00
- the file date.txt keeps the exact time (hour - day) of the saving
- the file version is a text file with the number version of the save state (currently, it's version 8 - older versions of the blueMSX save states are not compatible with this version, used since version 2.5)

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