Saving and Loading Games

Loading a Game:
From the opening screen, select "Load Game" from the menu, or hit the F1 key. This will bring up a game selection screen which allows you to load any valid 4000 A.D. game file. Games are saved in a compressed format ending in ".zlb".

You can save/load game files anywhere in your computer, although it is a good idea to keep them in one place, preferably in the same directory as the game itself, which is the default.

Click on a game filename, then click the "Start Game" button (or double-click the filename) to begin. If you are Player 2 and it is your first turn, you will be prompted to supply a name for yourself and for your home planet. If you do not supply a name for your planet, a random name will be assigned.

Saving a Game:
When you have finished your turn, click on the Save Game button at the lower left corner of the main game screen. This will bring up the Save Game screen, where you may select one of 5 games to save the turn in. You can have 5 different games in a single directory, so just create new directories to save as many games as you want.

The game number to be saved is selected by default to prevent accidentally overwriting another game, although you can select another game to save into.

The saved game file is automatically named to allow for easy identification when sending the turn by email to your opponent (with your choice of internet mail program).

Saved Game Format:
Saved games are made up of three elements:

(i) the game number (g1, g2, up to g5);
(ii) the turn number of that game; and
(iii) the Player number

Games saved by Player 1 will end in the letter 'a', and games saved by Player 2 will end in the letter 'b'. Here are two examples:

g1-t5a.zlb = Game 1, turn 5, saved by Player 1
^^ ^^ ^

g3-t7b.zlb = Game 3, turn 7, saved by Player 2
^^ ^^ ^

Note: The compressed files are NOT compatible with standard zip files, like winzip. The files are uncompressed in the game using a separate encryption method.