Just a curious question

[Jim W]

When you're saving your game, what sort of ordering system does the computer use? Not numerical, it would seem. When I've saved the game a number of times, I occasionally have a bit of difficulty finding the one I left off at.

Fortunately, since I use the computer that's hooked to the printer, my wife will occasionally kick me off so she can print something. I therefore have gotten into the habit of saving the game twice, once to the hard drive and once to a floppy, which I can then move around.

This also allows me to look at the diskette, putting the files in order by date, so I can then see which one was the last.

Of course, this is only a problem after I've saved ten or fifteen times.

Still, I'm curious. Can anybody explain, simply, what order the machine uses?

Jim W

[Thunderfall]

when I save a game in civ2, i always number the save games. (such as "viking1.sav". "viking2.sav"). I also has one save named "lastsav.save". before I close civ2, I always save the latest game as "lastsav.sav". I can just open that file immediatrely next time. There is no need to open other files...

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Thunderfall
Civilization Fanatics' Center

[AkwaticDudeCity]

From what i've seen, i gathered the computer saves in a purely chronological order. The most recent date in the game gets to be on top. Don't be misled by the early dates in the game, they're BC, hence the b in the default .sav file.

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ugh crud, why won't they fall prey to my Machiavellian schemes?

[Kungfumouse]

Try using a "aaa" prefix before the name you want to save under.

Example (aaaviking.sav)

This will put it right at the top..easy to access.

Hope this helps....

[myrlyn]

Well if you are using win 95/98 go to your explorer and go to views and click on the date nodified tab. It will show the date and time the file was created or last modified. only way i can keep track of which game i was playing last

Hope that helps

[War4ever]

if its MP i just put the names of the other civers in as well

[Tom DeMille]

Jim W, the saved game list is alphabetical. If you examine the following list

ab_a1400.sav
ab_a160.sav
ab_a1800.sav
ab_b1000.sav
ab_b400.sav

you will see the chronologic order all jumbled, but it is alphabetically in the correct order. To avoid this problem, you could add 0 into the name, which would make ab_a0160.sav come before ab_a1800.sav. Of course, all AD dates will still be listed before BC dates.
[This message has been edited by Tom DeMille (edited March 11, 2000).]

[Jim W]

It's not purely chronological. In a long series, you get three or so in order, than suddenly three or so breaking into that order. then going back outside again, and so on.

As for adding anything special, well, _every_ save is potentially the last one, which means that by the end of a day I could end up with a file headed aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaviking.

The thing is, I have a system to deal with this, listing the files on my floppy in order of date.

I'm just curious as to why the game saves things in a wierd order.

Jim W

[tolstoy]

Then I save games I always create a new folder in my save game dir. So if I'm playing as the germanys for the 5th time I save the games into save/german5 and then based upon the year for the file. If I start a new game with the germans I make another save folder for those save files. It's very easy to manage all your save games this way.

[The Mad Monk]

I would always save games every couple of turns, or every turn once things got complicated. I adopted the idea adding 0's to the shorter dates early on, but at the end of the day I still ended up with possibly hundreds of .SAV files. I realized two things: I wasn't going reload all of these saves, ever, and it was getting to be a royal pain in the neck finding the right one, especially when being choosy about 'goody hut' results.
I hit upon a simple solution: "0.sav". Use this as your standard .SAV file, and it will always float to the top of the queue. I use this to save before goody huts, complex manuveres, etc., and just before hitting the TURN key. I only use the games' default format every twenty turns or so; it really simplifies matters, and keeps .SAV files from glutting your drives.
Oh yeah, if you're *really* picky about goody hut results, it pays to use '00.sav' as insurance against the times you accidently SAVE instead of LOAD 0.sav after unleashing a barbarian horde. (Ouch.)

[War4ever]

Mad Monk i have done what you said and i agree its frustrating.... but serves me right for reloading lol

[Black Bart]

alphabetical. I usually use A1 for my save when I'm in the middle of a game, I plan on finishing later. Just before the last turn before my spaceship lands, I save again using my civ name and score. I like to preserve evidence of my great victories . Well not great compared to some of you guys. Usually Chin3700.sav or Apac4200.sav, etc.

[Steve Clark]

Just the year. Upon reload, I switch the load dialog box to Details View and then click Modified. That will always bring the last saved file to the top (whether it's one I did or an autosav).

[tobyr]

Once you are in A.D. (second age) years, the save files are alphabetical by time. Before that they are quite confusingly not.

I always run test of time from the command line, in a batch file that also displays the save files in save time order:

cd "C:\Program Files\Microprose\Test of Time"
cd original
civ2
dir /o:d

The last listed file (from the dir command) is the one I want to reload.

- toby



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toby robison
criticalpaths@mindspring.com

[SlowHand]

Can't save as 24Mar00 ? Or is that too easy? You're wanting to use the default save?