How do people design the save game feature in large/complex games?

Question

The save game feature seems simple but it’s mind-blowing how it can return the exact state of a game with all elements/events organised in the correct order. Can anyone explain how it works?

In: 668

Answer 1

As you go through the game, for it to function normally without saving, it has to keep track of what is done and what isn’t through flags. Saving is simple — it’s just a snapshot of what exactly is already done. The part of the code that loads graphics for example isn’t needed, so that and other parts are lopped off from the save. It’s really the design of the rest of the game that naturally supports saving