mirror of https://github.com/bsnes-emu/bsnes.git
130 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
130 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
A real game console
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is a complex piece of hardware,
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with electricity flowing through it
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in complex patterns that can't easily
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be paused or recorded.
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However,
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an emulated console is pure software:
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it only changes when the emulation software
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deliberately updates it,
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so the emulator software can save
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the entire state of the emulated console
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to disk,
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and weeks or months later
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bring it back to life
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as though nothing had ever happened.
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Save states versus in-game saves
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--------------------------------
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Some games include their own systems
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for saving and restoring the player's progress.
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Here are some of the differences
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between save states and in-game saves:
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<table>
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<thead>
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<tr>
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<th>Save states</th>
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<th>In-game saves</th>
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</tr>
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</thead>
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<tbody>
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<tr>
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<td>
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Work exactly the same way
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in every game
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</td>
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<td>
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Works differently in different games,
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some games don't support it at all
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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Save at any time,
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anywhere in the game
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</td>
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<td>
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Save only at special save-points
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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Loading a save
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puts the game back exactly how it was
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when you pressed save
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</td>
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<td>
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Loading a save
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restores some things
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(like the player's inventory
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or remaining lives),
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but may
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forget others
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(like taking you back to the beginning of the level)
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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You can have dozens of save states
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</td>
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<td>
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Most games limit you to about 3 saves
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>
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Can only be loaded
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by the same version of the same emulator
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that created it
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</td>
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<td>
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Works with any version of any emulator,
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can sometimes even be copied to or from physical cartridges
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</td>
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</tr>
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</tbody>
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</table>
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**Note:**
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Loading a save state
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will reset the entire emulated console
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to the way it was when the save state was created,
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*including in-game saves*.
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If you create a save state,
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then make an in-game save,
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then load the save state,
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**your in-game save will be lost**.
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Don't do that.
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Quick states
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------------
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higan has five Quick State slots,
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which can be used from
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[the Tools menu](../interface/higan.md#the-tools-menu),
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or with the appropriate
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[hotkeys](../interface/higan-config.md#hotkeys).
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Quick states are useful
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as extra checkpoints
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in games that don't have them,
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or where they aren't close enough together.
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Map the "Save Quick State" and "Load Quick State" hotkeys
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to your controller,
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and you can cheese your way through just about anything.
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Manager states
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--------------
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higan's
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[State Manager](../interface/higan-tools.md#the-state-manager)
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allows you to create over a hundred save states,
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and add a helpful description to each one.
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Manager States are more cumbersome to use than Quick States,
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since they cannot be accessed with hotkeys,
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but are useful when you want quick access
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to many different parts of a game.
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