diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index fac8552a..e099a1c3 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ else:
   if not conf.CheckLib('z', autoadd=1):
     print 'Did not find libz or z.lib, exiting!'
     Exit(1)
+  if not conf.CheckLib('lua5.1', autoadd=1):
+    print 'Did not find liblua5.1 or lua5.1.lib, exiting!'
+    Exit(1)
   if conf.CheckFunc('asprintf'):
     conf.env.Append(CCFLAGS = " -DHAVE_ASPRINTF")
   if env['OPENGL'] and conf.CheckLibWithHeader('GL', 'GL/gl.h', 'c++', autoadd=1):
@@ -55,13 +58,14 @@ else:
   conf.env.Append(CPPDEFINES = ['PSS_STYLE=1'])
   # parse SDL cflags/libs
   env.ParseConfig('sdl-config --cflags --libs')
+  env.ParseConfig('echo "-I/usr/include/lua5.1/ -llua5.1"')
   env = conf.Finish()
 
 # Build for this system's endianness, if not overriden
 #if env.has_key('LSB_FIRST'):
 #  if env['LSB_FIRST']:
 #    env.Append(CPPDEFINES = ['LSB_FIRST'])
-elif sys.byteorder == 'little' or env['PLATFORM'] == 'win32':
+if sys.byteorder == 'little' or env['PLATFORM'] == 'win32':
   env.Append(CPPDEFINES = ['LSB_FIRST'])
 
 if env['FRAMESKIP']:
diff --git a/src/SConscript b/src/SConscript
index 21b4c31b..1621e570 100644
--- a/src/SConscript
+++ b/src/SConscript
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ file.cpp
 filter.cpp 
 ines.cpp
 input.cpp
+lua-engine.cpp
 netplay.cpp
 nsf.cpp
 palette.cpp
diff --git a/src/movie.cpp b/src/movie.cpp
index 4f755989..81f2ed1a 100644
--- a/src/movie.cpp
+++ b/src/movie.cpp
@@ -343,11 +343,12 @@ void MovieData::installValue(std::string& key, std::string& val)
 		comments.push_back(val);
 	else if(key == "savestate")
 	{
-		int len = HexStringToBytesLength(val);
+		int len = Base64StringToBytesLength(val);
+		if(len == -1) len = HexStringToBytesLength(val); // wasn't base64, try hex
 		if(len >= 1)
 		{
 			savestate.resize(len);
-			StringToBytes(val,&savestate[0],len);
+			StringToBytes(val,&savestate[0],len); // decodes either base64 or hex
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/utils/xstring.cpp b/src/utils/xstring.cpp
index ce284d79..98ef1cdf 100644
--- a/src/utils/xstring.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/xstring.cpp
@@ -191,54 +191,153 @@ int str_replace(char *str, char *search, char *replace) {
 	return j;
 }
 
+static const struct Base64Table
+{
+	Base64Table()
+	{
+		size_t a=0;
+		for(a=0; a<256; ++a) data[a] = 0xFF; // mark everything as invalid by default
+		// create value->ascii mapping
+		a=0;
+		for(unsigned char c='A'; c<='Z'; ++c) data[a++] = c; // 0..25
+		for(unsigned char c='a'; c<='z'; ++c) data[a++] = c; // 26..51
+		for(unsigned char c='0'; c<='9'; ++c) data[a++] = c; // 52..61
+		data[62] = '+';                             // 62
+		data[63] = '/';                             // 63
+		// create ascii->value mapping (but due to overlap, write it to highbit region)
+		for(a=0; a<64; ++a) data[data[a]^0x80] = a; // 
+		data[((unsigned char)'=') ^ 0x80] = 0;
+	}
+	unsigned char operator[] (size_t pos) const { return data[pos]; }
+private:
+	unsigned char data[256];
+} Base64Table;
+
 ///Converts the provided data to a string in a standard, user-friendly, round-trippable format
-std::string BytesToString(void* data, int len)
+std::string BytesToString(const void* data, int len)
 {
 	char temp[16];
 	if(len==1) {
-		sprintf(temp,"%d",*(unsigned char*)data);
+		sprintf(temp,"%d",*(const unsigned char*)data);
 		return temp;
 	} else if(len==2) {
-		sprintf(temp,"%d",*(unsigned short*)data);
+		sprintf(temp,"%d",*(const unsigned short*)data);
 		return temp;
 	} else if(len==4) {
-		sprintf(temp,"%d",*(unsigned int*)data);
+		sprintf(temp,"%d",*(const unsigned int*)data);
 		return temp;		
 	}
+	
 	std::string ret;
-	ret.resize(len*2+2);
-	char* str= (char*)ret.c_str();
-	str[0] = '0';
-	str[1] = 'x';
-	str += 2;
-	for(int i=0;i<len;i++)
+	if(1) // use base64
 	{
-		int a = (((unsigned char*)data)[i]>>4);
-		int b = (((unsigned char*)data)[i])&15;
-		if(a>9) a += 'A'-10;
-		else a += '0';
-		if(b>9) b += 'A'-10;
-		else b += '0';
-		str[i*2] = a;
-		str[i*2+1] = b;
+		const unsigned char* src = (const unsigned char*)data;
+		ret = "base64:";
+		for(int n; len > 0; len -= n)
+		{
+			unsigned char input[3] = {0,0,0};
+			for(n=0; n<3 && n<len; ++n)
+				input[n] = *src++;
+			unsigned char output[4] =
+			{
+				Base64Table[ input[0] >> 2 ],
+				Base64Table[ ((input[0] & 0x03) << 4) | (input[1] >> 4) ],
+				n<2 ? '=' : Base64Table[ ((input[1] & 0x0F) << 2) | (input[2] >> 6) ],
+				n<3 ? '=' : Base64Table[ input[2] & 0x3F ]
+			};
+			ret.append(output, output+4);
+		}
+	}
+	else // use hex
+	{
+		ret.resize(len*2+2);
+		ret[0] = '0';
+		ret[1] = 'x';
+		for(int i=0;i<len;i++)
+		{
+			int a = (((const unsigned char*)data)[i]>>4);
+			int b = (((const unsigned char*)data)[i])&15;
+			if(a>9) a += 'A'-10;
+			else a += '0';
+			if(b>9) b += 'A'-10;
+			else b += '0';
+			ret[2+i*2] = a;
+			ret[2+i*2+1] = b;
+		}
 	}
 	return ret;
 }
 
 ///returns -1 if this is not a hex string
-int HexStringToBytesLength(std::string& str)
+int HexStringToBytesLength(const std::string& str)
 {
 	if(str.size()>2 && str[0] == '0' && toupper(str[1]) == 'X')
 		return str.size()/2-1;
 	else return -1;
 }
 
+int Base64StringToBytesLength(const std::string& str)
+{
+	if(str.size() < 7 || (str.size()-7) % 4 || str.substr(0,7) != "base64:") return -1;
+	
+	size_t c = (str.size() - 7) / 4;
+	if(str[str.size()-1] == '=') { --c;
+	if(str[str.size()-2] == '=') --c; }
+	return c;
+}
+
 ///parses a string in the same format as BytesToString
 ///returns true if success.
-bool StringToBytes(std::string& str, void* data, int len)
+bool StringToBytes(const std::string& str, void* data, int len)
 {
+	if(str.substr(0,7) == "base64:")
+	{
+		// base64
+		unsigned char* tgt = (unsigned char*)data;
+		int pos = 7, remain = str.size() - pos;
+		while(remain > 0 && len > 0)
+		{
+			unsigned char input[4], converted[4];
+			for(int i=0; i<4; ++i)
+			{
+				if(pos >= remain && i > 0) return false; // invalid data
+				input[i]	 = str[pos++];
+				if(input[i] & 0x80) return false;	  // illegal character
+				converted[i] = Base64Table[input[i]^0x80];
+				if(converted[i] & 0x80) return false; // illegal character
+			}
+			unsigned char outpacket[3] =
+			{
+				(converted[0] << 2) | (converted[1] >> 4),
+				(converted[1] << 4) | (converted[2] >> 2),
+				(converted[2] << 6) | (converted[3])
+			};
+			int outlen = (input[2] == '=') ? 1 : (input[3] == '=' ? 2 : 3);
+			if(outlen > len) outlen = len;
+			memcpy(tgt, outpacket, outlen);
+			tgt += outlen;
+		}
+	}
 	if(str.size()>2 && str[0] == '0' && toupper(str[1]) == 'X')
-		goto hex;
+	{
+		// hex
+		int amt = len;
+		int bytesAvailable = str.size()/2;
+		if(bytesAvailable < amt)
+			amt = bytesAvailable;
+		const char* cstr = str.c_str()+2;
+		for(int i=0;i<amt;i++) {
+			char a = toupper(cstr[i*2]);
+			char b = toupper(cstr[i*2+1]);
+			if(a>='A') a=a-'A'+10;
+			else a-='0';
+			if(b>='A') b=b-'A'+10;
+			else b-='0';
+			unsigned char val = ((unsigned char)a<<4)|(unsigned char)b; 
+			((unsigned char*)data)[i] = val;
+		}
+		return true;
+	}
 	
 	if(len==1) {
 		int x = atoi(str.c_str());
@@ -255,24 +354,6 @@ bool StringToBytes(std::string& str, void* data, int len)
 	}
 	//we can't handle it
 	return false;
-hex:
-	int amt = len;
-	int bytesAvailable = str.size()/2;
-	if(bytesAvailable < amt)
-		amt = bytesAvailable;
-	const char* cstr = str.c_str()+2;
-	for(int i=0;i<amt;i++) {
-		char a = toupper(cstr[i*2]);
-		char b = toupper(cstr[i*2+1]);
-		if(a>='A') a=a-'A'+10;
-		else a-='0';
-		if(b>='A') b=b-'A'+10;
-		else b-='0';
-		unsigned char val = ((unsigned char)a<<4)|(unsigned char)b; 
-		((unsigned char*)data)[i] = val;
-	}
-
-	return true;
 }
 
 #include <string>
@@ -482,4 +563,4 @@ std::string readNullTerminatedAscii(std::istream* is)
 		else ret += (char)c;
 	}
 	return ret;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/xstring.h b/src/utils/xstring.h
index 3beb5d98..c4cb9a89 100644
--- a/src/utils/xstring.h
+++ b/src/utils/xstring.h
@@ -44,9 +44,10 @@ int str_strip(char *str, int flags);
 int chr_replace(char *str, char search, char replace);
 int str_replace(char *str, char *search, char *replace);
 
-int HexStringToBytesLength(std::string& str);
-std::string BytesToString(void* data, int len);
-bool StringToBytes(std::string& str, void* data, int len);
+int HexStringToBytesLength(const std::string& str);
+int Base64StringToBytesLength(const std::string& str);
+std::string BytesToString(const void* data, int len);
+bool StringToBytes(const std::string& str, void* data, int len);
 
 std::vector<std::string> tokenize_str(const std::string & str,const std::string & delims);
 void splitpath(const char* path, char* drv, char* dir, char* name, char* ext);