Save file on-disk format

Summary

A Lords of the Realm 2 save file (.sav, .sva, .svb) is a flat, header-less, checksum-less binary dump of game-state global memory. There is no magic number, version field, or length prefix. The file is an exact byte-for-byte snapshot of 203 contiguous global-memory regions, written in fixed table order, followed by 16 × 0x3200-byte castle/siege tile records copied from castles.dat.

The layout is fully determined by the static field-pointer table at VA 0x004fa280 in the retail LORDS2.EXE binary (SHA-256 ff33c884… — see docs/METADATA.md). Every save written by that build is exactly 471,740 bytes.

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Container layout

flowchart LR
    A["Region A\nField blocks 0–202\n0x000000–0x0412BB\n266,940 bytes"]
    B["Region B\nCastle/siege tile slice\n0x0412BC–0x0732BB\n16 × 0x3200 = 204,800 bytes"]
    A --> B

Region	File offset start	File offset end	Size (bytes)	Description
A	0x000000	0x0412BB	266,940	203 ordered field blocks
B	0x0412BC	0x0732BB	204,800	16 × 0x3200 castle/siege tile records
—	—	—	471,740	Total (fixed)

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Read / edit / write algorithm

Field-block offset computation

Block file offsets are cumulative sums of the size column. No padding or alignment is applied between blocks.

FIELD_SIZES = [0x8000, 0xc800, 0x108, 0x840, 0x3300, ...]  # 203 entries

def file_offset(block_index):
    return sum(FIELD_SIZES[:block_index])

def read_block(fp, block_index):
    fp.seek(file_offset(block_index))
    return fp.read(FIELD_SIZES[block_index])

Editing a save (no-resize rule)

Block sizes are compile-time constants embedded in the executable. A valid save must be exactly 471,740 bytes; block boundaries must not shift. To modify a field:

1. Compute offset = sum(FIELD_SIZES[:i]).
2. Read FIELD_SIZES[i] bytes starting at offset.
3. Modify the bytes in place (use struct layout from the field map below and the referenced struct docs).
4. Write the same number of bytes back at the same offset.

Never truncate, extend, or re-order the file.

Writing a save from scratch

1. Allocate a 471,740-byte buffer.
2. For each block i in 0..202, copy FIELD_SIZES[i] bytes from RAM (or a reconstructed state) into the cumulative file position.
3. At 0x0412BC, write 16 × 0x3200 bytes of castle/siege tile data (first 0x32000 bytes of the current castles.dat).
4. Write the buffer atomically.

castles.dat coupling

The castle/siege tile slice (Region B) is a bidirectional sync:

• On save: the game reads 16 × 0x3200 bytes from castles.dat starting at offset 0 and appends them to the save file.
• On load: after restoring all field blocks (Region A), the game writes those same bytes back to castles.dat, overwriting the first 0x32000 bytes.

When editing a save file for use in-game, Region B must be consistent with castles.dat. Editors that only change Region A fields (player stats, economy, diplomacy) can leave Region B untouched.

I/O flags note

lotr2_io_open flag 0x8000 = _O_RDONLY; flag 0x8301 = _O_WRONLY | _O_CREAT | _O_TRUNC; mode 0x180 = _S_IREAD | _S_IWRITE.

Decompiled-name swap

The Ghidra export has the save/load function names reversed. lotr2_save_load_from_file (0x004c823e) opens the target with 0x8301 (write/create/truncate) and crt_writes field blocks into it — this is the write/save path. lotr2_save_write_to_file (0x004c838c) opens the target with 0x8000 (read-only) and __reads blocks back into RAM, then calls lotr2_save_restart_after_load — this is the read/load path. See architecture/save/MODULE.md.

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File variants

All three extensions share the same binary layout.

Extension	Context	Notes
.sav	Single-player	lastturn.sav = auto-save at end of turn
.sva	Multiplayer host	lastturn.sva, diverged.sva (desync recovery)
.svb	Multiplayer client	lastturn.svb, diverged.svb (desync recovery)

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Field block map

The table below was generated from the retail binary (see tools/ghidra/dump_save_field_table.py). File offset is the byte position of the block within the save file. Source VA is the runtime global address whose contents are saved. Symbol is the Ghidra-assigned name; all blocks are now named — lotr2_unk_XXXXXXXX entries are provisional placeholders pending further analysis.

Where a symbol is known, the Notes column links to the relevant struct or architecture doc and gives the interpreted layout. Names prefixed lotr2_unk_ are provisional placeholders for scalars with only sparse or reset-only call-site evidence; they should be renamed when additional call sites are identified.

#	File offset	Source VA	Size	Symbol / Notes
0	0x000000	0x00552180	0x8000 (32 768)	lotr2_map_province_cell — province cell table, 64×64 cells × 8 bytes each; see lotr2_game_state.md
1	0x008000	0x005841C0	0xC800 (51 200)	lotr2_battle_tile_damage_ctr — battle/siege tile plane A, 0x50×0x50 tiles × 8 bytes; see lotr2_battle_tile.md
2	0x014800	0x0055A900	0x108 (264)	lotr2_game_player_display_id — 6 × 0x2C player display-name blocks; see lotr2_player_record.md
3	0x014908	0x0055ADA0	0x840 (2 112)	lotr2_game_ai_player_step — 6 × 0x160 player records (base of player-record array); see lotr2_player_record.md
4	0x015148	0x0055C3B0	0x3300 (13 056)	lotr2_province_economy_table — province economy/stock table, stride 0x300 × up to 17 entries (gold, food, garrison, happiness etc.); evidence: (&DAT_0055c3b0)[id * 0x300] in lotr2_game_economy_tick_player, lotr2_net_partial_checksum; see castle-economy.md
5	0x018448	0x005643D0	0xF7BC (63 420)	lotr2_game_army_record_table — army record table, stride 0x1A4; see lotr2_game_state.md
6	0x027C04	0x00582FF0	0x104 (260)	lotr2_recruit_flag_slots — recruit/battle-flag slot table, stride 0x14 × 0x13 entries; fields: province id, flag type; evidence: lotr2_combat_zero_flag_slot_bytes, lotr2_game_recruit_apply_flag_bonus
7	0x027D08	0x00549540	0x88B0 (34 992)	lotr2_combat_figure_slots — battle figure array, stride 0x1B0 × 0x50 slots; evidence: lotr2_combat_clear_all_figures, lotr2_net_partial_checksum; see lotr2_battle_figure.md
8	0x030558	0x005476C0	0x1DFC (7 676)	lotr2_projectile_slots — projectile slot array; see lotr2_projectile.md
9	0x0323B4	0x00583140	0x1074 (4 212)	lotr2_combat_group_table — combat group slots 1..0x50, 0x34 bytes each; see lotr2_battle_group.md
10	0x033428	0x00573C50	0xC800 (51 200)	(no symbol) — battle/siege tile plane B, 0x50×0x50 × 8 bytes
11	0x03FC28	0x00563E70	0x80 (128)	lotr2_combat_siege_sprite_slots — siege sprite/state table, stride 0x18; evidence: lotr2_game_ui_memcpy_n(0x549520, &DAT_00563e70 + DAT_005818ec * 0x18, 0x18)
12	0x03FCA8	0x00580BC0	0x550 (1 360)	lotr2_map_army_province_slots — per-player army-on-map cell index table; evidence: *(int *)(&DAT_00580bc0 + slot * 4 + player * 0x50) in lotr2_map_build_army_slot_table
13	0x0401F8	0x0059B85C	4	lotr2_game_campaign_difficulty — campaign difficulty level (0–3); used as economy/crown multiplier; evidence: lotr2_game_economy_tick_player adds DAT_0059b85c * 0x14 to player crown total; loaded from difficulty config table
14	0x0401FC	0x0059C220	4	lotr2_game_active_view — top-level view: 0=campaign, 2=battle/siege; see lotr2_game_state.md
15	0x040200	0x0055A898	4	lotr2_map_iso_rotation — map isometric rotation mode (0, 1, or 2); evidence: if (DAT_0055a898 == 2) in lotr2_map_draw_cell_tile dispatch
16	0x040204	0x0055AC6C	4	lotr2_map_viewport_row — map viewport origin row (Y), clamped 0..0x40; evidence: lotr2_map_clamp_viewport_origin
17	0x040208	0x0055AC70	4	lotr2_map_viewport_col — map viewport origin column (X), clamped 0..0x80; evidence: same
18	0x04020C	0x005DA4B8	4	lotr2_rng_lfsr_hi — 31-bit LFSR RNG state high dword; init 0x54657687; evidence: lotr2_game_rng_lfsr_shift_wide_pair
19	0x040210	0x005DA4BC	4	lotr2_rng_lfsr_lo — 31-bit LFSR RNG state low dword; init 0x72641663; evidence: same
20	0x040214	0x0055AA24	4	lotr2_combat_ui_y_baseline — battle UI Y baseline coord; init 0x4F3 at new campaign; evidence: lotr2_game_begin_new_campaign, lotr2_game_ui_draw_signed_value_captioned
21	0x040218	0x0055BFE8	4	lotr2_combat_ui_y_pos — battle UI Y position (companion to lotr2_combat_ui_y_baseline); init 0x4F2 at new campaign
22	0x04021C	0x00573BA0	4	lotr2_combat_msg_panel_y — battle message panel Y coordinate; init 0x4F4 at new campaign
23	0x040220	0x0055BFCC	4	lotr2_econ_tick_phase — economy tick season/phase parameter; value 4 triggers special AI paths; evidence: lotr2_game_economy_tick_player(uVar2, DAT_0055bfcc)
24	0x040224	0x005636E4	4	lotr2_econ_tick_mode — economy tick mode snapshot (copy of lotr2_econ_tick_phase taken at end-turn); evidence: lotr2_game_end_turn_tick, lotr2_game_snapshot_economy_before_tick
25	0x040228	0x0059B7E4	4	lotr2_diplomacy_tick_phase — diplomacy tick phase parameter; evidence: lotr2_game_diplomacy_tick_player(prov, DAT_0059b7e4)
26	0x04022C	0x00582D3C	4	lotr2_unk_00582d3c — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed at new-game
27	0x040230	0x00580B80	4	lotr2_unk_00580b80 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed at new-game
28	0x040234	0x0059BC90	4	lotr2_unk_0059bc90 — (provisional) unknown scalar; init 0x4F3; in turn-phase cluster
29	0x040238	0x00582F24	4	lotr2_unk_00582f24 — (provisional) unknown scalar; init 3 at new-game
30	0x04023C	0x0059312C	4	lotr2_unk_0059312c — (provisional) unknown scalar
31	0x040240	0x0055AC48	4	lotr2_game_turn_number — turn counter; incremented each end-turn; evidence: DAT_0055ac48 = DAT_0055ac48 + 1 in lotr2_game_end_turn_tick
32	0x040244	0x0059BFD4	4	lotr2_combat_figure_dirty_ctr — (provisional) figure dirty-pass counter; zeroed in lotr2_combat_mark_figure_tiles_dirty; saved twice (also block 48)
33	0x040248	0x0055AC18	4	lotr2_combat_attacker_army_slot — attacker army record slot index; evidence: lotr2_game_army_record_table[DAT_0055ac18 * 0x1a4] in battle prep and resolution
34	0x04024C	0x0055AC1C	4	lotr2_combat_defender_army_slot — defender army record slot index; evidence: same pattern
35	0x040250	0x00582DE4	4	lotr2_unk_00582de4 — (provisional) unknown scalar
36	0x040254	0x005814F4	4	lotr2_combat_map_size_row — map-size row index for formation threshold lookup; evidence: lotr2_combat_init_battle_state
37	0x040258	0x00552154	4	lotr2_combat_attacker_troop_count — live attacker total figure head-count; accumulated per battle tick; evidence: lotr2_game_ui_draw_number_centered(DAT_00552154, …, 0x1fa, …)
38	0x04025C	0x0055B7B4	4	lotr2_combat_attacker_troop_snapshot — snapshot of attacker troop count taken at battle start; evidence: _DAT_0055b7b4 = DAT_00552154 in lotr2_combat_init_battle_state
39	0x040260	0x0055C37C	4	lotr2_combat_defender_troop_count — live defender total figure head-count; evidence: lotr2_game_ui_draw_number_centered(DAT_0055c37c, …, 0x24a, …)
40	0x040264	0x0055C370	4	lotr2_combat_defender_troop_snapshot — snapshot of defender troop count at battle start; evidence: _DAT_0055c370 = DAT_0055c37c in lotr2_combat_init_battle_state
41	0x040268	0x00582DEC	4	lotr2_unk_00582dec — (provisional) unknown scalar
42	0x04026C	0x00583110	4	lotr2_unk_00583110 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed in battle init
43	0x040270	0x0055F6C8	4	lotr2_combat_attacker_underdog — 1 when attacker has ≤75 % of defender strength; gates attacker favorable spawn; evidence: DAT_0055f6c8 = (att + att/3 < def)
44	0x040274	0x00563E60	4	lotr2_combat_defender_underdog — 1 when defender has ≤75 % of attacker strength; gates defender favorable spawn; evidence: DAT_00563e60 = (def + def/3 < att)
45	0x040278	0x0055AC80	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac80 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed in battle init
46	0x04027C	0x0054355C	4	lotr2_unk_0054355c — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed in battle init
47	0x040280	0x0055BFC0	4	lotr2_unk_0055bfc0 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed in battle init
48	0x040284	0x0059BFD4	4	lotr2_combat_figure_dirty_ctr — duplicate of block 32 (same VA 0x0059BFD4; both saved and loaded)
49	0x040288	0x005436AC	4	lotr2_unk_005436ac — (provisional) unknown scalar
50	0x04028C	0x0059310C	4	lotr2_unk_0059310c — (provisional) unknown scalar
51	0x040290	0x0059C348	4	lotr2_unk_0059c348 — (provisional) unknown scalar
52	0x040294	0x005818F4	4	lotr2_unk_005818f4 — (provisional) unknown scalar
53	0x040298	0x00593454	4	lotr2_unk_00593454 — (provisional) unknown scalar
54	0x04029C	0x0059C324	4	lotr2_combat_battle_province — province id being contested in the active battle; evidence: lotr2_game_conquest_capture_province(…, DAT_0059c324), [DAT_0059c324 * 0x300] economy access
55	0x0402A0	0x00573BDC	4	lotr2_unk_00573bdc — (provisional) unknown scalar
56	0x0402A4	0x0055AA14	4	lotr2_combat_battlefield_variant — battlefield PL8 asset variant index (0..0x2E, wraps); evidence: lotr2_combat_load_open_field_map
57	0x0402A8	0x0055AB70	4	lotr2_combat_attacker_strength — attacker army weighted strength score; evidence: DAT_00563e60 = (def + def/3 < DAT_0055ab70) in lotr2_combat_init_battle_state
58	0x0402AC	0x0055ABE8	4	lotr2_combat_defender_strength — defender army weighted strength score; evidence: DAT_0055f6c8 = (att + att/3 < DAT_0055abe8)
59	0x0402B0	0x00563814	4	lotr2_combat_formation_shift_x — formation blit X-shift from map-size lookup table; evidence: lotr2_combat_init_battle_state loads from DAT_004f49a8[DAT_005814f4]
60	0x0402B4	0x00563820	4	lotr2_combat_formation_shift_y — formation blit Y-shift from map-size lookup table; evidence: same
61	0x0402B8	0x0055AB04	4	lotr2_unk_0055ab04 — (provisional) unknown scalar
62	0x0402BC	0x0055AB08	4	lotr2_unk_0055ab08 — (provisional) unknown scalar
63	0x0402C0	0x0056432C	4	lotr2_combat_focus_group_index — active focus group for move-to-tile; see lotr2_game_state.md
64	0x0402C4	0x0059344C	4	lotr2_map_minimap_mode — minimap overlay render mode; evidence: lotr2_game_set_minimap_render_mode
65	0x0402C8	0x0055B748	4	lotr2_combat_prep_ui_mode — battle prep UI mode (1 = garrison empty, 2 = otherwise); evidence: battle army-pair validation
66	0x0402CC	0x0059BC3C	4	lotr2_history_write_slot — history ring write cursor (0–399, wraps); evidence: DAT_0059bc3c = DAT_0059bc3c + 1; if (399 < DAT_0059bc3c) DAT_0059bc3c = 0
67	0x0402D0	0x0056433C	4	lotr2_history_ring_gen — history ring wrap generation counter (increments each time ring wraps at 400); evidence: same loop
68	0x0402D4	0x0059BCBC	4	lotr2_history_entry_count — total history entries recorded, capped at 400; evidence: if (400 < DAT_0059bcbc) DAT_0059bcbc = 400
69	0x0402D8	0x0059C388	4	lotr2_unk_0059c388 — (provisional) unknown scalar
70	0x0402DC	0x005637A8	4	lotr2_unk_005637a8 — (provisional) unknown scalar
71	0x0402E0	0x0055AA08	4	lotr2_map_selected_province — currently selected province id; evidence: [DAT_0055aa08 * 0x300] in province economy UI draw
72	0x0402E4	0x00580BAC	4	lotr2_game_local_player_slot — local player index (0-based); see lotr2_game_state.md
73	0x0402E8	0x0055ABD0	4	lotr2_game_ai_turn_phase — AI outer sim phase 1–7; see lotr2_game_state.md
74	0x0402EC	0x00573BB4	4	lotr2_unk_00573bb4 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed on AI phase advance
75	0x0402F0	0x0059BC28	4	lotr2_game_ai_turn_phase_prev — previous AI turn phase (1–7); evidence: _DAT_0059bc28 = lotr2_game_ai_turn_phase in lotr2_game_ai_advance_turn_phase
76	0x0402F4	0x0055ABD8	4	lotr2_game_ai_turn_phase_next — next AI turn phase (wraps 1–7); evidence: DAT_0055abd8 = lotr2_game_ai_turn_phase + 1; if (7 < DAT_0055abd8) DAT_0055abd8 = 1
77	0x0402F8	0x0055AA20	4	lotr2_map_max_province_id — highest valid province id loaded from map; loop upper bound; evidence: for (province_idx = 1; province_idx <= DAT_0055aa20; …)
78	0x0402FC	0x0059C34C	4	lotr2_map_start_armies_spawned — count of starting armies spawned at campaign start; evidence: _DAT_0059c34c = _DAT_0059c34c + 1 in lotr2_map_spawn_starting_armies_from_list
79	0x040300	0x005637CC	4	lotr2_game_event_province_cursor — random province picker seed/cursor for event assignment; evidence: lotr2_game_init_new_campaign_players sets = 1
80	0x040304	0x0059C044	4	lotr2_combat_prep_entered — flag set on entering battle prep mode, cleared on exit; evidence: lotr2_game_action_enter_battle_prep
81	0x040308	0x0059E620	4	lotr2_econ_selected_resource — selected resource type for build-cost / trade UI; evidence: lotr2_game_calc_build_turn_cost; values 0xD/0xE = trade resource types
82	0x04030C	0x00563D50	0x100 (256)	lotr2_map_province_build_costs — province build-cost defaults (256 B); initialized from ROM table DAT_004f39f0; evidence: lotr2_map_init_province_cost_table
83	0x04040C	0x0055AC44	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac44 — (provisional) unknown scalar
84	0x040410	0x0055A84C	4	lotr2_game_ai_player_step_cursor — AI player-step rotation cursor; evidence: lotr2_game_ai_player_step_loop
85	0x040414	0x0059BFDC	4	lotr2_game_active_player_count — count of active (non-eliminated) players; evidence: DAT_0059bfdc = DAT_0059bfdc + 1 in lotr2_game_ai_reset_step_counters; compared against 3 for minimum-player checks
86	0x040418	0x00580B98	4	lotr2_net_roster_player_count — MP player count from roster; see lotr2_game_state.md
87	0x04041C	0x00507734	4	lotr2_game_screen_mode_saved — screen mode snapshot saved/restored across load; evidence: lotr2_game_screen_mode = DAT_00507734 on load
88	0x040420	0x00580BA4	4	lotr2_unk_00580ba4 — (provisional) unknown scalar
89	0x040424	0x00581910	0xC0 (192)	lotr2_combat_player_ui_layout — per-player battle UI layout constants, stride 0x60; evidence: *(…&DAT_00581910 + player * 8 + sub * 0x60)
90	0x0404E4	0x00552110	0x40 (64)	lotr2_map_player_scalar_table — per-player map scalar table, stride 8; evidence: (short)*(…&DAT_00552110 + param_1 * 8)
91	0x040524	0x0055A7A0	0x60 (96)	lotr2_unk_0055a7a0 — (provisional) unknown table (96 bytes)
92	0x040584	0x0059C228	4	lotr2_game_ai_diplomacy_cursor — diplomacy queue slot cursor / siege-entry coord index; evidence: (&DAT_0055acd0)[DAT_0059c228 * 8] in lotr2_combat_group_order_goto_siege_entry
93	0x040588	0x00593108	4	lotr2_unk_00593108 — (provisional) unknown scalar
94	0x04058C	0x0056437C	4	lotr2_combat_attacker_player_slot — attacker player slot index (default 6 = none); evidence: set from attacker army record in battle prep validation
95	0x040590	0x005643A8	4	lotr2_combat_defender_player_slot — defender player slot index (default 6 = none); evidence: same
96	0x040594	0x0055C390	4	lotr2_combat_attacker_owner — player id owning the attacker army; evidence: set from lotr2_game_army_record_table[slot * 0x1a4] in battle prep
97	0x040598	0x0055C398	4	lotr2_combat_defender_owner — player id owning the defender army; evidence: same
98	0x04059C	0x0055ACD0	0xC0 (192)	lotr2_combat_siege_entry_coords — siege entry tile coordinate pairs, stride 8; evidence: lotr2_combat_group_order_goto_siege_entry reads +DAT_0059c228 * 8
99	0x04065C	0x00581230	0x280 (640)	lotr2_combat_siege_spawn_markers — siege spawn-marker tables (16 groups × 8 B each pair); evidence: lotr2_combat_parse_siege_spawn_markers
100	0x0408DC	0x00580B74	4	lotr2_unk_00580b74 — (provisional) unknown scalar; near formation-threshold cluster
101	0x0408E0	0x0055C030	4	lotr2_unk_0055c030 — (provisional) unknown scalar; incremented by 4 in build-queue logic
102	0x0408E4	0x005814EC	4	lotr2_unk_005814ec — (provisional) unknown scalar; near formation threshold
103	0x0408E8	0x005643BC	4	lotr2_unk_005643bc — (provisional) unknown scalar; incremented in combat group-order paths
104	0x0408EC	0x0059C370	4	lotr2_combat_is_siege — battle type flag: 0 = open-field, non-zero = siege; evidence: if (DAT_0059c370 == 0) gates open-field vs siege spawn and order dispatch
105	0x0408F0	0x0055AC14	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac14 — (provisional) unknown scalar
106	0x0408F4	0x0059BC30	4	lotr2_unk_0059bc30 — (provisional) unknown scalar
107	0x0408F8	0x005930D4	4	lotr2_unk_005930d4 — (provisional) unknown scalar
108	0x0408FC	0x00573C04	4	lotr2_unk_00573c04 — (provisional) unknown scalar
109	0x040900	0x0055F6B8	4	lotr2_unk_0055f6b8 — (provisional) unknown scalar
110	0x040904	0x0055A6E0	0xA0 (160)	lotr2_combat_lane_coord_buf — combat lane-coord ring buffer, 19 × 8 bytes; evidence: lotr2_combat_store_lane_coord first-fit append
111	0x0409A4	0x00552150	4	lotr2_combat_gate_figure_count — count of figures currently on gate tiles (tile type 5, state 4); evidence: lotr2_combat_tick_all_figures
112	0x0409A8	0x00581A00	4	lotr2_combat_siege_engine_count — live siege-engine figure count (unit types 7–9); evidence: lotr2_combat_tick_all_figures
113	0x0409AC	0x00551E00	4	lotr2_game_build_slot_index — build-queue slot scan cursor; see lotr2_game_state.md
114	0x0409B0	0x0059BC78	4	lotr2_combat_catapult_count — catapult figure count during group-order assignment; evidence: lotr2_combat_assign_group_orders
115	0x0409B4	0x0059C3C8	4	lotr2_combat_ram_count — battering-ram figure count; evidence: same
116	0x0409B8	0x00593460	4	lotr2_combat_siege_tower_count — siege-tower figure count; evidence: same
117	0x0409BC	0x005814F0	4	lotr2_combat_moat_figure_count — moat-digger / ladder figure count; evidence: same
118	0x0409C0	0x00582D1C	4	lotr2_combat_infantry_figure_count — non-siege infantry figure count; evidence: same
119	0x0409C4	0x00580B94	4	lotr2_combat_form_tier_thresh_lg — large formation size threshold; see lotr2_game_state.md
120	0x0409C8	0x00580B90	4	lotr2_combat_form_tier_thresh_md — medium formation size threshold
121	0x0409CC	0x00580B84	4	lotr2_combat_form_tier_thresh_sm — small formation size threshold
122	0x0409D0	0x005819D4	4	lotr2_ranking_max_troop_val — (provisional) ranking: highest troop count value across players; evidence: lotr2_game_ai_compute_player_rankings
123	0x0409D4	0x0055A364	4	lotr2_combat_ui_config — battle UI config dword from load-count table; evidence: DAT_0055a364 = *(uint *)(&DAT_004f3ef8 + DAT_0059b878 * 0x20)
124	0x0409D8	0x0059E664	4	lotr2_game_other_player_count — count of other active players (excluding local); evidence: lotr2_game_ai_compute_player_rankings
125	0x0409DC	0x0055C018	4	lotr2_econ_province_dev_tier — province development tier derived from economy record; values 0–4; evidence: DAT_0055c018 = (byte)(&DAT_0055c5a9)[DAT_0059c324 * 0x300]
126	0x0409E0	0x005436A4	4	lotr2_unk_005436a4 — (provisional) unknown scalar
127	0x0409E4	0x0055AC10	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac10 — (provisional) unknown scalar
128	0x0409E8	0x0055ABF0	4	lotr2_unk_0055abf0 — (provisional) unknown scalar
129	0x0409EC	0x00563D38	4	lotr2_unk_00563d38 — (provisional) unknown scalar; near lotr2_map_province_build_costs
130	0x0409F0	0x0055AC24	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac24 — (provisional) unknown scalar
131	0x0409F4	0x00543648	4	lotr2_unk_00543648 — (provisional) unknown scalar
132	0x0409F8	0x00573BF4	4	lotr2_combat_moat_tile_type — tile type index of current moat-digger figure; evidence: lotr2_combat_assign_group_orders sets from lotr2_battle_tile_type
133	0x0409FC	0x005476B4	4	lotr2_unk_005476b4 — (provisional) unknown scalar
134	0x040A00	0x00582DD0	4	lotr2_ranking_max_treasury_val — ranking: highest treasury value across players; evidence: lotr2_game_ai_compute_player_rankings
135	0x040A04	0x00573BA8	4	lotr2_unk_00573ba8 — (provisional) unknown scalar
136	0x040A08	0x0059BCA8	4	lotr2_unk_0059bca8 — (provisional) unknown scalar
137	0x040A0C	0x0055AC9C	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac9c — (provisional) unknown scalar
138	0x040A10	0x0055B750	0x60 (96)	lotr2_map_layer_province_lists — map layer → province-id lists, 6 layers × 16 entries (byte); evidence: lotr2_map_append_province_to_layer writes [province + (layer-1) * 0x10]
139	0x040A70	0x00573BC0	6	lotr2_map_spawn_army_list — starting-army spawn descriptor (6 bytes); evidence: lotr2_map_spawn_starting_armies_from_list, lotr2_map_build_layer_province_chains
140	0x040A76	0x0055AC00	6	lotr2_map_province_slot_pairs — per-player starting province assignments, stride 2 (province id + slot byte); evidence: (&DAT_0055ac00)[player_id * 2] in lotr2_game_select_province_by_tile_index
141	0x040A7C	0x00582D34	4	lotr2_map_province_slot_pair_count — count of province-slot pairs written; evidence: incremented in lotr2_map_set_province_slot_pair
142	0x040A80	0x0055C39C	4	lotr2_econ_ui_flag — province economy UI dirty/active flag; set to 1 in economy paths
143	0x040A84	0x0055AB84	4	lotr2_unk_0055ab84 — (provisional) unknown scalar
144	0x040A88	0x00582DAC	4	lotr2_diplomacy_gold_offer — diplomacy gold offer amount (adjusted ±10, clamped to treasury); evidence: DAT_00582dac = DAT_00582dac + 10, clamped draw + net transmit
145	0x040A8C	0x005930E4	4	lotr2_unk_005930e4 — (provisional) unknown scalar; cleared in diplomacy text mode
146	0x040A90	0x0059C230	0xF0 (240)	lotr2_game_ai_diplomacy_queue — AI diplomacy action queue, 6 players × 5 slots × 8 bytes; evidence: (&DAT_0059c230)[player_id * 0x28 + slot * 8] in lotr2_game_ai_process_diplomacy_queue
147	0x040B80	0x00563D44	4	lotr2_unk_00563d44 — (provisional) unknown scalar; near lotr2_map_province_build_costs
148	0x040B84	0x005818E8	4	lotr2_ranking_max_castle_val — ranking: highest castle count value across players; evidence: lotr2_game_ai_compute_player_rankings
149	0x040B88	0x00563850	0x4BC (1 212)	lotr2_game_event_msg_table — province event message text table, stride 0xCA per entry; evidence: lotr2_game_ui_draw_bytes_wrapped(&DAT_00563850 + i * 0xca, …)
150	0x041044	0x00564340	0x30 (48)	lotr2_game_player_rankings — player score ranking table, 6 slots × 8 bytes (id + score), bubble-sorted; evidence: lotr2_game_ai_compute_player_rankings
151	0x041074	0x0055BFE4	4	lotr2_ranking_top_player_id — id of leading player from ranking sort; evidence: DAT_0055bfe4 = *(int *)(&DAT_00564340 + rank_slot * 8)
152	0x041078	0x00593114	4	lotr2_ranking_top_player_id_b — (provisional) secondary reference to leading player id from same ranking sort
153	0x04107C	0x00573B8C	4	lotr2_ranking_max_gold_val — ranking: highest province gold value across players; evidence: lotr2_game_ai_compute_player_rankings
154	0x041080	0x00573BA4	4	lotr2_ranking_max_gold_player — player id with highest province gold; evidence: same
155	0x041084	0x0059C340	4	lotr2_ranking_max_happiness_val — ranking: highest average happiness value; evidence: same
156	0x041088	0x0059C360	4	lotr2_ranking_max_happiness_player — player id with highest average happiness; evidence: same
157	0x04108C	0x0055AC60	4	lotr2_ranking_max_pop_val — ranking: highest average province population value; evidence: same
158	0x041090	0x0055AC90	4	lotr2_ranking_max_pop_player — player id with highest average province population; evidence: same
159	0x041094	0x00582F20	4	lotr2_unk_00582f20 — (provisional) unknown scalar
160	0x041098	0x00582D64	4	lotr2_ranking_max_treasury_player — player id with highest treasury; evidence: lotr2_game_ai_compute_player_rankings
161	0x04109C	0x005476BC	4	lotr2_ranking_max_county_player — player id with most provinces (counties); evidence: same
162	0x0410A0	0x0059E658	4	lotr2_ranking_max_county_count — highest province count across players; evidence: same
163	0x0410A4	0x0059B7F0	4	lotr2_ranking_max_castle_player — player id with most castles; evidence: same
164	0x0410A8	0x00593118	4	lotr2_ranking_max_castle_count — highest castle count across players; evidence: same
165	0x0410AC	0x005819F0	4	lotr2_ranking_max_troop_player — player id with most troops; evidence: same
166	0x0410B0	0x00581224	4	lotr2_ranking_max_troop_total — highest total troop count across players; evidence: same
167	0x0410B4	0x0055A780	4	lotr2_ranking_max_army_val — ranking: highest army count value; evidence: same
168	0x0410B8	0x0055A82C	4	lotr2_ranking_max_army_player — player id with most armies; evidence: same
169	0x0410BC	0x0059B88C	4	lotr2_game_difficulty_param — difficulty-derived config dword from DAT_004f7148[DAT_0059b8ac]; cleared on battle UI init
170	0x0410C0	0x0059B87C	4	lotr2_game_turn_phase1_ack — turn phase 1 toggle; see lotr2_game_state.md
171	0x0410C4	0x0059B880	4	lotr2_game_turn_phase2_ack — turn phase 2 toggle
172	0x0410C8	0x0059B884	4	lotr2_game_turn_phase3_ack — turn phase 3 toggle
173	0x0410CC	0x0059B888	4	lotr2_game_culture_count — (difficulty+2) − player_count; see lotr2_game_state.md
174	0x0410D0	0x0055AC0C	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac0c — (provisional) unknown scalar
175	0x0410D4	0x0055AC38	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac38 — (provisional) unknown scalar
176	0x0410D8	0x005476B8	4	lotr2_unk_005476b8 — (provisional) unknown scalar
177	0x0410DC	0x00543680	4	lotr2_unk_00543680 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed at new-game
178	0x0410E0	0x005934A0	0x30 (48)	lotr2_combat_battlefield_variant_table — battlefield asset variant permutation table (48 B); shuffled at battle reset; evidence: lotr2_combat_reset_campaign_battle_state, lotr2_combat_load_open_field_map reads DAT_005934a0[DAT_0055aa14]
179	0x041110	0x0059BC44	4	lotr2_combat_battlefield_asset_pick — current battlefield asset index selected from variant table; evidence: DAT_0059bc44 = DAT_005934a0[DAT_0055aa14]
180	0x041114	0x00580B6C	4	lotr2_unk_00580b6c — (provisional) unknown scalar; near formation-threshold cluster
181	0x041118	0x00580B70	4	lotr2_unk_00580b70 — (provisional) unknown scalar; near formation-threshold cluster
182	0x04111C	0x00581130	0xF0 (240)	lotr2_combat_focus_group_table — per-player combat focus-group index table, stride 0x28 per player; evidence: (&DAT_00581130 + (group-0x31)*4 + player*0x28) = lotr2_combat_focus_group_index
183	0x04120C	0x0055ABC0	4	lotr2_combat_peasant_count — peasant (unit type 0) figure head-count tally during battle tick; evidence: _DAT_0055abc0 = _DAT_0055abc0 + figure_head_count for type 0
184	0x041210	0x0055AC34	4	lotr2_combat_archer_count — archer/crossbow (unit types 1, 5) figure head-count tally; evidence: same accumulation loop
185	0x041214	0x0054363C	4	lotr2_combat_idle_infantry_count — idle infantry (unit type with state = 0) figure head-count tally; evidence: same
186	0x041218	0x005930DC	4	lotr2_unk_005930dc — (provisional) unknown scalar
187	0x04121C	0x0055BFA8	4	lotr2_unk_0055bfa8 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed in battle init
188	0x041220	0x0055BFB4	4	lotr2_unk_0055bfb4 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed in battle init
189	0x041224	0x0059E660	4	lotr2_unk_0059e660 — (provisional) unknown scalar; zeroed on combat retreat
190	0x041228	0x00583108	4	lotr2_game_great_noble_stat_column — Great Noble stat column 0–5; see lotr2_game_state.md
191	0x04122C	0x00543650	0x30 (48)	lotr2_unk_00543650 — (provisional) unknown table (48 bytes); zeroed alongside lotr2_combat_battlefield_variant_table during battle reset
192	0x04125C	0x0059BC70	4	lotr2_unk_0059bc70 — (provisional) unknown scalar
193	0x041260	0x0059C390	0x38 (56)	lotr2_combat_troop_compare_ui — per-type troop count array for battle compare UI panel, 14 × 4 bytes; evidence: lotr2_game_ui_draw_battle_player_compare_rows reads *(int *)(&DAT_0059c390 + type * 4)
194	0x041298	0x0055215C	4	lotr2_unk_0055215c — (provisional) unknown scalar
195	0x04129C	0x005930F4	4	lotr2_unk_005930f4 — (provisional) unknown scalar
196	0x0412A0	0x0055AC30	4	lotr2_unk_0055ac30 — (provisional) unknown scalar
197	0x0412A4	0x0059E65C	4	lotr2_unk_0059e65c — (provisional) unknown scalar
198	0x0412A8	0x0059B878	4	lotr2_game_inf_load_count — INF/load count index; incremented on each in-engine game load; indexes into a config table at stride 0x20; evidence: DAT_0055a364 = *(uint *)(&DAT_004f3ef8 + DAT_0059b878 * 0x20)
199	0x0412AC	0x0059C35C	4	lotr2_combat_knight_count — knight (unit type 6) figure head-count tally; evidence: lotr2_combat_assign_group_orders
200	0x0412B0	0x0055B7B8	4	lotr2_unk_0055b7b8 — (provisional) unknown scalar
201	0x0412B4	0x0050BB88	4	lotr2_unk_0050bb88 — (provisional) no export symbol in Ghidra C output; saved twice (also block 202); see open questions
202	0x0412B8	0x0050BB88	4	lotr2_unk_0050bb88 — duplicate of block 201 (same VA 0x0050BB88; both saved and loaded)

Region B — castle/siege tile slice (0x0412BC–0x0732BB)

Slot	File offset	Size	Notes
0	0x0412BC	0x3200	First castle tile record
1	0x0445BC	0x3200	—
…	…	0x3200	—
15	0x0700BC	0x3200	Last castle tile record

Data is transferred via a 0x3200-byte intermediate buffer (lotr2_castles_dat_io_buf at VA 0x00507AD0), not a direct bulk copy.

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Data model

Block	Struct doc
Block 0 — province cell table	lotr2_game_state.md — Province cell table
Block 1, 10 — battle tile planes	lotr2_battle_tile.md
Block 2, 3 — player display-name + record array	lotr2_player_record.md
Block 5 — army record table	lotr2_game_state.md — Army/build tables
Block 8 — projectile slots	lotr2_projectile.md
Block 9 — combat group table	lotr2_battle_group.md

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Evidence

Symbol	Address	Role
lotr2_save_load_from_file	0x004C823E	Save path (names swapped): opens write-only, crt_writes each field block
lotr2_save_write_to_file	0x004C838C	Load path (names swapped): opens read-only, __reads each field block into RAM
lotr2_save_field_ptrs	0x004FA280	Static table of RAM pointers (stride 8, interleaved with sizes)
lotr2_save_field_sizes	0x004FA284	Static table of block sizes; loop terminates on first size == 0
lotr2_save_restart_after_load	0x004ADC92	Post-load: rebuilds map/PL8/army derived state

See also: architecture/save/MODULE.md.

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Confidence

Confirmed — field-block count, per-block file offsets, and total file size are extracted directly from the retail binary field-pointer table and independently corroborated by the decompiled load/save loops.

Likely — semantic interpretation of named blocks; field-interior layouts reference existing struct docs which carry their own confidence labels.

Partial — all 203 blocks now carry a human-readable symbol name; ~60 retain lotr2_unk_ provisional names pending further call-site analysis. Internal field layouts are documented only for the named structs listed in the data model table above.

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Interop notes

• File size is exactly 471,740 bytes for every retail (LORDS2.EXE) save. Mismatched file size will cause a silent I/O error on load (lotr2_save_io_failed set).
• Block boundaries are fixed at compile time; do not insert, remove, or resize blocks.
• castles.dat must be present alongside the save for an in-game load to succeed; the loader overwrites the first 0x32000 bytes of castles.dat with Region B from the save.
• The GoG build (gog/Lords2.exe) is expected to use a different field table (all VAs differ); do not assume offset compatibility between retail and GoG saves.

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Open questions

• Confirm field layouts of newly-named large blocks: lotr2_recruit_flag_slots (block 6, 260 B), lotr2_combat_siege_sprite_slots (block 11, 128 B), lotr2_map_army_province_slots (block 12, 1 360 B).
• Block 7 (lotr2_combat_figure_slots, 34 992 B): confirm stride 0x1B0 × 80 slots against lotr2_battle_figure struct (lotr2_battle_figure.md).
• Whether GoG Lords2.exe uses an identical, extended, or entirely different field table.
• Meaning of the two duplicate VA entries (blocks 32/48 = lotr2_combat_figure_dirty_ctr at 0x59BFD4; blocks 201/202 = lotr2_unk_0050bb88 at 0x50BB88): intentional double-save artifact or bug? 0x50BB88 has no symbol in the Ghidra C export; the nearby symbol DAT_0050bb8c is used in last-turn / phase-4 gate logic.
• Blocks 151/152 (lotr2_ranking_top_player_id / lotr2_ranking_top_player_id_b): both are set to the same field of lotr2_game_player_rankings in lotr2_game_ai_compute_player_rankings; clarify whether they serve distinct consumers or one is stale.
• Resolve ~60 lotr2_unk_* provisional scalars by expanding call-site analysis; priority candidates include blocks 26–30 (new-game initialisation cluster) and blocks 174–177 (adjacent to turn-phase acks).