diff --git dataobj/loadsave.cc dataobj/loadsave.cc
index cf3d4eb48..4911d757d 100644
--- dataobj/loadsave.cc
+++ dataobj/loadsave.cc
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ bool loadsave_t::rd_open(const char *filename_utf8 )
 	saving = false;
 
 	if (strstart(buf, SAVEGAME_PREFIX)) {
-		version = int_version(buf + sizeof(SAVEGAME_PREFIX) - 1, &mode, pak_extension);
+		version = int_version(buf + sizeof(SAVEGAME_PREFIX) - 1, pak_extension);
 		if(  version == 0  ) {
 			close();
 			last_error = FILE_ERROR_NO_VERSION;
@@ -355,8 +355,7 @@ bool loadsave_t::rd_open(const char *filename_utf8 )
 			*s++ = c;
 		}
 		*s = 0;
-		int dummy;
-		version = int_version(str, &dummy, pak_extension);
+		version = int_version(str, pak_extension);
 		if(  version == 0  ) {
 			close();
 			last_error = FILE_ERROR_NO_VERSION;
@@ -466,12 +465,12 @@ bool loadsave_t::wr_open(const char *filename_utf8, mode_t m, const char *pak_ex
 	// delete trailing path separator
 	this->pak_extension[strlen(this->pak_extension)-1] = 0;
 
-	version = int_version( savegame_version, NULL, NULL );
+	version = int_version( savegame_version, NULL );
 
 	if(  !is_xml()  ) {
 		char str[4096];
 		size_t len;
-		if(  version<=102002  ) {
+		if(  is_version_less(102, 3)  ) {
 			len = sprintf( str, SAVEGAME_PREFIX "%s%s%s\n", savegame_version, "zip", this->pak_extension );
 		}
 		else {
@@ -1342,7 +1341,7 @@ void loadsave_t::rd_obj_id(char *id_buf, int size)
 }
 
 
-uint32 loadsave_t::int_version(const char *version_text, int * /*mode*/, char *pak_extension_str)
+uint32 loadsave_t::int_version(const char *version_text, char *pak_extension_str)
 {
 	// major number (0..)
 	uint32 v0 = atoi(version_text);
@@ -1371,25 +1370,28 @@ uint32 loadsave_t::int_version(const char *version_text, int * /*mode*/, char *p
 	// the next char is either 'b'/'z'/'-',
 	// if it is '.' the we try to load a simutrans-experimental savegame
 	if(*version_text == '.') {
-		// st-exp savegame, we can't load it, return version=0
-		strcpy(pak_extension_str,"(st-exp)");
+		// Simutrans Extended savegame, we can't load it, return version=0
+		if (pak_extension_str) {
+			std::strcpy(pak_extension_str,"(st-exp)");
+		}
 		return 0;
 	}
 
 	if(  version<=102002  ) {
-		/* the compression and the mode we determined already ourselves (otherwise we cannot read this
-		 * => leave the mode alone but for unknown modes!
+		/* the compression and the mode we determined already ourselves
+		 * (otherwise we cannot read this => leave the mode alone but for unknown modes!)
 		 */
 		if (strstart(version_text, "bin")) {
-			//*mode = binary;
 			version_text += 3;
-		} else if (strstart(version_text, "zip")) {
-			//*mode = zipped;
+		}
+		else if (strstart(version_text, "zip")) {
 			version_text += 3;
 		}
 		else if(  *version_text  ) {
 			// illegal version ...
-			strcpy(pak_extension_str,"(broken)");
+			if (pak_extension_str) {
+				std::strcpy(pak_extension_str,"(broken)");
+			}
 			return 0;
 		}
 	}
diff --git dataobj/loadsave.h dataobj/loadsave.h
index 84d29b500..f16a590e8 100644
--- dataobj/loadsave.h
+++ dataobj/loadsave.h
@@ -34,19 +34,35 @@ struct file_descriptors_t;
 
 class loadsave_t {
 public:
-	enum mode_t { text=1, xml=2, binary=0, zipped=4, xml_zipped=6, bzip2=8, xml_bzip2=10 };
-	enum file_error_t { FILE_ERROR_OK=0, FILE_ERROR_NOT_EXISTING, FILE_ERROR_BZ_CORRUPT, FILE_ERROR_GZ_CORRUPT, FILE_ERROR_NO_VERSION, FILE_ERROR_FUTURE_VERSION };
+	enum mode_t {
+		binary=0,
+		text=1,
+		xml=2,
+		zipped=4,
+		xml_zipped=6,
+		bzip2=8,
+		xml_bzip2=10
+	};
+
+	enum file_error_t {
+		FILE_ERROR_OK=0,
+		FILE_ERROR_NOT_EXISTING,
+		FILE_ERROR_BZ_CORRUPT,
+		FILE_ERROR_GZ_CORRUPT,
+		FILE_ERROR_NO_VERSION,
+		FILE_ERROR_FUTURE_VERSION
+	};
 
 private:
 	file_error_t last_error;
-	int mode;
+	int mode; ///< See mode_t
 	bool saving;
 	bool buffered;
 	unsigned curr_buff;
 	unsigned buf_pos[2];
 	unsigned buf_len[2];
 	char* ls_buf[2];
-	uint32 version;
+	uint32 version; ///< savegame version
 	int ident;		// only for XML formatting
 	char pak_extension[64];	// name of the pak folder during savetime
 
@@ -79,9 +95,17 @@ private:
 	void flush_buffer(int buf_num);
 
 public:
-	static mode_t save_mode;	// default to use for saving
-	static mode_t autosave_mode; // default to use for autosaves and network mode client temp saves
-	static uint32 int_version(const char *version_text, int *mode, char *pak);
+	static mode_t save_mode;     ///< default to use for saving
+	static mode_t autosave_mode; ///< default to use for autosaves and network mode client temp saves
+
+	/**
+	 * Parses the version information from @p version_text to a version number.
+	 * @param[out] pak Pointer to a sufficiently large buffer (>= 64 chars); when the function returns,
+	 *                 @p pak contains the pakset extension string. May be NULL.
+	 * @retval 0   if an error occurred or the save cannot be loaded
+	 * @retval !=0 the save version; in this case we can read the save file.
+	 */
+	static uint32 int_version(const char *version_text, char *pak);
 
 	loadsave_t();
 	~loadsave_t();
@@ -110,10 +134,10 @@ public:
 	bool is_xml() const { return mode&xml; }
 	const char *get_pak_extension() const { return pak_extension; }
 
-	uint32 get_version() const { return version; }
+	uint32 get_version_raw() const { return version; }
 	inline bool is_version_atleast(uint32 major, uint32 save_minor) const { return !is_version_less(major, save_minor); }
-	inline bool is_version_less(uint32 major, uint32 save_minor) const    { return version < major * 1000U + save_minor; }
-	inline bool is_version_equal(uint32 major, uint32 save_minor) const   { return version == major * 1000U + save_minor; }
+	inline bool is_version_less(uint32 major, uint32 save_minor)    const { return version <  major * 1000U + save_minor; }
+	inline bool is_version_equal(uint32 major, uint32 save_minor)   const { return version == major * 1000U + save_minor; }
 
 	void rdwr_byte(sint8 &c);
 	void rdwr_byte(uint8 &c);
diff --git simmain.cc simmain.cc
index 3a9918d74..3a5ff871e 100644
--- simmain.cc
+++ simmain.cc
@@ -628,7 +628,7 @@ int simu_main(int argc, char** argv)
 	// now read last setting (might be overwritten by the tab-files)
 	loadsave_t file;
 	if(file.rd_open("settings.xml"))  {
-		if(  file.get_version()>loadsave_t::int_version(SAVEGAME_VER_NR, NULL, NULL )  ) {
+		if(  file.get_version_raw()>loadsave_t::int_version(SAVEGAME_VER_NR, NULL )  ) {
 			// too new => remove it
 			file.close();
 			dr_remove("settings.xml");
diff --git simworld.cc simworld.cc
index 9f2c2e6bd..4e5cc252f 100644
--- simworld.cc
+++ simworld.cc
@@ -2016,7 +2016,7 @@ karte_t::karte_t() :
 	set_dirty();
 
 	// for new world just set load version to current savegame version
-	load_version = loadsave_t::int_version( env_t::savegame_version_str, NULL, NULL );;
+	load_version = loadsave_t::int_version( env_t::savegame_version_str, NULL );
 
 	// standard prices
 	goods_manager_t::set_multiplier( 1000 );
@@ -4976,7 +4976,7 @@ bool karte_t::load(const char *filename)
 
 	if(!file.rd_open(name)) {
 
-		if(  (sint32)file.get_version()==-1  ||  file.get_version()>loadsave_t::int_version(SAVEGAME_VER_NR, NULL, NULL )  ) {
+		if(  file.get_version_raw()==-1  ||  file.get_version_raw()>loadsave_t::int_version(SAVEGAME_VER_NR, NULL )  ) {
 			dbg->warning("karte_t::load()", translator::translate("WRONGSAVE") );
 			create_win( new news_img("WRONGSAVE"), w_info, magic_none );
 		}
@@ -4991,7 +4991,7 @@ bool karte_t::load(const char *filename)
 		create_win(new news_img("WRONGSAVE"), w_info, magic_none);
 	}
 	else {
-DBG_MESSAGE("karte_t::load()","Savegame version is %d", file.get_version());
+DBG_MESSAGE("karte_t::load()","Savegame version is %u", file.get_version_raw());
 
 		load(&file);
 
@@ -5202,13 +5202,13 @@ void karte_t::load(loadsave_t *file)
 	file->set_buffered(true);
 
 	// jetzt geht das laden los
-	dbg->warning("karte_t::load", "Fileversion: %d", file->get_version());
+	dbg->warning("karte_t::load", "Fileversion: %u", file->get_version_raw());
 	settings = env_t::default_settings;
 	settings.rdwr(file);
 	loaded_rotation = settings.get_rotation();
 
 	// some functions (finish_rd) need to know what version was loaded
-	load_version = file->get_version();
+	load_version = file->get_version_raw();
 
 	if(  env_t::networkmode  ) {
 		// to have games synchronized, transfer random counter too
@@ -5733,7 +5733,7 @@ DBG_MESSAGE("karte_t::load()", "%d factories loaded", fab_list.get_count());
 	clear_random_mode(LOAD_RANDOM);
 
 	// loading finished, reset savegame version to current
-	load_version = loadsave_t::int_version( env_t::savegame_version_str, NULL, NULL );;
+	load_version = loadsave_t::int_version( env_t::savegame_version_str, NULL );
 
 	dbg->warning("karte_t::load()","loaded savegame from %i/%i, next month=%i, ticks=%i (per month=1<<%i)",last_month,last_year,next_month_ticks,ticks,karte_t::ticks_per_world_month_shift);
 }