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[infinityBCRT]

http://www.savingcontent.com/xwing

Okay boys and girls. Time to dust off your old X-Wing, Tie Fighter, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter and X-Wing Alliance CDs.

I've just finished writing my guide on how to get these games running on Windows 7 (both 32-bit and 64-bit). This guide should also help you get it running on Vista or XP if you have problems but I haven't explicitly tested on those platforms (I mainly tested on Windows 7 64-bit). This guide also includes help on how to get the DOS versions working of X-Wing and Tie Fighter if thats your fancy (especially if you want to experience the games using iMuse).

And thank you Chairhome for asking the question a few weeks back on how to get these games running, because thats what inspired me to write this guide. It took a helluva long time for me to do this though.

If you have any troubles getting things running just drop a line here. I'm just hoping I didn't screw anything up.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. X-Wing
3. X-Wing (DOS CD-ROM Edition)
4. X-Wing Reconstructed
5. Tie Fighter
6. Tie Fighter (DOS CD-ROM Edition)
7. Tie Fighter Reconstructed
8. X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter: Balance of Power Campaign
9. X-Wing Alliance
10. X-Wing Alliance Graphical Upgrades
11. Keyboard, Mouse & TrackIR Support

edit: You can use a flight stick instead of an Xbox 360 controller as well. But instructions to configure it with a 360 controller are included as a convenience
----

I've also been working on an audio mod for X-Wing (Windows) and Tie Fighter (Windows) to:

A) restore the original music where its been completely changed from the DOS versions. This is especially egregious in Tie Fighter where they completely replaced the original soundtrack with John William's music
B) Have the non-Redbook audio music be much higher quality. LucasArts just recorded super low bitrate/mono WAVs of the DOS version's music of these games using what sounds like a crappy Adlib card. Theres a fellow by the name of Daniel Bennett who has been working on resynthesizing the music using some modern tools to make it sound like something you'd hear in a modern game and also be at a much higher KHz and in Stereo.

Its going to be a couple of weeks until the mods are available however. The Tie Fighter one may be coming sooner than later, but Daniel has a busy schedule and only has so much time to dedicate to this project.

 

[LevityNYC]

Can I get it to work with a flight stick?

 

[infinityBCRT]

Can I get it to work with a flight stick?

YES! You can use it with a flight stick. But the guide has built in instructions on how to get it to work at it's best with a 360 controller. You can just ignore those instructions though.

 

[epmode]

Man, IMUSE was brilliant in this series. Until they hacked in the original score, that is.

What I wouldn't give to get the original source code. Freespace 2 Open is phenomenal, of course, but it's just not the same!

 

[infinityBCRT]

Man, IMUSE was brilliant in this series. Until they hacked in the original score, that is.

Yup. We can't restore iMuse, but we are working on a mod to restore the original Tie Fighter in-flight music. As I mentioned in the OP its probably going to be a couple of weeks until its ready. The mod will also do other things like restore the voice quality to that of what is in the DOS version (Windows version voice was half the bitrate of the DOS version) and improve the quality of the rest of the music in the game.

 

[aeolist]

We need Kickstarter campaigns for new sequels to this and Descent

 

[androvsky]

Is 3D acceleration supposed to work with Tie95 using that guide? I had it mostly working on Windows 7 64 a few months ago, but really wanted 3D acceleration.

 

[infinityBCRT]

Is 3D acceleration supposed to work with Tie95 using that guide? I had it mostly working on Windows 7 64 a few months ago, but really wanted 3D acceleration.

Yes, 3D acceleration works fine. Heres a screenie of it in action in Tie95:

Unfortunately I couldn't get Antialiasing working in XWing95, Tie95 or XvT. Only got it working in X-Wing Alliance.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Can't imagine why someone's initial inclination would be to try and play these games with a gamepad instead of a flight stick. Note that you'll still need to use the keyboard in several cases with the keymappings suggested in the linked guides, which also feels easier to do with a joystick IMO since you can have a free hand on the keyboard.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Can't imagine why someone's initial inclination would be to try and play these games with a gamepad instead of a joystick.

It works well. I played Freespace 2 with my 360 pad. Really fun!

 

[infinityBCRT]

Can't imagine why someone's initial inclination would be to try and play these games with a gamepad instead of a joystick.

If you've got a joystick, thats awesome. But these games work perfectly fine on a 360 controller, and thats probably the most common controller among PC gamers these days.

Note that you'll still need to use the keyboard in several cases with the keymappings suggested in the linked guides, which also feels easier to do with a joystick IMO since you can have a free hand on the keyboard.

Totally true but I feel it only gets awkward in X-Wing alliance when you have to dock with stuff. Pretty much everything else thats important and you immediately need will be mapped to the controller. This is definitely not a keyboard free solution but unless you have a 100 button controller, I don't think you can get a keyboard free solution

 

[XiaNaphryz]

If you've got a joystick, thats awesome. But these games work perfectly fine on a 360 controller, and thats probably the most common controller among PC gamers these days.

I suppose - I guess growing up with these games during a time where flight sticks were a very common peripheral for PC gaming since flight/combat sims were still considered major industry releases slants my opinion somewhat.

 

[epmode]

Is it possible to get these running at anything higher than 640x480? I would pay full price for a release that did nothing but add support for high-resolution widescreen monitors, no joke.

And I'm still kind of amazed that Lucasarts hasn't bothered to release these on Steam or whatever. FREE MONEY

 

[infinityBCRT]

Is it possible to get these running at anything higher than 640x480? I would pay full price for a release that did nothing but add support for high-resolution widescreen monitors, no joke.

X-Wing Alliance is the only one that can go above 640x480. Here's a 1920x1080 screenshot (have to use a modified EXE to get AA and 16:9 support):

And I'm still kind of amazed that Lucasarts hasn't bothered to release these on Steam or whatever. FREE MONEY

Yeah, its kind of ridiculous. Especially considering these games run rather well once you get everything set up. There was hope when Darryl Rodriguez was in charge that they'd come back to the series. That being said, there have been job postings at LucasArts which hints that they may be working on a new game in the series so I'd be way more excited for that if its true.

 

[akira28]

hahah I remember trying to fly up close to a ship to get between pylons or something, and coming smack dab into the shield or something. I think they changed that in X-Wing vs Tie Fighter though.

 

[Chairhome]

And thank you Chairhome for asking the question a few weeks back on how to get these games running, because thats what inspired me to write this guide. It took a helluva long time for me to do this though.

This is amazing! I HAVE to get it now and play it, just because of this. You are awesome.

 

[infinityBCRT]

Let me know how it goes.

Hmm, the article seemed to be missing some pages last night, that has been fixed now.

 

[Para bailar La Bomba]

Thanks for this fantastic thread. Subscribed.

 

[Stallion Free]

X-Wing Alliance is the only one that can go above 640x480. Here's a 1920x1080 screenshot (have to use a modified EXE to get AA and 16:9 support):

It's so beautiful...

For once a game actually can look as good as my memories of it.

I wish I had never lost my cds

 

[epmode]

X-Wing Alliance is the only one that can go above 640x480. Here's a 1920x1080 screenshot (have to use a modified EXE to get AA and 16:9 support):

:O

I had no idea this was possible. I think I still have my disc around somewhere...

Even so, wasn't Alliance kind of not-good? I don't remember much about it besides how it screwed up the awesome music.

As for a new X-Wing game, I can only think of horror stories. "Shifting power to lasers and shields was boring and took the focus away from destroying TIE fighters so we streamlined the power system to allow for infinite laser power and quick-recharge shields. The manual targeting system was also distracting so the game now automatically chooses the most relevant threat. Your ship will even turn itself in the right direction in the event that you go off-course!"

 

[Stallion Free]

Even so, wasn't Alliance kind of not-good? I don't remember much about it besides how it screwed up the awesome music.

8 year old me found it to be fucking awesome. I used to play it every morning before heading off to school. Such good times.

 

[Alexios]

Now do the same for Wing Commander, including Privateer! Please

I don't understand how to configure DOSBOX to recognise the 360 pad as a joystick with all the proper axis etc...

X-Wing Alliance's graphical updates look rad.

 

[infinityBCRT]

:O

I had no idea this was possible. I think I still have my disc around somewhere...

Even so, wasn't Alliance kind of not-good? I don't remember much about it besides how it screwed up the awesome music.

Alliance was actually kinda awesome. Previous games kinda had boiler plate military storyline, but XWA had the type of writing and voice acting from other LucasArts games like Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango.

Not sure why XWA has the bad rap-- XvT was the shitty one, and my guess is no one really played XWA either because of not liking XvT or because they didn't have the required joystick to play XWA (unlike the first two games which worked perfectly fine on a keyboard or mouse)

As for a new X-Wing game, I can only think of horror stories. "Shifting power to lasers and shields was boring and took the focus away from destroying TIE fighters so we streamlined the power system to allow for infinite laser power and quick-recharge shields. The manual targeting system was also distracting so the game now automatically chooses the most relevant threat and even turns your ship in the right direction in the event that you go off-course!"

At that point it would be a Rogue Squadron game, heh. Which wasn't bad mind you, but they had nothing on the X-Wing series. I honestly think with some intuitive menu design (radial dials ala Mass Effect/Assassin's Creed) they could keep all the shield/laser management in. But I could see them maybe making the increased laser recharge rate as default because I was always confused when I was younger that I'd always run out of ammo really quickly.

I actually have copies of Rogue Squadron 2 and 3 sitting on my shelf that I recently ordered, but I need to grab a gamecube controller (which I don't currently own) from somewhere so I can play these on my Wii.

 

[Jintor]

Woah this is great news.

 

[Sentenza]

I suppose - I guess growing up with these games during a time where flight sticks were a very common peripheral for PC gaming since flight/combat sims were still considered major industry releases slants my opinion somewhat.

I'm with you.
It may "work fine" with a controller, but those who have played these games with a flightstick know it's nowhere near to be the same thing.

P.S. I would kill for a new X-Wing/Tie Fighter game.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Time to hunt down copies of these, some of the greatest games

 

[MoGamesXNA]

Amazing OT. A lot of effort would have gone into compiling all of that information.

I still have to go back and finish the additional campaigns for X-Wing. The mission design and scripting was such a highlight. Brutally hard at times, they still hold up to this day and I feel that they play even better with a 360 controller.

I have a decent joystick but having the full flight controls mapped to buttons on the 360 pad works so much more effectively. Using the shoulder/bumper buttons for shield/laser management is highly recommended. Especially on tougher Y-Wing missions where quick shield management is paramount to complete the missions.

So many tense moments were had waiting for my hyperspace computer to count down while my Y-Wing's rear shields were slowly getting eaten away by trailing TIE Fighter laser fire. Finally seeing those hyperspace streaks in glorious 320x240 resolution couldn't have been sweeter.

 

[Castor Krieg]

Even so, wasn't Alliance kind of not-good? I don't remember much about it besides how it screwed up the awesome music.

I'm pretty sure there is Battle of Yavin or Endor there with 100 ships on the screen at once. You cannot play this game without a pad, but this thread...THIS THREAD....

Gonna get it during Easter.

 

[Stallion Free]

I'm pretty sure there is Battle of Yavin or Endor there with 100 ships on the screen at once. You cannot play this game without a pad, but this thread...THIS THREAD....

The mission inside the Death Star 2 is insanely epic. They nailed the scale.

 

[todahawk]

Big thanks OP! Great stuff...

I'm done with my new PC build and have been dying to revisit TieFighter, X-Wing, XvT & XWA. I knew there were some updates and fixes to run the games in Win7 but hadn't found the graphical updates and other stuff.

Plus I really want to show my two kids what a real Star Wars game is like.

I don't have a 360 controller or a flight stick, would you recommend a 360 controller over a DS3 with Motion In Joy?

 

[Stumpokapow]

It's so beautiful...

Is that from the episode where Dennis says he loves the Waitress and then tries to bang Mac's mom and then the Waitress drunkenly revenge-bangs Frank and tells everyone in front of Charlie?

 

[Ifrit]

Good stuff OP, subscribed

 

[Oni Jazar]

XvT was the shitty one

There was no shitty X-wing game. They all were good. XvT was just way ahead of it's time.

 

[infinityBCRT]

There was no shitty X-wing game. They all were good. XvT was just way ahead of it's time.

You're right. It was shitty based on expectations but I think now people (including me) would go apeshit over playing co-op x-wing if it was available on Steam, PSN and Xbox Live.

People wanted another single player campaign, and to this day still believe that a majority of people didn't want to be forced to buy a flight stick and were happy with using the mouse and keyboard. Anyone with a flight stick can tell me until their face is blue that it is the only way to play (and I think thats how Totally Games felt), but that just ends up shutting out people. Imagine if Forza was only playable with a Racing Wheel? It would sell like 500 copies.

 

[BattleMonkey]

There was no shitty X-wing game. They all were good. XvT was just way ahead of it's time.

Yup, it's concept was awesome, especially with the expansion and mission editors that came out for it. But at the time the technology was just not there for proper online play. Most people didn't have more tan 56k at the time which was not really enough for the game. At most you could get 4 players playing with 56k's and even then the game was laggy as heck. For vs play, the game was way too laggy.

 

[infinityBCRT]

Big thanks OP! Great stuff...

I'm done with my new PC build and have been dying to revisit TieFighter, X-Wing, XvT & XWA. I knew there were some updates and fixes to run the games in Win7 but hadn't found the graphical updates and other stuff.

Plus I really want to show my two kids what a real Star Wars game is like.

I don't have a 360 controller or a flight stick, would you recommend a 360 controller over a DS3 with Motion In Joy?

A DS3 should be fine. I put specific instructions on how to setup a 360 controller, but I'd imagine that stuff would translate seamlessly to a DS3.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

For those planning on playing XWA, there's a number of mods out there to make the game look really good if you look around. Higher res models and textures and that sort of stuff.

There was no shitty X-wing game. They all were good. XvT was just way ahead of it's time.

Indeed. Anyone who was lucky to play a full LAN game of XvT knows its one of the best experiences around.

 

[infinityBCRT]

For those planning on playing XWA, there's a number of mods out there to make the game look really good if you look around. Higher res models and textures and that sort of stuff.

Yeah, the guide includes a whole page dedicated to installing that stuff

 

[jimi_dini]

As for a new X-Wing game, I can only think of horror stories. "Shifting power to lasers and shields was boring and took the focus away from destroying TIE fighters so we streamlined the power system to allow for infinite laser power and quick-recharge shields. The manual targeting system was also distracting so the game now automatically chooses the most relevant threat. Your ship will even turn itself in the right direction in the event that you go off-course!"

You forgot the perks for multiplayer. Also the missions were way too complicated. Need to make them "accessible"

Spoiler

aka bad

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Yeah, the guide includes a whole page dedicated to installing that stuff

Calling it out since the high res/16:9 thing was called out separately as well is all.

I dunno if we'll ever see a new SW space combat sim any time soon, Totally Games isn't really doing PC or console stuff anymore. When I was still at LEC, I helped work on their last title (Secret Weapons Over Normandy) which didn't do so hot sales wise. It was also an example of an originally PC franchise getting console-ized - I'd hate to think a XW/TF game would turn out changed in a similar fashion.

 

[infinityBCRT]

I dunno if we'll ever see a new SW space combat sim any time soon, Totally Games isn't really doing PC or console stuff anymore. When I was still at LEC, I helped work on their last title (Secret Weapons Over Normandy) which didn't do so hot sales wise. It was also an example of an originally PC franchise getting console-ized - I'd hate to think a XW/TF game would turn out changed in a similar fashion.

There were some jobs posted last year which suggested that they might be looking into it.

The thing that drives me insane is that they haven't given an honest-to-goodness shot at a Star Wars flight sim that could go mainstream. Locking down the game to flight stick only people (at least in XvT and XWA) and not giving a shot at the console market are two major gaffes that need to be corrected.

It would need to:
- Be on PC and consoles
- Have single player and multiplayer
- Offer all of the major controls you have in a normal X-Wing game (shield, weapon settings, docking). Maybe they'd have to make some stuff context sensitive, but it should all be there
- No turbo boosting
- default first person perspective
- Have streamlined controls to work on a dual analog controller
- On PC support keyboard/mouse only controls

The Star Wars license is massive. If they give a good experience with a low barrier of entry, people will flock to it. If it was a bag of poop with the Star Wars license, people would want it. It boggles my mind that this has not happened yet.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

There were some jobs posted last year which suggested that they might be looking into it.

There were? I try to pay attention to all our openings, I don't recall seeing anything specific that would allude to this particular style of game. Unless you're referring to TG.

 

[infinityBCRT]

There were? I try to pay attention to all our openings, I don't recall seeing anything specific that would allude to this particular style of game. Unless you're referring to TG.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/09/15/lucasarts-hiring-for-new-aerial-combat-title/

 

[Corran Horn]

Nice. Found both my Tie Fighter and Xwing vs Tie fighter discs. Trying this stuff out.

 

[infinityBCRT]

Nice. Found both my Tie Fighter and Xwing vs Tie fighter discs. Trying this stuff out.

I only wrote out the instructions for Balance of Power, but if you check the alternate instruction link I provided you can get instructions just for vanilla XvT. But if you have both XvT and BoP, you are better off just installing BoP since the installer will install both games for you.

Hmm, wonder if we could get some GAF multiplayer/co-op games going of XvT or XWA.

Truth be told, I don't even remember what the multiplayer game types in XWA are like. All I remember is "The Zone", heh.

 

[epmode]

I lost my X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter discs ages ago. I didn't upgrade to cable until long after the release so I wound up resenting the release. OH WELL!

Alliance was actually kinda awesome. Previous games kinda had boiler plate military storyline, but XWA had the type of writing and voice acting from other LucasArts games like Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango.

Now that you mention it, you're right. I can vaguely recall some kind of story involving your character's sister or something. This thread is a good reason to give it another try, so thank you!

 

[Llyranor]

They should release them on Steam or GOG or something. Would like to play some XvT or XWA co-op with buddies.

 

[Stumpokapow]

They should release them on Steam or GOG or something. Would like to play some XvT or XWA co-op with buddies.

Steam would require LucasArts to do work, which is basically a non-starter.

GOG would be a good choice, but I dunno, having to sign your name on a contract is so much effort

 

[infinityBCRT]

Steam would require LucasArts to do work, which is basically a non-starter.

GOG would be a good choice, but I dunno, having to sign your name on a contract is so much effort

lol.

Yeah... LucasArts should do that but that shouldn't stop anyone from going on eBay to grab one of these games for dollars ( I literally saw XWA for around $8 including shipping today)

 

[Sentenza]

There were some jobs posted last year which suggested that they might be looking into it.

The thing that drives me insane is that they haven't given an honest-to-goodness shot at a Star Wars flight sim that could go mainstream. Locking down the game to flight stick only people (at least in XvT and XWA) and not giving a shot at the console market are two major gaffes that need to be corrected.

It would need to:
- Be on PC and consoles
- Have single player and multiplayer
- Offer all of the major controls you have in a normal X-Wing game (shield, weapon settings, docking). Maybe they'd have to make some stuff context sensitive, but it should all be there
- No turbo boosting
- default first person perspective
- Have streamlined controls to work on a dual analog controller
- On PC support keyboard/mouse only controls

Sounds simply atrocious, for the most part.