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1995-04-03
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XCOMUTIL.EXE 0.2 for XCOM/UFO and TFTD by Scott T Jones, stjones@vnet.ibm.com
This program modifies GEOSCAPE.EXE or saved game files for X-COM: UFO Defense
(both with and without the 1.4 patch) and XCOM: Terror from the Deep, both
by MicroProse. It should also work with UFO: Enemy Unknown, but that has not
been tested. Use this program at your own risk, only after making backups of
the directories containing the files it modifies. IBM and I are not
responsible for any damages. You may freely distribute this ZIP file only if
it is not modified and no money is charged for distribution.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING: This is version 0.2, still a Beta test version. It has bugs and
has not been completely tested, but I think you will find it worth using.
Please report the bugs you find in the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic
newsgroup. Known bugs are listed at the end of this file. Fixes and
enhancement will be provided as my free time permits.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There seem to be a wealth of XCOM editors which people use to make XCOM
easier. Those are fine for novice XCOM players. However, after playing
several games at the superhuman difficulty level, anyone would get bored.
This program is intended to make XCOM interesting again, even challenging. It
is the result of my work decoding GEOSCAPE.EXE in the UFOEXE directory and the
files in the saved game directories, GAME_1 through GAME_10.
This is a DOS command line utility, not an interactive editor. It was
intentionally written that way to allow you to modify saved games without
learning everything about them and ruining the surprises.
Changes to GEOSCAPE.EXE can be made at any time, remembering to make a backup
copy before running XCOMUTIL. The best time to make changes to the saved game
files is just after you arrive at a combat scene. You should save your game
twice, using two different saved game numbers, then run XCOMUTIL against only
one of them. You can then reload the saved game with the modified files to
fight your enhanced battle. When you are done, you can reload your game from
the second saved game. This is very important if you are switching sides with
the aliens. In that case, success will mean the elimination of many of your
men, possibly including the loss of a ship or even a base.
The syntax of XCOMUTIL is as follows:
XCOMUTIL path [flags]
The path to the directory containing the files to be modified is required. If
it is not specified, or if the expected files are not found, a single screen
of help will be displayed. The level of XCOM: UFO Defense or XCOM: Terror
from the Deep will be determined automatically.
All operations on the files are controlled by the flags, all of which begin
with a slash and may be coded in any mixture of upper and lower case. Any
number of flags may be coded in any order.
Flags which modify GEOSCAPE.EXE are permanent changes which effect all future
combats. The path required for these flags is probably UFOEXE. The remaining
flags only effect the saved game files in the directory you select. The paths
required for these flags are probably GAME_1 through GAME_10.
Only objects which are carried by aliens or which are on the ground will be
changed by this program. Remember that the primary intent of this program is
to make the game more difficult. If you want to improve your own equipment,
use a different editor or utility.
The function of each flag is as follows:
WRT = Enable writing of changes to the files in the selected subdirectory.
You should be able to safely run XCOMUTIL as many times as you like
before running it with the WRT flag.
DIS = Display alien statistics. This displays all of the known information
about the files and shows the way the information would look if WRT were
used to actually modify the files. When this flag is used, many screens
of information will be displayed. You should either use the MORE
utility to make the listing pause at the end of each screen or redirect
the output to a file for later printing or viewing with an editor. For
example:
XCOMUTIL GAME_1 DIS | MORE
will display all of the information about the first saved game with a
pause at the end of each screen, while:
XCOMUTIL GAME_1 DIS >ABC.XYZ
will copy the same information to file ABC.XYZ. This flag will not
display the alien statistics in GEOSCAPE.EXE for XCOM:TFTD.
ACC = Set all alien accuracy and reaction scores to 100. This makes the
aliens shoot as soon as they see you. If they shoot, you will probably
be hit. This flag modifies GEOSCAPE.EXE. This flag does not work with
XCOM:TFTD.
BAS = Use the configuration for the default base that I feel is best. This
makes the game slightly easier. This flag modifies GEOSCAPE.EXE.
FLY = Add flying ability to all Celatids, Silacoids, and Engineers. This flag
modifies GEOSCAPE.EXE. This flag does not work with XCOM:TFTD.
PSI = Give Psi skill to all alien leaders and commanders. This flag modifies
GEOSCAPE.EXE. This flag does not work with XCOM:TFTD.
B2S = Change all alien blaster bombs and blaster launchers to stun bombs and
small launchers. This makes combat less dangerous.
S2B = Change all alien stun bombs and small launchers to blaster bombs and
blaster launchers. This makes combat more dangerous.
W2H = Change all alien pistol and rifle weapons to heavy weapons. This makes
combat more dangerous.
W2R = Change all alien pistol and heavy weapons to rifle weapons.
W2P = Change all alien rifle and heavy weapons to pistol weapons. This makes
combat less dangerous.
CHG:old:new = Change objects of type old to type new. This will change any
known object into any other known object. For example,
chg:alien-grenade:elerium-115 will change every alien grenade that is
carried by an alien or is lying on the ground into a clump of 50
elerium-115. Be very careful when using this flag. Unusable situations
can be created.
DEL:name = Delete all objects of type name. This is equvialent to using
CHG:name:NOTHING. This is useful for disarming aliens or making more
room for additional opponents.
LST = Display the list of all of the object names available for use by the
CHG and DEL flags.
DXC = Delete all extra clips carried by the aliens. This does not delete the
clips that are already loaded into weapons. This is used to free up
more room to be used for generating additional aliens.
typ:n = Add n units of SEC, SNA, ETH, MUT, FLO, CEL, SIL, CHR, REA, SPD, CYB,
CIV, or ALL. ALL:n is used to quickly specify n units of each of the
other types. This flag does not work with XCOM:TFTD.
Due to limited space in the object and unit tables, you may not be able
to add all of the aliens that you want. The game has a limit of 80
units of all kinds, including humans, aliens, and civilians. Tanks and
large aliens use 4 entries each. The game also has a limit of 170
objects. This must accomodate not only all of the equipment used by
both sides, but also the bodies that accumulate during the battle. I
strictly enforce both limits. You may want to use the DEL:name and DXC
flags to make more room.
All weapon carrying aliens are equipped with Heavy Plasma weapons and a
single clip. Thus, each one requires one entry in the unit table and
three entries in the object table. Large aliens use four entries in
each table. The remaining three types aliens and civilians use only one
entry in each table.
I simplified the distribution of the new units by placing them in the
same locations with existing units of the same s