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XcomUtil 9.7 Beta


BladeFireLight

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XcomUtil 9.7 is entering it's public beta phase. Feel free to Download from http://www.bladefirelight.com/.

 

This is a Beta, so backup your files before using. If you have issues pleas post them to XcomUFO.com in the XcomUtil forum.

 

New in this version.

 

  • Major overhall of the installer (XcuSetup) and the inclusion of 16/32bit exe's to support both DOSBox and Windows Vista/7 x64.
  • New subfolders added to hold supporting files making the install c leaner
  • New XcuSetup options were added to XcuSetup allowing for silent install and uninstallation.
  • New XcuSetup option for debugging the install (XcuSetup debug) creating debug.txt.
  • XcuSetup now can have minimal impact on the game.
    • All options default to NO.
    • Almost all changes are now prompted for (skyranger guns, interceptor as transport, Disjointed Base Bug, etc...).
      • Items still done by default:
      • Copy protection questions set to 0000000 for UFO 1.0-1.3 and X-Com 1.0
      • Difficulty bug fixed in UFO 1.0-1.4 and X-Com 1.0-1.4
      • Unique names for all maps in TFTD, Used for Hybrid Games

    [*]XCOMUTIL.CFG is now pieced together and overwritten by XcuSetup (see XcomUtil.txt for how to make permanent changes).

    [*]All game files are restored to the pre-XcomUtil state each time XcuSetup is ran. Any modifications by other utilities will have to be re-applied.

    [*]Recovery of MIA soldiers has been removed as it had a habit of resurrecting all KIA units to.

    [*]Vista/Win7 patch now an option for XcuSetup.

    • This will fix the blank screen issue.
    • Updated to support the split EXE.

    [*]XcuSetup attempts to fix UAC issues by resetting folder permissions.

    [*]A number of community made fixes are included and selectable with XcuSetup.

    [*]Support for the DOS/Window STEAM Install.

    • Windows EXE, just run XcuSetup from windows
    • to launch Dos version from Steam Run XcomUtil/SteamSetup.bat to activate menu then lauch from steam.

    [*]Out of the box support for UFO Extender. XcuSetup will detect it and ask if you want RunXcom to use it.

Edited by BladeFireLight
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I just tried it on TFTD CE on windows 7 (64bit). The installer works fine, I tell it to use the win7 patch, but when I started the game with runxcom.bat I got a black screen. After a while it did continue but the palette was wrong. I started a new game anyway, and waited for the first battle to pop up. When the triton landed at the UFO site and the game switched to the battlescape TftD crashed (I got an error from win7 telling me xcom wasn't working anymore and I chose to terminate it instead of looking online for a solution.) After that I got two more win7 error reports (xcomutil.exe doesn't work anymore, chose to terminate them again) and finally I got a debug error message telling me it couldn't load some missdat file I think, or palette file. After that I got the TftD results screen, where I had recovered huge amounts of alien sub components (first time I ran TftD so there were no previous missdat files it could take the results from), so many the score went into the negative! The game continued after that. Not sure how many of these errors were caused by TftD+win7 and which could be xcomutil faults (my guess is TftD crashed the battlescape and xcomutil didn't check if any of the missdat files it needed were actually present when it returned to the geoscape). Also, after quitting the game xcomutil got stuck in a loop I guess because it kept on launching geoscape, giving me that same results screen (and win7 error messages) every time. I had to use the task manager to kill it.

Anyway the second time I ran TftD with xcomutil it worked perfectly fine! :)

Edited by j'ordos
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I just tried it on TFTD CE on windows 7 (64bit). The installer works fine, I tell it to use the win7 patch, but when I started the game with runxcom.bat I got a black screen. After a while it did continue but the palette was wrong. I started a new game anyway, and waited for the first battle to pop up. When the triton landed at the UFO site and the game switched to the battlescape TftD crashed (I got an error from win7 telling me xcom wasn't working anymore and I chose to terminate it instead of looking online for a solution.) After that I got two more win7 error reports (xcomutil.exe doesn't work anymore, chose to terminate them again) and finally I got a debug error message telling me it couldn't load some missdat file I think, or palette file. After that I got the TftD results screen, where I had recovered huge amounts of alien sub components (first time I ran TftD so there were no previous missdat files it could take the results from), so many the score went into the negative! The game continued after that. Not sure how many of these errors were caused by TftD+win7 and which could be xcomutil faults (my guess is TftD crashed the battlescape and xcomutil didn't check if any of the missdat files it needed were actually present when it returned to the geoscape). Also, after quitting the game xcomutil got stuck in a loop I guess because it kept on launching geoscape, giving me that same results screen (and win7 error messages) every time. I had to use the task manager to kill it.

Anyway the second time I ran TftD with xcomutil it worked perfectly fine! :)

Did the Vista/Win7 fix actualy run (UAC prompt)

the errors your describing would imply i didnt detect the x64.

The missdat error is a complicated one. if I dont have a specific file in missdat xcomutrt will not be able to generate random ship files. While this is not related to the generation it's just how it's written. but if that one file is there Tactical will look for a bunch more file. in DOS it will continue on.

 

Can you send me a copy of your debug.txt in the game folder?

 

-Blade FireLight

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ok. Just posted Build 219

 

  • New command line argument "nobackup" skips backup only if it has been ran.
  • Fix f0ders loader path and option goto so it actually works.
  • Fix prompted terrain option to create correct flag file.
  • f0ders loader now available to Vista and Win7 users. (I have no idea if this will be of help)
  • replace "if exist" on folders with "if exist" on file.
  • Allow 0.73 with no command line args (as this is all it brakes)
  • %X-COM% to %XCOM% for older OS's
  • Fixed the beta message display
  • Fixed version display in deader
  • Fixed misleading message in SFX install scrip.

 

-Blade FireLight

Edited by BladeFireLight
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Build 221

  • Fix issue following issue with XcomUtil and STEAM.
    • only creating backups of the Windows EXE
    • only applying changes to the DOS EXE's

STEAM USERS need to run "Verify Integrity of game cache" before updating to this build.

 

-Blade FireLight

Edited by BladeFireLight
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Hi

 

I can't seem to get XComUtil 9.7 to work. I wasn't confident about using older versions because I wasn't really sure whether I could get them to work with my STEAM install of XCom UFO Defense. Version 9.7's support for STEAM sounded straightforward though, so I thought I'd give it a try.

 

I downloaded "XcomUtil 9.7 Beta-221.zip" and extracted it in

 

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\xcom ufo defense\XCOM\

 

I ran XcuSetup.bat which seemed to complete the install without any problems.

 

The problem seems to be with SteamSetup.bat. As I understand it I should run this and then be able to launch XCom via STEAM. When I run it however all that happens is that a cmd console appears for an instant then disappears. If I right click SteamSetup.bat and "Run as administrator" the console window stays with the following contents:

 

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\xcom ufo defense\XCOM\XcomUtil\

The system cannot find the path specified.

Game Not found. Unable to Configure Steam

Press any key to continue . . .

 

If I try to launch from steam all that happens is the desktop disappears for a second, as if the the game is starting, but then it returns to the desktop and nothing happens. I've also tried running the windows version with RunXcom.bat but that results in a black screen with the intro music which I have to end with task manager.

 

I have windows Vista and have tried different combinations of options during install with no luck. I'm just a bit confused now so I think it's time to ask for help. Hopefully I'm just missing something obvious or doing something silly. :)

 

 

Thanks

 

-Dangermouse

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SteamSetup just replaced ufocd.bat with XcomUtil\bat\go.bat It doesn't currently display anything. so long as C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\xcom ufo defense\DosBox.cfg has not been modified this should work.

 

As for the Windows version, you need to install the Vista graphics patch to get rid of the blank screen.

 

If your using Vista x64 hold off running from windows XcuSetup until I release the next build. The 32bit XcomUtil has a packing problem with structures and it will corrupt things. (You may notice maps\NoShip.map is 804 bytes instead of 803)

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SteamSetup just replaced ufocd.bat with XcomUtil\bat\go.bat It doesn't currently display anything. so long as C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\xcom ufo defense\DosBox.cfg has not been modified this should work.

 

As for the Windows version, you need to install the Vista graphics patch to get rid of the blank screen.

 

If your using Vista x64 hold off running from windows XcuSetup until I release the next build. The 32bit XcomUtil has a packing problem with structures and it will corrupt things. (You may notice maps\NoShip.map is 804 bytes instead of 803)

 

 

Still no luck I'm afraid. I've tried installing again, even doing a clean install of Steam. I ran SteamSetup.bat and then launched from Steam. The intro plays but the game quits after that or if I press any key. I have dosbox.conf not dosbox.cfg if that's relevant.

 

I said yes to install the vista patch and splitting the exe but I still get blank screen and music before having to end the program.

 

I have Vista 32bit btw (and my NoShip.map is 803 bytes).

 

Thanks

 

-Dangermouse

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SteamSetup just replaced ufocd.bat with XcomUtil\bat\go.bat It doesn't currently display anything. so long as C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\xcom ufo defense\DosBox.cfg has not been modified this should work.

 

As for the Windows version, you need to install the Vista graphics patch to get rid of the blank screen.

 

If your using Vista x64 hold off running from windows XcuSetup until I release the next build. The 32bit XcomUtil has a packing problem with structures and it will corrupt things. (You may notice maps\NoShip.map is 804 bytes instead of 803)

 

 

Still no luck I'm afraid. I've tried installing again, even doing a clean install of Steam. I ran SteamSetup.bat and then launched from Steam. The intro plays but the game quits after that or if I press any key. I have dosbox.conf not dosbox.cfg if that's relevant.

 

I said yes to install the vista patch and splitting the exe but I still get blank screen and music before having to end the program.

 

I have Vista 32bit btw (and my NoShip.map is 803 bytes).

 

Thanks

 

conf is correct I typeoed. Can you check the content of ufocd.bat after running steamsetup.bat

 

also If your up to it I would like to troubleshoot the patch, but you would need to install the compatibility tool kit and load up the shim definition. I can walk you through it on Google talk.

 

-Blade FireLight.

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After running SteamSetup UFOCD.bat has:

 

@echo off
cls
%1ufoexe\black
%1sound\sndstart
%1intro                %1
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufoexe\geoscape  "0" %1
if errorlevel 2 goto begin
goto end
:begin
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufo2exe\tactical "1" %1
:geo
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufoexe\geoscape  "1" %1
if errorlevel 2 goto begin
:end
%1sound\sndend

 

The original UFOCD.bat is the same. If it's supposed to be replaced maybe this is the problem?

 

I'm happy to troubleshoot the patch if you like, just let me know what I need to do.

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After running SteamSetup UFOCD.bat has:

 

@echo off
cls
%1ufoexe\black
%1sound\sndstart
%1intro                %1
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufoexe\geoscape  "0" %1
if errorlevel 2 goto begin
goto end
:begin
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufo2exe\tactical "1" %1
:geo
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufoexe\geoscape  "1" %1
if errorlevel 2 goto begin
:end
%1sound\sndend

 

The original UFOCD.bat is the same. If it's supposed to be replaced maybe this is the problem?

 

I'm happy to troubleshoot the patch if you like, just let me know what I need to do.

 

It's definatly not copying the file. Can you do this in SteamSetup

change the first line to

REM @echo off

and add this line to the bottom

pause

then run it again.

I would like to know what the "IF EXIST" lines say at the bottom.

 

Do you have a Google talk account?

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After running SteamSetup UFOCD.bat has:

 

@echo off
cls
%1ufoexe\black
%1sound\sndstart
%1intro                %1
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufoexe\geoscape  "0" %1
if errorlevel 2 goto begin
goto end
:begin
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufo2exe\tactical "1" %1
:geo
%1ufoexe\black
%1ufoexe\geoscape  "1" %1
if errorlevel 2 goto begin
:end
%1sound\sndend

 

The original UFOCD.bat is the same. If it's supposed to be replaced maybe this is the problem?

 

I'm happy to troubleshoot the patch if you like, just let me know what I need to do.

 

It's definatly not copying the file. Can you do this in SteamSetup

change the first line to

REM @echo off

and add this line to the bottom

pause

then run it again.

I would like to know what the "IF EXIST" lines say at the bottom.

 

Do you have a Google talk account?

 

The two lines near the bottom with "if exist" are:

 

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\xcom ufo defense\XCOM\XcomUtil>if exist

geodata\obdata.dat goto gameok

 

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\xcom ufo defense\XCOM>if exist geodata\o

bdata.dat goto gameok

 

 

I've signed up for a Google account so I can use Google Talk now.

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So far it works pretty good. I'm running Windows 7 x64 and have both the DOS and Windows versions of TFTD/UFO. There's a few bugs I've found so far though:

 

1. On either UFO/TFTD windows CE versions, the "Get research help from captured aliens" feature bugs up the researching. You can only research Laser/Gauss Weapons (the starting technology, not including the weapons), but nothing else. You can add scientists to the other projects but they won't appear in the research window and progress doesn't seem to be made. It works just fine in the DOS versions of either game.

 

2. Maybe I'm missing something, but is it impossible to have xcomutil randomly generate a new ship floorplan every map? It seems only the option for randomizing it once per game is available.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, found out the problem in the readme. Maybe during installation you could put a comment on the Xcomutil BFG that generating ship floorplans every battle requires it? In hindsight it makes perfect sense you would need it, but when I read the comment for the BFG the first thing I saw was "Randomize world map textures" and didn't realize it was actually a question asking me if I wanted to be asked another question. You could also just ask the question about whether to randomize the ship floorplans, then if the user decides they want it every battle just pop up a message on the Xcomutil BFG question saying that BFG has to be forced to on because of this.

 

3. This is more of a feature request, but for the "automatically reequip troops before combat" feature can you have it save the ammo loadouts as well? Specifically, with the increased research times from the aforementioned research mod, I'm relying a LOT on Gas Cannons in TFTD. Normally my loadout is 1 HE and 1 AP for each soldier and I want them to start with the HE rounds loaded, later to switch to AP only for situations like going into subs where I don't want to destroy valuable equipment. Unfortunately Xcomutil automatically reequips all my Gas Cannon troops with AP ammo instead of the HE ammo I want, which forces a lot of fiddling around on the equipment screen before battle.

Edited by Sanders
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1. On either UFO/TFTD windows CE versions, the "Get research help from captured aliens" feature bugs up the researching. You can only research Laser/Gauss Weapons (the starting technology, not including the weapons), but nothing else. You can add scientists to the other projects but they won't appear in the research window and progress doesn't seem to be made. It works just fine in the DOS versions of either game.

 

Are you on a x64 system? There are some issues with that I will be resolveing in the next release that should solve things like this. The size of data structures in memory are not matching the size in the EXE. This would have caused the default research table to overflow into the code when patched. On a side note the computations on the for the research days on the DOS version are messed up some how. they end up a few thousand days higher then intended. This bug was present in 9.6. This will also be fixed in the next build.

 

 

2. Maybe I'm missing something, but is it impossible to have xcomutil randomly generate a new ship floorplan every map? It seems only the option for randomizing it once per game is available.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, found out the problem in the readme. Maybe during installation you could put a comment on the Xcomutil BFG that generating ship floorplans every battle requires it? In hindsight it makes perfect sense you would need it, but when I read the comment for the BFG the first thing I saw was "Randomize world map textures" and didn't realize it was actually a question asking me if I wanted to be asked another question. You could also just ask the question about whether to randomize the ship floorplans, then if the user decides they want it every battle just pop up a message on the Xcomutil BFG question saying that BFG has to be forced to on because of this.

 

Good point. I will look over the wording.

 

3. This is more of a feature request, but for the "automatically reequip troops before combat" feature can you have it save the ammo loadouts as well? Specifically, with the increased research times from the aforementioned research mod, I'm relying a LOT on Gas Cannons in TFTD. Normally my loadout is 1 HE and 1 AP for each soldier and I want them to start with the HE rounds loaded, later to switch to AP only for situations like going into subs where I don't want to destroy valuable equipment. Unfortunately Xcomutil automatically reequips all my Gas Cannon troops with AP ammo instead of the HE ammo I want, which forces a lot of fiddling around on the equipment screen before battle.

 

I believe this is possible but it will have to wait until the next version.

 

-Blade FireLight

Edited by BladeFireLight
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Are you on a x64 system? There are some issues with that I will be resolveing in the next release that should solve things like this. The size of data structures in memory are not matching the size in the EXE. This would have caused the default research table to overflow into the code when patched. On a side note the computations on the for the research days on the DOS version are messed up some how. they end up a few thousand days higher then intended. This bug was present in 9.6. This will also be fixed in the next build.

 

Yeah, I'm on Windows 7 x64. Good to know that the issue is already known.

 

I actually thought the research times were appropriate as far as alien technology goes, forcing me to dedicate a hundred scientists AND capture a score of aliens just to gain access to sonic weapons in TFTD. After all, the description DID say "Greatly increased research times". It was just really annoying taking me all of January and most of February to get medkits WTF .

 

Exactly how high are the research times supposed to be with the aliens help research option enabled? I checked xcomutil.cfg and under the section for the research times with aliens help research enabled, the scientist-hours appeared to be exactly the same as during the standard game? Personally I think about a 5x multiplier to alien tech research times and a 2x multiplier to all x-com and hybrid tech (laser tech/medkit/UFO tech/Armor) would be a good balance, forcing players to work for those high tech weapons instead of just hiring 50 scientists and having them by February.

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The entries in xcomutil.cfg list the original days and the multiplier.

 

// Day Mul Cmd Ldr Eng Med Nav Sol 
50  10   0   0   0   0   0   0 //  0 Laser Weapons
  180  50   0   0  50   0  50   0 //  1 Motion Scanner
  210 100   0   0   0  80   0   0 //  2 Medi-kit
  500 100  50  25   0  80   0   0 //  3 Psi-Amp

  800 100  20  20  50   0  20  10 //  4 Heavy Plasma
  400 100  20  20  50   0  20  40 //  5 Heavy Plasma Clip

 

the multiplyer is / 10 so Laser is untouched at 50 days.

motion scanner: 180 * 5 = 900 days

medkids: 180 * 10 = 1800 days

 

it's Plasma clip where it goes nuts. the BCC 2.0 compiled code 400 * 10 = 8096 WTF

Edited by BladeFireLight
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I'd just like to say thank you so much for continuing to update XcomUtil after all these years.

 

With the recent Steam offer ($2 for all the X-Com games? OMG.), more people will be able to experience the goodness of UFO Defense and TFTD on modern systems. A few of my friends already bought the series and I've been pointing them to download XComUtil in order to improve their default X-Com experience.

 

Once again, thank you for your efforts and I'm looking forward to the next stable release. :)

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Ahh, OK. I thought the "difficulty multiplier" had something to do with the research time changing depending on the difficulty level. Having things like the Med-kit at 1800 days seems a bit extreme though, no? I mean its basically a suped up first aid kit, why should that take far longer then researching all of the laser weapons combined, which is future-tech stuff thats really advanced and comparable to alien weapons? If I'm reading this right laser weapons are completely unchanged at all, which is odd because you can pretty much win the game with just laser rifles on earlier difficulties.

 

Of course, this is all my opinion, if you think otherwise keep it as it is and I'll happily mess around myself as I like.

Edited by Sanders
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XcomUtil 9.7 is entering it's public beta phase. Feel free to Download from http://www.bladefirelight.com/.

 

This is a Beta, so backup your files before using. If you have issues pleas post them to XcomUFO.com in the XcomUtil forum.

 

New in this version.

 

  • Major overhall of the installer (XcuSetup) and the inclusion of 16/32bit exe's to support both DOSBox and Windows Vista/7 x64.
  • New subfolders added to hold supporting files making the install c leaner
  • New XcuSetup options were added to XcuSetup allowing for silent install and uninstallation.
  • New XcuSetup option for debugging the install (XcuSetup debug) creating debug.txt.
  • XcuSetup now can have minimal impact on the game.
    • All options default to NO.
    • Almost all changes are now prompted for (skyranger guns, interceptor as transport, Disjointed Base Bug, etc...).
      • Items still done by default:
      • Copy protection questions set to 0000000 for UFO 1.0-1.3 and X-Com 1.0
      • Difficulty bug fixed in UFO 1.0-1.4 and X-Com 1.0-1.4
      • Unique names for all maps in TFTD, Used for Hybrid Games

    [*]XCOMUTIL.CFG is now pieced together and overwritten by XcuSetup (see XcomUtil.txt for how to make permanent changes).

    [*]All game files are restored to the pre-XcomUtil state each time XcuSetup is ran. Any modifications by other utilities will have to be re-applied.

    [*]Recovery of MIA soldiers has been removed as it had a habit of resurrecting all KIA units to.

    [*]Vista/Win7 patch now an option for XcuSetup.

    • This will fix the blank screen issue.
    • Updated to support the split EXE.

    [*]XcuSetup attempts to fix UAC issues by resetting folder permissions.

    [*]A number of community made fixes are included and selectable with XcuSetup.

    [*]Support for the DOS/Window STEAM Install.

    • Windows EXE, just run XcuSetup from windows
    • to launch Dos version from Steam Run XcomUtil/SteamSetup.bat to activate menu then lauch from steam.

    [*]Out of the box support for UFO Extender. XcuSetup will detect it and ask if you want RunXcom to use it.

 

Hi, I'm very new to the xcom community. I just bought xcom on steam last week (the 2 dollar deal...so good) and though I'm looking forward to playing it, I don't want to do so without properly patching and fixing it up to the way it should be played based on all the community support.

 

Is there anything I should know about how to install xcomutil? Any special steps? Or do I just extract it to my desktop and then open the install file and it takes care of the rest?

Should I also go through the trouble of installing extender as well? XcomUtil and Extender are compatible?

 

I was told that this game runs much better in "dos" mode than "windows". Is that still true? or has xcomutil changed that? Or should I just run it in dos mode anyway? (even though I don't really know how to do that)

 

 

Just imagine you're playing xcom for the first time in years and you don't know anything about bugs, patches, fixes, dos, emulators...any of that stuff. You just wanna install the latest and greatest upgrades, and get on with playing the game the way it's meant to be played.

 

Know what I mean?

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Install XcomUtil by extracting the contents to your UFO defense or TFTD directories, then run xcusetup.

 

The DOS and Windows versions are entirely different versions of the game. You can't just run the Windows version in DOS or vice versa. They are entirely separate games, the same as a PS3 version of a game is different from a PC version. Ironically, the DOS version is the most compatible since it runs through a DOS emulator, while the windows version won't run on the newer Windows Vista or 7 systems without some modifications. Both Xcomutil and extender can make the windows version compatible with Windows Vista and 7.

 

Xcomutil works on both windows and dos versions of UFO defense and TFTD, extender only works on the windows version of UFO defense currently. Since the steam version of xcom is the DOS version, you won't be able to use xcom extender. Xcom extender adds a few nice features and fixes a few bugs that Xcomutil doesn't, so running them together is in my opinion the best solution, but the advantage is relatively minor and the game is fine without extender.

 

The Xcomutil settings I would suggest for your first game are:

 

Split the EXE (required for some Xcomutil options)

All of the options that specifically say "fix"

Sort troops before combat.

Automatically reequip troops before combat.

 

That keeps the actual game changes to a minimum and just applies fixes and takes away some small annoyances like needing to reequip 15 weapons/grenades/clips on all your soldiers every time you go into battle.

Edited by Sanders
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Install XcomUtil by extracting the contents to your UFO defense or TFTD directories, then run xcusetup.

 

The DOS and Windows versions are entirely different versions of the game. You can't just run the Windows version in DOS or vice versa. They are entirely separate games, the same as a PS3 version of a game is different from a PC version. Ironically, the DOS version is the most compatible since it runs through a DOS emulator, while the windows version won't run on the newer Windows Vista or 7 systems without some modifications. Both Xcomutil and extender can make the windows version compatible with Windows Vista and 7.

 

Xcomutil works on both windows and dos versions of UFO defense and TFTD, extender only works on the windows version of UFO defense currently. Since the steam version of xcom is the DOS version, you won't be able to use xcom extender. Xcom extender adds a few nice features and fixes a few bugs that Xcomutil doesn't, so running them together is in my opinion the best solution, but the advantage is relatively minor and the game is fine without extender.

 

The Xcomutil settings I would suggest for your first game are:

 

Split the EXE (required for some Xcomutil options)

All of the options that specifically say "fix"

Sort troops before combat.

Automatically reequip troops before combat.

 

That keeps the actual game changes to a minimum and just applies fixes and takes away some small annoyances like needing to reequip 15 weapons/grenades/clips on all your soldiers every time you go into battle.

 

 

So it doesn't matter what folder I extract xcomutil to? either ufo defence or TFTD? It'll update both games either way?

 

I talked to a guy on another forum who said that the Steam package includes both the dos version and the windows version. But he went on to say that the windows version is somewhat of a poor port of the game because alot of the sounds are really bad compared to the dos version. He also said that the purpose of extender was to fix all the windows glitches, but it doesn't necessarily improve on the game as much as xcomutil (though it does add other features that xcomutil does not, as you mentioned).

 

You said that I can't run extender on the steam version because it's dos. But then you said that it's best to run them together. So....I should install xcomutil and then install extender?

 

I'll use that list you gave me as a ready reference when setting up xcomutil. I don't really know what all those options are, but I will whole heartedly agree with "sort troops before combat".

I test drove the game for about an hour and a half last night and I found re-equiping soldiers before combat to be a monumental pain in the donkey. I'm trying to keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses of each individual soldier and what they should be used for, but the way the game is set up, simply memorizing them by name and knowing them intimately isn't quite enough for me. I feel like I'm gonna have to write it all down as a ready reference(you know, exactly which soldier gets what gun, and what position he's suppose to be during combat, etc....).

 

By the way, my entire squad got wiped out on the very first ufo landing zone(it was ufo number 3, and they were just landed...not crashed). ya ya, laugh it up ya big jerk. I'm new, ok???

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If you want to use xcomutil with both UFO Defense and TFTD, you have to extract it to BOTH folders and run it TWICE. It will only update the game you run it in.

 

I didn't know steam provided both windows and dos versions. In that case I would recommend running the windows version with extender ontop of xcomutil. To do this, extract the xcom extender files to the UFO defense folder first before you run Xcusetup, xcomutil will detect the extender and make sure things work properly.

 

One of the nice features of the Extender is that during the phase of combat where you are arming soldiers, you can see their relevant stats so you know what to arm them with, so that solves one of your problems. I believe that Xcomutil and Extenders automatic soldier reordering and equipping mods interfere with each other though, so only use one of them. Keep in mind that the extender works ONLY for the windows version of UFO Defense, not for TFTD.

 

I believe there was a fix to change the windows version's sounds back to those of the DOS version, but I can't remember where it was. Its really not that big of a deal though.

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I just finished installing all the extender and xcomutil patches.

 

Phew.....It was a little involving. But the thing that troubles me the most is that alot of the instructions didn't quite work out the way it said it would. But I didn't get any error messages, so I hope everything's going to be ok once I actually start playing.....

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I do appreciate all the trouble people go through to do this stuff. But I can't help but wish they would make it just a little bit more simplified. You know, like "press this button, and everything will be installed into the right folders automatically without you having to ever lift a finger or use your non tech oriented brain to figure out stuff you really know nothing about"
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Exactly as I thought. There was somekind of obscure error message when I started xcom and not only were there some oddball sound bugs during the intro, but once I started the game, it was clear to me that the patch had not been properly applied.

 

Frick....I'm losing patience for all this. I just wanna play the damn game already rather than fiddling around with these finniky programs that may or may not do what they're suppose to do.

 

Boourns!!!

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lest you wonder, here's a link to a list of extended mods that I installed prior to xcomutil. I followed their instructions best I could.

http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Enemy_Unknown_Extended

 

Then, I installed xcomutil in both the xcom and TFTD folders. It recognized extended during the installation. Didn't seem to have a problem with it....

 

It also said to open steamsetup.bat if I want to run it through steam. But I opened it multiple times and it never did anything. So....now what?

Unless someone's able to explain what the crap is wrong with this thing in a reasonbly time effecient and painless manner, I'm compelled to delete everything and try to use JUST xcomutil for the purpose of fixing the difficulty bug.

That being said, I would do that mournfully, because I wouldn't want to miss out on some of the great benefits of having extended as well.

 

woe is me.....

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According to the readme I think after you run Steamsetup.bat, which modifies the steam menu so that you can launch the game from steam, you need to start xcom through steam. Otherwise, have you tried starting up xcom through Runxcom.bat? If that doesn't work, just go with Xcomutil. You really aren't missing out on much and it isn't worth the trouble. Edited by Sanders
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I do appreciate all the trouble people go through to do this stuff. But I can't help but wish they would make it just a little bit more simplified. You know, like "press this button, and everything will be installed into the right folders automatically without you having to ever lift a finger or use your non tech oriented brain to figure out stuff you really know nothing about"

 

I do have an alpha version of an installer that copies all the files to the right folders, but there is no guarantee as to the location of Xcom. the search functions was massively slow and who wants to wait 10 minuets for the program to search for every copy of xcom on your computer. It's easier to just tell it where the game is installed.

 

-Blade FireLight

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According to the readme I think after you run Steamsetup.bat, which modifies the steam menu so that you can launch the game from steam, you need to start xcom through steam. Otherwise, have you tried starting up xcom through Runxcom.bat? If that doesn't work, just go with Xcomutil. You really aren't missing out on much and it isn't worth the trouble.

 

 

So I double click on steamsetup.bat, and for 1 instant, I see a dos box appear, then disappear.

...ok, so then I go into steam and open up xcomufo defence, and it opens up through the dos box thing. Then it gives me the option to run xcomutil, so I click yes. Then it gives me an error message that says thus :

 

"xcuSetup can not detect the host OS need to run ufo Win you must start XcuSetup and play UFO win from windows"

 

then it goes through an extensive process of 'resetting to defaults' and the game resumes as though no changes were made. Although, as I noted before, I did notice that there seems to be a miscalculation in the intro and alot of the noises and sound effects are kind of delayed and happen at the wrong times.... So there's SOMEKIND of change that has remained. Though it's not particularly a good one.

 

The other thing I find perplexing about this is I'm still not entirely sure where the extender fits in. I mean...I installed it. I didn't UNinstall it. All the files are still there and whenever I run xcusetup, it always recognizes the presence of the extender. But when I play the game, it doesn't seem to me that the extender is present. For one thing, a big part of the extender is "new music and sound effects" and none of those changes seem to have been implemented successfully.

 

 

So this is just my complaint about how confusing this whole process is. I follow the complicated step by step instructions, and SOMETHING ALWAYS goes wrong....

Such is the story of my life when it comes to computers.

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That is odd. I will look into if the last build caused any issues with steam and the OS detection.

 

Remember this is a BETA. Steam combat-ability is new and still being tested.

 

-Blade FireLight.

 

Well sure but....am I the only one having this problem? If I'm not, then fine. It's a beta. No big deal.

But if I am, then I have reason to pout. Maybe it's my fault somehow....???....

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That is odd. I will look into if the last build caused any issues with steam and the OS detection.

 

Remember this is a BETA. Steam combat-ability is new and still being tested.

 

-Blade FireLight.

 

Well sure but....am I the only one having this problem? If I'm not, then fine. It's a beta. No big deal.

But if I am, then I have reason to pout. Maybe it's my fault somehow....???....

 

Luckily you have STEAM. run "Verify Integrity of Game Cashe" in steam an your back to an unmodified game. then you can try to setup XcomUtil gain.

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Build 305 Released

 

Some major restructuring of Environment Variables to fit within the limits of the forthcoming DosBox 0.74. Previous LastOp.bat files will no longer work. (should limit XcuSetup's Environment usage to about 980 bytes. Will no longer crash DosBox 0.73 by overrunning environment buffer)

Corrected a massive error that caused corruption on x64 systems.

 

I recommend you uninstall the previous version of XcomUtil before installing this one. (or delete LastOp.bat)

 

New items:

  • Backup and restore of additional folders added.
  • Allow install on Unknown OS with warning.
  • Re-order some option questions and adjust wording.
  • Correct File location that was causing Random ship generation to hang or crash.
  • Fixed Vista/Win7 Patch to run on Vista. (Thanks Dangermouse)
  • Environment Vars size shrunk. This invalidates previous lastop.bat (Thanks to Peter on the DosBox Team)
  • Fix issues with using space in IF statement in dosbox and Dos 5.0
  • Clean up environment test variable to free up space
  • Backup and Restore: Fixes time out issues on DosBox. Adds progress display.
  • Set Default to split EXE.
  • Allow xcusetup for Dos games in x64 OS with warning
  • Switched compiler to Open Watcom for ResFix and ResINfo
  • New code to detect EXE version and adjust Max Research in ResFix and ResInfo
  • Resfix will no longer execute on UFO
  • Switched compiler to Open Watcom xcomutil xcomutrt and sdump.
  • Fixed issues with 32bit structure packing leading to wide spread file corruption
  • Fixed Alien Research Help math error

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I re-read your error message and you may have and older beta build. what build number is at the top when you get the OS detection error?

 

-Blade FireLight

 

Ok so I've mucked around with it a little more.

 

First, I verified the game integrity files like you said. Then I installed ONLY the extender mods and JUST ran that through the loader. I was surprised to find all the extender fixes and advances in place with a few minor problems...

1. There was definately a graphics glitch I kept encountering, not all that disimilar to the one I keep encountering with starcraft

2. The scroll speed in the combat scenarios is so rediculously high, even after I turned it down all the way, that it made the combat virtually unplayable.

 

But it was nice to see that mod work for the most part, thus rekinkling my faith that this isn't a lost cause.

 

There are several things promised in xcomutil that I can't go without, however. I still want the reorganized starting base as well as the soldier stats and pre equiped and organized weapons, etc....

 

I tried reinstalling xcomutil, like you said, with the same OS problem. At the top of the screen, it says "beta version 9.7 (build 221)"

It is the copy I downloaded straight from your website not more than a couple days ago.

 

I decided to try one more thing before reporting back to you.

 

When I run ufo defence from steam for the first time after installing and setting up xcomutil, I get a menu in dos that gives me 3 options

1. setup xcomutil

2. play xcom

3. uninstall xcomutil

 

I figured perhaps it's odd that I'm setting up xcomutil AGAIN, since I already did before running xcom. So I decided, this time around, to just select option 2 and play xcom. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe it doesn't need to be setup again upon starting xcom.

 

Much to my dismay, everytime I do that, all it does is crash to windows.

 

This is my report. I do sincerely hope we'll be able to find a solution to this seemingly trivial problem. And I do hope to not have to bugger with this thing everytime I wanna play. Or if I wanna get it all setup now and then start playing it 6 months from now.... know what I mean?

 

Well, thanks for your help thus far anyhow.

Edited by NateDogg
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I tried reinstalling xcomutil, like you said, with the same OS problem. At the top of the screen, it says "beta version 9.7 (build 221)"

It is the copy I downloaded straight from your website not more than a couple days ago.

 

Try Build 305 I uploaded today. Uninstall 221 then install the new one. If it still gives an error attach the debug.txt from the game folder. I know it works with steam as I have been using it with no issues.

 

If you have a Google talk account PM and I will give you mine, I would be happy to troubleshoot the issue with you.

 

-Blade FireLight

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I tried reinstalling xcomutil, like you said, with the same OS problem. At the top of the screen, it says "beta version 9.7 (build 221)"

It is the copy I downloaded straight from your website not more than a couple days ago.

 

Try Build 305 I uploaded today. Uninstall 221 then install the new one. If it still gives an error attach the debug.txt from the game folder. I know it works with steam as I have been using it with no issues.

 

If you have a Google talk account PM and I will give you mine, I would be happy to troubleshoot the issue with you.

 

-Blade FireLight

 

Boourns, it happened again. Except this time, the only error message was 2 lines of "illegal command" or something to that effect. Seemingly inconsequencial.

Gr....

 

Once again, I'm curious to know if I'm suppose to press 1 for "setup xcomutil" (even though I already did that previously in windows before opening xcom) or if I should press 2 for "play xcom"

 

PM? I don't have a google pm account. I suppose I could get one. I would definately have to set aside an evening to connect with you. I can't help but think it might be a little easier if we talked on the phone. Where do you live? I live in vernon bc canada.

 

Let me know.

Thanks bra

 

P.S. oh ya, I almost forgot. The debug document you requested. Now, I did open it to see if there was anything that resembled the error message I had, and there wasn't....

I don't know how you understand that stuff. It's like a totally different language. Except languages are easier. And I only know english.

But I do hope it helps.

 

Wow...I feel like a....program tester!!!!

you should be PAYING ME FOR THIS!!!!!

Edited by NateDogg
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Blade FireLight,

 

The version of XComUtil you gave me has been working fine and I've switched to build 305 with no problems.

 

It seems that the sorting soldiers before combat option doesn't install automatically though. The relevant section is not added to XCOMUTIL.cfg after running setup so I had to add it manually. (True of build 305 and the one you gave me.)

 

Also does SteamSetup.bat run automatically now because the game launches properly from Steam without my running it manually? (This is on a fresh "xcom ufo defense" folder so there's no hangover from my previous install.)

 

 

 

 

 

NateDogg,

 

I've found with Steam that the best thing for experimenting with XComUtil is to keep a copy of the original, unmodified program folder "xcom ufo defense" (by default this is in C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\). Then if things go wrong you can just delete the "xcom ufo defense" folder you've been using and replace it with the copy you kept for an instant fresh install.

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wow I wonder how i missed that one. I will fix the config in the next build.

 

SteamSetup auto runs on the EXE version of the download. If you blink you miss the black box flashing on the screen.

 

I have always just deleted all but the save folders and had steam replace the files when I wanted to refresh back to a clean copy.

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Build 317

 

Don't forget to re-run XcuSetup after you extract the files. For a almost quite install use "XcuSetup lastop skip"

If upgrading from pre-305 versions you need to uninstall with "XcuSetup uninstall" and run XcuSetup Fresh.

 

You can now use XcuSetup in Windows to configure a game you intend to play in DosBox OR run XcuSetup in DosBox and play from Windows. Even on x64 systems. XcuSetup can be slow in Dosbox this will allow for faster setup.

 

RunXcom now makes on-the-fly choices about x86 vs x64 XcomUtil EXE's and Steam Dos vs Windows. If you have Vista or Win7 x64 and a Steam copy you can switch between Dos/Windows Xcom by either runing from Steam or directly starting RunXcom.

 

A few caveats for STEAM users. Because of how XcomUtil detects the game, while XcuSetup will apply changes to both EXE's. Running XcomUtil from the command line will only effect the Dos version.

 

Complete List of changes.

 

  • XcuSetup can be run from windows and RunXcom run from DosBox
  • Renamed "New Laser" to Alternate Laser
  • SortStats now back in XcomUtil.cfg
  • Runxcom now uses x86 or x64 EXE's based on OS at time of execution
  • Steam choice of Windows or DOS EXE now based on if RunXcom is started in DosBox.
  • Xcomutil settings applied to both EXE's in Steam
  • SteamSetup.bat displays message on success.
  • Minor error fixes with 4DOS
  • Better handling of unknown OS.
  • New Steam Menu Options
    • Run X-Com Sound Setup
    • eXit to Windows

-Blade FireLight

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You need to uninstall the older version and install the new build fresh.

 

And Yes you have to run the setup from Steam. Because you ran the setup from Windows RunXcom.bat is trying to start the Windows version of the program from inside of DOSBox. this is why your getting the error.

 

I did uninstall it first before the new version and it still had the same problem. So I did what dangermouse said and I completely deleted anything "ufo defence" related and then reinstalled it fresh from steam.

 

then I decided to JUST install the extender alone and play that first. I found that the graphics were glitchy, as well, there were some features promised in the extender that were not present, such as, soldier stats and rank on display during equip phase before combat.

 

Now I know you don't deal with extender, but if it's not installing properly in the first place, would that create a conflict with xcomUtil???

I only ask you because it would be nice to get a quick answer before having to hunt down some other forum and spend days dealing with those guys too.

 

In any case, I downloaded and extracted the new build. Then I ran xcom straight from steam without doing the setup thing. It put me through all the same setup features except this time I had the option of setuping up the sound as well. Well....I suppose that's nice except I don't know anything about my sound blaster stuff. So I just picked some random configurations and went ahead with playing xcom. Only now, the game freezes before the intro.

Edited by NateDogg
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Can you post a copy of debug.txt and UFOExtender.ini With them I should be able to replicate your issue.

 

While I dont support the extender I do know all it's featurs are OFF by default and have to be configured in the INI. I had issues with the graphics with it two at first. I had to turn on the Video Pitch and D3D. Your milage may varry.

 

f0dder loader and UFO extender are incompatible. with each other.

 

XcomUtil and UFO Extender effect a few of the same offsets in the EXE. Xcomutil modifies the file directly while Extender does it in the RAM as the program loads. If you use both to make the same change you may get unexpected results or it may work fine. Most of What XcomUtil is done by modifying the game files in Missdat. The original DOS game had two programs Geoscape and Tactical. When combat starts Geoscape saves the game in Missdat and Tactical would load it. The windows version just wraps the two programs into one and continues to use misdat.

 

-Blade FireLight

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Can you post a copy of debug.txt and UFOExtender.ini With them I should be able to replicate your issue.

 

While I dont support the extender I do know all it's featurs are OFF by default and have to be configured in the INI. I had issues with the graphics with it two at first. I had to turn on the Video Pitch and D3D. Your milage may varry.

 

f0dder loader and UFO extender are incompatible. with each other.

 

XcomUtil and UFO Extender effect a few of the same offsets in the EXE. Xcomutil modifies the file directly while Extender does it in the RAM as the program loads. If you use both to make the same change you may get unexpected results or it may work fine. Most of What XcomUtil is done by modifying the game files in Missdat. The original DOS game had two programs Geoscape and Tactical. When combat starts Geoscape saves the game in Missdat and Tactical would load it. The windows version just wraps the two programs into one and continues to use misdat.

 

-Blade FireLight

 

Why would extender be a patch that turns off its own features by default without at least prompting you first? That doesn't make any sense. It's like giving someone a present that can only be opened with a jackhammer, but if you're "too rough" with it, you'll break it by accident and have to start all over. This is why it would be nice if these updates and patches were more consumer friendly.....

 

Well, I suppose it makes sense that extender's features would be off by default IF the person is planning to use XcomUtil at the same time, thus preventing the conflicts that you're talking about.

 

I don't know what fodder loader is. But if it comes with extender automatically, that further perplexes me as to why the program is designed to conflict itself. Is extender really worth all this trouble in the first place?

 

Thanks again for your help. I hope you're having as much fun with this as I am.

DEBUG.TXT

UFO_Extender.ini.txt

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Can you post a copy of debug.txt and UFOExtender.ini With them I should be able to replicate your issue.

 

While I dont support the extender I do know all it's featurs are OFF by default and have to be configured in the INI. I had issues with the graphics with it two at first. I had to turn on the Video Pitch and D3D. Your milage may varry.

 

f0dder loader and UFO extender are incompatible. with each other.

 

XcomUtil and UFO Extender effect a few of the same offsets in the EXE. Xcomutil modifies the file directly while Extender does it in the RAM as the program loads. If you use both to make the same change you may get unexpected results or it may work fine. Most of What XcomUtil is done by modifying the game files in Missdat. The original DOS game had two programs Geoscape and Tactical. When combat starts Geoscape saves the game in Missdat and Tactical would load it. The windows version just wraps the two programs into one and continues to use misdat.

 

-Blade FireLight

 

Why would extender be a patch that turns off its own features by default without at least prompting you first? That doesn't make any sense. It's like giving someone a present that can only be opened with a jackhammer, but if you're "too rough" with it, you'll break it by accident and have to start all over. This is why it would be nice if these updates and patches were more consumer friendly.....

 

Well, I suppose it makes sense that extender's features would be off by default IF the person is planning to use XcomUtil at the same time, thus preventing the conflicts that you're talking about.

 

I don't know what fodder loader is. But if it comes with extender automatically, that further perplexes me as to why the program is designed to conflict itself. Is extender really worth all this trouble in the first place?

 

Thanks again for your help. I hope you're having as much fun with this as I am.

 

 

The extender doesn't "turn off" features as such it just comes with a clean UFOextender.ini so you can activate what you like, mostly by changing 0's to 1's. This page has a link (no. 5 under Download) to a pre-configured UFOextender.ini. Maybe you can start with that?

 

 

 

I suppose restoring the original files via Steam isn't much more difficult than copying manually. I run the game with a shortcut to the dosbox executable rather than always launching Steam so copying folders just means I don't have to bother with Steam at all.

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The extender doesn't "turn off" features as such it just comes with a clean UFOextender.ini so you can activate what you like, mostly by changing 0's to 1's. This page has a link (no. 5 under Download) to a pre-configured UFOextender.ini. Maybe you can start with that?

 

 

 

I suppose I could mess around with it. But now I'm paranoid to turn on any functions that might also be used by XcomUtil, thus creating the conflicts that Blade was talking about. Maybe it'd just be best to leave it off altogether?

 

I guess I could go through learning about each individual function and what it does and how it coincides with XcomUtil. But to tell you the truth, this whole xcom thing is starting to get a little daunting. Alls I wanna do is play my stinking video game

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I suppose I could mess around with it. But now I'm paranoid to turn on any functions that might also be used by XcomUtil, thus creating the conflicts that Blade was talking about. Maybe it'd just be best to leave it off altogether?

 

I guess I could go through learning about each individual function and what it does and how it coincides with XcomUtil. But to tell you the truth, this whole xcom thing is starting to get a little daunting. Alls I wanna do is play my stinking video game

I'm almost positive that UFOExtender and XcomUtil are compatible with each other because as Blade mentions, XcomUtil modifies the executable(s) while UFOExtender edits stuff in memory when the game is loaded.

 

If you are still worried about conflicts, I'd suggest installing and getting XcomUtil to run first. If the game runs fine, then install the extender too. If something doesn't work after the extender is installed, then you may want to leave a message for Seb76 at his user discussion page at the X-COM wiki. :)

 

- Zombie

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Your INI is not the default one that it comes with. I will setup a game with this one and see how it runs.

 

Your debug log shows that you never went byond the system checks and that you ran XcuSetup from Steam, while it should allow for being configured with Extender from DosBox you would need to run RunXcom from windows to acualy use the extender. (I havent tested senario and will do so tonight) You will need to run XcuSetup again and respond Yes to prompts on System Check, Restore and Backup. I use them as exit points for debuging. the next public build will just use pause to avoid acidental early exit.

 

After the file Backup XcuSetup will ask all the questions on what changes to make to the game. Only the Split EXE is on by default.

 

As to being more "consumer friendly". Before Steam and others re-released X-Com most of the online community was filled with old time players from the days of DOS, and doing things manually is something we are used to. The general consensuses in the community has been to not automatically make any adjustments allowing each player to modify the games as they like. Seb and I are also doing this for free, so adjustments are based on what we are willing to take the time to do. Only reason I have made such progress as of late is thanks to being unemployed at the moment.

 

-Blade FireLight

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