Talk:Utilities (Apocalypse)

Midnight Editor: X-Com Apocalypse

Filename: mexcomap.zip
Filesize:147kB
Author: Marcin Wichary
Version: 06.2a (internal v1.01)
Download:

Versions

Two version were common, both named mexcomap.zip

1. version 0.6, internal version 0.92, exe dated 1997-08-04 (size: 228,768), zip size 130,305 bytes.

which has basic functionality but appears more stable than

2. version 0.62a, internal version 1.01, exe dated 1997-09-09  (size: 382,976), zip size 152,454 bytes.

this version allows more options, including changing the score and weeks-elapsed.

Install

It has been +25years since v0.6. Your operating system may not like either of these files. This editor seems to have a problem when looking for folders and file. When clicking "Open Savegame" the default place to search starts at the My Documents folder. If your savegame is here, then you don't need to search for it. ...and by not having to search, it will eliminate the crash.

Try this if errors arise:

Extract mexcomap.zip to Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents. ...or whatever is your equivalent.
To Use Mexcomap:
1. Save your game, preferably a new save slot.
2. Alt-Tab to desktop if running the game (or quit the game if you want).
3. Copy over your recent savegame from Savegame folder (eg: \xcom3\savegame\ ) into My Documents.
4. Run MEXCOMAP.EXE, click Savegame tab, click Open Savegame button. Your recently copied over savegame should be somewhere in this list.
5. Edit the savegame however you want (see Errata below for hints), then save it. Ignore error messages, if any, by just clicking Ok each time.
6. Copy the newly edited savegame file back into the Savegame folder.
7a. Run the game if you quit and reload the edited savegame, or
7b. Click on the minimised game in the taskbar, Alt-Enter to maximise screen if it restored to a 640x480 window.
8. Reload that edited save.
9. Check all your labs for unassigned personel.

If mexcomap.exe is located somewhere other than My Documents, the program may fail to open the selected savegame.

Other Windows versions may work similar (not tested) since a similar My Documents folder appears to be common.

Errata

Cautions

• Savegames edited by other programs which changes research time-to-complete requirements will confuse this savegame editor and reset all ongoing and completed research projects to unresearched!
• Ammunition quantitys will be calculated from default original values (see below: "Stores Tab").
  

Relations
If an organsisation deems civilians to be hostile, they will be engaged in (one-sided) combat if present on the battlescape which may distract anyone currently hostile to X-Com. (ie: aliens and defence forces will kill off civilians)

• Friendly-Neutral-Hostile relationships between organisations will be carried over from other editors if they have been changed. These relations settings for civilians will be reset to neutral if you start a new game. If a new game:
• Civilians set to hostile can only work when editing a savegame.
• To do Hostile Civilians using Mexcomap:
  • Organizations Tab.
  • Select "Civilian"' in the lower selector box. X-Com and Civilians are present now in both boxes.
  • Click "Hostile" button. All sliders move to left side.
  • Click lower left button "Second->First to Second->All". Civilians are hostile to all. Do not click the other button directly above!
  • Click "Neutral" button. Civilians are now not hostile to (only) X-Com.
  • Press the "Save" button.
    

What this has just achieved is that -everyone- except X-Com, hates civilians and will now actively hunt them done and kill them all. It has just made future battlescape missions easier if civilians are present! ....but it will reduce your battlescape score.

Explainations

• Update Save Time = forces the weeks elapsed to this number, based on Tech Level. This will match UFO types to the week in which they normally appear, as listed here and (re)set the equipment level of defence forces and base invaders.

Errors

'Conservative Numbers
Don't do stupid quantity numbers. Avoid any number above 30,000 for base stores, 15,000 for craft health or ammo, and anything above 250 got unit attributes.
General Tab

• Finish construction of facilities may crash the game.
• Dig More Corridors may visually corrupt a Base Defence mission.
  

Facilities Tab

• Changing the build-days-needed to something shorter when the same type is under construction within your base may crash the game.
  

Stores Tab

• Ammuntion quantity per magazine/clip is calculated using original values.

eg: an un-edited Law Pistol Clip = 16rounds. A different editor earlier changed this 24rounds. To give your stores 100 clips of this 24round ammo:

{(New Clip Capacity ÷ Original Clip Capacity) × Stores New Quantity} = Stores Clip-Quantity Number

using the numbers above:

{(24 ÷ 16) × 100} = 150

To get 100 clips of 24round Law Pistol ammo, you must enter 150 into the Quantity box.
Research Tab

• Finished tick-box if 'ticked' may not allow continued research into further topics. To remove the error, untick box then set slider to 99% for any or all projects you want to finish quickly (even if they don't appear yet).
  

Score Tab

• Damage To City should not be set to a positive number. The game gets confused and you may lose all funding.
  

If you can, avoid using this editor. It works perfectly when it does but there are better ones. Use Apoc'd instead.

If has more general options and is stable but it does not edit: Score (and update), Date, Base Stores, Alien Cont and Research progress.

Some Things To Do

• If you change the date to 23:59:55 Sunday, 5th March, you'll get a "New Products" screen for all default items.
• Set the date of the first week to 23:59:59 Sunday, 12th March -after- you have set up your game (purchased vehicles and weapons, equipped agents properly, got facilities under construction, etc.). You won't need to muck about with Probes or Scouts and you'll be ready for crash-recoveries (minus the bio-module until researched and built).