Talk:XcomUtil
XcomUtil 9.7 Beta
I just made 9.7 Beta available on www.bladefirelight.com Most of the information about XcomUtil on the Wiki will be out of date and need to be reviewed. --BladeFireLight 18:28, 17 January 2010 (EST)
- Roger that. I really haven't had time to look at the new changes but I'll see it later Hobbes 19:11, 17 January 2010 (EST)
- Well, I tried running it, and noticed a few errors in the batch setup system:
- The existence of a directory can't be tested by using "if exist". It won't work on real DOS and many DOS emulations. The suggested workaround fails sometimes (see [1] or [2]).
- I dont have access to every platform. Your help on this would be invaluable.
- Please don't test existence of correct running environment for X-COM in the setup file (e.g. don't prevent patching windows version while running in dosbox, or vice versa). Or at least don't abort the setup, but just print out a warning. This is patronizing - it's none of Xcomutil business, and people who downloaded this probably already know how to run software. Besides, this is likely to ruin at least some possible combinations. Maybe some future bug in dosbox/Windows will make people want to run the setup batch file under cmd.exe/dosbox? Or maybe some people may even want to run XCOM CE in Wine for example, and the check keeps in the way? (Also there's a spelling error - "hoast" -> "host").
- I dont expect everyone who got the game for the first time from STEAM to know their way around the computer. If RunXcom uses 16bit EXE's setup in DosBox in Windows 7 x64 it will throw an error. I could integrate the system checks into RunXcom so It can select the right EXE's however for STEAM and similar setup with both EXE I would have to setup a menu in RunXcom to select what version to actually use if they have Steam on a 32 bit platform.
- 4DOS (v7.5 and v8) at least don't like X-COM environment variable name (it returns -COM when doing %X-Com%), and I suspect it may not work under MS-DOS's COMMAND.COM either. Try something like "%X_Com%" for example.
- That will be fixed soon.
- EnvClean.bat has an error in line 172: ser -> set.
- Fixed in build 204.
- Note that ansi escape sequences aren't necessarily supported on a real dos environment/emulation.
- Good point I will move that to DosBox only.
- FreeDOS breaks horribly on the setup files, but I think that's due to bugs on their end.
- I dont know what can be done about that.
- Thanks for continuing work on XComUtil.
- Your welcome. I should have started on this sooner.
- Btw, what's wrong with DosBox 0.73? It sure didn't stop XcomUtil 9.6.. Cesium 09:45, 18 January 2010 (EST)
- 0.73 had two changes. 1. the shell closes the batch file after each line and remembers where it was then reads the file again starting at the next line. (this was to alow for menus that modify themselves. 2. They made shift move %1 to %0. I'm sure you can see what that does. I do a special shift test to detect 0.73. While the basic setup would work none of the command line options would. This was fixed in there current nightly build 2 months back so it will be working in 0.74.
- I have verified the new setup works if 4DOS is used under DosBox 0.73 (with some small changes outlined above. 4Dos had to be started with "4DOS /E:16384"). Now to test the game.. Cesium 15:00, 18 January 2010 (EST)
- The existence of a directory can't be tested by using "if exist". It won't work on real DOS and many DOS emulations. The suggested workaround fails sometimes (see [1] or [2]).
- I uploaded build 204 last night to take care of the goto and "ser" issue, fixed the version display on the DosBox version detection is back on. --BladeFireLight 16:15, 18 January 2010 (EST)
Misc
There's still a lot more stuff that could be added here. Also, I've never used some of the flags mentioned, especially those concerning Geoscape/Game executable. More info from those who have used them would be nice.
Hobbes 07:56, 9 Nov 2005 (PST)
Difficulty Bug
are there any standalone patches the fix the difficulty bug, or does one just copy over the geoscape.exe file to a new Xcom folder once its patched by using XcomUtil 9becuase of no other alternatives... as you can see, I'm not a fan of it).
I don't know about any patches that fix the difficulty bug. BladefireLight has made a patch that changes the craft back to their original configuration. It can be found here at the XcomUtil forums
Hobbes 18:59, 9 Nov 2005 (PST)
9.7 will now be verry limited it what It forces to be changed. The difficulty bug and the security questions are still forced. If you just want the difficulty bug fixed. with 9.7 just run XcuSetup and lean on the enter key. --BladeFireLight 19:00, 17 January 2010 (EST)
The difficulty bug is only found in XCOM 1.0, and is fixed with the XCOM 1.4 patch, isn't it?
---MikeTheRed 20:16, 9 Nov 2005 (PST)
Unfortunately, no. For the PC, the difficutly bug is only officially fixed in the Windows port - or as I like to call it, 1.4ce.
P. S, it also pays to look at the header whenever posting anything onto the wiki to see if your cookies have let you down and your automatic login setting has been unchecked. This avoids your handle from turning into a mere user IP.
- NKF
Backups of .rmp files
Hey, I wrote up a thingo about the patched geoscape.exe. I'm not sure about the edited Xcom base tiles though, i guess the backups would be called XBASE##.XCU, and the edited, corrected tiles would be XBASE##.MAP. I'm not sure on this because there are *.RMP files within the MAPS folder. Has anyone played around with cutting and pasting things and found out which ones to move to a new fresh install of the game? Thx EsTeR
The RMP files are the files used by the AI and I don't think XcomUtil changes those, so the backup .xcu files are the older .map files.
EsTeR: Ok, i'll look into it. Just always thought that RMP go in the routes folder, and maps in maps folder. Yet, there seems to be both types in the maps folder. I guess i'll have a play when i swap puters to fire up Xcom1.
Is there an X-COM mod editor?
Is there something out there that lets people do their own mods to the game, such as changing/adding/removing weapons, technology trees, graphics, etc?
There's at least one editor that allow to change the weapons: http://www.jennana.com/projects/xcomed.php. As for the graphics/maps the only way to do it is manually.
Hobbes 18:18, 13 January 2007 (PST)
RMP files
Xcomutil does modify the rmp files when generating ship layouts. it just backs up all of them by default.
--BladeFireLight 21:50, 15 January 2007 (PST)
end of development
Should we note that Scott has oficialy stated he will no longer be deloping xcomutil?
--BladeFireLight 21:53, 15 January 2007 (PST)
Done.
Hobbes 07:28, 16 January 2007 (PST)
New development
Where do we write to discuss new development? In particular, I just found out that the EQL flag to generate an equipment list can only be done on turn 1 -- and it took me a couple of turns moving equipment around inside the craft before I had everyone at the right cargo level (no one overloaded). --Keybounce 00:31, 12 July 2007 (PDT)
Re-setting the ships to the default stats (dead simple)
Concerning the "But I don't want some features" section - this is a very strange and roundabout way to do this. Just edit the XComUtil.cfg! Scott T. Jones's comments give enough information for anyone to figure it out (even me!)
Perhaps the following text (or something like it) could be added to the actual page:
Opening XComUtil.cfg with any text editor, from lines 548 through 580 you will find the default stats and weapons for all X-Com ships in UFO (and in TFTD as well).
Note that these are the DEFAULT stats. So for example, the Skyranger class assault transport has no weapons hardpoint, and the Interceptor (a high performance plasma-stealth V/STOL MiG interceptor prototype with pulse-detonation engines, perhaps?) can of course NOT carry any troops, equipment or HWPs!!!!
Skipping over the section titled Default Ship Terrain, we come down to the ship and weapon stats that the game actually uses i.e. from lines 615 through 630, you find the UFO stats
and you can see that the Skyranger has a hardpoint, and the Interceptor (absurdly) has a transport capacity similar to a Mi-24.
To fix this, simply edit these numbers. I use the default values, which are given in lines 548 through 580. Then you just re-run XcuSetup.bat.
Happy gaming!
- Teukros 12:26, 16 December 2007 (PST)
SDUMP
Hey does anyone know where to get some more complete instructions for SDUMP? particularly the syntax of the PATCH ans MERGE features. Scott's page has a bad link to the documentation, and no examples of the above and the "sdump ???" is kinda cryptic and lacks examples. I am trying to patch missdat\uniref.dat with new aliens (appending new records).
- Fubar
Here are some examples of it's use:
http://members.aol.com/stjones/xcomutil/xcomhack.html
Though, yeah, they don't cover what you're after. I haven't actually played with it (I either use a hex editor or tools I've slapped together myself).
It would appear the patching feature would be handy if you wished to apply the exact same patch many times (without writing your own software to do so), but for a once off I'd simply find a hex editor that lets you copy and paste values right in.
Keep in mind each UNIREF record needs one or more respective UNIPOS records.
- Bomb Bloke 18:20, 10 February 2008 (PST)
Crashing
Whenever I try to start combat using the .bat file it told me to use to run the game, it doesn't start combat, just returns me to the desktop with cmd.exe up.--Locke 16:34, 26 September 2008 (PDT)
Select the cmd.exe window, and press control-C. The batch file will continue to the combat screen (or back to the geoscape screen if you get this problem after combat). It's a known issue with XcomUtil. Spike 16:42, 26 September 2008 (PDT)
Soldiers starting outside of vehicle
I was having trouble whereby each mission, some troops (sometimes more than half my force) would spawn far away from the landing vehicle, in mid-air. I run Avengers with a load of 10 soldiers, 4 tanks. The tanks always spawn properly.
I suspect this is related to the 'random terrain' feature. It looks like XcomUtil picks new terrain and puts the Avenger in a random place, and tries to move all the troops to match (and makes them face out the windows), but sometimes it 'misses' some soldiers. They're left where the Avenger presumably used to be, all facing forwards, all elevated off the ground. (Thankfully, they have flying suits, and don't hurt themselves when I move them.)
I've disabled random terrain, and now (a few battles later) I think they always all spawn in the vehicle, though some of them are facing forwards rather than out the windows. So it seems XcomUtil is still 'missing' some of them, but the effects are a lot less wacky.
Just a heads-up re: this feature. Spawning outside the vehicle makes it impossible to abort mission without taking losses, unless you can have them make a mad dash back to the lander. — Wisq 18:05, 14 December 2008 (CST)
- The problem might have to do with the map files. Try reinstalling the map files from backups (this will not fix any saved games though). I get these problems when I'm running terrain mods. Hobbes 19:39, 14 December 2008 (CST)
- Hmm, okay. As far as I know, the map files were from a fresh install, but I'm basing this on an archive I made of a fresh X-COM install a long time ago, so I don't know for certain it's clean. I did copy back the xbase* files to recreate the disjoin bug, but that should only affect the base defense missions.
- I re-ran XcuSetup.bat, selected "no" for random terrain, and it seems okay now. I also didn't bother mucking with the xbase* files this time. Mind you, I did get an interesting mission where my ship spawned with the rear ramp embedded in a pyramid... :P — Wisq 23:49, 14 December 2008 (CST)
XComutil has a very ballistic approach to the way it generates maps and populates them. For example if you use the UFO picker or the random UFO floorpan, you'll often find elerium pods lying out in the open in the same formation they were in the original map. Even with the map generation, it doesn't appear to have particular rules as to how to handle the creation some of the map blocks, like terror site roads or the fact that the transport needs to be created in a rectangular block of empty fields (though I feel the Skyranger inside the pyramids is mainly a problem with the more recent changes to the map randomizer).
It seems that it has a few glitches with how it moves the soldiers around. I found it mainly happened to me when I was using the Interceptors as transports, and often my troops would end up off the map - so I stopped using them. I believe the map manipulation side of Xcomutil was a bit on the experimental side, and hasn't had any major updates since Scott stopped working on it. -NKF 03:28, 15 December 2008 (CST)