How to install / why are the packages not described?

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Re: How to install / why are the packages not described?

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Rookie_One1
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Post by Rookie_One1 » Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:26 pm

For a good measure, here what remain (not counting the updates that are coming because of all those hooks). As you can see, it's mostly stations in there :

General Starfighters
StarViper

Imp Starships
Imperial Research Ship

General Starships
Bulk Cruiser
Maurauder class corvette (datadroid did one that is in Darksaber DSUCP a while ago, but not sure it's up to spec for the project, nor if he would want to or can give the project permission to use it)

Stations and Facilities
Asteroid Mining Unit
Asteroid Shipyard
Cargo Facility 2
Deep Space Manufacturing (FAC/1)
Derylin Platform
Dunaris Rest
Family Repair Yard
Golan Space Station I
Golan Space Station II
Golan Space Station III
Processing Plant
Repair Yard
Shipyard
Space Colony 1
XQ-1 Platform
XQ-2 Platform
XQ-3 Platform
XQ-4 Platform
XQ-6 Platform

Shuttles and Light Transports
Assault Shuttle
Combat Utility Vehicle
Escort Transport

Freighters and Cargo Stuff
Cargo Canister
Cargo Freighter/Tanker
Container Hangar
Pressure Tank

Beings and Droid
Emkay
Neutral Pilot(not listed)
Rebel Pilot (Not listed)

Misc
Asteroid Turbo Laser
Asteroid Warhead Launcher
Homing Mine Type B
Large Gun/Warhead Emplacement
Rubble, Debris and Junk
Sensor Array
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Oldcode
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Post by Oldcode » Wed Jan 09, 2019 5:45 pm

I submitted the Pressure Tank and Dunaris casino on another thread. The modeling is done but they need to be textured. They have been downloaded about 30 times as of now, so hopefully, somebody can come up with some decent textures and then submit them to DarkSaber for his approval.

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Forceflow
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Post by Forceflow » Wed Jan 09, 2019 6:26 pm

Okay, so I enhanced the downloads page a bit. It's far from perfect but I do hope that it will make life easier for those new to the site. (Though to be honest, there might be some old folks as well that kind of get confused as to what's in what...)

So I added a small introduction text and also added a mark to all ships that are not included in the current XWAUCP. Let me know what you think and if you have an idea on how to improve on it. In addition to that DTM made a 'FOR BEGINNERS' guide that I will make sticky in the forum and look for a good place to link in the main page.
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Driftwood
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Post by Driftwood » Wed Jan 09, 2019 6:47 pm

I think that's a pretty nice addition. One question I have though is related to the hook updates DS includes in the most recent installer. My concern is say somebody downloads all the new listed ships, but instead of installing them in the order released one say installed the assault gunboat, then installs the luxury yacht. Is that going to overwrite the most recent hooks? If so, perhaps its be better (possible?) to have the exe run the hook update and move the most recent hooks to the XWA robot folder.

Otherwise perhaps a visible most recent version date can be added to the download with a brief reason/instruction regarding install order?

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Oldcode
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Post by Oldcode » Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:25 pm

It is definitely more user friendly. Having that list of all the hooks and patches even before the ships are listed is confusing I think.

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Forceflow
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Post by Forceflow » Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:32 pm

Oldcode wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:25 pm
It is definitely more user friendly. Having that list of all the hooks and patches even before the ships are listed is confusing I think.
Good point, really doesn't make much sense. I adjusted that as well.
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Darksaber
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Post by Darksaber » Wed Jan 09, 2019 9:25 pm

The problem is though most of those Hooks and Utilities are out of date now

The same goes for the Super backdrop installer, (DTMSBv1.0.exe) as the missions within it have since been updated, with slightly different backdrop co-ordinates.

Plus the updated version is included within the XWAUCP v1.5
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keiranhalcyon7
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Post by keiranhalcyon7 » Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:26 am

Thanks, ForceFlow. I think (hope?) these changes will go a long way towards alleviating newcomer decision paralysis.

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Darksaber
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Post by Darksaber » Thu Jan 10, 2019 1:24 am

Image
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Forceflow
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Post by Forceflow » Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:13 pm

Darksaber wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 9:25 pm
The problem is though most of those Hooks and Utilities are out of date now

The same goes for the Super backdrop installer, (DTMSBv1.0.exe) as the missions within it have since been updated, with slightly different backdrop co-ordinates.

Plus the updated version is included within the XWAUCP v1.5
Well, we can always update to the proper hooks, or else we just link to the respective forum threads...
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Driftwood
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Post by Driftwood » Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:57 pm

Why not just link the hook updater instead. Then there shouldn't be version mismatch issues since you can copy paste it all in one go. Otherwise why not also update the auto downloader to install and overwrite the files in the xwa root directory automatically?

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JeremyaFr
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Post by JeremyaFr » Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:06 pm

For the hooks, we can add XwaHooksSetup.
XwaHooksSetup is a tool to easily download the hooks for X-Wing Alliance.
XwaHooksSetup.zip

We can also add a link to the Wiki page for the Hooks.

For the tools, we can add XwaToolsDownloader.
XwaToolsDownloader is a tool to easily download the editing tools for X-Wing Alliance.
XwaToolsDownloader.zip

This tool download:
  • XwaDatEditor
  • XwaCbmEditor
  • XwaOptEditor
  • XwaImcEditor
  • XwaSnmConverter
  • ZtPatcher
TgSmush:
This new TgSmush.dll permits to play high definition custom cutscenes.
This dll includes the code of XWA Cutscene Replacer (XCR) written by Isildur.
TgSmush.2.2.zip
Last edited by JeremyaFr on Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Darksaber
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Post by Darksaber » Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:44 pm

The TGSmush file is now at v2.2 so fresh link to that would be good please Jeremy :) unless Forceflow hosts it, I doubt it will be updated again any time soon :) (I might be wrong though)

DDraw file I believe is at v1.3.5 but Force you could just link to Jeremy's xwa_ddraw_d3d11 Git Hub Page
Jeremy Ansel Original xwa_ddraw_d3d11 Git Hub Page

Of course people might want to use Reimar's version of the DDraw.dll file which you can find his page here rdoeffinger Forked xwa_ddraw_d3d11 Git Hub Page

Force, If you use XwaHookSetup and XwaToolsDownloader links, there is no need for the individual Hooks or other tools on the download page :)
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JeremyaFr
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Post by JeremyaFr » Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:08 pm

I've added a link to the new TgSmush dll.

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Vince T
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Post by Vince T » Thu Jan 10, 2019 9:36 pm

And right at this moment all the newbies cried out as one:
say-whaaaaaaaat.jpg
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kkang2828
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Post by kkang2828 » Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:02 am

Darksaber wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 12:45 am
Try clearing your cache or refreshing the page a few times, the links there!

In the great words of The Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want"
I cleared my cache and it appeared. Thanks for the tip. :D
Driftwood wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:14 am
Other than your post count being 4 and register date being 05JAN19, I'm going to assume that you're new here and go easy on the sarcasm since DS has already covered that. (Thanks!) But I will warn you I'm going to be a tad short, but I hope not to come across as condescending. The fact your new to this strikes me as something of an oddity, and I'm tentatively curious as to the details of you even finding our page.
I found this site through Steam. This site is actually linked on many of the XWA reviews on Steam. Yes I am new here and don't even have the game yet. For reasons beyond my control, I can't play PC games until December. But I always do an extensive research of every available info related to a game before deciding to buy/play it or not, and you never know how long that's gonna take, so I'm currently researching everything I can about the X-Wing and TIE Fighter series. It was natural that I discovered this site.

I'm a star wars fan and was looking for an alternative star wars game to play after EA's failures. I came across the X-Wing series and it totally grabbed my attention. I am a fan of realistic vehicle combat games(although I'm not much of a hardcore sim player) and the X-Wing series seemed to fit right in. I originally discovered the game through Steam, but I'm going to buy it from GOG instead.

But I wonder why my newbie status and discovery of this site strikes you as something of an oddity? There must have been some kind of new player influx after GOG/Steam release, or am I wrong?
Driftwood wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:14 am
1. Install instructions for the mod(s) are included in every single installer file.

4. I'll agree and disagree on the whole XWAU not being noob friendly. Firstly you're wrong. Everything XWAU ranging from the ship model installs to the new hooks is literally a handful of clicks from being installed for you due to the nature of the installers and the extensive readme files DS has worked up over the years that preface every single install.

Simply put as the end user, you have it easy. Download, read the instructions, press install. Even installing ships manually isn't really that hard once you familiarize yourself with the process. Almost all the mods available online come with a readme that tells you exactly how to install the relevant files if there is not an .exe or .xmod installer provided. Some of the most ancient do not, but those are rare to find these days.
Thanks for the heads up. I was completely unaware that there would be readme files included in the download and that installers would guide me through the installation. The basic installation process itself is pretty simple then.
Driftwood wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:14 am
1a. especially if you read the FAQ and know what this project is about to begin with.

2. The wiki perhaps may have more details later regarding community, non XWAU assets.
2a. But throwing you a bone I'll list the currently relevant sites. MTD Industries, Vince's X-Wing HQ, Darksaber's X-Wing Station, and my page linked through my signature. Not to say there aren't other mod pages, but I can't definitively say which ones are still functional without looking. (Do that yourself)

If you click the links page notice there are four links to XWAU members pages (mine hasn't been added to the list yet), and following that are the community links, of which some of those are dead ends in some cases what with being defunct given the age of the game.

3. Read the FAQ

4.b Note: JM's expansion guide had a lot of useful "how to" information regarding most aspects of XWA ranging from installing mods, new missions, ect. to creating mods yourself. I believe his site may be down now.

It's pretty obvious you've not looked around much yet. Please take some time and familiarize yourself with things if you plan on sticking around. And continue to ask questions, but take it on yourself to do some reading through the forums.
As I said, I'm doing an extensive research, so of course I've spent a lot of time looking around. I've gone through all the sites you listed(maybe not your site) and other sites through the links page. Although those 3 pages seem to have the most content, a couple others are still functioning, such as Red Leader's X-wing Alliance Site and the Czech X-Wing Series Site. JM's expansion guide is still hosted on Darksaber's site, but there isn't any info regarding installation.

But to be honest, I haven't looked through them thoroughly. And I haven't read the FAQ in its entirety either. I haven't looked through the forums and wiki yet as well. I'll put those on my to-do list.
Driftwood wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:14 am
5. Furthermore since you clearly do not have historical context I'll try and summarize a few things since nobody else has bothered to do so, and hopefully it helps you grasp where we're at regarding our rather isolated small community at this late stage "of the game".

Something you need to remember, or perhaps realize since I've no idea how old you are or what your point of reference may be, but XWA is 20 years old this year. Official mod support is and always has been non-existent, many of the old content creators have moved on to other things. Drakken, Flavid, Atx, Abolisher, ect. et-al. and their websites are entirely defunct. Gone. Don't exist. Along with a majority of their opts that haven't been haphazardly backed up by those of us that are veritable digital pack rats and have yet to be re-hosted due to whatever reason.

I want to make this painfully clear, there are exactly five people working on the XWAU semi-actively, our coder Jeremya being the most active. Average opt releases to the project are 1-2 per year at this point due to many outside factors. Other opt releases not counting my own, simply down to the nature of their origins, average perhaps 3-5 per year. So you are correct in your presumption that we are the most currently active.

Now, this is even before my time (or I was not involved) but I would say the only other "central" hub was SWcrusade.net, maybe TheForce.net back in the day, unless I am mis-remembering and any of our more venerable members feel free to correct me on this. I vaguely recall LA's rather toxic forums too.This forum is the central hub. Period. It's not up for debate, all things related to X-Wing Alliance that "we" are aware of existing goes through our forums. We do not have social media pages, and our ModdB I believe is curated by GT, if that even still exists. This isn't collective ego talking either, it's merely presenting the facts.

6. We still have quite a ways to go on the project, and unless more models relevant to the project get pumped out more than 1-2 a year, then there's probably another 10 years left before the project is complete.

7. Any ships that were not included in the base game are not affiliated with the XWAUP in any official capacity. It's stated in some fashion in the FAQ. Use what you like.

8. Trevor already told you that all the "latest" patches are included in the XWAUP patch. Individual installers are released between craft pack updates and will be annotated as being released after X date so you know what to install in addition to the main pack on the news page, and on the thread for the latest updated file(s) linked there.
Again, thanks for the heads up. Actually, I'm younger then XWA itself at 18 years old. So its good to know about all this "historical context".

10 years is a long way to go. I can see that the project is quite far from completion.
Forceflow wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 6:26 pm
Okay, so I enhanced the downloads page a bit. It's far from perfect but I do hope that it will make life easier for those new to the site. (Though to be honest, there might be some old folks as well that kind of get confused as to what's in what...)

So I added a small introduction text and also added a mark to all ships that are not included in the current XWAUCP. Let me know what you think and if you have an idea on how to improve on it. In addition to that DTM made a 'FOR BEGINNERS' guide that I will make sticky in the forum and look for a good place to link in the main page.
Forceflow wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:32 pm
Oldcode wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:25 pm
It is definitely more user friendly. Having that list of all the hooks and patches even before the ships are listed is confusing I think.
Good point, really doesn't make much sense. I adjusted that as well.
That's certainly more user-friendly. Thanks. Although to be honest, the hooks are still pretty messy.

Sorry for the late reply. I never expected you guys to be such active forummers. I seem to have started a wave of change here, with old issues being addressed and the website being enhanced with new features, and everything becoming more user-friendly. I guess that's what new and young people are supposed to do in an organization.

I'll keep doing more research and post new questions as they arise. Thanks for all the replies.

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Driftwood
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Post by Driftwood » Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:14 pm

kkang2828 wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:02 am
Darksaber wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 12:45 am
Try clearing your cache or refreshing the page a few times, the links there!

In the great words of The Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want"
I cleared my cache and it appeared. Thanks for the tip. :D
Driftwood wrote:
Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:14 am
Other than your post count being 4 and register date being 05JAN19, I'm going to assume that you're new here and go easy on the sarcasm since DS has already covered that. (Thanks!) But I will warn you I'm going to be a tad short, but I hope not to come across as condescending. The fact your new to this strikes me as something of an oddity, and I'm tentatively curious as to the details of you even finding our page.
I found this site through Steam. This site is actually linked on many of the XWA reviews on Steam. Yes I am new here and don't even have the game yet. For reasons beyond my control, I can't play PC games until December. But I always do an extensive research of every available info related to a game before deciding to buy/play it or not, and you never know how long that's gonna take, so I'm currently researching everything I can about the X-Wing and TIE Fighter series. It was natural that I discovered this site.

I'm a star wars fan and was looking for an alternative star wars game to play after EA's failures. I came across the X-Wing series and it totally grabbed my attention. I am a fan of realistic vehicle combat games(although I'm not much of a hardcore sim player) and the X-Wing series seemed to fit right in. I originally discovered the game through Steam, but I'm going to buy it from GOG instead.

But I wonder why my newbie status and discovery of this site strikes you as something of an oddity? There must have been some kind of new player influx after GOG/Steam release, or am I wrong?
From what I recall there was a spike of traffic, but I don't think many people stuck around "actively" at the very least. I don't recall any of the specifics related to posts from that time period offhand either. Perhaps the site metrics could tell a story there, but Forceflow would have to be the one to disseminate that information.

If you want to see what I mean, look at the majority of currently active posters and look at their registration dates and compare them to say the most recent hundred registered users dates.
Contextually even for those of us still here it's been discussed privately as to motivations of us still active modders still playing the game and creating content and it's largely down to the fact we enjoyed the game for decades, and in my case hope my kid(s) want to play it with me or use my content when they're a bit older. Regardless if the overall community benefits or even acknowledges our efforts. It's because we enjoy the process. It's a hobby and creative outlet, we're not doing it for notoriety or exposure and certainly will never have the following of a majority of the mods for any other game in existence.

XWA is a 20 year old game the rest are even older, I started playing the X-Wing series back when native multiplayer support for them still existed and there were active tournaments and such, and I played every day for hours for years, even post MSN gaming zone got shut down. Then "everybody" got jobs and kids and college and even small group story driven narrative campaigns stopped. Which is ironic given new functionality to enable more viable multiplayer campaigns rather than PvP matches that exist today vs 15 years ago.

I think Emperor's Hammer is the only group still playing XWA "actively" and to what end I have no idea as I don't know anybody in that group anymore I don't think.

So in short, yes it is entirely in my personal opinion a huge oddity that new people are stumbling upon our community, never mind 18 year olds and possibly younger. It'll be even more of an oddity if you stick around and become an involved member of the community.

And, I'm curious as to the reasoning you can't play the game till December 2019. Parental rule?

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Post by kkang2828 » Mon Jan 14, 2019 1:46 am

Driftwood wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:14 pm
And, I'm curious as to the reasoning you can't play the game till December 2019. Parental rule?
You guessed it. :pissed:

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