Hacker Chronicles 2/HACKER2.BIN/217.XWSE30.DOC

Text File | 1993-12-18 | 42KB | 950 lines

X-Wing Ship Editor v 3.0 (XWSE30.EXE)
Copyright (c) 1993 Mark Schlageter
All rights reserved.
=======================================



INTRODUCTION
------------

XWSE30 is a ship editor which allows you to change various
characteristics of any ship in LucasArts' X-WING Space Combat
Simulator. Although its premise is not original, its design and
purpose was for pilots who have obtained the newer versions of
the game and require modifications to their fleet.

    The currently released versions are:

    v 1.0   Original X-WING release
    v 1.1   Imperial Pursuit Mission Disk
    v 1.1a  Imperial Pursuit Fix *
    v 1.2   B-Wing

    * - available on CompuServe in the GAMEAPUB forum.

XWSE30 uses a character-based, graphical user interface, and supports
input from both the keyboard and a mouse. Although all of the functions
can be accessed by the keyboard, you may find it more convenient to use
a mouse.  Since X-WING takes advantage of using a mouse, I presume most
of you have one installed on your PC.

XWSE30 is the third iteration of this ship editor and supersedes any
previous versions, either Beta or release versions. Some previous versions
were named XWSHIPED, but that naming convention has been replaced with
XWSExx since the "xx" reflects the version number in the name itself. This
version was initially going to be known as XWSE21 (v 2.1) but I have decided
to rename it as XWSE30 since it reflects some major changes from the
last version.



INSTALLATION
------------

To install XWSE30, simply copy XWSE30.EXE to your XWING directory.

To start the program, type XWSE30

If you are going to use the mouse, be sure your mouse driver is loaded
before starting XWSE30 or else you end up working in keyboard-mode.

NOTE: Before running the program, consider backing up your FLIGHT.OVL
file as this is the file that will be modified. For those of you who
work with the Wallendas, proceed at your own discretion.



FEATURES
--------

XWSE30 allows greater control than its predecessor and will now allow
you to modify the following:

    Short name used in CMD display
    Long name used in message bar
    Cockpit graphics file used when in flight
    Overall ship power
    Maximum engine speed
    Hull thickness
    Front and rear shield strength
    Acceleration, roll and pitch rates
    Weapon types installed on ship
    Weapon rack locations on ship
    Number of projectiles in appropriate racks
    Laser link mode used on ship
    Unlimited laser power toggle
    Unlimited projectile toggle
    Mission timer toggle
    Restore any or all ships to factory settings
    Edit basic pilot file parameters


NEW FEATURES IN XWSE30
----------------------

    Support for B-Wing
    Flexible file I/O(Open, Save, SaveAs using any filename)
    Graphical display of weapon racks
    Save existing ship data in one of five "user-defined" slots
    Import ship data from earlier X-Wing versions
    Improved user interface (some noted with ** NEW **)
    Restore factory settings no longer available


INSTRUCTIONS
------------


** NEW **

OPENING A FILE
--------------

Once you have started XWSE30, you need to open the appropriate file
which contains the ship data you want to edit. Earlier versions of this
editor automatically opened FLIGHT.OVL. However, B-Wing changed all that
since LucasArts delivered a new file called BFLIGHT.OVL. I was tempted to
check for the existence of either file, but I eventually decided to allow
the user to open any filename, thus making it possible to open and save
files you edit with a name other than FLIGHT.OVL or BFLIGHT.OVL.

To open a file, click on the File menu and then click on the menu item
labeled "Open". You will be presented with a dialog box where you can
specify the drive, path and filename of the file you want to edit. You can
select the filename by double-clicking on the name or by typing the name
in the edit box labeled "Filename". Press the OK button to open the file.
The currently open filename will be displayed at the bottom of the main
form.

When you see the main screen, you will be presented with a form which
contains a list box with the ship names and fields for altering certain
ship characteristics.

At this point, it's basically self-explanatory, but for those who
require assistance, here are what the fields represent:

    Short Name      ----->  Name used in target scope
    Long Name       ----->  Name used in message bar
    CP FileName     ----->  Selects cockpit graphics file
                (a ship's cockpit graphics can
                 be assigned to the other ships)
    Power           ----->  Overall amount of ship's power
                (to be divided among shields,
                 lasers and engines) *
    Hull            ----->  Thickness of hull **
    FShld           ----->  Full front shield strength **
    RShld           ----->  Full rear shield strength **
    Speed           ----->  Maximum speed at full engine power *
    Accel           ----->  Acceleration rate **
    Roll            ----->  Roll rate **
    Pitch           ----->  Pitch rate **

    *  - see note about ship power
    ** - see note about relative units



** NEW **

SAVING A FILE
-------------

There are now two options for saving a file: saving with the current file
name or saving as another filename.

To save with the current filename, click on the File menu and then click
on the menu item labeled "Save". A confirmation dialog box will be displayed
and click on the "Yes" button to save the file.

To save the file with another filename, click on the File menu and then click
on the menu item labeled "SaveAs". A dialog will be displayed which will
allow you to set the drive, path and filename of the file you want to save.
Once you have set the filename, click on the OK button to save the file. When
the file has been saved, it will become the currently open file. The
currently open filename will be displayed at the bottom of the main form.

In either case, you cannot save a file until you have one open in the editor.



** NEW **

IMPORTING SHIP DATA
-------------------

For users who have made "some special modifications" to .OVL files used in
earlier versions of X-Wing, you can import the ship data to another file.

To import the ship data from one file to another, click on the File menu then
click on the menu item labeled "Import ship data". You will presented with a
dialog which will allow you to specify the source file and destination file.

Once you have the files selected, press the OK button. A confirmation dialog
will be presented before importing the ship data. Press the "Yes" button to
import the data.

An example of importing data may be as follows:

    FLIGHT.OVL as source file
    BFLIGHT.OVL as destination file

    This scenario would bring the data from FLIGHT.OVL into BFLIGHT.OVL.

A simple algorithm is used when determining if a particular ship's data in
the source file should overwrite its counterpart in the destination file.
If a ship is found to have engine power set to zero, the ship is ignored.
This allows data to be brought from older versions of FLIGHT.OVL into
BFLIGHT.OVL without wiping out the B-Wing data (which doesn't exist in
any version of FLIGHT.OVL). Keep this in mind when importing ship data.



CHANGING SHIP CHARACTERISTICS
-----------------------------

To change a field, you can simply point the mouse to the field and
sweep its contents while pressing the left mouse button. This will
select the contents of the field and you can type in a new value.
This action can also be accomplished with the keyboard by moving to
the desired field with the TAB key.

** NEW **
Once a particular field has been selected, the field can be incremented
or decremented by using the UP/DOWN Arrow keys. Used in combination with
the CTRL and SHIFT keys allows greater amounts to be selected:

    UP/DOWN Arrow alone :           Inc/Dec value by 1
    UP/DOWN Arrow + Shift:          Inc/Dec value by 10
    UP/DOWN Arrow + Ctrl:           Inc/Dec value by 100
    UP/DOWN Arrow + Shift + Ctrl:   Inc/Dec value by 1000

The keyboard increment/decrement method can be used in the main screen and
in the weapon rack configuration screen.

To select a different ship, point the mouse to the ship you want to edit
and press the left mouse button to highlight the ship. The parameters
for that ship will then be displayed in the fields. If the ship you
want to edit is not visible in the list box, you can scroll the contents
of the list box by pointing the mouse on the vertical scroll bar on the
right edge of the list box. Pressing the left mouse button while
pointing on the arrows will scroll the contents up or down one line.
Pressing the left mouse button in the shaded area of the scroll bar will
move the contents several lines at a time.

To select a ship with the keyboard, press the TAB key until the cursor
is in the ship list box. You can then move the list box's contents
up or down by using the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys. Again, as each
ship is highlighted in the list box, its parameters will be displayed
in the fields.


Ship Power
----------

After a certain amount of experimentation by myself and Beta testers, there
is some mystery about the power allotment and usage in the ships. Presumably,
by setting overall power at 1500 units, you would expect that much to be
available if the lasers and shields were not being charged. However, that
does not appear to be the case. In fact, there seems to be a peak/plateau in
the power curve within the game, meaning at some point there is no overall
effect in having a larger amount of power assigned to a ship. At the present
time, there is no information available to validate this theory.

Another mysterious relationship exists between overall ship power and the
speed of the ship. The speed field allows you to set the maximum speed of the
ship, but it is often unlikely that this speed will be obtained during actual
flight. It may be plausible that the speed setting is really the maximum
rated speed possible for the engine. Of course, the possibility of the
engine providing output at that rating would depend on situational factors.
The rating may also exist to serve as a theoretical upper limit that could
technically be achieved, but which the likelihood of occurring is rare.

The only comment I can offer on this subject is to experiment with the
settings and tune them to a point which you deem satisfactory. If the power
curve is indeed as theorized, it is still possible to configure your ship to
outrun anything in space including missiles. With this, the limitations
described would not be enough to hinder your ship's performance versus other
ships.

One area which seems to ignore all of the above drivel is when flying your
ship in the Death Star trench. Initially, I had plenty of trouble in the final
mission with the laser towers and TIE fighters. I decided to crank up the
power and speed on my X-Wing to help alleviate this problem. When I actually
went down into the trench, my ship went into a turbo mode. With my speed
value set at 550, I was able to reach an average speed around 480! Make some
adjustments and take a spin in the trench to see for yourself. Keep in mind,
the turbo jump won't take effect until you get INTO the trench. After that,
you can ride along at the top of the trench to avoid the cannons below and
on the Death Star's surface.


Relative units
--------------

When running the editor, you will find that the numbers displayed for speed,
hull thickness, and shield strength do not correspond with the values found
in the Farlander Papers. It seems the game uses an integer value that
represents the item's setting in its respective measurement unit. For
instance, the editor displays the initial shield strengths for an X-Wing
as 2500, but the Farlander Papers describe the shields as 50 SBD. Obviously,
the two figures are not the same, but in the long run I suspect it really
doesn't matter. When you think about it, what unit does SBD represent? This
whole business of relative units is just that: relative. Use the values
in the editor to express something meaningful to yourself. For example, if
the field shows 2500, you can think of it as 2500 SBD, 2500 cm, 2500
inches, etc.

The only field which seems to correspond to the published values is the Power
field.


Numerical Limitations in Fields
-------------------------------

Most of the ship data is stored in the file structure as integers, thus
the maximum value for any field would be 32,767. In order to make life
easier for you retrofitters, the maximum value in some fields has been set
at 32,000, while others have been set to 255. While most fields will use the
32,000 limit, some flight performance fields and all projectile count fields
use the 255 limit. As you work with the editor, it will become evident which
field has which limit.

Conversely, since 32,000 is very close to the limit, there are no
provisions for negative numbers in ship parameters. Thus if you enter a
number less than zero, the program will kindly set it to 32,000. This error
check is there mainly to prevent some F.B. from putting stupid values in the
fields. If you think about it, who would want to set something to a negative
value? I assume you downloaded this editor so you can kick some butt.

One last caveat: please do not enter alphanumeric characters in the fields
that obviously want numeric entries. What you see on the screen is actually
string data that has to be converted. If you type in "abcde", what you end up
with may be OK. Then again, it might be HBT (hosed big-time).


String Limitations
------------------

The size of the strings used by the Short name, CP FileName, and Long name
are all preset, so you will not be able to exceed their limits. The size
of the strings are as follows:

    Short name      ----->  3 characters
    CP FileName     ----->  5 characters
    Long name       ----->  24 characters

You can make up any character strings you like for the Short and Long names,
but the CP FileName must be one of the following (and entered as shown below
in upper case with no punctuation):

    XWING
    YWING
    AWING

The CP FileName field tells the game which cockpit graphics to use when
you're flying a ship. You can tailor this to your own liking, but I think
the choice is obvious for anyone who's played the game.

For all string fields, any characters you type in beyond the limit will
be truncated. If you enter a string less than the maximum size, all spaces
AFTER the last valid character will be stripped. Thus, it is possible to
enter a string with embedded spaces.

** NEW **
A bug from the previous versions existed where extraneous spaces were left at
the end of a string, effectively padding out the string with spaces. This was
observed mainly in the message line using during flight. This bug has been
fixed.

CHANGING WEAPON CHARACTERISTICS
-------------------------------

This is a feature introduced with the release of XWSE20. Before XWSE20, it
was only possible to change the weapon rack locations on the ships and the
number of projectiles in racks which had projectile-type weapons. Obviously,
this minimal amount of configuration did nothing to add firepower to your
ship. Now you will be able to completely change the character of a ship's
armament in order to get you through a tough mission. Or perhaps you want to
install a non-standard weapon to eradicate the memories of when you may have
screamed "If I only had a %&*#$ missile!"

Before changing the weapon assignments and rack positions, it is imperative
to understand the givens as far the game is concerned:

    - There are two weapon types that can be used on a starfighter:

           Energy-consuming
           Projectiles

    - Rebel lasers, Imperial lasers and Ion Cannons are considered
      energy-consuming weapons.

    - Proton torpedoes and Concussion missiles are considered
      projectile-type weapons.

    - Each ship has 12 weapon racks, which can be individually
      configured for location on the ship and projectile count.

    - Each ship has six weapon type designators. The first four are
      assumed to be energy-consuming, while the last two are assumed
      to be projectile-types. The weapon types and number allowed are
      hard coded into the game and cannot be changed.

    - Each ship allows a maximum of four energy-consuming types and
      two projectile types, for a total of four different types of
      weapons.

** NEW **
It should be noted that XWSE30 now supports FOUR energy consuming weapon
types per ship. Initially, I thought this to be true, but had trouble
determining if the "extra" energy-consuming weapons actually worked. The
B-Wing version has confirmed my theory and there are indeed four per ship.

If you assign a weapon type to the third or fourth energy-consuming weapon,
the proper name will not be displayed in the message line during flight.
When you select the weapon with the "W" key, you end up getting garbage
text thrown into the message line. DO NOT FEAR! Rest assured that the weapon
will be there when you select it.

    - The weapon types have two values which indicate their placement
      on the ship:

           - The starting rack. The starting rack indicates the first
         rack in which to place the weapon. The starting rack should
         be set anywhere from rack 0 to rack 10.

           - The ending rack. The ending rack indicates the last rack in
         which to place the weapon. The ending rack should be set
         anywhere from the starting rack +1 to rack 11

    - Energy-consuming weapons must be assigned to a contiguous set of
      weapon racks. Once assigned, all racks can be fired in single fire
      and fire linked as standard options. Some ships come equipped to
      utilize the dual-fire mode, and those that do not can be configured
      to do so. If a ship has been configured to use dual-fire mode, it
      will be available only on the first energy-consuming weapon type
      specified. Dual-fire mode essentially fires alternating halves of
      the total specified energy-consuming weapon racks.

    - Projectile weapons must be assigned to a contiguous range of
      weapon racks not exceeding two. If a range of more than two
      racks is specified, only the first two rack positions will
      be used.  Dual-fire mode is not available on projectile weapons.



Weapon Type Assignment
----------------------

To assign the weapon types used on a ship, click on the menu bar item
labeled "Weapons." From the menu displayed, click on the choice labeled
"Choose Weapons To Install." This will display a dialog which will allow
you to select the four possible weapon types: two energy-consuming and
two projectile.

If any weapons are already assigned, the fields in the column labeled
"Weapon Type" will be filled in with the name of the weapon. If a weapon
type is blank, you can enable it for modification by clicking on the check
box on the far left column. Once the box is checked, the drop-down combo
boxes for weapon type, rack range, and starting rack will be enabled. If
you want to remove a weapon type from a ship, simply click the check box
to remove the "X". All of the corresponding fields should be cleared and
disabled for input until the box is checked again.

To choose a new weapon type, click on the down-pointing arrow next to the
box in the column labeled "Weapon Type." A drop-down list will be displayed
containing the possible types of weapons which can be installed. The
convention of the dialog is that the first two weapons assignments will only
allow weapons of energy-consuming type, while the last two will only allow
projectile-type weapons to be assigned.

Once you have decided on which weapon type to install, you must specify the
starting rack at which the weapon is placed. The racks start at zero and end
at 11, for a total of 12. After you have the starting rack specified, you
need to indicate the ending rack for the weapon.

The weapons must be installed in a contiguous range of racks and cannot be
split into two or more separate ranges.

Here are a few examples to illustrate the concept:

Example 1:

    Requirement:
       You want Rebel lasers on all racks (0-11)

    Solution:
       1.) enable weapon type if needed
       2.) set weapon type as R Lasers
       3.) set starting rack at 0
       4.) set ending rack at 11

Example 2:

    Requirement:
       You want Ion Cannons on racks 4-5 only

    Solution:
       1.) enable weapon type if needed
       2.) set weapon type as Ion Cannons
       3.) set starting rack at 4
       4.) set ending rack at 5


Example 3:

    Requirement:
       You want Imperial lasers on racks 2-9 only

    Solution:
       1.) enable weapon type if needed
       2.) set weapon type as I Lasers
       3.) set starting rack at 2
       4.) set ending rack at 9

Example 4:

    Requirement:
       You want Rebel lasers on racks 0-1 and 8-9

    Solution:
       1.) two separate ranges are not possible. You
           are limited to one contiguous range.
       2.) decide on a single range
       3.) enable weapon type if needed
       4.) set weapon type as R Lasers
       5.) set the starting and ending racks


Laser Link Mode
---------------

The mode used for the firing of energy-consuming weapons is determined on a
per ship basis. Although you can select the laser link mode for every ship,
you cannot select the laser link mode for all weapon types on a ship. All
ships utilize single fire and fire linked mode.

Dual-fire mode provides greater control for the firing of weapons, but can
only be applied to the first weapon type specified on a ship. The reason for
this is XWING itself assumes the first weapon will be a laser, and the
second (if used) will be an ion cannon. If a ship's default configuration
does not specify dual fire mode, you can select it by simply selecting the
"Dual-fire mode" button on the Weapons Installation form. The dual-fire
mode seems to divide your specified number of lasers by two and fires them
alternately during combat.


"Tracer" projectiles
--------------------

Where there is order, there is usually disorder. Weapons installation is not
immune to this fact. As mentioned earlier, rebel lasers, imperial lasers and
ion cannons are considered energy-consuming weapons. However, because of a
vagary in the game, it is possible to install these weapons as
projectile-type weapons!

"Tracers" will launch and track targets in the same manner as torpedos and
missiles, but their existence is much like their original properties.
Eventually, they will burn out if they do not strike their target, thus
their effectiveness is reduced as the target's distance increases. However,
in close combat, they can be highly effective since they travel at a much
higher velocity than torpedos or missiles.

In the interest of the Rebellion, I have provided these weapons for
installation as projectiles. When "tracers" are installed on your ship,
they of course will not have that name displayed on the message bar. In
fact, you may see some intelligible name displayed when you select a
"tracer." Rest assured it will be the correct weapon when you fire. If in
doubt, blast off a couple to ease your mind. Finally, please remember the
limitation of "tracers" before engaging any hostile targets: they are not
effective on targets beyond one kilometer away or when you are right on
the enemy's six in close combat.

They are most effective when you need to fire on a ship, but can't stay on
the target constantly. The projectile lock will give you a small fudge
factor in time and aiming, as you can usually get a projectiles to track
a target even while the targeting box is still yellow. Also, be aware that
"tracers" will attempt to readjust course as soon as the target lock is
achieved. Laser "tracers" will adjust almost instantaneously, while Ion
"tracers" do not move or turn very quickly.


The Underrated Ion Cannon
-------------------------

For some, it may come as a surprise that the Ion Cannon (or Ion "tracer")
can be a devastating weapon when combating Imperial starfighters. Although
Ion blasts move in a slow, javelin-like manner, they are unsurpassed in
destructive power. Originally conceived to disable large ships such as
freighters, Ion cannons on an X-Wing make it much more dangerous ship to
do battle against.

Ion blasts seems to have a longer duration while in flight as compared to
lasers. This can be an asset when you want to put up a "flak blanket" in the
path of oncoming TIE fighters. TIE pilots seem to know the secret behind Ion
weapons and avoid them like the plague. This technique is invaluable when
you have formations of TIE descending on a helpless shuttle. Pump a few
ion blast in their path and they will break formation and get out of Dodge.

The reason? Two ions hits will generally shut down a TIE fighter's engines,
while three usually destroy it! And this doesn't mean three clean hits to
the hull. Nope, you can blast a TIE three times PERIOD and he's in big
trouble. The same can't be said for lasers. If you doubt this, install them
on an X-Wing and go for a ride in Historical Mission 1 for an illustration.

If you're in a really good mood, go out on patrol with another X-Wing and
just disable a TIE fighter with your Ion cannons (remember, two hits). Then
swing around and watch your wingman blast the hell out of the squealing
Imperial slug. If you get really bold, you can soup up your X-Wing, whack
out a Star Destroyer's shield generators and then proceed to DISABLE the
beast. It's pretty neat to fly around a Star Destroyer with no opposition
while they figure out what to do. Of course, they're down for the count and
you can just drop to some place on the Star Destroyer and deposit missiles.
I like the tractor beam bay on the bottom of the ship. Bada-Boom, Bada-Bing!


Weapon Rack Configuration
-------------------------

To configure the weapon racks locations used on a ship, click on the menu bar
item labeled "Weapons." From the menu displayed, click on the choice labeled
"Weapons Rack Configuration."

This will display a dialog which will allow you to configure the axis of
each weapon rack and if applicable, the projectile count. Changing the values
for the weapons is the accomplished the same way as changing the values on
the main form.

** NEW **
The weapon racks are now contained within a single dialog. This allows for a
simultaneous view of all racks.

Each rack is positioned on the ship by the use of a three-dimensional
axis system which relates to the center of the ship:

    X Axis  ----->  relative horizontal position from center
    Y Axis  ----->  relative vertical position from center
    Z Axis  ----->  relative distance position from center

Unlike the main form, negative values can be used for the axis since
they indicate their position relative to center. The best way to grasp
this concept is to imagine an X-Y-Z axis at the center of the ship. The
origin of the axis would probably be slightly behind the pilot's seat.

The X-axis runs from wing tip to wing tip in a horizontal direction. The
Y-axis runs from the top of the ship to the bottom in a vertical direction.
The Z-axis runs from the front of the ship to the rear in a longitudinal
direction. Each of the axis extend beyond the limits of the ship and out
into space. You can place weapons anywhere on the axis. For a graphical
representation of the axis, see below.

Axis of an X-Wing

       Front End View             Side View
     ^
     |       \        /                 ===
     |        \      /                  ===
     |         \----/                ---===----\
   Y-axis       |  |                |         **\--------\
     |          |::|                |                     \
     |         /----\                ---===----------------
     |        /      \                  ===
     ^       /        \                 ===

      <------- X-axis ------->      <------- Z-axis ------->

On some racks, the field labeled "Projectile Count" will display a non-zero
number. This number, of course, is the number of projectiles that are loaded
that are loaded on board for that rack. The editor fixes the maximum number
of projectiles to 255 for each rack. If you need more projectiles, consider
turning on the unlimited missile option.


** NEW **

Display Rack Configuration
--------------------------
Once you have set the axis settings for the weapon racks, you can get a
graphical display of the racks in relation to the axis. To view the display,
click on the button labeled "Display".

The display screen shows the front view as if looking at the ship from the
front, and a top view as if viewing the ship from the top. The display screen
can be adjusted to be viewed from various zoom levels. The zoom level can be
set by the drop-down list box next to the display button. The zoom level
allows you to change the magnification so larger ships such as Star
Destroyers, Cruisers or Corvettes can be displayed.

When viewing the weapon racks, press any key to return to the configuration
screen.


Weapons numeric limitations
---------------------------

From what can be determined, it appears the game uses the axis on a
-32767 to 32767 scale. Most of the starfighter ships uses axis which
well within this limit, but the larger capital ships use huge axis. You
can set your racks to values which would be theoretically floating in
space, but they work so you may want to experiment a bit with the axis.

The projectile counts for any weapon rack must be set anywhere from 0 to 255.
If you set the projectile count for a rack to zero, and then assign a
projectile-type weapon to that rack, you will be unable to fire anything
from that rack during flight. This is in effect even if you have selected the
unlimited projectiles options. If you need projectile weapons, make sure the
projectile count is set to at least one.

NOTE: If you choose to set the projectile count to a two- or three-digit
value, the cockpit display will not show the figure you selected. The
projectile instrument panel contains a single LED and can only display a
maximum of nine missiles. This of course, is not the case if you were
generous in your armament. The display will continue to read "9" until
there are actually nine projectiles on the rack. At that point, it will
decrement the LED normally.


Radical Weapon Rack Locations
-----------------------------

With some experimentation, you will find the axis of the weapon racks allow
for some off-the-wall settings. Initially, I didn't think much of this, but
I have come to realize you can "extend" the range of your ship, or even
create a unique firing solution by using radical values for the axis.

For example, by placing a weapon rack's z-axis 20,000 units in front of the
ship, the weapon is that much closer to distant targets. Of course, you
don't have the luxury of the target crosshair turning green when the target
is locked, since that is determined by the ship-to-ship distance (and
assumes we all blindly leave our weapon racks set as they come from the
factory!). But you can spray a wall of laser fire at a distant target and
many times eliminate the threat before it is in close proximity to your ship.

By placing one weapon rack 20,000 units in front of the ship and the next
rack 4,000 - 5,000 units behind the ship, and assigning projectile weapons
to these racks, you can set up a crossfire firing solution. Set the weapon
to fire two projectiles. When fired at a target, the projectiles now come
from two directions and quite often the target cannot simply steer away
from the projectile. If you add a few ion cannon blasts in the projected
path of the target, it will try to avoid those as well, thus leaving it
vulnerable to the already fired projectiles.

Be aware that weapon racks set in distant positions will not be very
effective when firing at a target which is close to your ship. The weapon
will often simply overshoot or completely miss the target. Set your racks
wisely.


GLOBAL SETTING TOGGLES
----------------------

In order to provide the maximum advantage during combat, it is now possible
to toggle on and off three crucial global settings used in the game:

     Unlimited laser power
     Unlimited projectiles
     Mission timer

Each of these toggles can be accessed by clicking on the menu item labeled
"Options." From that menu, click on the menu item labeled "Global Settings."
At that point, you can select the toggle you want to change, and the value
to which to set it.

All of these toggles should be self-explanatory if you are acclimated with
the game. But here is a brief description anyway:

Unlimited laser power
---------------------

Toggles on/off the ship's laser energy banks. If this is toggled on, firing
of energy consuming weapons will not deplete the energy stores used for
weapons. You will be able to fire away at will, without concern of running
out of juice. It should be noted that the other functions of the laser
energy banks are still in effect, such as the shifting of power to shields
and engines. If you do not set the laser recharge to at least a "minimum"
setting, the banks will drain by themselves and will eventually be
exhausted. Despite having the unlimited laser power setting on, if there
is no energy in the banks, you will not be able to fire energy-consuming
weapons.


Unlimited projectiles
---------------------

Toggles on/off the ship's projectile storage indicator. If this is toggled
on, the firing of torpedos and missiles will not decrement the ship's
stores. It should be noted that the game only allows a limited number of
objects on the screen at any given time, so you will not be able to simply
fill the void with loads of projectiles. Eventually, you will be forced to
wait until a projectile either hits a target or self-destructs before
firing again.

Please be aware that setting unlimited projectiles will not affect any
weapon rack in which the projectile count has been set to zero.


Mission timer
-------------

Toggles on/off the mission timer. If this is toggled off, the timer will
remain at the initial time as of the start of a mission. This can be a
great help when you are struggling with a mission that always seems to
run out before you have accomplished your objectives.



** NEW **

CREATING USER-DEFINED SHIPS
---------------------------

All versions of the .OVL file used for ship data have an area just after
the ship data structures which are nulls. In this area, there is room to
store the data for about five ships. It seems that LucasArts simply tacked
the B-Wing data into this area when comparing BFLIGHT.OVL to earlier
FLIGHT.OVL files.

Thus, in theory it is possible to create five "user-defined ships" and store
them in this currently unused space. The stipulation is that the "new" ship
must be cloned from an existing ship. However, once that is accomplished, the
data for the "new" ship can be modified independently from the source ship.
In fact, the ship's short and long name can be changed to distinguish it from
the original.

The user-defined ships may also be used as a repository for different designs
on a particular ship. You may want to create some variations of an X-Wing and
be able to recall one of the variations in the future. In this case, you
can extract the data from a user-defined slot and pop it into standard
X-Wing slot.

To transfer the data between standard ships and user-defined ships, click
on the File menu and then click on the menu item labeled "Transfer ship
data". A secondary menu will be displayed where you can select "Standard
ship to user-defined" or "User-defined to standard". Click on the appropriate
menu item.

A dialog will be displayed with a list box for the standard ships and a list
box for the user-defined slots (indicated by slot number). Click on the
desired standard ship and user-defined slot. A set of three arrows between
the list boxes indicate the direction of the data transfer. Be sure the
data is going in the direction you want. Press the OK button to transfer
the data.

One possible use of the user-defined ships is that hopefully one of the
X-Wing mission editors will be able to utilize these ships so they can
be included in user-defined missions. The ability to do this is unclear
at the present time.


RESTORING FACTORY SETTINGS
--------------------------

The feature was introduced in XWSE20, but has been dropped in XWSE30. The
reason for dropping this option is simple: it was a dumb feature and it made
the executable about 20K larger.

The ability to create user-defined ships may obviate the need for this
feature. I'm not sure about the popularity of restoring your ships to the
factory settings, but for those who really loved it, kiss it good-bye.
Sorry kids.



PILOT FILE EDITOR
-----------------

Although not a full-featured pilot editor, it is provided within XWSE30 as
a convenience while editing ships. Only a few parameters are available, but
are handy, especially if you are rearming you ship and you need to bring a
pilot back from the dead. The pilot file parameters supported are:

     Tour of Duty score
     Rank
     Rating
     Killed status
     Captured status

To access the pilot editor, click on the menu item labeled "Options." From
that menu, click on the item labeled "Edit Pilot File." You will then be
presented a form which contains a list box with the names of the pilot
files, and several fields for changing the above mentioned data.

Once the data has been edited, you save the information by clicking on the
"OK" button. If you want to abort your edits, click on the "CANCEL" button.



KNOWN DISCREPANCIES
-------------------

After a trial period of Beta testing, it appears the editor is very stabile
and should not cause any problems. However, there are some known
discrepancies which should be pointed out as to dispel any confusion which
may arise:

     - the power function of the ships is unknown. The values which you
       specify may not represent any real values either documented or
       in reality.

     - installing energy-consuming weapons on racks which are also used
       by projectile weapons, thus having a projectile count, will be
       decremented by BOTH weapons. To avoid this problem, you should
       either move the energy-consuming weapon to another location, or
       turn on the unlimited projectile toggle.

     - When setting the fire mode of an A-Wing to dual-fire, a spurious
       CMD display pops on the upper left corner of the screen when in
       flight. The anomaly seems to be limited to the frame of the A-Wing
       cockpit, but I have seen it drift toward the top center of the
       screen. If this becomes a problem, simply set the A-Wing back to
       Single Fire/Fire Linked mode.


LEGAL INFORMATION AND DISCLAIMER
--------------------------------

XWSE30 was created by Mark Schlageter and may be freely distributed
in its original form as FREEWARE as long as this document is not modified
and accompanies the executable file.

The author makes no representations or warranties to any portion of this
product, including, but not limited to the software or documentation.
No warranty for any purpose should be implied by the user, who agrees to
use this software at their own risk and on an "as is" basis

The author is in no way affiliated with LucasArts.  None of the files
contained herein shall be distributed with any of LucasArts' products, nor
shall they be represented as having been approved for any use by LucasArts.



DISTRIBUTION, TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND BUG FIXES
---------------------------------------------

If you like XWSE30, please use it to your heart's content. Pass it along
to any friends or BBS you choose. If you hate it, then delete it, wipe it,
erase it or desecrate it in your favorite manner. In whatever way you use
this program, you don't need to send me one thin dime. XWSE30 is FREEWARE
to all fellow pilots.

My waiver of any compensation is a response to some of the infamous
shareware "programmers" who put out crap and actually believe people will
pay money for it.

If you find a bug in the program, please let me know at your earliest
convenience and I will attempt to fix it promptly. If you have any questions,
comments, suggestions please contact me via email:

    Mark Schlageter
    CIS:            71054, 1250
    Internet:       [e-mail]


Revision History
----------------
    20-Jul-93       v 1.0   original version
    26-Aug-93       v 2.0   Enhanced version
    19-Dec-93       v 3.0   B-Wing version