X-Wing and TIE Fighter, while among my favorite games, lack a certain "feeling" that you get watching the X-Wing fighters run their attacks on the Death Star, or the massive Battle of Endor. As such, I'm editing the BFLIGHT.ovl file to give a more "Star Wars" feel to the game. Namely, craft will be faster, and have much weaker shields and hulls (among other edits). It always bugged me that in the movie, a couple hits would result in "I'm hit, I can't stay with you!", while in the game, those couple hits would result in "I'm hit, and lost a tiny bit of shield." There also wasn't much point ever in using the shield charging, as it was too slow to make a difference - it was more effective to just use gun energy. Now, with my mod, you will often want to recharge the shields properly, as it will take a far shorter amount of time. Also, I felt like it was ridiculous that I could take on a Star Destroyer by myself. No more! Now, those turbo-lasers will make short work of you, if you're not careful.

Essentially, I'm trying to emulate the feel of the movies. Shields are there to protect you, not to make you invincible. Cruisers are big, powerful ships that a single X-Wing can't take on. TIE Bombers won't, after taking half a dozen hits, say "don't worry Captain, we'll buff out those scratches". I'm pleased with the results, and find it's a new, refreshing challenge.

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Here's the file: www.mediafire.com/download/mx7d4a39yq628em/X-Wing+Mod.zip

To install it, simply download the file, extract it, and move "BFLIGHT.ovl" into your X-Wing CD folder, over-writing the original. I would highly recommend backing up the original file first, so you can always go back.

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Hope you all had a great New Year, and have fun with my late holiday gift!

That sounds very interesting. I'm looking forward to try it out.

Btw is this mod compatible with all versions of X-Wing?

Alright folks, here it is! The mod changes many craft, and makes the game generally more challenging.

This was developed on the 1994 Collector's CD version, but should be compatible with the 1993 version sold by GOG.

To install it, simply download the file, extract it, and move "BFLIGHT.ovl" into your X-Wing CD folder, over-writing the original. I would highly recommend backing up the original file first, so you can always go back.

A final note; I've found in testing that the default (low) AI used by the Rebel fighters sucks. If you want your wing mates to survive using this mod, I'd suggest giving them high-level AI, such as Ace or Top Ace.

www.mediafire.com/download/mx7d4a39yq628em/X-Wing+Mod.zip

Enjoy, and happy hunting!

Thank you! This is exactly what I had been thinking about after re-watching the original trilogy recently over the holiday break.

What application did you use to edit the traits? I was thinking of doing the same for TIE Fighter… any interest?

(I think I tried a DOS-based ship editor but, when speeds were changed, ships maneuvered erratically and on their own without my input.)

Howdy,

I used a program called XP 1.52, available here: http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/xwing/tools

Scroll down, and you should see it. It runs in DOS, and I had no problems using it with DOSBox.

As for TIE Fighter, I'm also considering a similar project. It will take a lot longer to get done, since there's about 20 craft in X-Wing, as opposed to almost 70 in TIE Fighter. Still, it's something I'm interested in, and will at least look into.

Hope you have fun with the mod!

Absolutely, I completely agree with your sentiments about the X-Wing and TIE Fighter series. While these games have been fantastic in capturing the essence of Star Wars space combat, there's always been a noticeable gap in replicating the high-stakes intensity and vulnerability that we witness in the movies. It's commendable that you've taken matters into your own hands by delving into the file to create a more authentic Star Wars experience.

Adjusting the gameplay elements like ship speed, shield and hull strength is a great idea. This change will certainly bring us closer to that cinematic feel (pikashow8k.com/pikashow-for-pc/) we all cherish. It's true that in the movies, a few well-placed hits can lead to dramatic consequences, whereas the movies seemed to make ships more durable than they should be. By making shield recharging a quicker and more crucial aspect, you're instilling that vital sense of urgency that often characterizes Star Wars dogfights.

Your efforts to balance ship power and vulnerability are spot on. The original games did tend to let players take on massive ships single-handedly, which can sometimes diminish the scale and peril of these encounters. Making sure that Star Destroyers can't be tackled singlehandedly underlines the importance of strategic gameplay and cooperative tactics.