The following instructions explain how to install the popular X3 Rebalance Mod (XRM v1.30d) to GOG's X3: Terran War Pack, which includes both X3: Terran Conflict (also known as X3TC or TC) and X3: Albion Prelude (also known as X3AP or AP).

These instructions are based on the official mod thread on the EgoSoft forums, but have been heavily modified and reorganized to cover installation on the GOG version of the games, as well as to provide further consideration for Linux and Apple OS X users and general clarity.

I will only include extra instructions for the most popular associated mods and those which I use, along with some additional notes and recommendations.

As there is a lot to cover, major sections may be broken into separate comments.

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Description - X3 Rebalance Mod:

The X3 Rebalance Mod (XRM) is a total conversion mod of X3 Terran Conflict. It rebalances nearly all aspects of the game including ships, weapons, graphics, sounds and the universe itself, as well as adding a huge amount of new content. It has been designed with performance and playability in mind and has many exclusive features not available in other mods or scripts.

Where to get the Mod(s):

XRM and associated links can be found in the official mod thread on the EgoSoft forums here:
* http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=304158

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Important - Linux and Mac Users:

Do not install Part 3 if you are running Linux or Mac OS X. Instead, install the Linux Patch. It addresses crash issues on Linux and uses sound files compatible with the codecs available on OS X.

Also, advanced Linux and Mac users may consider copying mod directories in or above the game's root directory and symbolically linking files for the sake of organization, debugging, and upgrade purposes.

Important - If Modding Both TC and AP:

Do not try to install XRM (or any major mods for that matter) to both Terran Conflict and Albion Prelude within the same X3: Terran War Pack installation. Albion Prelude requires a clean Terran Conflict install to exist below it, as any mod cat/dat files are first loaded from TC and then from AP. If you want to run XRM for both games, you will need to use two separate installations.

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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS


Terran Conflict Installation Instructions:

(See the next section for Albion Prelude installation instructions.)

(1) The "fake patch" method (manually copying in files and renumbering cat/dat files by hand) works best for the XRM. I do not recommend using the Plugin Manager to install the XRM as it's extremely difficult to control the order the mods are installed in which can lead to problems.

(2) Extract the three parts to a temporary folder and look at the other cat/dat files you have in the main TC installation folder. Rename the XRM cat/dats to the next consecutive number from the existing ones, i.e. if the last ones are 13.cat and 13.dat rename the XRM files to 14.cat/14.dat and 15.cat/15.dat. Move the XRM cat/dats to the TC installation folder.

(3) It does not matter in which order the two XRM "parts" are installed. However, please note which one is which, as updates may only be on one file or the other. Addon packs must be installed to higher cat/dat numbers than the base XRM.

(4) From Part 2 copy the contents of the "director" folder to the "director" folder in your main X3TC directory. If a "director" folder does not exist then create one.

(5) From Part 2 copy the contents of the "t" folder to the "t" folder in your main X3TC directory. If a "t" folder does not exist then create one.

(6) From Part 2 copy the contents of the "scripts_TC" folder to the "scripts" folder in your main X3TC directory. Overwrite any existing files.

(7) To install the load screens, copy the contents of "loadscr" in Part 2 to the "loadscr" folder in your TC install.

(8) From Part 3 (or the Linux Patch) copy the contents of the "mov" folder to the same folder in your TC directory.

(9) From Part 3 (or the Linux Patch) copy the contents of the "soundtrack" folder to the same folder in your TC directory.

(10) You will need to navigate to the "mov" folder in your TC directory, locate the "00044.pck" file and either rename, move, or delete this file. Without doing this you will not get any new custom names said by "Betty".

(11) Before running X3TC you must open and close the Plugin Manager (if installed), regardless of which version you are running. This is so the Plugin Manager can integrate the XRM ware size changes.

(12) Run the game. You should get a message saying the XRM has been installed when you start a new game.

(13) There will be a pause for a minute or two at the start of a new game. This is the scripts allocating weapons to all the initially created jobs. This pause only happens at the very start of a new game.

(14) To install any hull packs (not described here), cockpit packs, or the background pack, simply extract the contents to the X3TC directory and rename the associated cat/dat to a higher number than the main XRM mod. To reload the hulls for all ships (if using a hull pack), run X3TC, enter the script editor, highlight the script "temp.xrm.hull.reload.xml" and hit "r".

(15) If using the XRM in conjunction with other mods, installation order may be essential. Please see the compatibility notes below for any special cases.

(16) Other mods not described here: To install the Advanced Universe Addon Pack Place the cat/dat for the addon pack at a higher number than XRM Part 2. You must start a new game after installation. If using the "All Plots Complete" script - it is essential that you install the compatible version included with the Advanced Universe package - the standard XRM compatible version will cause issues.


Albion Prelude Installation Instructions:

(1) The "fake patch" method (manually copying in files and renumbering cat/dat files by hand) works best for the XRM. I do not recommend using the Plugin Manager to install the XRM as it's extremely difficult to control the order the mods are installed in which can lead to problems.

(2) Extract the three parts to a temporary folder and look at the other cat/dat files you have in the main AP installation folder (in your Terran Conflict "addon" directory). Rename the XRM cat/dats to the next consecutive number from the existing ones, i.e. if the last ones are 03.cat and 03.dat rename the XRM files to 04.cat/04.dat and 05.cat/05.dat. Move the XRM cat/dats to the AP installation folder.

(3) NOTE: THEY MUST HAVE TWO DIGITS! It is essential that your cat/dat pairs have two digits in the file name. So they must be "05.cat/dat" - not "5.cat/dat". The "0" is vital.

(4) It does not matter in which order the two XRM "parts" are installed. However, please note which one is which, as updates may only be on one file or the other. Addon packs must be installed to higher cat/dat numbers than the base XRM.

(5) From Part 2 copy the contents of the "director" folder to the "director" folder in your main AP (addon) directory. If a "director" folder does not exist then create one.

(6) From Part 2 copy the contents of the "t" folder to the "t" folder in your main AP (addon) directory. If a "t" folder does not exist then create one.

(7) From Part 2 copy the contents of the "scripts_AP" folder to the "scripts" folder in your main AP (addon) directory. Overwrite any existing files.

(8) To install the load screens, copy the contents of "loadscr" in Part 2 to the "addon/loadscr" folder.

(9) From Part 3 (or the Linux Patch) copy the contents of the "mov" folder to the same folder in your AP (addon) directory overwriting or renaming the existing files.

(10) From Part 3 (or the Linux Patch) copy the contents of the "soundtrack" folder to the same folder in the underlying TC directory - NOT ADDON - where all the other music tracks are found.

(11) You will need to navigate to the "mov" folder in your AP (addon) directory, locate the "00044.pck" file and either rename, move, or delete this file. Without doing this you will not get any new custom names said by "Betty".

(12) Before running X3AP you must open and close the Plugin Manager (if installed), regardless of which version you are running. This is so the Plugin Manager can integrate the XRM ware size changes.

(13) Run the game. You should get a message saying the XRM has been installed when you start a new game.

(14) There will be a pause for a minute or two at the start of a new game. This is the scripts allocating weapons to all the initially created jobs. This pause only happens at the very start of a new game.

(15) To install the hull packs (not described here), cockpit packs, or the background pack, simply extract the contents to the AP (addon) directory and rename the associated cat/dat to a higher number than the main XRM mod. To reload the hulls for all ships (if using a hull pack), run X3AP, enter the script editor, highlight the script "temp.xrm.hull.reload.xml" and hit "r".

(16) If using the XRM in conjunction with other mods, installation order may be essential. Please see the compatibility notes below for any special cases.

(17) If you aren't seeing the extra New Game start options, such as "Goner Witness", locate the "addon/types/gamestarts.pck" file and rename, move, or delete it (deleting is not recommended). Note: This file only exists in the GOG version of the game.

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OPTIONAL MODS

The following mods are popular but entirely optional. They (or a modified version of them) can safely be combined with XRM, but be sure to follow the XRM specific instructions below.

If using XRM with TC, even if you are using no other mods, it is HIGHLY recommended to use Gazz's Missile Defense MK2 mod to properly handle XRM's faster missiles.

Official Bonus Packs:

Recommended to install after installing XRM.

File Packs: x3tc_bonus_pack_4.1.0.1 and x3ap_bonus_pack_5.1.0.0

XRM is compatible with the official bonus packs for both TC and AP. There are no conflicting files.

Install as normal (using the appropriate official release executable) or install manually by copying extracted "scripts" and "t" directory contents to their respective TC or AP directories.

Note: If installing on Linux or OS X, you will need Wine to run the bonus pack executables. Additionally, if not already present, you will need to create a dummy "X3TC.exe" file in your "game" directory, or the bonus pack executables will not consider it a valid install directory. The dummy file can be removed after installation. I recommend using an empty directory with a dummy "X3TC.exe" file as an installation target and then copying the "installed" files over manually.

MARS Fire Control:

This also requires the custom XRM MARS data file.

File Packs: mars-tc and XRM_MARS_DATA

While labeled "mars-tc", MARS is fully compatible with both TC and AP.

The repair drones from the MARS mod have already been merged into XRM, so only the script and t files should be imported.

* Copy the mars-tc files from the "scripts" and "t" directories to their corresponding locations for TC or AP (addon).

* Replace the "t/7054-L044.xml" file with the custom version from XRM_MARS_DATA

To enable MARS in a new game, you will need to dock at a nearby station, save, and reload your game instance. After loading your save, the MARS control key mappings should be available in the bottom section of the Options > Controls > Interface menu.

The Artificial Life settings can be found under Options > Gameplay > Advanced. However, until MARS is activated by loading a saved game, an error menu titled "ReadText0-250" may appear where the MARS Artificial Life menu should be. DO NOT use this temporary menu!

Gazz's Missile Defense MK2 (If not using MARS) (TC ONLY!):

Terran Conflict Only!
Not required if using MARS.

File Packs: msl_def_mk2

Gazz's Missile Defense MK2 is for TERRAN CONFLICT ONLY.
MDMk2 is not required for Albion Prelude as it is built into the game already.
MDMk2 is not required when using the MARS mod, as it is already included in MARS.

Gazz's Missile Defense Mk2 script is essential to temper the much faster missiles in XRM. It will be used by both the player and the AI automatically.

* Copy the files from the "scripts" directory to the corresponding "scripts" directory in your TC installation (not AP!).

PSCO1's Cockpit Pack:

File Packs: XRMCPPACK, XRMCPPACKNOREF, XRMCPPACKHUD, XRMCPPACKLITEHUD, XRMCPPACKGRAV

PSCO1's Cockpit Pack adds player-ship cockpits to the game and really creates some great ambience. Numerous cockpits are created, each associated with specific ship types.

DO NOT use the original versions of the cockpit pack. Use one of the ones below, specifically packaged for combination with XRM.

There are multiple versions of the cockpit mod - the original appearance, one with no glass tints or reflections, one with no tints and the HUD info bar put back in, PSCO1's new version with a lite, cut down HUD, and one with the Gravidar and HUD info in.

* XRMCPPACK is the original with tints and only the weapons loadout HUD.
* XRMCPPACKNOREF is like the original but with no windows tints.
* XRMCPPACKHUD has no window tints, a full HUD, but no Gravidar.
* XRMCPPACKLITEHUD with tints and a cut down lite version of the HUD.
* XRMCPPACKGRAV has tints, a full HUD, and Gravidar.

I recommend XRMCPPACKHUD. While window tints do add something to the ambience, they make it very difficult to fly certain ships, such as the Mamba Raider used by the "Bankrupt Assassin" starter.

I also recommend using the standard 90 degree field of view with this mod, otherwise there's an obvious discrepancy between the inside and outside worlds when looking around.

Background Pack:

Popular, but not recommended.

File Packs: XRM_BACKGR

This pack contains cleaned up and enhanced versions of the original X3TC/AP sector backgrounds with high resolution star fields. All visibilities have been increased to stop the "cloaking device" fade effect on stations in some sectors. Fog has been made less dense and a bit more subtle.

It features a new background for the Solar system, featuring an image of the Milky Way taken from real life footage as seen from Earth.

The star fields are optimized for a view angle of 70 degrees. Higher angles may induce shimmering in the stars. This is set in the in-game menu - options - graphics.

This is not compatible with any mod that alters backgrounds.

I don't recommend this mod because it only really looks good with the smallest available FOV (70 degrees), and that doesn't mesh well with the cockpit packs, which require 90 degrees to appear correctly.

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That's all for now! Comments and corrections welcome.

It's going to be a little bit before I get to installing this, but thanks for putting these instructions together!

Happy to help. It took a good bit of trial and error to get XRM and the associated mods working right for the GOG pack, but I don't know that I could go back to playing AP without it.

There's little documentation for those playing X3 on Linux, and practically none for Mac players, so hopefully I covered everything.

If I missed something, let me know =)

Hey bro,nice guide but what about the steam version does these instructions apply to it?

I entirely missed your post. Sorry for the late reply.

I would expect not precisely as written here. As I mentioned, I heavily modified the instructions from the EgoSoft forum to work with the GOG version—which combines TC and AP in a single installation, with AP effectively overlaying and reusing files from TC—and to take Linux and Mac users into consideration.

The basic installation instructions from the original EgoSoft thread (see link in the topic post above) should work for a Steam installation, though I can't personally verify that. But my Linux and Mac-specific tips should still apply—most notably the one about the Part 3 "Linux Patch" being required for proper operation on a Linux or Mac setup.