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Darksaber's X-Wing Station

Thank you.

Please read the Disclaimer and Copyright.

I would like to thank Mike Anderson for creating MXvTED and Decoy for suggesting I write a tutorial on this subject.

Presumably you already have the 2.02 patch installed into the game if not you can download it from LucasArts.

Firstly if you don't have it already, you will need to download the latest version of Mike Anderson's MXvTED (at this moment the latest Version 3.0 beta build 10) from the Craft Editors Section

Note: To have MXvTED work correctly you must have the X-Wing: Alliance 2.02 update patch installed.

Once downloaded, unzip the application into any Tab. Start the app and you will be greeted with this screen press OK we will discussed this later.

You will next be greeted with another box, read it then press OK

Note: If you don't already know this application enables you to edit XvT, BoP or XwA for either the US/UK or International versions of the games. The procedures for editing all three games are basically the same, but for this example we are editing XwA.

A browser box will appear for you to select the correct EXE. Find the Tab where you installed your game, i.e.: -

If the XWA.EXE doesn't show up press type of files menu and select either the Xwingalliance or the EXE file extension. Once found you will again be greeted with a box MXvTED notify which states. You have changed the current EXE file, MXvTED will now shut down. Please restart MXvTED to initialise the new settings and to start editing on the new exe file.

Now we can start editing, but first it's a good idea to make a backup of the original settings so, press Images from the dropdown menu and select Create backup

If you go to the Tab you installed MXvTED into you will find a new Tab has been created called MXvTEDbackup Do not delete this Tab as it holds all the original settings. When you start editing and if you make a mistake, this is easily corrected by selecting Images and by pressing the Recreate from image button.

Warning: If you have already changed some of the stats in another slot, by pressing the Recreate from image button all the slots will revert to the original statistics.

There is another option you can use if you made a mistake on the slot your changing, by pressing Images from the menu and select Recreate single slot By pressing this option, you just change the slot back to its original statistics.

The Make ZT package we will talk about later.

For examples sake, lets say you want to install a new Fighter say the Ewing, Unzip the file and copy all three opt's (Ewing.opt, EwingExterior.opt and EwingCockpit.opt) in to the Flightmodels Tab in your XwA directory. Next using MXvTED, select the craft No. you wish to edit (the first Reserved Fighter slot is 33), Either scroll down or use the plus + or minus - buttons.

You will now have a new slot to work with, you will notice that there are Tabs along the top Statistics, Description and so on

You will need to go into the Descriptions Tab

And Select the Spec. No. you wish to use, Scroll down until you find the first *Don'tUseMe (184) and select it, and press write

While you are in this Tab click on the Known box so that the tick appears, your craft is now Known and press write again.

A box will appear stating 

Press yes this will know enable you to see the newly added craft in the Craft Database in the game.

New go to the Opt Tab, highlight the box that stays None Assigned and type FlightModels\Ewing.opt and press write

Your Ewing.opt has know been assigned to that slot, But don't go rushing off yet to fly it, there is still more to do.

The Editor should now look like this, if it doesn't press the - button and then + button and it will.

Now you have to Enable the craft to fly in the game so press the Enable box and press Write

Now in the Play mode box Press the Flyable option and press Write 

Next go to the Ship type box, unless you are installing A different type of craft this should remain the same

but press 0 Fighter anyhow and press Write

The Next box In Skirmish press the Skirmish option to enable you to fly the craft in a skirmish (self explanatory really) and press Write again.

Now we come to editing the stats, If you have download any of my opt's will no that I always provide a readme file. (More then I can say for some opt makers), most of them include the stats for use with either MXvTED and BHE, (though the later craft readme files only come with the BHE settings, but that's my preference). Anyhow the Ewing still has the MXvTED stats with it read it then you should be able to enter the correct stats for this craft, but if not I'll run though them.

As the Ewing has Shield generators and a hyperdrive leave these boxes Ticked

Highlight each sell and replace each of the boxes with the following: -

Don't forget to press Write

Now select the Descriptions Tab

Highlight each box and type the following in each

And press Write

Now we come to the Icon stuff box, not a lot is known about these numbers yet, so what I usually do for a rebel fighter is copy the number's  form the X-Wing and paste them into that box. To do this select slot 1 (the X-Wing) copy the numbers, then back to slot 33 and paste them into that box, and press Write

The Description box should look like this

Time to edit the weapons, so select the Weaponry Tab

Scroll down the 1. laser box until you see 280 Red Laser, select it and press Write

If the Ewing had a Ion cannon, you would then Scroll down the 2. Laser box and select 284 Ion Cannon but considering that it doesn't leave that at 0 None set/opt default same goes for 3. Laser

Now for the Warheads scroll down the 1. Warhead box and select 286 Missile Launcher and Write

Fill in the slot relationship boxes as such: -

and press Write

Change the 1. Warhead load from 6 to 8 and press Write

So now the Editor should look like this

The Ewing has a cockpit Opt so select the Cockpit Tab. In the Cockpit box type Ewing By typing this this will enable the EwingCockpit.opt to be used. If the name Ewing wasn't typed in the box, In game you would see the default cockpit.

The Cockpit POV will also need to be changed from the Default X = 0, Y = 15, and Z = -30 to X = 0, Y = 47, Z = -10 and press Write

Note: One thing to remember if the craft you install, only have BHE Settings for the POV's please note the Y and Z are reversed as so : -

One more thing to do, select the Unknowns Tab and check the Unknown Manoeuvre Value box if this is set to 0 make sure you enter a figure in to this box, for the E-wing I have entered 40 (as shown below) and press Write

I only stat this as if you left it as 0, the AI craft would fly in a straight line

Ok that's it you have done it, what you waiting for try it out, go and fly.

Now the hard way of installing a craft has been explained, there is a easier way you can install the Ewing or any other craft. You may have noticed a file in the Ewing Tab you just opened a file called a *.Shp file. This file will now be explained.

A Shp file is a storage file which holds all the crafts information i.e. Stats, Description, EXE settings and so on, You may notice that some Opt makers provide these files with there Opt's, to use these files, select from the menu Files and then select Open Ship a browse box will appear for you to look for the Ewing.shp file.

You will then be given a option where to install the new Shp file, press Yes if the slot number corresponds to where you wish to place the file.

If you press No you will be given the option to where you wish to place the new craft data, but as we want the Ewing in slot 33 just press OK

Again press Write to save.

Take is a bit of caution when installing new Craft into the reserved slots though, sometime not all the information is written to the shp file, if you use these files make sure that all the boxes are correct.

1.    Is the craft enabled, if not tick the box.

2.    Is the Known box ticked.

3.    Is the craft set to flyable is it a fighter, has it been enabled to fly in a skirmish.

4.    Just go through what I have explained above to make sure.

This is comparatively easy to do, just select which slot you wish to save i.e. slot 33 the E-Wing, then from the menu select file and Save ship as

A browser box will appear and the you just select which Tab you wish to save the new *shp file and call it Ewing.shp and save. 

If you wish to customize your *.shp file go into the Development Tab in MXvTED and in the Patch comment box type something like this in the box then save the *.shp file as explained as above.

Now when someone else comes to use your *.shp file, they will be greeted with something like this: -

Just press OK then Write to save the new settings.

Explaining and Creating a *.ZT File

A *.ZT file is similar to the *.shp file as it hold info for the EXE about the stats, but that is the difference, it only holds the stats and no info about the description of the craft as does the *.shp file. The *.ZT file is a older format not used that often these days as it was originally used for the Game TIE Fighter, but is still very useful when creating a shipset.

Creating a *.ZT file is the same as saving a *ship file, Select Files from the main Menu, the select Save as single ZT file again a browser box will appear and the you just select which Tab you wish to save the new *ZT file and call it Ewing.ZT and save.

Creating a *.ZT Package File

This file can be very useful when creating Shipset, once you have installed the craft that you wish to be used in your Shipset, select from the menu bar select Images then press Make ZT package you should be greeted with this info: -

A browser box will appear and the you just select which Tab you wish to save the new *ZT file and call it what ever you wish and save.

Note: Two *.Zt files will be created the *.Zt file is for the US/UK version of the game and *.ztint.Zt or for use with the International version.

As I said ZT files can be used in Shipset's, for a explanation of how to use a *.ZT file, go to the Files Section and either download TIE Patch,  ShipSet Launcher 2000, or XW Gob 3 which all have help files.