X-Wing: Alliance and XWAU Comparison - 01

A comparison of regular, vanilla Star Wars X-Wing: Alliance versus with the X-Wing: Alliance Upgrade installed. To get the game running properly on my computer, even the "regular, vanilla" version is hacked to run in my widescreen resolution (16:10, not 16:9. XWA supports neither) and patched with the current Z-buffer fix. The game just isn't right without these hacks, and even then it's not 100% in all areas. For instance, the Z-buffer fix causes the game to run in 32-bit instead of 16-bit because modern video cards don't support the way some parts of XWA runs in 16-bit. Without the fix, if you target an enemy, objects will disappear off the main view even though they're still there. Applying the fix, however, causes a few more small bugs. The Tech Library's almost completely messed up, some parts of the briefing fail to update (you'll see this), and the starfield shimmers in a stuttering fashion instead of smoothly. But it's worth it, because otherwise you have to turn off your targeting computer. The other hack allows me to run in widescreen resolutions. Without this, it'd look fine in recordings like the one I made, but not while I'm playing. Everything will stretch out in the horizontal axis. Very bad for 3D games!

I originally put up another video with the same name a year ago. This video was not quite up to snuff, though. I redid everything but the recording and uploaded what I had. Sorry it's not 720. I tried some things to trick YouTube into thinking it was a 720 video, but it looked worse that way. The video was recorded at 1/2 my resolution, so every 4 pixels I see becomes 1 pixel in the video. Because of this, stars aren't very visible, which IMO really hurts the quality of the video. I'll probably re-record a similar comparison (with a different level, for the sake of those watching) later in the year, but I need a new hard drive with a fast write speed to do it. When I record it, I'll also record in 16:9, even though my monitor is only 16:10. And I'll record in resolutions that YouTube likes. Despite the fact that it's not in 720, it still looks pretty good stretched out. Less blurry than the last video, and of course it helps that I included all the video I recorded this time.

I hope it gets a lot of people who enjoyed the X-Wing series to be interested in this mod.

This is the first video of the series.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Star
• Wars
• X-Wing
• Alliance
• XWing
• Wing
• Upgrade
• Update
• LucasArts
• Lucas
• Arts
• better
• graphics
• widescreen
• fix
• patch
• Z-buffer
• depth-buffer
• depth
• buffer
• comparison

[Motoskichimo1974]

Dose any one here know how to get the game working on windows 7 64 bit. I tried every thing possible and just couldn't get it to run. So if any one can tell me what to do, It would be greatly appreciated.

[TKnightcrawler]

@Motoskichimo1974 Windows 7 would be hard. When I get Windows 7 or 8 in some number of months, I'll demonstrate installing it on there if it's possible.

[Motoskichimo1974]

@TKnightcrawler That would be very nice and helpful. I have gotten it to work on xp but there is a graphics error where every thing is working fine but you can see only the back ground. and if you install the upgrade. You get the graphics but they have no color or detail on the objects.

[TKnightcrawler]

@Motoskichimo1974 The first is a problem that has a solution already on the forums, the second isn't a problem and also has a "solution" on the forums and in the FAQ.

[TheFrustratedAtheist]

@Motoskichimo1974 i am running this game on windows 7 64bit. i don't know where to get a patch as I downloaded a hacked version. do a search on torrentz.eu, just type in x-wing. it's an iso file so you will need something like daemon tools. it's 640x480 but it runs really well with minimal glitchy graphics.

[TKnightcrawler]

@TheFrustratedAtheist Okay if you are running it in 640x480, you are doing it wrong. :-P Actually, a few days ago I recorded footage for a new video I'm gonna make. 1080p, instructions on how to properly install the game and update it to work on modern computers. I just don't feel like doing the editing right now. LOL

[TheFrustratedAtheist]

@TKnightcrawler if i run 3d hardware, the graphics go to shit.

[ACEM4VER1CK]

@TKnightcrawler OK i was just asking

[ACEM4VER1CK]

@TKnightcrawler Ok i was just asking

[TKnightcrawler]

@ACEM4VER1CK I have a Saitek flight stick, but not one like that. The throttle is built in. For XWA, I prefer not to use it, actually.