X-Com forever

[Kraken]

I can't believe how good this game still is. I can even adjust to the chunky graphics after playing for a little while. I hope all the developers became multimillionaires and retired to some tropical paradise.

Unfortunately, they didn't do it with my money. Much as I'd like to own a legitimate copy, I could only find it on an abandonware site. Reluctantly donning my eyepatch and pegleg, I stifled an embarrassed "Arrrr!" and installed it, also running the "XcomUtil" patch from the same site. I was delighted to find that I can play this classic in XP without going through any weird DOS gyrations.

Except for one thing.

Every time music starts to play, the game minimizes to my taskbar. Sometimes I have to restore it 10+ times before it stays up. It's damned annoying. Does anybody know a solution or workaround for this behavior? I don't see any option to turn off the music.

BTW, I'm curious whether the community here considers this piracy. I don't. Am I just fooling myself?

[Kadoth Nodens]

BTW, I'm curious whether the community here considers this piracy. I don't. Am I just fooling myself?

You're a dirty, dirty infringer. Embrace it.

[Koz]

I use that same abandonware file because it's a lot more stable than the 3.5 floppies I have stored away somewhere. I legitimately bought the game (and TFTD) many moons ago, but I just keep the updated install files on my machine since the ol' DOS installers don't work too well with XP.

[Reed]

I futilely tried finding somewhere to buy it a while back, but came up short. I suppose you could find it on eBay, but that doesn't go to the devs or anything anyway. Also had come up short on finding abandonware that worked properly in Windows.

What would be nifty is if Amazon or something would sell all the old stuff. Pay $5 to download it and be ensured it will work on the latest version of Windows. And get a PDF manual along w/ it.

[Teggy]

Here's a stupid question: which X-com is "X-com"? I'm very intrigued by the thing because people around here talk about all the time, but I was an Apple/Mac user at home until just a couple of years ago, so I never really knew about it. Is UFO Defense the one people rave about? Were the sequels crappy or is anything X-com great?

[Daveman]

X-Com: UFO Defense (USA title... I think the original UK title was X-Com: Enemy Unknown?) is the original and the one that is generally best liked. There was a "sequel" called X-Com: Terror from the Deep that wasn't much more than the same game, same engine, but set underwater. Without going into too many details I thought TFTD was a more challenging game, but the underwater locales all felt the same to me and some missions (certain Terror Missions, base assaults) drag on too long. When I want to play X-Com, I go back to the original.

There was a third game called X-Com Apocalypse. It featured a new engine and could be played in both turn-based (like the original two) or real-time modes. I didn't like the game very much, although it did have some neat ideas. General consensus seemed to be against this title.

There have been a few other X-Com games since but they've all strayed from the originals formula and from what comments I've read about them they are better off forgotten.

[Peacedog]

Am I just fooling myself?

Sort of.

You should hunt down a copy of the X-com Collector's edition. It contains a more windows frendly version of X-com, iirc. Or, I'm confusing the copy there with the one that was distributed on game mags for free some time ago (years and years) that was more windows friendly. That the game was distributed for free at a period of time doesn't mean it is always free (just a FWIW). To my knowledge, X-com was never made freeware in any way shape or form, that was just a one time thing. That version may be free somewhere, though.

You probably wont find it on a store shelf (you never know if it will be in a bargin bin), but the CE is a good buy and you'd probably find it for under $20 unless you were in a bidding war on ebay (that's a good place to look though).

It contians UFO Defense/Enemy Unknown, Terror From the Deep, and Apocolypse. While the latter two games have their respective issues, you'll probably still have fun with them (if you play TFTD, make sure you check out a faq somewhere to do certain critical research elements in the proper order, or you canmake the game unwinnable. Super bug, that one. Also, if you play it and early in the campaign you come across something hostile & yellow, get the heck out of dodge).

I couldn't tell you what the original devs see from sales of the CE (it's very possibly nothing), but it's still a worthy purhcase.

X-Com: UFO Defense (USA title... I think the original UK title was X-Com: Enemy Unknown?) is the original and the one that is generally best liked. There was a "sequel" called X-Com: Terror from the Deep that wasn't much more than the same game, same engine, but set underwater. Without going into too many details I thought TFTD was a more challenging game, but the underwater locales all felt the same to me and some missions (certain Terror Missions, base assaults) drag on too long. When I want to play X-Com, I go back to the original.

It was Enemy Unknown. I'd tend to agree TFTD was harder. Some of it was little stuff, like gauss cannons (for the curious: the equivalent of X-coms laser cannons - an early, ammo less weapon that packed a decent punch, and had pretty good accuracy) needing ammo that you had to manufacture. Some of it was that other stuff, though.

There was a third game called X-Com Apocalypse. It featured a new engine and could be played in both turn-based (like the original two) or real-time modes. I didn't like the game very much, although it did have some neat ideas. General consensus seemed to be against this title.

It also suffered from some nasty bugs. Like if a piece of ground on the citcy scape was blasted by an alien (say, while shooting at your vehicle and missing), and you had a ground vehicle on that, the vehicle died. Boy was that a bummer.

It had interface issues as well.

There have been a few other X-Com games since but they've all strayed from the originals formula and from what comments I've read about them they are better off forgotten.

Also the cancelled "X-com 4". Firaxis owns the property now. I'd love it if they released the UFO/TFTD sources so people could make some really spiffy windows versions. And then do an eventual spiritual ancestor to X-com.

[D.A.Lewis]

Xcom UFO defense was the first and in my mind the best game ever.

For me one reason the game was perfect was it came out at the same time as the X-Files. Much of the same mythos that was in the game was also on the TV show. For me the game clicked becasue it was the first media to tie up the whole Alien conspiracy stuff in one cohesive package.

BTW, Computer Gaming World gave the game away as a freebee on their monthly preview disk a few years back. The other games in the series were okay but they didn't have that fresh appeal of the first game. And the designers never sought to exand on the original alien mystique so we were just playing the same game with only slighly different graphics. Still fun, but I would have liked more story.

[Eel Snave]

IIRC, it was actually PC Gamer which gave the game away for free.

I like this game, but I hate the music. I was playing it with just the sound for a while, and then the music started kicking in even though I didn't want it. It's obnoxious and it breaks my concentration.

[Kasey Chang]

Both CGW and PC Gamer gave away XCOM along with other classics.

[SuperHiro]

I'm sure Firaxis is doing something very nice with X-com, they're keeping it close to the vest to prevent overhype-age.

[Kraken]

The most disappointing thing about TFTD was the absence of underwater physics. They just tinted everything blue, added some gurgly sounds and sent up bubbles once in awhile. The first game was so strong, though, that I could forgive this blatant graphics swap.

Nobody has "music minimizing" workaround I asked about?

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

I like this game, but I hate the music.

I just went into the game directory and changed the name of all the music files. Voila, silence (or in my case, MP3s).

[Eel Snave]

I just went into the game directory and changed the name of all the music files. Voila, silence (or in my case, MP3s).

SIM, if you were standing in front of me, I would give you a kiss. Be glad you're not standing in front of me.

[Yojimbo]

I get some wierd stuff when I try this one again. I think tha tbecause my LCD monitor won't display 640x480 it won't work for me. But I'll keep trying.

-Yo

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

Yojimbo, go to my website and download the "xcom1fix" file. Place that in your X-com directory and use that instead of the main exe. This should fix your visuals glitch.

[Peacedog]

The most disappointing thing about TFTD was the absence of underwater physics. They just tinted everything blue, added some gurgly sounds and sent up bubbles once in awhile. The first game was so strong, though, that I could forgive this blatant graphics swap.

Well, underwater encounters probably would be mind numbingly boring if done with underwater physics. Not that they shouldn't have considered something more than a graphics overhaul, mind you.

One thing TFTD had over X-com was more complex maps, bigger and more complicated (layout wise) alien vessals & bases and the like. This could be good, but it could be not so good. The two part terror missions could get pretty harsh sometimes. Also, finding that last alien or two on a big boat could be really painful.

[Kraken]

I just went into the game directory and changed the name of all the music files. Voila, silence (or in my case, MP3s).

That solved my minimize-to-taskbar problem.

[bluefugue]

I have had trouble playing this thing properly. I have the disk with Xcom as a freebie but I couldn't get it to run through Dosbox for some reason, and when I played it in my old Win98 box it ran really fast. (Yeah I know there is Moslo, never really tried to use it.)

What's the generally accepted method for actually playing Xcom these days -- especially from the files on that freebie CD?

[rrmorton]

I just went into the game directory and changed the name of all the music files. Voila, silence (or in my case, MP3s).

That solved my minimize-to-taskbar problem.

I do something like this with all my games; I change the names of the logo and intro video files so they simply don't play on startup. In tandem with a NO-CD crack, I get to the main menu lickety-split.

On topic: X-com was fun!

[Buatha]

I know that UFO Aftermath is a pale shadow of X-Com, but one thing that game got right was the combat. I liked the plan-your-move setup, then letting everything run at the same time. It was a much more fluid experience than the turn-based method.

It's too bad that they botched the other aspects. Seriously, who would fly around the world in a helicopter?

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

I do something like this with all my games; I change the names of the logo and intro video files so they simply don't play on startup. In tandem with a NO-CD crack, I get to the main menu lickety-split.

I do this too. It's like we're brothers from another mother.

[Daveman]

Having to manufacture gauss ammo certainly made the 2nd generation weaponry more interesting (and challenging) than Lasers from the original X-Com. They also made the Heavy Sonic weapon single-shot only, unlike the corresponding Heavy Plasma weapons from the original. There was no reason not to take Heavy Plasma since it had auto-fire, but in TFTD taking Heavy Sonic guns was something of a tradeoff. I usually stuck with the auto-firing Sonic Rifles.

Then of course there were the Lobstermen. *shudder* My first encounter with them still ranks up there in my top gaming moments.

The two-part missions were what really killed it for me. The original X-Com ends with one and it's the only two-parter in the game. TFTD throws them at you all over the place... terror boats, alien bases, molecular control stations... ugh. I had a few too many cases of a single alien hiding in a corner somewhere that I had to search room by room for.

[dfs again]

I do something like this with all my games; I change the names of the logo and intro video files so they simply don't play on startup. In tandem with a NO-CD crack, I get to the main menu lickety-split.

Every now and then I read something so smart and clever and obvious that I crack myself in the head and go "why didn't you think of that."

Thanks Rob. Gonna give that a go.

dfs

[Peacedog]

Having to manufacture gauss ammo certainly made the 2nd generation weaponry more interesting (and challenging) than Lasers from the original X-Com. They also made the Heavy Sonic weapon single-shot only, unlike the corresponding Heavy Plasma weapons from the original. There was no reason not to take Heavy Plasma since it had auto-fire, but in TFTD taking Heavy Sonic guns was something of a tradeoff. I usually stuck with the auto-firing Sonic Rifles.

Right. I think all of those things add up to increase the difficulty (nor are they the only things). I'm not saying they are bad, mind you. They just make it harder.

[da Toad]

There have been a few other X-Com games since but they've all strayed from the originals formula and from what comments I've read about them they are better off forgotten.

Also the cancelled "X-com 4". Firaxis owns the property now. I'd love it if they released the UFO/TFTD sources so people could make some really spiffy windows versions. And then do an eventual spiritual ancestor to X-com.

Instead of X-Com 4 Mythos was going to make a similar game named Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge that was canceled (I'm still bitter about that one). Part of the source code was going to be used in UFO Aftermath before they scrapped it and started from scratch.

There was also a horrible space fighter game called Xcom: Interceptor and an equally horrible FPS who's name escapes me (Xcom: Enforcer?).

[Chesspieceface]

There was no reason not to take Heavy Plasma since it had auto-fire,

Not just no reason not to take them I always beeline for them. Unless I was serioulsy missing something this was THE research point ASAP. To me that's when I know that the game is really afoot, a squad of Power Suit / Heavy Plasma guys/gals IS XCOM to me.

God I love that game.