http://www.savingcontent.com/xwing

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Time to dust off your old X-Wing, Tie Fighter, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter and X-Wing Alliance CDs.

I've just finished writing my guide on how to get these games running on Windows 7 (both 32-bit and 64-bit). This guide should also help you get it running on Vista or XP if you have problems but I haven't explicitly tested on those platforms (I mainly tested on Windows 7 64-bit). This guide also includes help on how to get the DOS versions working of X-Wing and Tie Fighter if thats your fancy (especially if you want to experience the games using iMuse).

I've included how to get the games working with an Xbox 360 controller in the guide since that's the most ubiquitous controller around, but you can also use a flight stick ;)

If you have any troubles getting things running just drop a line here. I'm just hoping I didn't screw anything up.

I'll have to install those games and give this a try. Dunno how hard it is to get these games running these days but thanks for the work ya put into it. They're definitely worth playing and i long for more fantasy flight sims.

Fantastic work!

I personally consider Tie Fighter to be one of the best games ever, so I will definitely have to get it set back up. Also I kinda want to buy a new flight stick.

Dave put it best when he said that he believes that "Lucas Arts just wishes the x wing series of games would go away" and I agree because these titles have been the BAR which they themselves have never been able to reach again, hurting sales of every subsequent star wars game since.

X-Wing and TIE Fighter are two out of my top five PC games of all time, maybe in the top five on any platform, but I'm wondering if they are just best left to nostalgia at this point. There were some rumors last year of a series reboot for this franchise, not sure if they were ever substantiated by anything or not though.

Dave put it best when he said that he believes that "Lucas Arts just wishes the x wing series of games would go away" and I agree because these titles have been the BAR which they themselves have never been able to reach again, hurting sales of every subsequent star wars game since.

X-Wing and TIE Fighter are two out of my top five PC games of all time, maybe in the top five on any platform, but I'm wondering if they are just best left to nostalgia at this point. There were some rumors last year of a series reboot for this franchise, not sure if they were ever substantiated by anything or not though.

@bcrt2000: I think the feeling I have about how much fun I had with these games fifteen years ago is probably better than any kind of enjoyment I'd get out of them today, due to a combination of factors. My age at the time, how into Star Wars I was then, and the state games were in during that period. I pretty much feel this way for every old game, with very few exceptions.,

@MB said:

@bcrt2000: I think the feeling I have about how much fun I had with these games fifteen years ago is probably better than any kind of enjoyment I'd get out of them today, due to a combination of factors. My age at the time, how into Star Wars I was then, and the state games were in during that period. I pretty much feel this way for every old game, with very few exceptions.,

@bcrt2000: the link is not working !!!

@jcesquivel950 said:

I had no clue there was a thread on this. I stumbled on my X-Wing Trilogy boxed set when I was cleaning my office last night and thought about how it would run on Win 7. I was excited to see this thread until I also noticed the link wasn't working. I hope it comes back up soon.

@bonorbitz@jcesquivel950:

Just stumbled upon this post too while I wanted to revive some good old memories..

You find the linked article here: http://web.archive.org/web/20120605053959/http://www.savingcontent.com/2012/03/guide-play-x-wing-series-on-windows-7-with-an-xbox-360-controller/

Edit: somehow the link doesn't work when you click it :( Copy the url and open it, that works.

I don't know why X-Wing Alliance isn't more recognized as a great game. It's my favorite in the series.

X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter is the weakest game in the series (in my opinion) and yet it's the one that is always mentioned whenever anybody gets nostalgic about these games. Of course, I didn't have stable internet at the time, so I missed out on the multiplayer; all I had was bot matches, which were disappointing compared to the rest of the series.

@largorn said:

Thanks! When I get the chance (hopefully soon) I'll let you know how it turns out...

@chiablo said:

At the time, XvT was reviled. Well, that might be a bit harsh, but it received a highly negative reaction from players who were (perhaps rightly) expecting a follow-up game in the vein of X-Wing and TIE Fighter. Online multiplayer was far from a great experience back then (the good old days of the Internet Gaming Zone), and LAN multiplayer wasn't a luxury that everyone had the chance to partake in. X-Wing Alliance finally filled that narrative-based void when it finally came along, and I liked it quite a bit. Is it revolutionary like the original games were? No, probably not, and it's also not without its flaws. But I agree that it doesn't get as much recognition as it deserves.

I think when people get nostalgic and talk about X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, they are thinking of X-Wing AND Tie Fighter. Vs. was a huge let down, as a huge part of why TIE Fighter was great was that story. That, and stupid flares could lock on to your ship and knock you off course.

As to why X-Wing Alliance wasn't recognized as a great game? I think it's because it came out around the time Freespace came out. Freespace had a great story and its gameplay revealed something about the Lucas Arts space-sims. After Freespace, X-Wing Alliance felt like you were a turret in space. Freespace had a sensation of movement and scale that I don't think any other space-sims had at the time. Top it off with 3d graphics that were incredibly textured for the time and for me, it's easy to see why Alliance is kind of forgotten.

However, I think I may need to revisit Alliance. I never beat it and modders have been busy little bees!

http://www.xwaupgrade.com/

Tons of new ship models!

Super bump. Guide has been updated with some new troubleshooting tips for Windows 8 and XvT, and the files have been reuploaded.

http://www.savingcontent.com/2014/08/09/guide-play-x-wing-tie-fighter-series-on-windows-7-windows-8-windows-8-1-with-an-xbox-xb1-playstation-ps4-controller-flight-stick/

Also in regards to XVT-- yes it was reviled. It was a stripped down experience, and requiring a joystick was also dumb when Tie Fighter played perfectly well with a mouse. I think no one played X-Wing Alliance because they were either turned off by XvT or the joystick requirement. It is a shame though because it probably is the best and fully featured game in the series.

@bcrt2000: I didn't know you wrote that guide. I was actually just there last week and thought it was amazing work. So, thanks for doing that!

I remember being incredibly excited about XvT - I figured it would have its own campaign with versus multiplayer. Instead, it was all pretty much straight up versus. I lost my XvT discs, but I do have the Balance of Power expansion, on disk, sealed. I believe that has a campaign?

I think X-Wing Alliance kind of died on the vine not just because of XvT, but because Freespace had come out before it and Freespace 2 came out shortly after. Didn't X-Wing Alliance need the mouse for controls that were not ship based, though? I remember the cockpits being rendered rather than sprites, and I vaguely remember them being interactive.