TIE Fighter Historical Missions

[tssmith]

Hello chaps,

I'm just starting to play TFTC, and found myself missing the 'historical' training missions.

So I'm recreating these using the Skirmish Editor - and it's working out pretty well! The skirmish feature in XWA is more limited than a real mission, but it's still possible to set them up very similar to the originals. Only things like late entry FG's and craft with boarding orders are very difficult to create in a skirmish.

Happy to share the fruits of my labour with the community once I've finished them.

[bman]

Actually the training missions have already been done (rebalanced), tested, and will be included as an option (with DATs etc.) in the next installer release. Didn't want to spoil the surprise so soon but the cat's already out of the bag.

Also, there are quite a few left over TF historical/training missions (including Tie Defender/Missile Boat etc.) which can't be used because of the XWA mission.lst file limitations, but a solution is to maybe put the unused missions into the XWA "pilot proving grounds" module so theoretically everything could be included. Nobody has tested this yet, so if you'd like to volunteer and experiment and post back here, it might be a more productive use of your time. Probably be best if you use AlliED editor to do this, but you should really understand first what you are actually doing and maybe backup your XWA folder before testing. Good luck.

[tssmith]

Thanks for the reply, bman.

However, I never liked the XWA system of including the two original Rebel training missions as part of the 1st Tour of Duty Battle, because that means training kills are lumped together with 'real' combat mission kills, messing up your career record.

That's why I'm against the idea of a Training 'Battle'. Unless you've found a way round that problem?

That's why I wanted to create the TIE training missions as Skirmish files - that way they don't interfere with the Tour of Duty Battles.

Granted, they are more limited that way, as the Skirmish editor isn't as sophisticated as Allied, but the benefit of an accurate career record outweighs that downside IMO.

[bman]

There's more than one way to get around that problem. You can always edit the mission.lst files etc. manually as long as it matches the file naming conventions. (See JM's XWA Expansion site).

The installer will allow the player the option of including the training missions (scoreless), and/or using a different pilot(.plt) file. You must already own the retail CDs though.

[tssmith]

OK, so you've managed to slot the training missions in the Proving Grounds module? Well done!

Even if you have no pilot record of your training/scores the way you did in the original, that's quite an achievement if it allows Allied-created mission files to be used.

I'm happy to get involved in testing if it will help, but I don't have a registered copy of Allied at this time - waiting for 'snail mail' to reach Troy Dangerfield as I don't trust Paypal's security.

[bman]

Nothing (extra training files...T/D & M/B etc.) has been assigned into the Proving Grounds lst file or even tested yet--if it's feasible. See above post.

[tssmith]

Hi! Been away from XWA for ages (spent a year playing Knights of the Old Republic (fab game!)

If anyone's interested, I've finally finished creating all the TIE Fighter Historical Missions (training missions) as Combat Simulator skirmish files. The four missions for each craft are done, apart from the Missile Boat ones, which I'll do later.

Obviously the Combat Simulator skirmishes are a lot more limited than a real campaign mission, so they won't play identically to the originals, but I think they are fairly close.

The advantage of having the training missions in the Combat Simulator as opposed to in the campaign is that training mission kills and scores will be recorded separately to campaign missions.

Happy to stick these missions on my Internet file-sharing site if anyone wants them.

Regards,

Tim

[avazquezd75]

Great, more missions for TFTC !!! ;D

And where exactly we could see your missions

[tssmith]

Download TIE Fighter Training Skirmish files from:

files.filefront.com/TFTC+Trainingzip/;9974474;/fileinfo.html

[fekleyrtarg]

Thank you very much tssmith. I appreciate it.

[fekleyrtarg]

But one thing still worries me: You told us that you try to slot the historical missions into the proving ground module. But those salvage yard missions are playable in multiplayer. So my question is: Will multiplayer be impacted?