kai

It's been a while since I played X-COM so I don't have any old savegames. Has anyone ever mind controlled a Chryssalidand tried to turn aliens in to zombies? Does it work? If it works then do the impregnated aliens remain under player control (Or does that give them more terror units to throw at you?) And is it possible to do the same thing to another Chryssalid?

Wishful thinking on my part. I've encountered the bug on a data jammer mission. <stewie>Blast!</stewie>

Thanks for the info. Since I've placed an order for a new stick, I took the old one apart (partly out of interest to see if there was anything that could be done e.g. a gunked up switch, and partly out of sheer morbid curiosity) I've managed to familiarize myself with some aspects of it's functionality. I found that there are 2 sensors, presumably X+- and y+- (I probably have those axes wrong, but I'm sure you get the idea) The mechanism, while seemingly complex in it's construction, simply allows the x/y motion to be translated in to rotation. My current working theory is that the "sensors" are probably variable resistors. minimum and maximum resistance being the most extreme point on each axis. Then it's a matter of converting this analogue signal to something digitally encoded. Don't try this at home, unless your joystick is finished in which case - Try this at home! (It's just a shame I can't afford a HOTAS stick, especially one based on F-16 controls )

In that case it's not a bug. It's an "undocumented feature"

Like most of you, I use a joystick for playing Interceptor and similar games (I say most, because from what I've read, most seem to but a few people like using the mouse for tracer sniping) My stick of choice was a Thrustmaster Top Gun Fox Pro 2, probably not the best out there but it served me well and I always found it comfortalbe and easy to use. When I got back in to Interceptor, I dusted off the stick and found to my horror that it wasn't working very well. There was a huge dead zone to the right, requiring a very agressive motion to the edge to register anything. I found that the only way to minimise it was to turn resistance down to 0. This has the unfortunate effect of making the rudder overy sensitive (entering a roll when moving the stick) In short, it's not usable (although it does do a good job of simulating damage to control systems, kinda fun) so I'm now sourcing a replacement (One with a dedicated, large, throttle - should be fun ) Does anyone know why this occurs? And are there any ways to minimise it? (Or is this just general wear?)

Does this bug affect the combat simulator as well as real missions? The reason I ask is that my XP system now seems unaffected by this bug. But I've only tested it in the simulator (My trusty TopGun (Thrustmaster) bit the dust and I'm not going to subject myself to the horror of playing the game until I get a replacement) It's a (relatively) fresh re-install of XP Pro. Interceptor was upgraded to version 1.2 and the .exe is set to Windows95 compatability mode.

LOL, I think that's probably the only reason I was able to finish Freespace2 (After the fast paced Interceptor, FS seemed strangly calm) The only modification I've made is to the config file. Increasing the speed of the heavy laser, not for cheating but because I'm pedantic when it comes to physics, and the lasers always seemed too slow. My ideal setup is slow plasma but fast lasers, making them more of a tradeoff rather then an upgrade.

Thanks for the suggestions eveyrone I've decided to go with the playstation version (thanks for reminding me of the PAL/NTSC problem, could've gotten rather messy there) I tried Dosbox but I've had trouble with sound and fine tuning the speed. Ultimately, it was a layer of complexity that I decided I could do without (and I've never had much luck with software solutions anyway) unfortunately UFO has proven a little too expensive for me to justify the cost, so I've decided to go with TFTD (It was the first X-COM game I was introduced to, so it has more nostalgic value for me) I've heard that the PS version of UFO has some nice little improvements over the PC version like a better soundtrack and animations on the UFOpedia, are there any such improvements zombie? (Not that it matters too much, I'm just glad to have a (touch wood) playable version)

Having developed the urge to start playing the X-COM games again (something which happens periodically) I've run in to the traditional problem of gameplay speed. Since my 466MHz Celeron box is otherwise indisposed (acting as a linux server) it's not an option, although that said it still played a little to quickly. Since there are still a few copies of UFO/TFTD for the playstation floating around on ebay, amazon marketplace and a few other places, I'm in 2 minds as to whether or not to get a copy for the playstation and get a console (PSOne is dirt cheap these days) Has anyone got any experiences with UFO/TFTD for the playstation and are they worth it? (I'm posting in the TFTD section as TFTD seems to be cheaper than UFO)

Thanks

Slowing it down sounds like a great idea. The speed was always something I found annoying, well that and no locking on for cannons (the reason I always preferred Freespace2 to Interceptor) After finishing Freespace, playing Interceptor conjured up images of Benny Hill

I'm trying to get in to development with 3ds max, namely because the only pictures I've ever seen of the Patton class starship were a few low res pics in Interceptor, so I'd like to have a go at putting together my own model of the ship (to render). Please don't respond with "use Google" type responses, I'd just like to know if any designers here know any easy to use resources for learning how to use it. Unless it's a nightmare to use, in which I may just give up the idea

After much searching, I've found a set of custom startup screens for Windows 98. I can't remember where I found them but they have X-COM pictures and for the startup screen, it has the text "loading mission parameters" and an engine shutdown message for shutting down. Only problem is that I can't remember how to use them, it comes as 2 files. logo.sys and logo2.sys Does anyone know what I'm talking about and how to install the screens?

It's a standard problem for people who aren't slowing their computers down (through Moslo etc) that the game is almost unplayable (esp on the geoscope) Fortunately I have an old 466MHz box which I use for playing X-COM, even then it is a little too fast (Using X-COM Gold edition) Does anyone know what the optimum range of clock speeds are for running the game? (might get an ancient laptop on ebay, going back to university soon, don't want to bother bringing a large desktop machine back with me)

I've found a strange problem with UFO (and xcomutil), I have a base which I use for Radar coverage (South America), it has a hanger for future upgrades. Because there was an increase in alien activity in that region, I decided to buy a new interceptor aircraft. Problem - no free hangers. I checked the base information and it reported that the hanger was in use. Base stores show that there is nothing at the base, the aircraft arming screen also shows that there are no aircraft. And of course I can't remove the hanger - module in use. Has anybody come across this before?

I've found one good use for missle defences. Fusion missles take forever and a day to build. When constructing defences, I've used this method. Build about 2 fusion missile batteries. Add a few missile batteries, they only take about 16 days to build so they're a usefull stopgap. Start to phase out the missile batteries with fusion. That way you don't have an impressive array of weapons that have the slight disadvantage of not being ready when an attack comes.

I'm starting to wonder if defence emplacements are even worth the space they occupy, never mind the time money and research that goes in to them. Missles - I've found these to be useless, they're about as accurate as a Kalashnakov on auto fire Laser and Fusion - I have a base with 2 fusion missle batteries, a laser battery and a grav shield. I scored a few hits but the ship survivied intact and went on to land by my base. So are any defensive structures worth it?

Of course winning the second alien war seemed like a hollow victory (at least according to info in interceptor), though we won, victory came at a price. The destruction caused massive damage to earths atmosphere. Toxic fumes overwhelme many, and humanity is forced in to self contained metropolises, but humanity survives anyway

I always have speed problems with the game. Many thanks to the real programmers of days gone by who figured out that a loop set to run for a set number of iterations on CPU with a certain clock speed could simulate a 1 second delay. Unfortunately clock speeds moved on. Bad Coding!

I like the skyranger, because it doesn't need elerium. I always keep a few convential ships on standby. Plus the skyranger is useful against raids on small ships when they are close to the base (and base raids since I use the blocking the elevators trick)

I'm wondering how many people still play UFO as I don't. No matter what slowdown methods I try, I still end up with a geoscope that seems like Benny Hill on speed (would be funny if I could program it with that music). So what X-COM games do you all still play (if any) and how do you slow the old ones down?

Makes sense, after all it is an old game. Locating solders individually is quite advanced, and requires an understanding of AI which may not have been the case back then. Still, it is always good to figure out a few things about the game (like psionics glitch which lets you use the aliens inventory)

Here is an idea for a mad war, the Martians from the war of the worlds, v the Daleks. Strange huh? Gigantic walkers spreading destruction get attacked by floating/flying daleks from all sides. EXTERMINATE!

I've been following the new Dr Who series and I have to say I was raised on Dr Who, and it formed (or is that warped) my mind. As a long time fan I have to say the the new series has been brilliant. Chris Eccleston was fantastic as the new Doctor (I guess we will have to wait till the Christmas invasion to see how David Tennant will be) All that and more. But I have to say that the return of the daleks was great. You get to see a new and darker side to the Doctor:

Robotic creations are scary. But an alien is more scary. Anybody seen sphere? The most likely reaction to somthing alien is absolute terror