I decided to play with random UFO layouts for the first time. I took what I think is a fresh copy of X-Com, packaged it into Boxer (DOSBox frontend for Mac), and ran XCUSetup, choosing not to randomize alien craft layouts each time, but rather to randomize them once.

 

Then I started a new game, and fairly shortly got a grounded scout to go intercept. When I got there, I found the same old scout layout: square ship, one room, seats and displays in the expected spots. But the farmhouses - hoo boy. They were made entirely out of Skyranger tiles, and there was no way to move up from the ground floor.

 

Has anyone else had this problem? What can I do to get the standard terrain tiles and buildings, but new alien craft layouts?

If you re-install your "clean" copy of UFO, does this still happen?

 

What version of XCU are you using?

If you re-install your "clean" copy of UFO, does this still happen?

 

What version of XCU are you using?

 

XCU 9.60. I think. md5 of the XComUtil.exe is 06216452564dbd31eb586b705467c55f.

 

 

What do you mean by re-install? play a fresh copy untouched by XComUtil? Or try to revert the .xcu backup files in the directory that I'm playing from?

XCU 9.60. I think. md5 of the XComUtil.exe is 06216452564dbd31eb586b705467c55f.

 

 

What do you mean by re-install? play a fresh copy untouched by XComUtil? Or try to revert the .xcu backup files in the directory that I'm playing from?

 

Problem solved. (HAH! No. See below.) I went back to my original, un-Util'd files and started a fresh game. The base layout was XCU's "improved starting base," and the farmhouse tiles were identically jacked up with Skyranger parts. So I must have run XCU on those files at some point.

 

So it's not some bug with XCU... or maybe it is. But to track it down, I have to lay hands on my original game files. Where the hell did I tuck those?

 

Edit: Oh sweet, a folder called "XCOMorig". How thoughtful of me. Only had to dig through 3 hard drives to find it!

Update: still a problem.

 

I was able to see the original crappy base layout and regular farmhouses by playing a new game from my "XCOMorig" folder. Then I ran XComUtil, choosing (among other options) to use the improved farm and desert terrains and to randomize ship layouts (once during XComUtil, not every time). Now I get the same ships as ever, but borked farmhouses.

 

So, it seems that running this version of XComUtil (9.6) in this version of Boxer (0.87, which uses DOSBox 0.73) on a v1.4 UFO:EU executable under OS X 10.5.8 will repeatedly produce this issue.

Update: still a problem.

 

I was able to see the original crappy base layout and regular farmhouses by playing a new game from my "XCOMorig" folder. Then I ran XComUtil, choosing (among other options) to use the improved farm and desert terrains and to randomize ship layouts (once during XComUtil, not every time). Now I get the same ships as ever, but borked farmhouses.

 

So, it seems that running this version of XComUtil (9.6) in this version of Boxer (0.87, which uses DOSBox 0.73) on a v1.4 UFO:EU executable under OS X 10.5.8 will repeatedly produce this issue.

DOSBox 0.73 is known-bad.

 

(It has a substantial reduction in the maximum command-line parameter length. No version of XComUtil has been released that can handle these truncated command lines. Per https://www.bladefirelight.com/downloads , there may be other issues.)

DOSBox 0.73 is known-bad.

 

(It has a substantial reduction in the maximum command-line parameter length. No version of XComUtil has been released that can handle these truncated command lines. Per https://www.bladefirelight.com/downloads , there may be other issues.)

 

Are the issues fixed in 0.74? Or do I need to move to earlier versions instead?

Are the issues fixed in 0.74? Or do I need to move to earlier versions instead?

 

 

I seem to recall Blade saying so at one point, yes.

0.74 works fine. I wish STEAM would update to it. It's significantly faster on file copies.