Star Wars: X-Wing
Encyclopedia
Star Wars: X-Wing is the first LucasArts
DOS computer game set in the Star Wars
universe, as well as the lead title in the X-Wing computer game series. It simulates the experience of combat in the A-wing
, X-wing
, and Y-wing
starfighters of the Rebel Alliance
. X-Wing was built on an evolution of the same game engine that underlay the Air Combat Classics series of World War II flight combat games, (Battlehawks 1942
, Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain, and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
), that were developed by Lawrence Holland for Lucasfilm Games. X-Wing's main advance is that it features a fully 3-D engine for the flight combat simulation instead of the bitmaps and sprites of the earlier titles.
X-Wing also features an original narrative that parallels the events of Episode IV. At crucial points in the storyline, hand-drawn cutscene
s complement the narrative that is told mostly through the mission briefings and in-flight radio messages. The scenes were entirely original, though inspired by the movies.
X-Wing also features MIDI music from the original movie trilogy as well as pieces of original scoring. In one of the earliest examples of the use of adaptive music in a combat simulation game LucasArts' iMUSE dynamic music system enabled the intensity of the music to change in response to the changing situation experienced during gameplay. The score included themes for specific events such as the completion of mission objectives or the arrival of new enemies that were blended seamlessly with the main score.
The Collector's version of the game, which was labeled as "Limited Edition", offered a novella titled The Farlander Papers (q.v.) written by Rusel DeMaria. This was later expanded upon in the game's strategy guide
which was sold separately and featured extensive mission tactics in the form of "after action reports" written by the game's chief mission designers, David Wessman and David Maxwell.
In 1994, X-Wing won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1993.
The story that drives the missions is linear, and consists of three campaigns of varying length. Interaction with other pilots occurs within the missions as players are able to issue wingman commands to the AI pilots. Progress through the game depends on fulfilling each mission's primary objectives. Failure on a mission results in one of three outcomes: death, capture or retry.
Players assume the role of a Rebel pilot (implied to be Keyan Farlander) during the spaceflight actions of the Rebellion before and during the Battle of Yavin.
The player must complete missions ranging from simple dogfights with Imperial starfighters, to the escort or capture of freighters or capital ships, to attacks on enemy convoys and capital ships. Dogfighting is designed to resemble the free-wheeling duels of World War I
and World War II
, but the game also offers the challenge of managing power resources (lasers, deflector shields, and engines), commanding wingmen, and effectively using a variety of weapons (laser cannons, ion cannons, proton torpedoes, and concussion missiles).
The storyline evolves through three tours of duty of 12 missions each (except the third tour, which has 14 missions):
, X-Wing puts the player at the controls of various starfighter
s in space combat against enemy spacecraft
. Combat is mixed between dogfights with other starfighters and assaults on larger "capital" starships which often feature powerful turbolasers and starfighter hangars. Combat can take place at short ranges using laser weaponry, and long ranges using warhead
weaponry.
The game is played in first-person
from inside the cockpit. All flight takes place in space, so the player does not encounter gravity or atmospheric effects while flying. The game uses unrealistic physics which do not include momentum - a ship's engine must always be active to keep it moving. The player can change the firemodes of his or her fighter's weapons (for example having a pair of laser cannons fire together or alternately). The player controls the balance between front and rear shields.
An important part of gameplay is energy management - to recharge his or her fighter's lasers and shields, the player must divert power away from the fighter's engines, which slows the fighter down. Power flow can be redirected at several levels. The player can also shunt power from the shields to the lasers or vice-versa, but this causes some power to be lost.
Every fighter features warhead launchers using predetermined warheads. Warheads are limited and combat for the player will inevitably transition to short-range dogfighting once the warhead supply is depleted.
A third expansion, planned but never produced, was to introduce the Snowspeeder
as a pilotable craft, provide a third expansion campaign medal, and carry the player to the eve of the events seen in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
. The third expansion pack programming was later folded into Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
which ultimately did not feature the Snowspeeder, but instead focused on the YT-1300 light freighter
as the main pilotable craft.
Original Floppy Disk Edition — (X-Wing engine, iMUSE MIDI music) Star Wars: X-Wing was originally released on five (5) 3.5" floppy disk
s and (6) 5.25" floppy disk
s in 1993. Its expansion packs, Imperial Pursuit and B-Wing, were also released on floppy disk
the same year.
Collector's CD-ROM Edition — (TIE Fighter engine, iMUSE MIDI music). In 1994, after the release of Star Wars: TIE Fighter
on 3.5" floppy disk
s, X-Wing was re-released along with its expansion packs, Imperial Pursuit and B-Wing, on CD-ROM. This edition includes various tweaks, bug-fixes, easier versions of certain missions, improved graphics, redesigned cut-scenes, bonus missions, and voiceovers for the mission briefings and the in-game radio messages. The in-flight engine, having been upgraded for this release, is the same as the one used in TIE Fighter, which is actually an improved version of the original X-Wing engine, modified for the initial release of TIE Fighter to support gouraud shading
and other rendering enhancements. Owners of the floppy disk version could, at the time of release, send the back of their instruction manuals and money to LucasArts and receive a special "Gold Edition" of the CD-ROM version, which included the game on a golden CD-ROM and a free gift.
X-Wing Collector Series Edition — (X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter Windows 95/98 engine, Red Book audio
). In 1998, X-Wing was re-released again, this time as part of the Collector Series, a compilation containing revamped versions of both X-Wing and TIE Fighter retrofitted with the 3D-accelerated X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter ("XvT") engine and tuned to run under Windows 9x
. The Collector Series also includes a cut-down version of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter called Flight School. This version of XvT was included to renew interest in the full-version of XvT, as it was selling poorly at the time.
The iMUSE MIDI soundtracks were replaced with looped Red Book audio
recordings of the Star Wars score.
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
DOS computer game set in the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
universe, as well as the lead title in the X-Wing computer game series. It simulates the experience of combat in the A-wing
A-wing
A-wings are fictional Rebel Alliance and New Republic starfighters in the Star Wars universe. They first appear in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and subsequently in the Star Wars Expanded Universe's books, comics, and games....
, X-wing
X-wing
X-wings are fictional starfighters from the original Star Wars trilogy and the expanded universe. They are depicted as the primary interceptor and dogfighter of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic...
, and Y-wing
Y-wing
Y-wings are fictional Rebel Alliance and New Republic starfighters in the Star Wars universe. They appear in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, as well as the Clone Wars TV series and the Expanded Universe's...
starfighters of the Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
. X-Wing was built on an evolution of the same game engine that underlay the Air Combat Classics series of World War II flight combat games, (Battlehawks 1942
Battlehawks 1942
- External links :*****...
, Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain, and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe is a World War II air-combat flight simulation video game released in August 1991 and expanded in 1992 by LucasFilm Games. It is a MS-DOS game for IBM PC compatibles....
), that were developed by Lawrence Holland for Lucasfilm Games. X-Wing's main advance is that it features a fully 3-D engine for the flight combat simulation instead of the bitmaps and sprites of the earlier titles.
X-Wing also features an original narrative that parallels the events of Episode IV. At crucial points in the storyline, hand-drawn cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s complement the narrative that is told mostly through the mission briefings and in-flight radio messages. The scenes were entirely original, though inspired by the movies.
X-Wing also features MIDI music from the original movie trilogy as well as pieces of original scoring. In one of the earliest examples of the use of adaptive music in a combat simulation game LucasArts' iMUSE dynamic music system enabled the intensity of the music to change in response to the changing situation experienced during gameplay. The score included themes for specific events such as the completion of mission objectives or the arrival of new enemies that were blended seamlessly with the main score.
The Collector's version of the game, which was labeled as "Limited Edition", offered a novella titled The Farlander Papers (q.v.) written by Rusel DeMaria. This was later expanded upon in the game's strategy guide
Strategy guide
Strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to specific video games. The line between strategy guides and walkthroughs is somewhat blurred, with the former often containing or being written around the latter. Strategy guides are often published in print, both in...
which was sold separately and featured extensive mission tactics in the form of "after action reports" written by the game's chief mission designers, David Wessman and David Maxwell.
In 1994, X-Wing won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1993.
Plot
Players assume the role of a Rebel pilot (implied to be Keyan Farlander) during the spaceflight actions of the Rebellion before and during the Battle of Yavin.
The player must complete missions ranging from simple dogfights with Imperial starfighters, to the escort or capture of freighters or capital ships, to attacks on enemy convoys and capital ships. Dogfighting is designed to resemble the free-wheeling duels of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but the game also offers the challenge of managing power resources (lasers, deflector shields, and engines), commanding wingmen, and effectively using a variety of weapons (laser cannons, ion cannons, proton torpedoes, and concussion missiles).
The storyline evolves through three tours of duty of 12 missions each (except the third tour, which has 14 missions):
- "A New Ally" — The search for new Rebellion allies and the Imperial campaign against the Rebels. The tour ends when the Rebels smuggle a nuclear weapon aboard an Imperial Star DestroyerStar DestroyerStar Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional Star Wars universe. The Imperial Star Destroyer, which first appears in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , is "the signature vessel of the Imperial fleet"...
and detonate it.
- "The Great Search" — Rebels discover the plans to the first Death StarDeath StarThe Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
and deliver them to Princess Leia OrganaPrincess Leia OrganaPrincess Leia Organa of Alderaan is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe...
's corvette, the Tantive IVTantive IVThe Tantive IV is a fictional spaceship in the Star Wars film series. It was used by Bail Organa in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and by Leia Organa in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and was the first vessel audiences saw when Star Wars premiered in 1977...
. The campaign ends with the protection of the princess from an Imperial attack, allowing Leia to ferry on the Death Star plans.
- "The Gathering Storm" — Portrays the Rebels' route to the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star. The last three missions cover the attack on the Death Star. In these missions the player recreates the role of Luke SkywalkerLuke SkywalkerLuke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
.
Gameplay
As a space flight simulator gameSpace flight simulator game
A space flight simulator game is a genre of simulation video games that lets players experience space flight. Highly realistic examples lacking any sort of combat include Orbiter and Microsoft Space Simulator...
, X-Wing puts the player at the controls of various starfighter
Starfighter
"Starfighter" is a science fiction term used to describe small, fast, usually one-manned craft designed for armed combat .The appearance and use of fictional starfighters is often modeled on fighter aircraft, with little regard for the actual physics of spaceflight...
s in space combat against enemy spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
. Combat is mixed between dogfights with other starfighters and assaults on larger "capital" starships which often feature powerful turbolasers and starfighter hangars. Combat can take place at short ranges using laser weaponry, and long ranges using warhead
Warhead
The term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...
weaponry.
The game is played in first-person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
from inside the cockpit. All flight takes place in space, so the player does not encounter gravity or atmospheric effects while flying. The game uses unrealistic physics which do not include momentum - a ship's engine must always be active to keep it moving. The player can change the firemodes of his or her fighter's weapons (for example having a pair of laser cannons fire together or alternately). The player controls the balance between front and rear shields.
An important part of gameplay is energy management - to recharge his or her fighter's lasers and shields, the player must divert power away from the fighter's engines, which slows the fighter down. Power flow can be redirected at several levels. The player can also shunt power from the shields to the lasers or vice-versa, but this causes some power to be lost.
Every fighter features warhead launchers using predetermined warheads. Warheads are limited and combat for the player will inevitably transition to short-range dogfighting once the warhead supply is depleted.
Expansion packs
Two additional tours of duty were later available separately on 3.5" floppy disks, and then included in the subsequent Collector Editions:- Imperial Pursuit — Depicts the evacuation of Yavin IV and the search for a secret location for a new base. The Rebels must resist growing Imperial pressure and the new Interdictor Cruiser.
- B-Wing — Covers production of a new craft, the B-wingB-wingB-wings are fictional Rebel Alliance and New Republic starfighters in the Star Wars universe. They first appear in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and subsequently in the Star Wars Expanded Universe's books, comics, and games...
, and its delivery to the Rebellion. The tour ends with the Rebels' arrival on HothHothIn the fictional universe of Star Wars, Hoth is the sixth planet of a remote system of the same name. It is a terrestrial planet blanketed by snow and ice. Many meteorites from a nearby asteroid belt pelt the planet's surface, making temporary craters in the planet's ever-moving snow drifts. Hoth...
.
A third expansion, planned but never produced, was to introduce the Snowspeeder
Snowspeeder
A snowspeeder is a Rebel Alliance vehicle featured in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and several books, comics, and video games in the Star Wars Expanded Universe...
as a pilotable craft, provide a third expansion campaign medal, and carry the player to the eve of the events seen in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
. The third expansion pack programming was later folded into Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance or XWA is the sequel to both Star Wars: TIE Fighter and the multiplayer-focused X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. XWA presents the story of the Azzameen family, a family of space traders...
which ultimately did not feature the Snowspeeder, but instead focused on the YT-1300 light freighter
Millennium Falcon
The Millennium Falcon is a spacecraft in the Star Wars universe commanded by smuggler Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca...
as the main pilotable craft.
Editions
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
s and (6) 5.25" floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
s in 1993. Its expansion packs, Imperial Pursuit and B-Wing, were also released on floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
the same year.
Collector's CD-ROM Edition — (TIE Fighter engine, iMUSE MIDI music). In 1994, after the release of Star Wars: TIE Fighter
Star Wars: TIE Fighter
Star Wars: TIE Fighter, a 1994 space flight simulator/space combat computer game, is the sequel to Star Wars: X-Wing, and the first game of the series that puts the player on the side of the Galactic Empire....
on 3.5" floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
s, X-Wing was re-released along with its expansion packs, Imperial Pursuit and B-Wing, on CD-ROM. This edition includes various tweaks, bug-fixes, easier versions of certain missions, improved graphics, redesigned cut-scenes, bonus missions, and voiceovers for the mission briefings and the in-game radio messages. The in-flight engine, having been upgraded for this release, is the same as the one used in TIE Fighter, which is actually an improved version of the original X-Wing engine, modified for the initial release of TIE Fighter to support gouraud shading
Gouraud shading
Gouraud shading, named after Henri Gouraud, is an interpolation method used in computer graphics to produce continuous shading of surfaces represented by polygon meshes...
and other rendering enhancements. Owners of the floppy disk version could, at the time of release, send the back of their instruction manuals and money to LucasArts and receive a special "Gold Edition" of the CD-ROM version, which included the game on a golden CD-ROM and a free gift.
X-Wing Collector Series Edition — (X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter Windows 95/98 engine, Red Book audio
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
). In 1998, X-Wing was re-released again, this time as part of the Collector Series, a compilation containing revamped versions of both X-Wing and TIE Fighter retrofitted with the 3D-accelerated X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter ("XvT") engine and tuned to run under Windows 9x
Windows 9x
Windows 9x is a generic term referring to a series of Microsoft Windows computer operating systems produced since 1995, which were based on the original and later modified Windows 95 kernel...
. The Collector Series also includes a cut-down version of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter called Flight School. This version of XvT was included to renew interest in the full-version of XvT, as it was selling poorly at the time.
The iMUSE MIDI soundtracks were replaced with looped Red Book audio
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
recordings of the Star Wars score.