Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
Encyclopedia
Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter is the third installment of the X-Wing computer game series, although it is not a regular part of the series.
Technically superior to its two predecessors, XvT runs on Windows, requires a joystick (the others could be played with a mouse), features a CD audio soundtrack, supports high resolution graphics, brings texture mapping to the ship models of the in-flight game engine, includes robust multiplayer options for up to eight players in free-for-all, team-based, and cooperative play modes, and has a sophisticated pilot and mission selection system that tracks the player's points and awards. The player also has the ability to choose for each mission which squadron he or she wants to fly in (e.g. either the Y-wing
s that disable a ship for capture or the X-wing
s that support them), his or her specific ship type, and the ship's armaments.
Response to the game was mixed. It is the only part of the series designed almost exclusively for multiplayer and/or personal practice only; it lacks a storyline and numerous cutscenes. While the gameplay was universally praised as an exceptional experience (especially for multiplayer), the lack of a story was strongly criticized by many fans. Totally Games
realized from this that strong storylines were a major reason for the earlier games' success. They then released an expansion called Balance of Power which added a storyline.
The pack also adds B-wing
s as a pilotable craft, along with other vessels that are lacking from the original game.
instead of Gouraud shading
.
XvT involved huge technical challenges in order to deliver a satisfactory multiplayer experience. In contrast with most popular multiplayer shooters such as Doom and Descent, XvT required far more data tracking and flow. This was due to the simple fact that the typical FPS takes place in a closed environment of rooms and corridors where players have little knowledge about other player's status or whereabouts unless they are literally looking right at them. The deep space setting of XvT, along with the conventions established in earlier titles, required that information about all craft be available to all players all of the time.
Technically superior to its two predecessors, XvT runs on Windows, requires a joystick (the others could be played with a mouse), features a CD audio soundtrack, supports high resolution graphics, brings texture mapping to the ship models of the in-flight game engine, includes robust multiplayer options for up to eight players in free-for-all, team-based, and cooperative play modes, and has a sophisticated pilot and mission selection system that tracks the player's points and awards. The player also has the ability to choose for each mission which squadron he or she wants to fly in (e.g. either the 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...
s that disable a ship for capture or the 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...
s that support them), his or her specific ship type, and the ship's armaments.
Response to the game was mixed. It is the only part of the series designed almost exclusively for multiplayer and/or personal practice only; it lacks a storyline and numerous cutscenes. While the gameplay was universally praised as an exceptional experience (especially for multiplayer), the lack of a story was strongly criticized by many fans. Totally Games
Totally Games
Totally Games is an electronic game developer located in Marin County, California. Their titles included X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance , a series of World War II Flight Simulator series, the most recent being Secret Weapons Over Normandy, and Bridge Commander based...
realized from this that strong storylines were a major reason for the earlier games' success. They then released an expansion called Balance of Power which added a storyline.
Expansion pack
An expansion was released in order to fix what much of the fanbase considered missing: apart from new battles and missions, Balance of Power features a Rebel and an Imperial campaign of 15 missions each, along with cutscenes that advance the story. Unique for the time, and rarely matched since, the campaigns supported 8-player cooperative play. Both campaigns revolve around the same series of events, but with alternate endings.- "Spreading the Rebellion" — Features the evacuation of a base, an attack against the Empire, and the capture of an Imperial Interdictor Cruiser. The campaign ends with an assault on the Super Star Destroyer Vengeance.
- "Imperial Task Force Vengeance" — The player flies as a member of the elite Avenger squadron under the leadership of Admiral Senn. The missions are similar to those from the Rebel's campaign. The campaign ends with the destruction of a Rebel factory.
The pack also adds B-wing
B-wing
B-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...
s as a pilotable craft, along with other vessels that are lacking from the original game.
The Collector Edition
A cut-down limited version of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter called Flight School was re-released as part of the X-Wing Collector Series compilation, which also contained special editions of the first two Star Wars space fighter games. In this edition, X-Wing and TIE Fighter were retrofitted with the X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter graphics engine, which uses texture mappingTexture mapping
Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...
instead of 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...
.
Development
Though it was released almost two years after TIE Fighter: Collector's CD-ROM, XvT was actually developed under an attenuated schedule of approximately 14 months. This was because the development team had spent several months working on a "Millennium Falcon" game that ended up being cancelled when it was recognized that the team simply didn't have the resources in time and personnel to meet the exceptionally high expectations such a title was sure to generate. Much time was devoted to creating a hybrid game engine to handle first-person "run & gun" gameplay along with the familiar flight combat, and a complex interwoven storyline featuring both a Han Solo-esque "smuggler" and a Boba Fett-inspired "bounty hunter."XvT involved huge technical challenges in order to deliver a satisfactory multiplayer experience. In contrast with most popular multiplayer shooters such as Doom and Descent, XvT required far more data tracking and flow. This was due to the simple fact that the typical FPS takes place in a closed environment of rooms and corridors where players have little knowledge about other player's status or whereabouts unless they are literally looking right at them. The deep space setting of XvT, along with the conventions established in earlier titles, required that information about all craft be available to all players all of the time.