*ahem*

So, you're sitting there saying "Man, I'd like to run an AoR game, but I just have no good ideas. What sort of story arc should I throw at my players?"

Well, wonder no more! Good Old Games has got your back:

X-Wing and TIE fighter are getting re-released!

Now, you'll have to do some GM Legwork, of course, filing off the serial numbers and tweaking the missions. However, for source material to steal from, you could do much, much worse.

Cool...but I'd be more ecstatic if they were released for Mac...

I'm pretty sure a grown man shouldn't make the kind of squee-ing noise I just did when I read that...

Awesome though I would love a new X-Wing game. I read a rumor online that Lucas was mad at one of the creators Of X-Wing and TIE Fighter because he worked on Star trek: Bridge Commander but now Lucas is out of the way. Hell EA could crowd fund a new X-Wing or TIE Fighter game with ease probably.

*squees in a high-pitched voice that only dogs can hear*

*breathes heavily*

*squees again*

TIE Fighter is superior.

Apparently they are all ready to go with gamepad support as well, although the Windows versions are better supported.

Does anyone know if gamepad support means a PC gamepad, or if my Xbox controller works?

The Xbox controllers are all compatible with Windows.

Although if you have a wireless Xbox 360 controller, you need to buy a USB wireless sensor thingy in order to interface with a PC.

Looks like I'm dropping 20 bucks on these. Probably more if I can't find my old Joystick.

As a note I'm actually going to use a character from the games strategy guide (this guy:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hamo_Blastwell ) in my campaign. The players will have to save him from four TIE Defenders sent to kill him after he escapes.

And I buffed the T/D (speed up to 6, one more point of shield in the front and HT up to 15) to reflect the fact that in every respect other than cost/availability and popularity it was the best snubfighter of it's day in the old canon.

I really hope my fanboyism for that fighter/these games doesn't TPK my group.

Disney (I assume their permission was needed for this) is cleansed of it's many sins for this act.

The Xbox controllers are all compatible with Windows.

Although if you have a wireless Xbox 360 controller, you need to buy a USB wireless sensor thingy in order to interface with a PC.

Though I think you'll find a flight stick more valuable. This game is a simulator, not an arcade shooter, so there's more control buttons you'll need to manipulate then an Xbox controller physically has.

Yep. A gamepad is not an ideal controller for the X-Wing series. There's two dozen buttons you'll need to be able to press (so you'll have to partly rely on the keyboard anyway). Plus a gamepad thumbstick is a poor substitute for a proper, full-sized joystick.

First time I played through the games (probably 98 or 99) I used a motion control gamepad. Wasn't ideal (needed the keyboard for a lot of things) but **** was it immersive, especially cause TIE controls in particular sorta looked like it.

Personally I hope this results in an appearance on Steam and the combined sales figures result in EA getting the message that there's money to be made in the series.

An HD upgrade and contol customization (enough sticks have proper yaw controls these days) to both of these would be very welcome. And a Clone Wars themed campaign would be very very nice.

Sadly I really don't think EA can handle a game of this magnitude. It's just too dependent on elements that EA doesn't have the stomach for.

EDIT: also Oculous Rift support would make me throw up.... and enjoy doing so....

We're also hindered by the fact that the original team has long since split up.

And flight/vehicle simulators as a whole seem to have gone out of style since their 90s heyday.

First time I played these games I had the old Thrustmaster HOTAS system attached to my computer. Throttle under the left hand with a rocker control and 5 buttons (so 15 - 18 controls on the left hand). A spring controlled flight stick with a top hat, triggers, and 3 more buttons. All programmable for each game. The top hat was great for quick view switching. Other buttons on the stick controlled the weapons selection and the trigger, well, it fired off the selected weapon.

I never played these games when they were out the first time.

When I get in my X-Wing, after a certain point I stop being able to shoot lasers. Did I run out of bullets? Run out of energy? How can I be able to shoot again?

I never played these games when they were out the first time.

When I get in my X-Wing, after a certain point I stop being able to shoot lasers. Did I run out of bullets? Run out of energy? How can I be able to shoot again?

As a circuitous way of answering (if I remember from that far back in my life)...

I think the paradigm they used was brilliant and simple, and I wish FFG had adopted it. Basically you have a power plant of X power, and you have components that each consume Y power. If you want to boost your shields, you have to reduce your speed. You can't just hold down the shoot button, each shot takes power away from shields, shield recharge, etc.

The only thing dumb in the game was point-and-shoot concussion missiles. Even when the game was created, real life missiles were all much smarter.

I don't remember the missiles tracking being that poor, especially the advanced ones.

I never played these games when they were out the first time.

When I get in my X-Wing, after a certain point I stop being able to shoot lasers. Did I run out of bullets? Run out of energy? How can I be able to shoot again?

As Whafrog hints at, the game works on an energy management system.

Going from memory (as I've not played either game in a good few years), the cockpit displays E/S/L - Engine, Shield, Laser - and at the start of the mission, they'll be "balanced" - each of the three will be at the mid-point. Hit F9 and F10 keys to increase the energy output from the engines to the Laser and Shield systems, respectively. The mid-points represent maintenance, your shield strength and cannon power banks will hold at their current levels, whereas 0 or 25% in either will see power fade away from each system (0 will fade faster than 25). Now, maintenance is only true while there are no external power draws - hits on your shields or you firing the guns - and they won't regenerate. Increase Shield or Laser energy to 75% or 100% to strengthen shields or recharge your laser banks.

Of course, that energy has to come from somewhere - increasing your Shield or Laser power in 25% steps will drop available power to the engines. In the X Wing, max speed at balanced power setting is 100 units. Increase Lasers to 75% will drop that max speed to 88. Another 25% to Lasers or to Shields and that top speed drops to 75 units.

A couple of other points - when your Laser power banks are above half (yellow dots on red rectangles), your cannon shots do more damage and go further. Your laser banks charge faster than your shields, and you can divert power back and forward, so the fastest way to charge shields is to leave S at 50% and draw power from your laser banks to dump into shields. Make sure you even your shields out (Full forward -> Full aft -> Balanced) before you add power to get double-green shields.

I don't remember the missiles tracking being that poor, especially the advanced ones.

No, the proton missiles had locking, which made sense. But the concussion missiles had no tracking at all.

I think you have it mixed up, the concussion missiles had tracking, while the proton torpedoes (which were essentially relegated to use on nothing smaller than a transport) had very limited (if any) homing.

Could be...it's been long time

As I recall, the torpedoes did have some tracking ability; but very little. You could only use them effectively on large, unevasive targets.

Although you could sometimes hit starfighters if you fired at point-black range.

As I recall, the torpedoes did have some tracking ability; but very little. You could only use them effectively on large, unevasive targets.

Although you could sometimes hit starfighters if you fired at point-black range.

You could use them effectively on bombers as well. I think of it this way. The concussion missiles are the equivalent of Anti-Air missiles while the torpedoes are the equivalent of Anti-Ship missiles. While you can use the torpedoes against fighters it is not what they are designed for so they aren't as effective at it.