Rogue (re)plays X-Wing

[Rogue 9]

I decided earlier this year to split the gaming content from the medieval reenactment content on my primary YouTube channel, and started a new channel for the purpose. It had just been sporadic whatever I felt like recording, but I decided to undertake a project a couple of weeks ago: I'm doing a retrospective let's play of the campaigns from all of the X-Wing games. The first part goes live tomorrow morning at 9:00 EDT. For the hell of it, I decided to use YouTube's Premiere function, since I never have before, just to see what it does.



I have lots of content banked, and will release four missions per week until done. At the appropriate juncture I'll start TIE Fighter separately, so that I can end up both series with a playthrough of the Squadrons single player (which jumps back and forth between Rebel and Imperial). It'll all be in this playlist. If this kind of look back is interesting to you, feel free to tune in.

Just to show I've still got it, I recorded the announcement live over a round of Dogfight in Squadrons. I did not curate this match; it's just how I do.

[Solauren]

What Joystick are you using for flight controls? I've been debating reinstalling them to play them (X-wing, Tie Fighter, X-wing vs Tie Fighter), but I'm not sure I could get my old Gravis Joystick to work on a modern computer, and I'm not sure I'd like playing it using a modern style video console controller.

[Rogue 9]

What Joystick are you using for flight controls? I've been debating reinstalling them to play them (X-wing, Tie Fighter, X-wing vs Tie Fighter), but I'm not sure I could get my old Gravis Joystick to work on a modern computer, and I'm not sure I'd like playing it using a modern style video console controller.

I'm using my old Saitek X52 that I've had for over a decade. My new Windows 10 computer reads it just fine.

[Solauren]

Um, my gravis stick is so old, it I used it on my 386DX40, without drivers.....

[Rogue 9]

Um, my gravis stick is so old, it I used it on my 386DX40, without drivers.....

Best thing to do is plug it in and try to calibrate it, then. If the computer doesn't recognize it, you have your answer. I'm afraid I don't know enough to advise beyond that.

[Batman]

386DX40? I don't think modern PCs even have the connectors for something from that era.

[Elheru Aran]

A connector adaptor can probably be found somewhere, and the drivers are likely available online. A bunch of devices used to come with drivers on separate CDs, so it has to exist somewhere. Whether the driver is compatible with more modern OSes running a more modern game is a different question.

[Solauren]

386DX40? I don't think modern PCs even have the connectors for something from that era.

I have an adaptor.

[Rogue 9]

386DX40? I don't think modern PCs even have the connectors for something from that era.

I have an adaptor.

Then yeah, plug it in and try to calibrate it in the control panel. The PC will recognize it or not, and trying it that way saves you the trouble of buying/installing a flight sim first to find out.

[RogueIce]

So how's it holding up? I've always found the original X-Wing quite interesting in that the meat of the story was actually in the strategy guide. The game itself had a fairly threadbare story: TOD 1 was basically standalone, though TODs 2 and 3 flowed together, 4 was the aftermath of 3 but 5 was just showcasing the new fighter.

TIE Fighter has a similar thing going but it did have a stronger narrative arc by making Zaarin the Big Bad and having him duke it out with Thrawn. Still, there was no real character but your own and the story was in the briefings and cutscenes.

X-Wing vs TIE Fighter had no story, and when it got one in Balance of Power it, like much of the game, was basically half-and-half and could go either way depending on who you played.

And so it wasn't until X-Wing Alliance that we got a "proper" story with an actual protagonist, albeit with zero personality but hey, that was the way back then. Sadly its lack of expansions means we never got an ending to the Azzameen Family plot, but hey it was good to end at Endor, a fitting way to go out for the series as a whole.

[Rogue 9]

Well, Squadrons has a lot more polish, but a lot less content. Mission 2 went up the afternoon of the 1st; missions 3 and 4 are scheduled to release tomorrow morning and afternoon, and that's where the missions stop being mostly empty tutorial.

[Rogue 9]

If anyone's still interested, I'm still going. The Death Star missions started to go up today.

[RogueIce]

So you mention the Battle of Yavin not even being close to canon, which is very true. But I don't know, I kind of like this presentation? Clearing out the screening ships - the Empire using screening forces lol - and then the targeted strikes on hangers and stuff to let the assault go through. It really made it feel like a large operation. Having it broken up is a little silly, but given the limitations of tech at the time understandable. IIRC even XWA had the Falcon "refuel" in between segments at Endor.

[Solauren]

I tossed the X-wing series games on thanks to GOG. Couldn't get X-wing to load, so I started playing Tie Fighter.

Then I got some converters, and added the Tie Missions to X-wing vs Tie for better graphics.
You lose alot story wise, but if you're just going for combat, it's rather enjoyable.

[Rogue 9]

I'm premiering a playthrough of TIE Fighter tomorrow at 1:00pm EDT. Link.

[RogueIce]

This should be interesting. TIE Fighter is much beloved. They definitely take the storytelling up a level here. Whereas before you had general arcs for each TOD, now you have actual antagonists and allies/commanders, rather than say a general ship being the main tormentor (ISD Invincible, ISD Intrepid and of course the Death Star). Harkov and Zaarin are much more real than the unnamed Captains/Admirals of the aforementioned ISDs, or the knowledge that in Tarkin was in charge of the Death Star from ANH.

Personally, I'm interested in seeing if my impressions regarding "you mostly fight other Imperials" holds up while actually watching this.

[Rogue 9]

Personally, I'm interested in seeing if my impressions regarding "you mostly fight other Imperials" holds up while actually watching this.

So far no, but in the first two tours I've spent more time fighting neutral factions than Rebels, and the writing is on the wall for Harkov.

[RogueIce]

Personally, I'm interested in seeing if my impressions regarding "you mostly fight other Imperials" holds up while actually watching this.

So far no, but in the first two tours I've spent more time fighting neutral factions than Rebels, and the writing is on the wall for Harkov.

Yeah, I've been watching. Seems so far to be a little even, perhaps somewhat more biased toward neutral/pirate over Rebel, but still plenty of Rebel.

I suspect my perception is being colored by Zaarin's later turn and how he becomes the major antagonist for the last half (or more?) of the game.

[Raesene]

You got me to install TIE-Fighter once more - I'm not sure wether I should thank you or not...

[RogueIce]

So, Tour 5 Operation 5...yeah...I can only imagine this was the scene at Rebel Headquarters when they came up with that plan:

[Rogue 9]

Yeah, that's about the size of it. And then Red 2 faceplanted into a container for no goddamn reason and Gold 2 flew in circles with his dick in his hand after Gold 1 bit it, so I had to do everything myself, per usual.

[Isolder74]

Is it bad if I point out I'm much better at this game then you?

I love this game and must admit that it did take several playthroughs of X-Wing before I managed to finish the game without dying one.



On a minor note, my the wingmen are so useless...can I leave them behind.

[Lord Revan]

I think it was only in X-wing Alliance (aka the last game in the classic X-wing series) that wingmen did anything resembling useful and prior to that they were there mostly to fill up the roster and give enemies something else to shoot so that the laser focus on the player wasn't quite as obvious.

Still these are older games and for their time the AI was as good as you could get really.

[Rogue 9]

Is it bad if I point out I'm much better at this game then you?

I love this game and must admit that it did take several playthroughs of X-Wing before I managed to finish the game without dying one.



On a minor note, my the wingmen are so useless...can I leave them behind.

I'm deliberately not doing things beyond the scope of the mission. I know it's common practice to kill the Star Destroyers every time they show up, etc, and I can do it, but it makes everything drag and breaks the story.

[Isolder74]

I think I've only killed a star Destroyer when I kept failing a mission so killed Bad Idea out of spite.