UFO Extender - is it possible to run using wine in Linux?

[Doctoxic]

Hi all

 

I have a linux install + Steam version of this game.

 

I can run in Dosbox OK and also use XcomUtility.

 

However i want to try UFOextender as it looks a really good mod however you can't fun it in DOS mode. Also it doesn't run in wine either. Does anyone have any idea what extra dll or progs need to be loaded into wine to get it too work (assuming its even possible).

 

If i do ever get it working i gather the latest version of xcomutility works with UFOextender? i.e just run the utility and then start the game through UFOextender to get the benefits of both? Is this how it works?

 

thanks

 

doc

[Bomb Bloke]

Well this is a complex one.

 

I haven't used Wine myself, though I see its wiki states that it runs like a loader; you call Wine with your program as a parameter, and Wine loads your program for you.

 

This is pretty much exactly what UFO Extender itself does, though you don't "have" to provide the parameter... I'm assuming the Wine loader can't deal with the Extender loader starting the game.

 

XcomUtil runs via a batch file. Luckily, Blade has compiled 32bit executables for it (as the 16bit ones are likely DOSBox-only as far as you're concerned), but I doubt his batches will correctly detect the Linux environment and use them - you'll probably need to alter them to make sure it does. XcomUtil launches the game by calling UFO Extender and getting that to do it. Extender will not launch XcomUtil.

[Jman4117]

Only way I've gotten X-com to run on linux is with Dosbox or CE in a WIndows VM. Only problem I had with CE was that it forced me into a 320x200 window and I couldn't get it to stretch out. Idk if the extender has a way to force higher res like dosbox does, but if it does, running in a VM should be great.

[Doctoxic]

Thanks BB

 

 

Well this is a complex one.

 

I haven't used Wine myself, though I see its wiki states that it runs like a loader; you call Wine with your program as a parameter, and Wine loads your program for you.

 

Correct. For me it doesn't even seem to load anything - usually with wine something loads at least to a crash screen.

 

However in the wine environment you can (and very often need to) pre-load software that windows would already have e.g. fonts, dot.net, VB etc. It may just be that whatever program compiled the .exe needs to be loaded into wine first.

 

 

 

This is pretty much exactly what UFO Extender itself does, though you don't "have" to provide the parameter... I'm assuming the Wine loader can't deal with the Extender loader starting the game.

Does running UFOextender.exe install stuff (and xcom is then started by another program?) Or does it just start the mod?

 

 

XcomUtil runs via a batch file. Luckily, Blade has compiled 32bit executables for it (as the 16bit ones are likely DOSBox-only as far as you're concerned), but I doubt his batches will correctly detect the Linux environment and use them - you'll probably need to alter them to make sure it does. XcomUtil launches the game by calling UFO Extender and getting that to do it. Extender will not launch XcomUtil.

 

XcomUtil setup.exe installed in Dosbox. XcomUtil runs fine - using the runxcom.bat file - however it never mentions anything about UFO extender which perhaps leads me to believe that the UFOextender.exe installs stuff that XcomUtil picks up??

 

 

Doesn't look like anything i can do here - though may post on the UFOextender page and see if the program writer has any suggestions. (and may also try the Steam forums)

 

 

 

Only way I've gotten X-com to run on linux is with Dosbox or CE in a WIndows VM. Only problem I had with CE was that it forced me into a 320x200 window and I couldn't get it to stretch out. Idk if the extender has a way to force higher res like dosbox does, but if it does, running in a VM should be great.

 

Thanks for that - i have just set up WIN8 preview build in virtualbox so may try that as well - though not sure how video drivers work (if at all) in VMs.

[Doctoxic]

just realised that UFO extender only works with CE edition and i am running the dos version via DOSBOX

 

whats the CE edition and how do you start the CE edition in windows?

 

also, is it just the launcers that are different? e.g. would i have to run xcomUtil in a CE directory?

 

thanks for all the help

 

doc

[Bomb Bloke]

CE is short for "Collector's Edition". It is normally started by launching a single executable, which would probably work fine under Wine.

 

Well, truth be told, most people have to load it through either UFO Extender or f0dder's loader, due to a silly bug that garbles the graphics of the game that can only otherwise be avoided by disabling all graphical hardware acceleration for the game (and prior to Vista, the only way to do THAT was to disable the acceleration on a system-wide basis). f0dder's loader works a lot like Extender, but other then dealing with the graphical bug and some audio issues it doesn't do anywhere near as much. It's been around a heck of a lot longer, though, so most CE users have run into it at some stage or another. The Steam release includes it under the filename "UFO Defense_Patched.exe".

 

The DOS version of the game has two executables, one for the GeoScape engine (which deals with the globe and your bases), and another for the Tactical engine (which deals with the turn-based battles). You run the game via a batch file that alternates you between the two EXEs as required.

 

Because XcomUtil requires the "two EXE" system to do it's job, Scott (the original XCU author) created a patch for CE that allowed the creation of two executables, each which acted like either the tactical or geoscape executables from the DOS version. So when running XcomUtil with the CE version of the game, you run a batch file, and that launches the EXEs for you. XcomUtil is bright enough to tell whether you're running the game through DOSBox or Windows, and will attempt to use either the DOS or CE versions of the game depending on what's available.

 

The Steam installation of the game provides you with BOTH the DOS and CE executables. The two DOS ones are UFOEXE\GeoScape.exe and UFO2EXE\Tactical.exe, the single CE one is just "UFO Defense.exe".

 

When you launch UFO Extender, it tries to launch the CE executable then patches the game once it enters RAM. It functions a lot like a virus might, so any decent anti-virus program should flag it as one. It doesn't require any fancy system libraries that I'm aware of outside of DirectX. The CE game itself also uses some basic DirectX functions.

 

When you use XcomUtil with UFO Extender, you must run XCU's setup program and let it detect Seb's loader first. You then run the game through XCU, whenever it wants to start a game executable, it starts Extender and has that do it.

 

... I'm familiar enough with this that I can recite it all off the top of my head, but as I said, it's a bit... complex.

[Doctoxic]

thanks BB

 

very much appreciate the time you have taken to explain this - helps a lot

 

i am going to try and get this set up on my windows box - have an XCOM itch that needs scratching

 

 

so far have UFOextender working - now gonna try it with XCOMUTIL

 

i see from your comments that with the 9.7beta-442 build it UTIL works with extender - does this mean that it won't offer you any options that would be incompatible?

 

On a slightly separate note one of the things i really liked from the Icing Mod was making PSI control harder but psi panic easier (i assume for the aliens as well) - i always thought the original psi combat was a bit overpowered. Is there any way to change these values as i don't want to install the complete Icing mod

 

once again, many thanks for your help

 

doc

 

PS - i haven't given up on getting this going on Linux - i see that Extender needs Visual C++ loaded so will give that a go and see if i can then run the CE version under wine (rather than use dosbox)

[Bomb Bloke]

i see from your comments that with the 9.7beta-442 build it UTIL works with extender - does this mean that it won't offer you any options that would be incompatible?

The two mods function in entirely different manners - XcomUtil patches data files and, in some cases, some data tables in the executable files. Extender loads a copy of the executable data into RAM (after XcomUtil has had its chance to do whatever it wants to do), then patches that copy; while this is happening, XCU sits down and does nothing until the game executable finishes and Extender hands control back to it. I'm not aware of any functions between the two mods that would conflict. If any do, then odds are you'll simply see the effect from Extender override the one from XCU.

[Doctoxic]

thanks again - all working