Here is a list of some 3rd party software that can be used to manipulate UFO:Enemy Unknown (some also work on TFTD).

= X-COM Specific =

== Popular Tools ==

[[XcomUtil]], originally by [https://sites.google.com/site/stjones/xcomutil Scott Jones] and now being updated by BladeFireLight, can perform many useful fixes and changes to both EU and TFTD. It can also create hybrid games that mix the terrain from both games. Most changes are relatively easy using the XcuSetup.bat script. Others are harder and require you to edit text configuration files. The interface is currently being updated to a new, much improved version, making this easier to use and reliable, as well as powerful. It works with Steam distributions and DOSBox.

[[UFOextender|UFO Extender]] for the Windows Gold (CE) edition of the game, fixes numerous bugs and provides a large number of useful gameplay enhancements. It also includes options to play alternate scenarios and rules for making the game harder (or easier). It works with the Steam distribution, which does include the Windows version. (Developed by [[user:Seb76|Seb76]] and currently being updated by [[user:Morgan525|Tycho]])

[[TFTDextender|TFTD Extender]] for the Windows edition of Terror From the Deep. It provides a many of the same enhancements as UFO Extender, while correcting many of the problems and offering new options for gameplay specific to this game. (Developed by Tycho from Seb76's UFOloader)

[[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] has a handy collection of tools on this site, for doing all sorts of customising. The Battlescape Editor is an excellent visual editor for adding, removing and changing units and items on a particular saved game, including changing the stats of weapons and other items. Also includes tools for modding uniforms, graphics/artwork, and other useful goodies.

[http://www.stonepool.com/xcom/ XCOMHack and other tools] by Chris Voss ([[User:Hatfarm|Hatfarm]]). XComHack is a VB program that can edit soldiers, bases, craft, diplomacy and global factors such as money. Pretty much everything that ClarkWehyr can do and easy to use. It is a Visual Basic Forms application and the source code is available to extend. This is probably the easiest to use saved game editor, as it uses a standard GUI familiar to most people. The TFTD version does not have as many features as the UFO version. There are also some more powerful utilities available here to edit & patch the UFO executable - UFO Mod and Patch Maker.

[http://www.3clarks.com/ClarkWehyr/files/cwxce152.zip ClarkWehr editor]. This is an old soldier and base editor for XCOM and TFTD. Reportedly has some bugs. It has a GUI but it is character-mode DOS type of GUI. Also has command line switches so you can run it in batch mode. Lots of features including a Soldier Exporter (to spreadsheet).

[http://www.bladefirelight.com/ SDump] XcomUtil also includes a utility called SDump. This is a hex dumper / patcher that is configured for XCom. Very technical and old skool but very powerful. Use with care and read the manual first. Probably only usable by old skool programmers. For many patches (eg craft, tank, weapon and alien stats) it will be easier just to modify the xcomutil.cfg file.

There's at least one editor that allows you to change the weapons: [http://www.jennana.com/projects/xcomed.php XComEd].

You can find many more X-COM game editors, cheats and mods over at StrategyCore's [http://www.strategycore.co.uk/files/index.php?cid=3 Files Section].

== Obscure (Not listed at StrategyCore) tools ==

[http://mattmullen.net/files/ue.zip UE]
(Link Broken!) Matt Mullen's UE editor, just for editing bases and money. A very simple DOS character mode "GUI". This also comes with source code and is written (nicely) in C. Nice.

[[User:Necuno|UFO Classes]] (by Necuno) lets you manage the selection, deployment and training of soldiers via a concept of ''classes'' and ''levels'', rather than having to micromanage soldiers based on all their specific stats. Works only with EU, not TFTD.

[http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Image:SuperMen.zip SuperMen] is a simple utility that turns your soldiers to, well, supermen.

[[User:Volutar#World.dat_editor|World.DAT editor]] (by Volutar) is a tool for viewing and editing of [[WORLD.DAT]] globe data (just visual poly mesh + terrain types).

[[User:Spike#Base_Fixer|Base Fixer]] is a python script that can fix x-com EU's various radar & paying for dirt bugs. Although it has been largely obsoleted by UFOextender and doesn't work on TFTD, it has the advantage of being usable on the DOS version. It requires a modified linker for use with XcomUtil versions beyond 9.6, available [http://pastebin.com/HpgtTLwY here].

[[MCDEdit|MCD editor]] (by Volutar) is a tool for viewing and editing of the terrain tilesets (MCD+PCK).

= Useful Generic File Editors =

== User-defined Parsers ==

* [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20010606160433/http://sen.gidkuzbass.ru/ StructLook] - Structured Files Viewer by SEN. Ancient (last v.4.30 shareware/nagware from 1999, runs fine in DOS Box) tool. Very powerful - you can have arbitrarily defined bitfields, offsets relative to the end of a variable-sized table of offsets, etc... Also limited, mainly due to restrictions DOS imposed on all the buffers it needs, and the tiny DOS console.

* [https://gna.org/projects/dataworkshop/ DataWorkshop] - an attempt to do the same under Java and use XPath query language, too. Lived to 2005 and dropped into hibernation, but it works and it's inherently multi-platform.

* [http://ff-extractor.sourceforge.net/ ffe] - flat file extractor. Reads and converts contents of a file, including from binary to readable table. Currently beta (0.3.4 - 0.3.5), thus many features you'd like to see in such a tool are absent. Not limited to "one type of fixed sized record" files (like [[MCD]] or [[OBDATA.DAT]]), but works best on them. For example, if you try to read map files with it, you'll have a problem, mainly from differently-sized header, inability to restrict it to where it belongs and troubles with zero (0x00) character. Also, it's a reader, not writer, at best it can tell you offset and hex dump for what you want to poke. On the upside, it can filter records on output, thus can be helpful for analysis.

* [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20031213063645/http://pw1.netcom.com/~jhartman/ Universal Game Editor] (UGE). It is a hex editor which displays numbers in digits instead of hex codes. It uses templates that can store variables found in the game files, so that they can be easily edited (including variables with 1, 2, or 4 bytes, or text entries). It can be found from a variety of locations using a search engine. The program is only about 400kb and is free to use (abandoned nagware).

* Another hex editor that some folks use is Hex Workshop by [http://www.bpsoft.com www.BPSoft.com]. Hex Workshop has the nice feature that you can make a 'structure library' with the meaning (field name) of each byte, turning the file into a little database. You will see some of these definitions (.HSLs) in the game file wikis. Hex Workshop is free for 30 days and then costs $50 if you want to keep using it. While it has a number of nice features, it does have some drawbacks. Examples: 1) Its display field can't be more than 64 characters wide (unlike EDIT), so you can't do a "one row equals one record" display for e.g. SOLDIER.DAT (reclength 68) or UNITREF.DAT (reclength 124). Related to this, 2) although it's a "modern" Windows app, you can't e.g. go to some tiny font and see a lot more in your data display window (even though you probably have 1600x1200 screen rez as a L33T gamer).

* [http://construct.readthedocs.org/en/latest/ Construct] parsing library for Python. It's still programming, but straightforward and clean enough that at this point source text is not far from pure structure descriptions. If you are planning to write an editor, consider the benefits of using this.

== Disassembling Viewers ==

* [http://www.hiew.ru/ Hiew] (Hacker's View) by SEN. Even "demo" version is more than powerful enough for DOS software, it just doesn't allow convenient things like macros.

* [http://hte.sourceforge.net/ HT]...

* Mikael 'Fluff' Klasson makes [http://mklasson.com/hexit.php HexIt]. Useful for guessing what the game engine is trying to do and deducing game mechanics (or bugs). HexIt is freeware, though there is a suggested donation if you find it useful.

== Hex Editors ==
There are many. Windows user go [http://www.softpedia.com/downloadTag/binary%20editor here], Linux users [http://www.linuxlinks.com/Software/Editors/Hex/ here]. Some of those tried by Ufopaedia users are here:

* [[MS-Edit]] MS-Edit is a simple text editor that can be used to manipulate binary data. While a very old program dating back to the days of MS-DOS, recent versions of Windows up to XP still come bundled this program. It offers a binary mode that, while very unconventional, can be used to manipulate binary data in files. With knowledge of the game file structures and the nuances of how MS-Edit works, you can go right to the source and exact changes as you see fit in practically any game file.

* [http://mklasson.com/hexit.php HexIt] by Mikael Klasson is a free and powerful hex editor. Donation suggested if you use it a lot. It also has a decompiler view if you want to try to figure out what the executable is doing.

* [http://frhed.sourceforge.net/ Frhed] is a free, open source hex editor that works well.

* HxD : This is a very simple but powerful HexEditing tool. You can get the freeware version here: [http://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd].

= See Also =

[[Command Prompt]]

[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]
[[Category:TFTD]]

Talk:GUS Music in Dosbox

2017-02-01T00:47:43Z

3371-Alpha:

Game Editors

2017-01-21T02:41:06Z

3371-Alpha: Reorganized various parts of page as well as added some mods listed here: http://www.strategycore.co.uk/forums/topic/11349-mod-link-requests/ in order to make list more permanent. Further work needed!

Here is a list of some 3rd party software that can be used to manipulate UFO:Enemy Unknown (some also work on TFTD).

= X-COM Specific =

== Popular Tools ==

[[XcomUtil]], originally by [https://sites.google.com/site/stjones/xcomutil Scott Jones] and now being updated by BladeFireLight, can perform many useful fixes and changes to both EU and TFTD. It can also create hybrid games that mix the terrain from both games. Most changes are relatively easy using the XcuSetup.bat script. Others are harder and require you to edit text configuration files. The interface is currently being updated to a new, much improved version, making this easier to use and reliable, as well as powerful. It works with Steam distributions and DOSBox.

[[UFOextender|UFO Extender]] for the Windows Gold (CE) edition of the game, fixes numerous bugs and provides a large number of useful gameplay enhancements. It also includes options to play alternate scenarios and rules for making the game harder (or easier). It works with the Steam distribution, which does include the Windows version. (Developed by [[user:Seb76|Seb76]] and currently being updated by [[user:Morgan525|Tycho]])

[[TFTDextender|TFTD Extender]] for the Windows edition of Terror From the Deep. It provides a many of the same enhancements as UFO Extender, while correcting many of the problems and offering new options for gameplay specific to this game. (Developed by Tycho from Seb76's UFOloader)

[[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] has a handy collection of tools on this site, for doing all sorts of customising. The Battlescape Editor is an excellent visual editor for adding, removing and changing units and items on a particular saved game, including changing the stats of weapons and other items. Also includes tools for modding uniforms, graphics/artwork, and other useful goodies.

[http://www.stonepool.com/xcom/ XCOMHack and other tools] by Chris Voss ([[User:Hatfarm|Hatfarm]]). XComHack is a VB program that can edit soldiers, bases, craft, diplomacy and global factors such as money. Pretty much everything that ClarkWehyr can do and easy to use. It is a Visual Basic Forms application and the source code is available to extend. This is probably the easiest to use saved game editor, as it uses a standard GUI familiar to most people. The TFTD version does not have as many features as the UFO version. There are also some more powerful utilities available here to edit & patch the UFO executable - UFO Mod and Patch Maker.

[http://www.3clarks.com/ClarkWehyr/files/cwxce152.zip ClarkWehr editor]. This is an old soldier and base editor for XCOM and TFTD. Reportedly has some bugs. It has a GUI but it is character-mode DOS type of GUI. Also has command line switches so you can run it in batch mode. Lots of features including a Soldier Exporter (to spreadsheet).

[http://www.bladefirelight.com/ SDump] XcomUtil also includes a utility called SDump. This is a hex dumper / patcher that is configured for XCom. Very technical and old skool but very powerful. Use with care and read the manual first. Probably only usable by old skool programmers. For many patches (eg craft, tank, weapon and alien stats) it will be easier just to modify the xcomutil.cfg file.

There's at least one editor that allows you to change the weapons: [http://www.jennana.com/projects/xcomed.php XComEd].

You can find many more X-COM game editors, cheats and mods over at StrategyCore's [http://www.strategycore.co.uk/files/index.php?cid=3 Files Section].

== Obscure (Not available at StrategyCore) tools ==

[http://mattmullen.net/files/ue.zip UE]
(Link Broken!) Matt Mullen's UE editor, just for editing bases and money. A very simple DOS character mode "GUI". This also comes with source code and is written (nicely) in C. Nice.

[[User:Necuno|UFO Classes]] (by Necuno) lets you manage the selection, deployment and training of soldiers via a concept of ''classes'' and ''levels'', rather than having to micromanage soldiers based on all their specific stats. Works only with EU, not TFTD.

[http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Image:SuperMen.zip SuperMen] is a simple utility that turns your soldiers to, well, supermen.

[[User:Volutar#World.dat_editor|World.DAT editor]] (by Volutar) is a tool for viewing and editing of [[WORLD.DAT]] globe data (just visual poly mesh + terrain types).

[[MCDEdit|MCD editor]] (by Volutar) is a tool for viewing and editing of the terrain tilesets (MCD+PCK).

= Useful Generic File Editors =

== User-defined Parsers ==

* [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20010606160433/http://sen.gidkuzbass.ru/ StructLook] - Structured Files Viewer by SEN. Ancient (last v.4.30 shareware/nagware from 1999, runs fine in DOS Box) tool. Very powerful - you can have arbitrarily defined bitfields, offsets relative to the end of a variable-sized table of offsets, etc... Also limited, mainly due to restrictions DOS imposed on all the buffers it needs, and the tiny DOS console.

* [https://gna.org/projects/dataworkshop/ DataWorkshop] - an attempt to do the same under Java and use XPath query language, too. Lived to 2005 and dropped into hibernation, but it works and it's inherently multi-platform.

* [http://ff-extractor.sourceforge.net/ ffe] - flat file extractor. Reads and converts contents of a file, including from binary to readable table. Currently beta (0.3.4 - 0.3.5), thus many features you'd like to see in such a tool are absent. Not limited to "one type of fixed sized record" files (like [[MCD]] or [[OBDATA.DAT]]), but works best on them. For example, if you try to read map files with it, you'll have a problem, mainly from differently-sized header, inability to restrict it to where it belongs and troubles with zero (0x00) character. Also, it's a reader, not writer, at best it can tell you offset and hex dump for what you want to poke. On the upside, it can filter records on output, thus can be helpful for analysis.

* [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20031213063645/http://pw1.netcom.com/~jhartman/ Universal Game Editor] (UGE). It is a hex editor which displays numbers in digits instead of hex codes. It uses templates that can store variables found in the game files, so that they can be easily edited (including variables with 1, 2, or 4 bytes, or text entries). It can be found from a variety of locations using a search engine. The program is only about 400kb and is free to use (abandoned nagware).

* Another hex editor that some folks use is Hex Workshop by [http://www.bpsoft.com www.BPSoft.com]. Hex Workshop has the nice feature that you can make a 'structure library' with the meaning (field name) of each byte, turning the file into a little database. You will see some of these definitions (.HSLs) in the game file wikis. Hex Workshop is free for 30 days and then costs $50 if you want to keep using it. While it has a number of nice features, it does have some drawbacks. Examples: 1) Its display field can't be more than 64 characters wide (unlike EDIT), so you can't do a "one row equals one record" display for e.g. SOLDIER.DAT (reclength 68) or UNITREF.DAT (reclength 124). Related to this, 2) although it's a "modern" Windows app, you can't e.g. go to some tiny font and see a lot more in your data display window (even though you probably have 1600x1200 screen rez as a L33T gamer).

* [http://construct.readthedocs.org/en/latest/ Construct] parsing library for Python. It's still programming, but straightforward and clean enough that at this point source text is not far from pure structure descriptions. If you are planning to write an editor, consider the benefits of using this.

== Disassembling Viewers ==

* [http://www.hiew.ru/ Hiew] (Hacker's View) by SEN. Even "demo" version is more than powerful enough for DOS software, it just doesn't allow convenient things like macros.

* [http://hte.sourceforge.net/ HT]...

* Mikael 'Fluff' Klasson makes [http://mklasson.com/hexit.php HexIt]. Useful for guessing what the game engine is trying to do and deducing game mechanics (or bugs). HexIt is freeware, though there is a suggested donation if you find it useful.

== Hex Editors ==
There are many. Windows user go [http://www.softpedia.com/downloadTag/binary%20editor here], Linux users [http://www.linuxlinks.com/Software/Editors/Hex/ here]. Some of those tried by Ufopaedia users are here:

* [[MS-Edit]] MS-Edit is a simple text editor that can be used to manipulate binary data. While a very old program dating back to the days of MS-DOS, recent versions of Windows up to XP still come bundled this program. It offers a binary mode that, while very unconventional, can be used to manipulate binary data in files. With knowledge of the game file structures and the nuances of how MS-Edit works, you can go right to the source and exact changes as you see fit in practically any game file.

* [http://mklasson.com/hexit.php HexIt] by Mikael Klasson is a free and powerful hex editor. Donation suggested if you use it a lot. It also has a decompiler view if you want to try to figure out what the executable is doing.

* [http://frhed.sourceforge.net/ Frhed] is a free, open source hex editor that works well.

* HxD : This is a very simple but powerful HexEditing tool. You can get the freeware version here: [http://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd].

= See Also =

[[Command Prompt]]

[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]
[[Category:TFTD]]

GUS Music in Dosbox

2017-01-21T02:15:27Z

3371-Alpha: Fixed minor typo from last edit.

__NOTOC__
This page explains how to configure the dos versions of UFO/TFTD to play their midi music through Dosbox's ''Gravis Ultrasound'' emulation. Though not as good as the live orchestra music of the Playstation version, it provides a big improvement in the quality of the music.

For an example of the GUS in action, see:

TFTD
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoxbuLeU6FY
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQAP-0e8pmc

__TOC__

== What is GUS? ==

The Gravis Ultra Sound or GUS was a sound card produced by Advanced Gravis Computer Technology, who were best known for their Gravis PC Gamepad. One of the features of the GUS is its ability to use real world sound samples instead of digitally generated instruments. This allows for a richer quality of sound when playing midi sound files.

For more history on this sound card you can refer to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravis_Ultrasound Gravis Ultrasound] article on Wikipedia.

== Dosbox and GUS ==

Dosbox, which the Dos versions of X-COM [[X-COM|UFO]] and [[TFTD|Terror From the Deep]] depend on to run on modern computers, has the ability to emulate a variety of sound cards, including the Gravis Ultra Sound.

Due to incompatibilities in licenses, Dosbox distributions do not come packaged with GUS patches by default. These need to be installed separately. Without the GUS patches any midi playback through the GUS will usually result in silence. Some Dos games may provide their own sounds patches, however X-COM UFO and TFTD do not.

== Setting up Dosbox with the GUS patches==

{| {{stdTable}} border="1" cellpadding="16">
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 1
|-
|
You will first need to obtain a copy of the GUS patches to use with Dosbox. Refer to huggybaby2's Ready-To-Use Ultrasnd folders:

http://www.dosgames.com/forum/about10574.html

The first post will point you to where you can obtain the pre-compiled patches.

'''Note:''' For those concerned with the legality of obtaining the patches, the GUS patches are available to download via the Gravis FTP site. The file obtained through the above link has the patches pre-compiled and ready to go.

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 2
|-
| Unpack the compressed file. Note that is in RAR format. If you are unable to unpack this format, you may want to obtain a file compression utility that supports RAR archives such as [http://sourceforge.net/projects/sevenzip/?source=pdlp 7-Zip].

Once the file is unpacked you will get two folders:

:'''ULTRASND411'''
:'''ULTRASNDPPL161'''

These are two sets of GUS patches. Pick one to use.

The main difference between the patches is in how some instruments sound. You may want to experiment with the two patches and find the one that you think sounds best. ULTRASND411 is the stock patch and may prove to be more stable.

'''Optional:''' Rename the folder of the patch you want to use to '''ULTRASND'''. This will allow easy swapping between the two patches by just renaming the folders rather than having to edit the Dosbox .conf file each time.

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 3
|-
| Store these two folders somewhere easy to access.

* The easiest solution is to use the same folder that Dosbox will be mounting as its virtual C: drive. This could either be a combined folder where all your Dos games are stored, such as DOSGAMES\, or in the game folder itself. Note that if you store the patches in the game folder that you will want to make copies of the patches for each game.

* If stored outside of the virtual C: drive, you will have to instruct Dosbox to mount a new virtual drive just for them. This can be achieved by altering the Dosbox .conf file and adding a '''mount''' command in the <nowiki>[autoexec]</nowiki> section to create a new virtual drive.

For instructions on how to do this, refer to the Dosbox documentation or the [http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/MOUNT MOUNT] article on the official Dosbox wiki.

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 4
|-
| The next step is to alter Dosbox's configuration file to enable its GUS support.

For a normal Dosbox configuration you can directly edit the main Dosbox .conf file with a text editor.

If you have a version of the game that has is pre-packaged with its own copy of Dosbox, such as the Steam release, you will need to open its respective .conf file. Have a look in the game folder for a Dosbox folder.

In the Dosbox .conf file, go to the '''<nowiki>[GUS]</nowiki>''' heading

*Alter the line '''gus=false''' to '''gus=true''' if it isn't already set.

*Alter '''ultradir=C:\ULTRASND''' to point to the directory or virtual drive where you can find the patches.

Once done, save the file.

'''TIP:''' If you use Dosbox through its command line interface, you can also use the '''SET''' command to manually set the ''ultradir'' environment variable. This is a quick way to switch between the patches without leaving the Dosbox session.

|}

==Setting up UFO/TFTD to use the GUS==

Now that Dosbox is set up to use the GUS, you will now have to set up UFO/TFTD to use it as well.

{| {{stdTable}} border="1" cellpadding="16">
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 1
|-
| Go to the game directory and run '''SETUP.EXE'''. When it loads, you will be asked to configure the sound cards that will play the sound effects and the music. Use the cursor keys and enter to navigate through the options, and the escape key to back out of any screen.

| Width ="20%" | [[File:Gus setup1.png]]
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2"| Step 2
|-
|The first card you set will be for sound effect output. Typical selections include the '''Soundblaster''' (8-bit mono) or '''Soundblaster Pro''' (16-bit stereo)

You will be asked to set the Port, IRQ and DMA. Dosbox normally uses the following settings: 
::Port:'''220'''
::IRQ : '''7'''
::DMA : '''1'''

Alternatively you can also choose the '''Ultrasound''' / '''Gravis Ultrasound''' for this step, which will not require the above settings. Note however that the sound quality is no better than the SB Pro and ''it will disable the [[Enabling cinematics (TFTD)|animated sequences]] in TFTD''.

| [[File:Gus setup2.png]]
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 3
|-
|You will be asked to set the max number of channels. This refers to how many sound effects can play at the same time. You can select between 1 and 8 channels.

If you find you get very loud gunshots or screams during the alien turn, try reducing the channels to 4 or less. The loudness is caused by many instances of the same sound effect being played at the same time.

|[[File:Gus setup3.png]]

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 4
|-
| When asked to swap your audio, set it to NO unless your sound effects are reversed during the game.

|[[File:Gus setup4.png]]

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2"| Step 5
|-
| Finally you will need to configure the Music Board. Select '''Ultrasound''' for UFO or '''Gravis Ultrasound''' for TFTD. When you hit enter, the sound setup will close and save your settings.

|[[File:Gus setup5.png]]
|}

Repeat the above steps as needed if you need to adjust or revert your sound card settings. Your games will now be configured to use the GUS.

== Running SETUP.EXE through Dosbox ==

'''SETUP.EXE''' will very likely not be able to run natively on modern operating systems. To bypass this, you can run it through Dosbox.

* '''Command Line''': For those that mainly use Dosbox through its command line console, just go to your UFO/TFTD directory and run SETUP directly.
* '''XcomUtil''': For [[XcomUtil]] users, the latest version provides access to the sound setup from its menu when you launch the game with '''runxcom.bat'''.
* '''Steam''' (and similar bundles): For the Steam and similar packages that have the games run through Dosbox transparently will need to make some temporary alterations to the .conf file. The rest of this section explains how to do this.

----

Open your Dosbox .conf file and go to its <nowiki>[autoexec]</nowiki> section.

The second-to-last line will typically have the command to launch the game, either '''ufo''' or '''ufo.bat''' for Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense and '''terror''' or '''terror.com''' for TFTD. The last line will have '''Exit'''.

These lines need to be altered slightly so that the .conf file launches the sound setup or the command line console instead.

Start by adding the word '''REM''' in front of the line that launches the game. REM means REMark, it turns the line into a comment and the line will have no effect when Dosbox runs it.

From here, if you would prefer to work from the command line console, REM out the '''exit''' as well and save the .conf file. Once you have run the sound setup, go back and edit .conf file again and remove the lines you REM'd out.

If you want to just launch the sound setup directly and bypass the console, REM out the line that runs the game and insert a new line before or after it and and type '''setup'''. Now save the .conf file. Launching the game will now load the sound setup instead of the game. When you are done with the sound setup, go back into the .conf file and delete or even REM out the line to run the setup. Finally remove the REM from the line that runs the game and save the file.

== Finishing up ==

With everything set up, the game will now start playing midi music via GUS emulation. Enjoy the difference. Note that one negative side effect of using the GUS for midi music playback is that the game will take a few seconds longer to start than usual as it needs to load the audio patch.

Note that if you have any other Dos games that can take advantage of the GUS, you can adapt the procedures mentioned above.

== See Also==

* [http://www.dosbox.com/ Dosbox]

[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]
[[Category:TFTD]]

Enabling cinematics (TFTD)

2017-01-20T23:18:16Z

3371-Alpha: /* Gravis Ultrasound */

When the DOS version of [[TFTD|Terror From the Deep]] was introduced on CD-ROM, it offered two options to install the game. A partial or full install. The partial installed only installed the necessary files and the rest of the files were read directly off the CD-ROM. Unique to this installation was that it had animated videos for the intro, failure and outro.

The full hard disk install installed all the game files, but to conserve hard-drive space used screen captures from the videos with text narration.

Today's hard drive space restrictions are much more lenient than they were during the dark ages of home computers. Creating a true ''Full Installation'' for the Dos version of the game is explained in this article.

== Enabling the animations ==

===Dos Hard Drive install===

This assumes you are working with the full installation of the game, installed from the CD-ROM or Floppy Disks. You will require the CD-ROM or a copy of the Windows version of TFTD to obtain the animation files.

# Copy the ANIMS\ folder from the CD-ROM into the game directory
# Create a file called cdspeed.dat and place it in the SOUND\ directory. See below for more information.

'''NOTE:'''
* The second step is very important, otherwise it will continue to play the intro slides.
* These steps will also work for the Steam version of TFTD if you are having trouble running the animations from its Dos executable through Dosbox.

===CD Install===
This assumes you started with the CD install to get the animation to run and now want to convert the game into a full install.

# Copy all of the folders on the CD-ROM that were not copied over into the hard drive installation

'''NOTE:'''
* Some steps may be missing at this time.

== SOUND\CDSPEED.DAT ==
CDSPEED.DAT is 2 bytes in length and stores a 16-bit value that represents the speed of your CD-ROM drive.

Under normal circumstances, this file is created by CDSPEED.EXE. CDSPEED.EXE is a program used by the partial install to gauge the speed of your CD-ROM Drive. The contents of this file however aren't really important for getting the hard disk installation working with the animations.

To create this file, the easiest method is use any plain text editor and save a blank file as CDSPEED.DAT. Alternately, you can also copy a random file and rename it as CDSPEED.DAT.

== Reverting to Cutscenes ==

If for some reason you wish to revert to the cutscene introduction, simply delete or rename cdspeed.dat and make sure that the FLOP_INT folder with the slideshow images is present.

== Gravis Ultrasound ==

If you set TFTD's sound effect soundcard to the [[GUS Music in Dosbox|Gravis Ultrasound (GUS)]] in TFTD's sound setup, the game will revert to the cutscene introduction even if the animations are enabled.

== Misc ==

Though not necessary, you can also rename the FLOP_INT folder to FLOP_IN to hide it from the game. That is where all the slide-show images are stored.

You also get the animations to play if you run the game's setup and set no sound to both SFX and Midi output. In this case, the [[CDSPEED.DAT]] file is not necessary. This method is not desirable unless you want to run a silent game.

2012-08-13 I've found you don't need to set it silent, you just need to set Sound output to something other than 'Gravis Ultrasound'. I presume the technical limitations (lack of direct DAC) that make this card useless in the modern era also prevent TFTD from playing it's cinematics. I've got the cinematics working in DOSBox with both SB16 sound/MT32 music and SB16 sound/GUS music.

[[Category:TFTD]]

GUS Music in Dosbox

2017-01-20T23:15:24Z

3371-Alpha: Added link to "Enabling cinematics (TFTD)"

__NOTOC__
This page explains how to configure the dos versions of UFO/TFTD to play their midi music through Dosbox's ''Gravis Ultrasound'' emulation. Though not as good as the live orchestra music of the Playstation version, it provides a big improvement in the quality of the music.

For an example of the GUS in action, see:

TFTD
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoxbuLeU6FY
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQAP-0e8pmc

__TOC__

== What is GUS? ==

The Gravis Ultra Sound or GUS was a sound card produced by Advanced Gravis Computer Technology, who were best known for their Gravis PC Gamepad. One of the features of the GUS is its ability to use real world sound samples instead of digitally generated instruments. This allows for a richer quality of sound when playing midi sound files.

For more history on this sound card you can refer to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravis_Ultrasound Gravis Ultrasound] article on Wikipedia.

== Dosbox and GUS ==

Dosbox, which the Dos versions of X-COM [[X-COM|UFO]] and [[TFTD|Terror From the Deep]] depend on to run on modern computers, has the ability to emulate a variety of sound cards, including the Gravis Ultra Sound.

Due to incompatibilities in licenses, Dosbox distributions do not come packaged with GUS patches by default. These need to be installed separately. Without the GUS patches any midi playback through the GUS will usually result in silence. Some Dos games may provide their own sounds patches, however X-COM UFO and TFTD do not.

== Setting up Dosbox with the GUS patches==

{| {{stdTable}} border="1" cellpadding="16">
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 1
|-
|
You will first need to obtain a copy of the GUS patches to use with Dosbox. Refer to huggybaby2's Ready-To-Use Ultrasnd folders:

http://www.dosgames.com/forum/about10574.html

The first post will point you to where you can obtain the pre-compiled patches.

'''Note:''' For those concerned with the legality of obtaining the patches, the GUS patches are available to download via the Gravis FTP site. The file obtained through the above link has the patches pre-compiled and ready to go.

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 2
|-
| Unpack the compressed file. Note that is in RAR format. If you are unable to unpack this format, you may want to obtain a file compression utility that supports RAR archives such as [http://sourceforge.net/projects/sevenzip/?source=pdlp 7-Zip].

Once the file is unpacked you will get two folders:

:'''ULTRASND411'''
:'''ULTRASNDPPL161'''

These are two sets of GUS patches. Pick one to use.

The main difference between the patches is in how some instruments sound. You may want to experiment with the two patches and find the one that you think sounds best. ULTRASND411 is the stock patch and may prove to be more stable.

'''Optional:''' Rename the folder of the patch you want to use to '''ULTRASND'''. This will allow easy swapping between the two patches by just renaming the folders rather than having to edit the Dosbox .conf file each time.

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 3
|-
| Store these two folders somewhere easy to access.

* The easiest solution is to use the same folder that Dosbox will be mounting as its virtual C: drive. This could either be a combined folder where all your Dos games are stored, such as DOSGAMES\, or in the game folder itself. Note that if you store the patches in the game folder that you will want to make copies of the patches for each game.

* If stored outside of the virtual C: drive, you will have to instruct Dosbox to mount a new virtual drive just for them. This can be achieved by altering the Dosbox .conf file and adding a '''mount''' command in the <nowiki>[autoexec]</nowiki> section to create a new virtual drive.

For instructions on how to do this, refer to the Dosbox documentation or the [http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/MOUNT MOUNT] article on the official Dosbox wiki.

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 4
|-
| The next step is to alter Dosbox's configuration file to enable its GUS support.

For a normal Dosbox configuration you can directly edit the main Dosbox .conf file with a text editor.

If you have a version of the game that has is pre-packaged with its own copy of Dosbox, such as the Steam release, you will need to open its respective .conf file. Have a look in the game folder for a Dosbox folder.

In the Dosbox .conf file, go to the '''<nowiki>[GUS]</nowiki>''' heading

*Alter the line '''gus=false''' to '''gus=true''' if it isn't already set.

*Alter '''ultradir=C:\ULTRASND''' to point to the directory or virtual drive where you can find the patches.

Once done, save the file.

'''TIP:''' If you use Dosbox through its command line interface, you can also use the '''SET''' command to manually set the ''ultradir'' environment variable. This is a quick way to switch between the patches without leaving the Dosbox session.

|}

==Setting up UFO/TFTD to use the GUS==

Now that Dosbox is set up to use the GUS, you will now have to set up UFO/TFTD to use it as well.

{| {{stdTable}} border="1" cellpadding="16">
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 1
|-
| Go to the game directory and run '''SETUP.EXE'''. When it loads, you will be asked to configure the sound cards that will play the sound effects and the music. Use the cursor keys and enter to navigate through the options, and the escape key to back out of any screen.

| Width ="20%" | [[File:Gus setup1.png]]
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2"| Step 2
|-
|The first card you set will be for sound effect output. Typical selections include the '''Soundblaster''' (8-bit mono) or '''Soundblaster Pro''' (16-bit stereo)

You will be asked to set the Port, IRQ and DMA. Dosbox normally uses the following settings: 
::Port:'''220'''
::IRQ : '''7'''
::DMA : '''1'''

Alternatively you can also choose the '''Ultrasound''' / '''Gravis Ultrasound''' for this step, which will not require the above settings. Note however that the sound quality is no better than the SB Pro and it will disable the [[Enabling cinematics (TFTD)|animated sequences]] in TFTD''.

| [[File:Gus setup2.png]]
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 3
|-
|You will be asked to set the max number of channels. This refers to how many sound effects can play at the same time. You can select between 1 and 8 channels.

If you find you get very loud gunshots or screams during the alien turn, try reducing the channels to 4 or less. The loudness is caused by many instances of the same sound effect being played at the same time.

|[[File:Gus setup3.png]]

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2" | Step 4
|-
| When asked to swap your audio, set it to NO unless your sound effects are reversed during the game.

|[[File:Gus setup4.png]]

|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
| colspan = "2"| Step 5
|-
| Finally you will need to configure the Music Board. Select '''Ultrasound''' for UFO or '''Gravis Ultrasound''' for TFTD. When you hit enter, the sound setup will close and save your settings.

|[[File:Gus setup5.png]]
|}

Repeat the above steps as needed if you need to adjust or revert your sound card settings. Your games will now be configured to use the GUS.

== Running SETUP.EXE through Dosbox ==

'''SETUP.EXE''' will very likely not be able to run natively on modern operating systems. To bypass this, you can run it through Dosbox.

* '''Command Line''': For those that mainly use Dosbox through its command line console, just go to your UFO/TFTD directory and run SETUP directly.
* '''XcomUtil''': For [[XcomUtil]] users, the latest version provides access to the sound setup from its menu when you launch the game with '''runxcom.bat'''.
* '''Steam''' (and similar bundles): For the Steam and similar packages that have the games run through Dosbox transparently will need to make some temporary alterations to the .conf file. The rest of this section explains how to do this.

----

Open your Dosbox .conf file and go to its <nowiki>[autoexec]</nowiki> section.

The second-to-last line will typically have the command to launch the game, either '''ufo''' or '''ufo.bat''' for Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense and '''terror''' or '''terror.com''' for TFTD. The last line will have '''Exit'''.

These lines need to be altered slightly so that the .conf file launches the sound setup or the command line console instead.

Start by adding the word '''REM''' in front of the line that launches the game. REM means REMark, it turns the line into a comment and the line will have no effect when Dosbox runs it.

From here, if you would prefer to work from the command line console, REM out the '''exit''' as well and save the .conf file. Once you have run the sound setup, go back and edit .conf file again and remove the lines you REM'd out.

If you want to just launch the sound setup directly and bypass the console, REM out the line that runs the game and insert a new line before or after it and and type '''setup'''. Now save the .conf file. Launching the game will now load the sound setup instead of the game. When you are done with the sound setup, go back into the .conf file and delete or even REM out the line to run the setup. Finally remove the REM from the line that runs the game and save the file.

== Finishing up ==

With everything set up, the game will now start playing midi music via GUS emulation. Enjoy the difference. Note that one negative side effect of using the GUS for midi music playback is that the game will take a few seconds longer to start than usual as it needs to load the audio patch.

Note that if you have any other Dos games that can take advantage of the GUS, you can adapt the procedures mentioned above.

== See Also==

* [http://www.dosbox.com/ Dosbox]

[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]
[[Category:TFTD]]