UFOpaedia - User contributions [en]

Game Editors

2008-05-05T06:28:28Z

BarlowBrad: /* XCOM-specific tools (including TFTD) */

Here is a list of some 3rd party software that can be used to manipulate UFO:Enemy Unknown.

= XCOM-specific tools (including TFTD) =

[[XcomUtil]] can perform various changes to the game. Some changes are relatively easy using the xcomutil.bat script. Others are harder and require you to edit text configuration files. Clunky, old skool, but very powerful.

[http://members.aol.com/stjones/xcomutil/ 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.

[http://www.3clarks.com/ClarkWehyr/files/cwxce152.zip ClarkWehr editor]. This is a 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.stonepool.com/xcom/ XCOMHack and other tools] by Chris Voss (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. There are also some more powerful utilities available here to edit & patch the executable - UFO Mod and Patch Maker.

[http://mattmullen.net/files/ue.zip UE]
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:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] has a handy collection of tools on this site, for doing all sorts of customising.

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

= Useful Generic File Editors =

[[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.

= See Also =

[[Command Prompt]]

Talk:UIGLOB.DAT

2007-10-27T13:07:02Z

BarlowBrad: /* 0x06 */

Could some of those offsets also be the next number for XCom Crafts? (Interceptor, Firestorm, Skyranger, Lightning, Avenger) Still leaves 2 unknowns though...
Too lazy to test this myself right now
--[[User:Pi Masta|Pi Masta]] 14:11, 2 March 2007 (PST)

Comparing a couple of saves early and a few months in I can assume that 0x0C is Skyranger (its 2 on a new game, 4 on one where i have 3 of them), 0x12 is the Interceptor count (its 3 in new game, 9 where I had 8 at one point), 0x0E is Lightning which I built only one of, 0x10 is still one - the first Avenger is still in production in that save), 0x14 is Firestorm which I have two of in the late save.

Just leaves 0x06 (always 0 that I have seen) and 0x08 - 01 in the game in early February, 07 in the game in about July from the number of monthly scores inserted. Ground Assaults? I think those number differently to UFO Recovery missions, and it would be about the right number; my new game, I have shot them all down so far, so that also fits being 01 still, in the later game I have had a few ground assaults, 6 sounds about right, and with its location seems a good option.

Hmm, as four of the the first five are alien missions, and its sandwiched in between seems most likely to be another alien mission type - but unlike the rest its zero at the start, not 1. The only thing left I can think of is XCOM base attacks. Do those get a number? Its been a very long time since I got attacked in my base, and it would take some time to work out how to hack the aliens into doing it I imagine, depending on how well that part of the files is known already(in ACTS.DAT I think?).

--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 14:54, 2 March 2007 (PST)

Something to check - at the end of the month the extra score might be 400/16 = 25 per happy country.

--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 14:59, 2 March 2007 (PST)

But that cant be right - because their happiness is based on the score, so that would be a self reference. Per country still could be the key - maybe if you outscored the Alien activity (using that local xcom + (total xcom/10) vs local alien + (total alien/5) calculation that was posted elsewhere as working out whether the countries are happy with your actions.

--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 15:02, 2 March 2007 (PST)

: Yeah I think the ground assaults as well as the recoveries get the same number as the UFO involved. 0x06 could be a pad byte and is never used. I'm glad you did this, it would have taken me some time to set up the saves and all. --[[User:Pi Masta|Pi Masta]] 15:05, 2 March 2007 (PST)

::Havent seen any padding elsewhere. Could be something that go removed late on in development maybe and they didnt want to reset the offsets of the rest of the file in various places in code, so maybe. Of course need to confirm the order of Alien Terror/Alien Bases is correct, because it based on one test where I saw them different atm and thought I remembered which I had done 2 and 3 respectively of, but probably want to confirm that. --[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 15:19, 2 March 2007 (PST)

You might try editing [[MISSIONS.DAT]] and setting it to a retal, shoot it down and they should keep sending more after you. --[[User:Pi Masta|Pi Masta]] 15:08, 2 March 2007 (PST)

Will check that out at some point, still only understand a quarter of the save files so far, and I am behind in translating the ones I know to my analysis program as well so it can decode them all automatically for me when needed.
--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 15:19, 2 March 2007 (PST)

What are you using for analysis? I have made some Python modules for nearly all the known file formats if they could be of help. [[User:Pi Masta|Pi Masta]] 10:40, 3 March 2007 (PST)

Just a VB program I knocked up in a few hours, it tracks the various save directories and notices when a new save is made and will (if asked to) automatically update on screen either the complete analysis of a file (usually too much information to be useful) or compare the differences between two selected files (all of which can be set fixed, or to dynamically detect the newest/oldest/second newest files as desired). --[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 14:35, 3 March 2007 (PST)

== 0x06 ==

I was working on tracking down the "Minimized Interceptor Bug" and found that 0x06 in UIGLOB.DAT was different in my current (bugged) save game when compared to an older (non-bugged) save game. Long story short, I believe that 0x06 is NOT the next XCOM Base assault number (it didn't make sense for it to start counting at 0 anyway?) but I believe it is the current number of minimized Interceptor windows. Can someone else please confirm this for sure? I'm going to edit the main page with a note to see this discussion. Feel free to change it back if it's incorrect.

PS- I was able to edit 0x06 from 01 to 00, the minimized interceptor icon disappeared, but my interceptor continued on to the target, landed and was able to begin the mission successfully.

:No crash on exit from the ground mission?

::No crash at all. I didn't crash when it went Geopscape to Battlescape, and it didn't crash when it went back from Battlescape to Geoscape. I'm pretty sure this fixes it.--[[User:BarlowBrad|BarlowBrad]] 06:07, 27 October 2007 (PDT)

Talk:Harvester

2007-09-23T04:50:12Z

BarlowBrad:

In the "General Information" section it states: "The Harvester is usually operated by Floaters, with occasional Snakeman joyrides."

My experience has limited the Harvesters almost exclusively to Mutons and Sectoids. Perhaps this line should be removed because there isn't a specific race that usually operates Harvesters?

I'm still relatively new to X-COM, so in case I'm wrong I don't want to remove helpful information, but if someone else knows this for sure they could fix this.

--[[User:BarlowBrad|BarlowBrad]] 21:50, 22 September 2007 (PDT)

Talk:UIGLOB.DAT

2007-08-20T09:48:27Z

BarlowBrad: /* Re: 0x06 */

Known Bugs

2007-08-20T09:23:37Z

BarlowBrad: /* Minimized Interceptor Bug */

== Collectors Edition Blaster Bomb Bug ==

In the Collectors Edition of UFO, the [[Blaster Launcher]] has a bug that prevents it from going up or down on the same tile. Or in other words, you cannot change the elevation of the missile vertically on the same tile.

Instead of flying down (or up) to the next waypoint, it will instead fly directly to the south at the pivot waypoint. Relative to the screen, this would be the lower left side of the screen.

This does not happen if you plot the waypoints at an angle. Or, if the blaster bomb flies right off the map, it will reappear at the proper waypoint as long as there are additional waypoints placed after the vertical move.

This bug also applies to the [[Disrupter Pulse Launcher]] in TFTD.

== 80-item Limit ==
When loading up your Avenger for a massive UFO assault or arming soldiers for a [[Base Defense]] from your overflowing stores, you will likely hit this limit.

You only get a max of 80 items, and you don't get to choose which ones, so you may end up with 80 clips and no rifles for the base defense.

The solution is timely housekeeping. Sell off your spare personal equipment. See our handy [[Spring Cleaning Tips]], and also [[Managing the Item Limit]] for ideas.

== The trouble with Mines (general) ==
The armed states for [[Proximity Grenade]]s in both UFO and TFTD are NOT stored in savegames. More information to come.

== TFTD Research Tree Bug Avoidance Guide ==
TFTD's research problems are more of a logical design flaw than a true bug, caused by trying to make the research tree more complicated than X-Com UFO. They can be a pain when you research the wrong thing at the wrong time.

A variation of NKF's [[TRTBAG | TFTD Research Tree Bug Avoidance Guide]] will be forthcoming - free time permitting.

For now:

*ONLY research Deep One Terrorist AFTER you have completed Plastic Aqua Armor and Ion Beam Accelerators.
*You MUST have at least one "Sub Construction" in storage before completing research on Zrbite and/or Transmission Resolver.
*NEVER research the Tasoth Commander. There's no reason to - and as of the last patch, they should no longer appear on the research list. They can block the T'Leth research.
*DO NOT research M.C. Lab unless you have AT LEAST one MC Reader in storage.
*NEVER sell all of your Sonic Pistol Clips before researching it first. If you were to research the Sonic Pistol, the aliens immediately stop using that weapon (and thus, clip) so you will be unable to continue in the Sonic line of research.
Other than the MC reader one, any of the above would make it impossible to finish the game.

== Difficulty Bug ==

The DOS version had a problem where no matter what difficulty level you chose, you were actually playing at "Beginner" level. Because of one or two incorrectly set bytes in all dos versions of the game( 1.0 through to 1.4), no matter what difficulty was selected, the difficulty bug would reset to beginner at the end of the first mission. [[XcomUtil]] corrects this problem. This bug was officially fixed in the Collectors Edition Windows port (also commonly known as UFO Gold).

== Mountain Map ==
Due to a bug in the way this tileset was created, when you shoot the ground, it doesn't burn up - it turns into a tree stump.

Because the stump is on object, as opposed to actual ground, any objects that were in the tile already (for example, UFO hulls or the landing gear of your craft) get replaced by these stumps, making it seem as if they were destroyed.

Tree stumps don't take much damage, so they often get burnt up immediately if an explosive goes off, leaving nothing but burnt ground behind. It is easier to view the effects of this bug by shooting the ground instead.

For more details, see [[Explosions#Mile-High_Madness|Mountain Madness]].

== Base Disjoint Bug ==
Base facilities built along the right or bottom edges of the base building area may end up being cut off from each other by dirt walls, a bug in the routine meant to keep soldiers from accidentally exiting the map edges during [[Base Defense]] missions. The dirt walls can be knocked down by Blaster Bombs during combat but are otherwise unbreakable.

NKF illustrates this in a [http://www.geocities.com/nkfarma/reference/bdb.html pretty picture] for you. XCOMUTIL corrects this problem.

== Big Text Bug ==
There are a few bugs in XCOM, especially early versions, that can build up and make the game unstable enough that it crashes and prints out a screenful of green 40-column text, essentially debug or memory dump information useless to you.

''In the dos version, the text that you see is simply a memory dump in mode-13h (the 320x200x256 colour screen resoulution the game uses) and the text colour is based off the changes to the pallete that the game made. The game sometimes continues with the next part of the game. The game is made of two different programs, [[Geoscape]] and [[Battlescape]], so when one part of it crashes, the other one will not have registered that anything has gone wrong and will attempt to soldier on.''
''In the Windows version of the game, the game simply crashes back to the desktop, unless you're using the [[XcomUtil]] split executable variant. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] ''

== Minimized Interceptor Bug ==
One fairly consistent cause of crashes is saving the geoscape game during a UFO standoff, with a [[UFO Interception]] window minimized to an icon. The next mission after that point will likely dump you to the green text screen, and perhaps an earlier battlescape mission instead of the proper one. What it seems to do is zoom back out of the combat too far when the fight is over, eventually causing the crash once it has gone a couple of steps further than it normally allows you.

'''Solution:''' Open up [[UIGLOB.DAT]] in a hex editor. Change hex offset 0x06 to 00. This will reset the number of minimized interceptor windows to zero. Your interceptor unit can be selected to either return to base or continue on to complete its ground assault mission. ''NOTE: Make sure to back up your save game before editing it.''

''-- I was able to recover from this state by quickly sending in another interceptor ([[Firestorm]]) to take over, which allowed my first interceptor ([[Avenger]]) to break off and go home without crashing the game again. After the shootdown I overwrote the buggy savegame. --[[User:JellyfishGreen|JellyfishGreen]] 03:11, 22 Aug 2005 (PDT)''

''This happened to me also. I fixed it by replacing "[[UIGLOB.DAT]]" in the save folder with the same file from another saved game (from the same campaign a month earlier) [[User:bylund|bylund]] 00:15, January 12, 2007 (GMT+01)''

== Interceptions: Last Shot Always Misses ==
When using Cautious attack when [[UFO Interception|intercepting a UFO]], your craft will stay at the maximum range of your longest-range weapon. When using Standard attack, your craft will stay at the maximum range of your shortest-range weapon. (Usually players use two weapons of the same type, so Cautious and Standard attack will behave the same in this regard.)

As soon as the craft fires its last shot (expending all its ammo), it will drop back to "Standoff" range (70km). This will make it appear that the UFO has backed away while the last missile(s) are in-flight, causing them to miss.

In order to hit a UFO with your last salvo of missiles (Stingrays, Avalanches, or Fusion Balls), you must switch to "Aggressive" attack before the last salvo reaches the UFO. This will cause your craft to close in with the UFO, allowing the missiles to be in range when they reach the UFO. However, Aggressive attacks will also bring you within range of the UFO's weapons, so you should hit the "Disengage" button as soon as the last salvo hits.

==Sticky Craft Transfer Fee glitch==
As pointed out by Zombie and Danial, transferring any craft causes '''''all subsequent transfers to have that cost added to it''''', for as long as the craft is in transit. Additional craft in transit will add additional fees. (This has also been called the Exponential Transfer Fee bug, although it's actually additive, not exponential.)

Example (all numbers are only approximations):
<u>Cost of pistol transfer (↔ = to or from)</U>
EU ↔ USA 80
EU ↔ Asia 100
USA ↔ Asia 120

<u>Cost of craft transfer</U>
EU ↔ USA 1600 ''Notice how transfer fees always work as relative percents,
EU ↔ Asia 2000 ''probably on a distance-based formula
USA ↔ Asia 2400

<u>Cost to transfer '''pistol''', after transferring craft from EU to Asia for $2000</U>
EU ↔ USA 1680 (80+1600)
EU ↔ Asia 2100 (100+2000)
USA ↔ Asia 2520 (120+2400)

The cost of the craft transfer "sticks" to '''all''' subsequent transfers, until the craft arrives - although it acts on a proportionate basis, which is probably distance related.

Unfortunately, this cost is '''additive'''. That is to say, if you transferred a second craft from EU to Asia while the first was still in transit, it would cost $4000 ($2000 plus $2000 - it too suffers from the glitch!), it would then cost e.g. $4100 to transfer a pistol from EU to Asia. Having even more craft in transit would add even more fees.

This only appears to happen with aircraft, although it does happen for them all. So try to space out your transfers, if you can.

A related problem is that, if you are in the Transfer screen, start to transfer a craft, and then cancel because you remembered you wanted to send something else first - if you then try to Transfer something on that same screen, ''it will still get the sticky craft fee added''. Try it and see. You have to back up out to the main Base screen and hit Transfer again, to get rid of the sticky fee from a cancelled craft transfer.

==Transfer Limit cash eater==
Only 100 items can be in transit at a time. (Here, a transfer of e.g. 200 Elerium counts as one "item". Also, all soldiers are counted individually.) If you go over the limit, you will get a warning that there is no more transport capacity. If you STILL try to transport something after getting the warning, the item will stay where it is, but the transportation cost still gets deducted. Bad if you're shuffling expensive aircraft.

{| {{stdTable}} width = "80%" align = "center"
|- {{stdTable Heading}}
| Tip
|-
| To Clarify what constitutes an item in the transfer screen, think of them as batches of X amount. For example, if you transfer 200 alien alloys now, and then decide to transfer another 50 alloys later, this will count as two items in transit. Now, when you look at your transfers, you'll now have two items. Two batches of alien alloys, one with 200 units and the other with 50 units.
|}

== Transfer crash ==
If you transfer something to another base the game crashes right after acknowledging the transfer price.

Solution: Start UFO, select English language, finish your transfer, save game, restart with your normal language settings (http://www.xcomufo.com/x1faq.html)

==Carrying Unconscious Units==
Refer to : [[Unconscious#Bug|Unconscious]].

==Disappearing Ammo==

Partially-used clips in alien or X-COM weapons disappear at the end of a mission. This dictates that you should try to use clips that are not full. However, in DOS versions of the game, you can unload used clips to recover them as full clips. You can also use [[XcomUtil]] to recover partially used clips. Even when used clips are discarded, you will still get credit ([[Scoring|score]]) at the end of missions for recovering them.

When aborting a mission, any full clips loaded in any alien weapons brought back to the transport/access lift will not be recovered unless the clips are unloaded first. This includes [[Blaster Bomb]]s and [[Stun Bomb]]s.

== Overcrowded Engineers (And Scientists?) ==
In the Dos version (probably the others as well) if you hire more than 255 engineers in a single base, the number of engineers in the base will read a negative number once the 256th engineer arrives. Any Engineers engaged in projects will continue to work on them, but if you cancel the project you will lose engineers until you have lost 255 of them. This bug probably also affects scientists. It may be exploitable to pay a negative salary at the end of the month.

== What just exploded? ==

In some versions of the game, a bug allows an armed proximity mine to transfer its properties to some other item in the next mission, which then may explode unexpectedly. (If the item is left on the floor of the XCOM craft, it will explode as you walk past it.) This problem can be rectified by reloading the game -- as a precaution, save before you move your first soldier.

== Door jam ==

If a door is open when a game is saved on the Battlescape and that game is subsequently restored, the door will remain open for the remainder of that mission.

==Facility Maintenance Costs==

Although X-COM <i>does</i> charge the right fee for base modules, the monthly Base Maintenance cost under Base Information is wrong. The Geo finance Graph shows a correct overall summary ([[LIGLOB.DAT]], updated once a month).

The good news is that only the displays are wrong, in general. But there's more - see the next section.

==Paying For Dirt==

If you take down any facility in any base that you own and leave bare dirt, then you will continue to pay maintenance on it. But not at the old rate of whatever the facility cost per month, filling the hole back with dirt means it needs special attention at all times by specialists. In fact for every square of dirt you have that used to be a facility you will pay 80k per month. Thats 320k per hangar you take down. There are only two known ways to stop paying this premium - if you completely dismantle the base you stop paying any money for it, or if you build over all the spaces that you have vacated. In fact as soon as you start building the new facility you stop paying the premium, as well as not having to pay the cost of the new facility until it is complete.

If you start a facility and change your mind before it is complete, after the time when it would have completed you will start paying this 80k premium on that land as well.

==Mind Controlled soldiers go MIA==
If you complete a mission while a [[soldier]] is currently [[Mind Control]]led he will be listed as MIA at the end of the combat. This is quite an easy bug to fall into as on any [[Sectoid]] or [[Ethereal]] mission the only, or most powerful, psionic aliens will usually be holed up in the bridge or command centre.

== Item-stacking Bug ==

It is possible to put more than one item in a given spot. When an item is stacked with a [[Stun Rod]], this can make it possible for X-COM soldiers to perform "melee" attacks. See [[Item Stacking Bug]] for more details.

==Base Facility Dismantle-Construction Crash==

In the Collectors Edition version, dismantling a facility while its construction is in progress can cause a crash when a second facility on another base square completes its construction. To work around this, dismantle a facility only after its construction is complete. If you have already dismantled such a facility, build something like a general stores on the same square to avoid the crash. It is not known if this crash happens intermittently or always, or if it happens on most versions of the game or just the Collectors Edition.

==Manufacturing Limit Bug==

The number of hours remaining on a [[Manufacturing_Profitability#Profit_tables|manufacturing project]] is stored in a two-byte integer. If you build enough items that the total number of Engineer Hours required for construction is above 65535 hours, it will wrap around to 0 hours and display from there. This will drastically understate the amount of time that will be spent working on the items.

This bug is not dependent on the number of engineers assigned to the project; it is a function of the number of engineer hours needed. You will most likely run into it when trying to build 2 Avengers at the same time or when queuing up large orders of items you have the inclination to produce in bulk, such as armor or Laser Cannons. As a practical example, the number of Avengers needed to trigger the bug is 2. The number of Laser Cannons is 219. Toggle back and forth between 218 and 219 laser cannons at the beginning of a project to see the effects.

[[Category: Oddities and bugs]]

UIGLOB.DAT

2007-08-20T08:41:29Z

BarlowBrad: Correct meaning of 0x06

This short file contains the following information, all stored in two byte numeric fields.

<table {{StdDescTable}}>
<tr>
<th {{StdDescTable_Heading}}>'''Offset<br/>dec (hex)'''</th><th {{StdDescTable_Heading}}>'''Meaning'''</th>
</tr>
<tr><td> 0 (0x00)</td><td>Next spotted UFO number </td></tr>
<tr><td> 2 (0x02)</td><td>Next Terror mission number </td></tr>
<tr><td> 4 (0x04)</td><td>Next spotted Alien Base number </td></tr>
<tr><td> 6 (0x06)</td><td>Number of minimized interceptor windows (but see Discussion) </td></tr>
<tr><td> 8 (0x08)</td><td>Next Ground Assault number </td></tr>
<tr><td>10 (0x0A)</td><td>Next Waypoint number </td></tr>
<tr><td>12 (0x0C)</td><td>Next Skyranger number </td></tr>
<tr><td>14 (0x0E)</td><td>Next Lightning number </td></tr>
<tr><td>16 (0x10)</td><td>Next Avenger number </td></tr>
<tr><td>18 (0x12)</td><td>Next Interceptor number </td></tr>
<tr><td>20 (0x14)</td><td>Next Firestorm number </td></tr>
<tr><td>22 (0x16)</td><td>Current Game Year (1999, (0x07CF) for a lot of the time) </td></tr>
<tr><td>24+ (0x18)</td><td>Monthly score related values, Jan to Dec (See below) </td></tr>
</table>

These Alien Base and Terror mission numbers may be the wrong way around, because I was at the same number of both in all the saves I have, coincidentally.

[[Scoring|Score]] earned by completing research projects in January increase the value at Offset 24 (0x18) as you complete them, then at the end of the month this value is also increased (by 400 in one example, couldnt find any obvious correlating value to explain that amount yet). Presumably it is something you are scoring that is non location specific, but not sure what exactly. Later months are then stored in the later offsets, increasing by two each time.

==See Also==
[[Saved Game Files]]

Talk:UIGLOB.DAT

2007-08-20T08:39:07Z

BarlowBrad: Re: 0x06

Could some of those offsets also be the next number for XCom Crafts? (Interceptor, Firestorm, Skyranger, Lightning, Avenger) Still leaves 2 unknowns though...
Too lazy to test this myself right now
--[[User:Pi Masta|Pi Masta]] 14:11, 2 March 2007 (PST)

Comparing a couple of saves early and a few months in I can assume that 0x0C is Skyranger (its 2 on a new game, 4 on one where i have 3 of them), 0x12 is the Interceptor count (its 3 in new game, 9 where I had 8 at one point), 0x0E is Lightning which I built only one of, 0x10 is still one - the first Avenger is still in production in that save), 0x14 is Firestorm which I have two of in the late save.

Just leaves 0x06 (always 0 that I have seen) and 0x08 - 01 in the game in early February, 07 in the game in about July from the number of monthly scores inserted. Ground Assaults? I think those number differently to UFO Recovery missions, and it would be about the right number; my new game, I have shot them all down so far, so that also fits being 01 still, in the later game I have had a few ground assaults, 6 sounds about right, and with its location seems a good option.

Hmm, as four of the the first five are alien missions, and its sandwiched in between seems most likely to be another alien mission type - but unlike the rest its zero at the start, not 1. The only thing left I can think of is XCOM base attacks. Do those get a number? Its been a very long time since I got attacked in my base, and it would take some time to work out how to hack the aliens into doing it I imagine, depending on how well that part of the files is known already(in ACTS.DAT I think?).

--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 14:54, 2 March 2007 (PST)

Something to check - at the end of the month the extra score might be 400/16 = 25 per happy country.

--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 14:59, 2 March 2007 (PST)

But that cant be right - because their happiness is based on the score, so that would be a self reference. Per country still could be the key - maybe if you outscored the Alien activity (using that local xcom + (total xcom/10) vs local alien + (total alien/5) calculation that was posted elsewhere as working out whether the countries are happy with your actions.

--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 15:02, 2 March 2007 (PST)

: Yeah I think the ground assaults as well as the recoveries get the same number as the UFO involved. 0x06 could be a pad byte and is never used. I'm glad you did this, it would have taken me some time to set up the saves and all. --[[User:Pi Masta|Pi Masta]] 15:05, 2 March 2007 (PST)

::Havent seen any padding elsewhere. Could be something that go removed late on in development maybe and they didnt want to reset the offsets of the rest of the file in various places in code, so maybe. Of course need to confirm the order of Alien Terror/Alien Bases is correct, because it based on one test where I saw them different atm and thought I remembered which I had done 2 and 3 respectively of, but probably want to confirm that. --[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 15:19, 2 March 2007 (PST)

You might try editing [[MISSIONS.DAT]] and setting it to a retal, shoot it down and they should keep sending more after you. --[[User:Pi Masta|Pi Masta]] 15:08, 2 March 2007 (PST)

Will check that out at some point, still only understand a quarter of the save files so far, and I am behind in translating the ones I know to my analysis program as well so it can decode them all automatically for me when needed.
--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 15:19, 2 March 2007 (PST)

What are you using for analysis? I have made some Python modules for nearly all the known file formats if they could be of help. [[User:Pi Masta|Pi Masta]] 10:40, 3 March 2007 (PST)

Just a VB program I knocked up in a few hours, it tracks the various save directories and notices when a new save is made and will (if asked to) automatically update on screen either the complete analysis of a file (usually too much information to be useful) or compare the differences between two selected files (all of which can be set fixed, or to dynamically detect the newest/oldest/second newest files as desired). --[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 14:35, 3 March 2007 (PST)

== Re: 0x06 ==

I was working on tracking down the "Minimized Interceptor Bug" and found that 0x06 in UIGLOB.DAT was different in my current (bugged) save game when compared to an older (non-bugged) save game. Long story short, I believe that 0x06 is NOT the next XCOM Base assault number (it didn't make sense for it to start counting at 0 anyway?) but I believe it is the current number of minimized Interceptor windows. Can someone else please confirm this for sure? I'm going to edit the main page with a note to see this discussion. Feel free to change it back if it's incorrect.

PS- I was able to edit 0x06 from 01 to 00, the minimized interceptor icon disappeared, but my interceptor continued on to the target, landed and was able to begin the mission successfully.