Dialing Up Your XWA to Awsesome...

How to bring your X-Wing Alliance game up to speed using easy to install graphical updates. This is basically a MUST... otherwise you're depriving yourself of a much improved visual experience. Other tips include wrangling your controller, screen resolution, and more.

Graphics Update

Here's where you get everything looking awesome.

Go to download the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade Installer.

You'll find it here: http://www.xwaupgrade.com/
Follow the directions in their Downloads section.
These files are large and will take some time.

If you have not done so yet, Install your XWA game on Steam, run it once.
During this time, hit ESC and go into your video options. Set your resolution to what you want. During the Upgrade installation you'll need to tell it what resolution you chose so it can line up thing properly in tie-fighters.

Run the installer(s) that you downloaded. They're well designed installers that will guide you along nicely. At some point it will ask you if you're installing it for the Steam version of XWA... choose the Steam version at that point and continue on.

Once finished with the install... the magic has happened. Enjoy the game's fancy newer look.

Screen Resolution

You may wish to change the screen resolution to something other than the few options the game gives you. In order to do that you have to use a little utility program called XWA Hacker.

This is going to hack your "XwingAlliance.exe" file. So, to protect your file, go to your X Wing Alliance install directory and right-click that file, and choose "copy".

Now, go download XWA Hacker.[sourceforge.net]
But note that you don't just want the xwahacker file, you specifically want the GUI.
It'll probably be the largest file there.
As of when I wrote this, here is the direct link[sourceforge.net] to download it.

Now just extract that some place, and run the "xwahacker-qt.exe" program.
You'll have to point it at your "XwingAlliance.exe" file, in your install directory.

Now change one of the game's preset resolutions to the numbers you want. That way when you select that setting, it changes to the resolution you want it to instead.
For example, you could change the 3rd preset from 1152 860 to 1920 1080.
You can mess with your FOV too, but be careful you don't make it too hard to see distant ships.

Now choose Save and Exit.
Set your resolution in game to the preset you changed (not the numbers you changed them into), and you'll have your new resolution.

Controls

Unfortunately, they didn't make things too nice for rebinding controls. You will need a keyboard, as there are just too many controls... but that shouldn't be a surprise. Flying a starship is a complicated task.

Rebinding the controller is built in, if somewhat limited. I'll point you at a few little programs that might make this a better experience for you. I'm not going to give tutorials on how to use these programs (you can find those elsewhere if you need them), but I'll point you at the program and tell you what it can do for you.

Also, I'm speaking specifically on how to use your Xbox360 controller in the game. Other controllers may be able to be used and adjusted similarly, but there may be more or less hoops to jump through. These programs may or may not help you out.

X-Padder
This program lets you bind your controller buttons to key presses. There are other programs, and newer versions of this one, but for this purpose the last free version [v5.3] will serve you just fine.

Get it Here[www.techspot.com]

One good thing to do is to disable Rudder in XWA settings, and use this program to assign numpad-1 and numpad-3 to left/right on the right joystick... this will set up the rudder correctly instead of the vertical and horizontal being messed up as it is by default.

Also, use this program to assign a command to your Triggers. However, you can't disable the triggers in the XWA settings, so they will still try to adjust your thrust in game, but also do whatever you assign with X-Padder. (Next I give you a tip how to avoid this)

Wrangling the Triggers

You might think disabling/rebinding the triggers nicely would be easy... but let me assure you it is NOT. This took me days to figure out a workaround. (works fine in conjunction with X-padder btw)

Because of how this game decides to detect your controller, there is no clean way to disable the triggers. This is because if a xb360 is turned on during launch the game will read its controls (including triggers) even if you choose another controller in the launcher. Even with the right programs it's still tricky, so i'm not gonna walk you through every step of it (you can work it out with google). What I'll do is just tell you what you need and what to do with those things.

First: Set up a Virtual Controller using V-Joy[vjoystick.sourceforge.net]. You only need a virtual controller with X and Y axis (you don't use the others), 10 buttons, and 1 POV. Once set up, you don't need to keep running this program (unless you wish to disable the virtual joystick).

Next you're going to set up a controller redirection using UJR[vjoystick.sourceforge.net], funneling your xb360 controls through to the virtual joystick, but only the controls you want to funnel (ie. no triggers). So make sure you're activating the X&Y axis, 10 buttons, and POV.

NOW... finally, launch X-Padder (if you're using it), launch UJR, and TURN OFF your x360 (unplug or pop the batteries out). Launch XWA, and once your in, TURN ON your x360.

Conclusion

If all goes well, the game hasn't detected the real x360 (so no strange controls). And UJR is sending your x360 controls through your virtual joystick just fine. Now your Triggers, and right stick (if you disabled rudder), are free to have other controls bound to them with help from X-Padder [or similar program].

Good Luck... it's a lot of work for such little gain... but I found it worth it, perhaps you will too.

Helpful Files

Here are some other helpful files to get you flying like a pro.

My XWA Control Sheet (single sheet printable)
This has my (recommended) control scheme for the controller, but it's still pretty good otherwise.

[MidiaN]

X-Wing Alliance for XWA2020 Upgrade is on v5.6.2 now.
... its pretty good.

[Warren]

I should check out X-Padder. I've been using XBCD v0.2.7 to play XWA. It works, but the configuration screen runs kind of funky on Windows 10 since it's so old.

[Annie, are you okay?]

This is fantastic mod, I came back to this game due to the excitement of Star Wars Squadrons, and this mod has given me a fantastic reason to go back to an old game from the mid 90's a new lease of life hyerspeeding it to 2020. Absolutely worth a download, mind you I'm not very good at the game but still love it.

[LosTiE]

@checkmate, on an xbox controller holding b will roll. I'd presume holding the target ship in sights button would do the same?

[eLuminX]

great work! thanks for this :)

[Outlaw MBD]

does anyone know how to roll the ship with a joystick roll axis does not want to work ?

[andrew.webb73]

One thing to be careful of, if you install the upgrade, it takes you to the point in the game where you have joined the rebels, missing all the family missions. Looks beautiful though

[sbshark]

I can't install this, it gives a error "Some files cannot be detected or are missing or missing from the X-Wing Alliance Directory!".

[funfsinn14]

Hi, I followed your instruction and I found the mouse sensitivity to be very high, especially when waiting in the hanger. What do I need to do to fix that?

[Admiral_R2D2]

I have the original game with install disk
would it still work on my win10 pc and is there any way to add it to my steam library?