VXHQ News

XWAU 2025 1.1 has been Released

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:49:12 GMT

Merry Christmas from the XWA Upgrade Team!

Just in time for the Holidays we present to you the latest version of the XWA Upgrade Mod with some juicy new additions, updates, bugfixes and what not!

Golan III by Vince T

This is of course the big one. Marvel at yet another one of Vince�s creations, based on the original model from Dragon. The Golan III is a massive and truly impressive model. One of the last few original models it was in dire need of an update, and now it might just be one of the most impressive models we have.

New HD Cutscenes by MechDonald

MechDonald has completed updating all cut-scenes to stunning 2k videos. All videos are re-creations of the original videos, staying true to their original intent while massively improving on their visual quality.

List of notable Updates

A new way to display the background of missions has been developed by blue_max. All missions have been edited to make use of this feature with new environments created by Forceflow
Ships can now have variable sFoils to either clamp onto a target (currently used for the AMU to properly grab onto the asteroid base) and grab targets for pickup.
There are also a lot of functional upgrades in the hooks. For more details here be sure to check the Hook_Readme.txt in your Readme/Hooks directory in the XWAU 2025 1.1.0 installation.
Now you can get telemetry data from the game into SimHub.
Victory Star Destroyer I & II: Replaced the static merged turret meshes with individual rotary turrets that each track their target independently
Imperial Star Destroyer II low detailed model by Vince T for use in Battle 7
Many more tweaks and fixes

It's been a lot more work than we anticipated, but we are really glad to be able to get this to you in time for the holidays! We hope you all enjoy this update, so go grab the new update and have some fun!

See the release post for a more in-depth list of changes, as well as for discussing this new release!

XWAU 2025 is HERE!

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 11:57:20 GMT

The XWAU Team is proud to present the next version of the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade.

This one spiraled a bit out of control, it was originally only meant to fix the installer bug with 2024 and add and opt or two, but things got a lot more complicated.

A new way to install the XWAUA new way to install the XWAU

With 2025 we are introducing a different way to download the XWAU compared to our old method. This is for multiple reasons, some technical issues, and also trying to make everyone's life easier. The initial process is quite different, we highly suggest to read through this guide to understand what is going on.

A change to how you start XWAU

We realized 2024 had problems due to the amount of memory that the XWAU could use. Since the game is still a 32Bit application it can only really use 2 - 3GB of memory. XWAU 2024 was already filling this up, which is why you'd often see crashes on loading new missions.
Without boring you with too much technical details here, the brilliant @JeremyaFr found a way to side-load both the new concourse animations and some in flight textures. This frees up a lot of memory and should make the XWAU 2025 a much more stable experience.

The shiny new things

The Dynamic Cockpits also received some updates and tuning thanks to @blue_max. They should now be easier to read and work across all resolutions and generally look better.

Another big change is the new Enhanced HUD by @blue_max. This add bars around the bracket of your selected target, it displays ship name, cargo, distance, sub components, shields, hull and system status. This makes it easier to keep your eyes on the target in those heated battles. If you prefer to use the original behaviour the Enhanced HUD feature can be disabled via Babu Frik's Configurator.

In the Skirmish selection screen @JeremyaFr added a function so that the ship images are now directly rendered from the selected model. This makes it's easier when swapping out models or changing their default profiles to see the correct ship.

Squadron Briefing Emblems: @ual002 has created animated spinning logos for Squadron 5 and 6. These are referred to as Phantom and Vector Squadron in mission editors and show during Briefings. Squadron 5 is a Rebel logo, and Squadron 6 is a custom campaign New Republic logo. They look amazing in game.

Pilots get to your Fighters

Many missions have been bug fixed, tweaked, balanced or generally improved upon to make your flying experience more enjoyable.
Forceflow has spent hours flying and testing, adding new Backdrops in places and others adjusted. Various ship Object Profiles are also used more often. We couldn't have done it without our newest member and super tester nicklg24. As well as existing testers like @Blazingfirestorm.
There are also several new skins appearing in missions, including new ones from Will T and nicklg24.

Ace Antilles has converted Spyder's A-wing, X-wing, Y-wing and others to use the Skins feature for the standard FG colouring.

There are now different pilot faces and Droid colours for each primary Flightgroup or wingman. Ace and Olin have been given unique Astromechs colours and these feature in his missions.

Thanks to Will T, X-Wings in missions now show their proper flight-number on the wings. This means you see the correct FG number on the wing of the ship you fly. Red 3, Green 2 etc.

It's not an XWAU Reimagined like the TFTC, but a good reason to give the Azzameen campaign a 2025 revisit.

And one more thing...

Well, there is one more big change to the game. @MechDonald has started to make new videos for all the video-sequences in the game. They all look absolutely stunning and we highly recommend to not skip the intro, prologue of battle 1 video. The detail and quality of the videos are just incredible, and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

The new videos are also all available in the different language options via our newest configuration tool, the C-3PO's Language Configurator .
This new tool will also be able to switch your in-game language to the language of your choice and is available as a separate download in the Installer Manager.
We will be expanding on the use of this and more fixes to mission language options over time.

@MechDonald also worked his magic and created dedicated HD medal Ceremony videos for each medal. Plus new HD pics of them as you are awarded your medal box.

There is more, a lot more that has been done, too much to list here. What started as a rather small update now almost rivals 2024 in it's complexity.
For a more complete list of changes refer to the XWAU 2025 Changelog.pdf in the Readme\Updates\ folder of your installation.

We really hope that we can move to smaller patches again, but for now we need a breather first. But don't worry, more is yet to come and some really exiting things are being worked on!

Please be aware that the XWAU 2025 is not compatible with the current release of the TFTC, an upcoming v1.4 of the Reimagined campaign will be.

Some final notes

We would like to dedicate this release to DTM . His work on so many Backdrops, Cockpits, Fighters and Ships etc make up a large part of the updated models in XWAU. Without his dedication over the years, flying into battle would be a much duller experience

Thank you for all your efforts.

He’s taking time away currently, but we hope he can return in the future to dazzle us with his next project!

Revenge of the 5th 2025

Mon, 05 May 2025 11:17:00 GMT

A sneak peek of things to come later this year

Big things are coming to XWA ...

May the Fourth be with you!

Sun, 04 May 2025 13:51:35 GMT

Happy May 4th greetings from the XWA Upgrade Team!

Hi folks,

we hope you are all having a great May the Fourth and are doing well!

It's this time again that we had really hoped to be able to release something for you, but things sadly got in the way. It turns out that even with 2024 we pretty much broke the game engine. At this point the game is pretty unstable and adding more eye candy to it is just no longer possible. We have identified the underlying issues and our local tech wizards @JeremyaFr and @blue_max are working very hard on creating new ways to push the game even further.

We hope to be able to show you more soon, but as always things will most likely take longer that we want. But if this new tech works out we'll have even more possibilities and you guys will hopefully have an even greater experience.

With that we have another small teaser for you guys. @MechDonald (creator of the incredible HD concourse images) is working on something new that will blow your minds!

Have a great day and hope to show you more, soon!

Thanks to Angel for hosting the teaser on the TFTC youTube channel!

Discuss this here

XWA Upgrade 2024 is HERE!

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 12:44:58 GMT

4 years in the making! Finally, here it is!

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, strap yourself in because we're going on a wild ride! After almost 4 years we finally are proud to announce the release of our second mega patch, XWA Upgrade 2024 !

Packed with all the upgrades of the last mega patch and all subsequent major updates, this release includes a whole host of new features from small tweaks in the background to huge game-changing updates that make you feel like you're playing a whole new game! To name a few

HD Concourse

MechDonald completely overhauled game UI ranging from individual buttons to the whole concourse environment and transition videos. Both the Main Concourse and The Crew Quarters scene including all trophies have been fully reconstructed from scratch and rerendered in HD. In addition Forceflow has rerendered all the many, many Simulator images for ships and missions to work in a modern era widescreen environment.

New and updated models

A number of high-profile models have been introduced including the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer, X7 Factory and Container Hangar by Vince T. Additionally and for the first time ever, we have to decided to introduce new craft to the patch, which were previously not in the game, to add a bit more variety. These include the Imperial Nebulon-B Frigate, Gozanti-class Cruiser, VCX-100 Freighter and U-Wing by DTM and the Quasar Fire Carrier by Driftwood. Additionally several existing models have seen a facelift with improved textures or model overhauls, such as an updated T-Wing and Z-95 Headhunter by DTM, Corellian YT-1300 and Falcon by Master Qui-Gon and Prime, Firespray Attack Ship and GR-70 Medium Transport by Master Qui-Gon. Finally, Ace Antilles has added more flavor models to be used in launch hangars, such as ladders and catwalks, to improve immersion.

Visual optimization

Ace Antilles has given pretty much every model, upgraded or vanilla, a treatment to improve the way it appears ingame, by recalculating face normals, converting tri-faces to quad-faces and adding individual materials with shield, beam and damage effects to each of them.

Hooks and Effects

Of course, the new patch contains all the latest hooks by JérémyaFr and effects ddraw by blue_max, those magical items that transform the XWA from an aging 1999 game to stand tall and proud in 2024.

Updated tools

All the accompanying tools have received a facelift and various improvements. The many ship configuration options have been extracted from Babu Frik's Configurator and put into their own little tool XWA Craft Manager, which will let you how certain ships appear in skirmish mode, including profiles and skins. This tool will also allow you to customize the appearance certain trophies in the crew quarters.

ATTENTION COMPATIBILITY NOTE:

At this point, this version of XWAU is not compatible with TFTC 1.3.4. Installing it ontop anything but a clean XWA Install, will cause various incompatibility issues and potentially cause the game to be unplayable. TFTC will in time be updated to use XWAU 2024 as a foundation and restore compatibility.

Thank you!

Work on the new patch has commenced as early as late 2020 and it wouldn't have been possible to make without the technical brilliance of JeremyaFr and blue_max. We owe them a massive thank you!

Also, the XWAU wouldn't be here without Forceflow who has been maintaining the website and forums, dealing with overzealous bot crawlers and dutifully paying the hosting costs for 25 years straight.

The whole team has been involved in one area or another of this release, and it's the collaboration of teamwork, sharing feature ideas and striving for the best releases that makes up what we do. A big thank you also goes to the people beta-testing the content and helping us squas the multitude of bugs that surface with a mega patch of this scale! In short: Thanks to everyone that supported us over the years and made this whole thing possible!

And last but not least, thank you to our community, who stuck with us for 25 crazy years! Every one who came, went, returned or just happened by. You are awesome!

For more detailed information and discussion visit our Website and Forum or the TFTC Discord !

That's all, now get out there and have fun!

May the 4th be with you!

Sat, 04 May 2024 09:17:32 GMT

X-Wing Alliance Upgrade 2024 - Coming Soon!

Many of you were hoping for a May the 4th release we are just not quite there yet. There's been an unfortunate bug that came up with VR in combination with the HD concourse which meant we had to do some more bug smashing. This has been over 2 years in the making and we don't want to give you a broken game.

Most of the things are in place, we just need to apply some final testing polish as we are getting really close to a release.
Even now there is something new being added everyday. Here is a short list of the highlights that will be included in the next release:

New UI Features:

XWA Upgrade goes HD! We now have the ability to use far bigger format sizes to improve the games look in many areas.
Totally new Widescreen images and videos have been created to try and maximise the screen space used.
MechDonald has created a new Concourse, with ship animations in the window which change per mission too. All rooms have gotten a makeover complete with loading videos and especially the new Crew Quarters is a marvel to enjoy.

The new Concourse also comes with new interface, HD icons, battle images, menu screens and Skirmish pictures.
In the missions there will be new HD planet backdrops from Forceflow and the cutscene videos have been upscaled thanks to Marcop000, m0rgg and Ace Antilles.

Flightmodels

Nearly every craft has been checked over and tweaked! There are a ton of models that are completely new and many improved:
The all new version of the Imperial Star Destroyer II, Factory and Container Hanger from Vince T. Master Qui-Gon, Prime and Ace Antilles have improved the YT1300 Corellian Transport, Millennium Falcon and Slave I. DTM has created a new T-wing and Z-95 Headhunter. All this and more updated craft to come, too, along with tons of new Skins and Profiles that also have found their way into the campaign missions for extra variety.

Extra Craft

For the first time ever we have added some great new ships, which were not part of the vanilla game to complement existing missions:
The Imperial Nebulon B Frigate, Gozanti Cruiser, U-Wing and VCX-100 Light Transport (Ghost) from DTM and Quasar Fire-class Carrier from Driftwood. These will be playable in Skirmish mode with some making an appearance in the campaign.

Sounds overhaul

Ace Antilles has given the game a massive upgrade in the audio department! We can now add custom sounds for almost any area of the game.
For example Fighters will get unique sounds from each other, such as individual laser blasts and flybys. This includes sounds for canopy, Engines, Flyby, Hangars, Hyperspace, S-Foils, Shuttles, Weapons and more!

System Updates

If that wasn't enough there's a mass of other improvements and fixes to the game itself. The latest improvements from Blue Max for VR. Including viewable hands and Active Cockpit. A new Configurator to manage ship profile changes for fun in the Campaign and Skirmish from Ace Antilles. More options in Babu Frik's Configurator. Faster loading time improvements and useful editing tools from JeremyaFr. Multiple mission fixes, tweaks or improvements to practically every mission thanks to LPhoenix and Ace Antilles. And so, so many Bug Fixes... Like really, so many! (Big shout out again to JeremyaFr and Ace Antilles for fixing and finding those)

XWA Manager

Beside the XWA Upgrade Patch JeremyaFr has created and released an amazing tool that allows you to manage several XWA Installations,inspect versions, check for updates and much more. It comes in both a light and dark theme for better accessibility.

You can download it here: X-Wing Alliance Manager

Revenge of the 5th

N ow that you know what to expect in the near future, let's look ahead at things to come later this year.

That's all, now get out there and have fun!

- Vince

25 years of X-Wing Alliance

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 12:40:10 GMT

Has it been 25 years already?

Alright there hasn't been much communication from us lately, but that's not to say we aren't keeping busy. In fact we are hard at work, creating and improving and testing loads and loads of things to get the next big patch out. And oh boy, that next patch is getting bigger and bigger all the time! Ace Antilles has been super busy going over pretty much all existing craft, making sure the material files are up-to-date and correct, smoothing the models for better looks and making tons of other tweaks as well.

Some existing models have gotten some pretty substantial upgrades, while yet others have been completely redone plus a few new ones are in the works as well. blue_max and JeremyaFr have been busy doing their magic enhancing overall visual fidelity and gameplay features and a complete rework of a as of yet fairly untouched area of the game is also being done right now.

The next patch is going to be huge, not only in content but there's also a lot of other stuff that should make everything a lot better going forward. Stay tuned for further info and maybe the occasional teaser.

That's all, now get out there and have fun!

Happy Holidays!

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 13:43:00 GMT

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from VXHQ and XWA Upgrade!

Hey there, everyone!

Just a quick shoutout to all of you who continue to support us and keep this community alive! 2023 has been a wild and exciting year. We've seen many faces - old and new - join or rejoin us, and I am happy to tell you great things are in motion. New projects are being worked on and we're excitedly looking forward to seeing them released to you! So let's wrap this one up and see what 2024 has to offer!

Happy holidays and all the best wishes for the new year to you all!

Warmest regards

- Vince

That's all for now, now get out there and have fun!

Remember, Remember ...

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 10:27:32 GMT

Remember, Remember ... the SIth of November!

J ust a "little" Teaser.

The ISD2 Remake is getting ever closer to completion. While some health issues prevented me from finishing it by the end of October, it's getting closer every day, hopefully ready to be released along the next major XWAU release!

XWAU 2020 Update 6

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 11:51:09 GMT

Brand new versions of the Preybird Fighter, new TIE Cockpits, Ambient Sounds, fixes and updates and more!

There's always a lot going on in the XWAU. This release sees several new items but also a lot of improvements to the game.
In particular a massive improvement to mission loading times and when entering/exiting the hangar!
That coupled with many existing ships getting updated versions, mission fixes and more to keep you entertained!

Big thank you to all the testers that have helped me with this release. As well as our regular geniuses for making it all work.
Plus of course the hard work that all the XWAU creators have put in to bring you all new toys to enjoy.

New OPTs

HD-Remake of the Preybird Fighter by blue_max with the latest XWAU features. This release comes with the latest Dynamic Cockpit features like Damage effects, Shadow Mapping and Animations, Flightgroup colours, Beam effects and damage textures, also working landing gear and S-foils!

Master Qui-Gon has made great new versions of many small but useful ships in game. These ships appear in several missions and needed a new look! Including the Rendevouz Buoy (Holo look), Buoy C, Cargo Freighter, Connector Rod and Cargo Freighter Engine.

While the Imperial II Star Destroyer is still being worked on, some of the "older" models like the Victory I & II Star Destroyer and the SSD have received Updates to their Engines and hangar bays.

Along with these the pack includes a multitude of updated models, updated Rebel and Imperial cockpits and many, many more.

New Ambient Sounds

We have lots of new Sound Effects to bring you in the future but here is some to start with.

Ambient Sounds: This is a new feature for Starships and more. Created by JeremyaFr, Vince T and Ace Antilles. When you approach a large Starship you will begin to hear it’s background noise, or hum you could say. It’s similar to the way Engine Wash works and based on distance. This feature has been enabled for Calamari Star Cruisers, Modified Frigate, Imperial and Victory Star Destroyers initially. There will be more added in the future.

Hangar Sounds: New background sounds for Rebel, Imperial and Neutral Hangars, from Ace Antilles. Now each hangar has unique announcements being played over the Tannoy when you are waiting to launch. There are slightly different versions for some ships, so the Star Destroyer may sound different to a Victory. Platforms and Azzameen hangars have their own unique sounds as well. Future missions will also use a mix of sounds.

Website Update and Re-Release Haul!

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:13:10 GMT

It's been a long while but finally here it is: The first wave of restored original Blue Phantom models!

How long has it been? 4 years - maybe even more? Pretty much since I closed down the old Blue Phantom website alot of my old original OPTs were no longer available, either due to incompatibility or due to me intending to remake or straight-out reimagine them. Many of those remakes are still a work in progress but I wanted to make the models available to you again. This first wave includes the following models

Titan-class Battleship : I've modified the model and added a set of lateral launch bays. It also comes with brand new turret meshes
Patriot-class Frigate : I've merged the Mk1 and Mk2 into one models and made them selectable via object profiles. Also sues new turrets
Firelance-class Frigate : HD Texture update
Inferno-class Cruiser : HD Texture update
Phoenix-class Battlecruiser
Despot-class Cruiser (aka. Inferno II)

Of course, just reuploading the old models and calling it a day wouldn't do, I had to put in a little extra. So that's what I did.

All craft have had their normals recalculated to improve shading, make round things rounder and angular things more angular
All craft, where applicable, have had their tri-faces converted back to quad faces to improve performance
Most craft have seen an overall HD texture update, some to quite some extent.
Some craft have seen some more extensive model updates
All models now come with basic ini and mat files, some even including profiles.

A second wave is being worked on and may be (re)released some time later this year. Note tho, that some craft, such as the very old Dragonfly Assault Fighter, will not be included, as they are being completely re-imagined and releasing their old, obsolete versions makes little sense.

Furthermore I have released an updated version of my Predator-class Star Destroyer , which also features in the latest TFTC Update 1.3.3. For this model I have added an additional terrace onto its superstructure to somewhat bridge the gap between the old version and the HD remake, which I'm still working on.

Website Update

Last but not least I have pretty much remade the entire website. Not only have I gone for a much cleaner design with less visual noise, I have also completely restructured the content sections. Biggest change is that I have dissolved the separateion between XWAU, Blue Phantom and Standalone craft. Instead I have now split them by ship type and status but no longer by theme. Next, all the craft content pulled from a data base, which makes it alot easier to add and update craft info without having to create new pages - which makes changes to layout and design alot easier since I no longer have to touch 50+ pages to change a background color.

Like what you see? Be sure to leave a comment !

That's all, now get out there and have fun!

Revenge of the 5th

Fri, 05 May 2023 19:12:41 GMT

Reinforcements are on the way. There will be no escape for them this time!

Just a little taste of what's next on my list. There is still much more to come... Happy Revenge of the Fifth Day!

XWAU 2020 Update 5.6

Thu, 04 May 2023 12:15:25 GMT

Happy May the 4th! XWAU 2020 Mega Patch Update 5.6 is out now!

We know it's been a long time since our last release, the team are still hard at work on a new Mega Patch, there have been some great enhancements ongoing behind the scenes. We hope to release that asap still but meanwhile we compiled this small Update which grew for your enjoyment on Star Wars Day!

For this release you still need to have installed Update 5 after the Mega Patch but it includes 5.5 as well as 5.6, so you can install it over Update 5.5 if you have already. Not a problem for our regular users but new visitors follow the instructions below.

Also note that this Update is NOT for use with the TFTC. That will come later.

Highlights

There is a lot in this small patch, the full release notes can be found here

Imperial Star Destroyer v2.0: Vince T has completely remade the ISD with a HD textured brand-new model!
TIE Experimentals: All these TIE's have new updates from DTM. Now these drone ships have similar styles to the other TIEs.
They have all been built from scratch and have unique looks, HD textures and even little control receiving antennas on top.
Pilot Backup: ability to easily create a backup of your pilot files
Crew Quarters: More options available to customize your crew quarter from Ace Antilles and MechDonald
TIE Fighters Cockpits: DTM has completely rebuilt the front displays.
Babu Frik's Configurator: Ace Antilles has spent time updating Babu Frik's Configurator with some improvements.
Alliance Launcher: JérémyaFr has given us more options to use with the Launcher program.
Ray Tracing: A huge shout out to Blue Max for this incredible feat who
New Damage effects by Blue Max
New Explosions from MechDonald
And much more!

Also a very big thank you from myself and the whole team to Ace Antilles who compiled this 'small' update that turned much bigger and into a bit of a nightmare for him behind the scenes and without whom we wouldn't have been able to present any of this to you!

B e sure to check out the new Update over at the XWAU Website !

Your feedback is always welcome! You can discuss the new release HERE !

Something is coming...

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 08:28:04 GMT

There has been a disturb ance in the Force. Something is coming ...

Teaser Time

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 16:46:26 GMT

A taste of tings to come ....

It's been a while since we last shown something, so we figured it's time to let you peak behind the curtain just a bit. Here an actual in-game screenshot with multiple hidden little Easter eggs. Let's see who finds them all first!

One Chapter ends ...

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 15:54:52 GMT

... another begins

Hey everyone!

First of all: Happy New Year!

I 'm happy to announce that work on my Imperial I-class Star Destroyer has concluded and I have moved on to working on the Mark II remake. So far just some basic mapping and some lights but already I can say, it's going to be glorious!

While I work on the ISD2, the ISD1 will be released with the Upcoming XWA Upgrade 2023 Patch. Stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled on the website for more info!

That's all, now get out there and have fun!

Youtube Preview: Hyperspace Hook

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 14:10:32 GMT

A small preview clip celebrating the release of the new Hyperspace Hook

With the new Hyperspace Hook by JérémyaFr we can now have (almost) movie-like Hyperspace Jump effect with ship's entry and exit speed vastly increased. In addition we can now define individual entry and exit sounds on a per-ship basis.

With this I also officially open my Youtube channel, which in future I will use to publish previews of great new features or new models of mine.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCqYetVGt0kpbdef8IUrTwQ

As with any other YT creator, likes and subscribes are greatly appreciated :)

XWAU MegaPatch Update 5.5 is here!

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 13:17:59 GMT

XWAU 2020 Mega Patch Update 5.5 is out now!

We hadn’t planned to release a new update for a while but the team have made massive improvements in recent months!
Ideally we wanted to do more to celebrate Star Wars Day but better late than never. So Ace Antilles has been working extremely hard to compile this Update for your enjoyment over the summer months. There may not be another patch for a while but there's more than enough in this one to keep you busy.

This update includes
- A brand A-wing by Spyder
- A new TIE Advanced x1 by DTM with 4 different profiles (v1, X1, X1 prototype, Avenger Prototype)

- The new Escort Transport by Vince T
- New hangars for the VSD1, VSD2 and SSD

- Improvements to the X-wing, TIEs and numerous other ships, made by Ace Antilles

- New DDraw Effects by blue_Max

- The latest hook updates by JérémyaFR

- Countless updates and improvements

- And more!

The team have been working very hard on these and we are delighted to let you pilots have fun.

This release is a little different due to time restraints. You need to have the Update 5 installed before this 5.5.

XWA Community Update

Thu, 05 May 2022 06:40:22 GMT

May the 4th be with you & Revenge of the 5th

Has it been 4 months already since my last update? Apparently it has!

While the team is hard at work on the next installment of the XWAU Mega Patch, I'm sure you'll noticed we've opted to go with a bit more transparency and community inclusion. In that spirit, DTM has created a BETA patch featuring his latest TIE remakes as well as the latest DDraw by blue_max , packed together in a neat little installer for your convenience.

Meanwhile I've been adding the finishing touches to the ETR-3 Escort Transport - including the modified version. Once that is done I will focus on remaking the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, as well as my own take on the Imperial II-class. Next will be the Golan II and III (models by Dragon ) and the Derylin Platform (Model by Marco Antonio ) and finally a remake of the Interdictor originally made by Flavid .

That's all for now, great things are to come in the future so look forward to it!

Announcing: Places of the Galaxy!

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 08:59:51 GMT

New Places of the Galaxy Shipset for X-Wing ALliance

We all know them, we all love them: That one level in almost every game where you find yourself shrunk down to the size of a mouse, running, jumping or flying through an enormous version of someone's kitchen or living room! And who didn't at one point or another think to themselves: What if I could fly an X-Wing through my home? Well here's your chance! VXHQ is proud to announce the next installment in our campaign collection:

A new p erspective

Places of the Galaxy is a new, spectacular campaign for X-Wing Alliance, set within a large apartment consisting of several fully furnished and decorated rooms and may feature a multi-part story-driven campaign that let's you experience the magnitude of X-Wing Alliance(TM) from an entirely new perspective! No matter whether you fancy dogfighting in the office or large fleet battles in the living room, PotG has something for everyone!

Customize your place

The campaign ships with a large collection of detailed furniture and decoration pieces. Use a mission editor of your choice to decorate the apartment to your own liking! Decorations include but are not limited to:
- Tables and chairs
- Shelves and cupboards
- Large furniture setpieces and arrangements
- Kitchen equipment
- Office decorations and computers
- Scaled replica starships and other collectibles
As development progresses, more decorations may be added.

Stay tuned!

Places of the Galaxy is currently in early development and will be released Spring 2023! Stay tuned for more info throughout the year 2022!

Happy April Fools, everybody!

Concept Art

XWA Community News

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 21:52:59 GMT

It's a great time to be playing X-Wing Alliance!

Hey there folks!

Big things are happening at this very moment so I'll give you a rundown what's going on around here as well as throughout the XWA community!

TFTC News

Already a few weeks back, in early December, the TFTC Team has released the long-awaited Update 1.2 of the TIE Fighter Total Conversion! Towards the end of the year, the mod won the Editor's Choice of the ModDB Game of the Year awards, in the category Best Graphical Overhaul!

DDRAW 2.0 Preview with GPU support!

This one is big: Thanks to JeremyaFr we now have an experimental set of hooks that allows us to offload most of the 3D work from the CPU to the GPU. This means that almost all the 3D computations are now performed in parallel -- with a corresponding increase in performance.

Please, bear in mind that this version is still experimental: you're likely to see artifacts and there's no VR support yet. However, it's relatively stable and the increase in performance is substantial, so blue_max decided to share this preview with the community.

XWA in 2022

As announced with our last Update, the team is actively working on the next full version of the Mega Patch which will include everything the team has achieved so far and more! Several new ships as well as many substantial updates and improvements to existing ones, new features made possible by recent hook developments and much, much more!

Mean while Angel is hard at work on the TFTC Reimagined campaign, while Ilios creates a spiritual successor with his Embers of the Empire campaign!

Stay tuned for more news as the year progresses

That's all, now get out there and have fun!

XWAUP MegaPatch Update 5 Released!

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 18:53:07 GMT

Dark Side Friday is here with the XWAU 2020 Mega Patch Update 5

This release was originally going to be small but like all things XWAU, it exploded into something bigger! We have brand new models, updated versions, great new Simulator images and more. It also includes some recent improvements to the VR experience. Everything is now ready for you to download!

Death Star Upgrade

A project that was started about a year ago and was considered impossible for a long time. We can finally bring you Death Star II Upgrades ! blue_max and Vince T, with help from Marco Antonio created these beauties. Brand new models for set pieces like the Entrance, Focus Chamber and Reactor Core. All the tunnel elements now have 3D details, not just smeary flat images. The reactor room has a new force field. Core explosion has been greatly improved and it's now procedural. Textures are higher resolution. All the things you want to see looking better when you pilot into a small space deep inside the Death Star!

XQ-6 Platform and updated Platforms XQ1-4

That's the last of the XQ-series Platforms finally done! It comes with animated lights on the landing platforms and color-coded hangar force fields, indicating the Hangar for players to use when landing. As all platforms, it comes with a custom hangar model which you can use in your custom missions!

Along with this I've updated all my other platforms to have the same features as this one, including:

- Animated lights

- Color-coded force fields

- Skins!

In addition, Platform XQ3 comes with a new set of "under construction" profiles which you can toggle in custom missions.

New TIEs by DTM

DTM closes 2021 with two more of his amazing looking TIEs: The TIE Defender and my personal Favorite, the TIE Advanced (or Avenger). Both ships have been rebuilt from the ground up and come with highly detailed models and textures. To top things of, the TIE Advanced comes in two version, one with a round cockpit, like you see it in the early TIE Fighter game, and one with an edgy octagonal cockpit, looking the way it did in XvT: Balance of Power.

Space Colony 1 v1.1

I've made a minor update to the station itself, adding animated antenna lights. In addition, I've created a custom hangar model for oyu to use in custom mission.

ATR-6 Assault Transport v2.2

I have updated the ATR and replaced the old Turrets with new HD versions matching those of the Upcoming ETR-3. It now also comes with a Blank Skin for custom makers. A material file has been added and an improved LOD version.

All-new Simulator Battle Menus

Compiled by Ace Antilles with new images by Forceflow, all battle images from the vanilla game have been completely recreated using XWAU models and better visuals. Recent hook improvements now allow us to add Flight Simulator Battle images for missions 8 and beyond! Ace has made a Dat file which allows you to replace the template images with your own for Battles 8 – 20. You must have a working custom edited Mission.lst file to make use of these features.

Millennium Falcon v3.3

With Master Qui-Gon’s permission, Ace Antilles has made many improvements to the ship and its pilots. Material files have been added. The 3 separate Falcon versions have been merged into one using Object Profiles and Skins. So now changing between Han Solo or Lando piloting the ship can be switched with object profiles via Babu Frik’s Configurator or via Mission INI files.
The pilots also have had an overhaul! Lando & Nien Nunb are now wearing outfits matching those in ROTJ. There are now 4 different looks of Han Solo based on each trilogy movie he appeared in.

New Special Effects

Everybody, give a warm welcome to MechDonald who joined the team for his fantastic work on updating the ingame pyrotechnics! Thanks to his efforts we now have completely new explosion effects, hit effects, particles as well as brand new rubble! Trash has never looked this good!

Automatic greebler

blue_max has created some new improvements which are first implemented in this release. In a few words, this new shader can automatically add details to any surface as needed, depending on how close you are. The basic idea is that no matter how close you fly to an object, there will always be small details on its surface.

Custom HUD colors

A new feature by blue_max which can be added to a flyable craft's ini file: [HUDColor] allows you to customize the color of the HUD so you no longer are limited to the four options we have in the vanilla game Options. The HUD color is specified on a per-craft basis. It works like RGB, so you can alter your HUD and Reticle color any way you like.

VR Improvements

With big help from m0rgg there’s a new CockpitLook released Hook to fix the jittering experienced in VR. The cockpit shake is no longer used to implement positional tracking. VR was never intended for XWA. So it’s still a great bonus.

Other Updates

Along with these new features there's a whole bunch of general tweaks and improvements to both the game, the Installer and Launcher. Also included are all the latest hooks and Effects.

Update 5 is expected to be our last major release for 2021. Our 2020 Mega Patch has grown hugely in size. It's time for something new!

Next up is going to be an XWAU 2022 Mega Patch! We've got lots of cool ideas and improvements to bring you in the future. We hope you enjoy this release and will keep an eye on the forum for more updates as available.

CS-600 Corvette v1.1 Released

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 19:32:38 GMT

Another classic B lue Phantom model revi talized!

Another of my classic Blue Phantom mode gets a revitalization! The CS-600 corvette is a light starship, fast, maneuverable and armed to the teeth it is a formidable vessel for blockade runs or combat reconnaisance.

For this remaster, I've tweaked various bits here and there, refining some textures and so on. Removing the upper pair of booster engines, which would have made any attempt of landing in the ship's already confined hangar, even more hazardous. Also, with the new object profiles I can finally include the civilian version without having to release a separate OPT. Also, keep an eye out for additional skins which will be released later this month.

Predator Star Destroyer v1.1 released

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 08:18:40 GMT

It's finally back!

Finally, after a long while of tweaking, the Predator-class Star Destroyer is finally back for grabs!

For the 2021 update I have made a few tweaks and changes to improve the overall appearance and performance:

Converted textures to HD

Brightened the main hull textures and improved
Various other texture improvements
Reverted tri-faces into quad-faces to improve performance
Rearranged the engine section and replaced the old engines with newer HD models
Replaced the old shield generators with newer HD models
Removed an oddly placed turret and some excess weapon Hardpoints
Added missing hardpoints for Hangar and Docking
Added .ini and .mat files

Updated Vanguard Frigate and Principal Freighter

Along with the Predator I've also made an update for both the Vanguard-class Frigate and the Principal-class Freighter, converting tri-faces into quad-faces and correcting some errors with the material file.

2 Capital Re-Releases

Sun, 22 Aug 2021 19:31:42 GMT

Let's get this show on the road again!

Taking a very small break from working on XWAU stuff, I finally got to update some more of my older OPTs. Here's the first batch of what is to come.

Venator-class Star Destroyer v1.3

Dating back to 2005 this one was overdue for an update. While I haven't remade the model itself, I have cleaned a lot of excess faces and undone the tri-faces that were all the rage back then. Turns out quad faces are way better for performance ....

Apart from that I've updated all the textures, adding more details to some, completely overhauling others - all HD, of course. I have also extract all the FG color variations. The base model is now regular gray with all the markngs being converted to skins. to mix and match:

- Open Circle

- Republic Command

- Rebel Alliance

- Weathered & Rusty

Finally I have replaced the old turrets with new meshes that are closer to the ones from the movies.

Praetorian-class Carrier v1.1

Like the Venator this one has undergone a model cleanup, texture HD overhaul complete and new turrets.

I have also made some adjustment to the placement of windows, as the previous version sported a lot of those, placed along very thin edges which just was too excessive. With the new version I have reduced the amount of windows and removed the most egregious violations of physics.

I have also removed the FG colors from the base models and converted into skins. In addition I have redesigned the looks of the Red Star markings to look more meaningful.

Lastly I have added a very distinctive model profile depicting the armed freighter from which the Praetorian was derived. Like the skins, this model profile can be used in custom missions with the help of the mission objects hook. See the hook's readme for details and instructions.

T hat's all, now get out there and have fun!

TFTC Launches!

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 10:10:29 GMT

The clock is ticking!

IT IS HERE!

After the long wait, the TIE Fighter Total Conversion has finally been released!

ModDB: https://tiefightertc.com

Discord: https://discord.gg/GFVjySqEfm

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TFTCProject

Long live the Empire!

XWAU Mega Patch Update 4 Released

Sat, 26 Jun 2021 09:05:05 GMT

W e're at it again!

Another update pack with awesome new goodies! As always it's packed with bugfixes, mission fixes and overall smaller tweaks and changes. Be sure to read the readme for a full list. But there are certainly some highlights to point out:

XQ4 Platform
A nother of the XQ- Platform series is complete! It comes with animated lights on the landing platforms indicating the Hangar pad to use and new Hangar that can be landing in for custom missions with unique maps for each faction. Only one more of the Platform left to go and I'm all over it already!

TIE Bomber
The empire rejoices with this totally new version of the TIE Bomber created by DTM. It comes with a new Dynamic Cockpit, HD textures and a fully detailed Exterior with modeled pilot as well as different Profiles and Skins for the optional TIE Shuttle and First Order versions!

Lambda Shuttle
Another great rework by DTM. The new version comes with a working drop down entry ramp which works with the landing gear, a Cockpit, HD textures and a fully detailed Exterior with modeled pilots. It comes in two cockpit flavors for either Rebel or Imperial Officers. It's an absolutely stunning from the ground up rebuilt of the shuttle.

Hyperbuoy
It might be small, but it's featured in pretty much every mission! Blue Max has created a brand new Hyperbuoy Opt design to jump to Hyperspace from and it's a treat for sure!

Other Updates
A long with the new models there are plenty of tweaks done to existing ships. Asteroids , Asteroid Laser Battery , Imperial Research Center , Pirate Shipyard and Probe Capsule have gotten improved. Some received new textures, proper LODs and there's a small animated gem hidden inside a research station that is worth checking out. Freighter Container K , Repair Yard , Shipyard and Twin Suns Repair Yard all have new extra profiles to make them into different Stations or unique ships to be used in custom missions and the Babu Frik's Configurator got another update as well. Biggest change here is that you can no w switch XWA back to custom languages. P lease read the readme for a full list of changes and tweaks.

TFTC on Social Media

You didn't hear this from me, but rumor has it that the TIE Fighter Total Conversion is close to being released. In preparation for this glorious moment, Angel has set up various social media channels.

ModDB: https://www.moddb.com/mods/tie-fighter-total-conversion-tftc

Discord: https://discord.gg/GFVjySqEfm

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TFTCProject

Be sure to check them out and say hi!

Revenge of the Fifth

Wed, 05 May 2021 21:35:36 GMT

Just a little teaser of things to come ....

Just a little teaser of things to come ...

XWAU Mega Patch Update 3

Tue, 04 May 2021 19:50:14 GMT

Happy Star Wars Day everyone!

It's this time of the year and just in time for May the 4th the team has released the third major update for the XWAU Mega Patch, once again containing a bulk freighter worth of new content, updates bugfixes and other goodies! Too much, obviously to rant it down in a meager news post, so I'll pick out the big chunks and leave you to discover the rest for yourselves :)

Platform 3 v1.0 by Vince T: First release of the XQ3 Platform and Hangar.
Calamari Liberty v2.0 by DTM: Improved Opt and brand new HD textures for the winged Calamari Starship.
Assault Frigate v2.0 by Vince T, Blue Max and Driftwood: Completely new model, created by and used with permission from The_Farseer.
XWA Interface Update v1.0 by Ace Antilles: Ace has given us permission to now include his XWA Interface Update in the XWAU Mega Patch.
Asteroids v5.0 by Blue Max: Blue Max has remodelled all 9 Asteroids and given them great new textures too.
Class A Container by JC: JC has come back with a new improved version of the classic Brick Container.
Updated Victory I-class Star Destroyer by Vince T: Completely recomposed the textures to optimize mapping, improve shading and reduce file size.
New animations and damage effects for the Assault Gunboat.
Additional Skins for some craft
Numerous bugfixes and improvements
Super Backdrop v 3.2 by DTM with new low-orbit scenarios

Beyond that the patch includes the newest Version of Blue Max' Effects Mod and all the latest hooks from JérémyaFr.

Last but not least, a whole host of tweaks and improvements to vanilla game missions to fix bugs, improve the flow or make use of the new super backdrops.

T hat's all for now. Now get out there and have fun!

XWAU Mega Patch Update 2 Released!

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 19:35:14 GMT

The XWAU proudly presents the next update to 2020's Mega Patch!

It's been a few months since my last update so I thought I'd take you on a little tour across the XWA community and what's been cooking the past few months.

New TIE Fighter and TIE Interceptor

DTM has created fantastic new versions of the TIE Fighter and TIE Interceptor, all brand new and made from scratch! And if that's not enough these come packed to the brim with bonus feature and variations, such as Outland and Mining Guild versions for the TIE Fighter and Royal Guard and Missile Launcher versions for the TIE Interceptor.

New Effects by Blue_Max

No month passes without Blue_Max discovering new, crazy and exciting ways to further improve the immersion of the game:

- It is now possible to add and customize animated Lightmaps to textures such as blinking lights

- We can now use animated images within dynamic cockpits - moving holograms, readout screents etc..

- Danamic cockpits can now be enhanced with event-based damage effects, which allows us to bring back things like broken displays or cracked glass when taking damage, a feature last seen with with the 2D cockpits of XvT.

- A new Throttle bar element has been added to the Dynamic cockpit portfolio which allows us to display ship speed as a visual gauge.

New and updated Skins

DTM has created new Skins for the Assault Gunboat. The pack also includes templates for editors outside the XWAU team to create skins of their own.

User and Editor Guides

Ace Antilles, DTM and Blue Max have created new Guides explaining some of the new features. There are guides explaining Animations and Skins and Profiles with tutorials of how to use them. Please see the PDF files in the new /Readme/ folder for the full details here

Updates

Additionally the patch contains a multitude of updates and improvements all over the place, including but not limited to:

- Imperial II-class Star Destroyer v2.4 - Several bugfixes, converted FG Colors to skins.

- Interdictor: Added a profile to the ini file that allows the ship to be converted as a Vindicator-class Heavy Cruiser

- Animated Light Maps - some existing models have been updated to include animated lightmaps. More will follow over time.

- Updated hangar maps for numerous ships and stations

- All hooks updated to their latest versions

- Improvements to Patch folder structure

- Updated Game Launcher

- Updated Babu Frick Configurator and modified the default game settings.

... and much, MUCH more!

XWA Community Newsflash

It's been a few months since my last update so I thought I'd take you on a little tour across the XWA community and what's been cooking the past few months.

TFTC closed Beta launched

On Jan 22nd the TFTC launched their long awaited closed Beta phase and since then participants are busy testing the remake mod for any potential bugs and kinks that might have snuck in. The TIE Fighter Total Conversion will be released throughout Spring 2021 in a standard edition as well as a Reimagined version which revisits the original missions and improves upon them with additional features like vivid environments that feel really lived-in.

New Hook Feature: Stats Profile

JeremyaFr introduced a new feature that allows modders to create several stats profiles within the same ship slot and load these for speciffic missions. With these stats profiles you can change the basic statistics of a ship like shield and hull rating, speed and maneuverability.

GameStar Interview & Features

Last but not least, Forceflow and I had a chance to sit down with the folks from GameStar, a major German gaming magazine. In the interview we talked about the XWA Upgrade mod, the state of the modding community and how it is still so popular after a whapping 20 years. You can find the interview HERE (note, you'll need to be subscribed to view this video). Apart from that GameStar featured XWAU and TFTC in several videos on their official Youtube channel .

Raptor-class Frigate v1.1 Re-Release!

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 18:55:50 GMT

Major texture overhaul to my oldest capship!

The Raptor-class Frigate was the first capital ship I ever released for XWA, late January 2004! 18 years later I'm working on a serious HD revision with alot more details and numerous design improvements. Halfway there I'm re-releasing the original model with some much needed improvements::

Rescaled the ship from 600m down to 400m
Converted all textures to HD, making numerous improvements
Tweaked the window layout to make more sense and match the reduced size
Slightly reduced the armament to match the reduced size
Replaced the old low-detail turrets with better looking ones
Numerous improvements to hitzones and hardpoint placement.
Added a LOD as well as .mat and .ini files.

This is a major milestone on the way to the big HD-remake. I hope you enjoy this major update!

Principal-class Freighter v1.2 Released!

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 22:42:16 GMT

HAPPY NEW YEAR from VXHQ!

Happy New Year, Everyone! Think we can all agree 2020 was a bust in general, nevertheless it was an incredible year for XWA! Let's move on and build upon that!

My series of model updates continues, this time with a newly polished Principal-class Armored Freighter. Formerly known as the Liberator Corvette, I've decided change the name a long while ago and finally given the model a much needed update. I've converted all textures to HD, added several tweaks and improvements here and there along with the obligatory addition of LOD, .ini and .mat files.

Also this is the first model to come with a set of Skins instead of FG colors, which are placed outside the OPT and can be tweaked to your heart's content. Click the link below to check it out!

That's all, now get out there and have Fun!

XWAU XQ-2 Platform & Mega Patch Update 1 Released

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 23:02:29 GMT

XQ-2 Platform Released

Here it is, the next of the XQ-Platforms! The prototype for this model has laid dormant for over 15 years. The station comes with a custom hangar and 4 subtly different hangar maps to match the faction of your choosing. You can check out more details and screenshots here !

Note: Since the XWA Upgrade Team has moved away from individual installers in favor of cummulative update packages, I have now also retired all individual XWAU Downloads on my site. This does not impact my other creations.

XWA Upgrade Mega Patch 2020 Update 1 Released

The XWA Upgrade has released the first Major Update to the Mega Patch 2020!
Along with the XQ-2 Platform this Update contains new releases, updated items and bug fixes, all rolled into one package. The previous Fix Pack 1 is also included.

Special Effects v1.5: Blue Max has updated and improved on areas of his great Effects package with new procedural shaders for Lava and Explosions. New materials and shaders for the Death Star mission. The reactor core explosion has been replaced with Duke's explosion shader. The Death Star now has materials and other visual fixes. For full information read the Special-Effects-Readme and the VR-README under the Readme\SpecialEffects\ folder.

Hooks – Skins: JérémyaFr’s Hooks have been updated with the latest bug fixes and new features.
A new Skins feature allows you - yes you the player - to add custom looks to a model without having to change the OPT itself. You can add flightgroup colours or new textures via a folder rather than being built into the Opt itself. Mission creators now can have a lot more options for customised ships. For full information read this topic on the XWAU Forum, for more details - 3d models skins

Apart from these great additions, the Update contains a huge number of fixes and improvements to various OPTs and missions, details on which you can find over in the Release Thread .

Updates to some of my XWAU Craft

XQ-1 Platform v1.1:

- Fixed misaligned turret rotation axes

- Improved some texture Illuminations

- Optimized file size by splitting FG Color textures from non-FG Color textures.

Imperial Star Destroyer II v2.3:

- Fixed an issue where the main hull’s targeting box was above the hull rather than inside it, preventing AI to hit it at low angles.
- Performance Improvements: Removed some excess details from the Bridge and Shield Generators.
- Made use of the new Object Profiles feature to create a set of new profiles.
Currently the default setting is optimised for FPS benefits. To restore full detail, edit the ImperialStarDestroyer2.INI and swap the Default lines.
For full information read the Readme\XWAU Crafts\ImperialStarDestroyer2v2.3Readme or consult the Forum.

Vanguard-class Frigate v1.1 Released!

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 16:55:38 GMT

It's this time of the year again and Santa Vince's got some goodies for y'all!

Merry Christmas from VXHQ!

It's been exactly 10 years to the date since I've originally released this model as the last of my custom Star Destroyer models. Well now it'll be the first in a line of updated releases. While the model itself is mostly the same it has received a number of updates and improvements:
- Combined separate hull textures into HD maps

- Numerous other texture improvements such as toning down some too noisy panel lines, adjusting the number and size of windows to a realistical level

- Added a reactor bulb

- Replaced the old engines with new ones, borrowed from the Victory Star Destroyer
- Removed one gun turret from a really weid position below the bridge
- Added missing hangar hardpoints
- Added .ini and .mat files
- Added a LOD!

Along with this release I have also started updating my other models, improving textures and fixing bugs. And new releases are to follow in the coming weeks and months. My priority here lies with making the previously released models available again, while working on the actual HD remakes which will come at a later point.

Blue Phantom Chronicles Wiki Update

I have finally managed to get the rough structure for the BPC lore section done. You'll find new entries under the Blue Phantom Menu now giving you access to starships, Characters, Organizations, Locations and more. I will be continuously adding new content to the various entries on a (hopefully) weekly basis so be sure to keep an eye out for new content :)

XWA Upgrade MEGA PACK is out!

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 17:47:49 GMT

The wait is over! The XWA Upgrade proudly releases the XWAUP Mega Patch 2020

After months of hardship, development, testing and bugfixing, it is finally here: The newest all-in-one XWAU 2020 patch!

The "XWAU 2020 Mega Patch" is a total remake of our old Craft Packs from the ground up. It contains ALL the previous 20 years of releases in one installer.
It's all been bundled into a brand new clever installer by DTM and JéreémyaFr. Now there are only a few simple choices it will guide you through that you need to install it and run the game. No more need to download 42 different installers.

As part of the pack you get Babu Frik's Configurator, a new program which is accessed from the Game Launcher and allows you to change the game to your liking. You can choose variation versions of the available models, configure the graphic effects and toggle the different options for VR or TrackIR and more. All the choices from the previous XWAU individual installers and more have been included in Babu Frik to give you tons of options to customize the game however you like.

The pack also includes several new ships: An updated Calamari Cruiser Defiance and Stormtrooper Transport, a brand new Modified Strike Cruiser and several options of the amazing new X-wing and Y-wing by Spyder!

Next there is the Palpatine Total Converter, a tool to save one or two modified versions of XWAU 2020 without the need to install multiple copies of X-Wing Alliance. This will allow players to create different builds, like Shipsets and Total Conversions.

The XWAU Team has been working on this for months now so we are excited that you can try it. It's been a lot of work in our free time.
A big thanks go to our new Beta testers whose help has been brilliant with this release. Thank you to all our loyal fans for your support over the last 20 years! Here's to another 20

Ace Antilles' X-Wing Outpost is back!

Just in time for the XWAU Mega Pack Release, Ace Antilles who has returned to the community a while back, has finally redesigned and reopened his Website, Ace Antilles' X-Wing Outpost. The site features a multitude of additional upgrades and tweaks for XWA, including FrontEnd Upgrade, New Crw Quarters, Sounds and HD Cutscenes. Be sure to check it out!

XWAU XQ-1 Platform Released

Sat, 07 Nov 2020 16:40:50 GMT

The XWA Upgrade and I proudly present: The XQ-1 Platform

It's about time I got to work on these! Those who've been following my WIP updates may have seen some early model shots of this station and its sisters. Well here it is, the first of the five remaining XQ-Platforms, ready for you to enjoy!

The stations comes with a bunch of new features:

- 5 Flightgroup colors: Along with the 4 regular color choices, there's a fifth Bonus Flightgroup representing Outpost D-34 from 1998's TIE Fighter Collectors' Edition. This verion is generally brighter in tone as the regular flightgroups and features red and blue markings as well as the Designation "D-34" written ontop in aurabesh letters.

- Custom Hangar: Thanks to new possibilities in Hangar Setups, you can now have several craft setups for a hangar depending on IFF. Ace Antilles made a whapping different setups for Rebel, Imperial and Neutral environments.

You can download it HERE or from the XWA Upgrade Website .

And yes, there's more where that came from ....

Updated Star Destroyers

I have also released updated versions for the VSD1, VSD2 and ISD2, fixing an issue with misplaced hangar hardpoints, which prevented returning craft from entering the hangar. Thanks to AngeI from the TFTC Team for spotting this bug!

You can get the updates from the DOWNLOADS page or from the XWA Upgrade Website .

XWAU Family Repair Yard!

Here's to Warb_Null , who created his awesome XWAU version of the Family Repair Yard! After seeing his fantastic Shipyard, this one was a no-brainer :)

You can check it out at the XWA Upgrade Website .

That's all for now. Now go out there and have fun!

New Website Features: Retrospective & News Archive

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 00:20:48 GMT

Retrospective: The Evolution of VXHQ

Today I'm announcing two new features for this website.

The First is an Evolution/History of this website and its various iterations. Believe or not, this is by now version 7! This page actually came together because I was looking for something else and stumbled over some old snapshots from earlier versions. So on this new page you'll find the somewhat parallel evolution of both VXHQ and The Bluephantom website through the course of 17 years.

The News Arechive is back!

Alright, so the new blog function is great and all, however, I didn't see myself carrying over 60+ ancient news posts from 2003 to 2015, therefore I've now found a suitable workaround. I've now set up a blogger account which allows me to post the old news fairly quickly and without much hassle. Those posts I can then include into this website via a special Blogger widget. So if you're ever feeling nostalgic and want to check out what I've been up to in 2006, check it out!

Closing down the Workbench

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 10:00:43 GMT

The Workbench Section will be closed down.

"WHAT? No more WIPs? How can you do this? I hate you!"

Alright, hear me out!

Yes, I'm closing down the Workbench Section but the WIPs will remain. As of now, every ship has a singular profile page, this goes for new WIPs as well as remakes of existing ships. Now, the latter are the thing: Since right now they were linked to from two different pages, the whole thing was a bit redundant and a slight mess to administrate.

Therefore, from now on my various WIPs will be featured directly under their respective theme section and will be flagged as WIPs accordingly. So, for example All available XWAU Downloads as well as all respective WIPs will be featured directly in the XWA Upgrade section, same for the Blue Phantom, Episode III or Standalone models. This should make the site less redundant and make things easier for me to keep updated.

I will still be posting workbench spotlights of selected Models, using the blog system. So, down the line, nothing's lost and all is found!

20 Years of XWA Upgrade

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:16:51 GMT

Happy Anniversary to the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade!!

On August 14 2000 the XWAU released it's first big update: the Rebel Fighter Patch . The actual website was around for a little longer but this was the first XWAU milestone you could say. Many talented people have contributed to the XWAU over the years and 20 years on we are still here! Because this anniversary seemed too good to pass up the team put together this week of celebration. All of the previews and more I have posted this week are now live and in the Downloads page for you to enjoy.

Imperial II-class Star Destroyer v2.0

Victory II-class Star Destroyer v2.0

But we're not done here ....

XWAU Shipyard by Warb_Null

XWA VR and Effects Mod v1.1.1.4 by blue_max

Crew Quarters Upgrade v1.1

New Imperial Starships Released

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 10:43:26 GMT

New Imperial Capships available!

As part of the XWA Upgrade's 20th Release anniversary, I'm happy to presend to you the next wave of badass imperial capital ships!

Imperial II-class Star Destroyer v2.0

Victory II-class Star Destroyer v2.0

That's all for now, now get out there and have fun!

Old Website-URL reactivated

websitebuilder@1and1.de — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 23:12:25 GMT

Please update your bookmarks!

I have finally redirected the original URL https://vince-t.com from the old website to this one and made it the site's primary domain. The link vxhq.net will continue to redirect to the new link. If you have this website bookmarked or are linking to it, please update your links accordingly.

In addition I have set a number of subdomains for the various sections of this site:

XT-30 Piranha v2.1 released!

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 21:41:13 GMT

The Blue Phantom update release run continues with the XT-30 Piranha

The next BPC ship to be ported over form the old website is the XT-30 Piranha. Along with updating the readme file I've made some tweaks to the ship itself:

Fixed some shading errors
Created all new .mat files for Base, Exterior and Cockpit model
Created an .ini file
Updated the cockpit screen textures, sort of as a lead-up for a possible Dynamic Cockpit integration at a later point.

So that's about it for now. Now get out there and have fun!

Two XWA Upgrade Craft Updates

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 22:54:14 GMT

Out of the blue I have some updates for you!

Executor-class Super Star Destroyer v2.0

This one came out of a troubleshooting effort, as with one of the newer hook versions, certain ships would no longer appear in the CMD when targeted. To counter this, I provided this one with a LOD model, which it had long been missing because of old texture limits. Aaaand while I was at it, I did a few moe things.

Combined main hull textures into HD maps.
Added a LOD model, updated INI file to load LOD into targeting screen
Updated Flightgroups: Default, Imperial, New Republic, First Order, XWA Upgrade
Added a material file.

But we're not done yet!

ATR-6 Assault Transport v2.1

This is just a minor update. I spotted some issues with the color of the engine glows, so I updated those the way I actually wanted them.

Fixed some texture illumination bugs

Fixed engine glow colors

Added a material file

So that's it for now. Now get out there and have fun!

XT-1 Viper Update 2.1 Released!

Sun, 17 May 2020 20:33:57 GMT

The first of the Blue Phantom-themed OPTs to receive a 2020 update!

Following the re-release of the TIE Revenant, I have started to update my various Blue Phantom-themed ships. First to go is the XT-1 Viper . So here's what's new:

Fixed some shaiding errors
Created all new .mat files for Base, Exterior and Cockpit model
Created an .ini file, UPMF ships now finally get blue lasers like they're supposed to.
Tweaked some stats, for its age the Viper was astonishingly fast ....

So that's about it for now. I'm sure I'll be making a re-release of it some time, but for now enjoy some nice old-school vibe.

Now go out there and have fun!

TIE Revenant Update v1.1 Released

Fri, 15 May 2020 23:35:01 GMT

The former TIE Reaper has been renamed TIE Revenant and Released with a few new goodies

It's been a while since I wanted to update this ship and with the VSD v2 done I finally got around to it. This is not an actual model update - that one's somewhere on my long toDo list but it's a stat- and info upgrade.

First thing, I've changed the name. With Disney introducing a canon TIE Reaper Troop Transport in Rogue One, I wanted to keep this ship distinctive. And after some deliberation went for the name TIE Revenant.
Secondly, I've added some material files, so, if you're using Blue_max' effects patch, you'll no longer have bump mapping on glass elements or cockpit screens.
Thirdly, I've tweaked the ship's stats. While it's still faster than your average TIE fighter, I've reduced its speed from 120 to 110 MGLT and dialed its maneuverability down to be somewhat on par with that of an X-Wing.
Next, to compensate for the nerfed stats, I've added a SLAM system, which will boost the fighter up to 220 MGLT (330 for short burst, if you transfer all power to engines)
Finally, thanks to Darksaber you'll now be able to choose between two laser colors
- Green lasers / Purple Ions
- Black-white lasers / Purple Ions

That's all for now. Now go out there and have fun!

May the 4th be with you!

Mon, 04 May 2020 11:54:24 GMT

Happy Star Wars Day from all of us at The X-Wing Alliance Upgrade Project!

In 2000 the XWAUP released its first upgrade the Rebel Fighter Patch. TWENTY years later and we are still going strong! Members have come, gone and come back again but there are still amazing old and new talented people working to improve X-Wing Alliance for you.

VICTORY-CLASS STAR DESTROYER: ULTIMATE EDITION

TIE FIGHTERS DYNAMIC COCKPITS V1.0.

REBEL DYNAMIC COCKPITS V2.0.

CREW QUARTERS UPGRADE

New Effects by Blue Max

SUPER BACKDROPS PATCH V2.1

NEW HOOKS by JeremyaFr.

Jeremy has been busy pulling XWA to pieces so that everyone can have a better game.
His custom ddraw.dll has been updated to v1.3.10 with: new radar renderer and new bracket renderer. This is also featured in the Effects v1.1.3.
A new hook allows using a custom HUD targeting Reticle image for any flyable craft. This means you could have one crosshairs in an X-Wing and a different one in a TIE Fighter!
Also TgSmush now adds support for mp4 files, so you can use custom videos simply as cutscenes!
His XWA Opt Editor has been updated, you can choose many Landing Gear options and much more!

Now that’s how we celebrate 20 years! There’s still lots of cool things being worked on too. May The 4th Be With You!

Oh and here's a little teaser from Driftwood and DTM ....

REVENGE OF THE FIFTH

Victory-class Star Destroyer v2 Released

Sun, 03 May 2020 23:22:35 GMT

The Victory-class Star Destroyer ULTIMATE EDITION has finally been released!

You waited long enough, here it finally is: The Victory-class Star Destroyer returns in never-before seen detail! This iconic imperial warship has received a complete visual and functional overhaul and comes loaded with new features and goodies.

6 Flightgroups: Default, Crimson Command, New Republic, Old Republic, Old 'n rusty, Damaged.
Working S-Foils: The ship will now open its wings as it emerges from Hyperspace and close them before jumping out.
Custom Hangar OPT with two launch variations: Ground or TIE racks.

And yes, the Victory II will be coming in the future.

XWAUP Effects 1.1.2 & Dynamic Cockpits

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 07:53:11 GMT

XWA Upgrade Effects and Dynamic Cockpits batch 1 now available.

XWAUP's blue_max has released his amazing VR and graphics mod in a neat package. The current version 1.1.2 includes:
- New high-res generated Hyperspace animations
- New shader effects (bloom, SSAO, SSDO)
- Dynamic Lighting from Lasers
- VR / TrackIR support.
- Cockpit inertia

Also, in addition, DTM has released his first batch of upgraded Fighter Cockpits, now supporting Dynamic and Active Cockpit. This package includes:

- A-Wing

- X-Wing

- Y-Wing

Check out both releases over at the XWA Upgrade Website !

Video: XWA 1999 vs. 2020

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 23:00:00 GMT

Look how far we've come!

Our very own DTM has put together a fantastic video showcasing the phenomenal evolution of XWA since its release in 1999. The footage you see is 100% authentic, unedited ingame magic and one of the reasons, why we still keep at it after all this time.

Enjoy!

New wings

Sun, 01 Mar 2020 15:19:23 GMT

First go on the new wings

OK, here we go! Let's start by taking the VSD1 wings, moving them a bit further inward to make the trench inbetween a bit wider.

Next I took some more time to make some serious changes to the new closed wings. I've moved away from the ribbed look which they had on the VSD1 and made them look as being actual protrusions from the hull, adding some greeblies etc.

Also changed the engine layout from 2/2 to 3/4. Now to rework the housing - that's gonna be some work -_-

Workbench Update: VSD HD Remake

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 23:00:00 GMT

Trench mapping complete, model updates to Hangar section

Phew! That was a treat. Finally completed properly mapping all the tiny bits of the trench details from front to back. Now to put the same amout of work into the superstructure ... yay -_-

Also remodeled some hangar bay details and finally got around to remodel the so far low-detail tractor beam projectors, which were placeholders, left over from Matt's never released ISD2.

Meanwhile work on the actual textures continues and they're starting to look way less blank as I progress.

New Release: XWAUP Space Colony 1

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 23:00:00 GMT

Thought it was about time to get back busy! Today we have two new XWA Upgrade Releases, both being my first steps into working in HD.

Space Colony 1

The first of the Space Colonies, while the last in line, is the first to be released in HD. Drastically scaled up from its rather puny original it features a detailed hangar complex, spacious enough to easily accommodate Lambda Shuttles flown by drunken pilots.

ATR-6 Assault Transport HD

This is actually a re-release. This HD rendition of my original Assault Transport has been given a neat buff in detail. In addition a few weird looking textures have seen various improvements.

You can download both OPTs from my XWA Upgrade section or from the XWAUP Homepage

That's all. Now get out there and have fun!

Blue Phantom Chronicles Overhaul

Tue, 25 Dec 2018 15:58:04 GMT

The grand Blue Phantom Chronicles Lore Overhaul continues

ok, about all that ... It's been quiet about this project for quite a while. No new releases - neither here nor on the Main VXHQ site. Still I haven't been all lazy and inactive. I've been somewhat active building or recreating my ships for the Game Space Engineers, they are currently available in the Steam Workshop In the process of doing so I have stumbled over quite a few design flaws or logical issues related to individual ones. ALso I've been doing a lot of thinking with regards to the general TBP lore, going as far as to question the name "The Blue Phantom" alltogether.

So right now, I'm putting all this down into written form, bit by bit. This general overhaul may have varying effects on certain elements of this universe, its ships, characters, locationis and even history itself. For example a ship may receive a different name, stats or background information. In some cases I might also rescale it, change its looks or redesign it alltogether, in some rare cases a ship might be taken out completely or "replaced" with something different.

For the time being, I've locked down the various info pages safe for the Download page and disclaimer. I'm also in the process of redesigning the website to give this reimagination a fresh new look.

How long will this take? Heh you got me! Can't say! I have tons of info to put down and that's not even touching the models themselves. I'll partially unlock sections, as soon as I deem them presentable.

VXHQ News

XWAU 2025 1.1 has been Released

Merry Christmas from the XWA Upgrade Team!

Golan III by Vince T

New HD Cutscenes by MechDonald

List of notable Updates

XWAU 2025 is HERE!

The XWAU Team is proud to present the next version of the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade.

A new way to install the XWAUA new way to install the XWAU

A change to how you start XWAU

The shiny new things

Pilots get to your Fighters

And one more thing...

Some final notes

Revenge of the 5th 2025

A sneak peek of things to come later this year

May the Fourth be with you!

Happy May 4th greetings from the XWA Upgrade Team!

XWA Upgrade 2024 is HERE!

4 years in the making! Finally, here it is!

May the 4th be with you!

X-Wing Alliance Upgrade 2024 - Coming Soon!

New UI Features:

Flightmodels

Extra Craft

Sounds overhaul

System Updates

XWA Manager

Revenge of the 5th

25 years of X-Wing Alliance

Has it been 25 years already?

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from VXHQ and XWA Upgrade!

Remember, Remember ...

Remember, Remember ... the SIth of November!

XWAU 2020 Update 6

Brand new versions of the Preybird Fighter, new TIE Cockpits, Ambient Sounds, fixes and updates and more!

New OPTs

New Ambient Sounds

Website Update and Re-Release Haul!

It's been a long while but finally here it is: The first wave of restored original Blue Phantom models!

Website Update

Revenge of the 5th

Reinforcements are on the way. There will be no escape for them this time!

XWAU 2020 Update 5.6

Happy May the 4th! XWAU 2020 Mega Patch Update 5.6 is out now!

Highlights

Something is coming...

There has been a disturb ance in the Force. Something is coming ...

Teaser Time

A taste of tings to come ....

One Chapter ends ...

... another begins

Youtube Preview: Hyperspace Hook

A small preview clip celebrating the release of the new Hyperspace Hook

XWAU MegaPatch Update 5.5 is here!

XWAU 2020 Mega Patch Update 5.5 is out now!

XWA Community Update

May the 4th be with you & Revenge of the 5th

Announcing: Places of the Galaxy!

New Places of the Galaxy Shipset for X-Wing ALliance

A new p ﻿ erspective

Customize your place ﻿

Stay tuned! ﻿

Happy April Fools, everybody!

Concept Art

XWA Community News

It's a great time to be playing X-Wing Alliance!

TFTC News

DDRAW 2.0 Preview with GPU support!

XWA in 2022

XWAUP MegaPatch Update 5 Released!

Dark Side Friday is here with the XWAU 2020 Mega Patch Update 5

Death Star Upgrade

XQ-6 Platform and updated Platforms XQ1-4

New TIEs by DTM

Space Colony 1 v1.1

ATR-6 Assault Transport v2.2

All-new Simulator Battle Menus

Millennium Falcon v3.3

A new p erspective

Customize your place

Stay tuned!

It's finally back!