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 X@COM Alpha Demo v0.17.130429r9.1
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A complete remake of the original X-COM: UFO Defense, console-style.


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 Introduction
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The initial goal of X@COM is to put together a more-or-less faithful recreation of the original, though rendered using simple ASCII graphics. This first stage will of course also implement any interface improvements necessary to streamline play (the original had its notable few faults which most remakes attempt to correct). The second stage will expand on game content where possible, not in a way that affects balance or gameplay, but more to expand X-COM's breadth (for example, a greater number of combat environments). An eventual third stage will add numerous optional settings and possibilities which give the game greater depth. 


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 Demo
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 Requirements
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* The demo is Windows only, and you must have the latest runtime DLLs to run the game. If X@COM complains about DLL files, download and install the MSVC++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x86) found here: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=5555
* Alternatively, download "msvcp100.dll" and "msvcr100.dll" from the web and put them in your "windows/system32" directory.
* Linux users running Wine may not be able to install the redistributable, and can instead use the above alternate method (put the DLLs in the "windows/system32" directory created by Wine).
* Default window resolution is 960x720; switching to the smaller font shrinks it to 800x600, and larger fonts are available for 1280x960 (fullscreen mode also supported, though detailed configuration options are not yet exposed). Eventually a full range of resolutions will be supported.
* CANNOT BE RUN FROM A DIRECTORY PATH THAT CONTAINS NON-ENGLISH CHARACTERS! (Which may include your desktop!) Sorry about this limitation, I know it can be annoying (as I use a non-English system myself), but it's a library issue I have yet to fix.
* X@COM must have write access to its directory (in Windows, make sure the game is run with admin rights, otherwise it may crash)

 Playing
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Run XCOMRL.exe to play.

By default, the game will automatically start up in ARRP mode, which builds a random 60x60 map and gives you 8 X-COM units of varying experience armed with an array of conventional weapons. There are only 4 aliens on the map at first, most likely found near their scout UFO, but more will gradually arrive (tending to concentrate around the UFO). The aliens and their equipment are completely random. Kill all the aliens to win--it is not impossible, but you will be outnumbered and outgunned pretty quickly. You might be happy to know the number of aliens is capped at 1,000. Good luck. This mission is a good introduction to the basic X-COM content, but has become rather dated compared to the releases since. Try another mission by executing the associated batch file:
* AREA 51: Fight alongside soldiers defending an Area 51 base against an alien assault, and be prepared for some surprises. The environment is non-random, but enemies are mostly randomized.
* EXODUS: Assist the National Guard during the evacuation of a city overrun by aliens. This mission shouldn't be too difficult to "successfully" complete, although there's potential for a much higher score if played well. Replayability is high as the city layout and opposition forces are randomly generated.
* CATACLYSM: A virus of alien origin suddenly descends on a town where a small group of X-COM operatives happen to be enjoying some R&R. Huge replayability due to a wide variety of different structures, NPCs, and items that may be used to randomly generate the town. (This scenario is very non-traditional in design; STRONGLY recommended to read the R7 release notes: http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2012/09/r7-chryssalids-in-my-backyard.html)
* For a reimagining of X-COM in a fantasy world, try the megamod "A Rookie's Tale", designed by Kyzrati and introduced on the blog here: http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/01/fantasy-x-com.html. See the blog files page (http://xcomrl.blogspot.tw/p/files.html) for other mods that feature extra content and user-made missions.

If the scenarios are too much for you, running Sandbox.bat this will generate a unit with every available non-secret weapon and give you unlimited TU and ammo, for your destructive pleasure. Morale (panicking) is off by default for this one, but you can reactivate it by removing the "-noPanic" parameter found in Sandbox.bat.

Once the remake is complete, later versions could optionally include similar handcrafted scenarios, though of much better quality. These exist to show off features new to each release. Note that games saved under one mode should generally not be loaded in another (it will probably crash, depending on settings).

 Audio
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Game sounds (non-UI) are a new addition as of R9, and are unavailable by default in the older demo missions. Play with the sandbox to test out the sound system, or better yet, some mods may include full sound support in-mission (check their description online). The first such mod is Ground Zero (http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/04/r9-sound-like-hero.html). (To force the old demo missions to use sound, add "-fullSound" to the batch file command line, though the experience will be inconsistent since not everything will have an associated sound.)

 Commands
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Press F1 or '?' for in-game help. There is currently a separate command list available for the main map view, targeting mode, inventory, combat log, ability list, and medi-kit interface.

 Disclaimers / Notices
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* Much of what you see in the demo is temporary. This demo is currently focused on mechanics development; later versions will add proper content, visual/audio features, and an improved interface.
* Unit interaction is currently controlled almost solely with the keyboard; eventually all commands will be mouse-accessible.
* Remember your accuracy is lower while holding something in your off hand while firing a two-handed weapon.
* Units using the quick-get key will always pick up the top non-body item on the ground if there is more than one; to pick up a different item use the inventory window.
* You may want to occasionally use the quicksave feature (F8); it's very unlikely the game will crash, but if it does you can always load again (F9).

 Bugs / Issues
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* The core mechanics should be relatively bug-free, but a huge amount of new material is often added shortly before each demo release, so there may be a few bugs related to the hard-coded scenario content. If the game does crash, you can help make X@COM better by sending a copy of the "run.log" file to xcomrl@gmail.com. It can be found in the main game directory, and must be sent before the program is run again, since the old one will be overwritten!
* If you're not consistently getting at least 50+ FPS (F5), your CPU is too slow for flawless UI animations and you will likely see some graphical artifacts.
* Dragging the application window during ASCII animation will cause it to skip about 20 milliseconds of updates. This is an engine limitation which cannot currently be resolved. Avoid graphical artifacts by not dragging the window while there are animations in progress.

 Modding
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Most of the game data is loaded from text files (data/*.*) at startup, so feel free to play with the content. If you want to get serious about modding and perhaps share your efforts with other players, join the modder's forum for access to the tools and support: xcomrl.proboards.com.


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 Credits
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X@COM was created by Josh Ge (Kyzrati).

Many thanks to UFOpaedia.org contributors.

Early tech demos were prototyped using the libtcod roguelike library (http://doryen.eptalys.net/).


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 License
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Copyright (C) 2011-2013 Josh Ge. All rights reserved.

X@COM is freeware, but downloading, storing, or starting the game shows that you understand and agree to the following conditions:

* X@COM is made available "as is" with no warranty of any kind, and its author cannot be held responsible for any damage to your system.

* X@COM may NOT be redistributed over public channels; the latest version will always be available at xcomrl.blogspot.com. The demo may be redistributed freely through private means (such as e-mail), provided all of its files (including this and other documentation) remain unchanged. Any modified data files should be distributed separately.

* The X-COM name and related game content are the property of their respective copyright holders.


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 More Information
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Dev Blog / Downloads: xcomrl.blogspot.com

Contact: xcomrl@gmail.com