How do I enable the developer console?

Question

Apparently, there were some patches that fixed previous methods of accessing the developer console in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, so I'm at a loss as to how to enable the developer console in Enemy Within.

Is enabling the developer console possible without using mods in Enemy Within or do I have to install specific mods to do so? If so, which ones do I use?

Answer 1

There are several ways to access the developer console, however most of these are no longer valid as of Enemy Within. One way you can still use the console, however, is through the keybind method.

Find the DefaultInput file in the Enemy Within folder and add bindings under the [Engine.PlayerInput] heading. If there isn't an [Engine.PlayerInput] heading, then make one. Command bindings are written in the following manner:

.Binding(Name="< key >",Command="< Command 1 > | < Command2 > | < Etc. >")

It is suggested to that you add ALT so that you don't accidentally use the console when you don't want to. To do this, just add ALT=True to the binding.

Then, you can use your pre-specified console commands with their corresponding keybindings.

Answer 2

There seems to be a couple methods, some involving mods, but this one looks like it's simplest way of accessing the dev console. This may not work with X-COM:Enemy Within.

Instructions:

1. Download a Hex Editor (ex. XVI32 - free)

2. Backup your game executable (Binaries/Win32/XcomGame.EXE)

3. Open game executable with Hex Editor

4. Find & Replace Sequence:

   44 24 08 C7 00 01 00 00 00 C2 08 00 8B 4C 24 08

   with:

   44 24 08 C7 00 00 00 00 00 C2 08 00 8B 4C 24 08

   and then

   C7 01 01 00 00 00 C2 08 00 CC CC CC CC CC CC CC

   with:

   C7 01 00 00 00 00 C2 08 00 CC CC CC CC CC CC CC

5. Save & Play!

Console Key: Backslash (\)

Here is the full forum post regarding the Console and what you can do with it.