1. Locate your TIE Directory and open the folder labeled "Resource." Once opened copy the original Battle1.lfd, Battle2.lfd and Battle3.lfd for Battles One to Three of TIE Fighter to some other folder for backup purposes. (If you forget to do this, you can always copy the version on your CD or diskettes back to this folder)
2. Copy the is2b1w1.tie, is2b1w2.tie, is2b2w1.tie, is2b2w2.tie, is2b3w1.tie, is2b4w1.tie, is2b5w1.tie, is2b6w1.tie and is2b6w2.tie files of this custom mission into your "Missions" folder, and the BATTLE1.LFD, BATTLE2.LFD, BATTLE3.LFD files into your "Resource" folder.
3. Create a new pilot for the mission based on your name or PIN and the mission number. For example, SL Stele playing Free Mission 80 would make a new pilot file named "StelFM80." or a Pilot with PIN 2883 playing Free Mission 69 would make a new pilot file named "2883fm69"
4. Begin flying Battle One, play on till you've flown the 3rd mission of Battle Three.

The battle is a conversion of the original XWA skirmish files used (as far as available) using a "TIE Skirmish" template to test this mission type's usefulness in war gaming situations with the ultimate goal to come to war games on more platforms then just XWA. This offers some limitations towards this battle as a Single-Player experience:

• The goal in a Skirmish is to destroy all opposing forces - as such all the missions have a Primary Goal of destroying 100% of the opposition.
• War gaming Skirmishes hold almost 200 craft (2x94) - which means that some of the larger scale battles make for very long missions with quite a lot of waves (TIE can hold 28 craft at the same time, this means that you'd have up to 7 waves - per craft)
• War gaming Skirmishes hold also a maximum of almost 200 craft - this means larger battles are split up in waves. To keep in with the full conversion these waves have not been combined to single missions - which means that you will probably have a larger mission in the first wave then in the last. (When both forces have been depleted)
• Because the story line is based on actual tactics and strategies it doesn't hold to the classical battle structure of going towards a climactic final battle and you won't always have the opposition you'd wish you have - this is more realistic but it might cause strange effects for the classic mission flier. See it as "story driven"
• Some of the XWA craft and possibilities are not there in TIE - adjustments have been made.
• Skirmishes have no briefings to speak of, the "animated" briefing still reflects this, Officer Questions, Radio Messages and such have been added.
• The player is always on the side of the winning team - or it could be next to impossible to complete. This is why the battle has been cut into 3 pieces of 3 missions each in which you fly for each of the 3 teams of IS2:DH. This means that the player doesn't follow the events of the wargame in complete chronological order (going through battle 1,3,2,4,5,6 in that order).