Star Wars: TIE Fighter
Cover image missing, please upload it |
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Totally Games |
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LucasArts |
DOS |
July 17, 1994 |
Mac OS (Classic) |
October 31, 1995 |
Windows |
May 31, 1998 |
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Key points
- Windows version may have issues on modern systems.
General information
- Official Forums
- Woookiepedia - A Star Wars wiki
- GOG.com Community Discussions
- GOG.com Support Page
Availability
Source |
DRM |
Notes |
Keys |
OS |
Retail |
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DRM: Manual lookup or CD based on version |
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GOG.com |
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Star Wars: TIE Fighter Special Edition |
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DLC and expansion packs
Name |
Notes |
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Star Wars: TIE Fighter - Defender of the Empire |
Released as a standalone expansion, and also included with the 1995 and 1998 CD versions. |
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Star Wars: TIE Fighter - Enemies of the Empire |
Only released as part of the 1995 and 1998 CD versions. |
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Version differences
- Playing the DOS version in DOSBox is the easiest and most straightforward way to experience the game, but the Windows port has some features that might make it worth fiddling with to get running.
Collectors CD-ROM Edition (1995)
The original release came on five floppies and ran at 320x200 resolution while the collectors CD-ROM came on a single CD, features a 640x480 mode as well as improved cutscenes and full voice-overs throughout missions and briefings. They both run great in DOSBox without major issues and don't require a joystick to play.
Collector Series Edition (1998)
In 1998 a bundle of TIE Fighter and X-Wing ported to Windows 95/98 was released. This version features further enhanced graphics, including 3D-acceleration support (Direct3D), the use of proper textures instead of primitive gouraud-shading and completely redone concourse graphics. The iMUSE dynamic music system, however, was removed in favor of conventional CD-audio tracks. Furthermore, this version requires a joystick/gamepad, cannot be played with the mouse unless a joystick-emulation program such as PPJoy is used, and removes support using the joystick/gamepad to navigate menus.
- The problems and fixes in this article mostly relate to this version of the game.
Star Wars: TIE Fighter Special Edition
The GOG.com release of the game, it includes the original 1994 DOS floppy disk version and the 1998 Collectors Series edition Windows releases of the game along with all expansions (currently, the 1995 Collector's CD-ROM version is not available). It also has compatibility for modern systems.
Essential improvements
Patches
Collector series fixes
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
Save game data location
Video settings
Template:Video settings
The game doesn't have built in anti-aliasing but forcing it through your graphics control panel should work if you run in 3D-accelerated mode.
See above. Forcing it should work.
The game is capped at 35 fps. There doesn't seem to be a way to remove this cap.
Input settings
Template:Input settings
- In the windows version, Buttons can be assigned from the in-game options menu (press ESC when not flying).
- Although intended for joysticks, the game supports gamepads out of the box. For dual-stick gamepads, the right-stick is used as throttle (except for Xbox controllers, where it detects LT/RT.)
- Only the Dos version permits using the keyboard or controller to navigate menus.
Audio settings
Template:Audio settings
Issues fixed
Game crashes in battle 6 mission 3
Game installer won't run on 64-bit versions of Windows
Game doesn't run on modern versions of Windows
Sound is crackling/distorted/weird in Windows Vista/Windows 7
Cockpit flashes rapidly while flying
Objects/textures seem to disappear when moving the ship around in hardware accelerated mode
Colors are messed up
- See Rainbow color problems in older games for solutions.
Forcing anti-aliasing messes up graphics
Capital Ships and Space Stations rarely fire their Lasers
Graphical Tweaks
Higher resolutions
While digging through a cracked version of the .exe in search of entries related to in-game resolution I came across a few numbers that when changed gave interesting results. At one point the game was running at 1920x1200 with the menu as a square up in the corner, but upon entering flight-mode I would always get a crash. It seems playing in higher resolutions might be possible, but someone with a greater knowledge of hex-editing should probably take a look at it.
System requirements
DOS | Windows | Mac OS (Classic) |
DOS |
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Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
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Processor (CPU) |
33 MHz |
System memory (RAM) |
2 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
15 MB |
Video card (GPU) |
VGA |
Windows |
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Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
95 | |
Processor (CPU) |
Pentium 90
| Pentium 133 |
System memory (RAM) |
16 MB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
100 MB | |
Video card (GPU) |
PCI graphics card DirectX 5.2 compatible | |
Sound (audio device) |
16-bit sound card | |
Other |
Joystick required. Mouse required. | |