Tyrian

Key points

Officially available as freeware.

General information

Hardcore Gaming 101 - Comprehensive feature

Tyrian/Tyrian2000 - Fan Site with forums and downloads

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Floppy and CD-ROM release. Both are identical in terms of content.
GOG.com		Windows and OS X. Pre-packaged with DOSBox.^[2]
Microsoft Store		While seemingly intended to mostly be a fanport to Xbox consoles, a PC version is also included.

The AdLib soundtrack is available for free here. Pre-recorded MIDI tracks can be found for free here.

Version differences

Tyrian 2000 is a 1999 re-release with an additional episode, some extra content and bug fixes. The CD-ROM version also includes CD-audio tracks, which were omitted from the freeware release to reduce the download size.

Open-source ports of Tyrian are also available. OpenTyrian is based off the original release, while its fork OpenTyrian2000 is based off the later re-release.^[3]

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
DOS	<path-to-game>\TYRIAN.CFG
Windows	<path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)^{[Note 1]}
macOS (OS X)	<path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)^{[Note 1]}

Save game data location

System	Location
DOS	<path-to-game>\TYRIAN.SAV
Windows	<path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)^{[Note 1]}
macOS (OS X)	<path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)^{[Note 1]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy

Video

General settings in configuration tool.

Graphics feature	State	Notes
Widescreen resolution		320x200 only, see the DOSBox page for more information. OpenTyrian2000 offers Pixel-perfect scaling, pillarboxed 4:3 or 8:5 aspect-ratio, or No scaling options.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed		Toggle with `Alt`+`↵ Enter` (if using DOSBox or OpenTyrian/OpenTyrian2000).
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)		OpenTryian/OpenTyrian2000 features Nearest-neighbor, Scale, and HQx scaling filters.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		For DOSBox use an unofficial build (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		FPS is tied to gamespeed. The game offers multiple Game Speed modes, normal speed results in 35 FPS cap. If your machine can't hit 35 FPS, it will run slower. Slower modes mean lower FPS. Turbo mode = Faster, higher FPS.

A hidden "Wild" and "Laptop VGA" graphics settings can be enabled in SETUP.EXE by highlighting the Game Detail option and then pressing W; this also works in OpenTyrian/OpenTyrian2000 through the in-game Options menu by highlight the Detail Level option.

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity		For DOSBox set in the DOSBox configuration file.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support		No menu button by default. Use DOSBox's Mapper to bind `Esc` to desired controller button or OpenTyrian/OpenTyrian2000 for expanded controller remapping options.^[4]
Controller remapping		First four buttons only. Use DOSBox's Mapper to bind desired keys to controller buttons or OpenTyrian/OpenTyrian2000 for expanded controller remapping options.^[4]
Controller sensitivity		Digital movement.
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers		Use DOSBox or OpenTyrian/OpenTyrian2000 for XInput controller support.^[4]
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

PlayStation controllers		Use DOSBox or OpenTyrian/OpenTyrian2000 for DualShock 4 support.^[4]
PlayStation button prompts
Light bar support
Adaptive trigger support
DualSense haptic feedback support
Connection modes	Wired V2 controller tested.

Generic/other controllers		Controllers may need to be remapped from the Options menu and/or DOSBox's Mapper.
Button prompts

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M		Required for multiplayer.

Audio

Audio Sliders.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music and Sound Effects.
Surround sound		FM (AdLib) music is mono. Use General MIDI for Stereo music.
Subtitles		Everything is text-based.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		For DOSBox change the `priority` background value in the DOSBox configuration file.
Royalty free audio
Red Book CD audio		CD music tracks are present for the CD release, but does not play in-game.
General MIDI audio

Includes a Jukebox, which can be accessed in SETUP.EXE in the DOS version or through OpenTyrian's options menu from the title screen.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	2	Co-op Shared-screen. Arcade mode only.
LAN play	2	Co-op Uses IPX protocol. Arcade mode only.
Online play	For DOSBox use DOSBox IPX/modem emulation.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer		Uses modem or serial connection
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Issues fixed

Gamepad is unplayable

Calibrating a gamepad in-game will cause control issues due to not reaching the corners during calibration.

Delete TYRIAN.CFG^[5]
Delete `TYRIAN.CFG`. Run the game and set your sound and detail settings. Play without using the in-game calibration setting (calibrate the controller in the operating system if necessary).

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
DOS video modes	VGA

Executable	PPC	32-bit	64-bit	ARM	Notes
Windows					Use OpenTyrian or OpenTyrian2000.
macOS (OS X)					Use OpenTyrian.^[6]
Linux					Use OpenTyrian. Various Linux distros provide packages for PowerPC and ARM.^[7]

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Input	SDL, SDL2	For SDL support, use DOSBox or OpenTyrian. For SDL2 support, use OpenTyrian2000.

Launcher (for DOS version in DOSBox or Windows 95/58)

The main game, the configuration tool, and the ship editor all use separate executables. Paste this in a batch file and run from the DOS prompt or add to the AutoExec section of the DOSBox configuration file to easily select the different executables (Click [Expand] to view):

TYRIAN.BAT

@echo OFF
:menu
cls
ECHO ----------------------------------------------
ECHO  Tyrian 2000
ECHO ----------------------------------------------
ECHO  1) Play Game
ECHO  2) Options
ECHO  3) Ship Editor
ECHO  4) Quit to Windows
ECHO ----------------------------------------------

choice /c1234 /s What do you want to do? [1-4]: /n 
if errorlevel 4 goto quit
if errorlevel 3 goto ship 
if errorlevel 2 goto setup 
if errorlevel 1 goto start 

:start
cls
TYRIAN.EXE
goto menu

:setup
cls
SETUP.EXE
goto menu

:ship
cls
SHIPEDIT.EXE
goto menu

:quit
cls
exit

System requirements

DOS
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	5.0
Processor (CPU)	386 33 MHz	486DX/2 66 MHz
System memory (RAM)	4 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	10 MB
Video card (GPU)	VGA

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP, Vista
Processor (CPU)	1 GHz	1.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	256 MB	512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	17 MB
Video card (GPU)	DirectX 7 compatible	DirectX 9 compatible

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.6.8
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core Duo 2 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	17 MB
Video card (GPU)	64 MB of VRAM

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 File/folder structure within the installation folder reflects the path(s) listed for DOS game data. For the GOG.com release, file changes in DOSBox are redirected to <path-to-game>/cloud_saves/ even if GOG Galaxy is not used (this folder contains all redirected files, so some files in the cloud_saves folder might be temporary files or other files that do not contain saves or settings).

References

↑ One more surprise. Releasing Tyrian 2000 for FREE! ● GOG.com - last accessed on 9 June 2023
↑ List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023
↑ So, I've spent the last few days using all the knowledge I've learned working with ArcTyr to fork OpenTyrian (again...) and finally add *proper* Tyrian 2000 support.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-08-09
↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-08-09
Issue encountered with DOXBox v0.72 with "fcs" joystick mode enabled, and deleting the game's configuration file solved the issue.
↑ open-tyrian — Homebrew Formulae - last accessed on 2 March 2022
↑ Package opentyrian - last accessed on 2020-12-01

[DOSBox_mounted-4] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 File/folder structure within the installation folder reflects the path(s) listed for DOS game data. For the GOG.com release, file changes in DOSBox are redirected to <path-to-game>/cloud_saves/ even if GOG Galaxy is not used (this folder contains all redirected files, so some files in the cloud_saves folder might be temporary files or other files that do not contain saves or settings).

[1] One more surprise. Releasing Tyrian 2000 for FREE! ● GOG.com - last accessed on 9 June 2023

[2] List of GOG games using DOSBox, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com - last accessed on May 2023

[3] So, I've spent the last few days using all the knowledge I've learned working with ArcTyr to fork OpenTyrian (again...) and finally add *proper* Tyrian 2000 support.

[Controller_support-5] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-08-09

[6] Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-08-09
Issue encountered with DOXBox v0.72 with "fcs" joystick mode enabled, and deleting the game's configuration file solved the issue.

[7] -tyrian — Homebrew Formulae - last accessed on 2 March 2022

[8] Package opentyrian - last accessed on 2020-12-01

[1]

[2]

[3]

[Note 1]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

Developers

	Eclipse Productions
Publishers
Tyrian	Epic MegaGames
Tyrian 2000	XSIV Games
Microsoft Store	Contoso Games
Release dates
DOS	1995
Windows (DOSBox)	December 14, 2010^[1]
macOS (OS X) (DOSBox)	October 18, 2012
Taxonomy
Monetization	Freeware
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Scrolling, Top-down view
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Arcade, Shooter
Vehicles	Space flight
Art styles	Pixel art
Themes	Sci-fi