Hosted Projects - Non-FreeSpace > FringeSpace

General Fix-it Guide to Tachyon

(1/3) > >>

JGZinv:
(As a replacement since the official FS site forum has been shut off due to spam, I'm copying
some of the more useful posts over to our section here so the info can still be accessed.)

In general there's several problems that tend to be pretty common
for Tachyon that folks have some trouble understanding how to fix...
so here's a How-To on the matter.


Installing Problems:
Usually I don't see too many issues here - but if you're trying to overwrite
a existing copy of Tachyon with a fresh CD install... it's generally not a great idea. Best bet is to uninstall the current copy - then reinstall and update from there.

If the installer won't complete, then it's likely that one of the files Tachyon uses (or the installer uses) is in use by some other program. Shut down everything that could be interfering. Also - check that your firewall, antivirus, or any other security software is either set to let new programs be installed - or just shut it off till you're done installing Tachyon and the updates.

Linux Compatibility:
Evidently Tachyon runs just fine under WINE.
See here - http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=10576&iTestingId=37622

Windows Compatibility:
So far I know for a fact that Tachyon will run on Windows 95, 98, 98se, ME, NT, 2000, XP up through service pack 2, Vista, and 7.

Win XP Service Pack 3 had some problems on one person's system that we couldn't identify, and he ended up rolling back the update to SP2 and everything worked again. I've gotten reports from several people with SP3, each had some kind of issue where they can't get online with Tachyon.

Something else worth noting here is the Windows Compatibility Wizard.
On several systems problems can be solved with the space.exe by finding the file - right clicking on the exe - choose properties - and there's a compatibility tab at the top of the menu. In there you can pick from a drop down list of compatibility modes for old Windows versions. Typically you'll just have to try each one until you get something that works. I've not noticed where I've had to use this in XP at all.

Windows Vista:
On Vista - basically I've had 4 reports of people using my TSB mod set and fixes and Tachyon then ran fine. Before hand they couldn't get Tachyon to launch to the game menu. So my advice is to install Tachyon, update to 36R, then install my Tachyon Service Bay patch. All of this process is described in the TSB readme. Please note that as of Windows Vista, Microsoft did away with the IPX protocol, this meaning LAN hosted games are not possible.

Windows 7:
Having personally used Windows 7 on a laptop and desktop, I've been able to
run Tachyon and host a server with it. So I see no problems outside
of what normally would arise, such as port and firewall issues.
Please note that as of Windows Vista, Microsoft did away with the
IPX protocol, this meaning LAN hosted games are not possible.

Space.exe errors:
Space errors could be from several things.
1. DirectX not being up to date.
2. You didn't set Tach's settings in the launcher Tachyon.exe.
3. Rad Game Tools/Bink is being a pain in the butt.
4. Your space.exe is out of date or corrupted.
5. Firewall or similar program is blocking Space.exe or one of the files it uses or modifies.
6. You're trying to open space.exe outside of the folder where the rest of the Tachyon files are stored.
7. Your computer's just being a pain.

We'll here's what to do as to fixing these -
1. Go update DirectX off the Microsoft web site.
2. Either launch Tachyon normally through the launcher or go to the Tachyon.exe file in your Tachyon install folder - set the audio and video settings and then you can close the launcher. After that use Space.exe to launch the game.
3. Not much I can advise but reinstall Tachyon from scratch, or update to 36R and the TSB pack.
4. Update to 36R and the TSB pack. Files are in our downloads section.
5. Break out your software or hardware manual and figure out how to clear programs (also called "trusted") so they can freely access or modify other files.
6. Put the exe back in the folder with the rest of the files, or reinstall from scratch then update again.
7. Each computer is unique, so I can't fix everything. You know your system best so try and narrow the problem down by process of elimination. Try rebooting, or uninstall - reinstall - and update Tach again.

DirectX errors:
Update DirectX off of the Microsoft website.
DirectX 9.0c is the latest I think for older systems or non high end video cards. Recent high end cards probably can use DirectX 10 - I've received reports of people using Vista that it ran fine.

Bink/Binkplay/RAD tool errors:
Basically the best thing would be to update DirectX, check your video drivers (update), and ultimately if necessary reinstall and update.

Connecting to NovaWorld:
99% of problems in area are either hardware or software firewalls.
Either look around on Google for how to adjust your settings on your
broadband router or modem, or try looking in a manual or help file
for info on settings for a software firewall.

You need to clear these ports:

UDP - 2764~ 2766 incoming. 6862 and 3875 outgoing.

One last thing that might be causing a problem is an out of date Ibrowse.dll file. If you have tried "every" other fix and you're sure you've got cleared ports/shut off your firewall and Tach still can't get to the server lobby - then in this same support section there's a thread with the link to the Ibrowse update Novalogic made in 2003.

Hosting Problems:
Same thing as above -
99% of problems in area are either hardware or software firewalls.
Either look around on Google for how to adjust your settings on your
broadband router or modem, or try looking in a manual or help file
for info on settings for a software firewall.

You need to clear these ports:

UDP - 2764~ 2766 incoming. 6862 and 3875 outgoing.

One last thing that might be causing a problem is an out of date Ibrowse.dll file. If you have tried "every" other fix and you're sure you've got cleared ports/shut off your firewall and Tach still can't get to the server lobby - then in this same support section there's a thread with the link to the Ibrowse update Novalogic made in 2003.

Installing Mods Problems:

Pretty much if there's a problem with the Tachyon Service Bay, get a hold of me or post a new help thread. I'll either know right off what to do or can find out.

With Sonic's Ship Packs, DC's Ship Set, Bloodstar's Ship Mods - there's a bunch of issues. Mainly Blood's has the worst issues and some can't even be installed on XP without the use of a DOS program.   This is a main reason I made the TSB set with help from Sonic and DC... rebuild the ship packs and make them have less problems.

With any of the map sets outside of Service Bay, you "should" be able to apply them and not cause a problem. However, if you use them after applying Service Bay - you may overwrite newer files with old ones and cause some errors. Personally I've never tried this as TSB's got most of the maps from the old map paks and even some new ones.

Playing with Mods Problems:

On some of the old mod sets like Sonic's Ship Packs, DC's Ship Set, and Bloodstar's Ship Mods - there may be texture problems or weird stuff. Most of these also break the single player game so it's unusable. The Star Patrol Enforcer fighter has a broken engine "leg" which is stuck in the open position - this is something that just never worked in multiplayer due to the animated leg action of that ship.

On TSB I already know that the Nighthawk dips below a landing platform when in BaseWars. I might have been able to fix it, but I didn't think it was worth another 1-2 months of tweaking to hold up the whole kit.
By comparison, singleplayer should work ok in TSB. The Star Patrol Enforcer fighter has a broken engine "leg" which is stuck in the open position - this is something that just never worked in multiplayer due to the animated leg action of that ship. The Demon's shield indicator start's out as black, instead of green colored. Once hit - the HUD shield turns green. I also am aware of this - but didn't realize it till long after TSB was released. It's not a major problem and is actually a bit less distracting than the normal indicator... so I'm just leaving it as is.

On two custom maps that I made for TSB, Demon Raid and Star Gazing With You, new background files were made. So if a person without TSB joins while those maps are being played, usually they have no sun or backgrounds and the map is totally black. The fix it to go install TSB.

Additional: After a lot of playing BW I've noticed that when using the TSB BW pack, when you get helios rockets and you've respawned, there's not actually anything in your weapons slots although it shows up on the HUD. In other words, you died and respawned with helios - but you fire and nothing comes out. To fix this land at a base pad, it'll refill your rockets.

JGZinv:
It's come to my attention thanks to jakeslogan that there was an
older 2003 Novalogic update to Tachyon's Ibrowse.dll file that has caused
some folks to not be able to reach the servers even if you have Tachyon Service Bay installed already.

Basically NL changed some protocols around, and the files can't communicate correctly. Since TSB has been shown to work fine for most users, I'm not going to change the file set.

For everyone having problems connecting, check your firewalls, clear your ports, and if that fails try a new Ibrowse.dll

You need to get the file below, and make sure to overwrite the Ibrowse.dll in your folder where Tachyon is installed. This is usually C:/Program Files/Novalogic/Tachyon.

The file can be found here:
http://files.novalogic.com/misc/novaworld_update_121903_xx.exe

z64555:
I can has sticky? Had a old player return to TTF just a few minutes ago, I told him about the TSB but didn't have a good link to it. I did however reference him here at Hard-light so hopefully he'll show up soonish.

Dragoni_Noir:
That was me, thanks very much for the warm welcome btw - nice to see TTF up and running again!  Played when the game first came out about 10 years ago and was very disappointed when NW went down! :(

  I might not be on forums a whole lot but I'll certainly look in from time to time =]

z64 mentioned to me about a 1PM match and I thought I'd better ask:  What Timezone is that, or can someone translate to GMT/UTC please?

Now at the risk of hijacking the thread (not my intention!) I'm a go get the TSB and say thanks again to z64 for being awesome to me =]

toodles!

z64555:
Sorry about that, I was pretty sure it was here in plain view but obviously it isn't!

Alas, here it is, Tachyon Service Bay 2.0 hosted on the old fringespace.org server. There's also the 36R updater if you need it.

NOTE: there was an attack some time ago that left some suspicious looking scripts somewhere in a dark corner of the website, but as far as we've been able to tell, they're not doing anything other than getting the whole website blacklisted.  :nono: You should be able to hit "ignore" or "continue" on the warning screen to get at the downloads.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page