Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => Gaming Discussion => Topic started by: Firesteel on January 14, 2017, 05:05:33 pm

Title: Tachyon: The Fringe
Post by: Firesteel on January 14, 2017, 05:05:33 pm
I saw Tachyon: The Fringe got a GOG release and is on sale for 50% off. Has anyone on here played it and if so, what are your thoughts?
Title: Re: Tachyon: The Fringe
Post by: Novachen on January 14, 2017, 05:52:09 pm
I have created a Playthrough of this game about the last couple of months here (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn48T37137OBJ8ok-_1EUaFPL7OeDp8KV).
Maybe you can use it, for some impressions. Even the playlist describtion has a personal review.

Was my first time of this game.

I like it in terms of voice-acting, story- and universe-presentation. Even some missions have a good design and some good ideas (Free-Form mission etc.) but most of the ideas are only used once, unfortunately.
But gameplay-wise i do not like it very much, because the AI is nearly non-existent or is passive the most of the time and let you kill them without any reaction atleast Afterburners. The only real challenge in this game are turrets on stations.
Also there are some few bugs in some missions.
Did not need even missiles...

Actually i played a Pre-Release Demo of this game a few days ago, that was released nearly one year prior the release of the original game. In my opinion this was a much better game back then, because the energy was much more limited and so i was forced to use more missiles in this six-mission spanning demo than in the 50-mission spanning full version.


For the price it is alright i think. Because of the universe-design, that will hook you up for FringeSpace maybe and especially because of Bruce Campbell's voice-acting. But if you are looking for a challenging space shooter... i do not recommend this.
Title: Re: Tachyon: The Fringe
Post by: Firesteel on January 14, 2017, 05:53:55 pm
Thanks for the thoughts!
Title: Re: Tachyon: The Fringe
Post by: Det. Bullock on January 15, 2017, 06:55:56 am
Very nice game, not an all-time classic but if you like spacesims it's still very good.
I appreciated it even before I knew who Bruce Campbell was, I replayed it recently and it still holds up more or less.

The thing about the energy is true only with the starting weapons, near the end most weapons suck away most of the energy in a few shots and you have to do some energy transfer trickery (I didn't even map it at first because it didn't look necessary) and time your shots.

The problem with missiles is that you have to pay for them, though torpedoes and bombs are necessary in some late missions.
Title: Re: Tachyon: The Fringe
Post by: deathspeed on January 15, 2017, 07:11:22 am
I loved the demo when the game came out, but for some reason I never got the whole game. 

I picked it up form a Steam sale a while back, but I've never been able to get it to open on Windows 10.  After clicking Play on the launcher, I get a Please Stand By window for about 20-30 seconds, then it closes and the launcher comes back.
Title: Re: Tachyon: The Fringe
Post by: Det. Bullock on January 15, 2017, 07:48:31 am
I loved the demo when the game came out, but for some reason I never got the whole game. 

I picked it up form a Steam sale a while back, but I've never been able to get it to open on Windows 10.  After clicking Play on the launcher, I get a Please Stand By window for about 20-30 seconds, then it closes and the launcher comes back.

It's out now on GOG.com, never buy old games on Steam.
You can however take a look here:
http://www.fringespace.org/
I used one of their files to get the original CD release to work on win7 recently, perhaps it will work on 10.
Title: Re: Tachyon: The Fringe
Post by: z64555 on January 15, 2017, 10:41:49 am
We have a message board dedicated for FringeSpace here on Hard-light (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?board=195.0) JGZinv is the moderator for it and is an admin for the freespace.org website.
Title: Re: Tachyon: The Fringe
Post by: Azrael15 on January 16, 2017, 08:24:49 pm
Tachyon is neat and ever since I was a kid I've always liked Rolf Mohr's sci-fi art and designs (he did the art for Tachyon, you see).

As for the game, it's kind of cool overall but it is obviously a victim of cut content, particularly in the first Sol section of the game, and of the scope being cut down at some point during development. I remember it being a pretty funny game, too, thanks to Bruce Campbell but I'm not sure as I haven't played it in probably a decade. I remember the game having a lot of cool mechanics, like the wingman system, but not doing much with them. I might have to play it again!