Jump to page:
Sponsors:
Game: Tachyon: The Fringe
Game Developer: NovaLogic
Year of Game's Release: 2000
Guide Type: FAQ / Walkthrough
Author: J. Baker
E-Mail: SpockJr@hotmail.com
Current Version: 2.03 T
Current Size: 75 KB
Date Started: May 11, 2002
Last Updated: October 27, 2004
Latest HTML Version at: http://www.spockjr.com
Latest Text Version at: http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://www.dlh.net
If you are reading this guide at any website not listed above, you might
not be reading the latest version! For the absolute latest version, visit
http://www.spockjr.com.
Since you are reading this, I will warn you that I don't update the text
based guide as often as the HTML version (Only about 1 time out of 3) so
you might want to check that one first before complaining to me that I
missed something!
_________________________
*** Table of Contents ***
îîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîî
- Intro
- Version and Updates
- Mission Guide and Walkthrough
- Ship Guide
- Weapon Guide
- CPU Card Guide
- Wingman Assessment
- Cheats
- Hidden Bonuses (Crates, etc.)
- FAQ
- Credits
- Links
- Copyright information
_____________
*** Intro ***
îîîîîîîîîîîîî
Tachyon: The Fringe was written by NovaLogic in an attempt to diversify
from their previous set of games, mostly limited to army and air force
sims. Tachyon, unlike most space flight sims being produced these days, is
not simply a Wing Commander rehash. You live the life of a mercenary named
Jake Logan, set in the 26th century. Tachyon was designed specifically to
be more realistic from this point of view. The developers allow you to
select missions as you go along, rather than being forced into a
sequential mission-by-mission lineup. Of course, there is a plotline, and
character development, or else the game would quickly become bland.
The story of overgrown megacorporation (The Galactic Spanning Corporation,
AKA GalSpan) infringing on the rights of pioneer colonists (The Bora) is a
little bit used, but the strength of Tachyon in this area is the fact that
only some of the missions are from GalSpan or Bora. Many of the missions
are independent, hired by everyone from Star Patrol law enforcement to
asteroid barons, scientists and smugglers. You are also given an
opportunity to compete in a ship-to-ship combat tournament. Essentially,
the game is small cross section of a potential future.
A second excellent feature of Tachyon is two types of multiplayer gaming
through a LAN, or the internet. The first of these is called Arena Match,
which is free ship-to-ship combat against other players. Familiar to all
gamers, this is nothing inspired or new, but it is a nice addition. The
second, more original multiplayer game is called Base Wars, whereby you
engage in free battle, while collecting upgrades and credits for the
purpose of building up the amount of technology your side has, so that
once you reach Level 10, you are able to attack the opposing team's home
base, to attempt to destroy it.
However, no game is perfect. Tachyon's biggest fault is that graphics are
sometimes TOO rich. In some missions, where there are too many ships,
fired weapons, etc. to map and display, my old computer (which more than
met the minimum requirements) simply refused to refresh, preferring instead
to stick with one screen for a long time, usually until I died, or some
other such disaster. NovaLogic doesn't seem to understand that not everyone
has a brand new 2 gigahertz Pentium 4. (Since I first wrote this, I've
upgraded my processor to a 2.6 GHz, with 512 MB of memory, (Which is top of
the line for the moment) but there's still the odd mission where the screen
skips a bit, and that's just ridiculous. For the record, the minimum
requirements are 200 MHz (0.2 GHz) with 32 MB RAM and the game was released
in 2000)
Tachyon also involves way too much loading and waiting time. First, a
pre-loading screen with far too many (unnecessary) options. Then, when you
select "Play Game" it takes 2-3 minutes to load up to another option
screen. After selecting Single Player, a game save slot, and a name, it
takes another minute to load up to the starbase. Then, selecting missions,
wingmen, ships, and equipment involves gratuitous sound and video, taking
ridiculous amounts of time and CPU power. Finally, ready to fly, you
select "Launch" and go to... yep, you guessed it. A "loading" screen. All
together, it means a good 7-10 minutes from selecting "Tachyon" from the
Start menu until you are actually flying. Multiplayer? Oh, don't even get
me started.
Overall, however, I'd still be inclined to give it an 8 out of 10 with
points lost on Compatibility, Time expenditure, and points gained for
story, flexibility, gameplay, and value for your dollar. (This, like most
NovaLogic games seems to be available for ridiculously low prices. I
personally paid $17.99 CAD, roughly $14 USD) By the way, I welcome any
corrections, future ideas, comments and opinions about this guide via
email. I can be reached at SpockJr@hotmail.com
___________________________
*** Version and Updates ***
îîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîî
NOTE: I'll be keeping the numbers for versions the same for both guides,
which means there may be some skips in the numbers on either version. The
text version will always have T at the end of the numbers, and the HTML an
H (You know, just in case you can't tell the difference...)
Ver 1.0: 06/18/02
All sections complete, albeit in rough form.
Ver 1.1: 07/29/02
Added "Ship Flown" to wingman section. Added "NW" to the end of No Wingman
missions. Corrected endless typos, rewrote a lot of intros, etc. and
added 2 new FAQs. This is the first public / published version.
Ver 1.2: 08/13/02
How stupid. I forgot to spell-check Ver 1.1 after writing new intros etc.
Should be OK now.
Ver 1.3: 10/26/02
Reworded a few things, corrected a couple of typos etc. Big thanks to
bboyhops, who sent me nine different crates, which I have added.
Ver 1.4: 10/14/03
Updated my email. (My apologies to everyone who hasn't been able to get
a hold of me... The lousy website shut down without telling anyone, but I
didn't notice for a while because I only used that addy for walkthrough
stuff.) Reworded a lot of stuff to improve readability. Added a "Cost Each"
to the missiles and rockets, and a Range to all weapons.
Ver 2.0T: 12/05/03
Why the big jump from 1.4 to 2.0? And whats with the T??? I've made an HTML-
based version of this guide. You can find a copy of it at my personal game
walkthrough site, http://spockjr.freeservers.com. Big thanks to an anonymous
reader, who pointed out that the Chatter Cannon recharges every mission, and
that I'd forgotten to include some really useful tips in the missions section.
He also motivated me to go make a chart of the Letzer training courses' pay.
Also notable is that I resequenced (That even a word? Well, it is now) the
order that the weapons are listed.
Ver 2.03T: 10/27/04
Updated several sections that had been fixed up in the HTML version.
Worth noting: I moved the wingman assesment to after the weapons and CPU
cards... it just didn't make sense where it was Also added a crate sent by
A Figure In Black, and another two that I found, but went looking for
because of a guy by the name of Daniel Palma. Also added a new cheat, and
some tips on how to avoid getting spotted in the "Weasel in the coop"
mission.
_______________________________
*** Battles and Walkthrough ***
îîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîî
You start the game at Dillinger Starbase in the Europa Sector. You own a
Pegasus and an Orion (The Orion is equipped with a Glint Lt. Laser, Lead
Target Assistant, and Afterburner. The Pegasus is unequipped.) Available
to you from the hangar are: Glint Lt. and Flare Med. lasers, Tiger
missiles, Lead Target Assistants, Combat Scanners, and Afterburners.
When you consult the Job board, there are certain missions available to
you. In most cases, there will be several missions available to you at a
time. Where that happens, I have put them in order of how I think is the
most effective. There's ALWAYS a "Ring Training Course" available, and
in Sol sector, or after you sign up with GalSpan or the Bora, there's
also "Combat Training". Combat training ALWAYS pays 100 cr. Here is a
listing of the Letzer Ring Training Course pay. Note that at the end it
only says it pays 100 cr; that's because the pay is deposited as you
complete each objective.
LETZER RING TRAINING PAY
COURSE BASE TIME BONUS # OF TARGET ALL TARGETS NARROW
# PAY /SECOND TARGETS BONUS /EACH HIT BONUS RINGS?
îîîîîî îîîî
îîîîîîîîîî
îîîîîîî
îîîîîîîîîîî
îîîîîîîîîîî
îîîîîî
1 300 2 0 N/A N/A NO
2 600 2 0 N/A N/A NO
3 900 2 0 N/A N/A NO
4 1200 2 0 N/A N/A NO
5 1500 4 11 30 1000 NO
6 1800 4 14 30 1000 NO
7 2100 4 13 30 1000 NO
8 2400 4 19 30 1000 NO
9 2700 4 26 30 1000 NO
10 3000 6 0 N/A N/A YES
11 3300 6 0 N/A N/A YES
12 3600 6 0 N/A N/A YES
13 3900 6 0 N/A N/A YES
14 4200 8 0 N/A N/A YES
15 4500 8 36 60 2000 NO
16 4800 8 31 60 2000 NO
17 5100 8 38 60 2000 NO
18 5400 8 42 60 2000 NO
19 5700 8 58 60 2000 NO
20 6000 10 0 N/A N/A YES
Note: It's (nearly) impossible to do these courses without an afterburner.
And now, the REAL missions.....
SOL SECTOR
Instructor Training (AGT - 700 cr.)
If this is your first time playing the game, take this mission. It's
(virtually) impossible to die here, and gives you some good training.
Otherwise, skip it.
Escort Mining Vessel (AGT - 5600 cr.)
Again, very simple, but you must take it. Head to Luna. Destroy the CMI
Darts. Head to Ganymede. Destroy the CMI Darts. You pick up several
assistant ships in Luna. It's possible to do this blindfolded.
New Items: Tesla EMP missiles and Sunspot missiles
Security Breach (AGT - 4200 cr.)
Go to the Kuiper Belt, and destroy the spy probes, spy drone frigate, and
the CMI darts. Again, you get a group of fighter assistants.
New Items: Chatter Cannons and Hunter Torpedoes
(Note: Chatter cannons recharge after every mission, and ALL torpedoes
are powered by the laser reserve with infinite shots. Remember this!)
Investigate Mine Field (AGT - 4900 cr.)
Head back to Kuiper. Destroy the space mines. After that, a luxury liner
will be attacked by pirates. You don't have to save them, but it's really
easy. Star Patrol will show up after a minute, and help destroy the
pirates (Unless you're quick enough to finish before they get there.)
Getting bored yet? Don't worry, it's about to get more exciting.
New Items: Afterburner Reserve and Deimos Hvy. Laser
Game Developer: NovaLogic
Year of Game's Release: 2000
Guide Type: FAQ / Walkthrough
Author: J. Baker
E-Mail: SpockJr@hotmail.com
Current Version: 2.03 T
Current Size: 75 KB
Date Started: May 11, 2002
Last Updated: October 27, 2004
Latest HTML Version at: http://www.spockjr.com
Latest Text Version at: http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://www.dlh.net
If you are reading this guide at any website not listed above, you might
not be reading the latest version! For the absolute latest version, visit
http://www.spockjr.com.
Since you are reading this, I will warn you that I don't update the text
based guide as often as the HTML version (Only about 1 time out of 3) so
you might want to check that one first before complaining to me that I
missed something!
_________________________
*** Table of Contents ***
îîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîî
- Intro
- Version and Updates
- Mission Guide and Walkthrough
- Ship Guide
- Weapon Guide
- CPU Card Guide
- Wingman Assessment
- Cheats
- Hidden Bonuses (Crates, etc.)
- FAQ
- Credits
- Links
- Copyright information
_____________
*** Intro ***
îîîîîîîîîîîîî
Tachyon: The Fringe was written by NovaLogic in an attempt to diversify
from their previous set of games, mostly limited to army and air force
sims. Tachyon, unlike most space flight sims being produced these days, is
not simply a Wing Commander rehash. You live the life of a mercenary named
Jake Logan, set in the 26th century. Tachyon was designed specifically to
be more realistic from this point of view. The developers allow you to
select missions as you go along, rather than being forced into a
sequential mission-by-mission lineup. Of course, there is a plotline, and
character development, or else the game would quickly become bland.
The story of overgrown megacorporation (The Galactic Spanning Corporation,
AKA GalSpan) infringing on the rights of pioneer colonists (The Bora) is a
little bit used, but the strength of Tachyon in this area is the fact that
only some of the missions are from GalSpan or Bora. Many of the missions
are independent, hired by everyone from Star Patrol law enforcement to
asteroid barons, scientists and smugglers. You are also given an
opportunity to compete in a ship-to-ship combat tournament. Essentially,
the game is small cross section of a potential future.
A second excellent feature of Tachyon is two types of multiplayer gaming
through a LAN, or the internet. The first of these is called Arena Match,
which is free ship-to-ship combat against other players. Familiar to all
gamers, this is nothing inspired or new, but it is a nice addition. The
second, more original multiplayer game is called Base Wars, whereby you
engage in free battle, while collecting upgrades and credits for the
purpose of building up the amount of technology your side has, so that
once you reach Level 10, you are able to attack the opposing team's home
base, to attempt to destroy it.
However, no game is perfect. Tachyon's biggest fault is that graphics are
sometimes TOO rich. In some missions, where there are too many ships,
fired weapons, etc. to map and display, my old computer (which more than
met the minimum requirements) simply refused to refresh, preferring instead
to stick with one screen for a long time, usually until I died, or some
other such disaster. NovaLogic doesn't seem to understand that not everyone
has a brand new 2 gigahertz Pentium 4. (Since I first wrote this, I've
upgraded my processor to a 2.6 GHz, with 512 MB of memory, (Which is top of
the line for the moment) but there's still the odd mission where the screen
skips a bit, and that's just ridiculous. For the record, the minimum
requirements are 200 MHz (0.2 GHz) with 32 MB RAM and the game was released
in 2000)
Tachyon also involves way too much loading and waiting time. First, a
pre-loading screen with far too many (unnecessary) options. Then, when you
select "Play Game" it takes 2-3 minutes to load up to another option
screen. After selecting Single Player, a game save slot, and a name, it
takes another minute to load up to the starbase. Then, selecting missions,
wingmen, ships, and equipment involves gratuitous sound and video, taking
ridiculous amounts of time and CPU power. Finally, ready to fly, you
select "Launch" and go to... yep, you guessed it. A "loading" screen. All
together, it means a good 7-10 minutes from selecting "Tachyon" from the
Start menu until you are actually flying. Multiplayer? Oh, don't even get
me started.
Overall, however, I'd still be inclined to give it an 8 out of 10 with
points lost on Compatibility, Time expenditure, and points gained for
story, flexibility, gameplay, and value for your dollar. (This, like most
NovaLogic games seems to be available for ridiculously low prices. I
personally paid $17.99 CAD, roughly $14 USD) By the way, I welcome any
corrections, future ideas, comments and opinions about this guide via
email. I can be reached at SpockJr@hotmail.com
___________________________
*** Version and Updates ***
îîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîî
NOTE: I'll be keeping the numbers for versions the same for both guides,
which means there may be some skips in the numbers on either version. The
text version will always have T at the end of the numbers, and the HTML an
H (You know, just in case you can't tell the difference...)
Ver 1.0: 06/18/02
All sections complete, albeit in rough form.
Ver 1.1: 07/29/02
Added "Ship Flown" to wingman section. Added "NW" to the end of No Wingman
missions. Corrected endless typos, rewrote a lot of intros, etc. and
added 2 new FAQs. This is the first public / published version.
Ver 1.2: 08/13/02
How stupid. I forgot to spell-check Ver 1.1 after writing new intros etc.
Should be OK now.
Ver 1.3: 10/26/02
Reworded a few things, corrected a couple of typos etc. Big thanks to
bboyhops, who sent me nine different crates, which I have added.
Ver 1.4: 10/14/03
Updated my email. (My apologies to everyone who hasn't been able to get
a hold of me... The lousy website shut down without telling anyone, but I
didn't notice for a while because I only used that addy for walkthrough
stuff.) Reworded a lot of stuff to improve readability. Added a "Cost Each"
to the missiles and rockets, and a Range to all weapons.
Ver 2.0T: 12/05/03
Why the big jump from 1.4 to 2.0? And whats with the T??? I've made an HTML-
based version of this guide. You can find a copy of it at my personal game
walkthrough site, http://spockjr.freeservers.com. Big thanks to an anonymous
reader, who pointed out that the Chatter Cannon recharges every mission, and
that I'd forgotten to include some really useful tips in the missions section.
He also motivated me to go make a chart of the Letzer training courses' pay.
Also notable is that I resequenced (That even a word? Well, it is now) the
order that the weapons are listed.
Ver 2.03T: 10/27/04
Updated several sections that had been fixed up in the HTML version.
Worth noting: I moved the wingman assesment to after the weapons and CPU
cards... it just didn't make sense where it was Also added a crate sent by
A Figure In Black, and another two that I found, but went looking for
because of a guy by the name of Daniel Palma. Also added a new cheat, and
some tips on how to avoid getting spotted in the "Weasel in the coop"
mission.
_______________________________
*** Battles and Walkthrough ***
îîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîîî
You start the game at Dillinger Starbase in the Europa Sector. You own a
Pegasus and an Orion (The Orion is equipped with a Glint Lt. Laser, Lead
Target Assistant, and Afterburner. The Pegasus is unequipped.) Available
to you from the hangar are: Glint Lt. and Flare Med. lasers, Tiger
missiles, Lead Target Assistants, Combat Scanners, and Afterburners.
When you consult the Job board, there are certain missions available to
you. In most cases, there will be several missions available to you at a
time. Where that happens, I have put them in order of how I think is the
most effective. There's ALWAYS a "Ring Training Course" available, and
in Sol sector, or after you sign up with GalSpan or the Bora, there's
also "Combat Training". Combat training ALWAYS pays 100 cr. Here is a
listing of the Letzer Ring Training Course pay. Note that at the end it
only says it pays 100 cr; that's because the pay is deposited as you
complete each objective.
LETZER RING TRAINING PAY
COURSE BASE TIME BONUS # OF TARGET ALL TARGETS NARROW
# PAY /SECOND TARGETS BONUS /EACH HIT BONUS RINGS?
îîîîîî îîîî
îîîîîîîîîî
îîîîîîî
îîîîîîîîîîî
îîîîîîîîîîî
îîîîîî
1 300 2 0 N/A N/A NO
2 600 2 0 N/A N/A NO
3 900 2 0 N/A N/A NO
4 1200 2 0 N/A N/A NO
5 1500 4 11 30 1000 NO
6 1800 4 14 30 1000 NO
7 2100 4 13 30 1000 NO
8 2400 4 19 30 1000 NO
9 2700 4 26 30 1000 NO
10 3000 6 0 N/A N/A YES
11 3300 6 0 N/A N/A YES
12 3600 6 0 N/A N/A YES
13 3900 6 0 N/A N/A YES
14 4200 8 0 N/A N/A YES
15 4500 8 36 60 2000 NO
16 4800 8 31 60 2000 NO
17 5100 8 38 60 2000 NO
18 5400 8 42 60 2000 NO
19 5700 8 58 60 2000 NO
20 6000 10 0 N/A N/A YES
Note: It's (nearly) impossible to do these courses without an afterburner.
And now, the REAL missions.....
SOL SECTOR
Instructor Training (AGT - 700 cr.)
If this is your first time playing the game, take this mission. It's
(virtually) impossible to die here, and gives you some good training.
Otherwise, skip it.
Escort Mining Vessel (AGT - 5600 cr.)
Again, very simple, but you must take it. Head to Luna. Destroy the CMI
Darts. Head to Ganymede. Destroy the CMI Darts. You pick up several
assistant ships in Luna. It's possible to do this blindfolded.
New Items: Tesla EMP missiles and Sunspot missiles
Security Breach (AGT - 4200 cr.)
Go to the Kuiper Belt, and destroy the spy probes, spy drone frigate, and
the CMI darts. Again, you get a group of fighter assistants.
New Items: Chatter Cannons and Hunter Torpedoes
(Note: Chatter cannons recharge after every mission, and ALL torpedoes
are powered by the laser reserve with infinite shots. Remember this!)
Investigate Mine Field (AGT - 4900 cr.)
Head back to Kuiper. Destroy the space mines. After that, a luxury liner
will be attacked by pirates. You don't have to save them, but it's really
easy. Star Patrol will show up after a minute, and help destroy the
pirates (Unless you're quick enough to finish before they get there.)
Getting bored yet? Don't worry, it's about to get more exciting.
New Items: Afterburner Reserve and Deimos Hvy. Laser
Jump to page:
Sponsors:
Other files from this game:
- Tachyon - The Fringe trainer by System on 14/03/2006, 06:30
Mega trainer' - Tachyon - The Fringe FAQ by System on 09/03/2006, 09:50
- Tachyon - The Fringe FAQ by System on 09/03/2006, 09:50