Steam vs GOG

[W-Hib96]

Can anyone here confirm that the GOG version of this game is different and somehow superior to the Steam version? I want to purchase this game series and would like to take advantage of Steam's sale. However, only if the Steam version of the game is any good.

Is there anyone here who has actually tried both and had different experiences? Is the whole "GOG IS BETTER!" uproar a myth? I can't find any hard evidence backing up that claim. Please let me know.

[wizisi2k]

the GOG version has everything the Steam version does PLUS the DOS CD which includes the imuse music, joystick support, and voices. The imuse system sets the music to the tone (complete a mission music changes. Fail a main objective music changed. New ship pops in music changes). The 1998 version does away with that and replaces it with music from the movies that doesn't change. The difference isn't one you can really explain until you experience it. It's not a graphics change (in some ways the older DOS versions are superior in terms of having aged well that way) as well as a music change. The orginial version of Tie Fighter I played was actually the DOS CD so I never knew there was a floppy disk build till I got it on GOG. It's worth paying the extra as ironically for the same cost you get 3 versions instead of 2. I cannot speak for the 1998 build working on windows 10 but the other 2 will for sure.

[XTwo]

I'd add that the GOG version actually works for me but the Steam version keeps crashing as well as having it's display resolution all screwed up and displaying two mouse cursors. I have both installed on the same system and only the GOG one is actually playable for whatever reason.

[gsagostinho]

It also seems the GoG version supports Linux and Mac as well, while the Steam version is Windows only...

[Space Coward]

Originally posted by W-Hib96:

Can anyone here confirm that the GOG version of this game is different and somehow superior to the Steam version? I want to purchase this game series and would like to take advantage of Steam's sale. However, only if the Steam version of the game is any good.

Is there anyone here who has actually tried both and had different experiences? Is the whole "GOG IS BETTER!" uproar a myth? I can't find any hard evidence backing up that claim. Please let me know.

GOG has a better configuration for the DOS version and supports all three platforms. It also includes the best version of the game, the DOS Collectors' Edition from 1995, along with the regular DOS and Windows versions from 1994 and 1998.

Go to GOG for old games. Steam is usually a copy-paste job with missing audio and awful incompatibility, GOG does the heavy lifting themselves to make a game work.

[Yu Daid]

GOG is allways the better choice for Good Old Games...

[Polysorbate]

Originally posted by X2:

I'd add that the GOG version actually works for me but the Steam version keeps crashing as well as having it's display resolution all screwed up and displaying two mouse cursors. I have both installed on the same system and only the GOG one is actually playable for whatever reason.

IIRC: the GOG version has a few community-made fixes included (including a new DirectX renderer, IIRC), while Steam just delivers what Lucasarts/Disney sent them. This is definitely the case with X-Wing Alliance, and I'm pretty sure the same is true for XW and TF.

GOG also offers all three variants of X-Wing and Tie Fighter while it looks like only two variants are available on Steam.

GOG, being focused primarily on old games, is probably a better place to buy old games like this. They typically have a lot of QA going into verifying that games run well on modern PCs, though Windows 8/8.1/10 have created a lot of new issues they're still strugging to find fixes for.

I'd advise anyone thinking about getting the free Windows 10 update to wait until the time limit is almost up before taking the offer.