Getting started with Tyrian Enhanced

Download, unzip, play. This guide covers installing OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced Edition, its main menu and your first campaign.

Install

Windows

Download the Windows .zip archive from the download page.
Extract it, open the extracted folder and run the game executable, OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced.exe.

Linux and Steam Deck

Download the Linux .tar.gz archive and extract it, for example with tar -xzf followed by the archive name.
Run the .x86_64 executable from the extracted folder (./OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced.x86_64). If the file is not executable, chmod +x it first.

On Steam Deck a controller profile is applied on first launch: see Tyrian on Steam Deck.

macOS (experimental)

Download the Mac .zip archive (Intel and Apple Silicon) and double-click it to extract OpenTyrian2000 Enhanced.app.
The app is not signed by Apple yet: the first time, right-click (or Control-click) it, choose Open, then Open again. If macOS still refuses, run xattr -cr on the app in Terminal. Details on the download page.

What is in the folder

Item	Purpose
`OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced.exe` / `.x86_64`	The game.
`.pck` file	Game resources; keep it next to the executable.
`tyrian_godot.dll` / `libtyrian_godot.so`	The game engine library. Without it there is no game and no mods.
`data/`	The Tyrian 2000 data: levels, sprites, palettes, translated texts.
`upscaled/`	Enlarged images for the HD (AI) graphics mode. Without it the mode is not offered.
`COPYING`, `DATA-NOTICES.txt`	Code licence and data notice.

Keep everything together in the same folder. The window opens at 960×600 and the game's 320×200 picture is enlarged by whole-number factors.

Where the game looks for its data

the folder named by the TYRIAN_DATA environment variable, if set;
otherwise the data/ folder next to the executable.

You can also pass it at launch: OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced.exe -- --data=C:\path\to\data.

Entry	What it does
Start New Game	Choose the mode, then the episode and the difficulty. See Game modes.
Load Game	Resume a campaign save.
High Scores	High score tables, including Timed Battle and Endless pages.
Instructions	The game's help.
Setup	Settings and the mod manager. See Options and display.
Achievements	Unlocked achievements. See Achievements.
Replays	Play back recorded replays.
Demo	Plays the next of the five original demos. Demos also start on their own after 30 seconds on the title screen.
Quit	Asks for confirmation, then quits.

Your first campaign

Start New Game → 1 Player Full Game → Episode 1: Escape → Normal.
You start in the shop. A Pulse-Cannon is already fitted. Spend some credits on a rear gun or a better shield, then Start Level.
Fly. Dodge, shoot, collect coins and data cubes. After the level, a results screen and a statistics screen show what you earned and how your damage was split between your weapons.
Back in the shop, upgrade, save, pick the next destination. The episode 1 page shows where each route leads.

Not sure what to buy? Recommended loadouts compares guns, sidekicks, shields, generators and ships episode by episode, with their damage, energy use and prices.

Lost a level? You restart it with the ship, guns and money you had when you entered it. In a bonus level, being destroyed simply ends the level.

Known issues

The list of known issues is kept on the download page: known issues.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to do
The game cannot find its data	Check that `data/` is next to the executable, or that `TYRIAN_DATA` points to a valid folder.
No game possible, Setup → Mods says the extension is missing	The engine library is missing next to the executable: extract the full archive again.
Linux: “permission denied”	`chmod +x OpenTyrian2000-Enhanced.x86_64`
Controls unusable after a change	Press Delete in the Controls screen (F9), or delete `controls.cfg`.
The second gamepad does not control player 2	Player 2 uses the second gamepad detected: connect player 1's first.
A mod is marked ERR	Read the message in Setup → Mods, then see Modding troubleshooting.