I am completly new to the X-Wing/T-Fighter Series. Which is the one I should start with? And are they compatible with a HOTAS Joystick? What X-Wing version should I use? As far as I know the GOG Version contains the first and the third release, but sadly not the version in between.

Sorry to contradict, but I consider XvT both the hardest and the lowest point of the series, gameplaywise.

All missions were designed to be played either cooperatively multiplayer (campaigns) or versus (battles), so the difficulty is expecting several human players to take care of the many things to do during missions, or the AI is unfairly abusing missiles, countermeasures, etc.

Also, the depth of the story in XvT is next to zero, and the "power creep" is to the top. It's not unusual to find TIE Interceptors with missiles and shields, or to encounter several waves of TIE Advanced in most missions, while in X-Wing, TIE Fighter and Alliance, these superfighters were reserved for particular dramatic moments or the hardest missions.

Both TIE Fighter and Alliance have a much better plot, much easier learning curve, and much more variety of missions and stories.
Myself, I would go first with X-Wing if you can see past the outdated graphics. The difficulty is uneven (some missions are really easy, some are really hard, but not harder than the ones in XvT). But at least the story is better than in XvT. And it is the first one, with the simplest controls.

X-wing Vs. TIE Fighter was the worst release in the series, dull multiplayer nonsense. If you want to start at the beginning go for the original X-wing, but if you want to have some fun go for the best of the bunch, TIE Fighter. I would recommend playing the 1998 versions because they will feel the most complete and updated to a new player.

Do note, though, that none of the games are really connected and can be played in any order. This was the release order:

X-Wing
TIE Fighter
X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter
X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter: Balance of Power (a single player campaign)
X-Wing Alliance

adding my voice too.

In terms of timeline:

X-wing main game ends with the destruction of the first Death Star at Yavin IV.
expansions, if I recall correctly deal with the immediate aftermath and all the way up to the establishment of the base on Hoth.

TIE Fighter starts just after the Battle of Hoth, and goes all the way up to just before the Battle of Endor.

X-Wing Alliance also starts just after the Battle of Hoth, and ends with the destruction of the second Death Star at Endor.

so in that sense it makes sense to play them in order.

XvT is mainly multiplayer scenarios...
Balance of Power added a stronger sense of plot, but the game's structure didn't seem to really allow for much more than text to read between missions.

If you have NEVER played an X-Wing game, start with X-Wing Alliance.

Exactly my thoughts on this. Start with X-Wing.

If you want to casually get used to the series, then I recommend that you start with X-Wing Alliance.

I would partially support you because out of the games XW vs. TF has fully voiced and good paced tutorials which the other games do not. So I would play the tutorials of XW vs. TF first to familiarize you with the game as many things are still the same from X-Wing.

I would definitely say TIE Fighter. It has by far the best campaign of the lot IMHO. And if you want the flight model and graphics of X-wing vs. Tie Fighter just play 1998 version of Tie Fighter. It's the version I'm playing right now.

This is wrong... But so is this.

I've played them all. If you're looking for a single player story experience, in terms of gameplay and story, you start with TIE Fighter, as it's the best the series ever was.

If, however, you want to see how the series evolved over its many iterations, you do:

X-Wing
TIE Fighter
X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter: Balance of Power (along with the single missions if you really want to, but you don't need to)
X-Wing: Alliance

If you want fun Star Wars multiplayer starfighter action, X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter coupled with GameRanger is an amazing experience, especially with friends. This is also coming from someone who HATED XvT when it first came out, and also isn't into multiplayer...but I've come around. :)

I hope this helps! :)

TIE Fighter blew me away.
X-Wing was OK.
X-Wing Alliance starts up slow but had the best "feel" to it. It has great immersion and, most important of all, rudders! :) It allows for the z-axis to do something (roll).
X-Wing v TIE-Fighter was still very fun. It most most impressive for the multiplayer fun. But the engine noise drove me insane.


If you're going to just play 1, do TIE Figher or X-Wing Alliance.

If you have a buddy or two you like to play with, grab XvT.

If you want to play the whole series, start with X-Wing and move on up.

Opinions aside, that's the most helpful post for the guy who opened this thread, and for others facing the same dilemma.

X Wing Alliance if you have never played an X Wing game before.

The earlier games were very hard for casual players - I remember giving up X Wing and also TIE Fighter in frustration quite early on in both games - but X Wing Alliance had a much more sensible difficulty curve and was loads of fun.

I think the way to go is to start with either Alliance or TIE Fighter. I think both are great introductions to the game series, have fun game mechanics, and are both a huge improvement over the first game in the series. Personally, I'd start with Alliance simply because I prefer the 1995 version of TIE Fighter currently unavailable on GOG. However, both versions of TF on GOG are still excellent; if you want to fly for the Empire and bring peace and order to the galaxy, play TIE Fighter first!

At any rate, back to Alliance! Compared to X-Wing, XWA has a much better story. I agree with Tallima that it immersive. I remember squeeing a bit when my Rebel squad mates started using slang from the X-Wing novels/comics. In fact, one downside of XWA is that the immersion is so good, I wish it were better! I'd love to play an X-Wing game where all 12 members of the squadron have their own personalities, relationships, and stories. XWA has some recurring voice actors, but for the most part, your squad doesn't represent any specific people. If everyone but you is shot down in a mission, it has no impact on the next mission. The mission scenarios themselves are also more varied. Most missions in Alliance will have a series of goals - and sometimes those goals can change suddenly mid-mission (something it shares with TIE Fighter).

I wouldn't say XWA is for casual players. I think it is a bit easier, but there are still missions that can make you want to tear out your hair. For the regular Alliance campaign missions, you have an option to 'take leave' (skip) three of them. However, I found the family missions a bit harder, and they're unskippable! I also remember that starfighter shields are reduced to levels that more closely match the movies. In an X-Wing, a few direct hits can take your shields to nothing fast. You aren't quite as flimsy as a movie X-Wing, but you can't expect to ignore laser hits. The first game is known for being unfairly hard, and Alliance avoids that, but it still provides a pretty good challenge.