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[GAME ON]X3: Reunion

BurguBurgu Registered User regular
edited November 2008 in Games and Technology
OK so in my quest for space sims, i saw X3 on Steam.

G&T, tell me how this game is, it looks pretty awesome, but looks have deceived me before.

We can just turn this thread into a discussion about it as well, if it gains enough momentum I'll make a much better OP also.

edit: Also, would i need a joystick for this game?
edit: making this op with more razzle dazzle.

X3:Reunion:GAME ON

This game is fucking awesome!

Stolen shamelessly from wikipedia!
Gameplay

X3 is a first person space simulator. The game is free roaming where the player can go and do whatever they like, wherever they like, whenever they like, provided they have the in-game means to do so such as race, notoriety, rank and equipment. The player constantly remains in a ship unless they eject into space wearing a spacesuit. Ships can dock at different stations depending on their class. When within stations the player remains in their ship but is protected by the stations shields. The main driving force of the game is to acquire ‘credits’, the universal currency in the X Universe. Credits can be used to buy wares to trade, equipment to use, stations to build and ships to fly and command. The player can own an unlimited number of ships and stations. All moving ship class objects which can be acquired by the player can be flown by the player.

Wow! Awesome Burgu! How does it look?!

Like sex. OUCH MY H-Scroll!
x3r_016-large.jpg
x3reunion.jpg
img_440ffa5f4282b.jpg
514ad93214a8afd4a1ef339e93caaa0e.jpg.jpg

Ok that looks pretty cool, any mods that I can use?

You bet your sweet ass there are. Unfortunately, since I have limited experience with the game, I can only point you in the direction of a pretty kickass looking thread from a website.

http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=96340

Burgu on
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Posts

  • FiatilFiatil Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Ah, the annual X3 thread. Good times.

    First off, no, you don't need a joystick. Some people prefer playing with one, but I myself find keyboard and mouse to be easier.

    But to get to the game, it's pretty hard to get into. It's super deep, and there's tons of stuff to do. The learning curve is pretty steep though. There's not a lot of help given by the game, but the official forums have loads of guides that will make your life easier. I bought it before it came out on steam, and don't regret it at all. If you want a deep open ended space sim, X3 is where it's at.

    Oh, and the game is very pretty.

    Fiatil on
  • Cilla BlackCilla Black Priscilla!!! Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Yeah, it's an awesome game, but definitely check out the official forums. One of the few official forums on the internet filled with intelligent people who really don't mind helping you out. They'll give you issues if you don't do a search for your question first, because chances are very high it's been answered before in one of the permanent stickies, but that's okay.

    There are guides there for everything you need to know on same forums, and despite what people will tell you once you start getting into the game you'll realize it really isn't all that difficult. Very basic economics are used to make money (and I do mean very basic) and once you get rolling everything becomes intrinsic. It's really a gorgeous, fun, awesome game that scares people off at first but really isn't that hard to get into. There are just so many resources for it.

    Cilla Black on
  • squirlysquirly Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    How's performance on this? Like, in regards to patches and so on? I just remember running horribly for how it looked but even without patches it would run fine on my system.

    All I need now is the time.

    squirly on
    Diablo2 [US West; Ladder]: *DorianGraph [New/Main] *outsidewhale [Old]
  • DartboyDartboy Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I picked up the X2/X3 pack of Steam a while ago, and I have to say both games are great, if not essentially identical. I decided to play X2 first for the story, but I found myself bouncing back and forth to compare the two, and in a lot of ways X2 seems like it edges out the third. Sure it's older, but it actually has more stuff in it. More ship variety, cockpit models, the ability to dock inside stations, and even your own personal logo plastered on your ships. Plus X2's story mode isn't (as much of) a disjointed, buggy mess. To me it really felt like X3 is just a purely graphical update of the second game.

    But anyway, both games are pretty good and there's tons of mods and custom ships people have made for the games, so there's plenty to do. The game does take a bit of getting used to, but once you do it's a whole lot easier to manage. As for myself, I use a joystick, but the game works fine without. There's lots of keyboard commands that won't fit (or can't be mapped) to the joystick anyway, so you can make the game as simmy as you want it.

    Edit: as far as performance goes, it really only seems to take a bit hit when there's a lot of action going on at once, particularly when there's a lot of weapons fire being tossed around (ie: whenever capital ships start shooting). There's mods and tweaks you can do as well if you find yourself needing a bit more of a boost, though.

    Dartboy on
  • Cilla BlackCilla Black Priscilla!!! Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Yeah, I've got a system that has much better than recommended reqs for X3, but it still gets sluggish with really heavy weapons fire or when there are just an absurd number of asteroids on the screen.

    Cilla Black on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited November 2007
    X3 has the steepest learning curve of any game in the history of the world. Steeper than that. Keep going. Steeper.

    It's also processor intensive rather than anything else. The guy above who said it "runs bad for how it looks" (it looks great, he smells of bums) doesn't give you the whole picture. The graphics aren't the problem, the problem is that the amount of number crunching the game is doing is enormous and it gets worse the longer you play.

    Tube on
  • HarakhtiHarakhti Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Be sure to check out the Xtended Mod .7(vid) If you get it. It adds quite of bit to the game. Listen to everyone else though when they say it has a steep learning curve. Expect things to go really slow at first.

    I need to reinstall, build an empire and wipe out every other species.

    Harakhti on
  • CullenCullen Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    X3 was a big disappointment for me after playing X2 to death. It's essentially exactly the same game but prettier (like a remake not a sequel), with some gameplay features taken out. Coupled with the fact it makes my aging computer squeal I dropped it quite quickly. The recycled content from X2 was also annoying. Couldn't they have changed the galaxy map so I didn't feel like I was exploring the exact same universe again? They could have at least made it 3D instead of the 2D flat map that exists at the moment. They changed all the ship and station models so there was definite precedence for doing that. 5 new sectors wasn't enough.

    2 years on it looks like Egosoft have finally patched in all the gameplay additions that they promised for the cancelled X2 sequel. I might start up again as I really loved X2.

    EDIT: Just looked at that XTM mod and it looks exactly what I wanted from X3 in the first place. Gah I'm going to have to buy more RAM now.

    Cullen on
  • FiatilFiatil Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    See I must be weird, because X3 runs really well on my system. I have an Athlon 3800+ (single core), X800 Pro, and a gig of ram, and I run it on max settings flawlessly.

    Fiatil on
  • xzzyxzzy Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Asteroids are the performance slayer, before you start playing dig up one of the asteroid reducing mods to limit the amount of trash floating around in the game.

    Do that, and it runs splendid on my 3 year old system.

    xzzy on
  • MeizMeiz Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I stoped playing after trying my hand at asteroid mining. For some reason, the physics and the rocks generated from cutting the rocks in half was bugged. It just didn't make any sense.

    I'd love a coop feature for this.

    Meiz on
  • CherrnCherrn Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    As I said in some other thread, I installed it the other day on my new computer, and I'm loving it. It really is quite a majestic game. It's hard to get into, but it actually feels like an old-school sim game like Mechwarrior 2, only with a wide open world, and an incredible amount of options available. I've heard people talk about Baldur's Gate or Oblivion being overwhelming due to the non-linearity, so I can only assume that this game would cause a massive coronary to those people. It's so wonderful to just fly around in, though. Despite the fact that I've played the game before, I had never been to Kingdom's End, the Boron home planet, so when I went there I was bombarded with a feast for the senses. It's absolutely beautiful, and the music is just incredible. Just flying from system to system can be a rewarding experience, and it's very relaxing.

    There is a storyline you can follow, but it's really not that interesting, and it's much more fun just flying around and exploring. The hard part is just getting started, since you have so many different ways to make money in the game, and the game has loads of items that make everything easier for you, like new software, but you have to find them yourself. You can actually learn some nice tips by seeking out the information stations in the various equipment docks.

    Since I just started the game, I'm a bit unsure what I want to do. I captured a pirate harrier and sold it to get some starting money, but I still need more to be able to afford a new ship. Also, I have no idea what kind of ship I actually want, since there are a fuckton of them available from all the races. But I still need to start making money. I was told you could go to Teladi space to get a best-buy/sell locator device; but I haven't had any luck finding it. Anyone know where it is?

    Cherrn on
    All creature will die and all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai.
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited November 2007
    An argon nova is a really solid choice for first good ship. Set you back about a million. The best way of making money in the beginning is capturing ships (which is random when fighting them) and trading soja in Empire's Edge, which is five or so south of Argon Prime, in Paranid space.

    After getting a decent ship (or before if you want) save up for a Mercury trader (I forget the price) and a copy of trade software Mk 3 (about 500 000) to start your first sector trader (ST), which you can then set to trade automatically in Empire's Edge for stupid cash.

    Tube on
  • DoctorArchDoctorArch Curmudgeon Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    It's like Oblivion in Space. My favorite kind of game. Tube is right, it's the Mt. Everest of learning curves. Organic Chemistry is easier.

    DoctorArch on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6732-9515-9697
  • arcatharcath Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Its the learning curve for me.

    I got the game on release day. Buggy as hell and wouldn't run well if at all.

    Patched and tried again. Ran better, but the learning curve.....

    Came back again, patched and the learning curve just murdered me, but ran flawlessly.

    Now here I am again, looking at the install disc wondering if its worth it.

    arcath on
    camo_sig.png
  • MeizMeiz Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    An argon nova is a really solid choice for first good ship. Set you back about a million. The best way of making money in the beginning is capturing ships (which is random when fighting them) and trading soja in Empire's Edge, which is five or so south of Argon Prime, in Paranid space.

    After getting a decent ship (or before if you want) save up for a Mercury trader (I forget the price) and a copy of trade software Mk 3 (about 500 000) to start your first sector trader (ST), which you can then set to trade automatically in Empire's Edge for stupid cash.

    I took on 2 novas with my little buster and was able to do fine. All you need is the mass driver and they bail like crazy.

    Meiz on
  • krylon666krylon666 Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    i've had these games for awhile, but haven't really spent too much time getting into it. if i want to play the more freeform game and skip the plot, do i start a standard game, or is there a mode that has no plot? i can't remember and i think i may be confusing X2 and X3.

    krylon666 on
  • MeizMeiz Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    krylon666 wrote: »
    i've had these games for awhile, but haven't really spent too much time getting into it. if i want to play the more freeform game and skip the plot, do i start a standard game, or is there a mode that has no plot? i can't remember and i think i may be confusing X2 and X3.

    I know there's custom games in X3. That's the one where there's no real ending I believe. I'm not so sure about X2.

    Meiz on
  • HarakhtiHarakhti Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    You can start a custom game from the get-go to bypass the story. New Game > Custom I believe it is. You'll have a couple different starting options.

    I usually go for plain vanilla runs. You start off in a buster with shit weapons and 4k credits.

    EDIT: What he said.

    Also, if anyone is interested in hunting down the mod... You could even name you pilot Malcom Reynolds. To bad you can't hire crew and personnel.
    D_Firefly1.jpg

    Harakhti on
  • TheKoolEagleTheKoolEagle Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    i do believe its time for me to slaughter the paradins and build death outposts around their space :twisted:

    TheKoolEagle on
    uNMAGLm.png Mon-Fri 8:30 PM CST - 11:30 PM CST
  • SageinaRageSageinaRage Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I plan on this being the next big game I get into, once I'm done with ff12. I bought it from gogamer for like 3 bucks, and i've been hankering to give my new joystick/throttle combo a workout. I will join this thread in earnest then.

    SageinaRage on
    sig.gif
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I'm sure I say it every time someone mentions the game, but as soon as I get a new pc, this'll be one of the first games I get.
    Assuming Elite 4 hasn't been released by then.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • HarakhtiHarakhti Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I plan on this being the next big game I get into, once I'm done with ff12. I bought it from gogamer for like 3 bucks, and i've been hankering to give my new joystick/throttle combo a workout. I will join this thread in earnest then.

    Make positively absolutely sure you patch to 2.0.2+ (or latest whatever that is) before running it. The latest patch removes the starforce bullcrap. You also won't need the disc in the drive to play anymore. Yaaa.

    Harakhti on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited November 2007
    Meiz wrote: »
    An argon nova is a really solid choice for first good ship. Set you back about a million. The best way of making money in the beginning is capturing ships (which is random when fighting them) and trading soja in Empire's Edge, which is five or so south of Argon Prime, in Paranid space.

    After getting a decent ship (or before if you want) save up for a Mercury trader (I forget the price) and a copy of trade software Mk 3 (about 500 000) to start your first sector trader (ST), which you can then set to trade automatically in Empire's Edge for stupid cash.

    I took on 2 novas with my little buster and was able to do fine. All you need is the mass driver and they bail like crazy.

    Mass drivers are terrible capturing weapons. The AI never bails if it still has shields. Also novas have rear turrets and will knock the shit out of a new player in a Buster.

    Tube on
  • BurguBurgu Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Does the steam version of this game have any problems?

    I know sometimes its just better to pick up a hard copy.

    Burgu on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited November 2007
    Never heard of the steam version having problems.

    Tube on
  • FatsFats Corvallis, ORRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Steam version has no problems that I know of.

    I had an awesome little fleet last time I played, a couple titans and a carrier, decked out with the incredibly overpowered terran weapons in the XTended mod. That was fun.

    Fats on
  • MeizMeiz Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Meiz wrote: »
    An argon nova is a really solid choice for first good ship. Set you back about a million. The best way of making money in the beginning is capturing ships (which is random when fighting them) and trading soja in Empire's Edge, which is five or so south of Argon Prime, in Paranid space.

    After getting a decent ship (or before if you want) save up for a Mercury trader (I forget the price) and a copy of trade software Mk 3 (about 500 000) to start your first sector trader (ST), which you can then set to trade automatically in Empire's Edge for stupid cash.

    I took on 2 novas with my little buster and was able to do fine. All you need is the mass driver and they bail like crazy.

    Mass drivers are terrible capturing weapons. The AI never bails if it still has shields. Also novas have rear turrets and will knock the shit out of a new player in a Buster.

    I never had this problem to be honest with you. As for the rear weapon, yeah, you need to aproach it differently. What I do is line up for a firing run and wait until I see the first volley. Then I turn away and spin while pulling up and keep doing this until the nova's out of energy. Then I just do another run at it.

    You can even do this with the beta weapons.

    K'hak clusters are a different story though.

    Meiz on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited November 2007
    While I'm sure you're the king of best at X3, the fact is that the starter buster has buttfuck nothing for shields, and a single shot from an AHEPT will knock it for six. My advice to anyone in less than an M3 is, if you see a Nova, run the fuck the other way.

    Also in the event you capture a pirate nova, sell it and get a real one. Pirate Novas blow ass compared to the real thing.

    Tube on
  • arcatharcath Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Can we get the OP updated with a list of mods and such?

    I am taking the plunge again and installing now, but I am wondering what to get in terms of mods available.

    arcath on
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  • arcatharcath Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    sorry to double post, but this is the reason i want to play this again.

    SDock_INGAME_012.jpg?t=1196192397

    edit:

    and this....

    Intrepid_INGAME_03.jpg

    and this....

    Ontario_IN_GAME_01.jpg

    and this too!

    BoPHu_IN_GAME.jpg

    arcath on
    camo_sig.png
  • xzzyxzzy Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Don't get the CD version of the game.. it uses StarForce. I think later patches removed the dependency, but it will still be installed on your system.

    The Steam version doesn't use StarForce.

    xzzy on
  • MeizMeiz Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    arcath wrote: »
    sorry to double post, but this is the reason i want to play this again.

    SDock_INGAME_012.jpg?t=1196192397

    edit:

    and this....


    and this....

    and this too!

    Wait, HOW?

    Meiz on
  • arcatharcath Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Here is a map of the universe.
    x3sectors-eng.jpg

    arcath on
    camo_sig.png
  • arcatharcath Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Meiz wrote: »
    arcath wrote: »
    sorry to double post, but this is the reason i want to play this again.

    SDock_INGAME_012.jpg?t=1196192397

    edit:

    and this....


    and this....

    and this too!

    Wait, HOW?

    Here....

    arcath on
    camo_sig.png
  • DoctorArchDoctorArch Curmudgeon Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    xzzy wrote: »
    Don't get the CD version of the game.. it uses StarForce. I think later patches removed the dependency, but it will still be installed on your system.

    The Steam version doesn't use StarForce.

    The 2.0 version that already contains the free expansion pack does not have starforce.

    DoctorArch on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6732-9515-9697
  • SquintyMcSquintSquintyMcSquint Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I dread to think how many hours I've lost to this game.. I recently started it up again with all the latest patches and a few mods - accidently switched on some script that allows the xenon to "migrate" across the universe.. before I realised what was going on most of the eastern side of the universe no longer has any stations.. good times...

    To anyone starting out I wish you the best of luck - and stay away from those LX ships.. they kick the shit out of everything in sight...

    SquintyMcSquint on
  • vhzodvhzod Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Is the economy in X3 similar to X2 with reguards to energy cells? In X2 you made the most money selling the most basic of resources, the energy cell. Thats not supposed to be how it happens with a real economy.

    Edit: and are there the purple triangle ships from X2?

    vhzod on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited November 2007
    There isn't one "best" resource, but energy cells are reliable. I mainly manufacture weapons and shields. It's a little extra work but the payoff is great, and it saves a lot of hassle outfitting ships.

    Tube on
  • arcatharcath Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Yay confused in the tutorial mission.....

    Ok, so its a patrol from Home of Light -> Red Light -> Cloudbase SW. I am supposed to patrol and look for Cock activity but i haven't found any and the game wont progress.

    what am i missing?

    arcath on
    camo_sig.png
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