X3 Terran conflict

[Gurgeh]

I have this game on my computer and I am unsure of how to play it. The game itself is a space flight combat simualtor where you explore the galaxy fight, trade, build, think. There are many choices to do in this game and I was wondering has anyone here on this site played the game?

[CaptHawkeye]

Yes. X3 simply has no redeeming features at all. Which is astounding considering how little competition it has. Even if you have absolutely nothing else to do except twiddle your thumbs you're better off not playing X3. Do yourself a favor and delete that shit as quickly as possible. Egosoft has somehow managed to do the impossible with X3 and literally do everything wrong with a game you possibly can, all at the same time.

Game is boring? Check

Game is broken and technically unreliable? Check

Game is unintuitive with a bad user interface? Check

Game has less content than previous titles and equivalent games? Check

[Gurgeh]

At least they give out nice paches and dozens of new updates and endless freedom.

[weemadando]

I reviewed that game for my radio show back in the day.

Fucking hilariously bad.

My co-host and I encountered multiple random deaths in the tutorial.
When we tried to jump straight in instead...

Man, I kinda liked X2.

But this.

It's pretty. But gameplay wise it's a turd.

I even retried it recently with the same outcomes.

[Gurgeh]

I reviewed that game for my radio show back in the day.

Fucking hilariously bad.

My co-host and I encountered multiple random deaths in the tutorial.
When we tried to jump straight in instead...

Man, I kinda liked X2.

But this.

It's pretty. But gameplay wise it's a turd.

I even retried it recently with the same outcomes.

Do you still have the recording of the review?
I tried the game and it seems ok. They have released patch 3.0 now and there are many new updates. I only bought it because I thought that it was like Freelancer. I tried Reunion and my god that games controls where so bad.

[PeZook]

Freelancer is actually exciting. No "fly straight for an hour" episodes.

I spent a goodly chunk of time on this game. I really, really wanted to like it. But after putting in ten hours of fighting the interface and having nothing to do (yeah, there's endless freedom. Endless freedom to do nothing) but watch numbers tick around...eh. I tried building a trade empire, but the way information is presented to you is terrible, combat is boring as all hell, the main plot is uh...substandard.

Freelancer at least has worthwhile production values and a semblance of a plot.

[Sarevok]

Freelancer at least has worthwhile production values and a semblance of a plot.

Freelancer plot was pretty lackluster compared to it's spiritual predecessor, Starlancer. Multiplayer is where the game shines.

I think if the X-universe games had multiplayer it would relive a lot of the complaints about boredom and repetitiveness.

[Stark]

Why? Doing anything would still be slow, boring, force you to defeat the horrible UI, and still be exactly the same thing you did the hour before.

Coop is always fun, but it won't save X3.

[PeZook]

Freelancer plot was pretty lackluster compared to it's spiritual predecessor, Starlancer. Multiplayer is where the game shines.

It was lackluster ; But still way better than X3's "Fly for two hours, listen to poor voice acting"

[houser2112]

I think if the X-universe games had multiplayer it would relive a lot of the complaints about boredom and repetitiveness.

The only thing that makes X playable is the SETA upgrade (time accelerator) you can get for your ships (Aside: why is this a per-ship upgrade? It should be a game feature.). I don't know how you'd be able to implement that in a multiplayer environment.

[Gurgeh]

In my game you always get the SETA. The only problem I encounter was the fact that the mouse cursor was way to slow on my computer. I don't know why it is so slow.

[CaptHawkeye]

Hilariously X2 is 100 times better than X3 so if you're really in need of a space sim in X universe you might as well go back along the series than forwards. Which isn't saying much, X2 was also broken, boring, and unintuitive just to far less degrees than X3.

[PeZook]

I especially liked how in X3, Terran sectors were inexplicably four times larger than all the others, yet had the same number of stations.

In other words, three times more flying for no gain at all. Also, you couldn't trade Terran goods in the wider galaxy because Quantum.

[CaptHawkeye]

Personally I got sick of space sims using the old "hypergate" crutch to save them from having to develop a really interesting space travel system. That and X2's combat system was just weird. I remember lasers and projectiles had such slow flight speeds you could outrun them in most craft.

[Serafina]

X3:TC also got hilariously broken, a single missile frigate could eliminate a whole system full of enemy ships and stations. Or just buy hundreds of cheap fighter drones and let them kill an enemy battleship, and so on.

Essentially the whole thing is a sandbox game where it takes very long to do anything and that gets highly repetitive no matter what you do. The only good thing about it is that it is in space, but that doesn't make it a worthwhile game.

[doom3607]

X3:TC also got hilariously broken, a single missile frigate could eliminate a whole system full of enemy ships and stations. Or just buy hundreds of cheap fighter drones and let them kill an enemy battleship, and so on.

Umm... Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that pretty close to exactly how decent missile boats and carriers work? That seems less broken and more done right, at least from my POV.

[PeZook]

Ugh...No. Missile boats or carriers can't take out entire fleets and swarms military installations on their own. Or more precisely: if missile boats and fighter drones dominate the battlefields in your universe, nobody will build battleships.

More to the point, games need to be balanced. Missile frigates were not even a high-tier vessel and they completely dominated everything else in the game,making it broken by removing any and all challenge.

[Losonti Tokash]

Does the game's economy still completely stabilize to the point where prices are identical everywhere in the entire universe?

[Gurgeh]

I am not sure. What do you like or hate about the game?

[Stark]

He just said that in one fo the games (I thought it was X2, though) the econmoy totally breaks so that you can't sell or buy anything at profit ever again, thus destroying the game.

I think that might be what he doesn't like.

[Serafina]

X3:TC also got hilariously broken, a single missile frigate could eliminate a whole system full of enemy ships and stations. Or just buy hundreds of cheap fighter drones and let them kill an enemy battleship, and so on.

Umm... Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that pretty close to exactly how decent missile boats and carriers work? That seems less broken and more done right, at least from my POV.

Sure, if you want realism, that's how they could work.
Except that it is totally out of line with how this particular universe works. Battleships are the king of the battlefield, carriers mostly support via fighters but are not the main combat force, missile boats are almost not used, if you go by the fluff of the game and actual fleet compositions.

Oh, and the drones i was talking about can be carried by any freighter. If fleets were build on in-game logic, all military forces would consist of nothing but small transports carrying dozens of drones.

[doom3607]

Which seems to resemble how the Pacific part of WW2 worked out. What with the American escort carrier spam and all... Hmm. Maybe the imbalance is because this is the time period when they're going from space Age of Battleships to space Modern Navies?

[Stark]

The Pacific war ended up with civilian traders firing tiny drones to swam over warships?

It's more likely they simply didn't playtest it. Developers often proceed from 'what they want' to 'mechanics', rather than ensuring the mechanics they have allow their intended setting to exist. Its not like any other part of the game displays polish or quality.

[Losonti Tokash]

He just said that in one fo the games (I thought it was X2, though) the econmoy totally breaks so that you can't sell or buy anything at profit ever again, thus destroying the game.

I think that might be what he doesn't like.

Nah, still happens in X3, just takes longer. Friend of mine has a dad who fucking loves this game and it's happened to him twice. But he only has Reunion, not TC which is supposed to be the ultimate version (made ultimate by inclusion of fan mods).

[houser2112]

In my game you always get the SETA. The only problem I encounter was the fact that the mouse cursor was way to slow on my computer. I don't know why it is so slow.

I distinctly remember having to switch to another ship for some story mission, forgot to buy/transfer over a SETA, and was puzzled why the SETA key did nothing. It was especially painful that this ship was a freighter.