"Elite" type games?

[Slowtrain]

The X games are much more a building sim than a space combat sim. You build factories in sectors and produce materials for a variety of purposes and begin to build your credit. It can take a long long time to get rolling.

 

That being said, the building thing is only one part of the game. The game universe is huge and there's tons of stuff to explore. There's a lot of ships to buy, everything from light scout fighters to giant carriers that can hold 100 ships. Plus there's pirates and other assorted enemies and you can fly around and capture ships and blow up stations and do pretty much whatever you want.

 

There's a story as well, but most people who play the games ignore it, since it's pretty unneccessary.

[Purkake]

Oh, so there's a strategy-style base building thing? Or is it more like a RPG style skill/research tree?

[Morgoth]

I remeber playing a X demo a long time ago and felt the game was a borefest.

[Slowtrain]

Oh, so there's a strategy-style base building thing? Or is it more like a RPG style skill/research tree?

 

 

Basically its an open-world/sandbox universe with a dynamic economy controlled by the AI. X2 is better at this than X3.

 

The universe consists of hundreds of sectors connected by jumpgates. There are 5 sentient races that control their own groups of sectors plus many sectors that are unexplored, uncontrolled, held by pirates, aliens etc and so forth. Every race has stations in each sector that produce a variety of goods from basic energy to food supplies to high level manufactured goods.

 

As a semi-independent you deal with all the races, those who don't hate you that is, and build your own factories, trade goods, protect your investments from attacks etc and so forth. You can choose to fly around in a fast scout fighter, a transport, a heavy carrier and all sorts of other ships, and you'll generally swap off between different ships as you take on different missions etc.

 

Obviously a heavy carrier costs a lot more than a scout fighter, so you have to spend a long time building your infrastrcuture before you can afford one.

 

SO it can be a slow moving game.

[RPGmasterBoo]

My GoG version of IWar2 is downloading.

 

I recall trying to play that game twice and quitting. Probably one of the hardest games I ever played, combat wise (and because of the ugly tendency not to tell you most things you need to know in hard 30 minute missions).

 

Oh, so there's a strategy-style base building thing? Or is it more like a RPG style skill/research tree?

 

 

Basically its an open-world/sandbox universe with a dynamic economy controlled by the AI. X2 is better at this than X3.

 

The universe consists of hundreds of sectors connected by jumpgates. There are 5 sentient races that control their own groups of sectors plus many sectors that are unexplored, uncontrolled, held by pirates, aliens etc and so forth. Every race has stations in each sector that produce a variety of goods from basic energy to food supplies to high level manufactured goods.

 

As a semi-independent you deal with all the races, those who don't hate you that is, and build your own factories, trade goods, protect your investments from attacks etc and so forth. You can choose to fly around in a fast scout fighter, a transport, a heavy carrier and all sorts of other ships, and you'll generally swap off between different ships as you take on different missions etc.

 

Obviously a heavy carrier costs a lot more than a scout fighter, so you have to spend a long time building your infrastrcuture before you can afford one.

 

SO it can be a slow moving game.

 

What's the combat like?

Edited April 11, 2011 by RPGmasterBoo

[Slowtrain]

What's the combat like?

 

 

Bigger ships beat smaller ships 90% of the time.

 

There's a range of ship classes. Light fighters, medium fighters, heavy fighters, a variety of transports of various sizes and capabilities, and a range of heavier capital ships such as destroyers and carriers, plsu some others in betweeen. Every race has its own versions of the different ship classes and they all cost different amounts and have different capaibilities, they can be equipped with a variety of shields and weapons.

 

You can dogfight in a heavy figher or cruise around in a destroyer that has banks of turrets and massive shields but can't turn to save its life or just outrun everything in super fast light fighter. Its pretty wide open.

 

For the most part combat isn't too hard once you learn what to do, but it can be tough early.

[RPGmasterBoo]

Its funny cos the game sounds very in depth and thought out on one hand and on the other multiple people are claiming its a snore fest.

 

I'm also wondering how they crammed so much into the game when other similar games don't offer nearly as many features. They must have cut on something....

[Slowtrain]

Its funny cos the game sounds very in depth and thought out on one hand and on the other multiple people are claiming its a snore fest.

 

 

There's time element involved. In order to buy ships, weapons, shield, gear, factories, transports, mines, lasertowers, stations etc, in other words in order to do any of things you can do in the game, you need money. Lots of money.

 

It can take a long time building your infrastracture to raise the neccessary funds to really get involved in the wide open gameplay.

 

If your're not into the development part of the game, you're going to find it boring.

 

There are many ways to raise money, a variety of missions are available all the time from every station, you can hunt pirates for the authorities, you can smuggle illegal goods between sectors, you can capture ships and take them for your own or sell them off, you can set up remote minign operations on distant asteroids in dangerous sectors, you can capture galactic wildlife and sell it (illegal, of course).

 

But regardless of how go about it, the games requiresa good deal of time to raise money. I would guess that a lot of people get bored during that time and never really see how wide open the game is.

 

 

I'm also wondering how they crammed so much into the game when other similar games don't offer nearly as many features. They must have cut on something....

 

 

The manual. It's a pretty complicated game to learn.

 

X2 is better than X3 but you need to down all the artificial-life updates. They make the universe feel like its a livign breathing place.

 

http://www.egosoft.com/games/x2/info_en.php

[MacMichael]

If you're looking for places they cut, the story, as mentioned, is mostly ignorable. And I have a friend that won't play it because of the autopilot AI. Autopilot AI is basically, fly from point A to point B. Oh, an object in our way, turn away at an angle, fly a little, try to resume, oh, an object in our way, turn away at an angle, fly a little, repeat until you're clear of the object. I personally think I works well enough, considering stations and ships and asteroids can go away and new ones can be placed, since the universe is dynamic. But he won't touch it. They also cut in the QA. When their products ship, they surpass Obsidian for issues, but they're great about patching, and in those patches, adding additional content as well. At this point, you shouldn't have any significant issues. They also strip out the DRM about a year to a year and a half after release with all their games.

 

I personally had a save with a time played marked at 30 days. And I'm not the sort that leaves the game running to let my freighters and stations earn money while I sleep. It's worth checking out if you want a space sim. It's very open as to how you can play. I haven't tried X2, but I've played both X3:R and X3:TC. TC seems to be quicker in making money and earn rank with the different races to purchase their capital ships if speed for play is an issue. In that X3:R playthrough, the 30 day one, I still hadn't picked up a destroyer or carrier. Though I tended to go mostly for the combat than focusing on my trade empire.

[Slowtrain]

If you're looking for places they cut, the story, as mentioned, is mostly ignorable.

 

 

Yep, the story is there, but it's best ignored. I mean, follow it if you want, but the meat of the game is the sandbox play.

 

If you're lookign for a linear, riveting narrative, go elsewhere.

[MacMichael]

I'm also wondering how they crammed so much into the game when other similar games don't offer nearly as many features. They must have cut on something....

The manual. It's a pretty complicated game to learn.

 

Right, the manual, too. If you get a physical copy, pull out the keyboard commands and throw the rest in the trash, it won't help.

 

Edit: This on the other hand, will.

http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=162408

Edited April 11, 2011 by MacMichael

[Slowtrain]

If you get a physical copy, pull out the keyboard commands and throw the rest in the trash, it won't help.

 

 

lol. WOrst manuals I have ever seen. They provide some interesting "travel-guide" sort of info, but are basically 0 help when it comes to do anything practical.

 

I think it took me a week to figure out how to build a station and set it up to run on its own.

[Bos_hybrid]

Don't forget the great mods for X3.

[RPGmasterBoo]

Well before I get my hands on the X series, I've started I-War 2 again.

 

I forgot just how incredibly polished and deep this game is. It makes everything I've played in the last 5 years look like a joke.

[Slowtrain]

Well before I get my hands on the X series, I've started I-War 2 again.

 

 

Well, if you do, don't say I never warned you!

[Gizmo]

what to play when you need your space sim fix

 

Homeworld.

 

*If I'm in a multiplayer mood, then there is also Homeworld:Cataclysm, and Homeworld 2.

[Oner]

Since we've gone from space sims to anyhing that has spaceships in it, it's time to suggest: Imperium Galactica 2, Hegemony, and Nexus: Jupiter Incident (which I'm surprised Purkster hasn't mentioned yet).

[Bos_hybrid]

Imperium Galactica 2, Hegemony, and Nexus: Jupiter Incident (which I'm surprised Purkster hasn't mentioned yet).

 

All great games, especially Nexus.

 

I remember Starpoint Gemini being slammed by reviewers but not why...

 

Missed this, yeah it got bad reviews, it was buggy on relesase, has bad VO and when compared to X games and Eve, it's economy is poor. Still I enjoyed it. And for those interested GamersGate has a special on games with spaceships in it. (No X3 though)

[RPGmasterBoo]

Well before I get my hands on the X series, I've started I-War 2 again.

 

 

Well, if you do, don't say I never warned you!

 

Heh, no worries. By the time I'm finished with IWar2 it'll be 2020.

[Nightshape]

IWar 1 was scary...

[RPGmasterBoo]

Why?