X3 Opinions

[Bison]

I'm in a simming mood and should return to SH IV or V, but I've got a hankering for some space based simming.  Steam is currently running a sale on X3 and I'm a hairs breath away from pulling the trigger, but would like some opinions and observations before I do.

Controls:  Are they intuitive?  Does it involve knowing an entire keyboards worth of hot keys to play?

How's the combat/trading?

How do the missios play out?

Is the AI a challenge?

I'm sure there is more but I'm hoping those of you with experience with the game will fill in the blanks.

[son_of_montfort]

The game is open-world sandbox (although there are several "campaigns") - so the amount of combat or trading really depends on what you want to do. Combat is done well, and is your general joystick-using space fights. When you get larger ships, you can decide if you want to personally pilot fighters, or just control your capital ship and be ponderous and slow while shelling the enemy with you guns.

Trade is just a tiny bit less detailed than actually driving goods from a real-life location to another location. Prices fluctuate, you can transport things personally, you can own your own starports and industries, you can manufacture weapons, goods, food, or mine materials and sell it on the market (or fuel your industries). The economic engine is actually the highlight of the game (more than the combat, IMHO), as you can literally build a space empire under your corporate logo. Once you get the requisite tech, you can hire robotic transports to basically move goods throughout your empire for you, mitigating the need for personal transport and letting you go and do other things.

Missions are given by certain parties and can get you some quick cash. They are fairly open in structure (unless a campaign mission). Most of your progress will be self-driven. Want to go to an enemy sector and board a ship - taking it for your own. Go try it out. Want to take your Carrier into a war with hostile aliens - why not? Missions can direct things, but I think they are less important than overall other things.

Not sure what to say about the AI. It seems competent enough, both your helper AI and the enemy AI. Of course, it doesn't take much competence to fly around space and shoot things. I always found the enemy ships challenging.

Just be warned, the X series takes HOURS to get anything done and DAYS or WEEKS to actually accomplish major goals. Getting the time compression drive does help speed travel times, but still, you will be taking missions, grabbing goods, moving freight, and dealing with minor battles for quite some time before you can afford that capital ship or that awesome freighter. Just keep that in mind.

It is one of the best open-world games on the market. At some point this year, the new version comes out and it is supposed to be a bit more user friendly than X3. But the release date is still just speculative at this point.

[Bison]

Does it require a HOTAS setup for the space combat/piloting?  Or is it mouse and keyboard friendly?

Thanks for the input SoM.

[RooksBailey]

The game is open-world sandbox (although there are several "campaigns") - so the amount of combat or trading really depends on what you want to do. Combat is done well, and is your general joystick-using space fights. When you get larger ships, you can decide if you want to personally pilot fighters, or just control your capital ship and be ponderous and slow while shelling the enemy with you guns.

Trade is just a tiny bit less detailed than actually driving goods from a real-life location to another location. Prices fluctuate, you can transport things personally, you can own your own starports and industries, you can manufacture weapons, goods, food, or mine materials and sell it on the market (or fuel your industries). The economic engine is actually the highlight of the game (more than the combat, IMHO), as you can literally build a space empire under your corporate logo. Once you get the requisite tech, you can hire robotic transports to basically move goods throughout your empire for you, mitigating the need for personal transport and letting you go and do other things.

Missions are given by certain parties and can get you some quick cash. They are fairly open in structure (unless a campaign mission). Most of your progress will be self-driven. Want to go to an enemy sector and board a ship - taking it for your own. Go try it out. Want to take your Carrier into a war with hostile aliens - why not? Missions can direct things, but I think they are less important than overall other things.

Not sure what to say about the AI. It seems competent enough, both your helper AI and the enemy AI. Of course, it doesn't take much competence to fly around space and shoot things. I always found the enemy ships challenging.

Just be warned, the X series takes HOURS to get anything done and DAYS or WEEKS to actually accomplish major goals. Getting the time compression drive does help speed travel times, but still, you will be taking missions, grabbing goods, moving freight, and dealing with minor battles for quite some time before you can afford that capital ship or that awesome freighter. Just keep that in mind.

It is one of the best open-world games on the market. At some point this year, the new version comes out and it is supposed to be a bit more user friendly than X3. But the release date is still just speculative at this point.

This is an excellent summation, especially the part on how long it takes to accomplish anything.  I've always felt that this game doesn't have a steep learning curve as much as a hostile learning curve.  ;D  The game is so difficult at times that it feels like it goes out of its way to get you to stop playing it.   

If you think you can stomach such a vertical learning curve, then jump on in because right now it is the best open sandbox space sim on the market (but Evochron Mercenary is good, too!).

Oh, and I play with keyboard and mouse with no difficulty.

[mikeck]

Control of the ship itself is very simplistic. I use the joystick because it's easier but you can get away with the mouse you certainly don't need HOTAS set up at all. I have a thrust control on my joystick that I used that you don't need it.

The game does not use Newtonian physics so when you turn the thrust down you stop instantly. Turn left you don't drift at all

[Huw the Poo]

I can't answer your questions any better than Monty already has.  I'll say, though, that if you're prepared to put in the effort, the X games are breathtakingly rewarding.  You can go from starting the game in a tiny fighter owning nothing but the shirt on your back, to being the head of a vast empire - stations, factories, entire fleets of ships, carriers, battleships, etc.  It's mind-boggling.

In all honesty, if you think you only want a space sim to play in order to scratch an itch, I'd say go with something like Evochron Mercenary.  But if you think you can devote a good chunk of time over the next year, X3 will be one of the best gaming purchases you ever make.

[TheCommandTent]

SOM nailed it.  I tried the game a while back and enjoyed the concepts and the openness within the game.  However, I burned out quickly with how long it took to do anything.

[son_of_montfort]

Does it require a HOTAS setup for the space combat/piloting?  Or is it mouse and keyboard friendly?

Thanks for the input SoM.

I tried to use the mouse and keyboard, but I found it to be a bit too... well.. something. Just did not feel right. I suggest just a joystick, with mouse and keyboard close at hand for all the myriad keybindings and UI menus. No need for HOTAS, as Mike said.

Huw's suggestion is also good. If you are looking for something a little lighter but with a similar vibe, the Evochron series is pretty good. The economy is WAY more simplistic, but you don't have to spend hours just flying freight from one port to another in order to afford your next mercantile software upgrade.

And no problem, bud. I love talking about games!

[eyebiter]

Would recommend X3:TC, try Humble Merchant start.  This give you a Mercury freighter and a Discover light ship. 

Take the Discover south into Paranid space, then west to Savage Spur and claim the abandoned Enhanced Pericles M4.  Fly back to Argon space and sell the two flak cannons and the M5 ship.  Use the proceeds to outfit your Mercury Freighter to gather minerals in the Ore Belt system.  Use left over credits to arm the M4 with multiple Impulse Ray Emitter and a few Particle Accelerator Cannons.  Use the fighter to do missions while the freighter mines automatically. 

This thread explains mobile mining
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=145943

Try to buy all the useful software upgrades you can get for your primary ship.  At some point you will get enough credits for a jump drive, and later an automated trader.  Once you get that first large freighter set up to automatically trade, your credit balance will grow.  Just keep at least a 1 million dollar float so your trader has enough working capital to buy and sell goods.   

[Jarhead0331]

Are there any cheats?  In other words...is there any code that will give you money, or permit you to purchase vessels without having to do it the old fashioned way?  I wish there was a campaign where you could start with a small empire already established.  Maybe one or two space stations, a couple of large freighters and a good defensive fleet.

I remember finding a guide to easter eggs, including ships located in remote locations, that you could take over and then use or sell.  This helped a lot, but navigating to the location, taking the ship and converting it still took a tremendous amount of time.

[eyebiter]

google X3tc abandoned ships

Just fly to the coordinates, eject, claim the new ship to get ownerless vessels for free.  Keep in mind it takes a while to fly to those locations, and some are located in dangerous sectors.

[Jarhead0331]

google X3tc abandoned ships

Just fly to the coordinates, eject, claim the new ship to get ownerless vessels for free.  Keep in mind it takes a while to fly to those locations, and some are located in dangerous sectors.

That's pretty much what I added to my post above. I also said it took a long time to do... :P  you must have posted while I was modifying.

I'm looking for a bit more of a shortcut to wealth and success.

[mikeck]

I would highly recommend starting out doing the campaign. The latest version is X3: Albion Prelude. The campaign is short but relatively easy. Best of all, as you go through, you are given better and better ships that you get to keep. When you finish the campaign (or get a good way into it) you have a good feel for the game, have a Corvette, freighter and a few fighters to do missions with as well as a ton of cash (rewards for campaign missions) with which to start your trading empire

My only problem with the game? Once I was making a ton of money, had a dozen freighters and a frigate with fighters...I kinda sat there like "now what"? You can go attack stuff but why? It regenerates. I was hoping that I could engage bother corporation in a trade war but you can't.

Some people love true open sandbox play but for me, I need a "conquer the -whatever- goal"

[Bison]

Well I've decided to go ahead and give it a go.  Of course the last thing I really need is a new time sink.

[son_of_montfort]

Would recommend X3:TC, try Humble Merchant start.  This give you a Mercury freighter and a Discover light ship. 

Take the Discover south into Paranid space, then west to Savage Spur and claim the abandoned Enhanced Pericles M4.  Fly back to Argon space and sell the two flak cannons and the M5 ship.  Use the proceeds to outfit your Mercury Freighter to gather minerals in the Ore Belt system.  Use left over credits to arm the M4 with multiple Impulse Ray Emitter and a few Particle Accelerator Cannons.  Use the fighter to do missions while the freighter mines automatically. 

This thread explains mobile mining
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=145943

Try to buy all the useful software upgrades you can get for your primary ship.  At some point you will get enough credits for a jump drive, and later an automated trader.  Once you get that first large freighter set up to automatically trade, your credit balance will grow.  Just keep at least a 1 million dollar float so your trader has enough working capital to buy and sell goods.   

This is extremely helpful. I think I may boot up and try this!