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Antigravitas
Dec 8, 2019

Die Rettung fuer die Landwirte:
Probably a driver problem tbh.

I've never experienced a crash except that one time I ran the game with a development version of my graphics driver.

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Major Isoor
Mar 23, 2011

TheDeadlyShoe posted:

no. theyve discussed adding the ability to teleport the phq, but for the moment if you want it somewhere else you have to mod.

drat, that's a shame. :( Oh well, I might have to add a mod that let's me specify where to dump it, or something. (Although out of curiosity, will adding mods mess with my save? Like, disabling achievements and whatnot)

Either way, I think I'll wait until the SV expack comes out, and dive into the game then

TheDeadlyShoe
Feb 14, 2014

pretense is my co-pilot

Major Isoor posted:

drat, that's a shame. :( Oh well, I might have to add a mod that let's me specify where to dump it, or something. (Although out of curiosity, will adding mods mess with my save? Like, disabling achievements and whatnot)

Either way, I think I'll wait until the SV expack comes out, and dive into the game then

I am not actually sure about cheevos, but it does restrict your abilities to do ventures.

a7m2
Jul 9, 2012


Major Isoor posted:

Either way, I think I'll wait until the SV expack comes out, and dive into the game then

Me too. I hope it comes out soon so I can burn myself out on it by the time Animal Crossing comes out

Mokotow
Apr 16, 2012

Huh, I just found this emote :egosoft: - anyone remember where it came from?

pixaal
Jan 8, 2004

All ice cream is now for all beings, no matter how many legs.


probably warp gates blowing you up when entering them like 1% of the time in x3. I remember it taking awhile for that to get fixed too.

Antigravitas
Dec 8, 2019

Die Rettung fuer die Landwirte:
If you approached a gate from the center you would sometimes get sudden incoming traffic in the form of a capital ship.

A capital ship hitting you at that speed typically instantly killed you.

I still approach gates from an angle in X4 despite collision damage being turned off…

TheDeadlyShoe
Feb 14, 2014

pretense is my co-pilot

Let's not forget the good times in X2, when the dogfighting AI would wait until the last microsecond to break off - resulting in uncountable player deaths via head-on collision.

Antigravitas
Dec 8, 2019

Die Rettung fuer die Landwirte:
X has had some really fun bugs over the years. Like fighters vigorously crashing themselves into the stations they are trying to attack. So you could take station defence missions and never actually go and defend them as long as you didn't leave the sector.

Also, Xenon Qs one-shotting everything out of sector.

There's also that one station type that will kill you when you try to undock in a Hyperion Vanguard because the ship is too big and clips into the station.

And the terran economy was so hosed it got garbage collected if you didn't intervene very quickly. Same for the plasma flamethrower fabs in pirate territory.

Alchenar
Apr 9, 2008

The crippled economy on the frontier sectors as long chains of transports tried to go through a xenon sector to collect their wares, instantly exploding.

RIP Syndrome
Feb 24, 2016

In X2 I set up a swarm of Paranid Pericles Pegasus with maxed out engine tunings once. They went at some stupid speed like 1000m/s. Unfortunately that meant their target engagement window was so small that they couldn't get a single shot off. They'd just start an approach, instantly break off and go back to start the next approach over and over until they were all dead from crashing into the target and each other.

Also every ship used the same combat algorithm, meaning capital ships would spend most of their time in one spot trying to line up their target for an attack run.

RIP Syndrome fucked around with this message at 09:49 on Mar 3, 2020

RIP Syndrome
Feb 24, 2016

They're still amazing games though. The huge handcrafted universe made exploration interesting and there are few games that do alife/agent-based simulation on that scale. One of the big wow moments was finding my first pirate base (I was following pirates around to see what they were up to).

OwlFancier
Aug 22, 2013

3.0 and Split Vendetta both out on March 31st.

quote:

We will significantly enlarge our current title X4: Foundations at the end of the month. Both the free 3.0 Update to X4: Foundations and its first expansion, X4: Split Vendetta, will be released on March 31st, 2020, giving space game enthusiasts the perfect opportunity to newly discover or revisit the biggest space sandbox this side of the galaxy!

3.0 Update introducing diplomatic missions: "A lever to move the world"

With the biggest update since the release of X4: Foundations, EGOSOFT extends its current title with the new storyline "A lever to move the world", introducing diplomatic missions.

In addition to a new unlockable game start and three new, stand-alone tutorial scenarios to welcome new pilots to the X universe, X4: Foundations players will also benefit from numerous new gameplay elements with the 3.0 Update. X4: Foundations will also receive French voice recordings for the first time.

The complete change log for the 3.0 Update includes more than 400 individual entries covering new features, weapons, sectors, improved gameplay elements, an upgraded user interface experience and many fixes. The full list is available in our forums.


Main Features:
New storyline, introducing diplomatic missions: "A lever to move the worlds"
New systems to discover, experience and conquer
Added French voice recordings
3 new stand-alone tutorial scenarios including a flight school
New ships: Paranid Ares heavy fighter, Xenon T scout, Teladi Cormorant transporter
New unlockable game start
Virtual seminars and quicker skill progression for crew training
Individual and group crew transfer
Configurable alert system
Ability to dock using a spacesuit
Policing options for player-owned space
Several new weapons
Improved graphics engine
Improved sound effects
Improvements to menus including Map, Encyclopedia, Logical Station overview and Logbook
More control over drones and turrets
Alternative steering methods including head tracking systems and X3 retro mode
Oxygen display when player is in spacesuit
Search facility for Logbook

X4: Split Vendetta

X4: Split Vendetta is the next chapter in the X4: Foundations story. This is the first big expansion for X4: Foundations, which was released in November 2018 on PC. The expansion greatly increases the size of the universe and introduces two new Split family clans along with their economy, new ships, weapons and station modules.

Along with Update 3.0 to X4: Foundations, the X4: Split Vendetta expansion brings exciting new missions and adventures to the game. New game-starts allow an even more varied experience in the biggest sandbox this side of the galaxy! TRADE with the Split families or FIGHT against them; BUILD your own station designs based on the new modules, and THINK carefully on your path through the new diplomatic missions.

X4: Split Vendetta will be released on March 31st, 2020 ($14.99 / £12.49 / €14.99) and is the first of two expansions that will be automatically available to owners of the X4: Foundations Collector's Edition.

Main Features:
New story missions and adventures with two new Split family clans
Massive expansion of the universe
Exciting new Split weapon technology
Many new ships
Lots of new station modules

https://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791460032630/announcements/detail/1716373422391773949

Pretty good price, honestly. £12.50 for a good size expansion isn't bad!

TheDeadlyShoe
Feb 14, 2014

pretense is my co-pilot

Kinda worried that they haven't done anything to corral the Xenon Apocalypse that's been occurring for numerous betas - and now there's only 2 weeks left. Which means maybe 1 week left in practice.

I'd like to think its fixed on the SV version, but historically hoping there's a 'Secret fix in the live version' has never worked out. Unless Xenon Apocalypse doesn't tend to happen in the SV map, and its only vanilla plebs that will suffer it.

It's far from a minor issue since its permanent to savegames.

OwlFancier
Aug 22, 2013

I kinda like the xenon apocalypse but yeah it certainly makes the game... "interesting" in that entire swathes of galactic society are destroyed.

On the other hand releasing the patch like that would be quite topical :v:

BlankSystemDaemon
Mar 13, 2009



My X52 Pro and I are ready.

Thom12255
Feb 23, 2013
WHERE THE FUCK IS MY MONEY
Coming out on the same day as Bannerlord, Corona isolation won't be so bad.

Leal
Oct 2, 2009

Alchenar posted:

The crippled economy on the frontier sectors as long chains of transports tried to go through a xenon sector to collect their wares, instantly exploding.

Working as intended ,thats what you get playing chicken :v:

Major Isoor
Mar 23, 2011
Urgh, I tell you what, the problem with the 31st March release date for Split Vendetta is that now I have to decide whether I want to buy/play this first, or Bannerlord :negative:

By the way, are OTAS (I think they're called?) in X4, or have they gone bust? I loved some of their ships in X3TC, like the Venti, Boreas and especially the Solano. (I once spent far too long successfully 1v1ing a Xenon Q while in a Solano, using only one or two piddly mass drivers...I'm lucky there was a small station in the sector, for me to restock my ammo at :v:)

OwlFancier
Aug 22, 2013

The whole art design is extremely different from X3, the only ones that actually look at all similar IMO are the paranid, and the split in the new expansion. The Teladi got a whole new look based around flying mushrooms (also used in Rebirth) and the Argon are sort of using the same colour scheme and materials but their ships look different, albeit I guess on a similar "default space human" kind of theme.

OTAS and their designs aren't in, nor is there any inspiration from them that I can tell.

ughhhh
Oct 17, 2012

Now that quaretine is in effect and bannerlord is still a few weeks off, want to check this game out. How much have they changed wrt quality of life stuff since x3? I remember having pages of notes and huge number of mods playing x3 in highschool. Is it easier to pick up in comparison to x3 and are the interface and menus better organized?

OwlFancier
Aug 22, 2013

The interface, in my opinion, is by far the best improvement, the map is absolutely amazing compared to X3 and the station designer is great too.

If you took this game's mechanics and put it into X3's universe and library of content, it'd be the best game by a mile, as it stands this suffers from a bit of a limitation of content, but the expansion may improve that.

It's good fun, but you probably won't play it for a million hours like some people did X3, but if you want a space sandbox game it's a pretty fun one, IMO.

Antigravitas
Dec 8, 2019

Die Rettung fuer die Landwirte:

ughhhh posted:

Now that quaretine is in effect and bannerlord is still a few weeks off, want to check this game out. How much have they changed wrt quality of life stuff since x3? I remember having pages of notes and huge number of mods playing x3 in highschool. Is it easier to pick up in comparison to x3 and are the interface and menus better organized?

From X3? Holy gently caress, that's night and day.

Imagine, if you will, a map you can zoom in and out of by using your mouse wheel (!) and move via wasd, and you can seamlessly view the entire galaxy at once and zoom down onto individual ships.

Imagine clicking on a ship of yours and giving an order with a right click and context menu, right there in the map.

Imagine not connecting dozens of small factories via tubes but instead planning your complexes from modules and then having a builder build it for you.

The UI is completely different from X3. It does have a few quirks that take some time getting used to, especially around commanding units, and it's hard to grok why a station manager is (not) doing the things they do, but in general the entire interface is much, much easier to navigate.

NeurosisHead
Jul 22, 2007

NONONONONONONONONO

Thom12255 posted:

Coming out on the same day as Bannerlord, Corona isolation won't be so bad.

I'm legit upset and don't know which to play

Rhjamiz
Oct 28, 2007

Is the Split expansion going to bring Foundations somewhere near X3 content? I find myself mostly waiting for more to DO.

big nipples big life
May 12, 2014

going to play bannerlord because the split expansion is going to need 3 patches minimum anyway.

V for Vegas
Sep 1, 2004

THUNDERDOME LOSER
Yeah that Bannerlord beta will be pretty smooth and bug free I bet.

OwlFancier
Aug 22, 2013

Rhjamiz posted:

Is the Split expansion going to bring Foundations somewhere near X3 content? I find myself mostly waiting for more to DO.

Very unlikely to be anything close to later X3 games, given they're basically three games worth of iterative content glued together.

But there are seemingly some story-like missions going in, both in vanilla and in the expansion, and the 3.0 patch makes the universe much more alive and adds a lot more conflict. There's also mods that add/rebalance ships and weapons to make them more interesting.

If you're on the fence then wait and see exactly what the expansion adds, in terms of sectors and content. That's what I'm planning to do given there's a few things I'd like coming out around this time and I've only really got funds for one.

ughhhh
Oct 17, 2012

Looks like I will have to pick this up if the UI is indeed better. Not a shut-in teen anymore where I can pour over the wired UI.

Mokotow
Apr 16, 2012

ughhhh posted:

Looks like I will have to pick this up if the UI is indeed better. Not a shut-in teen anymore where I can pour over the wired UI.

Oh nonono you misunderstand - the UI is better, but still weird as gently caress

OwlFancier
Aug 22, 2013

I genuinely really like the map, it's more or less exactly what I've wanted for an X game and the ability to just... move between all sectors in real time is genuinely an incredible achievement.

But yeah some of the way things work is still a bit obscure, The manager system is at the same time simple and unintuitive, in that it automates a lot of stuff, but is kind of obscure in how it works in detail.

It's like they were trying to make the game easy to use but they did it by hiding information they thought you wouldn't want to know.

Alchenar
Apr 9, 2008

Waiting for the 50% off sale.

TheDeadlyShoe
Feb 14, 2014

pretense is my co-pilot

My biggest issue with the UI is that it doesn't *quite* work like an RTS, because issuing a new order always queues it instead of interrupting a new order. So if a ship is flying somewhere, and instead you want it to attack a target, you have to go into its menu to cancel its orders or issue as "Cancel All Orders" command before the attack order will take place.

BlankSystemDaemon
Mar 13, 2009



TheDeadlyShoe posted:

My biggest issue with the UI is that it doesn't *quite* work like an RTS, because issuing a new order always queues it instead of interrupting a new order. So if a ship is flying somewhere, and instead you want it to attack a target, you have to go into its menu to cancel its orders or issue as "Cancel All Orders" command before the attack order will take place.
I dunno, having to keep in mind order of operations for autonomous systems (the ones controlling the ships, in-universe) makes a kind of sense to me. Optionally, installing crew should, of course, let some level of independent priority leveling take place.
Seems like a thing they could add in a patch.

Antigravitas
Dec 8, 2019

Die Rettung fuer die Landwirte:
It would be great if the autonomous systems, but especially station managers, would explain themselves more.

I had stations the were lacking in input materials, had full outputs, a sell price below buy price in sectors...and idle traders. And no indicator why things weren't moving.

big nipples big life
May 12, 2014

V for Vegas posted:

Yeah that Bannerlord beta will be pretty smooth and bug free I bet.

I'm sure it will be buggy too but I've been waiting a lot longer for a new m&b and I like starting over in it where I don't much care for early game X.

Fargin Icehole
Feb 19, 2011

Pet me.
So. is X4 good now? I preordered and lost 50 dollars to Rebirth on launch day in I think 2013, so i feel like i have to ask.

Fargin Icehole fucked around with this message at 04:36 on Mar 21, 2020

OwlFancier
Aug 22, 2013

It's not X3 but I enjoy playing it, I really can't say whether it's "good" or not because X games are so hit and miss anyway and everyone seems to like different things about them. The interface is much better, it looks really nice, but it's not got anything like as much content in it. But the base gameplay is there and I think, better than previous games because the stuff you make actually materially affects the world, factions buy your goods and make ships out of them and use them to fight wars and how the war goes means they'll take over or lose territory. It's the kind of simulation you would have killed for in X3, but there's a lot less stuff to buy and places to see, and not much in the way of missions to do.

It depends what you want out of an X game, really.

Fargin Icehole
Feb 19, 2011

Pet me.
I'd like to think that i'm in the minority because I played a lot of Space flight stuff but I tried really hard to like X3:Terran Conflict/Albion Prelude, but it just wasn't my thing.

I do want to make my own faction, base, and carve my own way into the galaxy and all that, but it also has to be engaging and fun.

I've played roughly an hour of X3, and Rebirth even less.

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The Cheshire Cat
Jun 10, 2008

Fun Shoe
The thing about the X series is it's not really a space combat game, it's a space management game that occasionally features combat. It's more of a strategy game where your perspective is from one of the units on the ground.

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