X4
- Thread starter lokvette
- Start date
Sounds like going back to it's roots of being trade empire game. Good! XR was huge misfire for trying to be FP experience and strategy game in same time.
Sounds good about X4.
I see that Rebirth has a 4 gig update. Going to download it and try it again before probably getting frustrated with it in 10 minutes.
I wonder what they meant by "When we worked on X Rebirth we needed to make a lot of simplifications"?
I see that Rebirth has a 4 gig update. Going to download it and try it again before probably getting frustrated with it in 10 minutes.
I wonder what they meant by "When we worked on X Rebirth we needed to make a lot of simplifications"?
They tried to streamline experience and add first person flavour to it. Needless to say they failed and ran out of money, being forced to release broken game which was heavily simplified towards mainstream audience.
i Played all X games except for Rebirth. That last one was too much of a mess to get involved in.
I enjoyed the X series, but I always regretted that they used the limited sector box method to create the game space, and they had no real celestial bodies either.
This method never gave you the feeling of being in true endless space. You just jumped from box to box and after a short while you had visited all boxes and had seen everything.
One of the things I never enjoyed was the factory management part of the game. I always felt that it did not belong.
For me Elite always was the real thing and I only played the X-games because there was no alternative.
Perhaps X4 will be a surprising sequel, but I do not expect it to be able to seduce me at all.
I enjoyed the X series, but I always regretted that they used the limited sector box method to create the game space, and they had no real celestial bodies either.
This method never gave you the feeling of being in true endless space. You just jumped from box to box and after a short while you had visited all boxes and had seen everything.
One of the things I never enjoyed was the factory management part of the game. I always felt that it did not belong.
For me Elite always was the real thing and I only played the X-games because there was no alternative.
Perhaps X4 will be a surprising sequel, but I do not expect it to be able to seduce me at all.
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X:Rebirth is actually pretty great, and has many functions that I sincerely hope they put into X4. The horrible release plus the expectations that this would be X4 was what dragged the game down, but if you ignore that the current version is impressive. Bot hgameplay wise as well as visuals.
There was a thread going on the Egosoft forum around the release time of Rebirth where someone went looking at the game files and came to the conclusion that Egosoft were trying to build an Xbox 360 version of X. The poster's theory was that they couldn't get a cut down version of an X game to work on the 360, so they did a hasty port to PC and we ended up with X:Rebirth.
I lost interest in visiting the Egosoft forum not long after and didn't keep up with the speculation.
That makes sense - the early X:R worked perfect with xbone controller but not joystick, the UI was perfect for console, textures were poor - my first thought was, hey, isnt that a failed xbox port?
Anyway, looking forward to new X4, I think Egosoft might positively surprise us.
I might buy it in a Steam sale.
I am curious about the game's systems and mechanics.
What they meant by this is they had to simplify it for the consoles. If you believe the stories, this was a failed console game, that may have got rejected by Microsoft, leaving them with a butchered game that had to be fiddled with to get it to work on PC. I bought that damn thing and can well believe it.
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X rebirth did launch with a huge array of bugs, a lot of which i would hope have been fixed, I know there has been several patches and new DLC since it came out. I have always used a lot of mods for all of the X games but one thing I will say the single player campaign has always been enjoyable.
Also having a fleet and network of factories always gave me the sense of doing something more than move cargo from a to b. But then i've played them all so I'm always going to be excited when Egosoft say there is a new one coming.
Also having a fleet and network of factories always gave me the sense of doing something more than move cargo from a to b. But then i've played them all so I'm always going to be excited when Egosoft say there is a new one coming.
A lot of core files (dx related, just to name one) have xbox tags at random places. Just because you go through everything on your download and find the word 'xbox' doesnt mean a giant conspiracy took place. Egosoft would have welcomed a port for sure, but that was never an option with the state of the game and xbox QA. The story of X:R is much simpler: the goal was to have a streamlined and intuitive version of X. A game where the economy would be fully simulated down the very last canister of cargo. A game where half of it would be empire-building, but with a more sensible hierarchy of personal and staff, and the other half would be a bit of the Elite experience. The assumption was that flying around in your spaceship and doing stuff, or walking around for that matter, should be more interesting that hitting [speed 1000x] as with the older games. It was supposed to be both deep and accessible, empire-building and action. Tons of engine problems, re-works, re-factoring blabla basically resulted in the publisher running out of patience (think freelancer) and demanding it to be released. Many things were not even remotely finished (fleet wouldnt have AI and would just sit there and get blown up, for example) and the entire economy would inevitably crash in 30 min or so.
Right now all those issues are gone, and much stuff has been added. Setting up your completely self-contained industry, from harvesting of basic resources to building giant warships with all parts made by your own factories and defended by your own fleets, is massively impressive. And the hyper-over-the-top-absurdly-non-realistic sci-fi graphics are stunning at every point.
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One of the most impressive things about this game, is seeing all that "debate" (replace it with "drivel" as of personal tastes) about the "failed console port" theory coming up after all those years...the developers screwed big time with the interface and "minigames" approach, this being a thing I think pretty much anyone can agree on. And what the vast majority of the vocal people about the console argument never did know, is that Egosoft have almost always tried to have something viable also for consoles. Their attempt at having a console game go as far back as X3 Reunion, released in 2005 and expected to have release on Xbox too; they practically had the game already ported and running on the console, but in the end the Xbox version was ditched because of interface and (most of all) performance limitations of the console at the time. In the end, X3 was released PC only, had an awful crapload of critically-crippling game bugs that were ironed out in following months/years, and became known as the cult game that everyone now wants back.
X Rebirth had lots of shaders references to Xbox360, because they never hid their intention of leaving the door open for a possible console version of their games. This has nothing to do with them producing a "failed porting", the game failed because of the many gameplay decisions that ranged from "questionable" to "what the heck did they have in mind?", and that would have been appalling the same even if the game was an Xbox exclusive. Technical and engine bugs were many and varied, this has been practically an Egosoft trademark for every title, and they were sistematically resolved as with their previous games (no really, someone should remember how X3 run on its first days after release, some people couldn't play it at all for months...and the same happened with the release of Terran Conflict, practically the same engine and game with added content!)....bad gameplay decisions marked the game for good, and those would have been bad on PC as much as on consoles (first version of highways and smalltalk, above everything, fps sections and NPC coming second but close).
Last thing. Many people ignore it, but Steam has a "Big Picture" mode too, to use pc games from a console-style interface, and preferably a pad too. Here's the reason why X Rebirth at start was so gamepad and console centered. And I see this as another judgment error on Egosoft part, focusing too much on a mode that practically no one used, and no one intended to use on such a game from the start.
X Rebirth had lots of shaders references to Xbox360, because they never hid their intention of leaving the door open for a possible console version of their games. This has nothing to do with them producing a "failed porting", the game failed because of the many gameplay decisions that ranged from "questionable" to "what the heck did they have in mind?", and that would have been appalling the same even if the game was an Xbox exclusive. Technical and engine bugs were many and varied, this has been practically an Egosoft trademark for every title, and they were sistematically resolved as with their previous games (no really, someone should remember how X3 run on its first days after release, some people couldn't play it at all for months...and the same happened with the release of Terran Conflict, practically the same engine and game with added content!)....bad gameplay decisions marked the game for good, and those would have been bad on PC as much as on consoles (first version of highways and smalltalk, above everything, fps sections and NPC coming second but close).
Last thing. Many people ignore it, but Steam has a "Big Picture" mode too, to use pc games from a console-style interface, and preferably a pad too. Here's the reason why X Rebirth at start was so gamepad and console centered. And I see this as another judgment error on Egosoft part, focusing too much on a mode that practically no one used, and no one intended to use on such a game from the start.
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I have always loved the X games and this is good news indeed, I sniped the first bit which was them talking about making X compatible with VR..
They shoot themself so bad with X Rubish I wonder what happens if they announce X4 on steam.
The old shool fans like me that loved X1,X2,X3 are alinated by X Rubish
The steam costumers are alienated by the bugs and lies on X Rubish launch.
The few that likes X Rubish will be alienated of X4 in case they truely go back to their roots.
Who is left to buy it? They have to make an extremly convincing (and bug free for steam!!!) Game to recover from the damage they did and I have my doubts that they are still capable to do a game of the calibre of X-Series. Not with Bernd and his left reality and taste nature in the lead.
Their Statement is interesting. It was very clear to everyone that XRubish will not be an X4. No one liked that you just have to read the forums (a clear red flag) and X4 was wished but Ego hoped that their old Player base will not be too alienated and they can win new (console type) Players with their changes. Well that didn't work but it is not because old shools were not open to changes and gave it a chance but because they messed up completly. XRubsih is trash in very many aspects. I gave it a fair chance played over 100 hours or so and I was one of the last that gave up because I clunk on my X1,2,3 memories. Sadly I had to write the X-Serie off as dead.
Good luck Ego. if you haven't learnt your lession with the debacle you shouldn't bother to even try it or all it does is ending in another disaster.
Sorry, but I feel like I have to contradict you about this (we are in opinion land here, so please don't take this as personal or anything
), that didn't work with us old-schools for the most relevant part, and very much so because the majority of us just wasn't open to changes, even if we should talk more about "going back" than actual changes (if you have memories of X-BtF, you should have found more than a couple of striking similarities between the two games). Most of people jumped in, drowned in a sea of bugs and embarassing or sorely lacking gameplay features compared to previous games (but even compared to any games), and (rightly so) said "I'm outta here, never looking back".People who looked back after a couple of years, AND were open to changes, found a very different and quite matured game, that of course still has little to share to X2/3 as far as actual gameplay go (so if that's anyone cup of tea, no point in keeping the sorrow over XR, that's just something else, always have been, always will be, move over...we still have ED after all [big grin]), but yet remains a more than valid title in its own merit.
As for me, biggest problem still remaining with Rebirth is that I found it too depending on user made mods to have an enjoyable experience (I couldn't really play it the same without capital ship bridges, trade agents hirable without small talking, removing the dreadful and ever present "show me your wares please"), while I always played X2 and X3 in their vanilla state without too many gripes...but aside of that, it still gave me several hundreds hours of fun, and some truly epic moments, and also has been the only X game were I found the "empire building" part a somewhat compelling activity...being the "freelance pilot" kind of player, the sheer amount of management required in previous games for mantaining a profitable business and any kind of large fleet always put me off....in this regard, I felt the more streamlined XR version more akin to my tastes....maybe even a bit too much streamlined actually, but we'll see what X4 will have in store for "space spreadsheet tycoons".
About the VR version of Rebirth? Leaving aside all considerations about the required changes to gameplay/economy/interface...I really, really wouldn't want to find myself in front of one of the many space grannies and other sub-human forms inhabiting the stations...they'd better get rid of those above everything else, people could have PTSD from that experience
That was one of Bernd's Argument to dump it down.
That's where we differ. The one I know and address are those that had no issue with that but actually that was the essence of X2,X3 next to that you could fight Xenons in sectors covered with xenos and not just named Xenon sector but oh sorry we forgot to plant ship in there..and that other Alien cristal race I forgot. (it's what is missing in ED today 2 enemy Alien races putting live intot he univers) Best Thing byway was that you could improt your own Bitmap as factory logo. I never understood why they erased that from the game. That Little Detail made the game factors better because you get a possesion and home Feeling.
X-BtF I know but I do not see much parallel of X-Rubish to the early X. Early X had an excellent flaire with menu Screen and Story. X -Rubish on the other Hand has an agressive "Show me your warez" anyoing character which goes through the whole game and puts me off. NExt to the most ugly space ship I have ever seen but ok thats a matter of taste.
I gave X Rubish a second Chance a few short month ago to see what have changed. They did change a lot but it couldnt Keep me in the game for longer than an hour it is simple bad. The onyl good Thing is the Transport ships design how they look and blow up and the Boarding of the ships with your toups but that is not somethign new. Byway my factories from ym early game are still a complete mess graphical and do still not work.
About the VR version of Rebirth? Leaving aside all considerations about the required changes to gameplay/economy/interface...I really, really wouldn't want to find myself in front of one of the many space grannies and other sub-human forms inhabiting the stations...they'd better get rid of those above everything else, people could have PTSD from that experience
Ah yes that space grannies are famous now. Did Bernd ever tell why he included them?
Didn't know there is a VR Version (in planing!?) of X Rubish... I guess I will have to read their Forum once again soon.
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I never understood the uproar when not-young and not-sexy women were in a game, but hey, must be me...