So there is no fleet building, deployment, and resource management aspects to this game?
What other games are we all playing?
- Thread starter Schindler
- Start date
Well worth playing. ManyATrueNerd is doing an ultra-hard run on YouTube at the moment.
When I can't be bothered to play ED, I'm part-way through TombRaider: Origin and Surviving Mars was free the other day so I started playing that too.
How does it compare to X3? I don't own that game either, but it's on my wishlist since I've seen people rave about it. Is one better than the other, or is each it's own separate thing?
It's rounded up for installation files, so it's usually a bit under the advertised size.
It's been probably about two years since I've played Subnautica and it was the the most awesome gaming experience of that year for me.
I've been planning to replay it at some point, but it wouldn't be the same the second time, but sometimes I just fire it up, walk around my base, or go for the swim.
It's an extraordinary game.
It's the RTS space version of Civ IV. It's a really good strategy world building/civilization game that you could get into playing for hours just like Civ.
You manage the pacifist/diplomatic/martial/colonial etc. expansion of your species into space which is subdivided into sectors. You can pick traits and decide what culture, socioeconomics your society will be for several generations. You can decide on the number of NPC civilization competitors/allies/opponents you might interact with based on a RNG distribution of the player and NPC civilizations.
There are some really good playthoughs on youtube. Here is a detailed overview by Aspec for beginners
Oh yes. It also has an AWESOME soundtrack. One of the best in the gaming industry to date. These links are playthough no commentary
With Humans
Alien species
Yep. Unique take on "inner space" in the space genre. Something I'm hoping ED will have in a future update. RNG POIs like Subnautica for procedural generated earth like and water worlds.
Placed on wish list. Broke this month.
No no no, "it's a 4X strategy game", not "a X4 strategy game"!
They're called "4X" in the sense of "eXpand, eXplore, eXploit, eXterminate" as in the basic rules of action you can use in such types of strategy games.
X4 is an entirely different thing, a first-person economic simulator and fleet/assets management title set in the namesake "X-Universe" sandbox. You personally fly your ships, from fighters to full carriers and capitals, or hire people to do it.
Also I forgot: space legs! Not particularly meaningful for anything, but walking down the ramp of your ship and seeing how fricking huge that thing is, always give a bit of satisfaction.
X3 Terran Conflict/Albion Prelude is probably still the most feature complete game of the series even without space legs, they're niche games and the learning curve is not a curve but a vertical line, but once you're in and it clicks, you'll never get out.
That's only $15 on Steam (it's an older game as I understand it), and that is regular non-sale price. I hear many think it's better than X4, though perhaps that's due to bugs in the newer title.
So IIRC, there is little overlap in Stellaris and X3, so buying one doesn't make the other redundant, yes? What about this Galaxy version of Stellaris - it sounds like it's just few cosmetic things and some music, worth the extra few $$ to get?
OH, and can I actually save my progress in Stellaris when playing offline? I usually don't have time to dedicate all day for a single play through.
There's no overlap at all between Stellaris and X3, totally unrelated game genres, the only aspect where they could overlap is the available time to play both. 
X3 should be easy to get even for less than 15 €, it's also available on GoG if one prefers that to Steam.
As for comparing with X4 it's hard to say and probably too articulate to avoid a wall of text, let's just say that X4 does some stuff that X3 doesn't (space legs, powerful station building editor, modular capital ships to name a few), but X3 could build on years upon years of iterations, refinements and patches, and also has campaigns and story missions (albeit at a very basic and rough execution) that are all but lacking in the latter title. Also, I may be a bit nostalgic and biased in this but I still find X3 atmosphere superior to X4, music on par with Stellaris on the awesomeness scale.
X3 should be easy to get even for less than 15 €, it's also available on GoG if one prefers that to Steam.
As for comparing with X4 it's hard to say and probably too articulate to avoid a wall of text, let's just say that X4 does some stuff that X3 doesn't (space legs, powerful station building editor, modular capital ships to name a few), but X3 could build on years upon years of iterations, refinements and patches, and also has campaigns and story missions (albeit at a very basic and rough execution) that are all but lacking in the latter title. Also, I may be a bit nostalgic and biased in this but I still find X3 atmosphere superior to X4, music on par with Stellaris on the awesomeness scale.
Don't worry. Regardless of whether you're in US or not, justPlaced on wish list. Broke this month.
1. wait 5 more weeks for Thanksgiving. Then
2. at the dawn of Black Friday aka at 12:01 am EST on Nov 29, log into Steam for some MASSIVE price discounts Steam will be slapping on everything in the store.
3. You're welcome
ps: I missed out on Subnautica and NMS last year this time. Subnautica was going for some $14.00 USD and NMS around $30-$35. Ended up getting
complete collection of Tropico 5 (and ALL of DLC that came with that) for only $10 USD.
Stellaris and all of it's DLC for only $15
Space Engineers base game for $5 <--If you're dying to play an alternate sandbox space game with dedicated space legs for PvE and/or PvP, THIS is the one for you. Especially now that they've added 3 awesome DLC content packs which added amazing custom content and a viable game economy. Regardless of whether you play solo or team up with other players, Space Engineers is a solid alternative to NMS (better graphics IMO)
X4 Collector's edition for $35 <--Finally scratched my itch between this and Space Engineers
The ENTIRE Cities: Skylines collection with ALL expansion DLCs for $40 <---one of the best deals I've got on Steam to date
X3: AP/TC is the most developed game of the two, but only because it's had several versions before it that it builds on. I wouldn't say it's a better game than X4. Just the best of that generation. My personal favourite was X2: The Threat, but whatever.
X4 however is a complete rewrite, taking what few good things there were in X-Rebirth (avoid), combined with the previous X games. However, X4 is probably about 6 months away from being mature IMO. It's just had a big patch, but that'll be the last one this year they say. It's still very playable, but the learning curve can be extremely daunting, especially if it's your first X game. It's not particularly buggy now though I don't think. Unlike some developers not too far from this forum, Egosoft are pretty responsive and pro-active in dealing with major bugs (there were quite a few at release).
Last edited:
Yeah, that the general problem with X games - they become good after two years of patches, updates and re-released better versions. So right now, X3 IS a better game than X4. Next year it may change.X3: AP/TC is the most developed game of the two, but only because it's had several versions before it that it builds on. I wouldn't say it's a better game than X4. Just the best of that generation. My personal favourite was X2: The Threat, but whatever.
X4 however is a complete rewrite, taking what few good things there were in X-Rebirth (avoid), combined with the previous X games. However, X4 is probably about 6 months away from being mature IMO. It's just had a big patch, but that'll be the last one this year they say. It's still very playable, but the learning curve can be extremely daunting, especially if it's your first X game. It's not particularly buggy now though I don't think. Unlike some developers not too far from this forum, Egosoft are pretty responsive and pro-active in dealing with major bugs (there were quite a few at release).
Definitely go for X3 before the 4th if you are planning on getting both, if anything for no other reason than by next year you'll find X4 (hopefully) vastly improved on version 3.0 or past that, and with at least the first DLC (adding lots of new systems, ships and stuff) already out.
Also because if you truly are an enthusiast of space games, X3 is one of the seminal titles to have. (Yes, that is personal bias)
Also because if you truly are an enthusiast of space games, X3 is one of the seminal titles to have. (Yes, that is personal bias
)I feel though that it would be also fair to warn potential newcomers to X games of how unwieldy, clumsy and awkward they can be, especially at the beginning. X3 is is one of those games that literally have more features than they know what to do with. Cluttered and fractured UI doesn't help either.Definitely go for X3 before the 4th if you are planning on getting both, if anything for no other reason than by next year you'll find X4 (hopefully) vastly improved on version 3.0 or past that, and with at least the first DLC (adding lots of new systems, ships and stuff) already out.
Also because if you truly are an enthusiast of space games, X3 is one of the seminal titles to have. (Yes, that is personal bias
It takes a LOT of effort to get into these games and you really have to be a hardcore enthusiast to dig your way to the golden heart of theirs.
I mean. People complain about steep learning curve in Elite, but that's peanuts to X games.