Main plot not very well thought out

[Meltdown]

Warning: this post contains griping. Fairly warned be thee.

I just completed the main plot of the game, and I have a gripe with it: it doesn't require you to build an empire at all. You need less than one million credits to

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pay the paranids for the crystals and access to core sectors

; you can cap a few pirate M3s, keep one for yourself, sell the others, and you have all that's necessary to complete the plot.

The plot seems an after-thought, something tacked on for those who aren't happy with just building an empire for the hell of seeing how high they can get their credit account, but it's almost completely disjointed from the "build" part of the game.

I expected at least one mission to require a friggin' capital ship, and was very disappointed that you can't even use your own ships in the last mission.

Bah humbug.

[Terre]

I think the plot is a good way to familiarise yourself with the workings of the game. Before the player goes on to build their empire or do whatever they want with the game.

[Rapier]

I expected at least one mission to require a friggin' capital ship, and was very disappointed that you can't even use your own ships in the last mission.

Bah humbug.

You don't have to have a capital ship for the final mission, but I have have done it in my Python protected by 4 Hyperions. Like the rest of the game, it can be a challenge if you want it to be.

[Dom Devore]

Wait, X3 has a plot? Is it from a new patch or something? </sarcasm>

Playing X3 for the plot is like reading Playboy for the articles... Sure, it may kill some time but it's ultimately far less enjoyable compared to what else it has to offer.

[xavierd]

Playing X3 for the plot is like reading Playboy for the articles... Sure, it may kill some time but it's ultimately far less enjoyable compared to what else it has to offer.

damn you. i laughed beer out of my nose.

freakin sigged

[Meltdown]

Playing X3 for the plot is like reading Playboy for the articles... Sure, it may kill some time but it's ultimately far less enjoyable compared to what else it has to offer.

Heh heh, made me laugh

Seriously though, I don't see why there couldn't be a plot that meshes with the empire-building.

[Nyax]

Playing X3 for the plot is like reading Playboy for the articles... Sure, it may kill some time but it's ultimately far less enjoyable compared to what else it has to offer.

Heh heh, made me laugh

Seriously though, I don't see why there couldn't be a plot that meshes with the empire-building.

Because not everyone who plays goes in for the empire building. In fact i'd be willing to bet there's a large number of casual players who fired the game up, played through the plot and then stopeed thinking it was game over.

[pjknibbs]

Also, if the plot DID require a massive empire to complete, you'd get hundreds of more casual gamers coming on and complaining that they couldn't possibly finish the game because it took more than 23.2 hours and they can't spend more than that on a single game...

[Pirate hater]

Also, if the plot DID require a massive empire to complete, you'd get hundreds of more casual gamers coming on and complaining that they couldn't possibly finish the game because it took more than 23.2 hours and they can't spend more than that on a single game...

I doubt I would play if the plot required Empire building as I am sure it would be a far too restrictive for empire building.

I love the empire building side but prefer if the plot never touches it.

I have at least half my planned empire built in X2 which is well.... massive.

I only have about 1/5th of my battle fleet I planned for.

Thats playing on and off for years. I am sure I will be playing this every holiday I am back from uni.

I never found a game to replace X2 yet maybe the next X game will.

[esd]

Y'know, I've had this game since release. I still haven't done the plot.

[MegaJohnny]

I think being forced to use a different ship in some missions was to facilitate the people who hadn't done anything yet and were still stuck in the Buster with 2 BPACs.

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It was so blatantly set up in the nividium plant mission. You've got a fast M3 with a pathetic weapon capability and 4 IREs against much more powerful M3s travelling at half the speed. Could it be made more obvious to run away?

And while it was nice of Egosoft to set me up with a ship that could stand up to the big fight in the end, I was really disappointed that I couldn't make use of my noble steed the PNR.

And the Bala Gi missions seem to be completely at the other end of the scale. Not got an M6? Tough, you'll have to use the Nemesis it gives you that can only do 19m/s. With no salvage insurance left, I had to tow that bloody frigate all the way back to the shipyard at the equivalent of 190m/s, taking up the best part of my afternoon. So you get the tasty Hyperion. Get back to the shipyard for your M3+. Considering you're getting a PHQ for this, it seems like Bala Gi's showering you with presents, then you find out you have to fork out 30mil for the trading station you need to build the HQ! Oh great, now I have to wait some more.

Oh well. Now I've sold the Nemesis I've got money for that self-sustaining complex I've been saving up for for so long.

lolrant

[Poobah]

Tbh the Bala Gi missions should be much harder. You get given a free, nearly fully equiped Hyperion, the single most overpowered ship in the vanilla game.

XTM helps here, the pirate activity maelstrom and surrounding sectors (and indeed any pirate sector / near a pirate sector) is vastly increased... there's not a chance in hell you'll get back in one piece piloting that Nemi.

As to the main plot? My main gripe is that at the end when you're forced to fly that paranid piece of crap you don't even get given fight command software to use the autotargeting facility. I usually regard the plot as a warmup to get out of the way asap on XTreme starts nd otherwise use nonplot starts. Other than that I wish that the second mission wasn't total trash (like everyone else); I'm also glad that no empire building / fleet building is forced upon you as I don't like to have the plot hanging over me when I'm dooing all that.

[MegaJohnny]

Tbh the Bala Gi missions should be much harder. You get given a free, nearly fully equiped Hyperion, the single most overpowered ship in the vanilla game.

XTM helps here, the pirate activity maelstrom and surrounding sectors (and indeed any pirate sector / near a pirate sector) is vastly increased... there's not a chance in hell you'll get back in one piece piloting that Nemi.

As to the main plot? My main gripe is that at the end when you're forced to fly that paranid piece of crap you don't even get given fight command software to use the autotargeting facility. I usually regard the plot as a warmup to get out of the way asap on XTreme starts nd otherwise use nonplot starts. Other than that I wish that the second mission wasn't total trash (like everyone else); I'm also glad that no empire building / fleet building is forced upon you as I don't like to have the plot hanging over me when I'm dooing all that.

Maybe I should try XTM. The vanilla universe feels so empty and lifeless for me now, even though I've got so much left to achieve in the way of trade and finance. It only felt like this since I got the Hyperion. Everything with red brackets seems to blow up around me, I can wade through the enemies, but it's strangely unfulfilling. Probably from such a huge change in class.

Maybe I should retire the Hyperion to one of my factories for a while. Something to make me feel like the universe is still out to push me over, so I can spit in its face in my spunky PNR again.

But I agree, the only thing that made the Bala Gi missions even remotely difficult was going through 3 MASSIVE SECTORS at such a ridiculously slow pace.

What's the second mission, again?

[cale_online]

i've not managed to drag myself through that god awful plot yet, i get so far then just give up and make my own story in my head. lol

its usually better.

as for bala gi, i did do these missions, simpley because i wanted to see the hyperion, and my PHQ. lol but even those missions were terrible.

and after all of it, i didnt even like the hyperion. its now set to patrol elanas fortune with some nova's i capped.

installing XTM added some more excitement to the game, along with pirate RRF turned on, makes wading into pirate sectors in just an LX more challenging.

i do love a good engaging story, over almost any other aspect of a game. i'm not placing any bets on X3:TC having a good story, we've had 4 x games (does Xtension count? - never played it so i dont know if it has a new story), and none of them have had a story i felt compelled to finish.

[MegaJohnny]

i've not managed to drag myself through that god awful plot yet, i get so far then just give up and make my own story in my head. lol

its usually better.

as for bala gi, i did do these missions, simpley because i wanted to see the hyperion, and my PHQ. lol but even those missions were terrible.

and after all of it, i didnt even like the hyperion. its now set to patrol elanas fortune with some nova's i capped.

installing XTM added some more excitement to the game, along with pirate RRF turned on, makes wading into pirate sectors in just an LX more challenging.

i do love a good engaging story, over almost any other aspect of a game. i'm not placing any bets on X3:TC having a good story, we've had 4 x games (does Xtension count? - never played it so i dont know if it has a new story), and none of them have had a story i felt compelled to finish.

With an XTM dev working on TC now, I really get the impression Egosoft are working with the best of the community to give the X series the best sendoff it could ask for.

Fans becoming devs makes me feel all warm inside.

I actually think the plot in TC will be quite good, don't ask me why but I have a good feeling about it.

What's wrong with the Hyperion? It's tough as nails, minces pirate squadrons and can still dodge bullets even with its size.

[Meltdown]

Also, if the plot DID require a massive empire to complete, you'd get hundreds of more casual gamers coming on and complaining that they couldn't possibly finish the game because it took more than 23.2 hours and they can't spend more than that on a single game...

So make it a difficulty based thing. Choose easy difficulty and get the plot as it is. Choose hard and get things like "the paranid have established a food trade route in sector this-and-that. We need it to stop because (insert plot-related reason here), but obviously a military assault to the factories is out of the question. We need you to put a stop to it; we're giving you one (insert food here) factory, the rest will be up to you". The player would then have the task of building a minor food empire to conquer the market and drive the NPC factories to bankruptcy.

Mind you, this is just off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure people who design games for a living would have better ideas.

installing XTM added some more excitement to the game, along with pirate RRF turned on, makes wading into pirate sectors in just an LX more challenging.

What's pirate RRF?

Edit: after reading everything that is included in XTM, I decided to install it and try to recreate what I can of my existing situation with cheats. Or perhaps not, we'll see.

Anyway, a question: if I start a non-plot game, does this only disable the main Kyle Brennan/Paranid/Khaak plot or does it disable any and all missions? I know it doesn't disable BalaGi, so I'm hoping it's just a switch for the main plot.

[cale_online]

i've not managed to drag myself through that god awful plot yet, i get so far then just give up and make my own story in my head. lol

its usually better.

as for bala gi, i did do these missions, simpley because i wanted to see the hyperion, and my PHQ. lol but even those missions were terrible.

and after all of it, i didnt even like the hyperion. its now set to patrol elanas fortune with some nova's i capped.

installing XTM added some more excitement to the game, along with pirate RRF turned on, makes wading into pirate sectors in just an LX more challenging.

i do love a good engaging story, over almost any other aspect of a game. i'm not placing any bets on X3:TC having a good story, we've had 4 x games (does Xtension count? - never played it so i dont know if it has a new story), and none of them have had a story i felt compelled to finish.

With an XTM dev working on TC now, I really get the impression Egosoft are working with the best of the community to give the X series the best sendoff it could ask for.

Fans becoming devs makes me feel all warm inside.

I actually think the plot in TC will be quite good, don't ask me why but I have a good feeling about it.

What's wrong with the Hyperion? It's tough as nails, minces pirate squadrons and can still dodge bullets even with its size.

i DO hope they make a good plot, just seems unlikely to me.. lol

and i dont know why i dont like the hyperion, maybe cos i have an odd affection for argon ships only.. lol but i didnt enjoy flying it, there was no challenge, so i just stuck in on patrol to protect my CAGs, while i took off in my mk3 centuar, carrying and LX, both fairly highly tuned.
tho i did build another Hyperion, and thats currently backing up my fleet thats generally terrorising anything red that i happen to see. lol


as for pirate RRF, its part of LVs Race Response Fleet AL plugin, basically it makes ships counter attack, and defend much better, and theres an option for the pirates to do the same, so if you attack a pirate sector in your PNR, dont be suprised to have a small pirate fleet jump in, and if you use XTM, a not so small fleet, with m1s, 2s, 6s, and 7s!!

[Meltdown]

Do pirates use other races' ships in XTM, or are they limited to teladi and argon as in vanilla x3? I had to manually edit the jobs file to enable them to fly other ships, and I'm wondering if I need to do the same now.

[pjknibbs]

The pirates have their own unique ships in XTM as well as all the ones they can fly in vanilla, so I wouldn't bother fiddling with the TShips file, especially considering some of the XTM pirate ships are more vicious than anything the normal races can come up with (you WILL die the first time you encounter a Blastclaw, believe me).

[KennethX3Freak]

i have the feeling the plot will be awesome, especially since theyre pretty much adding XTM to the game (which i dont have) and more, JUST to the vanilla

what if they come out with an XTM for terran conflict, eh? you could add pretty much anything with all the crap there putting in this time around.

imagine, huge battleships, ion frigates, all the new rces that are being added, then imagine adding more,

itll be grand