EGOSOFT and Deep Silver announce X Rebirth (updated 2011-07-29)

[luke1992]

Since we were talking about wishlist XD... It would be nice to see the same targeting system (the one to hit modules in station) also on the ship, so we can hit, for example, cargo's engines to stop it and then wait for the enemy pilot to bail or hit turrets on enemy capital ship to disable its offensive measures...

Even the repair laser would be modular, so we have to repair what is REALLY damaged, not hit anywhere we want on ship's hull...

[bp_968]

Eg. your TL as you know it will not exist, as capital ships are not pilotable by the player. Ownership of a capital ship will be an even more distant prospect than in X as you start in an old beat-up little ship and are given an exploration/combat RPG mission to perform before you can even think of aquiring another ship or any wealth.

first, it won't be out on time. its early aug right now and we have what, a short trailer and a few images? and its scheduled for fall 11? right...

second, where did you read no player piloting capital ships? that blows.. Thats one of the coolest parts of X3. I dont need to dog fight, i can just jump in a massive carrier fleet and watch it lay waste, or launch my 32 fighters and clean the sector.

[X2-Illuminatus]

second, where did you read no player piloting capital ships?

What we know about X Rebirth

[perkint]

I dont need to dog fight, i can just jump in a massive carrier fleet and watch it lay waste, or launch my 32 fighters and clean the sector.

And I suspect you'll still be ding that in X:R. You will be commanding the ship rather than actually piloting it. And, I suspect it'll be a damn site better for fleet combat.

Let's face it - Egosoft are far from stupid. They know what people don't like about X3. They know where the limitations of the engine are. They are not going to build a new game engine up and not do what they can to resolve the most commonly complained features!

Tim

[Krane]

I have the Steam version on X3-TC, so I have not read the X-Encyclopedia yet, does it explain in there how the Xenon managed to attack Earth and wipe out the Torus? I just dont see how it's possible for them to work their way through Argon territory, up through Heretics End into Terran space then get to Earth, wipe out the Terran lasertowers that can hit from 200 KM away, as well as all the ATF and USC ships they would encounter on the way, then destroy the Torus.

I don't know why the Terrans didn't learn from past mistakes and build an on / off switch on the Heretics End gate in case they saw the Xenon coming.

[Starlight_Corporation]

That one is easely explained, by doing the Terran plot, you'll discover the Xenon have jump beacons, just takes one to call in a fleet. The Torus destruction is more complicated then just that tho. It's more detailed in the X-encyclopedia, but the argon are involved as well.

[supahfly]

Anyone able to translate the Russian interview? Even the PDF is image only :(

Here you go:

1. The X-Games had always have a steep learning curve and were merciless for the beginners. Since nowadays such masochistic (sic!) gameplay as in X-games is not an option new game is going to become more friendly for the beginners. (Am I the only one reading simplification and dumbing down here?)

2. The main idea is "quality over quantity"

3. The number of sectors is going to be smaller but they will be more interesting. Berndt says: "Even though seemingly less diverse our new star systems has more to do and actual freedom will increase."

4. Tactical level of the game is better too: Missions in X-R mostly will have you to interact with huge objects — stations and battleships. In earlier games you had to fly to the object and dive in the menus; now there is more real gameplay to that. For example you'll have to scan the hull of the station of the competing faction to steal their secrets. To sabotage the factory you'll need to place explosives at its manufactory. To deal with the battleship you'll have to destroy her navigational systems. Less factions — tighter relationships, less NPCs — more emotions in the interaction. As a result we will have a decent and meaningful plot.

5. Little is known about the protagonist. It is a young adventurer accompanied by pretty partner.

6. Since the communication between systems is destroyed the shortage of goods is obvious. The fast travel replaces jumpgates.

7. Egosoft is going to create a detailed interface and thoroughly done flight physics will be implemented. With teh new interface you will not only be able to identify friends and foes and distance to target fast (quite an achievement indeed. I don't even know why they mentioned this "innovation") but quickly accept or decline missions. Berndt says that "it is easier with the new interface to read the game".

8. "When close enough to the large ships you will be caught in their gravity and will even flow in its current. The battle will be everchanging when the new larger ships arrive at the battlefield". (To me this sounds really stupid. How large should the ship be to have any impact to speak of on the nearby fighter?)

9. Game readiness is 50%

[euskai]

1. The X-Games had always have a steep learning curve and were merciless for the beginners. Since nowadays such masochistic (sic!) gameplay as in X-games is not an option new game is going to become more friendly for the beginners. (Am I the only one reading simplification and dumbing down here?)

I agree with you. It sounds good, but everytime I´ve hard about a game at the end it meant "dumbed down because we think gamers are retards"

2. The main idea is "quality over quantity"

3. The number of sectors is going to be smaller but they will be more interesting. Berndt says: "Even though seemingly less diverse our new star systems has more to do and actual freedom will increase."

OK

4. Tactical level of the game is better too: Missions in X-R mostly will have you to interact with huge objects — stations and battleships. In earlier games you had to fly to the object and dive in the menus; now there is more real gameplay to that. For example you'll have to scan the hull of the station of the competing faction to steal their secrets. To sabotage the factory you'll need to place explosives at its manufactory. To deal with the battleship you'll have to destroy her navigational systems. Less factions — tighter relationships, less NPCs — more emotions in the interaction. As a result we will have a decent and meaningful plot.

Interesting

8. "When close enough to the large ships you will be caught in their gravity and will even flow in its current. The battle will be everchanging when the new larger ships arrive at the battlefield". (To me this sounds really stupid. How large should the ship be to have any impact to speak of on the nearby fighter?)

Are you kidding me? Either that ships are really enermous or this is absurd

9. Game readiness is 50%

What´s the date of that interview? If it´s from this summer i seriously doubt the game will be ready ths year. I hope it´s an old one

[Krane]

Your not the only one who thinks they might dumb the game down, it sounds like instead of a jumpdrive we will have an Oblivion style 'Magic Click on Your Destination and Teleport There' universe map, which combined with the 'female sidekick' means they are aiming the game at teenagers with short attention spans.

Also I would have thought the large ships would have to have a mass of millions of tons before they start pulling small ships into them, how is that even going to work? If the small ship isn't fast enough (can't reach escape velocity) to escape the big ships gravity, then the small ship should never be able to get away from the larger one.

[amtie]

The 'dumbing down' of the game is not what they said. They said it's going to be easier at the start.

As for the gravity thing, I don't think its actually gravity (escape velocity? HAHA). More along the lines of a buffer thing that prevents you from smacking into a bigship if it turns a bit while you're close or witin it. You can find something similar in the Infinity Combat Prototype with the carriers.

[Captain Lemmiwinks]

The more i read about Rebirth the less i think i will buy it.

I have heard this all before,...less of this and less of that,quality over quantity,it always ends in tears and a dumbed down game thats just trying to get its sticky fingers into the console pie.

Well its going to fail,as the console gamer is usually as said an attention challenged youth who just wants to shoot at online gamers and shout abuse down a mic.

Its been a slow and steady stream of news titbits about removing this and that,having a smaller this and that,which always ends in a release the old fans didnt want and the new players wont like.

If ES wanted to leave the game development market why not just bow out gracefully instead of making one last snatch at the wallets ?

X games were huge and lasted a while to play,and needed an IQ in triple figures to play,thats why i liked them..
Whats going to be released is a pre console effort to try and grab some cash....well not from me

[joelR]

X games already have fast travel. Thats not a new feature.

[Sakurabisu]

I don't see the problem with Capital Ships having their own gravity. Just handwave it as the ships internal artifical gravity generators partially 'leaking' through the hull or something.

I expect it's mostly in place to facilitate getting right up close to a capital ship in your fighter to disable its vital systems before your own capital ship comes in for the kill, which sounds cool.

[Wolfie276]

As for the gravity thing, I don't think its actually gravity (escape velocity? HAHA). More along the lines of a buffer thing that prevents you from smacking into a bigship if it turns a bit while you're close or witin it. You can find something similar in the Infinity Combat Prototype with the carriers.

With enough mass it would create gravity. I don't consider it unreasonable that battleships weigh quite a lot of tons.

[drkpendragon]

You still need a large amount of mass to really notice the effects of gravity. You don't even have to get very far from earth before the effects are not very pronounced. What, are the capital ships like the Death Star?

[perkint]

Cheers supahfly

I'd love to get some context for the 50% comment

Tim

[Mightysword]

Here you go:
1. The X-Games had always have a steep learning curve and were merciless for the beginners.

Can't be any easier than X3:TC? I hope this mean the plot in Rebirth will be an "extensive and well construct" tutorial that walk through all the mechanic of the game. People tend to call the plot in X3 a tutorial, frankly I never understand why people say that. Aside from being a broken mess it doesn't really teach you any of the game's functionality. Let hope Rebirth address that issue, instead of a simplification of the mechanic.

2. The main idea is "quality over quantity"

Good. Space is the great NOTHING. No need to emphasize the NOTHING part, which X3 did.

4. Tactical level of the game is better too: Missions in X-R mostly will have you to interact with huge objects — stations and battleships. In earlier games you had to fly to the object and dive in the menus; ... more emotions in the interaction. As a result we will have a decent and meaningful plot.

I have to ask, all of these scanning the station, placing explosive ....etc... are they part of the game mechanic ... or just a one time affair during the plot. Previous X game you have all that, hijacking a ship at dock during the intro in X2, scanning station, fighting inside a base, fighting on the planet, fly through asteroid ...etc... most of them were pretty cool but as far as the game does, they're insignificant since you never see them again outside the plot.

5. Little is known about the protagonist. It is a young adventurer accompanied by pretty partner.

I hope it's more like TrendxJunko rather than the JulianxSaiya or the KayronxEona. I hope Egosoft can break my perception that European can't write a proper space couple trend, but not holding out much.

8. "When close enough to the large ships you will be caught in their gravity and will even flow in its current. The battle will be everchanging when the new larger ships arrive at the battlefield".

Heh. Maybe it's their shield or weapon system that cause that?

[softweir]

I don't see the problem with Capital Ships having their own gravity. Just handwave it as the ships internal artifical gravity generators partially 'leaking' through the hull or something.

Or, indeed, that they are using a gravitic drive* which has this effect.

* (For "gravitic drive" read "techno-magical gravitic drive"!)

[bp_968]

Excellent, thanks for the link. It looks like egosoft is doing things right. I have to say, I'm a bit jadded after some of the sequels that have hit recently (say, DA:2 for example).

I dont need to dog fight, i can just jump in a massive carrier fleet and watch it lay waste, or launch my 32 fighters and clean the sector.

And I suspect you'll still be ding that in X:R. You will be commanding the ship rather than actually piloting it. And, I suspect it'll be a damn site better for fleet combat.

Let's face it - Egosoft are far from stupid. They know what people don't like about X3. They know where the limitations of the engine are. They are not going to build a new game engine up and not do what they can to resolve the most commonly complained features!

Tim

[Wolfie276]

You still need a large amount of mass to really notice the effects of gravity. You don't even have to get very far from earth before the effects are not very pronounced. What, are the capital ships like the Death Star?

I assume an M2 mass of at least 1.5 million kilograms, that would be enough to create quite a weak gravity field, although not something strong enough to pull fighters in to the point it's noticable.