X3 AP - not a good start

[zazie]

"this one ran my printer out of ink" - for another laugh: read some "Rebirth"-(rant-)threads and you will find posts wishing back the XTC-menues

[Hub manager]

"this one ran my printer out of ink" - for another laugh: read some "Rebirth"-(rant-)threads and you will find posts wishing back the XTC-menues

Before grabbing this i checked out rebirth,and the menu`s seemed to be the least of the issues.

Hoping that teething on AP will be a good stage before X4,but will be watching release day to see the reaction before buying.

For example i just found out about out of sector events,and lost a lot of headway thinking a few M5s couldnt kill a fleet of M3`s

[Timsup2nothin]

and there is no way anyone has played this game without google or off site sites filled with tips and tricks.

The concept of being relegated to non-existence is interesting, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be working as I am still here. Perhaps you aren't putting in sufficient effort?

[RAVEN.myst]

and there is no way anyone has played this game without google or off site sites filled with tips and tricks.

The concept of being relegated to non-existence is interesting, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be working as I am still here. Perhaps you aren't putting in sufficient effort?

So, Tim, are we each other's imaginary friends? You and I and most of the other players that have been around for long...

@Hub manager: In my case, you are actually partially right, but exactly opposite to how you think: I only started allowing myself (very sporadic and specific) use of external resources after I had learned the game ('games', actually - I started with X2) on my own (I have this major thing against spoilers, and walkthroughs, and not solving puzzles and such myself, and the like.) Once my game had evolved to the point where I knew the basics and then some, and small specifics became significant, especially for specific experiments I started running, (this was after several hundreds of hours of play, mind you) I started occasionally looking up things on the wiki, or looking in this forum for answers or comments on issues/problems not really related to game-play per se, so things such as known bugs, ways around broken missions, etc.

Oh, just an ontological point: at least those people who first published those "tips and tricks" couldn't possibly have had access to those same tips and tricks - before they even existed. Hmmm, a time machine... I just had an entertaining thought... or am I just about to?


EDIT: Tag-fix

[Hub manager]

and there is no way anyone has played this game without google or off site sites filled with tips and tricks.

The concept of being relegated to non-existence is interesting, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be working as I am still here. Perhaps you aren't putting in sufficient effort?

Is there any reason you keep adding nothing to this but undeserved animosity and downright trollish behaviour ?

Nobody is forcing you to read or reply.

[CBJ]

Since you're new around here I will point you to the forum rules, specifically the part about contacting a moderator if you're not happy with another user's behaviour rather than retaliating in kind. That said: Timsup2nothin, behave yourself!

To avoid this kind of situation in future, if you don't make sweeping dismissive statements then you will probably find that people will be more inclined to help you.

[TTD]

Thanks CBJ


I for one , out of many players, did not even have internet when I first started playing this series.

I learned by getting killed and working out what I did wrong... wrong ship for the job? too eager to go in without checking around me?

as for the keys and menues, I read and re read the skipy manual that came with X2 until it started to look fragile.

Many gamers want to pick up a controller and just press buttons...well this game has been adapted for that to a certain extent, but then real fun in the game is knowing which keyboard button to press and when...that can only be learned by experience.
eg, anyone can read the latest driving manual, but that does not mean they can drive acar after reading it.


Persevere with the game.
As CBJ suggests, many here will help you, if you really want them to.

[jlehtone]

real fun in the game is knowing which keyboard button to press and when...that can only be learned by experience.

All available functions are not bound to any button by default, and one can change the existing bindings too.


I had the SETA disconnected for quite a while. No need for such a time thief.
On the other hand, JumpDrive, Docking Computer and UFJD are now on easy to hit buttons.

When you know what you need the most and know that you cannot afford to miss ...


Internet is not the most reliable source of information. Trust me. I've written there.

[Timsup2nothin]

I had the SETA disconnected for quite a while. No need for such a time thief.

I just jettison them and use them for target practice.

[Honved]

My biggest gripe with SETA is that you can't sell it. About all you can do is install it on a hull you're selling, and I'm not even sure that it increases the value.

At the beginning, when you really don't know what options are available to you and you only have one ship to control, SETA is an alternative to sitting there warming a chair until something else happens. Once you've got a handful of ships doing things remotely, and have a better understanding of the various possible courses of action open to you, the time spent crossing systems will be fully occupied with managing your growing Empire, even if you're flying a lethargic capital ship through a huge system.

People learn best from their own mistakes, so making as many mistakes as possible should make you an expert in no time. For some odd reason, my boss at work doesn't seem to see it that way.

The one thing to remember about the User Interface is that it's the result of a gradual buildup of features over time (and nearly a dozen games). Each item is tacked on where it fits, not necessarily where it makes the most sense, and a lot of things which are rarely used ended up far more easily accessed than things you need constantly. I suspect that X4 needs a total interface rethink, but mostly the same level of functionality (which is where Rebirth went wrong).

[Timsup2nothin]

My biggest gripe with SETA is that you can't sell it. About all you can do is install it on a hull you're selling, and I'm not even sure that it increases the value.

It does, but they are so cheap it isn't really worth the hassle of keeping track of where it is stored and getting it transferred to the salvaged hulk.

[jlehtone]

My biggest gripe with SETA is that you can't sell it. About all you can do is install it on a hull you're selling, and I'm not even sure that it increases the value.

It does, but they are so cheap it isn't really worth the hassle of keeping track of where it is stored and getting it transferred to the salvaged hulk.

Indeed.

Some things are easy to figure out. Offer the same ship to Shipyard with and without SETA onboard. The price difference will show what you get.


I have a superstitious need to carry as many unnecessary upgrades in my ship as possible. Perhaps, one day, a fatal shot hits them and not my hide. (Not that it really helps; in those situations there tends to be enough shots for every item on my ship and then some.)

[Alan Phipps]

jlehtone wrote: "I have a superstitious need to carry as many unnecessary upgrades in my ship as possible.".

That is entirely practical rather than just superstition. It isn't that it might absorb an otherwise fatal shot but rather that carrying as many superfluous extensions as possible increases the chances of having one of those damaged rather than a critical one.

For example, when taking hull damage, losing a useless (to you) extension such as internal sentry lasers, hull polarisation, advanced firewall, etc instead of say your jumpdrive or boost extension might well allow you to escape a potentially fatal situation.

[jlehtone]

Shhh, don't jinx it!

Spoiler

Show

I.e. let Hub manager to find it out the hard way.

[Hub manager]

Shhh, don't jinx it!

Spoiler

Show

I.e. let Hub manager to find it out the hard way.

Oh i got the message

I`ll just leave you all to it and use the wiki instead

[Bill Huntington]

You haven't even got to the good stuff, Hub Manager. I checked the wiki some years ago. They miss a lot. They also miss the changes that happen with the different games of X series; or the updates. And the time you spend on the wiki would be better spent playing the game and figuring it out yourself.

In TC and AP capping other ships brings in money, $1 Mil and $ 3 at a time. Later in the game you can use your own marines and board ships, worth $40 to $90 Mil. There's a lot of details to both of those.

You've got to decide how to do your trading, with Sector Traders or Universal Traders. Then there's the new choices with CAG.

There's building your own stations. There's setting up your HQ and the gates.

Many of us have been here many months with a lot of game hours. We're still finding new things. Not on the wiki. Sometimes we find a new thing and report it. Or another pilot posts it here and we find out.

You haven't seen the thing where some pilots say something is cheating, or an 'exploit'. Or 'the devs didn't design the game to be played like that'. You can make up your own mind on that.

Welcome to AP, Hub Manager

[TTD]

Many of us have been here many months with a lot of game hours. We're still finding new things. Not on the wiki. Sometimes we find a new thing and report it. Or another pilot posts it here and we find out.

You haven't seen the thing where some pilots say something is cheating, or an 'exploit'. Or 'the devs didn't design the game to be played like that'. You can make up your own mind on that.

Months is an understatement !

You may find us on Steam and think we have not many hours up, but we played this series long before we got registered for it on Steam, and we often play with the N0-Steam.exe, so that we can play without Steam altering our games.

And yes, like I mentioned earlier, you might even find something in the game that no-one has found out yet.

This series may be old, but it's a long way from retirement, yet.
There are so many ways to play...including a form of multiplayer ...think correspondance chess, and you might get what I mean...
or just dig through the archives or ask me about it.

[ajime]

You haven't even got to the good stuff, Hub Manager. I checked the wiki some years ago. They miss a lot. They also miss the changes that happen with the different games of X series; or the updates. And the time you spend on the wiki would be better spent playing the game and figuring it out yourself.

In TC and AP capping other ships brings in money, $1 Mil and $ 3 at a time. Later in the game you can your own marines and board ships, worth $40 to $90 Mil. There's a lot of details to both of those.

You've got to decide how to do your trading, with Sector Traders or Universal Traders. Then there's the new choices with CAG.

There's building your own stations. There's setting up your HQ and the gates.

Many of us have been here many months with a lot of game hours. We're still finding new things. Not on the wiki. Sometimes we find a new thing and report it. Or another pilot posts it here and we find out.

You haven't seen the thing where some pilots say something is cheating, or an 'exploit'. Or 'the devs didn't design the game to be played like that'. You can make up your own mind on that.

Welcome to AP, Hub Manager

I remembered reading wiki saying 3 Split docking hook. i kinda remembered the old version which has 3 but now im seeing only 2. hmm

[Nanook]

Shhh, don't jinx it!

Spoiler

Show

I.e. let Hub manager to find it out the hard way.

Oh i got the message

I`ll just leave you all to it and use the wiki instead

Don't let the old farts on the forum put you off. We generally try to be very helpful to new players, unlike, it seems, many of those posting in your thread. Please feel free to ask anything with which you need help.

As for most of the rest of you, shame on you! Telling a new player that they need to find out everything on their own or do things the hard way while they're still learning the basics of the game is just not helpful. This forum used to be better than that. And a couple of you even went so far as to try derailing the thread with your petty arguments. Give the new guy a break!

And Hub Manager, welcome to the forum.

[Triaxx2]

Okay, so a few things: The series tagline is: Trade Fight Build Think. That last one is absolutely the most important thing. Think before you make a trade. Think before you start a fight or get into one going. Think before you build a station somewhere. Always be thinking both about your actions and their potential consequences.

Explore, everywhere. Get yourself something fast, a Teladi Kestrel, or any sort of M5 Raider Variant. (If you get a Kestrel, you'll have to find some place that sells the Triplex Scanner.) Spend some time going into sectors and sweeping back and forth using the sensors to find everything. This isn't perfect, because sometimes the AI will show up and destroy stations, or sometimes the engine will remove ones that aren't selling. The tractor beam stations almost always get killed because the player is the only one to ever buy them because no one else can use them. (This may have been corrected by a patch, but I don't know.)

Learn to fight. This seems a given, but learning how the ships you're flying respond, and how enemies fly. And pick a style that suits you. Dogfight if you're comfortable, use missiles if you're not. If you don't like to fight yourself, learn to use the Wings. (I suggest put one ship in the wing and tell the rest to protect that one.)

If you don't mind fighting, but don't want to be spinning around, then capital ships might be your thing, where you can just float around and let the turrets deal with it.