The stories are getting worse and worse

[Boringnick]

I am an old X-BTF and Xtension Veteran. I somehow missed X2, but I just recently bought X3, which came together with a magazine.

And after playing through the main story, I am somehow disappointed. No doubt, the franchise has made progress - graphics, sound, features (complexes etc.) but the storyline got worse.

First of all the intro - the animation of the newsanchor and the senator are a joke. Games like Cyberia or Creature shock were able to do that better, nearly 15 years ago. The animation of the ships are ok, if you can't do people, maybe you should'nt do it. Or use real actors, like the Wing Commander games do.

But to the core of the intro - no atmosphere. Zero. The intro of X-BTF was majestic compared to that. Why the decline in quality?

The in-joke to the former US-senator McCarthy was somehow lame.

Additionaly, the whole scenario got somehow more childisch. First of all, the main people are all in their twenties, and are already great heroes, who have life experience of a 80 year old. Ridiculous.

The story, an unknown race destroys all life, in itself, isn't that bad, but it's execution is so flat, so without style, without substance, that it's just .. bah. XBTF was much better in this. Although, you knew from the beginning who the Xenon and the Argon really were (if you paid attention to the intro) the game managed to carry a mysterious atmosphere throughout. Even the funny aliens didn't made it much childisch. X3 totaly los it here.

What happened to to speaker of the intro in XBTF? (at least in the German version, he was great) Instead of the sucky news, that look like they were made with the first 3D-Studio version for dos, cutscenes in the style of the XBTF intro would have been better.

And now to the X-Universe itself. I had hopes, but, got dissapointed. I must admit, the basic premises are there - five nice races, two somewhat interesting villian races, a big universe. But, something is mising. And I know what is it: Seriousness. I think almost every Egosoft-developer has played the Elite games of David Braben, since X is mostly based on those games. the universe in Elite 2 and 3, Frontier and First Encounters, was much more atmospheric than that of X3. Frontier came together with three handbooks - the manual itself, a little 100 pages book with stories from the game universe and a "Gazetter", a small book with the histories of the most import star systems in the game. I think every Egosoft developer know, what I mean, since some of that idea was copied too (every sector in X3 has a own story description in the galaxy map)

So, again, the basic premises are there in X, but why is Frontier better in this regard?

I will post some stories from the Gazetter:

------------------

Epsilon Eridani

This system has nine planets, three of which are home to humans. The most notable, is the inner planet New California, terraformed by the Cisco Corporation in 2958. This large conglomerate made a fortune with a patented terraforming method and now they have interests in innumerable fields. It is a beautiful world with stunning panoramas everywhere; flowers, exotic trees, rivers and mountains have been carefully placed to be aesthetic. In fact it is so consistently picturesque that some people become distressed. When they are used to worlds with pockets of scenic beauty scattered amongst jungles of the urban type, it all gets a bit too much on New California where there isn't so much as a discarded vidicube wrapper in the verdant garden.

Most come here for the Cisco Theme Park which was set up with no expense spared, and costs a fortune to visit. It is well worth it though, because you can live in a world of almost any fantasy you wish, even murder (slaves are very useful). If you want a break from the lushness outside, you can elect to stay for a day at the Ancient London Earth World of 1995. Every effort has been made to make it as authentic as possible, it even has the stench of pollution.

Every fantasy theme has its own complex which is self contained, with actors to help tourists play a part in adventures and feel that it is real. You can pay a little extra and have a personal android servant that looks exactly like the personality of your choice, for when you are relaxing in the hotel section. The most frequently attended is the Erotic Pleasures of the Galaxy Centre which is not for the prudish or the faint hearted. Amongst the customers there are always a number of private detectives doing `research' for angry clients who think their partner is up to no good having found receipts from Cisco Theme Park.

There are more wholesome themes on offer and it is not worth describing more because one man's fantasy may be the every day drudgery of another. Remember there are always psychiatrists on hand to help you prepare for reality when you have to return home.


---------------------

Achenar

This system consists of ten major bodies only one of which, Achenar 6, has habitated planets in its vicinity. It is one of the only systems with three worlds with a breathable atmosphere, although two are terraformed. The most notable feature of this system is that it is the base of the Empire and Emperor Hesketh Duval whose seat is on the natural world Achenar 6d (known as Capitol to locals). The Emperor is of the Duval dynasty decended from Marlin Duval. She was a wealthy woman, disenchanted with the Earth administration and authorities, who set off with her own colonising fleet to Achenar 6d because it was so far from Earth. Her leadership ended when her brother, Henson oversaw a flying `accident' in which she perished. The democratic government changed abruptly to one of strict Imperial rule, and from then on the family assumed leadership. Female children in the family are prevented with genetic techniques such is the vehement hatred of Marlin Duval's principles and vision of a world living in peace.

In the past the Federation has tried to get various emperors to agree to joining them but this has been met with derision. The population growth necessitated the terraformation of Achenar 6b and Henson oversaw the eradication of a reputedly sentient race on Achenar 6d and began to influence other systems, enraging the Federation. This led to the first large-scale space war, from which Achenar emerged victorious and, swelled with success the Empire spread to other worlds. Sporadic battles were fought for many years until finally, leaders of the Empire and the Federation signed a treaty pledging to stay on amicable terms. It was not worded so tightly that hostilities could not continue in the outer reaches of territories while leaders displayed solidarity in public.

Tourists, once they have amassed the documents required to visit the Achenar system, flock to see the Emperor's palace on Capitol (6d). The building is a vast structure of a pink glass-like material which shimmers in the sun and glows as it re-emits the energy at night. Foreign visitors are welcomed by palace staff who use subtle pro-Empire propaganda in an attempt to undermine the Federation. This greeting is not extended outside the palace grounds, where a person with a Federation accent is met with scom unless money can be made out of them. The accent of the Empire has evolved out of Achenarians trying to mock the standard Federation diction by accentuating certain vowels. To the foreigner their speech sounds rather like a whine.

Such is the capitalist way of life, there are not many items that are illegal to buy or sell, quite why the line is drawn at radioactives and nerve gas is a mystery - perhaps they could pose the most significant threat to the Emperor, should anyone feel ambitious?


---------------------


Andceeth

Andceeth boasts a bustling starport in the city of Diamond, and travellers from a host of worlds come to stay in the splendour and luxury of its hotels. These date back to the early days of the Federation, when Diamond was the major centre for commercial transactions between planetary governments. Before the days of the Universal Bulletin Board and guaranteed transfer, the worlds of Andceeth were the banking centre for the Federation.

The mineral reserves for the largest companies of the Federation and many planetary governments were stored in an enormous vault built on Trouble, Andceeth two. The violent surface storms, constant electrical discharges and corrosive atmosphere were intended to deter would be raiders. The actual banking and commercial centres were established on the more congenial world of Capitol (not to be confused with the heart of the Empire).

Despite the harsh conditions of Trouble, there were several recorded attempts to raid the vault and make off with the biggest haul in the history of crime. None of the raids ever succeeded, although Hari van Dryuver managed to penetrate all of the outer defences before dying of a heart attack brought on, so it is said, by the sight of so much wealth in one spot. Even if Harm had managed to leave the planet, it is still doubtful that he would have escaped the enormous police presence maintained at the time.

The most audacious attempt on the Federation reserves was launched by Colonel Maximillian Wrekcht, one-time commander of the Empire's fifth fleet. Embittered by a series of defeats at the hand of the Federation he attempted to destroy the vault by means of an asteroid bombardment, from an' orbit just outside that of the sixth planet. He entered the system with a modified and heavily stealthed cruiser and managed to deflect three planetoids towards Trouble before he was detected. The Federation were able to destroy two of the missiles and shunt the last into the sun. Maximillian was subject to court martial in his absence, but most people believe he died trying to ram the vault with his own ship in a final defiant gesture at the Federation.

When the system of guaranteed transactions and Universal Bulletin Board trading was introduced, the commercial heart of Andceeth was destroyed. There followed a very turbulent period and fortunes were made and lost in minutes in the chaos surrounding the change. The world suddenly plunged from being the banking capital of the explored worlds to relatively anonymous dot in most computer star banks.

Capitol now preserved a jealously guarded independence of both Federation and Empire, relying on agriculture and mineral exploitation to support its inhabitants. The vault on trouble was seized by the planetary government two months after the conversion to guarantied transfer, and although much depleted from its initial state, the mineral wealth contained there has been enough to finance the colony towards complete self sufficiency. The colony now runs on a democratic system and is a popular trading stop for the communities of the surrounding star systems.

------------------


Altair Biggs Colony

Out of the twenty bodies of this system this is one of two notable planets, for their extreme conditions. Biggs Colony is a jungle world with high humidity and very interesting wildlife, which makes it a popular holiday destination for those who like an adventure. Hotels abound and cater for all tastes, even providing conditions for those who normally live in very different environments, in case they need a break while on holiday. For example natives of Stevenson in the Phiagre system can rest in refrigerated apartments. Outside hotels, humans need to wear an environment suit such are the extremes of heat and humidity on these sort of planets. When tourists arrive on Biggs Colony they must sign a disclaimer in case they are injured by any of the wildlife (unless on hotel property, such as the animal free areas). All sorts of life abound, and visitors not used to this tend to go wandering unprotected, enchanted by the sights and sounds. Jungle Search is a thriving business which offers to search the jungle for parts of a lost friends or relatives of tourists, when they go missing, for burial purposes.

Many vaccinations are required if you intend to go on jungle treks, as the diseases are as varied as the wildlife. When you leave a hotel you are issued an environment suit, a stun gun, a large swat big enough to down an Oort fly (you would need body armour to protect yourself fully from this beast). If you pale at the thought of close contact with nature, you can take a trip on a Landcrawler which transports you through the jungle protected by a Securifield.

The second planet. Darkes Hollow is very hot and not pleasantly so - The average temperature is 226 degrees Centigrade. The reason it is populated at all is the ore available for mining is very rich in metals. Miners' families live there in small underground communities and the mining corporation subsidises two holidays on Bigg's Colony per year. Robots have to do most of the surface work as the temperatures and radiation there are too great for humans. Power is derived from massive arrays of solar panels which run the very powerful air conditioning units for the settlements below, and also drive the vast smelting operation. Reputedly, enormous danger money is paid to miners when they need to venture on to the surface in their powered armour, in order to do some urgent repair or other. There have even been stories of disenchanted workers arranging for robots to be unavailable when a need arises, just so they can receive the one-off payment and leave the hated place forever.

-----



Sirius

Most visitors to the Sirius system are disappointed at how little there is to see, given its importance in human history. It has numerous firsts to its name, in addition to being the brightest star in the sky of ancient Earthbound humans. Doubtless the guides in the Sirius Museum Complex on Lucifer will tell you, this was the first entirely corporate system, and the location of the first commercial production of anti-matter based fuels.

Most historians now tell a different story, however, about how Sirius became rich during the First Interstellar War. The Sirius Corporation was set up by a group of rich industrialists from Earth, in order to exploit the discovery of a way to store a stable atom of anti-matter within a complex molecule and use it as a fuel. Sirius first started production in 2350, supplying the Federation war fleet, whose ships had been adapted to use the new fuel. This caused a major swing in the Federation's fortunes, but only a few years later Imperial ships were similarly equipped, cancelling the advantage. It is now known that Sirius supplied both sides, engineering convenient shortages whenever one side was winning, thus greatly prolonging the war (and increasing their own income). Though it is not denied by Sirius today, it is blamed on a few unscrupulous individuals, who are now long dead. This Gazetteer does not wish to suggest in any way that the Sirius Corporation today would do any such thing.

Lucifer itself is an interesting planet. It orbits Sirius B very closely indeed, hence the enormous power the corporation can extract using the coils wrapped around the planet, and from their solar collector panels. Visitors should beware of the high radiation levels mainly from Sirius B, but also from the fuel plant. The numerous volcanoes are quite a sight, and small craft can be hired to go on a slingshot path close to the fearsomely dense white dwarf. This is supposed to be the "ride of a lifetime," though be wamed - there have been many fatal accidents.


------------

-----

Ross 128

Travellers do not flock to Ross 128 or to its only inhabited planet, Grant's Claim. When Maurice Grant claimed it, it was through an over ambitious desire to build an independent colony that he could rule without question. His early surveys suggested that the planet was mineral rich and promised an exciting future amassing wealth from mining. Unfortunately, he discovered that in every body of people there are always a few who ask questions, and awkward ones at that, then don't settle for a feeble answer. Whilst answering a few of these at his Citizens' Clinic he was assassinated. Grant's analyses proved to be erroneous as minerals were only to be found in small pockets here and there - the mines were soon abandoned. The remaining would-be leaders realised that it was not an easy job to govern a population driven mainly by greed and the resulting economic collapse was devastating. The Federation stepped in and `rescued' the colony on the condition that it came under their control. The populace greeted them with open arms and promptly found that their home was to become a prison colony.

The prison, nicknamed The Warren, is a vast underground complex of cells accommodating miscreants of every kind. The security is very tight and few have seen beyond the visitors' hall without being an inmate. For this reason rumours are rife, and include tales of genetic experiments, prostitution and corruption. It is true that the prisoners experience great hardship due to the manual mining at minus four degrees centigrade. It is no holiday for the warders either and there are reports of some of the narcotics intended for use in prisoner obedience programmes being diverted to the staff. Nobody outside really complains because they are glad that someone else is willing to do the job. Don't forget, if you ever have a loved one serving a sentence, you need a permit to see them.

--------


SOL
Earth

Steeped in history, the Earth has suffered many adversities before becoming the resort that it is today. Humanity began here and documented accounts tell of three planet-bound wars, the last one in 2040 almost bringing extinction due to the loss of life and environmental damage. For these reasons the landscape has changed beyond all recognition since then, mainly due to devastation and depopulation of nearly all the cities and towns. The final insult was a viral pandemic, for which no cure was found and many perished who were not resistant to it.

As the world was rebuilt corporations became more influential and the balance of power went in their favour. After the war, fierce competition between them made it possible for space to be conquered whereas previously, that was seen as unimportant and exploration budgets were cut.

As extra-terrestrial settlements were established industry was moved off the Earth along with many people. An intensive environmental rescue program saved the planet and it again became the beautiful place it once was. It became both a very up-market tourist destination and the Federation capital with only the extremely rich being able to live there. Many native extra-terrestrials aspire to visit their roots and save up for many years just to be able to say they have been to their ancestors' birthplace.

MARS



In 2290 Mars became the first planet to be terraformed successfully but not before several aborted attempts. Major corporations based their administration centres here when land was very cheap in the early days and Mars seemed like the Garden of Eden compared to the ravaged Earth. The two major cities are Quenisset and Olympus Village, both are very cosmopolitan and manicured in appearance. There are many bijou bars and restaurants designed for businessmen to impress and to strike deals in privacy. All sorts of service and entertainment industries thrive as they pander to the needs of the over indulged. The environment is tailored to be tasteful, even the animal life looks like an attractive accessory, so whilst it is Earth-like, Mars has a very sterile feel about it.


----------------
--------------

END

And that's just a few from many more. You notice immediately, how much more adult and more serious the histories are, compared to the descriptions of the X sectors. X3 just loses here. In comparison, the X3 lore is very childish.. Yaki, Goner (used nicely in xbtf, completely wasted in x3). The elements of the stories - Epsilon Eridani ("is well worth it though, because you can live in a world of almost any fantasy you wish, even murder [slaves are very useful]) or Altair ("There have even been stories of disenchanted workers arranging for robots to be unavailable when a need arises, just so they can receive the one-off payment and leave the hated place forever") or Ross 128 are much more darker and more thoughtful than anything in X3. "Don Marani", "Yaki" and the "Goner", are very tame in comparison.

That is what is not there in X3. A certain thoughtfullness and seriousness. Everything is painted too much in soft colors. That doesn't feel real. It feels artificial and naive.

The extreme shallow conversations between "JB" (Was THAT needed? sounds like it's straight from a Bud Spender movie) and Saya Kho made it even worse.


To strengthen my point, let me post the first page of the Frontier-manual itself:

---------------------------------------


To whom it may concern,



It is our duty to inform you of the death of your grandfather Commander Peter Jameson. The wreckage of his ship was found in the Reidquat system on November 11th 3199. He was presumed killed in combat after a 'misunderstanding' over some stolen goods according to the local press. A last will and testament was prepared on February 3rd 3198 and section 4.1 below has been circulated to all living grandchildren as instructed by our late client. If you have any queries do not hesitate to contact us. The normal fees of fifty Credits per hour (including service tax) apply.



Yours sincerely,


Mr Edmond Sneer


----


Section 4.1 Last Will and Testament of Commander Peter Jameson.



Welcome to life on the Frontier!

A way of life that is very different to the dull, planetbound existence you have probably led up to now. It is a way of life that I loved and want you to experience. I want you to feel the freedom of flying your own ship and being able to explore the vast galaxy. Whatever your aims in life (I settled for wealth, power and fame) there is an occupation for you. Try your hand at trading, following established trading routes or making your own. Maybe doing odd jobs is more your style, buzzing from one place to the next, never working for the same person twice. What about mining? later perhaps. I know that some of you will succumb to a criminal existence, so I may as well say that piracy, bounty hunting and mercenary work will suit you. I won't tell you to place your allegiance with the Federation, the Empire or the Independents but be careful; they all use you for their own aims. No amount of treaties will change the fact that they dislike each other.

Space has changed a great deal since I was your age. No, I am not going to harp on about everything being cheaper and friendlier in the past; people were just as bad then as now but we now have better technology and humans have spread further, so there is more scope. Your abilities as a pilot will be tested to the full, especially in combat, so before you upset anybody, get in some practice.

I want to give you the best start I can. As there are so many of you, my resources have been spread thinly. Each of you will receive an Eagle Long Range Fighter and one hundred credits. The ship has been delivered to your local starport but the documents are enclosed with this letter.

Above all, enjoy yourself and BE WARY!

-----------------------------------------


That makes it clearer what I mean. The pessimistic tone, almost like a Psalm from the Bible at the end. You just won't find that in X. Unthinkable. X is too cosy.



Again about the intro - compare the intro of Frontier with that of X3.. X3 loses. And this against something, that is made of simple polygons and midi sounds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUAPjA5eWkY


I Compared X3 now mostly with Elite and its successors, just because it is the main inspiration of the X franchise. And, unfortunatly, X3, released 21 years after Elite, and 12 years after its sequel, still hasn't matched some of its virtues.

That's by the way meant to be a constructive criticism and not a bashing. I am very positive about the graphics, the economy and the scripting of X3.

[stavros]

Sounds to me like you have way too much time on your hands to moan about a game which is, well, just fantastic.

You should play the game for quite a while before before slating it to pieces.

This way you may just realise just how in depth this gme really goes.

Yes the Elite games were very good for their time but they are now extinct and it's time for X3 to have a go, and from playing every game in the X series myself, i can say that i have enjoyed X3 the most.

[stealthelephant]

dont feed the troll?

[fraserlovatt]

I have to agree with him to an extent though -- I find it reallt irksome, childish and immersion-breaking that one of the main characters is called Ban Danna. Why did they think that would be a good idea?

[Boringnick]

Sounds to me like you have way too much time on your hands to moan about a game which is, well, just fantastic.

You should play the game for quite a while before before slating it to pieces.

This way you may just realise just how in depth this gme really goes.

I never said something against the game mechanics and the gameplay itself, which is good.

My complaint was only towards the story and the lore, which was even better in X-BTF imho and made a turn for the worse.

[Pirate hater]

Sounds like you would enjoy X2 far more than X3. I made the choice not to touch X3 when the only real bonus it gave was complexes.

[beyer_garratt]

Well, I agree with the OP. Intro video for X3 contains much fail.

This is a proper space game intro.

I've only ever bothered with the first couple of missions in X3, and they really didn't make any sense. I couldn't tie anything together.

[Lethul]

I have to agree on some points. Frontier was an amazing game, and just the fact that it so many solar systems and planets and all was awesome. And you could land on planets! I wish more of those stuff where in X3. The X3 world is more complex but ALOT smaller.

They could deffo take another leaf out of the book of Elite. It shouldn't be to hard to make XXXX amount of solar systems random generated?

About the videos and characters in X3. It is really embarrassing actually. I agree with the point of the characters being like 19-21 years old is a bit daft. Hell, i even think the Bala Gi way of giving missions blows the original plot out of the water just cause the video clips/characters only made the plot feel worse.

[GillMan]

Freelancer was a good game but nowhere close to as indepth as the x universe.

[eladan]

Frontier concentrated on story and realism. Sometimes it has to be said, at the expense of gameplay.

ES have just had a different emphasis. They are very much concentrating on gameplay, rather than story.

I'd agree - it would be nice to have more emphasis on story elements - flesh out the lore a bit, etc. It would certainly help with immersion. But I'll take gameplay over story every time.

[Fresshness]

Sounds to me like you have way too much time on your hands to moan about a game which is, well, just fantastic.

You should play the game for quite a while before before slating it to pieces.

This way you may just realise just how in depth this gme really goes.

Yes the Elite games were very good for their time but they are now extinct and it's time for X3 to have a go, and from playing every game in the X series myself, i can say that i have enjoyed X3 the most.

oh-oh, seems like someone criticized (fairly, I might add) your god and you don't like it one bit, do you?

[JCESAR]

I bought X3 about 1 and a half year ago, i knew nothing about the x universe or the previous games. All i can say is i was in shock after i saw the intro, it was so lame that i didnt know what to expect from the rest off the game, least so say i stoped doing the storyline in the city chase, the 90 's graphics, the characters always saying the same thing. I started to trade, cap ships etc, but without a good story backing that all up, i just desinstalled the game and cursed myself for buying it.
Only about some months ago i decided to give it another try, and all i can say is that its a fantastic game, and if it had a good story, a good way to tell that story, and decent FMV graphics, noone would ever talk about freelancer or elite again.

For those who say we cant have it all, well there are some games out there that have it, why cant this game? Its "only" a matter of money and time, because egosoft has the talent

[CBJ]

Some people need to chill out a bit in this thread. That means not only allowing other people to express their opinions without being shot down, but also avoiding goading people who appear to be taking it all a bit too seriously.

As for the stories, you can't please everyone. Some people like the storylines, some don't, and some are way too busy playing the game to care either way.

[adobis]

Freelancer was a good game but nowhere close to as indepth as the x universe.

It seems that we always come back to the old Freelancer vs X series

Sure the scenario is not the most perfect one, but it's also not the worst

It's kinda funny with the Khaaks that are not shown as "responsible of all troubles" i think

[NeonSamurai]

Well not to be mean to the devs, but I have to agree that the intro to X3 Reunion is pretty horrid. The announcer looks like a troll doll, and has a voice that grates my nerves (In fact when i saw the intro for the first time, my first thought was how in heck did that ""woman"" ever get a job as a news announcer). Personally I try to skip the intro as quickly as possible when ever starting up so i never need to see "her" again

The storyline missions were also not that great either (but could have been much worse, some of the more recent space games have had utterly abysmal plot lines and voice acting). The voice acting was flat and not very believable, the script was a bit childish.

Where X3 pulls to the front is in gameplay, and graphics (music is good too), and is my favorite current space game. I do wish though it had a bit more depth to it. Also the game often has a really lonely feel to it at times for me where often feel that I am the only life form in the universe, and everything else is roboticly driven (with video taped responses for when you shoot at them).

X3 is a pretty good game, but like any game it has it's flaws

btw

For those who say we cant have it all, well there are some games out there that have it...

I cant agree with that, no game is truly perfect, there are always some flaws, or thing that this person or another doesn't like. Even if everyone was the same and liked the exact same things no game can ever be utterly perfect. Perfection is a fallacy.

[H.F._Mudd]

Well, I agree with the OP. Intro video for X3 contains much fail.

This is a proper space game intro.

I've only ever bothered with the first couple of missions in X3, and they really didn't make any sense. I couldn't tie anything together.

Meh, here's an intro!!!

If only Terran Conflict could have X3's deep sandbox and that game's physics, solar systems, atmosphere, and storytelling style... That would be the ultimate game.

[Nightwatch]

Well, I agree with the OP. Intro video for X3 contains much fail.

This is a proper space game intro.

I've only ever bothered with the first couple of missions in X3, and they really didn't make any sense. I couldn't tie anything together.

Gaah. Yes the "intro" to Freelancer is very cool but a few things..

(A) It has utterly zip to do with actual game.

I mean wtf has the Coalition and the alliance war to do with Freelancer? And the only link of to the intor in game was the names of the big escaping sleeper ships... aside from the fact that they missed out one of them and there were only 4 empires in the actual game. Oops.

The REAL intro to Freelancer was when you started the game and you saw generic_evil_cloaking_aliens_No.17092 blowing up a station and you are the_only_survivor(tm) You think the Intro to X3 was bad compared with THAT?

(B) Its basicly a long winded way of saying "hey yeah we are tieing this into "Starlancer" for reasons of boosting sales despite the in game Universe having nothing to do with Starlancer.. and the game looking nothing like Starlancer, and playing nothing like Starlancer.

Despite the fact that all our marketing was centered around it being the Elite style game placed in the Universe of Starlancer and running alongside that game. Which really is.. apart from being set 200 light years away and 10,000 years forward in time *cough*"

The bad thing about the X3 into was the really annoying voice of the newscaster. Thats it. The rest was acceptable.

Freelancer was a fun blast but one the story was over thats it. The game is done. The fighting elements are okish ("Wave mouse around.. gaah I'm dying *drink health potion*"), the trading elements were boring as hell, and it was not the the super game everyone seems to remember. "Darkstar One" did the Freelancer style game far far better.

As for me I think the voice acting in the story was very well done. (and btw I've done some voice work for computer games and its actually not that easy. The people who did the voices for the main characters in X3 did a pretty good job.. aside from that goddam newscaster. Jesus she was terrible.) You could pretty much run through the story in the first few hours of play if you wanted as they gave you ships when you needed it. And the story was actually fairly interesting. Though how that wormhole got linked to earth was never explained.

And the big thing is if you never did the storyline, the universe would be grey and empty. Yhe Storyline gives the character to the races, its how you get to know the personality of the universe. Its how you get to know them all. And your not even railroaded through it.

I actually think it was probably the best done story of the X series so far. The guys that made the game are slowly learning how to tell a story in a game, and that is a skill in itself. X-BTFs story ran out of steam pretty quickly and was reduced to a tiresome fly back and fourth between the races trying to get their support.

[edit]If you want to see the best intro to a space game ever check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ-xcgBL1mY
Freespace: The Great war. That intro gives me the chills every time I see it. Every single time.

[Nanook]

Well, I agree wholeheartedly with the OP. That intro just grates on my nerves everytime I'm too slow to escape out of it. And the whole immature rantings and behaviours of the main characters, including the player, just seem to be a huge step back from the original game. Even in X2, the tone was set when we were all forced to be 'Julian'.

Egosoft, we're not all wet-behind-the-ears teenie boppers buying your games. In fact, according to every poll done on the subject, the average age of your fan base is over 30, with some of us well past that. So have a little respect for the majority of your fanbase and make your stories a bit more mature. I think we'd all appreciate it.

[Phier]

X3 = good game
X3 + Mods + player scripts = awesome game.

X3 cinematics = lame
X3 story missions = lame.

The story missions are very disjointed, and well just not well done. Wing commander one was better there.

As a sandbox its really a great game, I love it.
As a 'game' in the traditional sense with a story/plot, its one of the worst.

The question is whats more important, and for me, thats the sandbox.

Edit:Oh and I wanted to murder what'shername after the 5th time of saying 'Forgot your parrot'.

[Nightwatch]

The original game?

You character could not even speak in the original game.

The story was: arrive in siezewell

Spoiler

Show

work off dept to teladi
Go to argon prime Get laughed at
Go to the goners. Have them yammer something about the good news.. which is never explained, not to mention you are never given a reason why its so good.
Wander around playing nice to the races to get them to agree to fight the bad bad Xenon. Eventually you are so popular they say "Yes Britney!"
Wander around AGAIN to the races to get them to send a ship to the big battle ("Of course Britney!")
Kill big bad xenon ship
The end

Thats hardly Shakespear dude...