Help me like this game

[lx_online]

Hi All,

I thought X3:TC was going to be the game I have been looking for for a long time - but the first 2 hours have left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I had to restart the game twice after not being giving much guidance as the "nostalgic" fighter, I did find the first few missions for the Terran defender a lot better.

Today I accepted an "easy" mission from a station which involved escorting 4 ships through to the Midnight star sector. Not only were there ridiculously long delays where nothing happened, fighters able to go twice my speed (targeting them was like swatting flies) - after one hour some Kha'ak (is that right?) arrived, split into about 100 ships and destroyed me in under 10 seconds. One hour of my life - gone - no auto saves are allowed (why?) - it really does make me want to uninstall the game and cut my losses.

Any advice as to what happened - I was doing fine until the pink ships showed up - and any tips on to how to enjoy the game would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Alex.

[delray]

If your combat career goes poorly, maybe you will find more luck in a trading career, or as an industrialist?

For combat, Fight Command mk2 and pressing K twice until it's ON will let you to shoot with CTRL to auto-aim.

[46_n_2]

auto saves when docking only... u can buy salvage insurance to save anywhere (one unit = one save)

seems like the RNG was jsut giving you a hard time with the khaak invasion just chalk that up to bad luck....

when im in the early game i make sure to choose missions very carefully (i mainly ignore trading and building until later in the game) try station defense missions and sector patrols for (relatively) easy pay offs....

this game has a whole lot of trail and error involved until you get to know the ropes... that being said sometimes games like this are too overwhelming to some people (ive recommended this game to quite a few friends but they didnt like it do to no hand holding [imo])

[Nanook]

A few tidbits of advice:

Escort missions are annoying and tedious, and some would say bugged. If you're just starting out, avoid them until you understand the game a lot better. Station defense missions are some of the easiest, since the individual pirates attacking the station won't target you unless you attack them first, so you can usually pick them off one by one.

Upgrade your ship as soon as you can. Most likely, you need more speed and rudder tunings, better shields and better guns. And don't forget to get the various useful software gadgets, such as the Fight Command I or II that delray suggested (either one will do for the autoaim function).

Maybe don't bother with missions (generic or plot) until you're more familiar with the game. This game is very deep and very complex, with a steep learning curve. Take your time, explore, do some trading, read some guides in the Ultimate X Resource Guides sticky at the top of the forum.

Most of all, take your time and have fun. And welcome to the forums.

[delray]

It's not the missions that's bugged, it's autopilot and the way it tries to jump entire convoys in formation, rather than sending scouts first, then freighters, then the rest of the escort through the game, and then reforming the delta on the other side as ships get further away from the gate...

If you ever want to have hope to complete this mission, you need to jump ahead of the convoy you're escorting so they follow you OOS and get through the darned gate before they got attacked at it. That's the only way to start corporate plots like OTAS, this darned mission is one of the first things to do there.

[Nanook]

[kurush]

Could be because of fight rank, but I was only able to complete these convoy missions by bringing one or two M7Ms to it. A couple of destroyers spawning right on top of that TS you are supposed to protect are fun, but not something I would recommend for a beginner. I don't remember any problem with ships trying to travel in formation, in my case they were actually spreading out across the sectors and sometimes I had to assign each one an individual M7M for protection

[TTD]

Firstly welcome to our universe.

This not a game you can learn in five minutes.

There are many,many facets to the game, and so many different ways to play it.

The best way to have fun is to decide what type of player you want to be , and learn that side of the game ,a stage at a time.

for example,I am usually a trader.But I was unable to build very large complexes until I understood how to trade and earn the the cash to do it.
And I had to learn many ways to trade...buying,repairing and selling second hand ships can be very lucrative.
Idling in the corner of a sector where a battle is taking place,then collecting the spoils of war,to sell at EQ docks etc is also very rewarding.

If you want to be a fighter/mercenary,you need to choose ways to earn the credit and the rep to upgrade to better ships with more shielding and fire power etc.

But don;t try to become top of the pile in one hour.It rarely works until you have got to know the game well.And even then it can take longer.

But time and effort will bring rewards.
Most of us had problems getting into the game,but eventually we did.
I have been playing since X2 and there are still things in the game I have not tried.

Don't give up.
Soon you will be here giving advice to others.

[gapszi]

get a fast ship min scaner explorer software pac dock at mill bass elen`a fortune then autopilot survey debris .

then report backhear you dont love this game

[highflier]

easy mission? ackbar says "its a trap". no really, many missions are traps for beginners. a transport mission says easy but you need a ship that costs you a milion to to it. beware!

especially convoy missions can be tedious if some Kha'ak or xenon invasion takes place in the midst of your mission... those ships have nothing todo with your objective but they kill them non the less.

get to know the game by exploring. fighting comes early enough.

[Triaxx2]

Okay, so two tips. Tip number one, is don't take Escort missions. At all. They're not worth it unless you bring a full on carrier attack fleet. And I mean multiple covering carriers. Or a missile frigate, there's simply no way to win. (That's not entirely true, but it takes incredible amounts of luck.)

Tip number two: Don't bother with covert missions. (Follow target) They're not worth the effort.

By the way, stolen ship missions? No good.

The best places to start are Easy defend station missions. You'll get a single M5 that will tend to crash into the station, but you can experiment trying to kill it. Be patient with combat. It's very hard even for experienced pilots, but once you get used to the fighting and the controls, it becomes easier. And the more familiar you become both with your fighter and the enemy fighters, the easier it will be. Also learn to recognize the ship symbols.

I have to say most of all, stick with it. It's pretty overwhelming at first, but the ultimate goal is worth it. When you're cruising around the universe in your M1, sending fighters to go out and do your bidding for you. I guarantee it's worth the effort.

[ahddib]

this game is awesome. It was, however, designed for the experienced player. X has had a tight knit community following it since x2, so the game is more rewarding to the player who has invested some time.

Kha'ak are hard enemies. Take them out with long range missiles or run away.

I advise waiting till you can afford (or find) a m3 fighter before starting a combat career as a noob. I find fighting in a m5 scout class vessel a lot of fun (jaguar raider ) but that has 1mj shield lol! That is not easy at all to survive in and as others have said run away.

look at the stats for the m3s available. I prefer one with at least a rear turret to defend against missiles and fast ships. (nova is a popular first m3)

Stick with it man, you'll find a gem or two as you go...

[Smart_Bomb]

Does the OP know about SETA?

[lx_online]

Hi All,

Thanks for the welcome - and the tips.

I'll be restarting the game as a trader I think - I loved Wing Commander Prophecy which is why I've jumped into the combat (I have no problem with the actual combat - it was more the levelling of enemies I was fighting).

I will only take on station defence / patrols.

@Smart_Bomb - I do know about SETA, I occasionally forget to use it though!

Hopefully trading will give me lots of notoriety which will actually let me buy decent ships.

One more quick question - if you take on a ship, and apologise to police afterwards, are there any repercussions - ie will the race they belonged to attack you in future?

Thanks to everyone,
Alex.

[Demotruk]

Be warned that pure trading (not counting missions) is very slow going in the first few hours. The missions get lucrative fast but you may find you don't have the ships to do them. Getting a Kestrel early on from a Teladi shipyard and taking taxi missions can be a ludicrously fast way to make money, but it feels a bit ridiculous to me.

Once you get to the point that you can afford stations with their own CAG's, especially 1MJ shield fabs and later Space Fuel distilleries the trading game starts to get lucrative.

That said: I enjoyed the trading game when I first got into X3 in spite of its slowness. I made my first fortune trading.. in a Buster! My first remote traders were Discoverers.. When I finally could afford a Mercury, I appreciated it to no end. (yes I should have sold the Buster for a Mercury immediately, hindsight is always clearer).