Quick observations from demo:
1. Missions appear on different parts of station as small transporent icons, similar to the dock icon (scull - hunt mission, wallet? - trade missions, etc). So you may take mission without landing, but it take a bit of station recon: detection range for this things is pretty small.
2. Station interiors (saw only one docking Bay, see below) are quite big, but rather simplistic and bare.
3. NPC animations are kinda wooden, but other then that - you may talk with them (see below) and some actions are available. Talking heads are a bit better then before, but more or less same as before.
4. Upgrades are to be bought AND sold on stations (via NPCs). I had a list of a 3 different MK versions of same gun, with MKII installed and MKIII way too expensive. Trading UI is kinda crap, but look like a quick placeholder for demo rather then final version.
5. Mouse and keyboard controls are somewhat familiar: x/z for speed control, tab - boost/afterburner (drains shields), awsd for strafing, lmb - select/click, rmb/ctrl - fire at cursor/reticle.
6. Ship is very fast and very agile. Strafing speed is enormous. It's very easy to orbit big ships while avoiding fire. Feels like springblossom with spacesuit agility.
7. Cockpit UI is fun, but confusing. Shield indicator is too far from center and easy to confuse with similar current-gun indicator, making it hard to check during a fight. I didn't found hull indicator at all. Damage direction effect is awesome (like a blue shield distortion) and also depends on damage amount. Waypoint/target direction is nice too.
8. Seems to be no direct trading. Once you select trading mission, it will suggest you a list of (your? ) ships to fit that mission. A menu a bit confusing and as demo doesn't actually give you some time to roam around, I didn't quite. Maybe there is some direct trading, but I didn't saw it though.
9. You may take missions during the plot mission.
10. Docking/undocking is instantaneous, but you have to be damn close to the docking pad.
11. There is top-direction/ecliptic plane even with mouse and keyboards - once you are busted out from highway while attempting to enter it (it seems to be one-way and only two sections of it), you'll rotate all over the place for a few seconds until ship controls are resumed. After that, you are aligned using this top-direction. Also, during the extensive maneuvering you may deviate a bit and it will return back to the "correct" top orientation after you'll enter steady direct flight. You can't switch it off (see below in x3tc questions).
Video of demo:
From talking to Arsaneus:A5PECT wrote:CBJ posted this walkthrough in another thread, so I'll just paste it here:
http://www.gamestar.de/videos/specials, ... 71543.html
1. No, there is no/will be no FPS yet.
2. Stations are split in separated sections, with no internal connections right now. They are working on it, so some kind of connections may appear on release.
3. There is a separate tactical interface for controlling your fleet. It is on Skunk, so no need to dock anywhere. It's not quite RTS-ish yet, but they have something like that in plans.
4. They have plans to make direct capital ship controls like in Battlecruiser Command/Nexus: Jupiter Accident/Imperium Galactica etc. But that's very vague plans and if there is any progress yet is unknown (for me).
5. There are hacking chips (to be found in randomized lockers and boxes on stations) which are to be used for hacking closed doors on stations.
Additional questions by x3tc.ru:
It's unknown yet, they still have to decide on that topic.biohazard15 wrote: - Most important: are they going to release some kind of demo/benchmark before release of the game itself?
They are going to decide upon modding tools after the release. At day zero it will be no modding tools most probably, but later they will release something for sure. It's just yet unknown when and what - they will think about it after the release. Earlier Arsaneus mentioned that game is still heavily moddable and even more moddable then before. For instance, UI is now much more moddable then before.biohazard15 wrote: - Anything new about modding and its limits? AFAIR, CBJ quite vaguely explained on official forum something about 3d models - they have some kind of propritary converter and they still think if they are going to release it.
Yeap, it's pretty much as in Freelancer. A bunch of factions with their wars, alliances and separate reputation for each. By Arsaneus hints corporations now a more independent from governments/races.biohazard15 wrote: - Reputation and factions - how it looks like overall? Is it copy from Freelancer (bunch of factions - Plutarch, Cantera, Heart of Albion, Reavers, etc - and every faction has it's own reputation bar)?
External modules - something like that, weapons, shields... But there are a whole bunch of subsystems, you may target, destroy or (sic!) hack. For instance, you may hack targeting system and disable it.biohazard15 wrote: - On capital ships are there only three types of different modules (engines, weapons, shields?) or it will be possible to destroy, for instance, the bridge or hangars?
Nope, so far, but they are thinking about it. As for now, there is always a possibility to take glorious photos of your Skunk from drones! Complete controls with HUD for 3rd person view are highly unprobable as it was mentioned by CBJ some time ago.biohazard15 wrote: - Is there any external camera view in game?
Arsaneus refused to answer that question, as it would be a plot and/or universe exploration spoiler.biohazard15 wrote: - Are there any other old ships, like Terran Katana?
By Arsaneus words: yes, there are credits and other items with some "purpose". Probably for quests (given by NPC on that station). Hack-chips are required to obtain other items in rooms otherwise locked/inaccessible. But they are still thinking about how deep that mechanic shall go.biohazard15 wrote: - Are there any other items (except already mentioned hack-chips) on stations, like credits or upgrades?
Everything the same. When you are buying new upgrade, obsolete version is automatically sold.biohazard15 wrote: - Ok, weapons upgrades are clear, but what about engines and shields?
You may do it as in good old days, yes. Subsystem destruction just result in huge damage to the hull - if you'll kill all the subsystems, to hull shall be on zero (information by Arsaneus).biohazard15 wrote: - Capital ships are to be shot strictly in "hot-spots" or you may just sit and fire like in old days, until hull is zero?
There is inertia, but negligible. They've reduced in on purpose, to make flight easier.biohazard15 wrote: - Flight physics - what it is with them? Is there any inertia as in X3? Or (as I guessed from video) it's now like X2 without inertia at all?
Other changes to flight model - top direction, either orthogonal to the nearest capital ship, if you are in the gravity well, or some global top-direction if you are in open space. Sector design is mostly flat, BTW, as in Freelancer (Arsaneus words). You can't switch it off.
There are numbers on choices or you may click answers by mouse. Docking - fly to the dock, click on the icon and menu will pop-up with only option "dock".biohazard15 wrote: - How the menu looks like (NPC talks, docking, etc) from the point of mouse&keyboard controls?
A bit redacted post by Wana down below the thread:
Full post is there: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... 46#4119346Wana wrote: this is my personal experience with X:R Demo GC13
- acessing the map can be kinda realistic (turn your head, display coming in, switching on), but with extensive use, will enrage player in the long run.
- the ship is indeed very agile. hitting a wall is a wanted mistake made on purpose.
- you can dock, the game rely far more on mouse. in X3, you can almost play with keyboard only.
- The radial menu ("T") is clearly made for console gamers with a pad.
- Yes you can chat with npc, it require a double click (?) to interact. C key is completely unused. you can chit-chat to hear some borons jokes, hire marines and more. Don't know if differents NPC are available on another docking bay (only had time to dock at one)
KB shorcut are pairs numbers. so 6 and 8, which are not near from WASD are quite used.
-First Person mode is quite good. pretty fast, fluid, with, i think some drifting. the jump is like an old Unreal Tournament jump.
- the station is... not really crowded. toolboxes are often empty too. no minigames were present. there is a laptop in a room, should be an old celeron one if not older referring to its size. To sum up, i don't feel i'm living in the future.
Didn't found the exotic dancers though.
- although there were some casualities, i was not needed to finish the mission.
- scripted parts (NPC radio discussions) prevent you from any control (can't do anything even walking on station)
- Yisha talks from an empty chair if you're docked
- are we in god mode or i'm damn too good shooting that cap ship ?
- 10mn is not enough to build you own capital fleet and conquer the universe. obvioulsy someone is lying, or broke his NDA.
Edit: Demo.11 and Arsaneus.4.
Edit 2: Arsaneus.5.
Edit 3: Questions from x3tc.ru
Edit 4: Wana post quoted.
Hoping to see better aliens though.
