Page 1 of 19

Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 01:18
by CBJ
Recently we discovered a video about #X4Foundations by BlueDrake42. We have not influenced or sponsored his video, but we are definitely pleased he’s so excited about X4 and we wanted to share his review. It’s been a great joy for the entire team at Egosoft to hear all of his comments.

“There have definitely been a few problems with bugs, and the learning curve has always been a little bit high due to the massive giant economy… but I have to say X4 is the best version of all the X Games in my opinion - the UI is way better and easier to navigate, the controls are way more streamlined.” - BlueDrake42 Youtube

Check out his full review here: https://youtu.be/2ZHqid2t7vM

I want to use this opportunity to also update you all on our progress with 2.00 and our plans beyond:

X4: Foundations Milestones

Before 2.00, and between any of the coming major patches, there will also be minor steps. We try to release bug fixes as fast as we can once we feel they are safe (which is why there will also be lots of public betas). Right now you can participate in the public beta for 1.60 here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/392160/d ... 638016501/

Update 2.00

The next bigger update will bring, among other things, the ability to set up your own shipyards. Compete with the faction shipyards by selling ships to the war factions or build your own fleets.

Another focus for 2.00 is to make crew training a bit easier. Crew and pilots gain experience by doing their jobs; more so in some areas than others. However, while the first two stars are very easy to gain, the progress slows down after that. Getting from the 3rd to the 4th star takes a LOT more experience than from the 1st to the 2nd.

We aim to release 2.00 in February.

Update 2.50
  • With 2.50 we aim to bring a new ship type: Resupply ships. In short, they will work like a flying equipment dock and can form the backbone of a large fleet.
  • Linux version: We hope the Linux beta can start somewhere between 2.00 and 2.50 already but at the latest together with this update.
  • TrackIR/Tobii support: We know lots of people are asking us to support these tools and while testing may start before it again we aim that 2.50 should bring support at the latest.
  • Sector blacklists: This will allow you to set up sectors that your ships will avoid at all costs.
  • Another thing that we hope to pack into 2.50 is a series of improvements around managing inventory items. This includes the ability to create and drop crates in space and possibly also to store them on stations.
Update 3.00
  • As some of you may already have figured out, one cool feature of X4 is the ability to own entire sectors and even change their names. With 3.00 we aim to build upon this with a number of features to help you benefit from sector control. You can then basically become your own faction with your own set of rules.
  • For all updates, we are working on better missions. At the latest for 3.00 we plan to have a number of new and improved combat missions in particular. An area we want to combine this with is improved research (in the player HQ) and the ability to potentially even move the player HQ to a different location.
  • An early gameplay feature that 3.00 will improve is the ability to dock directly at station with a spacesuit and to get other NPC ships to transport you, by offering missions to them.
  • With 3.00 at the latest, we want to have at least one new gamestart. There is a chance that this will have some interesting new features.
Online ventures

In December we released our very first online mode in an X game: Ventures. With the Updates 2.00 to 3.00 we will also continue work on more and better online ventures. So stay tuned for more exciting online missions.

Please click on the below links for a more detailed explanation of Online Ventures:
https://www.egosoft.com:8444/confluence ... d=77791367

https://youtu.be/NuONlBUTuy0

First Expansion will introduce Split race

While all of the above (free) updates may also contain new assets, we will bundle a lot of new ships, station modules, missions and new sectors into the first big expansion. Our rough timeline is to have an expansion based on introducing the Split race, their ships, a new Split economy and of course a large new area of space shortly after releasing 3.00.

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:02
by sh1pman
Are there plans to enable war scripts for 2.0? (e.g. factions taking over enemy sectors, etc).

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:19
by stabile007
Very exciting to see! I am looking forward to the resupply ships for sure and the crew training. While there has been bugs I must say I have been enjoying myself. Anything to share about turret improvements?

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:21
by Cabrelbeuk
As some of you may already have figured out, one cool feature of X4 is the ability to own entire sectors and even change their names. With 3.0 we aim to build upon this with a number of features to help you benefit from sector control. You can then basically become your own faction with your own set of rules.
I'll might wait 3.0 instead of 2.0 before get back into X4. I am so glad you are expanding this part of the game.

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:23
by Xenon_Slayer
sh1pman wrote:
Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:02
Are there plans to enable war scripts for 2.0? (e.g. factions taking over enemy sectors, etc).
The issue that non-Xenon factions will not claim new areas of space will be addressed. And of course we'll be looking at all other related things such as the economy which can have an impact on how well a faction can wage war.

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:28
by werewolves?
Ah can't wait for the updates and DLC...

Shift+4

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:29
by Shehriazad
I complained about lack of communication about what's going on...and here you guys are.


Thank you. Even if there is no real dates (which is something devs generally hate, anyway...so I'm used to that) we at least have a rough timeline we can "work" with now.

Thank you a lot for that.

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:32
by ei8htx
Excited to hear 2.0 is aiming for February!

Any insight on when 3.0 is coming? Any timeline, including quarter or year granularity would be nice :)

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:37
by battlemode
:D Great news! Good to see a roadmap and the updates sound good to me! Thank you for giving us the update, I know a lot of people will be pleased about that.

Really enjoying the game, and looking forwards to seeing the issues ironed out alongside these new features!

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:42
by tomchk
Shehriazad wrote:
Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:29
I complained about lack of communication about what's going on...and here you guys here.
Thank you. Even if there is no real dates (which is something devs generally hate, anyway...so I'm used to that) we at least have a rough timeline we can "work" with now.
Thank you a lot for that.
Indeed, thanks for the update! Also, I'm glad to hear your team got so much joy from this video (which I also had watched). You deserve it, as you have accomplished a lot with X4. Sorry you don't hear more of this extreme excitement from people!

Speaking of new features, though, what do you think of this potentially simple addition that I suspect people would find really cool? Just add a superhighway that takes you very close to the surface of one of the current planets (like you already did in XR but maybe a bit closer), where you can land on a station with parts extending down for a while towards the surface. My thought is it would look like a space elevator of sorts. I think you already have everything in the game to do this, and you could call it pseudo-planetary landing! It really would look awesome, too, and perhaps such a station could be used as an extremely large resource sink representing grounded cities using space goods. Thoughts, Egosoft? :? :)

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:54
by Shehriazad
ei8htx wrote:
Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:32
Excited to hear 2.0 is aiming for February!

Any insight on when 3.0 is coming? Any timeline, including quarter or year granularity would be nice :)
I don't think this is planned further than DURING 2019.


If I had to guess 2.5 would be march/April and 3.0 may/June.

The dlc would fit in at ANY time...

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 02:57
by elektrohawk
Thanks for the update, great to hear a little more about what's in the pipe, and that 2.0 is still in the February end of the timeline.

Really can't help but feel like the split expansion/DLC announcement is in really bad taste though. A lot of us have purchased this game knowing your (egosoft's) release model of essentially, release a really broken game, and gradually fix and improve it into something good, that becomes truly great with the addition of mods. We understand this, and we're happy to support the continued development of the game into what we hope it can be. However, at this point, so much of what we would consider basic functionality for an actual full release of the game is still being worked on, or isn't even listed in your timeline. Things take time, I understand, but it really sounds like you're favouring pushing out additional paid expansion/DLC content, before the game is even in a proper full release state. Now, I'm not saying specifically that '4-5 months is too soon', or anything of the sort. Rather that, releasing expansions before the intended base content is complete, is too soon.

Definitely appreciate the quick progress on bugs and patches though.

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 03:31
by mtoomb
Any news on MacOS support? Pleeeease? My go to gaming laptop is a brick I can’t afford to replace or repair thanks to my wife buying a brand new iMac. So I’ll wait... patiently... ;)

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 03:34
by TDQuasar
Thanks, CBJ and Devs. Looking forward to all of those you mentioned.

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 03:53
by DollopOfCrazy
These updates and the DLC sounds good to me for sure, but at this point, I'm more interested in more basic feature fixes.

BIG BATTLES:
For instance, I think the VAST difference between in system (IS) and out of system (OOS) battle mechanics makes having big battles in X4 virtually pointless. In general, if you are IS and participate with a well balanced fleet, your fleet is doomed, but if you direct the battle OOS, the same fleet is almost guaranteed success. I know I'm generalizing this, but it's basically the case. EgoSoft, you really need to address this soon!

Other points related to the one above:
* In the hands of NPCs, plasmas weapons should not be all powerful OOS and next useless IS.
* Laser Towers should not be very powerful IS and completely useless sitting ducks OOS.
* Consumables not consumed OOS, but consumed IS.
* ... many more examples ...

Basically battle progression needs to be much much closer whether IS or OOS!

LARGE SHIPS:
I find that there are MANY problems with the games support for large ships at this point. I can understand why this is, since the big ships were probably added after small ships, but please improve testing of large and extra large ships features.

ONLINE (more than basic fixes for sure):
I very glad you've dipped your little tow into online gaming with X4! Please accelerate this! Getting to a co-op play mode some day is huge! Getting to player faction vs player faction battles would be an unbelievable expansion!

Good luck EgoSoft! I only gripe because I'm a fan! :D

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 04:10
by Chobittsu
When you say the first expansion will include the Split, those this also include more varied split character models? Such as those seen in the concept arts?

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 04:41
by Falcrack
DollopOfCrazy wrote:
Sat, 26. Jan 19, 03:53
These updates and the DLC sounds good to me for sure, but at this point, I'm more interested in more basic feature fixes.

BIG BATTLES:
For instance, I think the VAST difference between in system (IS) and out of system (OOS) battle mechanics makes having big battles in X4 virtually pointless. In general, if you are IS and participate with a well balanced fleet, your fleet is doomed, but if you direct the battle OOS, the same fleet is almost guaranteed success. I know I'm generalizing this, but it's basically the case. EgoSoft, you really need to address this soon!

Other points related to the one above:
* In the hands of NPCs, plasmas weapons should not be all powerful OOS and next useless IS.
* Laser Towers should not be very powerful IS and completely useless sitting ducks OOS.
* Consumables not consumed OOS, but consumed IS.
* ... many more examples ...

Basically battle progression needs to be much much closer whether IS or OOS!
I am not sure how battle calculations work out of sector (OOS), but there could possibly be a way to calculate chance to hit, rather than simply give a 100% chance to hit for OOS combat calculations. This would probably be a function of distance to target, speed of the projectile, and size of the target, and target maneuverability. So powerful but slow projectiles would not become OP OOS but useless in sector against small fighters, while still being effective against large, slow moving, unmaneuverable capital ships.

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 05:29
by peteran
Glad to see this although I haven't felt the lack of communication as I read (or at least glance) forum posts, sit on discord and participate in the beta testing.

CBJ: This is going to be posted in news on Steam too, right?

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 06:47
by shahman76
Thanks ES for this udpate. Looks exciting! Im specially excited about new mission types and shipyards. Cant wait!

Re: Next steps in the evolution of X4: Foundations

Posted: Sat, 26. Jan 19, 08:01
by StoneLegionYT
Looking really sweet. I been quite busy in RL but I think I will do another play through / series for 3.0. I got a decent upgrade too a 9900k and a RTX 2080 so I should be able to play a bit more smoother haha.