X4: Cradle of Humanity (Release Date March 16, 2021, 6pm CET; Livestream at 5pm CET)

[raUlo]

I think I would bet on the Yaki. And I would also go as far as to say that screenshot 5 from Steam is not Terran, for some reason it seems to look a bit different from the other small ships depicted in the other screenshots

You mean this screenshot ?
Yes it looks like X3's Yaki M5.

Yes indeed. It looks like a mixture between Terran small ships seen in other screenshots and X3 Paranid Pegasus.

One of the screenshots seems to be something simillar to the Aqueduct, that one also seems really weird like why would they post a picture of it? Perhaps it has something to do with the upcoming plot (AFAIK there's no explanation so far as to what the Aqueducts are and why they are spread randomly all over the universe)

[mr.WHO]

two Terran factions to X4: Foundations, along with their economy, ships, weapons and stations. New game-starts will introduce the identity and political stance of the Terran factions, as well as giving an alternative perspective on existing story developments in X4: Foundations.

X4: Cradle of Humanity will also shed light on what has happened to Earth in the decades since the jump-gate shutdown. Furthermore, a certain pirate faction that is well known to fans of the series will be making a dramatic comeback!

USC perspective - shoot everything that fly through our gate.
ATF perspective - shoot everything beyond our gate.


About pirates this is strage as there are only two named pirate factions:
- Darkspace pirates - Terran pirates so they would count as 3rd Terran faction.
- Yaki pirates - accordign to lore they transformed into Beryl corporation so it would be kinda strange to resurface them, albeit Steam screenshots show fighters that could look like Yaki ships.

[jlehtone]

X4: Cradle of Humanity will also shed light on what has happened to Earth in the decades since the jump-gate shutdown. Furthermore, a certain pirate faction that is well known to fans of the series will be making a dramatic comeback!

Preaching Goners? Agitated ATF?

a new terraforming feature

My psychic powers* say that we can control Xenon ships and they will once again perform their original task.

Hey, Slartibartfast of Magrathea! Do you have any new designs?


*Disclaimer: I'm not a psychic.

[Artean]

Great news!

Terraforming?? That makes me VERY curious!

[Falcrack]

I wonder if the terraforming thing will be a gameplay mechanic separate from the plot, or if it will be tied to the plot like the "diplomacy" feature introduced with 3.0? I felt like the diplomacy option in 3.0, where you influenced diplomacy through plot choices, was too much "on rails" for my taste, that the options were too limited and not dynamic enough.

[mr.WHO]

For a Terran station, there is oddly too many Xenos on board:
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/a ... 1598515434

[Artean]

I wonder if the terraforming thing will be a gameplay mechanic separate from the plot, or if it will be tied to the plot like the "diplomacy" feature introduced with 3.0? I felt like the diplomacy option in 3.0, where you influenced diplomacy through plot choices, was too much "on rails" for my taste, that the options were too limited and not dynamic enough.

I really hope it is a sandbox feature.

[tomchk]

For a Terran station, there is oddly too many Xenos on board:
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/a ... 1598515434

Haha agreed. I also am hoping they can change some colors or at least one of the 2D designs on the docks so it's more believable that they're Terran. Nothing major, just some difference that doesn't make us wonder why they'd be so similar after the gate break.

[Falcrack]

For a Terran station, there is oddly too many Xenos on board:
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/a ... 1598515434

Haha agreed. I also am hoping they can change some colors or at least one of the 2D designs on the docks so it's more believable that they're Terran. Nothing major, just some difference that doesn't make us wonder why they'd be so similar after the gate break.

It would be nice if they had docks that differed from one race to the next, so they don't all look the same.

[Alm888]

I'm liking the look of those stations. The white X3 Terran aesthetic is back.

Yes. White with blue stripes (just as I speculated half a year ago )

I'm liking the look of those stations. The white X3 Terran aesthetic is back.

Yeah. It is nice to see Terran stations in a more "orderly" state. (In "X: Rebirth" they were mostly destroyed).
Also, it seems ES follows the "X: Rebirth" aesthetic more than X3, which is good, IMO. I am not a fan of X3 Terran stations: they looked basically like oversized cubes/cylinders.

Hope this time we are allowed to pilot Sucellus-class destroyers (or their successors), as I am interested in firing that "Insanely Huge Cannon" personally.

- Terran theme docking pads (too much white for my taste):
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/a ... 1598515434

For a Terran station, there is oddly too many Xenos on board

Aww, come on! It is just a standard "Luxury" dock. We have these in-game now. No relation to Terrans.

- This is even more confusing - looks like Yaki/Terran fighter hybrid - maybe second faction will not be ATF, but some kind of pro-Alien Terran faction?

Yes indeed. It looks like a mixture between Terran small ships seen in other screenshots and X3 Paranid Pegasus.

I'm not sure, but wasn't some Paranid faction allied with Terrans prior to gates' shutdown (lore-wise) and had an expeditionary fleet stationed in the Sol system?

[mr.WHO]

Aww, come on! It is just a standard "Luxury" dock. We have these in-game now. No relation to Terrans.

I think Luxury dock has different floor tiles.
This looks like Terran version of Luxury dock.

Hope this time we are allowed to pilot Sucellus-class destroyers (or their successors), as I am interested in firing that "Insanely Huge Cannon" personally.

Fun fact is that Sucellus seems like spiritual origin of X4 Destroyer class - smaller than M2, armed with frontal main cannons and secondary turrets.

[Alm888]

I think Luxury dock has different floor tiles.
This looks like Terran version of Luxury dock.

Really? I just have made a bunch of screenshots from v3.30. They look identical to me.

Spoiler

Show

[mr.WHO]

Damn, I haven't used luxury dock for ages (as it blinding white) and I was rather sure the floor tiles were not hexagonal.

[Alm888]

Damn, I haven't used luxury dock for ages (as it blinding white) and I was rather sure the floor tiles were not hexagonal.

The question is: why is that screenshot there? If it is not the dock itself, that is new, than what? Some Terran NPC's (which I failed to spot)? Background? Some renewed scenery (like those giant megaphones)?

[Shehriazad]

It's slowly but surely becoming very jarring.

I get that it's easier to just reuse interiors for all races n stuff...but for frikks sake Terrans have been SO detached from everyone else that this is just plain ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong I am still VERY much looking forward to the next DLC, but this issue of interiors looking all the same AND shipyards looking the same across ALL races will NEVER stop bugging me. (And for shipyards this would even be easy-ish to fix simply by attaching some stylized armor plates depending on the race to the exterior of the "base" shell. It'd make em all feel more fitting without having to redo it all)

[mr.WHO]

I get that it's easier to just reuse interiors for all races n stuff...but for frikks sake Terrans have been SO detached from everyone else that this is just plain ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong I am still VERY much looking forward to the next DLC, but this issue of interiors looking all the same AND shipyards looking the same across ALL races will NEVER stop bugging me.

I have a bad feeling to see Terran pulse/bolt/beam/plasma medium turrets, just like we have for Split.

[Harrison_rus]

Hm this DLC looks very interesting. And twice interesting for newbie in the X series (played only in X4).
I know little about X lore (I was interested before buying x4) but I know who is Terrans. I don't know was is possible to play as Terran in X3 (seems not). And will be interesting play as Terranian and see other side of story.

including major new gameplay features (e.g. a new terraforming feature)

Seems we'll get some orbital station which allow us to utilize some excess of recources.

and wide-ranging visual improvements (e.g. volumetric fog).

reenshots seems to be something simillar to the Aqueduct, that one also seems really weird like why would they post a picture of it? Perhaps it has something to do with the upcoming plot (AFAIK there's no explanation so far as to what the Aqueducts are and why they are spread randomly all over the universe)

Hmm because this is not Sol Aqueduct. I guess devs demonstrate us a "Volumetric fog" feature? And I very hope that this effect increase FPS than decrease. At this moment on 1440p with MSAAx4 with rtx 2080 I get only 30 fps in the fog in absolutely empty sector (without asteroids).

[Alm888]

It's slowly but surely becoming very jarring.

I get that it's easier to just reuse interiors for all races n stuff...but for frikks sake Terrans have been SO detached from everyone else that this is just plain ridiculous.

Easy there.
First, this is a dock, not an interior. I believe Terran interiors will be unique all right (just like Split/Argon/Paranid/Teladi cockpits/bridges differ).
Second, yes, race-specific docks/construction facilities would be great, but I believe it is not the top priority right now (I'd rank ship variety higher).
Third, this "fits them all" approach to docks is from the day-1, it is not getting any worse.

I know little about X lore (I was interested before buying x4) but I know who is Terrans. I don't know was is possible to play as Terran in X3 (seems not).

It was. Terran gamestarts also had alternate story missions.

[tomchk]

I agree--please Egosoft, please consider the least expensive/difficult way to make species docks and such look a bit different. Anything would help, even colors or 2D patterns!

[Shehriazad]

Third, this "fits them all" approach to docks is from the day-1, it is not getting any worse.

No no no that is not the point. "It is getting worse" is a reference to the fact that the amount of factions and races is going up...but the interior diversity stays at exactly 0. THIS is what is getting worse.
And that "easy there" condescending kind of comment is just unnecessary. I am just voicing my opinion here, one that quite a few seem to share.

And yeah it might not be the highest on the priority list to take a look at...but at least in part it's easy to at least partially fix. I don't think anyone is expecting full custom interiors for every faction, but some texture work or attached racial armor plates to generic building blocks can do wonders.