X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

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Space Traveller
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X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Space Traveller » Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41

Hey all.
I’ve been playing all X3 games for a long time in the past and sunk >200 hours into each of them (the joys of being a teenager with far too much time on one’s hand 😊) Now that X3FL has been released and half a year has passed (with the first wave of patches), I have many questions which hope you can answer me. To say it upfront: I always liked playing with guides, complex proposals and plenty of resources etc. (wiki etc.) – and this is even more important now, as I do not have *that* much time on my hands anymore. So I don’t really want to end up in a situation where I have to start over after 30 hours…

In X3 TC and AP, my general course of action always was like:
Spoiler
Show
- Grind a bit to the first ~1 million
- Get Universe Traders Running
- Somehow acquire a Hyperion as my “playership” far too early in the game (with more salvage insurances than I’d like to admit :D )
- Build some complexes for the real cashflow
- Start “acquiring” the real interesting ships and finish the open plots
- (AP only): Avoid the stock exchange as it was really broken if I recall correctly
Now in FL I just finished the X3 commonwealth plot and have multiple questions (and I really tried to google). Spoilertags to make really sure nobody reads them who doesn't even want to know what little I know by now :)
Spoiler
Show
1. Looking at my TC/AP approach in the spoiler section above, is this still a valid approach, or did something change drastically in FL?
2. If I understand correctly, I need to accept that I cannot be friends with everyone anymore. So ideally I pick a few enemies (following this guide: viewtopic.php?f=199&t=439741) for example) and just live with that. Is that correct or is there more to it I should know?
3. Considering 1: Are Universe Traders still worth it? They used to be the “fire and forget” cash generators in X3:AP which even contributed to the overall economy. Now I’m wondering if complexes are less of a hassle?
4. Are there some things I really should know NOT to do (e.g. like loosing quantum processors)? What should I really really know upfront before I close some doors in my savegame which I can never reopen again?
5. Naturally, I also want to play the Terran plot eventually for the shiny reward at the end. Any particular things I should consider (friends, enemies, equipment etc.) before I start it or during it?
6. Where there any major changes to complexes compared to X3 TC/AP? Or are most of the guides/resources (e.g. complex proposals) still valid? There are many resources out there for X3TC/AP but almost nothing for X3FL (and I fear there never will be :( )
7. Apparently I can (and should) claim certain sectors now. Did the general "good sectors" (e.g. the one east of legends home :)) change or are there new ones I should consider? Also from what I can tell claiming the sectors will trigger some consequtive events so it should be done with carefully planning. Is there any resource/guide available on how to do approach this? (Which I was apparently too stupid to find)
I understand some people would probably recommend not to ask all these questions upfront as they take many surprises away from the game. Having played many hundred hours of X3 TC and AP alone though, I think I know what I’m asking for and feel confident that this is the right way for me, though. Also considering my real-life situation I simply won’t have the time anytime soon for multiple different X3 FL playthroughs (to avoid the errors of my previouss saves), but I’d rather make my first real playthrough count.

Kind regards (and really looking forward to getting back in the game!),
Space_Traveller

Cycrow
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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Cycrow » Sat, 4. Dec 21, 15:19

1.You can generally do the same approach as in TC/AP but may require a few changes, some to make use of the new features, and others due to the change in gameplay, like the Dynamic Relations.

You may find there are many other things you could do that wasn't possible in previous games.

2. For Dynamic relations, you can be friends with the main commonwealth races but requies abit more work than in previous games. Becoming friends with everyone include pirates/terran/corporations will not really be possible though. But if you just focus on Argon, Boron, Teladi, Paranid and Spilt, you should be fine, but may have to only pick a few of the connected corporations like Atreus, OTAS, TerraCorp and StrongArms.

3. UT's are still pretty much fire and forget, they have been improved in FL, so should require even less babysitting, and can sell wares that are in their cargo hold but not part of thier current trade run (this didn't work in TC/AP). The main issue would be with the relations with races that could prevent areas of trading. The Global Blacklist however, will keep the UT's out of hostile space anyways.

4. There are some limited equipment, like Focus Crystals and Quantum Processors that are required to build some of the more unique ships and thier weapons. So if you want them, its best to keep hold of them until you can use them. If however you dont really plan to use these ships, then it doesn't matter as much. One suggestion however would be with the engine tunings you can find to increase the ships speed. These might be best saved for ships you ultimately want to use. At the beginning you will get a decent number, but then they will start to become alot rarer.

5. The initial start of the mission is connected to Argon, so having a good Argon rep is useful. But otherwise, it doesn't make a huge difference. Just make sure you have a decent combat ship as you will do some fighting.

6. The Economy has changes in FL, so what stations are good to put in certain sectors will be different (but then thats true previously with the dynamic nature of the game anyway). There is more information in game factories/complexes though, the sectors will display what wares are produced/needed in each sector, the encyclopaedia contains alot more information about wares and factories. You also have the in-game complex planner allowing you to pre plan your complex to see what factories you will need to keep the production running. This also allows you to automatically build a complete complex rather than doing it manually. The biggest change however is the ability to upgrade all factories production upto XXL, so a single factory can produce at 20 times the rate, reducing the amount of individual factories you need.

7. Claiming sectors does not trigger anything, any unclaimed sector can be claimed by you so you become the official owner, which allows things like renaming of the sector to your choice. What does trigger an event is the building of your first TOA. There are new sectors that can be found and unlocked using the games exploration tools. Then you can build a TOA to attach it to the universe to use it as a normal sector. The first time you do this it triggers a chain of events, that leads to the NPC's claiming these sectors for themselves. So the best thing is to decide which sector you want and claim that one first so you dont lose it to the NPC's. This is also required to unlock the Terran Plot as well

Deathifier
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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Deathifier » Sat, 4. Dec 21, 18:13

Cycrow has given you some pretty good answers and I can add to them with a few notes in the context of time efficiency.
Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41
1. Looking at my TC/AP approach in the spoiler section above, is this still a valid approach, or did something change drastically in FL?
Your plan is fine for the most part, though keep a few things in mind:
- If you start a normal campaign game (i.e. not a challenging scenario start) you will go through the starting plot and it will give you a bundle of nifty things to help get you going as well as teach you about the new mechanics in FL.
- One of these things is the cargo hacker, a great way of acquiring things that can be turned into credits.
- Trading affects dynamic reputation so Universe Traders used at the very start (when your rep with everyone is low) may result in outcomes you don't expect or are not prepared for as it could turn a race unfriendly pretty easily.
- The stock exchange got modified in FL so you can check it out, though I haven't found it terribly useful.
Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41
2. If I understand correctly, I need to accept that I cannot be friends with everyone anymore. So ideally I pick a few enemies (following this guide: viewtopic.php?f=199&t=439741) for example) and just live with that. Is that correct or is there more to it I should know?
There are several approaches to dealing with the dynamic rep system but one thing you should know in advance is manipulating reputation to stay friendly with races that dislike each other is a very time intensive task.
For example I currently have all but the Pirates, Yaki, and Duke's liking me quite a bit but it took a whole lot of effort to get there and it is mighty fragile.
In theory I think you can be neutral with everyone but then your options of actually doing anything kinda get limited.

From a time perspective, choose a set of races you want to be friendly with - Argon and Boron + their Corps, Paranid and Split + their corp, or pirates and dukes, or yaki, or Terran (but they won't be relevant until later and their rep resets when the plot kicks off so don't bother with Terran rep before then).

Since you already intend to acquire a Hyperion perhaps Argon + Boron would be a good fit for you.
You can always fix other race reps later if you have the time and desire to do so.

Also you can always be friends with the Teladi and NMMC, as they only hate Yaki (but some missions of theirs will also spawn pirates), so if you want to do missions for credits then Teladi space is a fine choice.
Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41
3. Considering 1: Are Universe Traders still worth it? They used to be the “fire and forget” cash generators in X3:AP which even contributed to the overall economy. Now I’m wondering if complexes are less of a hassle?
I don't use them however other than the possible reputation impacts from their trading the other thing that comes to mind is there seems to generally be more NPC traders around doing new types of trading, which may or may not affect the effectiveness of UT's.
Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41
4. Are there some things I really should know NOT to do (e.g. like loosing quantum processors)? What should I really really know upfront before I close some doors in my savegame which I can never reopen again?
Not many things are irreversible, here's some that are or that you should seriously consider before acting:
- #deca ships cannot be replaced if they are destroyed before you reverse engineer them. So when you find them, put them somewhere safe until you can process them.
- You are aware of the Quantum Processors and Focus Crystals, store them somewhere safe until you decide what to do with them.
- At game start a lot of engine tunings and rudder optimisations spawn, and finding more is very time consuming, so do consider what ship you want to boost - if you find them and don't want to immediately use them you can leave them in space safely (well, they won't expire but someone did mention ships with the collect ware command might pick them up).
- The Remote Locations (behind HSAP's) are randomised and can spawn some really nice asteroids. Try to scout out all of these sectors before you claim your first sector from the explorers guild as otherwise the NPC's might grab one you want before you get to it.
- If you find the Aran replacing it if it gets destroyed before being reverse engineered is kinda difficult so be careful with it.
Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41
5. Naturally, I also want to play the Terran plot eventually for the shiny reward at the end. Any particular things I should consider (friends, enemies, equipment etc.) before I start it or during it?
As Cycrow said, the plot needs you to be not hostile to the Argon for part of it.
I suggest making a backup save before you start it - just in case :)
Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41
6. Where there any major changes to complexes compared to X3 TC/AP? Or are most of the guides/resources (e.g. complex proposals) still valid? There are many resources out there for X3TC/AP but almost nothing for X3FL (and I fear there never will be :( )
I don't think much changed in terms of station production. The upgrade kits do make a big difference though in that you can now turn one S station (e.g. that makes missiles) into a XXL station, which is 20 S stations.
The in-game complex planner is the best tool I know of for the job but the older AP guides and tools will be fine for planning in general, they just won't account for you being able to do things with the station upgrades and the possibilities of a smaller complex size.
Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41
7. Apparently I can (and should) claim certain sectors now. Did the general "good sectors" (e.g. the one east of legends home :)) change or are there new ones I should consider? Also from what I can tell claiming the sectors will trigger some consequtive events so it should be done with carefully planning. Is there any resource/guide available on how to do approach this? (Which I was apparently too stupid to find)[/spoiler]
A number of sectors are gone due the background lore of FL and the Remote Locations (behind HSAP's) should have the best asteroids by far so it's worth finding and surveying them all before you decide on the sectors you want to claim.
Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 4. Dec 21, 10:41
I understand some people would probably recommend not to ask all these questions upfront as they take many surprises away from the game. Having played many hundred hours of X3 TC and AP alone though, I think I know what I’m asking for and feel confident that this is the right way for me, though. Also considering my real-life situation I simply won’t have the time anytime soon for multiple different X3 FL playthroughs (to avoid the errors of my previouss saves), but I’d rather make my first real playthrough count.
Nothing wrong with planning ahead. The main spoilers would be the specific content of plot lines but you don't need to know their exact details - though do keep a few older saves around when you go to start the Terran plot as it branches and you may want to experience both branches.
The rest of FL's content is more about new features and functionality or, in the case of dynamic rep, changed features.

From a general perspective some of the features, such as agents, are basically time-gated and that will affect how fast you can progress on things such as acquiring blueprints or manipulating reputation.
Other things, such as complexes and complex upgrades, are credit-gated and a little bit time-gated.
The fastest credit generating approach I have found is boarding, but it takes a bit of time and credits to setup - you can, however, get pretty far straight out of the starting plot, nab a M7 (some regular M7's, including Yaki and Pirate ones, can fight and use boarding pods and are pretty effective at both), and then grab many more M7's (e.g. from the Yaki, whose sectors spawn replacement ships really quickly).
It takes some skill, and is best coupled with one of the new M7D's (which you should prioritise buying if going this route) to repair your captured ships, but once rolling credits become quite easy to obtain, only one race will hate you, and if you befriend the Teladi you can get better value for your acquired ships at their nearby sectors.

Also don't be afraid to move your HQ around (needs a TL and Mk2 build software, both a bit expensive, but also both obtainable by boarding - Yaki Ryu's work pretty well) if you are using a lot of agents somewhere - the travel times can be quite long and the only way to shorten them other than realigning gates in the hub is to move the HQ, ideally to the same sector as whatever thing you are trying to do.

Otherwise, Turbo Boosters and Jumpdrives are your friends for rapid movement, the Duke's are good sources of Armoured transporters (and you can visit their sector and find out where they are from the owned ships list of their HQ), and I highly recommend that you explore the entire universe early on whilst everyone is still neutral or friendly with you, just so you can see what is located where and collect some goodies along the way using the new FL features.

Sovereign01
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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Sovereign01 » Sun, 5. Dec 21, 00:34

I quickly found that the methods of making credits in TC and AP (station building and station defense) are not feasible in FL because of the dynamic reputation. I hadn't known about the HSAP sectors being randomised and by the time I'd figured out how those sectors were claimed the Boron had already claimed one of the best ones. Meaning no space fuel/weed complex there.

When planning complexes I found it extremely beneficial to plan for XXL as well as the original state so as not to be caught out with resources. Most of the upgrades to XL have been done and those alone cost several hundred million.

The biggest feature though is agents, the best ways of obtaining are via passenger transport missions (An Ocelot is recommended for these) and are the key to managing rep, as well as obtaining stuff from races and corporations (all of which have some useful stuff, takes quite a while to work through them all to get everything).

From a profit point of view, NMMC are crucial because their stuff lets you gather nividium from asteroids. Because it's a slow process an Ozias filled with a dozen Geochen Miners/Mistrals is an efficient means for mining. Once the HQ is located somewhere with lots of traffic (Xenon hub is where I've put mine), the Nividium an Ozias can carry is worth about 160M. The three Nividium asteroids in Perpetual Sin and the ones in the Unclaimed sector past Xenon 534 have tens of thousands of the stuff, I'll probably end up alternating the two sectors depending howe long the roids take to respawn. Sanctuary of Darkness has more but the Xenon spawns make this sector impossible to mine safely.

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Space Traveller » Mon, 6. Dec 21, 20:03

Thank you all for the quick and in-depth replies. Really great to see that such an old and small game still has such an active and helping community :-)

Maybe two more questions (sorta building up on the previous ones), if you may:

8. As I am currently "planning" my rep, is there anything problematic with being hostile towards terran? In my perspective, they never offered *that* much in X3:AP and the interesting stuff can be acquired via boarding :-) This would make everything else much easier. Will i be able to plan the Terran plot if Terrans are hostile for me or is there a specific reason (in contrast to TC/AP) why I should seriously reconsider becoming a foe of the terrans?

9. Someone mentioned a weed/booze complex before....I know some people consider it a bit "cheap", but are there some actual recommendations? (e.g. the sector east of legends home) So far I didn't commit to anything yet and after my first 10 UT (or so), I'd probably like to have a low maintenance, steady cash cow.

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Sovereign01 » Mon, 6. Dec 21, 20:53

If you're playing the main storyline you won't encounter the Terrans at all until you reach their plot which will be a while as you'll need to have placed at least one TOA so you don't need to worry about them being hostile. In AP (unlike TC) you could buy a lot more of the stuff as all the ATF ships (except one) were available for purchase. The Terrans start off hostile, it's during the plot you can decide if you want to help them or not and that determines whether they stay that way.

Basically any sector that's not claimed by any races that consider fuel/weel illegal is fair game as long as they have decent silicon asteroids, although there are other silicon-based wares you can make that aren't illegal :D

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Deathifier » Tue, 7. Dec 21, 08:35

Space Traveller wrote:
Mon, 6. Dec 21, 20:03
8. As I am currently "planning" my rep, is there anything problematic with being hostile towards terran? In my perspective, they never offered *that* much in X3:AP and the interesting stuff can be acquired via boarding :-) This would make everything else much easier. Will i be able to plan the Terran plot if Terrans are hostile for me or is there a specific reason (in contrast to TC/AP) why I should seriously reconsider becoming a foe of the terrans?
When you meet them the first time their rep resets and after that you can decide if you want to be friendly or not.
Being friendly gives you access to their ships and goods, and makes it easier to use agents to acquire their blueprints, and I suppose if you really wanted they'd make a powerful invasion force (an agent option if they really like you).
Being unfriendly mostly just locks you out of their space, which in FL is fairly isolated to start with.

Space Traveller wrote:
Mon, 6. Dec 21, 20:03
9. Someone mentioned a weed/booze complex before....I know some people consider it a bit "cheap", but are there some actual recommendations? (e.g. the sector east of legends home) So far I didn't commit to anything yet and after my first 10 UT (or so), I'd probably like to have a low maintenance, steady cash cow.
There's a recent thread on Complex Planning that might interest you.

As for where to setup the best sectors are the Remote Locations you'll find behind HSAP's and those are randomised at game start so you'll have to search for your best sector.

If you just want small complexes then plenty of sectors can host them, though keep in mind in FL your neighbours might send invasion fleets in if they don't like you and the Xenon can turn up in a fairly large portion of the universe (10 jumps from 101 or 347 I think) when they launch invasions.

Also the race relations do impact trade and race military will shoot hostile race trade ships, and races don't like illegal goods being produced in their sectors, so those are also factors to keep in mind although some of them can be mitigated with the Hub and setting up in a sector you can claim yourself.

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by BrigandPhantos77 » Wed, 8. Dec 21, 11:16

A couple things I'd like to add in hopes you find useful.

Stock Exchanges:
- They can potentially make you a profit, but they are more risky in FL. A group you invest in can now go belly up and take all your shares and credits with it. This is a random event.
- You can no longer manipulate the prices like you could in AP. I've tried, but the game no longer tracks what is in the cargo holds moving through sectors. At least it didn't for me when I tried.
- The last point means no using Nividium manipulation. But it's also no longer listed as a tradeable item for the stock exchange. But this doesn't mean it can't make you a ton of money. Sell it as a product at PHQ after you mobile mine it.

Combat:
- Its more intense, and annoying than ever. OOS your ships will tend to be left alone. But if you are in system, your ships and satellites will get shot at by enemies. And the game will penalize you in some instances for shooting back. Example; Paranid and Teladi like Strong Arms. If the Strong Arms hate you, 3 red bars or more, they will shoot at you on site. If even a turret returns fire, local police will get mad instantly and attack you.
- Combat ranks, the AI is more aggressive with spawning enemies to come after the player. I mistakenly made Warlord and the Xenon are dropping K, I, Q, P, P, fleets at me. That is not an exaggeration. And they drop them directly in systems where you have assets. Prior to Warlord I was only getting J's with fighter escorts and an occasional Q.
- Bombers; these are beautiful for OOS popping of enemy capital ships. Just be warned, enemies may retaliate directly against them with Hornet missiles and other nasty missiles. My tactic is, jump in to gate. Command > Missile Barrage > Select Amount and Target. Then move ship to location in opposite direction. Re-activate missile barrage as necessary. Be prepared to jump the bomber out, or set auto-jump and emergency jump options. 95% shields is a good setting to tell it to run from a counter attack.

Agents:
- These are your best friends when acquiring stuff. The most you can have at once, is 5. Use them. You can get discounts from shipyards with them.

Equipment Docks:
- The fish folk sell the best one. You'll understand why when you dock with one in an M6.

Special Ships:
- Each race has them. The Drone Carriers fall under this category.

LFL and Focus Crystals / Quantum Processors
- The Focus Crystals and Quantum Processors come in a Finite amount. They are found via LFL. Unless you modify the setting for it, this will be turned on by default.
- LFL; Finding items doesn't have to be difficult. The initial ones should all show up within range of gates. That's within 75km. The next batch can be as far as 350km from the center of the map.
- Planets and LFL; Some of the close by planets could have an LFL found item spawn within it's boundaries. You can still get these. If you know roughly where, leave system and send an M5 with a Satellite in system. Send it towards where you think it is. "I use advanced satellites". It will pinpoint it for you. You can then use the special command software to scoop up whatever it is.
- My first play-through I was getting groups of 3 - 6 engine tunings and rudder optimizations. On my last playthrough I never got more than 2 from all drops. Yes pick them carefully. Most will be in Xenon sectors. However, there will usually be at least 1 drop somewhere that will either be a rudder optimization or an engine tuning. They will respawn in very low numbers. Like 1 at a time out of X possible spots.
- There is a script here in the forums that you can use to locate these items. It will be available when you launch the Script Editor. You can run it, and it will output the list on screen for you. You can then "copy" them down on paper and use it after reloading to find them and not play modified.

Special Ships:
- Drone carriers; repair drones now exist. They are M4 in size. They are controlled directly by the ships. You cannot direct them what to repair. The only way to pilot one is to remove it from the management script and have it undock. Then fly to it in your spacesuit and enter it manually. Then you can fly it yourself. It'll fly like any other fighter, except your weapons are repair lasers. And they drain the banks quickly.
- Aldrin / Terraformer ships exist, but require blueprints that must be found to be built. All in HSAP located sectors.

Tip:
- When you can get one, goner now have a very nice combat ship. Only 1. And it can equip almost every weapon in the game in a front firing arc. No turrets sorry. And the thing is fairly slow, so keep engine tunings available if you want to use it.

Hope you find these helpful. :D
Peace is a state of mind!
War is absolute!
~ Phantos ~

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Space Traveller » Sat, 18. Dec 21, 13:34

Hello again,
thanks for all the great help in this thread so far. This really helped me to enjoy X3 one more (and most likely final) time 😊 I am now at the point where I have >50 millions in my account and planning this whole TOA thing out. (And yes, an XL chip factory is already running :-) )
Again, I understand that by now I’m essentially asking you to spoon-feed it to me. But I feel like I really need to do this right or I will inevitably end up at a savegame which is not worth to keep playing. So if someone would (again) enlighten me, I’d appreciate it so much 😊

1. I understand it is wise to claim the “beta” sectors first before building the first TOA – to avoid that the npcs will claim them first. But what does claiming (as in putting a trading station there) actually do for me? Does it prevent the npcs of stealing precious asteroids or even to be present in the sector? (In case I want to turn hostile to them)

2. All these sectors had some minor Xenon presence so far. How can I secure this? Is it enough to park an M6 there for now? It will probably scale with fighter rank, but how bad is it?

3. As we are already committed to “stalling” the plot to claim the best sector(s) first...why not go all the way and just claim *all* claimable sectors? Am I missing something here? Maybe this was already implied, but I almost read it as "pick *the* sector you like and claim this one first"

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Cycrow » Sat, 18. Dec 21, 14:06

1. You cant actually claim all the sectors in one go, you can only claim 1 at a time and you need to build a TOA before you can claim the next one. Claiming means the AI will not claim it for themselves, or build any stations there. So its yours regardless if you build a TOA or not. However, if you dont build one, then you cant claim any others.

2. The xenon ships only spawn once, so once you have killed them all, they wont come back. And its mainly only fighters you have to worry about

3. Same as 1, you can only claim one at a time and requires you to build the TOA before claiming the next one. You can end up with about half of the sectors if you keep claiming them when ever you are able.

you can technically control which sectors the AI will claim, as they only claim ones you have unlocked, so if you only unlock 2, claim one, then the AI will claim the other

Space Traveller
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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Space Traveller » Sat, 18. Dec 21, 14:49

Thanks Cycrow, that's so helpful!

I'm still confused about one thing, though....i thought planting a trading station claimed the sector? Couldn't i do that beforehand? Or at the very least plant TLs with trading stations on board in the sector to claim them (all) the moment they become available?
I really understand that I might be testing everyone's patience here you'd probably thinking "just see for yourself, it will be obvious when you see it"....but what can I say, I'm a planner and I want to get it right the first time...

I already visited most "beta" sectors already, so it's probably too late to apply the trick described in your last sentence :(

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by DanKara » Sat, 18. Dec 21, 15:13

Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 18. Dec 21, 13:34

1. I understand it is wise to claim the “beta” sectors first before building the first TOA – to avoid that the npcs will claim them first. But what does claiming (as in putting a trading station there) actually do for me? Does it prevent the npcs of stealing precious asteroids or even to be present in the sector? (In case I want to turn hostile to them)
In an earlier game I unlocked all HSAP and visited all Remote-Sector-Locations (RSL or beta-sectors) that are possible prior to claiming my "first" and before I built a TOA there (in my 1.1-started game the Terran Plot started as soon as I claimed one HSAP from the Explorer Guild). In this game the NPC-factions started to claim and build their own TOA's after I placed my first.

In my current game (1.2 started) I unlocked exactly one HSAP, claimed it and build my first TOA there. Other HSAP I avoided. After I placed my first TOA I eventualy activated my second HSAP - for a sector I would have liked to claim for myself. But after I jumped to that RSL I saw a Paranid Trade-Station already placed. The PARANID had claimed this sector with out activated HSAP or placed TOA. :rant:
Don't know "how" they placed their station there. Had not expected that. I have yet to visit / activate all (other) HSAP, not sure if other RSL are already taken too.

After you placed a TradeStation, EquipmentDock or HQ you have another entry in that stations-menu, something about "sector control". Only after you activate this the sector becomes yours. Just like you can do with the HUB-sector (after the HUB-station got green).

Deathifier
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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Deathifier » Sat, 18. Dec 21, 17:02

Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 18. Dec 21, 14:49
Thanks Cycrow, that's so helpful!

I'm still confused about one thing, though....i thought planting a trading station claimed the sector? Couldn't i do that beforehand? Or at the very least plant TLs with trading stations on board in the sector to claim them (all) the moment they become available?
I really understand that I might be testing everyone's patience here you'd probably thinking "just see for yourself, it will be obvious when you see it"....but what can I say, I'm a planner and I want to get it right the first time...

I already visited most "beta" sectors already, so it's probably too late to apply the trick described in your last sentence :(
The Remote Locations behind HSAP's start out owned by "Unknown" (or similar) so you can't claim ownership.

When you buy the rights to the TOA and sector, once the TOA is built the sector becomes "Unclaimed" (or similar) and you can claim it as usual.

So you can't steal all the sectors beforehand :)

In practice you probably only want one or two of the best sectors and depending on how you define best this might be location or asteroid content or visual effects, etc.

Claim the one you want the most first, then keep an eye on what the other races claim, they start by claiming a few quickly then it slows down a fair bit.
As the specific ones they claim is random you can change it by reloading a game with at least a short gap between game load and their sector claim, and keep this up until you have all the sectors you want.

If you do want multiple sectors consider pre-building the TOA's and pre-acquiring enough credits - I think the 2nd one is 50 million or so and I'm not sure if they get more expensive.
Then you can buy, drop TOA, buy, drop TOA, etc, without giving the NPC's much chance - they will still get some though, as they seem to be configured to immediately grab a sector after you build a TOA.

As for sector ownership you owning it means no race can get mad at you being there (though hostile neighbours may visit) and another forum member pointed out that no goods are illegal so nothing will specifically target the production of such goods.

Any sectors the NPC's do claim will get a station or two built in it and some amount of traffic, and you can still build in those sectors like any other sector if you want.

I'm doing perfectly fine with a single sector that was in a location I liked and full of nice asteroids and the NPC's having all the other sectors has not caused any issues, so you don't have to claim as many as you can if you don't want to.

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Cycrow » Sat, 18. Dec 21, 19:05

Building a trade station allows you to claim ownership of the sector, which gives you some control over that sector, like being able to rename it and change its description.

This can be done on any "Unclaimed" sector, there are a few in the universe already you can use.

When you buy rights via the Explorers guilds, this makes the HSAP owned by you, then you can claim the sector itself using a trading station.
You dont have to claim the sector itself to prevent the AI from claiming them, you only need to gain rights to the HSAP.

The AI will only claim sectors behind the HSAP, not the other unclaimed ones, those are 100% yours to claim whenever you want

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Sovereign01 » Sat, 18. Dec 21, 20:01

It's worth scanning all the asteroids in each HSAP sector, they're randomly generated in each playthrough and can have yields of over 100, the best ones are when you have ample quantities of both. I'm planning one in Consecrated Fire Beta that will have a massive CW weapons & shields operation. I'll need a second, separate one for missiles :D

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by Jimmy C » Sat, 18. Dec 21, 20:02

And it's worth scanning them yourself because every rock in a HSAP sector give DP if you scan it personally.

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Re: X3 Veteran returning to FL after 10 years. Many questions [SPOILERS!]

Post by BrigandPhantos77 » Thu, 13. Jan 22, 01:42

Space Traveller wrote:
Sat, 18. Dec 21, 14:49
Thanks Cycrow, that's so helpful!

I'm still confused about one thing, though....i thought planting a trading station claimed the sector? Couldn't i do that beforehand? Or at the very least plant TLs with trading stations on board in the sector to claim them (all) the moment they become available?
I really understand that I might be testing everyone's patience here you'd probably thinking "just see for yourself, it will be obvious when you see it"....but what can I say, I'm a planner and I want to get it right the first time...

I already visited most "beta" sectors already, so it's probably too late to apply the trick described in your last sentence :(
I didn't see an answer to this directly, and I am hoping you already figured it out. But just in case; the Trading Station you place has the actual "claim" command for the sector. As does it have the ability to switch the security settings between border and core.
Peace is a state of mind!
War is absolute!
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