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.