NEWS: X3: Terran Conflict news, all in one place for your convenience - 22-10-08

[Alfred Bester]

The graphics are very nice. In the next release I hope they will focus on the realism aspect. In the current X franchise the units used for distance and speed seem very out of place for a purported 'space sim'. Relative speeds are many km's/second instead of highway speeds of 200km/h. So the inclusion of a feel you're really inside a solar system with planets and gravity would be huge refreshment!

[Demotruk]

The graphics are very nice. In the next release I hope they will focus on the realism aspect. In the current X franchise the units used for distance and speed seem very out of place for a purported 'space sim'. Relative speeds are many km's/second instead of highway speeds of 200km/h. So the inclusion of a feel you're really inside a solar system with planets and gravity would be huge refreshment!

The units are m/s. And given the scale, it's pretty accurate, accelerations are done accordingly. The only problem with realism in this is that ships all have maximum speeds.

Spaceships irl are said to travel at extremely high speeds, but that's because we're measuring the velocity in relation to the earth which is spinning. When a ship starts in the same frame as the gates, the best way to measure velocity is in relation to the gates frame of reference. Thus you don't get the really high velocity that would be measured by an observer on the planet.

Of course, if you were allowed to continue accelerating, you would eventually, but that would be a real effect in gameplay terms. You would have to accept flying at speeds were you would have almost no ability to avoid a collision.

[esd]

The graphics are very nice. In the next release I hope they will focus on the realism aspect.

I hope they don't. If you want realism, try Orbiter - a "game" which has an FAQ that makes people cry.

In the current X franchise the units used for distance and speed seem very out of place for a purported 'space sim'. Relative speeds are many km's/second instead of highway speeds of 200km/h. So the inclusion of a feel you're really inside a solar system with planets and gravity would be huge refreshment!

The Dolphin Superfreighter goes at what, 56m/s? Do the math:

56meters per second, so 56*60 = 3,360 meters per minute. 3,360 * 60 = 201,600 meters per hour, or 201.6kph - and that's pretty much the slowest ship! The Arrow does over 1,000m/s, or around 3,600kph! Most do in the region of 150m/s+, or 540kph - hardly a "highway speed".

If the ships were going any faster, you'd turn navigation into a nightmare... back to FAQs that make people cry.

[dalin80]

There are many aspects* that need tweaking but as there is no official wishlist or much in the way of feedback from the devs we will just have to wait and see as to what TC brings to the player.

*I would put the M6 class being completely useless and capitals a complete pain in the rear end to restock with energy as issues that need fixing before top speeds and cockpits.

[Demotruk]

There are many aspects* that need tweaking but as there is no official wishlist or much in the way of feedback from the devs we will just have to wait and see as to what TC brings to the player.

*I would put the M6 class being completely useless and capitals a complete pain in the rear end to restock with energy as issues that need fixing before top speeds and cockpits.

Well Bernd has said that the game has a big ship/weapons rebalance. I hope M6's are part of that. The blog also mentions new ways to resupply ships, including "resupply software".

[Rapier]

That assumes that the speeds are measured against a fixed frame of reference. Let's assume everything in a gate system is moving through space at roughly the same speed, but each gate system is moving at a different speed. In this case, you wouldn't want to use absolute speeds as it would make navigation a nightmare; everything you're trying to dock with would be moving around (in the fixed frame of reference) and you'd have to plot intercept courses and calculate approach speeds. But, if all the stations and gates are not moving relative to each other, you can plot your speed relative to those objects. Your speed could then seem quite slow when in it is actually much faster.

In fact, we already do this. You may think your car is travelling at 80 kph (which it is, relative to the surface of Earth) but in fact it's whizzing through space at around 100,000 kph (relative to the sun, which is itself orbiting the centre of our galaxy, which is moving away from the centre of the universe)

[esd]

In fact, we already do this. You may think your car is travelling at 80 kph (which it is, relative to the surface of Earth) but in fact it's whizzing through space at around 100,000 kph (relative to the sun, which is itself orbiting the centre of our galaxy, which is moving away from the centre of the universe)

Puts me in mind of the 9th:

D'you know like we were saying? About the Earth revolving? It's like when you're a kid, the first time they tell you that the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it. [He takes Rose's hand] The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling around the Sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go.... [Drops her hand] That's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home.

[Eriru Drourojj]

I was just thinking had anyone thought about currency, i mean earth must have it's own or something, it's been seperated from the x universe for some time are we going to earn two lot's of currency or will there be some kind of automatic exchange rate?

[Dominus]

I was just thinking had anyone thought about currency, i mean earth must have it's own or something, it's been seperated from the x universe for some time are we going to earn two lot's of currency or will there be some kind of automatic exchange rate?

It should be an interesting feature: A currency market changing in response to military or ecnomic actions(NPC or player actions).

[fr33man]

I am curious as to whether the turret scripts have been improved for capital ships. Auto-Switching turrets for example, so you could be confident that your battleships and carriers could deal with multiple shiptypes at once. Having to go into the command console to change from anti-capital to anti-fighter just seems inefficient in the heat of battle.

I know that there is a script for Reunion called "xOne TCS", but i'm pretty sure that isn't part of XTM. I just hope there's been a similar improvement in Terran Conflict.

[Wolfkin]

Can we keep discussion of trailers and pre-release information to the stickies please?

You do know this is a sticky, right?


j/k

[Charlie901]

I really hope too see COCKPITS and INTERNAL DOCKING in Terran Conflict...

Otherwise, it's just a prettier and more user friendly X3 Reunion game to me.

[esd]

I really hope too see COCKPITS

There's a seperate thread about cockpits. I seriously doubt they're in.

and INTERNAL DOCKING in Terran Conflict...

I'd like to see it too - but I don't think the code base to allow it is present in the current incarnation.

Otherwise, it's just a prettier and more user friendly X3 Reunion game to me.

Well it is an expansion of that game, not a new game in it's own right...

[bounty_hunter66]

Well it is an expansion of that game, not a new game in it's own right...

And that means....THERES NO MAIN PLOT? NO STORY?(im refering to voice acted and cutscened missions like x2 or x3) just new BBS little missions (with a new coating and management), new ships, new stations, new sectors added, and all that clishee etc. etc. Nothn special except the Freelancer style control and those "boarding parties" maybe

In conclusion.....TC = big mod

[esd]

Well it is an expansion of that game, not a new game in it's own right...

And that means....THERES NO MAIN PLOT? NO STORY?(im refering to voice acted and cutscened missions like x2 or x3)

Um, did I say that? I don't think I even hinted at that.

Unless you're saying no expansions ever have plot? Because I can assure you, that's certainly not the case.

[MegaJohnny]

Well it is an expansion of that game, not a new game in it's own right...

And that means....THERES NO MAIN PLOT? NO STORY?(im refering to voice acted and cutscened missions like x2 or x3) just new BBS little missions (with a new coating and management), new ships, new stations, new sectors added, and all that clishee etc. etc. Nothn special except the Freelancer style control and those "boarding parties" maybe

In conclusion.....TC = big mod

Think video guy:

"Experience the most immersive plot in any X game ever"

Or something along those lines

[Cycrow]

Well it is an expansion of that game, not a new game in it's own right...

And that means....THERES NO MAIN PLOT? NO STORY?(im refering to voice acted and cutscened missions like x2 or x3) just new BBS little missions (with a new coating and management), new ships, new stations, new sectors added, and all that clishee etc. etc. Nothn special except the Freelancer style control and those "boarding parties" maybe

In conclusion.....TC = big mod

y do you keep going on about TC not having a plot ?

you keep claiming that ppl are wrong with thier suggestions, do you really know everything thats in the game ? i doubt it

[bounty_hunter66]

"Experience the most immersive plot in any X game ever"

Guess i missed that sorry

[fr33man]

The FIGHT and TRADE vids will arrive soon enough. Many questions will be answered. Patience

[mad_axeman]

Having just wasted the last 4 hours trying to set up my latest complex with multiple reloads I really hope that they made deploying complexes many times easier in TC!