question for old X universe players

[XPilotinLux]

quick question for those who've been playing X games for long time.

Just bought X4 but haven't started it yet.

I played X3 Reunion years ago and loved it, played it for a couple of years I guess, but it was a flawed game. As with everything they've made, Egosoft regularly updated it and the community created many great mods which made it a better game.

Haven't played any X games since but I kept up with the development of the last game with interest.

So, after all that background, my question. How is X4 now? I am more than happy to wait for 3 months, 6 months, even longer to start playing. I would rather patiently wait until Egosoft/the modding community have turned X4 into a brilliant game than get frustrated now.

Based on the development of the last X games, how do you see the state of the game in 6 months compared to now? Have any promised features not been included?

Thanks for any answers.

[SteveMill]

quick question for those who've been playing X games for long time.

Just bought X4 but haven't started it yet.

I played X3 Reunion years ago and loved it, played it for a couple of years I guess, but it was a flawed game. As with everything they've made, Egosoft regularly updated it and the community created many great mods which made it a better game.

Haven't played any X games since but I kept up with the development of the last game with interest.

So, after all that background, my question. How is X4 now? I am more than happy to wait for 3 months, 6 months, even longer to start playing. I would rather patiently wait until Egosoft/the modding community have turned X4 into a brilliant game than get frustrated now.

Based on the development of the last X games, how do you see the state of the game in 6 months compared to now? Have any promised features not been included?

Thanks for any answers.

Absolutely wait. It’s sort of playable but nowhere near in a real release state. I’ve spent hours wrestling with features that do not work as intended. Documentation is sparse to nonexistent, combat AI almost brain dead.

You csn have fun with what sort of works but there’s plenty of other good games to play. Come back in 6 to 12 months.

[Dreez]

The universe is gorgeous.
The ships are a mess that cant? be saved.
Gameplay lacking features that will come soon (hopefully).
The game is WAY to easy in terms of making money and progress.

I fell in love with X3TC instantly.. i just hope that ES can turn things around for X4 to make it a worthy successor to X3, i really really hope.
(The modular engine could be the killer of X4 imo).

[Grifiths]

When I started playing X:Rebirth, I was convinced it was dead and gone and that was the last we'd heard of it. Not only did Egosoft actually try and fix the game, it was still releasing content, despite the fact that a majority of the players didn't want it, for the few who were still playing. Supposedly it even turned into a half decent game by the end.

I played X3 up through AP. I loved the additional content provided, especially the new ships. I was also impressed by the addition of community created scripts into the normal game.

X4 has had numerous nasty bugs and crashes fixed within a few days of its being released. The complaints are starting to boil down to "I don't like how the ships look." Frankly, between Egosoft's dedication to their games and the interest of the modding community, I cannot begin to guess where this game will be in 6 months. I've heard from other people that some of the makers of popular X3 mods are already working on content for X4.

The game is currently playable but does still have problems, many of which are minor and/or subjective. EDIT: Except for the turret thing. I hope that one gets addressed soon.

[gschultz]

quick question for those who've been playing X games for long time.

Just bought X4 but haven't started it yet.

I played X3 Reunion years ago and loved it, played it for a couple of years I guess, but it was a flawed game. As with everything they've made, Egosoft regularly updated it and the community created many great mods which made it a better game.

Haven't played any X games since but I kept up with the development of the last game with interest.

So, after all that background, my question. How is X4 now? I am more than happy to wait for 3 months, 6 months, even longer to start playing. I would rather patiently wait until Egosoft/the modding community have turned X4 into a brilliant game than get frustrated now.

Based on the development of the last X games, how do you see the state of the game in 6 months compared to now? Have any promised features not been included?

Thanks for any answers.

Absolutely wait. It’s sort of playable but nowhere near in a real release state. I’ve spent hours wrestling with features that do not work as intended. Documentation is sparse to nonexistent, combat AI almost brain dead.

You csn have fun with what sort of works but there’s plenty of other good games to play. Come back in 6 to 12 months.

I wouldn't disagree here, but I'd also ask you how you want to approach this. I assume you didn't want to "limit" your play experience with launch bugs/balance etc. - and maybe give yourself a bad feeling about the game. In that case I'd say give it time. However, as a game develops there is no ability to say when the vision is complete. Are there mechanics that you'd come in contact with now that would confuse you, present some sort of a limitation, or break immersion....yes. Is the world missing some content in previous games? yes, and it will come - and for free if you purchase the deluxe program.

I think this WILL be something that you WILL enjoy at some point. It is only a strategic decision to not purchase it now and get a taste of what it is, to give reference to where it ends up. Many people have invested a lot of time in the game, and it can be frustrating at times. Maybe you don't have to invest that much time. You can dip in and out as you please. Its all about you controlling your expectations...but they are always hopeful expectations.

[gschultz]

The universe is gorgeous.
The ships are a mess that cant? be saved.
Gameplay lacking features that will come soon (hopefully).
The game is WAY to easy in terms of making money and progress.

I fell in love with X3TC instantly.. i just hope that ES can turn things around for X4 to make it a worthy successor to X3, i really really hope.
(The modular engine could be the killer of X4 imo).

I think they can, will, and of a history of doing so. Why would the trend change? However, I think at the core of x4 is a good deal of rebirth (beyond just modules) in the ethics of how we interact with the game world, and its uI. The map is fantastic, but I think the world in some way feels more manageable? Is that because we aren't used to "ease" of use? possibly. In the end i think x4 is its own statement, and a truly "dynamic" universe is the foundation this game is trying to achieve.

[gschultz]

When I started playing X:Rebirth, I was convinced it was dead and gone and that was the last we'd heard of it. Not only did Egosoft actually try and fix the game, it was still releasing content, despite the fact that a majority of the players didn't want it, for the few who were still playing. Supposedly it even turned into a half decent game by the end.

I played X3 up through AP. I loved the additional content provided, especially the new ships. I was also impressed by the addition of community created scripts into the normal game.

X4 has had numerous nasty bugs and crashes fixed within a few days of its being released. The complaints are starting to boil down to "I don't like how the ships look." Frankly, between Egosoft's dedication to their games and the interest of the modding community, I cannot begin to guess where this game will be in 6 months. I've heard from other people that some of the makers of popular X3 mods are already working on content for X4.

The game is currently playable but does still have problems, many of which are minor and/or subjective. EDIT: Except for the turret thing. I hope that one gets addressed soon.

I'd say not all bugs and balancing issues are minor; i.e. some with war and economy (could be interrelated and easily fixed in short order). If he is an x vet he likely would enjoy what is there, but one can never tell what anothers taste are.

[joe2020]

I agree with gschultz, it depends on what are you looking for.
Game is buggy to say the least, but the atmosphere is rather cool. Views, sounds, scale of objects - it feels like a space game should.
Basic stuff works, more or less, but you might get hit hard by how different X4 is from X3, even in terms of basic commands and controls.
If you're a patient type and bugs don't drive you bonkers I'd say go ahead an play, you might as well spend time getting used to new controls.
Releasing a game with so many broken things is just unprofessional, but they are working on fixes and in my opinion the game is quite playable with all the released patches installed.

Joe

[Grifiths]

I wouldn't say all are minor either, but probably a majority are. I wasn't including the economy issues because they might be fixed in 1.32 soon.

[Gavrushka]

...The game is WAY to easy in terms of making money and progress.

It took me almost ten hours of play to make enough money to buy a change of underpants, and twenty five to buy my 1st new ship. Lord, I'm rubbish at X4, but loving it all the same.

[Kadatherion]

It has a lot of appeal, but it's the same old Egosoft grief circle, it's going to be a pain to play for a few months at least. And while it's more stable than previous launches, for the first time it also has some baffling design step backwards that detract a lot from the atmosphere (namely: few and incredibily ugly/uninspired/unfun ships).

If you are fine with beginning playthroughs you know might turn out bugged or boring and don't mind to restart a few times as the patches roll, then go ahead. Otherwise, if you are craving for a full fledged eXperience, grab X3 Albion Prelude, if you haven't already, and install Litcube's Universe mod on top of it. And if you want the war/conquest mechanics X4 has been promoted to have (but yet doesn't have), also install Mayhem on top of that. Hundreds of ours of sure fun from that while you wait for X4 to take up shape.

[Tomonor]

If you thought Reunion was a flawed game, you are in for quite a ride here.

[Arvel]

Foundations certainly has some problems/growing pains. However, unlike Rebirth, I do feel it has that core "X series DNA" and they can (pardon the pun) build upon X4 to create a worthy sandbox experience, and the remaining details can (hopefully) be adjusted to satisfy just about anyone's taste once modders get in there and do their thing.

So I would say, "Wait, if you have the patience to."

[Dreez]

In the end, i quess with Egosoft's record of fixing and improving their games - which shows a great deal of passion on their part - you could buy the game now in support of Egosoft,
They are afterall, our only hope for 4X games that are truly 4X.

That's why i bought it honestly...

The game isn't like X3TC where you can "float away" in space without realizing it's been 12 hours and time to eat. I mostly sit down and try to get things done,
and when i run into something i can't figure out, i log out for a bit and do some other stuff and then come back.

Let's put it like this. If you have the cash to spend without having to worry about economy for the month... just buy it .

That's my final recommendation.

[Sparky Sparkycorp]

Documentation is sparse to nonexistent

Hopefully today's release of the of the X4: Foundations Manual will help with this sentiment. Over time the Manual (and wider X4 Wiki containing player content) is anticipated to expand to support players as the game and our experiance with it grow.

[XPilotinLux]

thanks for all the responses, appreciate the honest feedback.

as I said, happy to be patient. will watch and wait...

[SteveMill]

Documentation is sparse to nonexistent

Hopefully today's release of the of the X4: Foundations Manual will help with this sentiment. Over time the Manual (and wider X4 Wiki containing player content) is anticipated to expand to support players as the game and our experiance with it grow.

As it asks for my Egosoft login details and then won’t accept them, I could only read it in two second bursts. Very much a wirk in progress and missing the details only Egosoft can provide.

[Playbahnosh]

X4 is a lot more playable than any previous X game was on release, so kudos to EGO for that. But it's also a lot emptier. Half the races/factions are missing, only 30-ish sectors, very few ships, no plot whatsoever, the mission system is in shambles and most of the mechanics are either broken in some way or unimplemented/missing key features. The universe and economy simulation needs a lot of work, it tends to spaz out or simply just stop working (like, literally, all ships just stop dead in space). The combat is a joke, especially given the fact enemies don't spawn anymore (not even for missions), and due to the broken universe simulation, they aren't replenished by the economy and shipyards either. So when you start a new game, all those enemies that get created then, that's all you got. Sooner or later, the NPC factions and you gonna literally hunt them into extinction. There are also huge problems with the AI and NPC behaviour in general. The AutoPillock™ is back, "smashing ships into literally everything since 2005". Oh, and Betty is not narrating absolutely everything anymore, which is either a relief or a bummer, I personally miss her a lot.

In short, it's very unfinished, but it's basically playable. If you already have it, you can take it for a spin no problem. The flight model sort of works, you can look at the PHQ, trade, mine, fly around, hunt for a few bits of lore with Data Vaults, etc. Just don't expect much in terms of actual gameplay yet. For that, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the modders kick into gear and start finishing the game for Ego

[lordmuck]

When X2 came out I totally ate the snot out of it . Loved each second and was addicted. X3 came out it had its "issues" I loved vanilla played and played and restarts after restarts after a few months I modded and ofc got more addicted. DLC came out went back to vanilla, missed some mods, yet was still my top game. Ofc after a few months when most of the bigger mods were in their final and stable balanced stage I modded it. Nothing can beat X3 even w/o DLC.

Rebirth came.. I was shocked at the garbage and disappointing, nothing got it to give me the feeling X3 did.
X4 Epic hype first few hours epic.. started looking at the ships, thats when it all started going down hill fast, Im still playing it, some major bugs that is putting me on the edge of shelving it and im getting the feeling Rebirth gave me .

So I dont know what to tell you, wait or purchase I cannot say. I can only say this does not come anywhere close to X3 so if you were looking for an X3++ this is not it

[Urschleim]

When I started playing X:Rebirth, I was convinced it was dead and gone and that was the last we'd heard of it. Not only did Egosoft actually try and fix the game, it was still releasing content, despite the fact that a majority of the players didn't want it, for the few who were still playing. Supposedly it even turned into a half decent game by the end.

I played X3 up through AP. I loved the additional content provided, especially the new ships. I was also impressed by the addition of community created scripts into the normal game.

X4 has had numerous nasty bugs and crashes fixed within a few days of its being released. The complaints are starting to boil down to "I don't like how the ships look." Frankly, between Egosoft's dedication to their games and the interest of the modding community, I cannot begin to guess where this game will be in 6 months. I've heard from other people that some of the makers of popular X3 mods are already working on content for X4.

The game is currently playable but does still have problems, many of which are minor and/or subjective. EDIT: Except for the turret thing. I hope that one gets addressed soon.

good post !