NEWS: Update 1.3 for Terran Conflict and X-News

Malakie · Post by **Malakie** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 10:39

I have not seen anyone mention much about this yet.....

Any word on how this patch is doing in terms of FPS and stutter issues?

Teebor · Post by **Teebor** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 10:42

Oh dammit

I spent the evening playing this last night and now wish I had checked for a patch before starting.

I spent several hours scraping cash together as all the patrol missions, and defence missions that are currently being offered would require me to have at least three or four centaurs on my side to complete, the build missions were offering maybe 100k-500k as a reward for completing them and the retrieve ship missions just bugged out and got me killed.

Glad the patch is here now though, downloading it now for an evening of entertainment some time this weekend.

Kurgen666 · Post by **Kurgen666** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 10:44

For those waiting for the steam update here's a bit of personal feedback from the last few hours gameplay:

I had abandoned the Final Fury campaign (I got as far as the 'escort ships in unknown sector' part). I quit because the number of ships, mostly 'P's' was overwhelming. After installing the patch I have found there are not so many, especially P's.

I did a 'protect station' mission and I don't know if this is part of the change or not but each time I killed a pirate, my mission briefing screen would total-up the amount I'd earned so far, based on the number of pirates I'd killed. It showed 2 figures, the amount I would get from completing the mission, plus the running total of earnings 'so-far' from all the pirates I had killed. If this was always the case then ignore me.

The extra information box which appears on-screen when buying ships is very useful.

I still can't get the emergency jump feature to work, although to be fair, perhaps the patch refers to other ships and not your current one.

If you 'permanently disable' guidance for a mission (I did this with Final Fury), once you have completed any other missions (in my case a 'protect station' mission) and you only have one left again, the guidance for that mission is switched back on. Not really a problem though.

I have not noticed any difference in performance (framerates), my rig = gt8800, 4 meg ram, quad q6600 @ 3 GHz

Guys, please don't get too upset about having to wait for the patch a bit longer. At least you know it's comming and what the changes are. Egosoft have no doubt been working real hard at this and deserve praise for the ongoing support they provide. I am sure people mostly come to this thread to see how the patch is affecting others, not to witness an argument.

drakend · Post by **drakend** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 10:48

999-JAY-999 wrote:This patch release and general support these guys here provide, some major companies out there need to get off there asses and take a careful look and learn from here

Cracking stuff, cant wait to try patch.

Such a great game and after sales service.....

Yeah... I'm not very happy about the drm crap inside the game and the tons of bugs there were and are, but I admit they have a very nice support service and the patches fix almost evrey known problem. The only bad thing of the Egosoft patches is that the Steam versions of the game cannot be patched manually and Steam customers MUST wait for the Steam support service to implement the patch in the Steam version of X3TC. Too bad they take their sweet time in doing it: last time they took about a week to implement the patch!!!

They didn't have any delays in taking the payment for the game tough...

Post by **BurnIt!** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:02

Ok to put an end to this patch-compatible-with-steam-yes-no discussion here's the facts.

the 1.3 patch is not compatible with the Steam version. It contains (and requires!) a new X3TC.exe file which contains the copy protection. If you were to apply 1.3 to a Steam version you'd be asked to insert your game DVD the next time you attempt to start the game.

Yes, 1.2.1 could be installed because it didn't include a new X3TC.exe. We didn't and won't advertise this however because this creates confusion over when a patch is compatible and when it is not. Therefore patches released by any other means than via the Steam platform will always be labeled as incompatible.

GBlair4811 · Post by **GBlair4811** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:09

Just wanted to say I am glad to see this patch out. I had been playing less and less of TC as my ranks got higher and the number of enemies caused slowdown and full stops of the AI.

I have seen a few people saying performance is noticeably increased which is nice to know and only one person saying its the same. The slowdown was the gamebreaker for me, altho the overwhelming enemies on patrol missions could be a little crazy, i never thought twice about how bad it was when it was over and I got the payout =P Just the insane lag that was bad.

Im gonna say also that im a bit annoyed that us steam users have to wait, but ive been checking the forums here for a patch daily and im just glad now to hear that its on its way and has some very welcome changes!!

Good to hear boarding pods are fixed now, guess I will have to go out and get myself an M7M now =D I didnt notice this as an official fix on the patch notes tho? Or maybe I just missed it =P Well I got to the end of the 10 page thread now lol so im gonna go back and re-read the notes =P

drakend · Post by **drakend** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:11

BurnIt! wrote:Ok to put an end to this patch-compatible-with-steam-yes-no discussion here's the facts.

As far as I'm concerned I haven't ever put in doubts this point. What I'm very unhappy about is Steam lazyness in applying the patches: I like the X games VERY much and I don't see why dvd customers are enjoying the game with this new wonderful patch while I'm here hoping the Steam guys implement the patch for the x3tc version.
A suggestion for the future: the online distribution of future Egosoft games should be managed directly by Egosoft imho. I don't share evrey choice Egosoft does, but you're infinitely more efficient than almost evrey other gaming company I know of.

GBlair4811 · Post by **GBlair4811** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:12

Btw, if I click that X-Universe news link I get a

404 - Page Not Found

Oops, this file does not exist - if you reached this page via one of our links, please contact the Site Administrator

whosrdaddy · Post by **whosrdaddy** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:21

ok,

for the very impatient steam users (like me

) you can always install a PART of the patch (scripts and content)

how to do it:

*** WARNING DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK, DON'T COME WHINING TO EGOSOFT OR ME ***

- make a backup of your original steam installation (just to be sure)
- download the normal 1.2.1 to 1.3 patch
- execute the patch, let install in an empty directory (like c:\temp\egosoft)
- go into c:\temp\egosoft (or the directory where you installed the patch)
- rename the 05.cat file to 06.cat
- rename the 05.dat to 06.dat
- copy the xml file, 06.cat and 06.cat files to the steam version path (where you find the other .cat and .dat files)
- copy over the scripts from the patch directory and overwrite those from the steam installation.
- DO NOT COPY the X3TC.exe file and DVM.DLL, they are not compatible with steam

I played yesterday evening, did some xenon invasion mission (on battlemaster rank) and I no longer get the insane amount of P's. so yes it works!

enjoy!

Chroniss · Post by **Chroniss** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:27

Looking ahead to 1.4: Can you guys please expand the corporations beyond just offering missions? They were advertised as competitors on the feature list but they don't do anything, and I hate to say it but we were lied to in that regard.

drakend · Post by **drakend** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:31

whosrdaddy wrote:ok,

for the very impatient steam users (like me ) you can always install a PART of the patch (scripts and content)

Thanks for the hack whosrdaddy, but this doesn't change anything about Steam... now a Steam customer must become a novice hacker in order to use the patches at the same time as the dvd customers? That's plainly and simply unacceptable for me.

Ravenholme · Post by **Ravenholme** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:36

Okay, I think you should all cool off and stop being so unfair about steam.

The steam guys are firstly in a different time-zone, so that has to be taken into account, and then you have to realise that the steam techies have to adapt the patch data so that it is compliant with their file management system, and with the steam front-end interface. That takes a while people, and you may have noticed, but they have a lot of games in their service that require this attention. Getting it done anywhere within a few weeks is actually a miracle, if you all were to stop moaning and think rationally about it. I dunno, why don't you go ask the valve techies to part the red sea whilst they're at it?

They're not god, and they work as fast as they can.

If you wanted to get the patch on time, Egosoft would have had to have sent them the patch data early and then waited for the techies to get round to preparing the patch data for steam and upload it to the content servers, before making it available to the non-steam community.

Seriously people, calm down. It's just a game. You'll get the patch soon enough, and your trade-off is that you don't have to worry about invasive DRM.

frymaster · Post by **frymaster** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:38

drakend wrote:Thanks for the hack whosrdaddy, but this doesn't change anything about Steam... now a Steam customer must become a novice hacker in order to use the patches at the same time as the dvd customers? That's plainly and simply unacceptable for me.

So you'd be happier if the patch was kept back from the people who bought the DVD version until the steam version was available? what would you gain in that instance? I'm not attacking you, I'm genuinely curious...

as I said a couple of pages back, steam applying this patch is not just a case of receiving the files and rolling them out to their servers, they do actually have to do work on it first. So at least _some_ delay makes sense; so far it's been less than one working day.

Ravenholme · Post by **Ravenholme** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:41

Haha, that's cool, to scots posting the same sorta thing at roughly the same time

Rumillion · Post by **Rumillion** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:48

looks great, I feel a new gamestart comming up as soon as its patched on steam.

And on the whole steam thing, I've always been told that patience is a virtue, so I will exercise it.

drakend · Post by **drakend** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 11:58

Ravenholme wrote:Okay, I think you should all cool off and stop being so unfair about steam.

I'm perfectly calm and I don't think to be unfair to Steam. I payed good money to Steam for playing X3TC so I WANT to be treated like other customers, that's all.

The steam guys are firstly in a different time-zone, so that has to be taken into account, and then you have to realise that the steam techies have to adapt the patch data so that it is compliant with their file management system, and with the steam front-end interface. That takes a while people, and you may have noticed, but they have a lot of games in their service that require this attention. Getting it done anywhere within a few weeks is actually a miracle,

What you say may be true, but it's not my business... how they manage to keep update the games they distribute it's their own problems entirely.

if you all were to stop moaning and think rationally about it. I dunno, why don't you go ask the valve techies to part the red sea whilst they're at it?

Ehi dude tell "stop moaning" to you girlfriend/boyfriend and not to me, ok?

They're not god, and they work as fast as they can.

Yeah so fast that last time they took about a week to implement the patch.

If you wanted to get the patch on time, Egosoft would have had to have sent them the patch data early and then waited for the techies to get round to preparing the patch data for steam and upload it to the content servers, before making it available to the non-steam community.

I have no business with the "non steam community", but I want to use the patch as soon as they can, because I payed like them. Anything else it's not my business, it's as simple as that. If you are so understandable towards Steam ok, but not evreyone is like that!

Seriously people, calm down. It's just a game. You'll get the patch soon enough, and your trade-off is that you don't have to worry about invasive DRM.

Save me from the moral lesson: I know it's just a game as well as you. This has NOTHING to do with my customer's rights. Ah btw the Steam version of X3TC has the tages as well and it's even more invasive than the dvd version has it requires online activation. If you don't believe me go reading some documentation.

frymaster wrote: So you'd be happier if the patch was kept back from the people who bought the DVD version until the steam version was available? what would you gain in that instance? I'm not attacking you, I'm genuinely curious...

Did I write this? I don't think so: I only said I want to use a patch for a game I've bought as soon as the dvd customers, that's all. My problem isn't that Egosoft is too fast in releasing patches for the dvd customers, but Steam which is too slow in releasing the same patches for the games on their platform.

as I said a couple of pages back, steam applying this patch is not just a case of receiving the files and rolling them out to their servers, they do actually have to do work on it first. So at least _some_ delay makes sense; so far it's been less than one working day.

It's not my business. I only know I've bought the game like evrey other dvd customer so I want to be treated the same way, that's all!

Ravenholme · Post by **Ravenholme** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 12:02

I think the fact that you bought it on steam and that you're a customer of the game makes it your business.

Oh, and moaning can be used in a non-sexual manner, y'know?

drakend · Post by **drakend** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 12:07

Ravenholme wrote:I think the fact that you bought it on steam and that you're a customer of the game makes it your business

From when a customer must know evrey little problem the seller has in giving its service? The thing functions differently: the customer pays and the seller gives the service/good the customer payed for, it's as simple as that!
Anyway one thing is an ISOLATED delay, but Steam takes its sweet time for implementing evrey patch on non Valve related games.

Ravenholme wrote: Oh, and moaning can be used in a non-sexual manner, y'know?

Really? I thought the general word was whining, but if moaning can be used in a general meaning then I'm sorry for that.

Choublanc · Post by **Choublanc** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 12:09

Strange... I was looking for informations about how the 1.3 patch is working, and almost all I found here are useless discussions about Steam. Guess the others are playing

eladan · Post by **eladan** » Fri, 5. Dec 08, 12:22

Yes, I'd agree that we've probably had enough with the steam discussion in this thread now. There is another thread which seems to be heading in the same direction on the steam front, so can we please use that one to continue any steam discussion, and let there be some actual discussion of the patch here.

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NEWS: Update 1.3 for Terran Conflict and X-News