[SPOILERS] Heads up - About X4: Cradle of Humanity previews

[tomchk]

Strongly agree with mr.Who, especially that we should be much closer to these assets (clear use for more superhighways, please!) and the Milky Way at least should be visible in the star field. I hope Egosoft treats this as urgent. It’s rough enough seeing the downgrade in shaders and effects from the last game released in 2013(?)... when players reasonably worry about a downgrade in views from even X3, that’s a huge problem.

[Axeface]

Dunno what you guys are seeing, sure the milky way could be more visible to make the view more realistic (in fact, in some of the outer planet sectors it is more visible?) but the planet textures while sometimes being a little blurry look better than x3 (where they were also blurry, you can see it in that video). The planets are also often closer than in x3. Most planets such as earth are also rotating now so the whole planets needs a texture, in x3 these ones were not? Id bet that texture is already 4k or even 8k. Other planets in the game probably use some kind of tiling as they dont need to be recognisable, but obviously these ones do.
Anyway I think the sectors look good, mars looks very nice, and the segaris sectors are stunning.

[Alm888]

Most planets such as earth are also rotating now so the whole planets needs a texture, in x3 these ones were not? Id bet that texture is already 4k or even 8k. Other planets in the game probably use some kind of tiling as they dont need to be recognisable, but obviously these ones do.
Anyway I think the sectors look good, mars looks very nice, and the segaris sectors are stunning.

It is hilarious to see that the planets are rotating, and we are staying in one place (relative to the Sun), so we are clearly not in orbit (hello, Kerbal Space Program!).
Also, Mars seems to be lacking an atmosphere.
Also x2, no Milky Way.

[Newinger]

It is hilarious to see that the planets are rotating, and we are staying in one place (relative to the Sun), so we are clearly not in orbit (hello, Kerbal Space Program!).
Also, Mars seems to be lacking an atmosphere.
Also x2, no Milky Way.

Well, X series had never real orbits or anything like that.

Mars has an atmosphere, though. Even thin clouds. You can see it in Cpt. Collin's video.

[Skeeter]

Maybe by atmosphere they mean the halo around the planet?

[Axeface]

It does have an atmosphere you can see it right here https://youtu.be/yfENfvK_9To?t=378

[Skeeter]

Few clouds is one thing but if it has a atmosphere it should have a halo but the vid shows none on the edges like earth has.

[Newinger]

Few clouds is one thing but if it has a atmosphere it should have a halo but the vid shows none on the edges like earth has.

You can recognize that thin "halo" in the video. Set the video quality to 4K. The video is then still more blurry than the actual game would be, but even on a 1920x1080 screen you can then definitely see the thin atmosphere. Note that it is of course much thinner than Earth's. And given the camera's distance to the planet, the view is quite accurate when you compare it to actual Hi-res real world photos of NASA.

[tomchk]

Yeah, I don’t mean to be harsh but something isn’t right with Sol as shown. It’s way too generic. It should feel like a big deal to get access, and we should be able to see these assets up close.

[Skeeter]

I hope we can fly in the rings of Saturn etc, id be disappointed if we couldnt. Also hope the planets etc are close with all their moons so we can go right up to them and see the details as thats why sol should be highly sought after for x4, no point if planets are far away, just like any other system. Only saw mars cos of that vid there, and its a bit too far imo. Should be like x rebirths trailer where u are like almost in the atmosphere for sol planets. Also if terrans have terraformed some of the planets like mars id want to see some infrastructure on the planet surface which is visible from space. So it looks lived on.

[Tamina]

Look at these two, then look into my eyes and tell me X3 is in any way better than X4.
https://youtu.be/yfENfvK_9To?t=265
https://youtu.be/o3HpkxxO854?t=1265

The planets even seem to have some kind of bump map making them look like having actual topography.

[Newinger]

Also hope the planets etc are close with all their moons so we can go right up to them and see the details as thats why sol should be highly sought after for x4, no point if planets are far away, just like any other system.

I agree it would be cool, but on the other hand, X4 will not suddenly become a solar system simulator. If they gave such possibilities for Sol, they would have to do the same for the other sectors as well, to stay consistent. The videos show it is the same sector structure as it always was, and thus with the same constraints it always had, i.e. planets are still pretty backgrounds with no real spatial relationship to the stations in that sector. It's simply the game's concept.

[Newinger]

Look at these two, then look into my eyes and tell me X3 is in any way better then X4.

I agree. I think the disappointment stated by a few people is mostly that the distance to planets is bigger than they hoped for and that, well, Sol is basically dark space with a few stars and the planet of the sector. Which it should be.

The "main" X universe, in contrast, is a fantasy, much more dramatic and, maybe, unrealistic; in comparison, Sol may seem bland. But I think if one takes the time and looks at the planets as they are, it is also a chance to see real nature's beauty. I mean, your example is a great one, or the Mars surface, so much detail, even at that distance. Much better even in the videos than in X3.

[Alkeena]

Here's the spoiler I want: What's the reward for terraforming Earth? I sincerely hope it's the shutdown of the gate network an the creation of a second diaspora.

[Bastelfred]

When I see these videos... the more I miss some things from Rebirth...
In X4 it almost doesn't matter where you are, it always looks like it's a rather abandoned sector. In Rebirth this was much better solved by a lot of civilian traffic and small stations that were only there for the ambience. You can see immediately where you are, busy or almost dead system.

In any X, the Earth sector looks dead and abandoned.

#bringbackmorerebirth

[tomchk]

I hope we can fly in the rings of Saturn etc, id be disappointed if we couldnt. Also hope the planets etc are close with all their moons so we can go right up to them and see the details as thats why sol should be highly sought after for x4, no point if planets are far away, just like any other system. Only saw mars cos of that vid there, and its a bit too far imo. Should be like x rebirths trailer where u are like almost in the atmosphere for sol planets. Also if terrans have terraformed some of the planets like mars id want to see some infrastructure on the planet surface which is visible from space. So it looks lived on.

Agreed, I think it makes no sense to have these capabilities and not use them in *the most important* system in the game universe. It's a little hard to believe we might be getting Sol but not be able to mine in the clouds of a gas giant or fly through the rings of Saturn.

[tomchk]

When I see these videos... the more I miss some things from Rebirth...
In X4 it almost doesn't matter where you are, it always looks like it's a rather abandoned sector. In Rebirth this was much better solved by a lot of civilian traffic and small stations that were only there for the ambience. You can see immediately where you are, busy or almost dead system.

In any X, the Earth sector looks dead and abandoned.

This is what confuses me most. We know they can do this stuff because they already did it *in 2013* or earlier, and it was spectacular... Even people that hated the last game mostly for flaws that were fixed or just only having one flyable ship acknowledged it was awesome to fly through the upper atmosphere of a planet. Why would they not at least try it in Sol, 8 years later?

[Skeeter]

We know the company had done it in past games with this and that which we liked, but the team changes over the years, talent that once was there might have moved on and no longer at the company and they got someone else or promoted someone. So yes the company egosoft has done some nicer things in past games but is the talent that did them, still in the company? Who knows. I know a few names have come and gone over the years, well i did but forgot the names (oops) but they were there but are now elsewhere, dunno what they did, i know one artist has left not long ago i think.

[tomchk]

We know the company had done it in past games with this and that which we liked, but the team changes over the years talent that once was there might have moved on and no longer at the company and they got someone else or promoted someone. So yes the company egosoft has done some nicer things in past games but is the talent that did them, still in the company? Who knows. I know a few names have come and gone over the years, well i did but forgot the names (oops) but they were there but are now elsewhere, dunno what they did, i know one artist has left not long ago i think.

Right, but I don't mean artists. The assets are clearly improving--what I'm saying is it's a big mistake to have these assets and not use them in ways that show them off and wow people the way they did in the last game. They don't need different artists to use the features they've already used and are still in the game, but use them in a scenic way rather than a boring way.
Example: Just let us mine gas "right next to" a gas giant. Get us so close (with even just a straight superhighway--NOT a gate/accelerator, we should SEE the transit) that it takes up almost all of our view. If the planet textures aren't high res enough, I'm pretty sure there are public images they could use to improve that.
Example: Just let us mine minerals IN Saturn's rings. Use another straight superhighway if curved is too hard.
Isn't it kind of bizarre not to let us do these things?

[Skeeter]

Yes i agree if what you mean is getting close like u could in rebirth for some planets like in the trailer, and you could mine there etc. Would love that for say the gas giants, i mean elite dangerous does something like that and its quite cool. Heck in rebirth you could get near the sun i think in defries system i think it was called. Why not do that in x4 and mine the radiation like u can in elite to recharge ur ship jump drive fuel (well something for x4 tho)