[XTM - GAMEPLAY] Gameplay discussion for Xtended Mod

[spoidz]

Arcturas,

You can add Bail Signal Extension and modify the allowable ship bails if you wish.

BSE is here http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=187811

The BSE also requires Cycrow's Salvage Claim Software here http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=112957

I have used it with X3R and X3R+XTM.

[yusep]

I have just installed the Xtended Mod 7.5, all works fine, but...how do i start the storyline of the mod? i mean, how do i get new missions, the new race, the leviatan...

I have to start a new game in normal difficulty and end the story line of the vanilla game or what??

My english is not very good, sorry for that and thx.

[MBD]

The Mission Review Index contains both the detail for The Main Plot and The Side Missions.

Your English is better than my Bulgarian.

[yusep]

Lots of Thanks

Another 50hours of game ouh yeah.

[leddmirage]

Hi all,
i've just purchased and downloaded X3:R ver 2.5 from steam.. tried it and i really like the game kudos to egosoft!!
i've one question: do i need to download XTM mod?
i tried searching the forum, maybe i suck at it.. i can't find an exact answer to this.. can anyone point me to the right direction?
and where can i download the XTM? i want to "expand" my galaxy.. hehehe

[04ihegba]

I'm no expert on the steam version of X3:R but as far as I know you can XTM for steam.

As for the question do you want to, that's entirely up to you. Personally, I'd say complete the story first then straight after, before you invest too much time into continuing your empire, install XTM and start and empire there.

XTM is known to make the main story a hell of a lot harder so maybe you could install it now (with the mod manager) and then just keep a "vanilla" (unmodified) save to play the story with.

The link to the mod is http://www.thexuniverse.com/modules/XTM_Main/index.php

There will be links for all the other stuff you need and instructions there. Enjoy your new game


Gosh I remember all those happy memories of when I first got X3.. tee hee

[wotano]

no prob for steam X3-R and XTM !
I use it

[jlehtone]

"need I?"
No. Modding your game is entirely voluntary. Nothing forces you to do it.

"should I?"
Entirely up to you, whether and how you want to mod your game.

"where?"
The Community Library lists it. Exceptionally, even the Forum Posting Rules mention it. One must be sticky-blind to miss those.

And to comply with the above-referred rules, this now merges to the XTM thread.

[PadP]

Could some kind soul help me out?

After starting on easy, I took some time out to do some trading to improve the Mercury and Buster you get at the start.

Now I want to carry on with the main mission and I have to get to Freedom’s Reach in order to ask a contact about where I can find someone.

The problem is that the only way to Freedom’s Reach is via pirate sectors. And each time I enter one I’m guaranteed to get destroyed. What usually happens is that a squad of three or four pirates become hostile and start to close on me. If I try to fight, I can take maybe one or two out. If I flee, then another squad of three of four turn hostile and pursue me. I’ve had up to four squads chasing me around before I die. On my last attempt, I had got to within 15km of the west gate in Hatikvah’s Faith, only to have five pirate ships jump into system from the gate and kill me. I don’t know why they are acting so hostile, since I have not been attacking them while I was trading, nor do I have them set as foe in my options.

The tactics I’ve been using consists of flying as fast as I can (~175) using rudder to barrel roll and WASD to sideslip randomly. When I try to take one out, I launch a few mosquito missiles first to try to stop them coming at me head on and them open up with lasers while they are trying to dodge.

By the way, can you use a jump drive when you have not visited the target sector? It crossed my mind that I could go to Emperor’s Ridge and jump one sector east. Would that work?

Thank you in advance for any help,

Pad.

[Deadbeat_Spinn]

1. What ship are you in? It would seem that you need a faster ship or one that packs more firepower. I would recommend as a faster ship a Mamba Raider or a heavier ship like an LX. You also could buy a fast M5 like a Disco to get to Freedom's Reach and use whatever ship (that has a jumpdrive) to jump to the sector.

2. No you have to at least visit the sector once to get the jumpdrive to take you there.

[PadP]

Thank you Deadbeat_Spinn,

I’m piloting the Buster you start with its specs are maxed out.

So, it looks like I have to do some more trading to get a better ship. No problem I’ll be patent.

What does concern me is that I just tried going from Priest’s Pity to Elena’s Fortune via Split Fire. As always I met heavy pirate activity. And once again, pirates pouring out of the north gate to Elena’s Fortune. This time I made it through (with over 100,000c in hull damage). At Elena’s Fortune, there were over 20 pirate ships, all heading to the gate I just came from, and thankfully ignoring me. But they were all types, not a chance of me even denting some of them.

Is it always going to be like this every time I go to a pirate sector? Can I do anything to calm down the excessive response they have to me?

I thought I could sell some space weed to them or something to calm them down.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to post.

Pad

[maphys]

Rather than fly right through the middle of the sector take a nosedive the minute you come through the gate. If you dive 20km or so on the Y axis and then fly along you may slip below some of their radars. Plus if they do get antsy fire a wasp or two at them. That usually slows down pursuit.

But I think XTM is famous for aggressive pirates in large numbers - basic R is a lot less fraught!

M

[Xander Cade]

His post implies that he's still in a Buster and that the game is still at the beginning - how do you propose he gets the rep to buy a Mamba, let alone the cash, and/or cap an LX? And no, getting the free Mamba isn't an option considering it's surrounded by about 50 Pirates.

You'll find XTM to be a lot harder in general. Where Vanilla will throw you a Nova, expect XTM to give you a Kea AND an Eclipse (and probably an Elite as well... ). Something I noticed yesterday is that now I'm flying a fleet of capital ships, many of those Pirate squadrons are ignoring me... unlike when I was in a Buster and had 25+ Pirates of every type chasing me through Elena's Fortune. Hatikvah's faith was crawling with Pirate capital ships the first time I went there.

I haven't done the missions yet, but I would be expecting Freedom's Reach to possibly be a bit more... active. You'll soon find out. While you can't directly jump to the Sector without being there, there is something you can do, assuming you have picked up the gate on your scanners - Jump to the South Gate in Danna's Chance and then just fly through it. How are you going to do that? Go to Split Fire and get the east gate on your scanners and immediately jump out of the sector. Jump back to the east gate and fly through it to Brennan's Triumph. Look for the south gate that leads to Danna's Chance, jumping out as soon as you have to. Do the same in Danna's Chance, jumping out as soon as you get the South Gate on your scanners.

Another thing you could try is potentially a lot more expensive, but is safer for you. Get the fastest M5 you can lay your hands on and equip it with Nav Software and Explorer Software (Teladi EQs) then send it to remotely scan the systems until it finds the appropriate Gates. Even if he makes it all the way to Freedom's reach, that M5 probably won't be coming home, but they are cheap ships that are easily replaced even when you're dirt poor. Then just jump to the gate as described above.

Also... expect this thread to me moved to the Scripts & Modding forum and merged with the XTM gameplay thread.

[PadP]

Hello again!

Thank you maphys and Xander Cade.

The comments about XTM were interesting, I did not realise that pirates got more hostile with the mod. Hey ho, you live and learn.

Maphys, your tactic is interesting. Would it still work if I was already locked on by pirates? Assuming I can out run them, would the give up if I went too far from the ecliptic?

Xander Cade, thanks for your post, I am indeed attempting this in the Buster you start with. I don’t have too much of a problem with not being able to go to a location without a better ship. In fact I find it kind of refreshing and more realistic!

It’s been a long time since I can remember a game where the player is allowed to go to a location where they don’t have a chance of living until they get to a certain level. Most modern games prevent the player from going there until they are ready.

The only complaint I have is the lack of warning. For instance, it would be nice if a passing Argon would communicate with you and tell you that you don’t stand a chance if your trying to enter the sector at the east gate or something.

I think that my strategy will be to return when I get a better ship.

PadP.

P.S. Xander Cade, thanks for the warning that the post was moved, I got a bit confused when your post turned up at page 116!

[leddmirage]

is the race in freedom reach "harder" in XTM instead of vanilla version? becuase i can't beat them.. or maybe it's just me cos the guide says it's pretty easy?!

[stemardue]

I am puzzled about two issues... and hope someone can help:

1- regarding the 'scarab' mission - i have searched and looked in many places, including the XTU forum, without founding mentions to this, so... I probably fouled the mission because after getting rid of the fighters launched by the galleon, i docked at the scrapyard in Maelstrom for a quicksave and a short break - i cleaned all the fighters and survived several raids at the galleon in my Otas Elite, but noticed that its firepower is too weak to be effective against the Galleon itself, even with the

Spoiler

Show

kill it from inside trick

. - So it probably jumped off when i was docked. Now the two otas helpers are lazyly hanging around in Maelstrom, i had no failed mission message at all, going back to Otas HQ has no effect about restarting the mission... and the scarab is still in the belly of a galleon that happily hangs around in pirate sector Severed Dreams. What to do? - That Galleon is now fully armed and I have no chance to take it down for now... in that sector there are some other big ones too (carracks, reavers and a plethora of fighters). Any idea?

2- I have visited the terran sectors (started as pious paranid to skip the main X3r plot keeping the Bala Gi missions), and i have my rep with them at +300 someish so i can dock and trade to a certain extent with them. The problem is that in my first run i must have fired back, with turrets, at some of them and even now, most of their capships and several patrols are hostile (and quite aggressive) to me. But there is no way of 'apologizing' since they don't reply to comms even in the xtm comm mode... any way to make em blue again?

I really hope someone can help

In the meantime I'll keep on growing my forces and assets so if no other solution comes, i'll try the blunt approach


PS Duh, sorry about making this a stray post, I started it from the XTM gameplay thread but apparently opened a new subject instead of a reply. So please don't add replies about posting in the wrong place, and Moderators, if you can, please move this to its right place


{Done. jlehtone]

[leddmirage]

I need help..!! i want to buy a factory in argon prime.. but i can't find mammoth.. i setup satelites coverage to look for them.. came up empty.. where did it go?? i can't afford a mammoth i only wanna get a wheat farm..

edit: playing X3R 2.5 + XTM mod

[stemardue]

to leddmirage:

the mammoth (as other core capships) in XTM is roaming around in the nearby sectors. I found it in The Wall once and in Herrons Nebula another time. Its name is something like Argon Military Supply or similar, can't remember now, but just look for the HUD icon of a TL, click on it and follow it, then comm when closer than 8 km.

Or - even better - install 'scorp x3 map', assign a hotkey to 'find ship' in the options/controls and look for TL/mammoth
This last addon is great to find every ship in 'real time' - imagine as example... look for Xenon P, jump to the non-xenon sectors where it appeared, strike, gain rep and fighting rank, mop up the leftovers, rinse and repeat


PS: a wheat farm in Argon Prime won't make you rich... better save a bit more to get two wheat farms and a space fuel distillery (and 2 complex structures) and set up a 'booze place' in President end or Elena's Fortune. You only need to drop ecells in it and set the selling price of fuel 1 below average to get a constant and steady income source.

[senectus]

I had a great haul the other night.. I was traveling through (the slow way) Split Fire when I nearly bumped smack into 3 Xenon Capital ships lurking around... actually more like rampaging around destroying any and every ship that flys past them.

I got away and had a closer look at my sector map and noticed a huge haul of freight (read: debris from destroyed ships) just sitting there for the taking.

For over an hour I sat and watched and nipped in to pickup hauls of frieght, it made me a small fortune.

My question is: is this a scripted event?
Or is it just something odd that the AI cooked up...

Either way I'm going to have to find me the fastest heavy hauler to buy so I can sit there and make some serious cash rather than in the small bites my Nova can do...


{merged from X-Universe - Carlo}

[Carlo the Curious]

That's...strange. Are you running any scripts or mods?

EDIT: Are you sure they were Xenon and not Kha'ak?