"Albion Skunk" - Seriously???

[White Rat]

Cheers guys; lots of good points of view in the topic there, find myself really buying into the idea of starting out with a banged up piece of junk - and transforming it into the most powerful weapon of destruction in the known universe.

I voted "yes" as I too like to put personal touches into the game - in fact thats a feature of the game I've missed since X2 - the option to put a small personalised graphic on everything you own. Shame they done away with that.

Thanks again for your interest guys.

[DaddyMonster]

We can't change it because it's on the voiceovers reqs to land etc - which is a pity, to those of you that familiar with the (suddenly..) late Iain M Banks I've always spent ages thinking up Culture names to my fleet. Hope you can name ships in your fleet - don't see why they wouldn't have that.

[Walton Simons]

I'll name mine "Universe Destroyer Extreme Death Giver Ultimate Killer of Worlds Fluffy".
It may be just a M6 but I'm sure it'll give plenty of headaches to station personnel when I get my docking clearance.

"Good Lord it's that guy again and he's coming to dock" will be a famous line in my game.

[Rabiator der II.]

Cheers guys; lots of good points of view in the topic there, find myself really buying into the idea of starting out with a banged up piece of junk - and transforming it into the most powerful weapon of destruction in the known universe.

I voted "yes" as I too like to put personal touches into the game - in fact thats a feature of the game I've missed since X2 - the option to put a small personalised graphic on everything you own. Shame they done away with that.

Thanks again for your interest guys.

The Skunk as a starter ship is fine - I see it as equivalent to the Tarsus in Privateer. An old tub that you got cheap somewhere and that can be upgraded to some degree.

But if that same old tub can be transformed it into the most powerful weapon of destruction in the known universe, it breaks my willing suspension of disbelief (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... fDisbelief)

Privateer solved the problem by actually providing a small variety of flyable ships. You started in the Tarsus, but there were three other ships you could buy on the market. Each of them clearly better than the Tarsus, but with different abilities:

• -a small freighter for the traders
  -a "flying tank"
  -and a sort of heavy fighter (the Centurion, which was my favorite)

[DarkTemplar]

We can't change it because it's on the voiceovers reqs to land etc - which is a pity, to those of you that familiar with the (suddenly..) late Iain M Banks I've always spent ages thinking up Culture names to my fleet. Hope you can name ships in your fleet - don't see why they wouldn't have that.

Which is only more proof that if you want to force people to abandon the freedom and choice that had so far you shouldn't name the ship "Skunk" just to rub the whole thing in.
To me it feels like rubbing salt into the wound for no apparent reason. Which seems to be a very weird decision to be honest.

[Inverness]

We can't change it because it's on the voiceovers reqs to land etc - which is a pity, to those of you that familiar with the (suddenly..) late Iain M Banks I've always spent ages thinking up Culture names to my fleet. Hope you can name ships in your fleet - don't see why they wouldn't have that.

Which is only more proof that if you want to force people to abandon the freedom and choice that had so far you shouldn't name the ship "Skunk" just to rub the whole thing in.
To me it feels like rubbing salt into the wound for no apparent reason. Which seems to be a very weird decision to be honest.

It's only weird because you're thinking inside the box created by previous games in the X series.

It's not hard to imagine how a ship starting out known as the Albion Skunk could become the Pride of Albion in the game. Even the poll options imply something that isn't necessarily true.

Then there are people who are making assumptions that title isn't a story only thing. But, like the previous statement, this is supposition.

Complaints about the ship name and how its used in the game are entirely unfounded at this point due to a lack of context.

[Rabiator der II.]

We can't change it because it's on the voiceovers reqs to land etc - which is a pity, to those of you that familiar with the (suddenly..) late Iain M Banks I've always spent ages thinking up Culture names to my fleet. Hope you can name ships in your fleet - don't see why they wouldn't have that.

Which is only more proof that if you want to force people to abandon the freedom and choice that had so far you shouldn't name the ship "Skunk" just to rub the whole thing in.
To me it feels like rubbing salt into the wound for no apparent reason. Which seems to be a very weird decision to be honest.

I think that could be avoided. Don't mention the name of the ship in any media that cannot easily be adapted. Except maybe in an intro movie that shows events before the player has full ownership of the ship. Text messages would be no problem, because in those the ship name can be replaced as needed

[Blue Wraith]

I don't mind the Skunk name. There are 3 things that immediately come to mind when I hear that name.

• In relation to ships, Skunk Works as mentioned by @MAUCorp, which is an awesome reference
• The animal, something I don't ever want to run across because of its particular defense mechanism
• Was gonna say Pepe le Pew, but thanks to @A5PECT, now I think "Pepe le Pew Pew" LOL

[Nanook]

We can't change it because it's on the voiceovers reqs to land etc - which is a pity, to those of you that familiar with the (suddenly..) late Iain M Banks I've always spent ages thinking up Culture names to my fleet. Hope you can name ships in your fleet - don't see why they wouldn't have that.

Which is only more proof that if you want to force people to abandon the freedom and choice that had so far you shouldn't name the ship "Skunk" just to rub the whole thing in.
To me it feels like rubbing salt into the wound for no apparent reason. Which seems to be a very weird decision to be honest.

It's only weird because you're thinking inside the box created by previous games in the X series....

Oh, you mean the fact that the previous games were all open-world sandboxes and not linear plot-driven games? I'm afraid I have to agree with DarkTemplar on this one. You get to fly only one ship, and it has a fixed name. Not good for roleplaying or a replayable sandbox, IMO.

[White Rat]

Cheers guys; lots of good points of view in the topic there, find myself really buying into the idea of starting out with a banged up piece of junk - and transforming it into the most powerful weapon of destruction in the known universe.

I voted "yes" as I too like to put personal touches into the game - in fact thats a feature of the game I've missed since X2 - the option to put a small personalised graphic on everything you own. Shame they done away with that.

Thanks again for your interest guys.

The Skunk as a starter ship is fine - I see it as equivalent to the Tarsus in Privateer. An old tub that you got cheap somewhere and that can be upgraded to some degree.

But if that same old tub can be transformed it into the most powerful weapon of destruction in the known universe, it breaks my willing suspension of disbelief (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... fDisbelief)

Privateer solved the problem by actually providing a small variety of flyable ships. You started in the Tarsus, but there were three other ships you could buy on the market. Each of them clearly better than the Tarsus, but with different abilities:

• -a small freighter for the traders
  -a "flying tank"
  -and a sort of heavy fighter (the Centurion, which was my favorite)

I tend to agree with this, I'm more inclined to think that it wont be the ship itself that will be your instrument of Armageddon - rather it will be the empire you control from it, and power is nothing without control, for I foresee an empire that will make the one that Palpatine had look like a grocery shop chain by comparison.

As far as the name of the ship goes ("Skunk"), I don't have any major issues with it - I just think it would have been nice to have the option to personalise it to some degree that's all.

[Inverness]

Oh, you mean the fact that the previous games were all open-world sandboxes and not linear plot-driven games? I'm afraid I have to agree with DarkTemplar on this one. You get to fly only one ship, and it has a fixed name. Not good for roleplaying or a replayable sandbox, IMO.

Don't throw out claims like "linear plot-driven" just because there is one main ship. That is entirely unfounded. Having one main player ship does not disqualify the game from being an open world sandbox. This is Egosoft we're talking about, I don't think they've forgotten how to do things.

If you'd wait until we know how drones and capital ship control is going to work in Rebirth, then you might be able to say that with some credibility.

As far as the name of the ship goes ("Skunk"), I don't have any major issues with it - I just think it would have been nice to have the option to personalise it to some degree that's all.

What makes you think there won't be?

[Killjaeden]

Don't throw out claims like "linear plot-driven" just because there is one main ship. That is entirely unfounded. Having one main player ship does not disqualify the game from being an open world sandbox.

it is way less open then X3 or 2 and i very much dislike the ship from a designpoint. In X3 i got to chose race, personal ship, and actions that my character does - in XR its only actions. You are bound to one background, one race, one ship. And you have to progress through the plot in order to get the sandbox we all loved. Its not optional like before. That is very linear.

[Inverness]

And you have to progress through the plot in order to get the sandbox we all loved.

This is wrong and directly contradicts what Egosoft said.

Also, you said we can't choose race? What proof of this do you have? Certainly you're not assuming that having a single main player ship means your race can't be changed, are you?

Anyhow, I'm tired of discussing this already. It's quite clear people are just going to make up their own reasons to dislike the game no matter how little information they have.

[DarkTemplar]

It's only weird because you're thinking inside the box created by previous games in the X series.

It's not hard to imagine how a ship starting out known as the Albion Skunk could become the Pride of Albion in the game. Even the poll options imply something that isn't necessarily true.

Then there are people who are making assumptions that title isn't a story only thing. But, like the previous statement, this is supposition.

Complaints about the ship name and how its used in the game are entirely unfounded at this point due to a lack of context.

The whole "thinking outside the Box" thing is a very lame and meaningless phrase taking from some business language and the context in which it is used is getting more and more rediculous especially seeing how we have less options and less influence on the overall outcome here than before.

Having said that, we are currently judging on the information given to us by Egosoft, which bode very ill for MOST of us (obviously 30% disagree). It is these informations we are basing our judgement on and seeing how they are directly from Egosoft we can assume them to be true, unless you want to imply Egosoft is misleading or lying to us on purpose.
Which means that unless you want to wait for the finished product, at which point everything would be done and nobody could change anything anymore, us complaining since they first announce it and making out opinion known is the only way we have to influence something we obviously do not like.
By the time the game is released the whole thing is written in stone and we can't change anything anymore, so the whole "wait and see" attitude is the most horrible one there is.

And personally I hate the course the game is currently taking. I am a long time fan of the series, ever since X-Gold I've played every single last one, I actually bought some twice (for steam) and Rebirth will be the first game I'm not going to buy.
Personally I feel like Egosoft has abandoned me, ofc they don't owe me for white knighting their games in the past (which I did) or outright being a fanboy for a time (which I was) or for sticking with the game series for so long in favor of a "wider" and "more casual" audience.
But seeing another developer trying to go casual and more action oriented especially seeing how they proclaim the game to be "easily accessible of you have fps experience" makes me want to facepalm.

It's like making a game for people who do not want this kind of game, while neglecting the community that supported and allowed you to create this game series in the first place by making a game they don't want.
So basically a game for an audience that doesn't like this type of game and wont be buying it, a game that will not appeal to large parts of your former audience because it is not what they liked about it in the first place, in hopes of making big bucks.
We've seen that before, quite often, didn't work out even once so far and this might steam from me being bitter. But I really hope this flops big time.

[ThommoHawk]

^ oh give it a break mon..

As for me, yea,,,I may be a 'Fan' of EGOSOFTS GREAT SPACE GAMES, and I may even be extremely appreciative of THE FANTASTIC SUPPORT they have provided with the FREE CONTENT LIKE BALA GI AND ALBION PRELUDE. and I admit to being appreciative of all the patches, BONUS PACKS and Egosoft's enabling the MODDING COMMUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE etc...

And so I think X REBIRTH deserves to SUCCEED. Will they? Well now, only time will tell, and I for one, am willing to wait and see FOR MYSELF by PLAYING it.

ON TOPIC:
Anyone know where there is an official confirmation that you can't rename the skunk? If there is one I've missed it.

I still reckon after the plot is completed?
... if not then ahh reckon ahhl live. but yes, would be ssttraangdge...

[Rabiator der II.]

The Skunk as a starter ship is fine - I see it as equivalent to the Tarsus in Privateer. An old tub that you got cheap somewhere and that can be upgraded to some degree.

But if that same old tub can be transformed it into the most powerful weapon of destruction in the known universe, it breaks my willing suspension of disbelief

I tend to agree with this, I'm more inclined to think that it wont be the ship itself that will be your instrument of Armageddon - rather it will be the empire you control from it, and power is nothing without control, for I foresee an empire that will make the one that Palpatine had look like a grocery shop chain by comparison.

I think that if I can buy/build massive fleets, I would want an upgrade for my personal ride as well.

Either command from my massive Star Destroyer, or at least get a seriously powerful private yacht. Something like the Hyperion in X3. And pushing the Skunk to that power level seems questionable to me, willing suspension of disbelief-wise. After all, it looks only like a pretty small M6

[Killjaeden]

And you have to progress through the plot in order to get the sandbox we all loved.

This is wrong and directly contradicts what Egosoft said.

Also, you said we can't choose race? What proof of this do you have? Certainly you're not assuming that having a single main player ship means your race can't be changed, are you?

No its not wrong, they said it in their interview. You have to do the plot to open up the universe, and you play a specific human character (forgot the name). I'm not assuming, i just read the available informations...

[Inverness]

And you have to progress through the plot in order to get the sandbox we all loved.

This is wrong and directly contradicts what Egosoft said.

Also, you said we can't choose race? What proof of this do you have? Certainly you're not assuming that having a single main player ship means your race can't be changed, are you?

No its not wrong, they said it in their interview. You have to do the plot to open up the universe, and you play a specific human character (forgot the name). I'm not assuming, i just read the available informations...

That might be reasonable if you were doing the plot start (I'm still skeptical here unless I get a source), but don't try and tell me they wouldn't have an entirely open non-plot start.

I also don't even see why they wouldn't have an open universe from the beginning. That really doesn't even make sense considering what the games are like. I'd like to know where you got this information from. What I read in the interviews is that the plot is designed to introduce you to new game elements, not that it prevents you from just going out and doing anything you want.

[Umbru]

So for now there is only one player ship. I think there will be more than enough content to justify buying the game and playing it until ether Egosoft or a modder adds in more. Until then I will be content flying my one ship with a detailed interior, my VR drones, and standing on the deck of my capital ship giving orders to the rest of my empire (even if I can't fly it directly)

As for the Plot I am looking forward to it although I do hope I can skip it after playing through the first time but if not I'll survive.

[Killjaeden]

I also don't even see why they wouldn't have an open universe from the beginning. That really doesn't even make sense considering what the games are like.

Now you are assuming... except thats what the plot is. gates are shutdown because of supernova -> regions are cut off-> limited access. You do the plot to solve that problem. And since character interactions will be voiced you can only play one character.