Why X4 feels empty and / or unfinished (explanation)

[Knightdark]

I feel that the OP has a point. But the rest of you have a point as well. I've been having a lot of fun with the game (and isn't that the most important thing?) I grant all of you, that you're right on your arguments, but I would suggest to take a wait and see approach and see if the game's economy eventually get's going and and when you're rank gets high enough when the response is going to be.

Also, I don't agree with the 'rushed for a Christmas' release thing. Because, wasn't the release date announced months ago? like back in the summer? (I could be wrong) Anyway, my point is that I think that if they really thought the game wasn't ready yet, they would have delayed it. The people in PR can't be so stupid as to tarnish their company's reputation by releasing a game that is clearly unfinished.

Just look at no man sky. Do you really think that if they try to release another game, that the NMS disaster won't hang over their heads? "The company that produced nms, known for having broken many of its promises....' and so on and so forth. Do you think it is worth, releasing a game for POTENTIAL more sales for a quote: Christmas unquote release when the reviews will be negative about it? Just look at rebirth! I remember that the reviews on steam was negative or even overwhelmingly negative at some point. People remember that. People judge based on facts like that.

Again, I feel that the OP has a point, but that doesn't take away the fact that the rest of you don't have a point as well.

[Taramafor]

"I flew through Xenon space without even getting a pot shot at me"

In X3 I could do the same until my fight rank increased significantly. A 'defend station' mission in the early game of X3 was not much more than an L with a pair of N's, but once the fight rank was up they would send the entire Xenon alphabet after that same station bringing literally 80-100 ships in though a gate like a swarm of insects. I say that we should all just keep playing and see how far things will go after some reputation is built up ... and not worry about the release bugs because Egosoft has a history of refining their products into gems.

If someone has over 50 hours in a game then I think it's a safe bet that they've had plenty of chances to have those encounters. Ranking up will follow suit as you do the missions. Unless they been avoiding fighting. Or the missions. And if the missions don't focus on combat in the first place (they don't) then what incentive is there for someone that enjoys combat to even do any of the missions if they don't have combat? It contradicts itself even if you get the combat missions later on. Defeating the whole purpose of having different mission types.

Thing with X4 is that it kind of... avoids the fighting to begin with? Now compare this to past X games with ask you to do the combat things AT THE START. I'm saying it again so it sinks in. AT. THE. START.

PLUS I'm talking about when you're a LOW rank. 100 enemy ships. In an enemy sector. At a LOW rank. Is it unfair to the player when they're in the enemy sector? Probably. But you're in the enemy sector. Which is hostile. So it balances out. You choose to go there. So naturally when I go to an enemy sector in past X games I feel scared. Most I felt in an enemy xenon sector was emptiness. Because it was exactly that. Mostly empty. I didn't feel scared or thrilled like in past X games. That alone speaks for itself.

Early game in TC I would get missions with a few ships to begin with. BUT the HOSTILE SECTORS (separate from missions) would always be exactly that. Hostile. Dangerous. Either with a few enemy ships after you or many all over. I see zero reason why this shouldn't be the case in X4. Can anyone here give me a valid excuse why space should feel empty at ANY stage? When it's been proven, both in lore and gameplay from past games, to not be the case?

And finally we don't seem to have ANY combat focused missions yet. Unless we're counting those stupid fetch quests. Which no one wants to do. it's boring as hell. I ranked up a bit. Same mission types. Where's my fighting missions? Name me some. If anyone here who has reached higher ranks found a mission of "Fend of these large numbers of enemy fights" then by all means point it out.

[Zealoth]

"I flew through Xenon space without even getting a pot shot at me"

In X3 I could do the same until my fight rank increased significantly. A 'defend station' mission in the early game of X3 was not much more than an L with a pair of N's, but once the fight rank was up they would send the entire Xenon alphabet after that same station bringing literally 80-100 ships in though a gate like a swarm of insects. I say that we should all just keep playing and see how far things will go after some reputation is built up ... and not worry about the release bugs because Egosoft has a history of refining their products into gems.

+1
I can only also support this!

My experience on game so far
X4 is one of the few games which actually relaxes me and yes I know, ALL X-Universe games are not fully done on release day therefor I played at a slow pace. BUT this is also one of the few games which simply mature more and more with time cause their Devs are actually looking at feedback and fixing things.

First impression
- the tutorial should be called more like "Hints" ... tutorial is simply the wrong word for it. This is a pity since you need to draw need players to the game and not scare them away.
- at last my old X3 concept is back (lets simply forget the Rebirth + other crap in between....)
- game feels like the main structure is good, like 60% - 70%
- well the rest still needs tweaking but this is easy, since adding new missions etc. polishing traders etc. will all be tweaked and come in time
- what we have now is all we need to have an awesome game at a later stage
- to be honest this game is way too complex to expect a 100% smooth start, all will be smoothed out in time (X3-reunion - auto traders were crappy, community updated scripts, tweaked them having a way better AI and performance. Egosoft brought this script out at normal patch into vanilla game --> result awesome! )
- my opinion is also to simply play it slow and the game will mature like a good red wine

Impression from posts everywhere

It must be the current times but people want everything in smaller and smaller windows. They simply dont have the patience for things to evolve, develop. So if the pace now is exactly the same as X3-Reunion used to be, now people would say ... OMG it is boring ... everything way too slow. Go play Fortnite or Quake for achievement hunting, this is the wrong game for that.
I had to play like 30 hours (old X3-Reunion) before I started with my factory building.
There was SO MUCH to do before that. Why it seems like everyone simply want to rush rush rush ... crazy. Simply enjoy the experience of the moment, enjoy the ride ...
Baddieus viewtopic.php?f=146&t=404700#p4769719 explained it best in this post of his. I feel exactly the same way about this game.

Closing
I think we have gotten a good half-empty penthouse and we will slowly start to fill it with more life. Getting furniture, moving it and painting the walls is really no hassle in this great penthouse!
This game is also not for people with a certain mind set. They will ALWAYS find it boring.
This has been one of the best Egosoft releases so I'm very relaxed about everything and Im sure it will change alot with time especially with this community and the behavior of the Devs.

PS: Look at when many members registered at this forum than you ll see what kind of community play this game.

The issue is, that I, after a few days since release (steam says 56h) and NO FRIGGIN SETA and no cheating, already have a station that produces food/medicine, refined metals, energy cells. I already own the BP's for half the wares from scanning. It has a set of dedicated trade ships and I own 4 or 5 L Teladi Crane miners...if they actually worked with the station and you could use own production of building parts I'd have a complex making every ware ingame before reaching 100h most probably...

I already am at max rank with the ARG, TEL, MIN, almost at max with PAR and ANT...

Yes, I played X3TC somewhat when it came out. That game made me so friggin mad so many times...I don't think it's something to celebrate. I also think that we shouldn't simply be okay with how the game is right now, just because Egosoft might fix it. Bethesda made a meme of their bugs and now it's just a shitshow. People said same stuff about Kerberos and Sword of the Stars 2. "oh the first one was broken on release too, they will fix it!" Guess what. I hate them doubly now, as I did play some of the Sots2 and it could have been the most amazing space strategy game ever...and now I have to live with this hole in myself that no other game can fill so far. Stellaris is laughable mobile game in comparison...

I guess my point is Egosoft came out with something that could be next level. Leveraging the amazing economy system to drive faction logic could deliver results that blow peoples minds. I see the friggin Mount Everest of potential and I'm mad because it's just that right now. Potential. The game is a mess and I'm worried they'll just bandaid over it and call it a day, when they need to do a Factorio instead. Polish vanilla as much as possible and work with the modders to enable them. Or do something like Stellaris with meaningful gameplay additions every half a year

[technotica]

You can own your own sector by the way:

https://www.reddit.com/r/X4Foundations/ ... wn_sector/

[Anhk-Khaelgorn]

Well. The X4 is not a game. For a moment, at least.
It's a toolbox where some pieces are broken, others are missing.

I think it'll be ready as a game in next 6-9 months. I'm just curious, which version number that'll be: 5.10 or 51.0?

[reanor]

I believe the good thing to see, is to build SETA and leave the game running over night at highest SETA setting. Or leave it running while you sleep at highest SETA setting for 2-3 nights, if you want to see economy jump start all over the place... People are used to pre-coded economy, factions, enemy fleets that they don't understand any other type of the game. Economy is NOT bugged... it's just slow. Use SETA and you'll see.

[CaptainX4]

I believe the good thing to see, is to build SETA and leave the game running over night at highest SETA setting. Or leave it running while you sleep at highest SETA setting for 2-3 nights, if you want to see economy jump start all over the place... People are used to pre-coded economy, factions, enemy fleets that they don't understand any other type of the game. Economy is NOT bugged... it's just slow. Use SETA and you'll see.

it is bugged, or poorly designed. my game is running for 4th days nonstop, the ai built up the single sector where i am and none of the others but the one im in is so cluttered by stations it will soon be difficult to find my own (with little exaggeration)... can you see anything like this in any of your systems? because i cant in any others but this one. last ive counted 52 npc stations and all i have here is a mostly afk ice miner and a totally afk station trader so i dont affect the local economy any way. maybe try what you said, start a new game so everything starts fresh, get in one sector randomly, keep sitting there and let the game run for a few days... lets see if this same thing happens to you or not...

Spoiler

Show

[tindoge]

I flew through Xenon space without even getting a pot shot at me. This issue persists throughout the whole game; nobody anywhere is attacking or, seemingly, DOING anything. I haven't seen combat involving someone other than me since I first entered Argon Prime and watched Antigone get wrecked. That was it. That's all that's ever happened in the entire universe of note. THIS is why we feel like it is an empty game currently.

Which is the experience of so many.

Either the OP is in huge denial and desperate to see the good in this game making excuses for it and cares ONLY about their own enjoyment ALONE (which would mean they're happy with smaller fights) or they happen to have gotten into some epic fights which many players have not. If it's the former they never been to the main xenon sector in TC where there's a hundred ships (or earth sector pre AP/TC. Again, so many ships that can be FOUGHT). If it's the later then this game is broken and random as hell and no one in hell is going to twiddle their thumbs for 100 hours. Action, be it combat or trade, needs to happen from the start. In a progressive manner but still engaging.

Show of hands. Who here has fought against a capital ship and ten enemy fighters? Let alone 100 ships in main sectors (which are empty as hell in X4). Other then that one lucky bugger with the carrier. Lucky bugger. Why couldn't that be me?

I can't say i have fought it with 10 enemy fighters, but my Carrier with a measly 3 fighters took down another one with 5 fighters, it was heaps of fun,
I have also had a few other fights, I seem to have a lack in pirates after i went and cleaned them out early game, part of that issue is the fact a small heavy fighter can take down almost anything.
I have been running the game 24/7 since release only restarting to do updates, so my game time is rather high now.