So, um, yeah. I got X3 Superbox from a fellow SimHQ member a good while back, but I've not played with it much since last week. Or I think it was last week; I can't remember. Time has gone by so fast. How can a single-player game be so addictive? And I'm asking that after playing BMS, finishing and winning Civ 3 like 5 times, winning Sins of a Solar Empire 2x with 4 AI opponenets, and so on....

I'm doing the Humble Merchant start and trying to follow CdrDave's tutorial videos and have just managed to get one of my ships an Mk3 trading module. I got two other haulers on Mk2s, but I plan to CLS one and maybe build a station and tie the other to it. I'm toying around with the idea of combat and managed to get a Paranid Perseus and with the help of my "semi-automated hauler income," I was able to fully kit it out with 4 HEPTs and 4 PACs, with an IRE for missile defense. I've just watched CdrDave's tutorial on building stations and I'm at the "OMG, I'm gonna get rich!!" phase now.

As a fan of city-building and empire-building games, I think this is the ultimate game for me. No silly "finish this race and unlock this car" nonsense, no. Each trip costs credits, each sale nets profits, and eventually, I'll save up enough for XYZ goodies. Put those goodies to use to make more income, thereby getting even more goodies.

I've got a two-week holiday from work this August, I'm afraid I'm not going to do anything except X3. God help me!

Here are the x3 archetypes:

1. It clicks and they write tutorials
2. It doesn't click but they are willing to look for help
3. Don't know wtf is going on and too stubborn to look for help.
4. Sightseer or tourist, look at all the pretty colors (peppergomez)

I am a hopeless number 3. Love the combat to much to avoid it but too poor to continue fighting.

S

Have all the X3 stuff. Everything is great BUT the no actual physics and more 1950 sci fi analogy of ww2 carrier fighting always turns me off after some time. I guess you have to use SO much brain power in the other stuff (economy) I expect the same brain power to be needed in the fighting. But is nice series. If only you where a corvete or frigate sized ship with actual physics with moons and asteroids that can hide behind. You know where sensors can not see through. Where jamming sensors and crazy little drones. YA ok is SO close to that now. And the complex nature of actually attempting to envision a future space combat deal would place it into the not vary accessible pile of games. But if ONLY devs of sci space shooters would use modern navy analogy of fighting instead. A modern naval ship can blow pretty much ANY aircraft out of the sky before it gets anywhere near the thing. Why in space with massively better tech can little itty bitty fighters get right up on a BIG ship is beyond me. Maybe I over think this?

Feetwet- you forgot #4, the sightseer, which is the category I fall into. I fly around, do some missions and engage in some combat, but mainly enjoy the scenery. X3 Albion Prelude is a very pretty game, when all the settings are maxed.

I think this game should just concentrate on being a strategy, with 3D free view and tools for easy station building, managing and trading. There's very little combat compared to other management.

Yep, this is what I like about it. For you to be able to actually do anything, you need a good economy to back you up. I just fully-outfitted my Perseus and spent 1.3 million credits on the ship upgrades, plus another 250K on the ship itself (got it second-hand), but I didn't worry too much as I got very good trade routes to support me. I've only been playing with the Perseus a bit, taking some easy missions, and I've come back up to 1 million credits from the 78K that was left after my "shopping spree."

The scary thing is that I'm only scratching the surface of this thing. Expand all of this to the point of me in a carrier with 4 fighters, with two other carriers with me and probably a destroyer or two.... with a fleet of supply ships ready to jump in to replenish ammo when we're finished fighting, and with an even bigger fleet of traders back in safe space earning me loads of money.... I get shivers thinking of it!

Feetwet, what do you mean with archetype #2 who "doesn't click"?

FlashBurn, what do you mean about actual physics? And WW2 carrier fighting? I do agree that the AI autopilot does need a good tweak for fighting, but with regards to ship sizes, I like the idea that fighters can annoy bigger ships. While the big guns of a destroyer can level a city block, I don't think it's going to be much use against a small target. Try hitting a small fast ship with one of those big guns.... the target will be dead if you get a hit or a close call, but getting that will be a challenge in itself! Same analogy I think on land warfare. While a tank is bad-ass, it still needs infantry support for "protection" against other infantry.

I do find it wrecks the "suspension of disbelief" though, that you can fly through a big sector, but the planet in the background stays the same size. Even worse, sometimes a jumpgate will seem like its hurtling ships INTO a planet!

However, I think the game is complex enough as it is.....

CTR, I do agree that it is very nitty-gritty with regards to station building, trading, etc., but I look forward to the day when I can leave that all behind, and then step forward into commanding a fleet and proceed to kick some space butts. I think ship-combat commands are going to be challenging, but I've yet to explore much of combat so can't really comment. Still, I'd expect that the "management" needed to take down the captial ships protecting certain sectory. the "management" needed to take over, occupy, and hold a sector would be as challenging as trading management, if not more.

My thoughts exactly. Might make it too close to Sins, but since it isn't combat/conflict based, it would be fun to see your game develop. It wouldn't all be over and lost like Sins games are even when you win.

What I mean is:

Someone like me...came into the game, had fun, tried out the different aspects but never could break thru. Someone who understood bits and pieces but couldn't take the final step...it didn't click. That type of person can keep spinning their wheels or look for help..like a tutorial.

S

Ah, I see. I was like you at first then. I liked it, had a bit of faff around, but the game never grabbed me. I guess this is what you mean by "doesn't click." This is understandable, the game is complex, it is open (ie, you can do anything you want), and there are so many things to do. I get "lost" easily as well, so I followed Cdr Dave's excellent tutorial videos and have got to the point where I am now. I learn best by doing, then when I have a bit of a background, that's when I like to explore and experiment and find my own "preferred method."

RK, I've not played Sins in a very long while so I can't say 100% that it is or isn't like it, but at the moment, I've never felt like "I've played this game before," so I'll say it isn't like Sins.

No, the X games are nothing like Sins. Not sure why I even said that. Just saying I'd like an RTS perspective of it like CTR69 said. You almost get that sending out ships and using the AI for escorts etc (IIRC), but I'd like the entire game to be played that way.