X3: Terran Conflict

Is this X2 a nice game? Never heard of it before but from the likes of it you guys enjoyed it. Is it worth looking for? I've never played a game like this before (just saw a few screenshots)
 
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It's a sandbox game. You'll get to do some flying and combat, but you'll also need to build at least a small economic empire. The people that spend the most hours with X2 build truly massive economic empires with fleets of ships (hundreds or even thousands) to support the economic and military needs of keeping it all running. You can also spend countless hours hunting pirates (or hunting everyone in galactic genocide) if you want to focus on flying and combat. You can make money doing peaceful "side quest" missions, or you can make money selling ships you capture in combat. All of which means you don't have to build a couple dozen factories to make money--you'll just want to.

You can complete the story in ~40 hours with a small handful of factories if that's all you do and you're a fairly good combat pilot, but that's not really what the game's about.

I loved it, but it's hard to give a "blank" recommendation because for some folks it's really gonna suck. It's not even a case of just liking sandbox games--I love X2, but I despise Morrowind. X2 got me wanting "more", where Morrowind got me wanting absolutely nothing.
 
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I think X3:TC is more like 80% sandbox, 20% story missions. It's getting hard to say those numbers now, though, because of one particular story arc - The HUB. In this arc, you gather huge quantities of items between bits of story. So you get a little story, then you have to donate half a million units of ore (which will probably take you weeks). Then you get a bit more story and get another massive request. The effect is to make something of a "background" story. When you get to a new step, you gear your empire toward the new product, then just let it produce while you go off and do other missions/building/fighting. A week later, you finish that step, get some more of the story, and change gears again. I've never seen anything like that in a game before.

X3:Terran Conflict is now in the "real" stores in the USA, not just on Steam. The "Gold" edition (which is X3: Reunion and X3:TC bundled together with a music CD tossed in) should be out in the EU now.

Personally, I would stick with X3:TC. Each new X game is built as an improvement to the previous one. You might as well get the latest & greatest. So what if it costs you $20 more? If the game takes 200 hours, it's only an extra 10 cents an hour.
 
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Each new X game is built as an improvement to the previous one.

This is a bit of a matter of taste. I liked the X3: Reunion (especially with the 2.0 patch) a bit more, mainly because the race reputations are a bit too easy to build up in the X3:TC. This removes a big part of the 'feeling of achievement' that was present in the previous X games. Also, I don't see any point in enlarging the sectors when you anyway have unlimited space on the Z axis. This just makes travelling more tedious, especially in the Sol sectors.

Also, I think they should have reorganised the whole star map (or jump gates), because in the TC you already knew where you could expect to find most of the gates and where they lead to.

I have actually stopped playing after getting the 'bring me ridiculous amounts of ore' quest, but maybe I'll go back to the game one day.
 
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Newer games arent always better in every detail. Also the game does have somwhat interesting story atleast in the first game(s). And while playing the oldies you get to go through lots of gaming history if youre interested of that. Its actually quite interesting to see how each game changes after another. Also as said there is not much alternatives for space sims nowadays so its better to just get the best of what you have.

You can transfer assets between the games i.e from x2 to x3 and x3 to x3:t. so economical effort put into earlier games is not lost.
 
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It's a sandbox game...

Sounds great!! I'm somewhat of a Star Wars junkie and I am SURE going to enjoy it.
Should I look for some sort of expansion or something like that or should I simply look for X2. Haven't heard of the series before so I hope it won't be too difficult finding a copy at the stores here.
 
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There's a release of X2 (I think it's the Gold edition) that includes Bala Gi's sumthin-or-other. I just have the regular X2 so I can't speak to the expansion. I'd expect the expansion incorporates the official mod pack and adds a couple more story quests--nothing you'd miss if you can only find the original program. I've got the regular X3 as well, but I've not done anything with it so far. I installed it and discovered they had changed the interface a little bit, and I just wasn't in the mood to deal with that at the time.

Like Zloth said, EgoSoft tends to release games as progressive iterations of the same formula, rather than "totally new idea". From that perspective, you'd be best to get the X3 Gold pack and rock on. Their interface has always taken some "getting used to", so you develop a comfort level with whatever iteration you happen to play first, me thinks.
 
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Thanks a lot for the reply dte! I'll see what I can find but I still want to try X2 too even if X3 has the same concept as X2.
 
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You can get X2 for $10 on Steam. Oh, and here's the X3 search which shows the videos that explain more about the game.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I finally got myself a Thresher of my own to play with. I gotta figure out what all weapons to put on the thing!
 
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Seems I'll just buy it from steam then. I don't think I have much chance finding it in a local store.
 
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*click click click*
You are completely correct, JDR.
 
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Hey Dte I got the game! It looks nice but a little complicated and tedious. I managed to find out almost all of the commands (damn... why don't they have a tutorial or key index). Have made it to the Goner temple and to that broken gate but now I'm stuck. Have to do some more exploring maybe... Anyway this type of game is new to me and seems iteresting :)
 
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Hey Dte I got the game! It looks nice but a little complicated and tedious. I managed to find out almost all of the commands (damn... why don't they have a tutorial or key index). Have made it to the Goner temple and to that broken gate but now I'm stuck. Have to do some more exploring maybe... Anyway this type of game is new to me and seems iteresting :)

There are bases where you can upgrade the ship to become faster. Helps a lot in exploring.
 
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Yeah I did that to my Discoverer I am now searching for a place named Antigone memorial and I'm totally lost. Those Teladi won't tell me a thing if I ask them.
 
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There are "universe" maps available. Don't know if you'd consider that a spoiler or not. As for Antigone Memorial, go to The Hole (you've been thru there) and head, ummm, north.

You're going to need to get out of that Disco. Start thinking about what ship you'd like. There are ship tables available as well. Again, you might consider that a spoiler, but I'd call that one a collection of readily available information. Actually, the story already had you buy an M4, right? Hang on to that SETA device. You will hate life without it. I spent the vast majority of the game in an Argon Nova.
 
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I found that place and yes I have that Mercury transporter. Can you move items from one ship to another? I've installed a lot of items on that discoverer (well... mostly programs and speed pugrades) and would like to keep some. Should I sell the ship? How do I make enough money for that Argon Nova? It's quite expensive. Trading energy cells does bring money but to get enough for that ship will take a lot of time. Also I saw you can build factories but how do you do that? Do you need a special ship? How do you buy them?

Any hints you could give me? :)
 
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I think maps must be purchesed, right ?
 
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