I picked up the X3 gold edition

[Rabidredneck]

Comes with Reunion & Terran Conflict with their expansion packs. I figured I try Reunion first since it comes before TC. So any tips on these games? Any mods I might look out for?

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

It sucks?

 

[MetalCraze]

Well at first X series have shown some potential to become a good space trader, but with each next installment it turned more and more into playing an excel table. No space exploration with each sector being very sterile and small, lots of boring and long money grindfests and no motivation to play.

Although X3TC has the best controls you'll see in a space flight game.

 

[DraQ]

Frontier.

 

[L'ennui]

I bought TC not too long ago. Have yet to be able to afford a new ship. I usually go all "HAARRRR MATEY SURRENDER YOUR SPACE WYMYN AND DUMP YOUR PHAT LOOT" space pirate in these types of games, but that's proven to be rather unforgiving in the first crap ship I'm given. I guess I'll have to go through a couple of routine missions before buying an actual fighter.

Still, it's a joy to fly even in my slow-ass retarded glorified sputnik. Will resume playing it later today.

Frontier.

Playing the openGL 3d something remake made me buy TC (with a discount). Awesome game. If I can't stomach X3, I'll go back to this one for sure. To think that games hive since then abandonned seamless planetfalls (for the most part)... tsk tsk tsk.

As with X3, though, I thorougly suck as of yet and can't fathom how I'd become somewhat combat capable.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

X3 seemed to lack soul after a certain point. You will start out in a shit ship. You will fight, trade, and do missions for hours to get your first strong fighter ship (or just find a random abandoned ship and sell it, lol). Suddenly you can rape just about anything other then a capital ship in one on one combat and can take on large amounts of fighters at once. From this point though the game inevitably turns into building a million factories so that you can make more money to build more factories. In the end, you realize that all the money you are gaining really isn't making the game any more fun, as once you got your fighter everything else you could buy just meant you spent more time fucking around trying to order them to do what you want and then getting pissed when they fail because they are stupid.

Its probably a good metaphor for life, actually.

 

[DraQ]

Frontier.

Playing the openGL 3d something remake made me buy TC (with a discount). Awesome game. If I can't stomach X3, I'll go back to this one for sure. To think that games hive since then abandonned seamless planetfalls (for the most part)... tsk tsk tsk.

And Newtonian flight.

Frontier really spoiled me in that regard - I can't bring myself to play a spacesim without such flight model, which drastically cuts the number of spacesims I'm willing to play down, and those that do have it, usually don't compare favourably to Frontier, even if they are good games on their own (IW2: EoC).

This game really made me elitist, I would say.

 

[L'ennui]

I have to say, Newtonian flight has really permafucked my combat capabilities in Frontier. I would have to log more hours before actually being capable of surviving past that first shuttle you start off with. Any tips?

 

[DefJam101]

Look for mods that allow system takeover, improve remote control of owned ships, and smooth out the early game mission grind. Then, if you want to be a weed-dealing space pirate, it's kinda fun.

Otherwise you're SOL.

 

[DraQ]

I have to say, Newtonian flight has really permafucked my combat capabilities in Frontier. I would have to log more hours before actually being capable of surviving past that first shuttle you start off with. Any tips?

Always switch to "engines off" for exoatmospheric combat as it gives you full thruster control, visit AJN Combat Academy (scroll down) for some pointers and quick crash course through the basics, preferably start actual combat training with FE2, as FFE can be really unforgiving to n00bs and FE2 vets alike, due to improved AI.

Earning money for a slightly larger ship, with good ECM, preferably some shields and better laser (I prefer 5-30MW pulse, due to a lot of hitting power in very compact package, and lack of need to keep your crosshairs on the target all the time in order to do damage, but if your marksmanship is lacking or if you prefer better raw damage output, you will probably prefer beam) helps too.

You can send any specific questions my way after you finish with AJN course.

 

[L'ennui]

I'll check that out, thanks.

 

[Turjan]

X3:TC can be quite nice, if you are content with spending quite a bit of time in your property screen at a later stage. I think my longest running game clocks in at something like a month real time.

Fortunately, the game is easily moddable. The game lost quite a bit of its charm when I noticed that none of your deeds have real consequences. If you want to be able to actually defeat any enemy, you have to use mods.

 

[Destroid]

Sounds kind of like eve, banal etc.

 

[Rabidredneck]

I've been messing around with this, really purty graphics. I'm still getting used to the controls, I prefer using a joystick rather than a mouse, but i'm getting the hang of it.

It's been a long time since I played a space sim, Independance War 2 has long been my absolute favorite. I'll try out Terran Conflict later on.

 

[cutterjohn]

Well at first X series have shown some potential to become a good space trader, but with each next installment it turned more and more into playing an excel table. No space exploration with each sector being very sterile and small, lots of boring and long money grindfests and no motivation to play.

Although X3TC has the best controls you'll see in a space flight game.

sorry, for mouse control NOTHING beats Freelancer... even though X3R & TC combat is pretty easy...

If you want to abuse your game, free tip, abuse OOS nividium mining... Not that you REALLY need it as in both X3s it's trivial to get sector/universe traders going and outfitted...

 

[MetalCraze]

sorry, for mouse control NOTHING beats Freelancer...

No sorry. X3TC beats Freelancer. You can select ships, stations and about anything with your mouse by just clicking on them. That is in addition to already freelancer-ish controls.

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

X3:TC would be awesome with more... I don't know, focus? I played it for awhile, and it was a really neat system, but there didn't really seem to be a point.

 

[DraQ]

sorry, for mouse control NOTHING beats Freelancer...

No sorry. X3TC beats Freelancer. You can select ships, stations and about anything with your mouse by just clicking on them.

Just like in Frontier? Cool.

 

[L'ennui]

I've begun doing those tutorials on that site you provided. I can now fly in a tight formation... with a floating rubbish can. Awesome.

P. cool stuff, nicely explained and it does hamper my enjoyment of X3 a lot, just knowing that the "realistic" maneuvers I'm pulling off would be impossible or useless in that game. Too bad, though, otherwise it would be haevan. I'll try the 2nd part (manual docking... sounds like suicidal fun) tonight AFTER THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS THRASH THE CHICAGO BLACK HAWKS. Yeah.

EDIT: I REALLY need to find a way to remap the keys, though.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

I'm pretty sure there are mods for X3 that introduce newtonian flight. Essentially they just bump the max speed to infinity and the ship's acceleration controls how fast you can change course.

 

[DraQ]

I've begun doing those tutorials on that site you provided. I can now fly in a tight formation... with a floating rubbish can. Awesome.

And how can you expect to keep station relative to an enemy trying to shake you off then vaporize your ass if you can't do it with an inert, peaceful container? Basics are good.

P. cool stuff, nicely explained and it does hamper my enjoyment of X3 a lot, just knowing that the "realistic" maneuvers I'm pulling off would be impossible or useless in that game.

Yeah, Frontier is a great fun killer when it comes to spasims.
Soon you will bitch about there being no spacesims to play save for Frontier and I-War, and that in I-War there is no gravity, orbits or planetary landings.

I'll try the 2nd part (manual docking... sounds like suicidal fun)

Hehe. May seem like that at first, after you master the physics you will be able to pwn pirates with relative ease, and to get anywhere manually faster than on autopilot (but you will probably use the autopilot whenever possible anyway, manual spaceflight is quite a hassle).

EDIT: I REALLY need to find a way to remap the keys, though.

What's wrong with Shift and Enter or Numpad (JJFFE only)? The interface is mostly mouse driven anyway.

 

[L'ennui]

For some reason, the lateral, ventral and dorsal thrusters that are supposed to be assigned to the numpad keys (I'm using FFE D3D, maybe the controls are not the same for other versions) are not working, so I'd need to have a look at that because I saw that the lesson after docking is in part about the use of those thrusters (which I didn't even know were included).

 

[DraQ]

For some reason, the lateral, ventral and dorsal thrusters that are supposed to be assigned to the numpad keys (I'm using FFE D3D, maybe the controls are not the same for other versions) are not working, so I'd need to have a look at that because I saw that the lesson after docking is in part about the use of those thrusters (which I didn't even know were included).

Odd. They should work in D3DFFE.

7&9 for lateral, 4&6 for ventral, 1&3 dorsal.

You can can generally perform well enough with old style controls alone (enter&shift), the only thing you can't do with them is fully manual (engines-off) landings (those require manually operating ventral thruster) but they are pretty hardcore anyway and almost never necessary.

 

[L'ennui]

For some reason, the lateral, ventral and dorsal thrusters that are supposed to be assigned to the numpad keys (I'm using FFE D3D, maybe the controls are not the same for other versions) are not working, so I'd need to have a look at that because I saw that the lesson after docking is in part about the use of those thrusters (which I didn't even know were included).

Odd. They should work in D3DFFE.

7&9 for lateral, 4&6 for ventral, 1&3 dorsal.

You can can generally perform well enough with old style controls alone (enter&shift), the only thing you can't do with them is fully manual (engines-off) landings (those require manually operating ventral thruster) but they are pretty hardcore anyway and almost never necessary.

Yeah, I know that I should be able to manage without them, but I don't want to feel like I'm missing out. I'll see what I can do, it's probably not a big deal if I can't use them.

 

[ecliptic]

Evochron: Legends