Any space sim fans?

[FLEX1978 373]

Since I was a kid I loved playing space sim games like elite, more the exploration and trading side of things.

 

The X series has been around for a while, pretty much like a modern day elite, you can start out in a little freighter trading and building up an empire or just become a pirate or smuggler hauling narcotics and illegal wares between systems.

 

Well the latest version is a few months away and they have outdone themselves again, full virtual cockpit and trackir support, the universe to trade in is huge, and the visuals are breathtaking. This is the kind of space/trading sim I have always dreamed off! I fear I may end up single once this hits the shelves!, well at least it keeps me at home and out of the bars & pubs

 

[ohsirus 241]

I love the X series, but they have a horrendous learning curve! I had to force myself to learn the game as I own the entire series and needed to justify the purchase. I am surprised though that they didn't incorporate Newtonian physics in X rebirth, I love Evochron series implementation of it.

[FLEX1978 373]

Yeah the learning curve is insane, but you can take it as slow as you want. I played the last x game for 3 years on and off, still hadn't really scratched the surface. I have a feeling they have simplified the stock exchange style trading to make it easier for new people, plus you have a co pilot and crew to help manage stuff for you.

 

Just like flight sim the best thing about this series is the modding community, egosoft are fully behind them & its all freeware, if the game looks this amazing than 6 months after release it will be mind blowing.

[CoolP 283]

Sorry, Rob, no wingflex. -_- Nah, seriously, this looks great. Now I have to google the actual setting of the game. I'm saving the galaxy on a regular basis (Mass Effect) or destroy what I've built (Kerbal Space Program), but maybe I can add this one when it's out.

 

Say, would it be save to compare it to things like Eve? Space trading and combat.

[Q_flyer 766]

Big Evochron Mercenary fan here  :smile:

 

(and occasional Orbiter 'tryer' !  - can't really figure out nav yet!)

[FLEX1978 373]

I guess you could compare it to eve, except it is in first person. I spent a fair bit of time trying to study eve through web tutorials, eve seems pretty ruthless due to playing against humans and large corporations/factions etc. Was pretty surprised how badly you can be taken advantage off in eve if you are new player, it is literally survival of the fittest!

 

Oh if you thought FS forums are bad when it comes to 'when is it going to be released!!" The x rebirth forum is crazy, the product has been in development for 7 years and the dev team have said pretty much nothing up until last week

[xplanery 250]

Hmm that X Rebirth seems quite interesting, I picked up some X games in a Steam sale but didn't have time to complete the learning curve yet as lately I've lacked free time required to really concentrate on learning such a complex type of game. 

 

 

Track Ir support and full VC sound really awesome, I think I will get the rebirth as in some months I will finish my studies and should have quite a lot of time to learn the game properly. 

[Christopher Low 5,414]

*******, that looks very impressive! I like the graphical style, and epic scale. I will have to email the link to my brother, because this is the kind of game that he has liked playing since the original Elite.

 

By the way, did you notice the ship that looked a lot like a battlestar?

[FLEX1978 373]

*******, that looks very impressive! I like the graphical style, and epic scale. I will have to email the link to my brother, because this is the kind of game that he has liked playing since the original Elite.

 

By the way, did you notice the ship that looked a lot like a battlestar?

here's a link to the online database from the previous game, as mentioned the amount of upgrades, ships, stock etc is huge. I assume a lot of the old ships etc will remain & they have added a whole bunch of new stuff I don't recognise.

 

http://eng.x3tc.ru/

[SKEWR 364]

I used to play Elite and Frontier. This game looks really good. I don't have the time I used to have, so when someone says "steep learning curve" I get a little antsy.

 

EVE Online: At one point I played a ton of MMOs. Still play one. I like space and working as a team, so I thought EVE would be a instant win for me. Was I ever wrong. The learning curve and being preyed upon by more experienced players (with a ton of disposable time) quickly turned me off of the game. Also didn't help that one of the big shots had a highly questionable quote about races...

 

Anyway...

 

Three questions for anyone familiar with this:

 

1) Learning curve: Is it comparable to learning, say the PMDG 747, if I only have experience in RL C172?

2) Time frame for release: I know release dates can be a very touchy subject. Is it planned for next year? The year after?

3) Is it single player or multiplayer?

 

Thanks for any help or info you can provide!

[FLEX1978 373]

1. Learning curve - is very difficult to master but the nice thing is you don't have to master anything, you could litteraly just enjoy the scenery, trade energy cells (the basic resource) and slowly upgrade. If it is anything like the previous games it is very tranquil, you just take things at your own pace, just stay out of dangerous areas like with Eve.

 

I could go months without firing a single shot, just trading between peacefull areas, or spend a whole night hijacking freighters and stealing cargo.

 

It's up to you how you play, all you need to remember is buy low sell high. The problem is supply and demand, it takes a while to understand how the economy works. A complaint with previous games is it can be very hard to make a profit, you can struggle unless you turn to smuggling or building factories that make illegal weapons/booze or narcotics.

 

2. They have given a specific release date after seven years of silence, can't remeber exactly but it's within 2 months.

 

3.Single player only.

 

like you I wish I had free time, I don't even get to sim much anymore, oh to be a teenager again

[Christopher Low 5,414]

Taking it easy is my kind of style. If I was going to play this game, I would definitely be attempting to stay out of trouble. The original Deus Ex is one of my favourite games of all time, and part of the reason for that is because I could use stealth to avoid detection and gun battles. One of my pet hates with FPS games is having to wade through an entire army of opponents every five minutes. I much prefer "exploration and discovery", but the vast majority of game developers seem to think that I have to kill things all of the time to enjoy myself!

[SKEWR 364]

 

 

like you I wish I had free time, I don't even get to sim much anymore, oh to be a teenager again

 

You're telling me!?

 

Thank you for the answers! I may check this out. Back when I had tons of time in Elite or Frontier (mind is blurred) I had a note pad of stock prices per galaxy. I spent the beginning game trading my butt off and upgrading. It was fun when I started to WANT to take on the random pirates.

 

Think I might try this! Thanks for sharing.

[Christopher Low 5,414]

I guess you could compare it to EVE, except it is in first person. I spent a fair bit of time trying to study eve through web tutorials, eve seems pretty ruthless due to playing against humans and large corporations/factions etc. Was pretty surprised how badly you can be taken advantage off in EVE if you are new player, it is literally survival of the fittest!

 

I remember reading a fantastic story once about a guy that tricked other EVE players into joining forces to finance the blueprints and construction of the most powerful (and hideously expensive) ships in the galaxy. I think the story may have been published in PC Gamer, but I can't remember for sure. Anyway, it was all a con, and the other players lost a (game) fortune when the scam came to its conclusion. I also remember that this guy was bored by that time, and promptly gave his entire battle fleet (for free) to the first bog standard trader that he met that day!

[ohsirus 241]

Let's just hope that they include a decent tutorial this time. The X series has a horrendous learning curve cause they plop you in a huge world with no real defined purpose and everything is opened. Cdrdave's youtube video series really opened my eyes on how to play and the stock exchange knocked out a chunk of the time trying to get credits to get my coorporation started so I could focus on the war.

 

Eve has by far the best intrigue!

http://www.nowgamer.com/mmo-worlds/1401770/eve_onlines_greatest_moments_its_a_cruel_world_out_there.html