Iv been playing X3 for a while but was not surprised that no one has reviewed this game yet.
Overview: X3 Terran Conflict is a space fighter / space empire builder created by EGOSOFT. You play as a character based off of a few premade back stories the game ships with. These stories really only affect the early part of the game, as they really only serve to give you a ship and some ties to some of the factions in the game. X3 however is not a game based on plot, its based on exploring a vast living virtual galaxy.
First Impressions: When you first get this game, it can be a bit overwhelming. You are dropped into space with a basic fighter and there is a flight tutorial, but if you have ever played any type of flight sim you will probably not need it. Having never played any of the X games before this one I can say that if you can get over the initial confusion you will probably have a good time.
The Game World: The thing is, as mentioned above this is an open world, and the game really does not care that you are in it. Merchant ships are already flying to pick up goods and deliver them to make a profit. Pirates are attacking ships and police are rushing to intervene. All of these things are taking place even before you have left the first system. Its up to you to get your own experience out of the game. The way you do this is though the games 4 tenants, Think, Build, Trade, Fight. As you fly though space you will encounter innumerable space stations and NPCs that randomly spawn missions with one of the above mentioned subcategories. Think missions could involve transporting a new ship to the NPC that ordered it. Build missions often want you to construct a space station in a specified location. Trade missions want you to find and buy X amount of Y goods and bring them to the client. Finally Fight missions are as you would expect, blowing stuff up. These range from patrols to defend the requester missions.
The Game Experience: This may sound well and good, but how does the experience of actually playing X3 work out? Well this is a tricky question. I have logged over 100 hours of game time according to steam, yet pinning down exactly why is harder than most games. X3 fosters a great scene of immersion as you fly from system to system you may encounter a patrol mission that takes you in a different direction than you were planning on going. You may find a new source of energy cells, or a new shipyard that has types of ships you didnt know existed. While on patrol you also might come across another mission type that you were looking into. (or get into complex situations like, accepting a defense mission while on patrol and having to fight two separate waves of enemies at the same time!). After a few hours of play you will probably have enough money to buy some wing men. If there is one aspect that X3 Shines, its that you can own and control lots of different ships at the same time. You could for instance order a scout ship around and do recon without actually being in the same system as the scout ship. You can also set up automatic merchant ships that will seek out the lowest prices and slowly make you a steady income. The down side is the interface by which you actually give commands is fairly awkward and while you can give ships a wide variety of fairly powerful commands, they are buried in menus and sub menus. This means giving orders while in combat is virtually impossible. That said, space combat itself is challenging and rewarding. Positing and weapon type matters, as well as how you approach an enemy fleet.
Conclusion: X3 Terran Conflict is a solid game, but it is defiantly not for every body. With a steep learning curve and very awkward late game management controls the game will push more than a few away. That said, the level of immersion and raw control this games offers is not easy to find with current generation games these days. If you want a world to get lost in, or reshape to your own desires this is the game for you.
Overview: X3 Terran Conflict is a space fighter / space empire builder created by EGOSOFT. You play as a character based off of a few premade back stories the game ships with. These stories really only affect the early part of the game, as they really only serve to give you a ship and some ties to some of the factions in the game. X3 however is not a game based on plot, its based on exploring a vast living virtual galaxy.
First Impressions: When you first get this game, it can be a bit overwhelming. You are dropped into space with a basic fighter and there is a flight tutorial, but if you have ever played any type of flight sim you will probably not need it. Having never played any of the X games before this one I can say that if you can get over the initial confusion you will probably have a good time.
The Game World: The thing is, as mentioned above this is an open world, and the game really does not care that you are in it. Merchant ships are already flying to pick up goods and deliver them to make a profit. Pirates are attacking ships and police are rushing to intervene. All of these things are taking place even before you have left the first system. Its up to you to get your own experience out of the game. The way you do this is though the games 4 tenants, Think, Build, Trade, Fight. As you fly though space you will encounter innumerable space stations and NPCs that randomly spawn missions with one of the above mentioned subcategories. Think missions could involve transporting a new ship to the NPC that ordered it. Build missions often want you to construct a space station in a specified location. Trade missions want you to find and buy X amount of Y goods and bring them to the client. Finally Fight missions are as you would expect, blowing stuff up. These range from patrols to defend the requester missions.
The Game Experience: This may sound well and good, but how does the experience of actually playing X3 work out? Well this is a tricky question. I have logged over 100 hours of game time according to steam, yet pinning down exactly why is harder than most games. X3 fosters a great scene of immersion as you fly from system to system you may encounter a patrol mission that takes you in a different direction than you were planning on going. You may find a new source of energy cells, or a new shipyard that has types of ships you didnt know existed. While on patrol you also might come across another mission type that you were looking into. (or get into complex situations like, accepting a defense mission while on patrol and having to fight two separate waves of enemies at the same time!). After a few hours of play you will probably have enough money to buy some wing men. If there is one aspect that X3 Shines, its that you can own and control lots of different ships at the same time. You could for instance order a scout ship around and do recon without actually being in the same system as the scout ship. You can also set up automatic merchant ships that will seek out the lowest prices and slowly make you a steady income. The down side is the interface by which you actually give commands is fairly awkward and while you can give ships a wide variety of fairly powerful commands, they are buried in menus and sub menus. This means giving orders while in combat is virtually impossible. That said, space combat itself is challenging and rewarding. Positing and weapon type matters, as well as how you approach an enemy fleet.
Conclusion: X3 Terran Conflict is a solid game, but it is defiantly not for every body. With a steep learning curve and very awkward late game management controls the game will push more than a few away. That said, the level of immersion and raw control this games offers is not easy to find with current generation games these days. If you want a world to get lost in, or reshape to your own desires this is the game for you.
