@rhamorim:
They had that universal trader software in X3: Reunion too (the original X3 and the only one I’ve played thus far). Does X3: TC/AP improve the trader software somehow?
When I played Reunion I managed to get a few trade ships going, but it still took a loooooong time for them to generate enough credits to just buy and equip another ship, much less the money needed for factories.
I’m still looking forward to trying X3: TC and AP someday (mostly for the basic missions and the supposedly improved campaigns, and because the big starships look cool and I want to see some jumbo space battles in that game engine). I’m not sure if I ever want to get into the factory gameplay though. It always seemed kind of pointless to me in that type of game, in part because I’ve read that the engine can’t handle it very well (e.g., the factory complexes supposedly create all kinds of path-finding problems for freighters and the inter-station tubes can cause terrible lag).
Grifman
3023
Wow, nice find man, how have I never heard of this!? I’m on it, thanks!
Okay, I lied, apparently I emailed their PR folks a week ago. SORRY. I’m on it…again!
Yeah, it seems to me that traders are smarter and they gain levels faster. Albion Prelude has a much better UI than Reunion too, which really helps, and it includes some options to make building and using factory complexes less of a hassle. There are fewer pathfinding issues, but big complexes still cause some noticeable lag, even if not to the point of being unplayable or such. To get around that, it’s usually just a matter of picking the right places for the factory complexes.
AP also has a lot more to do in terms of missions and the like, along with other QoL changes.
If you liked X3, there’s a big chance that you’ll love AP. And seriously, if you like jumbo space battles in the X3 engine, wait until you see a M7M in action. Oh boy, it’s AWESOME.
Cool, thanks. Like I said, I’m not sure how deeply I want to get into the economy side of the game, but I look forward to being able to run bounty missions where I can just hunt Xenons (I guess the Khaak are gone, right?)
If I can entertain myself running missions and the occasional trade route while my auto-traders build my reputation and bank account, then I might actually get to the point of buying the bigger and cooler space ships… a man can dream.
Yup, Khaak are (mostly) gone. You’ll find artifacts and some other references to the Khaak, but yeah, it’s mostly Xenons this time (though take note that Albion Prelude has a full war going between Terrans and, well, pretty much everyone else, so you can hunt other stuff too).
In case you want to jump to gameplay with a full economy and big ships, let me know and I can share my last savegame. I had a pretty good fleet by then - a couple M7’s, a fully equipped M7M, a few M6, a whole fleet of TS freighters, a lot of M3 fighters, and even a TL to build my stations. Funny thing is that, even then, I’d fly in a M6 most of the time (since it can dock anywhere, unlike the M7), and only jump in an M7 when I expected heavy opposition.
On that note, the nice thing about having a fully loaded M7M with a jumpdrive is that you essentially have a panic button ready if things get too rough. In most cases, a single M7M fully loaded with missiles can easily clear an entire sector of enemies AND stations if you need. It’s awesome. Really really expensive, but awesome.
Tom_Mc
3028
Sorry referring back some pages here.
I got a look at Approaching Infinity’s demo and as a huge fan of what the rogue like Prospector was trying to do Approaching Infinity looked like a great cleaned up version. The price gave me pause but I was thinking of comming around on that but then I learned about it’s DRM. That scuttled it for me and while I get that making an activation isn’t effectively all that different from a Steam game the limited activations bothered me and well I believe that at least Steam will be around to answer that call for a while, more likely anyway.
It is kinda telling that the designer of AI seems to have chucked the DRM and maybe even Shrapnel games entirely. I got into Dominion and Conquest of Elysium when they went on Steam and cut Shrapnel loose as well. I think this guy couldn’t get AI through green light, a shame.
So, other than Approaching Infinity and Prospector is there anything else out there I should be looking at?
Tom Mc
What are you looking for exactly? Roguelike elements? Exploration? Mining? Combat?
Tom_Mc
3030
Yes.
Ok I’ll be less of a jerk there and actually work towards some clarity. I liked the idea of emergent start treks. Stuff that wasn’t all based on combat. Mining and trading are nice elements to incorperate but I’m one of the guys that doesn’t want to grind away at it. I have that issue in the X series too. Exploration is number one but keeping it interesting beyond, “this system has three planets these minerals,” is kinda rough. I have no idea when I would have run up against the, “I’ve seen it all,” wall in Approaching Infinity, Prospector is a little too ugly and unfinished. I do appreciate the progress and just what Prospector has done over the years, I’ve nothing but respect for that project. As a side I like the ship to have a sense of place as well. Tharsis does that really well but that game is all about surviving one leg of a journey and has to be focused as such. There’s some recent early access wayward something, I’m not trying to be dismissive here I really can’t remember, that seems nicely focused on ship design and the crew’s place in it. FTL was good like that. This other game I can’t recall didn’t seem quite ready for prime time in terms of stuff to actually do but it has potential.
A hard sci fi setting is my preference right now. Kerbal has done a great job showing the challenges that exist in just moving around the neighborhood and I would prefer a more grounded (ha! irony) approach to space exploration. That said I do love games like FTL and those sector wide explorations were interesting. The hard sci fi is a preference more than a deal breaker.
Tom Mc
RichVR
3031
Brian, any info on No Man’s Sky?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I’ve no idea why, but in reading your post, these two games come to mind. Try 'em out:
Besides the lack of fucks I have for it? Not really? Still think it’s gonna be a pretty, empty nothing.
Tom_Mc
3033
What was Bit Odyssey before it changed its name? I’ve been following that one but worried the depth of content just wasn’t there. Interstellaria is a good suggestion too but a little buggy and I hit the content wall pretty quick there. You totally nailed the level of interactivity I wanted to have in these games focused on finding stuff. Good pointers.
Aw, I hold out hope. That’s the fear, right? Procedural blandness, but we’ll have to see what mechanics are there that haven’t been shown off yet. June’s not to far in the grand scheme so we’ll find out then.
Tom Mc
Bit Odyssey was called Tiny Trek before Paramount put the kibosh on it.
My brain is pudding today, delicious, delicious pudding, but if I think of more I’ll chime in with them.
I have been following dev notes from Celestial Command:
Look’s interesting but its still way too early in development for me to try it.
Tom_Mc
3036
Another one on my follow list. They do pretty regular updates so that’s a promising sign that there’ll be something to this one eventually.
Tom Mc
So Vendetta Online you guys. I’m honestly surprised. It kinda sits between Jumpgate and Elite in terms of features, size and variety. We played a few hours last night and had a great time. It’s fairly archaic in some ways (It has been in development for well over a decade), but in other ways it’s very impressive, like mission variety and so on. My podcast cohost - who has a serious love-hate relationship with Elite - nearly wept when he saw that stations actually have realistic economic needs that a player could fulfill, for example.
So yeah, I’m gonna be spending more time with this one. Since Elite can’t get its act together in terms of playing with friends (their instancing and wings stuff is still shit, let’s be honest), this might fill in that void when we wanna play together in spaceships.
I’ve tried to play this a couple of times, and every time I get into a game the controls immediately cause me to quit. Not entirely sure what’s going on there.
RichVR
3038
Just downloaded Vendetta. If I like it a lot does that mean it will be shut down? ;)
I hope not! It’s been going for 2004!
So version 1.2 of Unending Galaxy has been released today. And it’s also available on Steam now!
