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X3: Terran Conflict, review by herodotus

herodotus
herodotus
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Get out your spreadsheets, and fire up the calculator.

This stand-alone pacKage, claimed not to be an expansion to "X3:Reunion" is the conclusion to the X universe story, apparently. Though heralded as more "noob" friendly, don't be fooled. The first couple of missions hold you by the hand, then the learning curve bends back on itself in difficulty. That's when you'll wish you'd read the 120 page manual instead of being enticed by the "Start New Game" button (the one none of us can ignore).
Now sporting a much friendlier interface and fully controllable with mouse and keyboard, the "game" comes a little closer to Freelancer in style but the similarities really end. This is an economic trading beast of a game, not unlike "EVE Online", and requires the investiture of many hours by the gamer. Those who do will find a rich and beautiful star system to play in, with a host of new features (like making up ship wings) and loads of new spacecraft including magnificent capital ships.
If space trading games/simulators are your thing, then this will rock your world. If however the X series has left you cold, this one will not change your mind.
Being a big Freelancer fan, and enticed by bouts of EVE, I find the more I put into this rich universe the more there is to be discovered. Heeding the work of the "eXtended universe" modding team, Egosoft went so far as to hire them on the design team to ensure fan interest.
If you want a simple action/trading game, try "Freelancer" or "Dark Star One". If a deep, mind-confusing sandbox of a beast is what you're after, this just might be it. But you will need to read the manual, and this beast of a sim requires a pretty beasty rig. Its' very cpu/gpu-intensive.
Now I must grab my mouse and slide rule and take on those Pirates with my calculus guns again. CPA's....CHARGE!!!
Posted on 01/04/2009 13:46
8.5 superb
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Comments on herodotus's X3: Terran Conflict Review

herodotus
herodotus
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Sorry, that was meant to be Patch 1.4 (downloadable on the X:TC website).
Posted on 01/04/2009 13:55
herodotus
herodotus
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Patch 1/3 has just been released, and it shows Egosoft are truly listening to the fans and reading the Forums. Something many more Devs should take heed of.
Posted on 01/04/2009 13:54
herodotus
herodotus
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My friend also playing this , and not being an SI member, jotted down his own ideas for me to post as well: "Welcome to the X-Universe. Say goodbye to a social life and/or sleep." That's how the manual puts it, and I've yet to find a good reason to dispute it. Terran Conflict is already a stupendous game, and once the bugs are ironed out, it will be... well, even more stupendous. The game is larger and more diverse than ever, and I still haven't got past all the Jaw-drop moments after something like 120 hours of play. The game is easier to get into than it's predecessors, mainly due to the revamped UI and the new in-game encyclopaedia, finally abolishing the need to have an open web browser or half a desk of print outs to remember what everything was. The graphics have been improved again, although only slightly compared to Reunion. The variety of new content is a little overwhelming, and some of it is ridiculous at present, such as some of the new weapons, and some seems useless and redundant, but overall it's a good new sheaf of things to dominate the universe with. The game is not without it's share of bugs, more than it's fair share to be truthful, but none of them are really that bad if you take some time to browse the forums and listen to the advice of those who've found out the hard way. However, if past experience is any guide, the bugs will fixed in time. Most of the worst offenders are already gone, and those that remain, while annoying- sometimes to the extreme- are mostly avoidable. 9.5" Can't say I'm biased then. My one largest criticism of the game is its hardware requirements and the slowdown related to them, which, while not excessive, seem out of all proportion to those of its predecessor. Terran conflict is an amazing game, and for those willing to endure some hiccups, I can recommend it now. For those who aren't, come back in six months or so, and make your mind up then. The X-Universe awaits you.
Posted on 01/04/2009 13:52