NEWS: X³: Terran Conflict announced

[mrmaigo]

So, is it going the GTA3/VA/SA route where the story/gameplay continues in the same fashion or will it be half a game? We looking at just a few story sectors or 100+ so we really do get an empire.

It just seems like a short development time, but I suppose the team could have been building the universe but now that the MD is out, the actual missions wont take long.

[Gothsheep]

Short development time? Two years and they're not even making a new engine? That's not too short for me.

[mrmaigo]

Didn't read they've been working on it sense Reunion

[Samuel Creshal]

Well, Egosoft spent a lot of time into X³ after the Release. Bala Gi, Uplink, Bugfixing... I don't think that they spent much time on TC so far.

[Gothsheep]

Well, a while ago CBJ said that the Egosoft team wasn't large enough to work on multiple projects side-by-side, and I can only assume that they weren't kicking back playing Halo 3 for a year before they got to work again, so unless something is going on behind the scenes that I don't know, I expect it's been pretty close.

[esd]

"End of the trilogy", except really, XTension was an expansion in name only. X³ is the fourth game, this announced one will be the fifth.

[Gothsheep]

I admit I never played Xtention, or X: The Frontier, for the matter. But did Xtention add anything to the plot? I thought it was just more tools to do empire building and such.

[Antilogic]

"End of the trilogy", except really, XTension was an expansion in name only. X³ is the fourth game, this announced one will be the fourth.

Doesnt make much sense that..

[Antilogic]

I admit I never played Xtention, or X: The Frontier, for the matter. But did Xtention add anything to the plot? I thought it was just more tools to do empire building and such.

Yeah, there was a rather fun storyline unlocked after like 100 hours play. Moved things into X2.

[esd]

Doesnt make much sense that..

No idea what you're on about but while we're here...

...don't post twice in a row - use the edit button instead

I admit I never played Xtention, or X: The Frontier, for the matter. But did Xtention add anything to the plot? I thought it was just more tools to do empire building and such.

Sector changes, ship changes, the ability to fly more than one ship, a new graphics engine...

...to call XTension an expansion does it a gross disservice, imo.

[Antilogic]

Doesnt make much sense that..

No idea what you're on about but while we're here...

...don't post twice in a row - use the edit button instead

Bah, you can see the edit marks

And how am I ment to improve my on-topic postcount like that?

On-topic: MMO? Comon..

[esd]

And how am I ment to improve my on-topic postcount like that?

This is a sticky - keep it on topic.

[Gold_Dragon]

So will there be a single player story or will it be a freeform experience, such as Extension?

Oh, and **** multiplayer. If you want to play with other people go for EVE instead. I'd prefer to see all of Egosofts assets going into improving the single player aspect.

[eladan]

Well, Egosoft spent a lot of time into X³ after the Release. Bala Gi, Uplink, Bugfixing... I don't think that they spent much time on TC so far.

Since this would appear to be based on the X3 engine, you could argue that bugfixes etc. are development towards TC.

Also, it appears that the MD in 2.5 was a development which is primarily for TC.

[pjknibbs]

Sector changes, ship changes, the ability to fly more than one ship, a new graphics engine...

...to call XTension an expansion does it a gross disservice, imo.

Well, didn't Egosoft themselves call it an expansion? Anyway, I think it wouldn't be included as part of any "trilogy" because X-Tension had no plot (the "big mission" added at 100 hours in a patch doesn't really count). If you count only games that advanced the plotline of the X universe, there are only 3: X-BTF, X2 and X3.

[Java Jawa]

So will there be a single player story or will it be a freeform experience, such as Extension?

Oh, and **** multiplayer. If you want to play with other people go for EVE instead. I'd prefer to see all of Egosofts assets going into improving the single player aspect.

Anyone whose played EVE and X will surely recognise that EVE is nowhere near as good as an X MMO could/would be.

Of course TC should be SP-only, but since this is the last game in the X trilogy of 5 and the story concludes [did anyone actually play for the story? ^_^] I'm guessing an MMO might be one of the directions they're looking at to expand.

They have a large enough player base. 200,000 - 300,000 people was the last estimate I saw, and that's individuals unlike EVE which has about 80,000 people and 120,000 alts by my reckoning . I'd certainly give it a go.

[Nyax]

But boy, when I see this new game will be a new game, all I can say is "hell yeah!!!!" This means the dreaded economy will be fixed.

I feel fairly confident that the economy will be something that WON'T be changed much. After all it's supposed to be broken thanks to the war.

I also expect that the abysmal interface, and Atrocious route finding won't get much in the way of changes either.

What i suspect we WILL get are-

1) Some new ships
2) plenty of new upgrades (new software upgrades for example)
3) A new Terran economy with accompanying stations/ ships/ weapons etc (which will be different to those in XTM and therefore confuse the hell out of me)
4) A greatly improved BBS system
5) Shedloads of new types of missions
6) a new storyline
7) a fair number of Bala-gi style linked missions/ mini stories
Various attempts to make the universe feel more lively.
9) a few new sectors
10) An improved HQ with several new features and toys.
11) The requirement to start the game afresh, with no abilty to import savegames
12) Shedloads of bugs for the first 6-8 months of the games release.

[esd]

Well, didn't Egosoft themselves call it an expansion?

I'd imagine they had to, given that expansion-or-not is a publisher decision. The fact that it had a new graphics engine and didn't require XBTF made it a full game, in my opinion - regardless of it's official description.

Anyway, I think it wouldn't be included as part of any "trilogy" because X-Tension had no plot (the "big mission" added at 100 hours in a patch doesn't really count). If you count only games that advanced the plotline of the X universe, there are only 3: X-BTF, X2 and X3.

Why doesn't it count? It was technically plot and introduced a new, important, sector. Besides, who says you have to count them in advancement of plotline? That implies the plot is the primary focus of the X series, and I seriously doubt it is for many people.

[Gothsheep]

I believe in the context, " It is the culmination of the X trilogy, with a grand finale that takes us all the way back to Earth's own solar system." it's safe to assume they're talking about the storyline.

[mrbadger]

it's safe to assume they're talking about the storyline.

There's a storyline?

Heh, only joking.

I've just been popping into the X site about once a month for ages, ever hopeful for news of the next game. This is great, great news.

I'm intrigued by one thing, 'the largest X game ever'. Hmm, are my dreams of a truly vast X game going to be realised? Or do they mean ten more sectors and nothing else changed.

I prefer optimism, and it probably doesn't matter, since I'll buy the game on day of release anyway, but I'd like not to be disappointed this time.