Can we see actual gameplay?

[Alan Phipps]

@ JSalzbrunn: [OT]Just don't expect it to be up to date. The X Rebirth Wiki is kept far more relevant than that manual.[/OT]

Back to discussing X4 gameplay information etc now please.

[fcth]

The so called "spoilers" are all just things you would put in the manual in the "old days".

Funny, I remember the X:BTF review I read way back in the day criticizing it for having an anemic manual. I think the company line was that not describing anything in the manual further immersed the player in the feeling of being lost in a distant part of space. I suspect it had more to do with the added challenge of producing a manual, especially for a German company publishing a (their first?) English version of the game.

In any event, I would definitely like to see more about how the mechanics work, but seems like we'll just have to dive in head first or wait for someone to stream the game.

[OneOfMany]

Have they released any footage of the UI when commanding or viewing fleets of ships?

[Sao t'Lp]

Yes they have. I can't find it right now but in the video they've launched fighters from a carrier and commanded them to attack a target - everything was done on the map. Relevant FAQ entries:

Will we be able to select units by drawing a frame in the map overview?
Yes.
Will we get context based single click commands?
Example: right-clicking on an enemy orders all selected ships to attack it, without opening the little context menu./ giving move orders when clicking in empty space / giving follow order on friendlies / etc.
I doubt it, as there are few cases in which there is only one logical action.
Will we be able to queue commands easily?
Example: holding shift and giving move commands adds them into a command queue. This queue will be worked through in the order that they were given.
Yes

[BigBANGtheory]

Have they released any footage of the UI when commanding or viewing fleets of ships?

a very quick look yes, its in one of the streams they did.... a huge improvement over X3 & XR on the surface*

*other factors aren't clear yet like formations, AI behaviour, having worthy adversaries, 3D movement etc until we play it hard to tell whats what