Universe Characterization: XR>>>X4

[SparvieroGed]

Am I the only one feeling this?

In X: Rebirth every place in the Universe has something special. The player can always immediatly understand in whitch macro-region he is. He can easy understand the soul of that macro-region. Consequently he can also find a logic about the internal structure of each macro-region.


This thanks to Graphic and Art, Lore and Main Plot.

I see the shattered planet so I'm in Albion. I know it's a kind of dust place, not the best place to live and not the worst, where economic power taken full control on the political one. A lot of people work hard and get little, while few are very powerful.
And the art of the region also tells this story: the shattered planet looks like a giant asteroid field, like a big mine, a hard working place. Not dark, but with a lot of shadow from all the pieces of the planet blocking the light.
I know and feel that if I keep a low profile, I can live here...and have a quite life of hard work maybe with a nice family.


I see a big sun with a Lot of debris so I'm in DeVries. I know is a isolated region, with a strong political group, but mostly uninhabited. It's a place of desolation, where people are trying to build a future from the wreckage, both the main plot and the art say this loud and clear. It's like a sci-fi Far West. A lot of opportunity, but no guarantee or protection. I'm almos on my own, only in the core of the region I feel I'm safe with other humans. I can have a free life here, there will be a lot of scaring moment...some also very dangerous...but if I'm brave enough I will put in dangerous my famely looking after a new life.


I see a lot of blue colours, light, planets, traffics...I know I'm in Omycron Lyrae. The beacon of hope in this dark universe. Here is where normal people want to live. The democracy of X Rebirth Universe. And the colours make me feel relaxed, safe, full of prospective. All the traffic around make me feel part of a strong nation working for a brilliant future.


And so on.



I don't know if X4 foundations looks so cold becouse is missing a main plot like Rebirth....but right now it looks without soul to me.

[Spacecop42]

I'm glad more and more people realize this

[battou]

I'm glad more and more people realize this

Me either! The lack of art direction, detail and atmosphere with soul is thankfully become apparent for more and more people.

I hop that it'll force ES to make at least some overhaul at some point.

[DeFragMe]

but that was what X3 was... X3 was generally quite unmemorable places (by the enviroment) , only ones that where different where Terran/albion sectors, the Hub and the more than stunning khaak main sector.

rest was just a random planet with colorfull tint of the area.

also it takes alot more work to make a singel sector really memorable , than you plain simple. i rather take the simpel than even more ressources are taking from ship design/balancing

[SparvieroGed]

but that was what X3 was... X3 was generally quite unmemorable places (by the enviroment) , only ones that where different where Terran/albion sectors, the Hub and the more than stunning khaak main sector.

rest was just a random planet with colorfull tint of the area.

also it takes alot more work to make a singel sector really memorable , than you plain simple. i rather take the simpel than even more ressources are taking from ship design/balancing

Correct. That's why I'm speaking about X:R.

I think Egosoft put all his love in X:R.
Players spited over it.
And now we get the backslash

Seamless Universe is the only good thing about X4 ( amazing thing ).

[ADMNtek]

oh i noticed that. but that seems to be what X players want a bazillion generic systems. for me X4 also lacks the oh wow moments like the first time i saw the crystal castle or omicron lyre with it stations in the planets atmosphere.

[DeFragMe]

Correct. That's why I'm speaking about X:R.

I think Egosoft put all his love in X:R.
Players spited over it.
And now we get the backslash

Seamless Universe is the only good thing about X4 ( amazing thing ).

well, i kind of wrote it bad, but i just wanted to give a comparison to X3, because there are kind of alot of people comparing X4 to X3 (since it is the same basic system of own it all).

and i think X4 hits the X3 feel just right with the estethic of the sorounding.

But yeah, XR estethic, just from the design itself, was alot better...... but maybe i dont care so much, because iam generally someone who does not care about graphic, just gameplay/story itself. overwhelming grafik is just extra, unneded, and good is good enough for me (wich X4 is)

[SparvieroGed]

But yeah, XR estethic, just from the design itself, was alot better...... but maybe i dont care so much, because iam generally someone who does not care about graphic, just gameplay/story itself. overwhelming grafik is just extra, unneded, and good is good enough for me (wich X4 is)

You miss the big point of the Topic: the graphic tells stories, or better the art direction tells stories. Becouse it's more a matter of art direction than graphic.

X4 art direction is bad about tells stories.
And X4 has realy few stories to tells itself.

[Spacecop42]

but that was what X3 was... X3 was generally quite unmemorable places (by the enviroment) , only ones that where different where Terran/albion sectors, the Hub and the more than stunning khaak main sector.

rest was just a random planet with colorfull tint of the area.

also it takes alot more work to make a singel sector really memorable , than you plain simple. i rather take the simpel than even more ressources are taking from ship design/balancing

X3 also had lots of plots and a fully voiced encyclopedia. Also what you said. It had world building if you wanted to look for it.

X4 has nothing.

[Axeface]

You are not alone OP. The main difference I see between XR and X4 is complexity and believability of the world design. rebirth sectors are stunning and deep. These things arnt just visual. Rebirth was where Egosoft said... so what would the X universe REALLY be like... the nitty gritty of it, what would it be like to exist in it? Rather than the speadsheet programmers game that X3 was.

oh i noticed that. but that seems to be what X players want a bazillion generic systems. for me X4 also lacks the oh wow moments like the first time i saw the crystal castle or omicron lyre with it stations in the planets atmosphere.

Radiant Heaven

but maybe i dont care so much, because iam generally someone who does not care about graphic, just gameplay/story itself. overwhelming grafik is just extra, unneded, and good is good enough for me (wich X4 is)

Sector design and visuals are not seperate from gameplay, they effect it in many ways because we are talking about layout.

[DeFragMe]

X3 also had lots of plots and a fully voiced encyclopedia. Also what you said. It had world building if you wanted to look for it.

X4 has nothing.

well, thats true. worldbuilding itself does not exist in X4, proapbly because they systems where stripd from each other for a long time... but what do we know, i still havent finished the timeline, so i dont know exactly how much time has passed between gate reconectage and now. if it was just recently (like a few years), it actually would make sense that there is nothing really build in therms of world. Its like you are living in house with 20 rooms and you cant leave the room you are in, but suddenly 5 years later all the doors open at the same time... iam sure that would cause chaos.

and the encyclopedia.. well its generally lacking at the moment, even in content, but they will propably add more later to it.

But, all in all, i dont want to justify with that why X4 is so lacking in alot of aspects. Just saying how i feel about it.

[DeFragMe]

Sector design and visuals are not seperate from gameplay, they effect it in many ways because we are talking about layout.

well, i was writing a post when you wrote this, but as i said before.. for me at least, it makes partly sense that there is nearly no layout at the moment.

but ,as i like to say, everyone thinks different, iam not trying to force anyone my thought on to.

[Nexuscrawler]

I think not having a plot was a missed opportunity.

X4 is basically a restart of the series, with a new engine, new graphical style and new gameplay. There's a new universe in the making after the gate shutdown and the races get slowly re-introduced. There are new players coming into the game who never played a X game before. Not giving them the lore and no story at all seems weird, even if it's a sandbox.

[Bokuku]

It's funny though.. When i say i like X:R (without walking inside stations) ppl just jump at me and boo. Now when we get the soulless thing that x3 was ppl are starting to think hmm maybe R was not that bad. Not to mention ship design from Rebirth and balancing. When u were battling a capital ship you felt it.. At least if the game was as good as X3 with better graphics and territory conquest... but in it's current state it's not.... Meh maybe in one year or so.

[Riccardoman]

I agree with everything that has been just said in this thread about the fascinating atmosphere XR had

[tomchk]

These are very good points. XR's atmosphere and "feel" of the design was frequently breathtaking. Perhaps we can get @linolafett to comment on whether we can expect to see XR's sectors imported so we can visit them in X4! It would also give me so much hope to see a hint that the atmosphere of X4 may see further work. Importing XR's sectors would be a great (and possibly easier?) way to placate us for now, though!

[csaba]

The 3 xenon sectors above Hatikvah's Choice and Silent Witness XII are the only sectors that seem to have had some complexity added to them. Maybe Atiya's as well, haven't been there yet.

[mr.WHO]

There is one (Teladi?) sector placed on low orbit of some moon with Neptune like planet in the background - this is the only memorable X4 background for me.

[SparvieroGed]

I want to say again that for me it's not about "memorable vision"....but...i can't associated what i'm seeing to his history, his owner....I need lore.

[ADMNtek]

I want to say again that for me it's not about "memorable vision"....but...i can't associated what i'm seeing to his history, his owner....I need lore.

the thing is X4 is very hard it add to the existing lore. lets just take argon prime the heart of argon territory. in the 20 years of the gate shutdown have they made no effort at all to expand in their home system? or did they just blow it all up after the gates reopened.