Question for the Players

[vuohi]

I was watching the last VLOG and a few questions popped into my mind...

1) How long duration, in game time not real life time, do players go through a single run on average? (1 month, 1 week, 3 days, no consistency)

2) Are their specific points people get to (shipyard, one or more mega station, 500 ships, xenon wiped out, etc) and they start over?

3) On average what percentage of game time is in SETA? (0-100%)

4) If SETA is used, is there a specific play style? (do play the evening and run SETA overnight, SETA on top of all travel drive, etc)

Not trying to get scientific or intrusive, just wondering in general how people play X games.

[vuohi]

Let me go first

1) How long duration, in game time not real life time, do players go through a single run on average? (1 month, 1 week, 3 days, no consistency)

for me there is no constancy, probably a couple of weeks max.

2) Are their specific points people get to (shipyard, one or more mega station, 500 ships, xenon wiped out, etc) and they start over?

Start over with new major version updates or new conversion mods

3) On average what percentage of game time is in SETA? (0-100%)

0%

4) If SETA is used, is there a specific play style? (do play the evening and run SETA overnight, SETA on top of all travel drive, etc)

I do not use SETA

[GCU Grey Area]

1) How long duration, in game time not real life time, do players go through a single run on average? (1 month, 1 week, 3 days, no consistency)

Most of my games tend to run for around 30-50 in game days.

2) Are their specific points people get to (shipyard, one or more mega station, 500 ships, xenon wiped out, etc) and they start over?

Tends to be the release of a new major patch that causes me to start a new game (e.g. next new game will be a Split one), rather than anything in particular happening in the game itself. Sometimes though will restart simply because I feel I have too much stuff.

3) On average what percentage of game time is in SETA? (0-100%)

About 1% in my current game (about 6 hours out of 24 days), which is quite a bit higher than normal for me. Prolonged use of SETA in this game was due to a bug in one of the early 3.0 betas which caused excessive build time (about an hour for a single module IIRC), at a time when I was really keen to get my PHQ up & running so I could research ship mods. Most games don't even build the device (components are quite valuable, prefer to sell them).

[Alm888]

1) How long duration, in game time not real life time, do players go through a single run on average? (1 month, 1 week, 3 days, no consistency)

A week or two of in-game time (equals to real life time as I do not use SETA).

2) Are their specific points people get to (shipyard, one or more mega station, 500 ships, xenon wiped out, etc) and they start over?

To build an empire capable of wiping out every faction (not necessary simultaneously). Or to lead one faction to victory (Hatikva's Free League, for example). Or to perpetuate the war between two factions constantly helping the losing side (and making money in the process).
In other words, to have fun.

3) On average what percentage of game time is in SETA? (0-100%)

I do not use SETA to kill time. There is always something to do while your 3 mega-stations are being constructed: to collect and do some missions, to scout sectors, to harass Xenon, to hunt Burnite Crystals, to scan stations, to recruit crew (with military bada$$ looks, not just bunch of civilians), to give orders to material transport ships, to collect loot left behind after grand battles between factions.
In X3 SETA was necessary (at least early on) because of slow movement of trading ships, but in X4 the teleportation is easy to obtain; there is no need for manual flight: a set of pre-placed ships throughout the map makes a player omnipresent.

4) If SETA is used, is there a specific play style? (do play the evening and run SETA overnight, SETA on top of all travel drive, etc)

I dunno… Maybe to watch a station being constructed?

[tomchk]

No idea on some of these, but I also never use SETA. I don’t think it’s needed in X4 personally.

[chew-ie]

1) no clue
2) Depends on the "story" I set for my character
3) Nearly 0%, I make it a point to not use it

[surferx]

1) How long duration, in game time not real life time, do players go through a single run on average? (1 month, 1 week, 3 days, no consistency)

Months, and I rarely take a day off from play. As long as I am entertained.

2) Are their specific points people get to (shipyard, one or more mega station, 500 ships, xenon wiped out, etc) and they start over?

I don't start a game and set goals, then rush off to complete one task after another in a set time frame. This style play could never be fun for me. I may start a mission and leave it to do some exploring, then return to finish it later. Whatever the mood strikes me to do.

3) On average what percentage of game time is in SETA? (0-100%)

Zero. If I am that bored/attention deficit/hyperactive I wouldn't play the game. (And I think this is a problem with most of people complaining about gameplay.)

4) If SETA is used, is there a specific play style? (do play the evening and run SETA overnight, SETA on top of all travel drive, etc)

[/quote]
I will never use SETA. Although I think I used it a few times in X2. How can anyone complain about features breaking immersion and then use SETA? It's the most unrealistic thing in the game. /:rant:

[Nort The Fragrent]

My first X4 game ran for over a year, then I inadvertently crashed it with out it being a save file. So restarted.
I have used SETA whilst watching a station build.
In my later game start I have not used SETA at all,
I do not use any highways, or Transporter. Just plan old fashioned flying around.
I have not fired a single shot, Missile, or mining or lock boxes.

My games go for ages, Months into years.

In X3TC, one game has been going for over five years.

I shall restart when X4 3 is released, with the intention of playing it for as long as possible.

First I will survey the new sectors, collecting data on everything. Trying not to have any effect on the game.
Then once I have collated all that I can find, I will establish a long game plan. This may take me months, to acquire all the necessary data. ( I write everything down on Data sheets )

I spend a lot of time evaluating what and where to build stations, also ship characteristics. Some large Military ships make good trading ships! Ok they cost a lot, but the game is so flush with cash you have to spend it on something !

I go for the long game time, years.
Short games seem a bit pointless.

[pref]

1. Normally a game lasts at least weeks, or longer then a month perhaps.

2. Usually stop playing when i'm about to reach omnipotency.

3. Last game was 20% seta

4. Use seta often to check if any setup i create works as expected: new station starts producing and trading fine, high prio ships reach their destination and do what i want them to and such.

Also i built my last 2 stations with seta and running overnight, it would have taken me a month or three to see them finished with the amount of game time i have these days.
I'm really happy ES kept seta tbh.

[Rei Ayanami]

I was watching the last VLOG and a few questions popped into my mind...
1) How long duration, in game time not real life time, do players go through a single run on average? (1 month, 1 week, 3 days, no consistency)

1) I usually do a new game once per major version update (2.0. 2.5. 3.0, etc)

2) Are their specific points people get to (shipyard, one or more mega station, 500 ships, xenon wiped out, etc) and they start over?

No specific goal, just having fun, playing around with each patches new features and seeing how the universe develops with sector takeovers. Though i try to keep all races alive, so if the Teladi for example are close to wiping out the Xenon i'll jump in, destroy some Teladi sectors and give the Xenon some room to grow back.

3) On average what percentage of game time is in SETA? (0-100%)

0%. To me there is no point in SETA in this game. SETA was to me always for shortening travel duration, but with the travel drive feature SETA became kind of redundant to me.

[eXalt!]

1-2)- No consistency, I roleplay a character with their own goals and restrictions. If my character dies it’s game over with a loose, if I complete the goals it’s game over but with a win. As the state of the game right now I rarely get into “late game” because there isn’t any kind of challenge.
3) SETA: Near 0%, but sometimes I just want to see that station finished. Like with the teleport thingy, for me, it feels like cheating.
4) IMHO SETA is a thing of the past, it was a need in previous X games with no fast travel choices, but now it’s just a deprecated feature.