wow, i must love the X series

[CBJ]

All the games in the X Series prior to X Rebirth use fundamentally the same game engine. It evolved and changed for each iteration of the game, so the version used in X3AP is significantly different in many ways to the one used in X-BTF, but it wouldn't be possible to draw a line between any two particular games that came one after the other, and say this game's engine is not the same engine as that game's engine. Certain areas changed, such as when the MCSI was added in X2 or the MD was added in X3, but very little was ever removed or replaced entirely.

[mrbadger]

All the games in the X Series prior to X Rebirth use fundamentally the same game engine. It evolved and changed for each iteration of the game, so the version used in X3AP is significantly different in many ways to the one used in X-BTF, but it wouldn't be possible to draw a line between any two particular games that came one after the other, and say this game's engine is not the same engine as that game's engine. Certain areas changed, such as when the MCSI was added in X2 or the MD was added in X3, but very little was ever removed or replaced entirely.

Rebirth and after is where I ducked out. Not willingly. I had been desperate to play it when I first got out of hospital. I think i bought it either while I was an in-patient, or shortly after I got discharged. Not that it mattered, since the new controllers I had to use weren't fully supported. We're not talking weird ones either. I mean my new Logitech joystick (Previously I'd been a keyboard only player, never could shake my Elite years....)

I imagine There's full joystick support now, it wasn't there when I tried though, and my free time has vanished. I'll get back into the X series at some point. I've got everything I need to let me do it apart from that pesky time thing. However this not having time for games is really starting to bug me.

Time was I would always set aside a slot to play regardless of how busy things were, and it helped me relax. At the moment I've even bought the C&C Remaster and not found time to touch that either, so this is getting silly.

[ThommoHawk]

X2 The Threat is where I came in. I'm an old timer gamer now. Past my 60.

I liked the cockpits, the neat training scenarios available for intro to fighter, trader, station builder, and there's been nothing like it in subsequent X versions. There's a cut scene where the on-screen hissing Teladi comm happens in the Brenan's Triumph mission plot - still recall being spooked by it and quitting out of the game to recover from the shocking first contact (for me) ALIEN ENCOUNTER. Yea and I do recall the gas nebula's eating my hull/shields, and the rotating asteroids, and those awsome fast Capital ships, when I at last managed to buy one. And they docked TS class ships and M6 class ships too? irrc.

After a long time doing other stuff, (Starcraft 2 being one) I've now revisited X3 AP and already have close to 100 ships, many are ex Dukes, thanks to Dukes TS', TP's, and pirate M3, M4, M5's. No stations yet.

In this game, first my pirate cap is a M4 Buster, which I got with my stock starter M5 Explorer. The second is a M3+ Pirate Kea (!) with same Explorer having just puny 3x1mj shields, because the Buster was still waiting for shields upgrade. Boron Pirate: "I'm leaving. I will remember you", priceless little one liners like this is what I still love in this game.

The game runs like a charm in Windows 10, on my 10 year old X58 chipset 12GB triple channel, Xeon 3.6 GHZ, upgraded Graphics 6GB GTX 1660 OC rig. No more screen tear, yay. X3 - for me It 'still cuts the mustard' everything on ultra, still a great game. Beautiful ships, I love the stations. Shame about the limitations of the single processor, (old save game has some sectors with over a 1000 factories).

Tip: Kea was being swarmed at the time by drones from a TS it had attacked, It happened nearby and I got a few shots at it, was the only way it would bail with my weak little IRE lasers.

Have got hard copies of all X universe games except X4 - did NOT pre-order X4 after the Rebirth fiasco. Patiently saving up for a new rig while waiting for X$ to have more bugs patched.