TC or AP

[Stormrider_KOTD]

About to restart a game of X3. Not interested in X:R atm so would you guys recommend TC or AP for the best play through?

[Triaxx2]

I say TC, but only because I don't have AP. Though you can get the TC plots in AP, so it's probably simpler to just play that, and have all the benefits of TC as well.

[hisazul]

If plots then TC if not then AP. AP is superior to TC in everything except plots. Less bugs, better mechanics, more upgrades, more ships, more sectors blah blah blah.

And you can import TC plots into AP if you don't mind modding. In short there is no reason to play TC unless you want vanilla plots.

[ancienthighway]

TC allows you to get into trading in some area of the maps easier than AP, simply due to the lack of war zones. If you are more interest in that then combat, TC is the way to go.

AP is the better game though

Perhaps a short TC run to get the mechanics of the game, complex building, and trading down, then onto AP with TC plots for the full experience.

[Honved]

For me, it's not a choice between them. TC is/was available as a boxed game with a CD, and you can play it without an online connection. AP is a "Steam-only" game, which I really can't and won't do.

Other than that, the usual argument is that TC gives you the better trading-oriented game, while AP is better for a fight-oriented approach, and is probably the better option for most players if you don't mind adding the TC plots via mod.

[Triaxx2]

AP has a no-steam.exe. That said, please don't start or we lose yet another topic to the automatic locking.

[soulmata]

I strongly suggest AP with the TC plots for AP mod. It gives you the best of both worlds - better and more ships, all of the plotlines, all of the content in one.

[hisazul]

TC allows you to get into trading in some area of the maps easier than AP, simply due to the lack of war zones. If you are more interest in that then combat, TC is the way to go.

AP is the better game though

Perhaps a short TC run to get the mechanics of the game, complex building, and trading down, then onto AP with TC plots for the full experience.

You aren't forced to start with war zones. Also there are very few maps that are "warzones". All of them can be ignored entirely if you jump.

For me, it's not a choice between them. TC is/was available as a boxed game with a CD, and you can play it without an online connection. AP is a "Steam-only" game, which I really can't and won't do.

Other than that, the usual argument is that TC gives you the better trading-oriented game, while AP is better for a fight-oriented approach, and is probably the better option for most players if you don't mind adding the TC plots via mod.

As someone pointed out correctly, there is a no-steam executable available right here. Please don't throw around baseless "online only" arguments. Steam works just fine in offline mode as long as you installed and activated a game, yes there are exceptions mostly Ubisoft, EA, Activision trash but thats a different topic entirely. It takes as much internet for you to activate AP in steam as posting here.

[Nanook]

TC allows you to get into trading in some area of the maps easier than AP, simply due to the lack of war zones. If you are more interest in that then combat, TC is the way to go.

AP is the better game though

Perhaps a short TC run to get the mechanics of the game, complex building, and trading down, then onto AP with TC plots for the full experience.

You aren't forced to start with war zones. Also there are very few maps that are "warzones". All of them can be ignored entirely if you jump....

That really depends on what you want to do and how you play the game. If you want to be a trader and use the Terran sectors, the warzones, which bisect the Terran sectors in two, are a real problem. It's even worse if you are on good terms with both factions, because any of your ships in those sectors OOS will be attacked by one or the other of the two factions. This makes a good portion of the central sectors in the game pretty much unplayable for a serious trader.

For a combat pilot, on the other hand, it's paradise.

[Triaxx2]

Depressingly, the same thing happens in TC to ships in Argon M148. At least in my game, and it's always the local Tiger that does it. I've seen it go after both Paranid, and Argon ships, including the patrolling Minotaur.

[soulmata]

Depressingly, the same thing happens in TC to ships in Argon M148. At least in my game, and it's always the local Tiger that does it. I've seen it go after both Paranid, and Argon ships, including the patrolling Minotaur.

I believe you can put a stop to that by simply completing the first step of Operation Final Fury, which should turn the whole sector blue.

[Triaxx2]

Nope. Happens even after that.

[MrFiction]

AP is my favorite, I started playing it because of the stock exchange. However, after about a 100 hours ingame, I rarely use the stock market but I really enjoy the new ships offered in AP. There are many new ships, although mostly upgraded TC ships, the new ships are just enough for me to prefer AP. Also, the interface is better.

[ancienthighway]

Huh? The interface is the same.

[Sinxar]

Huh? The interface is the same.

Have to assume he is talking about the map and menus that scale to screen size unlike in TC where they remain tiny unless playing at a low resolution.

[Earth Ultimatum IV.]

X3AP is better in every aspect, unless you are a newbie and want an easy game