X3 v Elite II: Frontier

[The Inter-Galactic Kong]

Hey guys, I've just seen X3 on sale for only £5 (!) at play.com and I've got a few questions about the game.

How does it compare to Frontier for the size of the universe?

Are there any mods that let you have a proper cockpit view (so you feel like you're in a ship and not floating in space)?

Can you land on planets?

Are there any mods that introduce our solar system and the nearest surrounding stars (such as Alpha Centauri) into the game? I'd much rather battle/trade/whatever in our universe, I'm not mad about made-up ones.

I've got the demo, but there's no in-ship engine sound. Is this different in the full game? If not, are there any mods that fix this omission?

How is the game out of the box, reasonably ok or in need of patches?

Finally, how would the full game run on my machine (see my sig)? I don't think you can always go by a demo for performance evaluation.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Edit: I'm really holding out for Elite IV, but I need a Elite style space game now, dammit!!!

[Psychoclops]

Frontier will always be in my heart as the greatest space sim of all time! cos it's where i started.

The X games are great as well, but no, you cant land on planets

I think there are cockpit mods available

You may need some patches, mainly bonus stuff i think

If you liked Frontier Elite II, then, like me, you should love this game!

Have fun!

[Nanook]

Hey guys, I've just seen X3 on sale for only £5 (!) at play.com and I've got a few questions about the game.

How does it compare to Frontier for the size of the universe?

Elite 'modeled' the whole galaxy. X3 has 150+ 'systems'.

Are there any mods that let you have a proper cockpit view (so you feel like you're in a ship and not floating in space)?

Yes, but they're based on the X2 cockpits. Not bad, though.

Can you land on planets?

No, but that's the subject of another whole debate. See the thread not too far down.

Are there any mods that introduce our solar system and the nearest surrounding stars (such as Alpha Centauri) into the game? I'd much rather battle/trade/whatever in our universe, I'm not mad about made-up ones.

The game itself 'introduces' the Earth system, in a way. That said, the original game, X-BTF, started the player off in our solar system, dropping and stranding the player in the X-Universe due to a jump drive mishap. The X3 player, in the plot, is the son of that Earth pilot.

Plus, there are a number of mods that introduce Earth and a number of other planets. Not to mention the next, and final game in the current series is titled X3 Terran Conflict. So guess what we'll be visiting.

I've got the demo, but there's no in-ship engine sound. Is this different in the full game? If not, are there any mods that fix this omission?

There is ship engine sound, it's just muffled inside the 'cockpit'. Using an external camera view, you can hear your ship, if you must. But trust me, you don't. Having an engine sound droning constantly in the background gets real old, real quick. Not to mention, most of the game info is presented via sounds, so you don't want those masked by an engine noise. It really is better without it.

How is the game out of the box, reasonably ok or in need of patches?

Depending what game you bought, there are differing numbers of bugs. The last patch, 2.5, is not included in any boxed game that I'm aware of, so you will want to download and install the latest patch. And I'd advise getting the 1.0->2.5 patch, which is all-inclusive.

Finally, how would the full game run on my machine (see my sig)? I don't think you can always go by a demo for performance evaluation.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Since the game is 3 years old, and your machine is much newer tech, I'd guess it would run just fine.

Edit: I'm really holding out for Elite IV, but I need a Elite style space game now, dammit!!!

In many ways, X3 is far superior to what Elite IV would be, most likely. X3 is a living, breathing universe, where everything is going on in all the systems/sectors whether the player is doing anything or not. It's almost like an MMO in that regard. So while I'd probably buy an Elite IV if it ever exists, I doubt it would be able to replace the current X game. And that's from someone who still owns, and has played, every Elite iteration produced.

[The Inter-Galactic Kong]

Thanks for the replies. I'm fairly sure Elite IV will see the light of day in the next few years. Over at the Frontier forums, the buzz is that Frontier are working on a game called 'The Outsider' that features a lot of the tech that will be used in Elite IV and once that game is done, Elite IV will begin! So I'd say we're looking at a few years before it's released, but I'd rather they get it right than rush it out and give us a game not worthy of the Elite name!

[Nanook]

Whether it ever gets beyond the vaporware stage or not, it will have a hard time supplanting the latest X game, IMO. Elite had none of the things that I consider the meat of the X series: the ability to own and fly any ship in the game, the ability to own as many ships as one can afford, the ability to build an unlimited number of factories/complexes, and the fact that the universe only goes to sleep when the player turns off the computer (or pauses/minimizes it). A universe that goes on about its business whether the player does something or not is really pretty darn cool.

[The Inter-Galactic Kong]

To be honest, if X-3 had a similar sized universe to Frontier and included a fair smattering of real systems, as well as letting you land on planets and use jump engines, instead of only jump-gates, then that would pretty much be my dream space game!

Edit: It wouldn't really need to model as much as Frontier actually, as long as it included 150-200 of our closest star systems. After all, how many of those systems in Frontier actually have something happening in them?

[The Inter-Galactic Kong]

Strange, the £5 version has just disappeared from play.com. I suppose I'd be better off with the 'Game of the Year' edition (£7.99), that appears to include the 'Bonus pack'.

[perkint]

You might do as well to get it through Steam...

[Cycrow]

Thanks for the replies. I'm fairly sure Elite IV will see the light of day in the next few years. Over at the Frontier forums, the buzz is that Frontier are working on a game called 'The Outsider' that features a lot of the tech that will be used in Elite IV and once that game is done, Elite IV will begin! So I'd say we're looking at a few years before it's released, but I'd rather they get it right than rush it out and give us a game not worthy of the Elite name!

i wouldn't get your hopes up too high, the same has been said about every game from Frontier in the last 10 years.

even rollarcoaster tycoon was sposed to have some Elite IV tech in, supposedly the crowd control system

[The Inter-Galactic Kong]

Ok, didn't know that. Well, we just have to wait and see, eh? Personally, I think Frontier would be missing a huge trick if they didn't release another Elite game with all the tech we have these days, it would sell like hotcakes!

[The Inter-Galactic Kong]

If any has links to mods that introduce the Solar System + some of our nearest systems into X-3, please post them!

[CBJ]

Scripts and Mods are in the Scripts and Modding forum, and there is an index at the top of that forum.

[The Inter-Galactic Kong]

Thanks for that, but I can't find what I'm looking for in the list. If anyone knows of the mod I want, please be so good as to tell me the name, or post a link if you have it.

[CBJ]

OK, I'll try this one more time. If you want to ask about Scripts and Mods then please do so in the Scripts and Modding forum.

[Nyax]

Thanks for that, but I can't find what I'm looking for in the list. If anyone knows of the mod I want, please be so good as to tell me the name, or post a link if you have it.

From what you're asking there's something VERY important you need to know about the X universe compared to the Frontier universe.

X DOES NOT FEATURE SOLAR SYSTEMS.

Each of Xs 'sectors' is basically a box either in orbit around a planet or somewhere off in deep space. There is NO flying between planets. Everything visitable usually lies within 100 KM of the gate into the system and ships top speeds are based around these short distances. If you're accustomed to and enjoy the fantastic real world vastness of the Frontier universe (as i am) then The X universe is a patheticlly dull and tiny disappointment in comparison.

Don't get me wrong there's arguably much more stuff to do in the X-verse. But it's a terribly small place.

[Azaris]

I have to agree with Nyax. If you want realism in terms of physics, you stick with Elite.

If you want a nice economy and amazing modding community, which, when you take all the mods into account, has more things to do than you can handle, then X3 is great.

In my game of X3, which has been going for about 7 months now, I have only just managed to raise a fleet of like 5 destroyers and a load of frigates, with a carrier and a crap load of fighters, and all of this you manage on a micro-scale.

Micromanagement is so awesome. It makes it real.

[Ravenstar]

Frontier's physics were awesome, I can still remember the frustration of trying to catch your target just after it emerged from hyperspace. For it's time it was amazing, but it's economy was very much static. One of the brilliant things about X3 is being able to run your own little business empire!!

Just remember not to let the storyline put you off the rest of the game.

[Nyax]

I do miss the 'real universeness' of Frontier and FFE. The fact that the local systems were 'real', and the solar systems were plausible gave it an amazing feeling of authenticity that none of the X games have come anywhere even remotely close to matching. I do hope Elite 4 sees the light of day and that
1) It retains the real world approach to stars and systems
2) it's NOT a massively multiplayer thing
3) Beta Lyrae is actually visitable this time without crashing the game

[The Inter-Galactic Kong]

Amen to all of that, especially the bit about it not being an MMO!! If someone could mod X-3 to include at least the close systems to us that Frontier had, it'd be great.

[CBJ]

The subtle approach doesn't seem to be working, so we'll try brute force and ignorance.

If you want to discuss Scripts and Modding in any shape or form, please use the Scripts and Modding forum. If you continue to ignore this request then this thread will be locked, which would be a shame as the discussion is otherwise fairly interesting.