X3: Terran Conflict
I know this game has been out for a quite while now, but reading upon the reviews posted by professional gaming sites, I was a bit disappointed how they weren't so accurate as they should have been, although places like metacritic did list some sites, which were close to the bulls' eye on the strengths and weaknesses and overall score.
So here it goes.
X3: Terran Conflict is the 5th installment of the series (X:The frontier;X-tension;X2:The threat;X3:Reunion;X3:Terran Conflict), which is a game following its long tradition of a space sort-of-simulation (it's more like a management and accounting simulation in space), which allows you to fly your spaceship from one sector to another in a huge huge galaxy filled with various aliens, who are ready to trade with you and help or- if you are hostile to them - or become your enemy and wage a war at you. You can also just fly around and shoot other spaceships and treat it as a shooter, but the more you'd get into the game, you will realize, that this game wasn't intended for that purpose, but that's more like just an afterthought.
The main emphasis of the game is to start with little cash and junky spacecraft and slowly (!) gain reputation first, then make some wealth and then finally build your trade empire and perhaps a big fleet and rule a piece of the galaxy.
In this point of view, as well as the promise of a large space-based economy (and the speed and complexity of doing) has been the same since the first game (X:The Frontier), and while it certainly has a depth and replayability no doubt, it could be its' Achilles' heel at the same time . More on that later.
So, of course, first thing to notice is the very nice breathtaking graphics and the attention to detail is first class, even after 2 years, there isn't a space game to match the complex looking structures and the space sectors with giant asteroids and view of various planets, and for the first looker it could be dizzying experience, but in a good way. Spaceships come and go, everybody is doing their business, patrol crafts zooming by searching for pirates or hostile enemies, while big battle cruisers standing by at the busiest sectors, like watchdogs on a leash.
While the graphics is dizzying in a good way, the interface might be dizzying in in the wrong way for a newcomer to the series, and that's no surprise.
Just my 2 cents - You have no idea how far the X-series has come when it comes to complexity of controls, because they actually improved a lot, compared to the previous titles, TC feels more streamlined and efficient then, like Reunion, which was a "menus-upon-menus-extravaganza". Bill Gates would be proud of Egosoft, for advertising Windows by making it seem like a space-Windows: Enterprise Edition.
So as you go on in the game, perhaps you figure out how to make money and start to understand various functions and commands you can give your ship or other ships, you will start to embark on a long long long long mission to gain your wealth and afford more and more ships and perhaps you gonna buy a space station, that produces energy or wheat or missiles and you will be on your own, doing your business.
There is also a story-mode; but X "veterans" like me, who played all the X-games: just letting you know, that don't expect anything shockingly good, because it's short and it's only a small part of the real game, which is really doing business and building an empire.
Yes, it will introduce you to the game, and yes it will help you to understand the mechanics, and yes it will help you to get a start on exploring everything, so I recommend it to go ahead and put aside your pride and play it on "easy" by doing the main mission option, because you have not played any of the series, you gonna get lost like a grey donkey in a fog if you jump right into the middle.
So I know...I have already stated some positives and negatives in a light way and I meant those points to the general public, but now this time I go into a rant mode, and those people who have already played it or played all of it will know exactly what I'm talking about.
These are actually the points I missed from the online reviews. Somehow ALL that I have read (and I have read at least 10) never mentioned these, so get ready for some unique criticism, although I doubt that others didn't notice this as well.
Here is the biggest negative:
While it seems like a living galaxy, that has its own progress without the gamers' input, it's really "not so much".
Regardless of the traffic and the bases- it just feels sort of lifeless anyway. It's hard to explain this, but that's the feeling I get, even with all the AI traffic and trading going on.
Perhaps the lack of real conflict (ok the pirates or the Xenons) , but you'd expect that at one point, these alien races occupying large parts of the galaxy and trying to expand, they will at one point go hostile each other- perhaps the factories and lack of space in a good ore-sector etc.. and having all those big giant cruisers and battleships seems to be just wasting time and not doing too much at all.
Basically, the whole economy for each race seems to be dead. I don't see too much of weapon offensive and defensive weapon constructions going on, the factories seems to be always out of the best weapons, and yet the whole arms-race is for nothing.
I just don't see any progress being made whatsoever. Everything seems static and lifeless there is no progress from 1 to 2.
Second negative:
Lack of things to discover. Most space games on this scale, allows the players to discover something new. And yet, if you take a few steps back from the big picture, you won't find anything new, no matter which sector you gonna fly into. Sure, TC adds huge new space stations here and there, and of course the Terran sector looks all unique and pretty, compared to the rest, but that's not what I'm talking about.
What I'm talking about is, that no matter which race you are going to visit, you will find the same template over and over.
They will have sun energy stations, they will have food production (beef, sun oil etc) facilites, they will have shipyards and trade-stations. They are all the same!
I think it's a big turn off. The only reason I'm flying into the Split territory is, because they may have trading software MK2, instead of MK1, and frankly that just crap reason.
Yes, you can buy different spaceships, and yes, they look different, but they aren't. They will have the same line of craft in the same order. "freights, buses, military combat ship, explorer and super freighters, carriers.
Same with the stations. They look different sure, but under the skin, they are just minor differences when it comes to functionality and uniqueness.
For example>
1. I wish I could buy a Teladi spaceship, that is equipped with a different set of hardware, that is unique compared to the others.
But I can't. I have to install the same things I would to an Argon ship or a Split ship.
Do you see what I mean?
And as I mentioned, discovering things.
Here is the ugly truth. There is really not much to discover. You are basically flying from sector to a sector and you will be finding the same things over and over and don't expect anything else, with the occasional unknown sector (with a pirate base or nothing in it) or a Xenon sector full of spaceships, which will blast you to pieces if you are not careful. Ok, there are some Easter eggs of an empty ship here and there, but that is still not enough to get away from the feeling that I got nothing to discover. Not an anomaly, not a black hole, not a star that hasn't been seen, not a planet that hasn't been discovered before. Just by seeing the gate right there opening to that "new" sector, it's obvious that it's known or even perhaps a few AI ships floating around from one of the friendly races as well.
So, it's like you are trying to find something different and new in a road that has been walked too many times and everybody is telling you, that there is really nothing new at the end, but the same houses and same tree lines, with the same people, and "yes" we know about that empty house in the left, there is nothing in there, but go ahead and take a look if you really want to. And you do and yes, you really dont' find anything new.
While I'm writing this, I want you to be aware the fact, that X: Rebirth is about to go gold soon, so as far as I have heard, they are ready to change the tired and old formula, because obviously the developers probably realized, that they can't sell the same game one more time, regardless of the graphics or what new MK4 trading software they come up with or what whether it's gonna take 5 or 10 minutes to fly through a sector to enter a very similar sector with very similar factories and space stations and asteroids.
Oh, and the voice acting and the characters. It's been a problem since probably the first game. Egosoft really has to hire someone who can draw faces and actually have some skills in voice acting, because while it's ok to call this game a "diamond in a rough", 1 time of doing this badly is ok, 2 times is patience wearing thin, but 4-5-and the 6th time is just plain ignorance and lack of caring much by the devs.
So what's my score ?
X3:TC gets' a 6.5 out of 10.
I know, harsh, but that's how I roll.
I don't fall for the Jedi-mind trick of pretty graphics, neither this is the first time I'm playing this game ( I have played all of them) , and the reason I'm not giving more is for positive purposes. It's time to break away from this tired and old formula, which has been milked enough already.
the rest of the scores:
Graphics: 8 out of 10 (the character graphics are bad, everything else is stunning)
Controls: 6 out of 10 ( over complicated and overwhelming menu system, and the ship feels like a stiff broom in space)
Replayability: 7 out of 10 (it can be replayed over and over true, but it can get boring after everything is seen)
Sound: 7 out of 10 The sounds are "ok", but nothing spectacular.
Music: 10 out of 10. It's definitely one of the highlights of the game, the music I got no complains about.
Originality : 3 out of 10 This cow is milked to death. The previous titles has already emptied and shown everything, and dressing the same game into a prettier graphics the 5th time is just lame. Only the extra Terran sector and the simplfied "doing of business" saves it from the 1.
might be "to be continued and edited" I just realized I didn't talk much about the controls, the bugs, and i was gonna add some images of my own.
