X4: Foundations - Mount and Blade with space-ships. Now with significant Beta update

[Perkel]

My first crash. 8 hours in. Aside from that crash not even landing collision bugs. So far it seems like most polished X game.
I was selecting my trading ship and telling captain to show ship details and it crashed.

Speaking of managing ships. There are couple of upsides and one minus.

Upsides:
- rts style management yay !
- you can just tell captain to trade in sector or in galaxy without buying any expensive software like mk3 in X3
- buying trading manually improved a lot. Just select trading ship, zoom in toward station with trade click on good > trade then zoom out get to other station and do the same stuff to sell. Money will be reduced from account for time being but you can queue orders this way.

Downside:
- can't find superior management. I tell ship to join my squad but i can't form separate fighting squadron or make fighter be assigned to trader. Right now i skirted it by just telling fighter to follow trader but it follows it at quite a distance. My squad works so there has to be some way to assign ships to superiors.


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Other thoughts:
- i don't particularly like how weapons, shields etc are made inside shipyard/wharf/equipment station. I liked old X3 where you could make shield factory instead. You still need to haul satelite arrays to get satelites to buy but it basically removed one additional factory chain this way. So economy is 1 level simplified. Due to this i imagine small traders won't be op anymore compared to big bulk ones. Imho they took cues from X:rebirth overhaul mod but i don't think they understood why modders did it. They did it because X:rebirth shipyards etc would almost always starve for any resources because trading those resources was not that lucreative compared to other.
- i would love some more info on stock because those 3 squares don't really tell me anything. While it works great as QoL to quickly tell you general stock level and price of good i think in case of your own stations you would want to see if you want to send small trader or big one.
- I would love for trading ui coupling to be more expansive. Right now it gather 3 best buys and 3 best sells but i would love to see detailed raport from whole sector with all goods
- Filter option is very very very powerful and does alleviate a lot of above issues.
- I would love for autopilot to not use routes it doesn't have knowledge off.
- Same autopilot could use some work on because sometimes it can choose complete roundabout way to get to next sector. For example i told my ship to fly to sector near and it flew all over split sectors doing almost complete circle.
- That customization ship UI could use some work. Because background looks fugly, I also don't see reasons for those square green cages when ships clirly have icons of hardpoints.
- missions seems to be waaay more varied than in X3 or X:rebirth games and so far most of them are logical and don't have this X:rebirth feeling that they are there because someone was told to make those missions instead of actually designing something for players to enjoy.

Aside from those minor issues game is great so far. Especially how not at all buggy this game is.
Sure from time to time some glitch could happen but nothing serious.

Game also has huge potential for both modding and expansion of mechanics.
I could easily see modders modding in lacking chain i speak off because people already did that with X:rebirth

 

[fantadomat]

I am just watching Cohh Carnage and this game seems a lot better and more fun than anything space citizen can even be.

Does it have some kind campaign or singleplayer?

 

[Perkel]

I am just watching Cohh Carnage and this game seems a lot better and more fun than anything space citizen can even be.

Does it have some kind campaign or singleplayer?

No mutli at all. Only singleplayer.

Game starts as a sandbox but there is apparently chain of missions you can do that work as a campaign.
But don't expect any huge story missions or anything. Treat it is sandbox+

This game basically plays like Mount and Blade. You start small fight/trade your way up until you have money to buy other ships from there you expand, more ships, build stations etc etc etc and end game is building your own kingdom basically and conquering galaxy.

 

[Jinn]

I am just watching Cohh Carnage and this game seems a lot better and more fun than anything space citizen can even be.

Does it have some kind campaign or singleplayer?

As far as I understand, the campaign occurs through basic discovery over the course of normal gameplay. Probably like other X games, the main reason to play won't be to find the campaign, but to forge your own way through the universe. Be ready to immerse yourself in the mechanics and world before you look to have a deep campaign experience.

Can't say for sure yet, but that seems to be the impression I'm getting.

 

[fantadomat]

So it is not like a FreeLancer or the original X game. I do remember the first X having some campaign about aliens and pretty tough battles....maybe i am mistaking it with other game. It is shame that modern games are more about the sandbox and lack those big scriptedish battles between different factions.

 

[Zarniwoop]

Anyone apart from rabid fanboi Perkele actually played it?

Is it an X game or just a reskin of Stillbirth with stuff tacked on?

 

[Jinn]

So it is not like a FreeLancer or the original X game. I do remember the first X having some campaign about aliens and pretty tough battles....maybe i am mistaking it with other game. It is shame that modern games are more about the sandbox and lack those big scriptedish battles between different factions.

Well, I just ventured out into space and had an exciting 10 minute battle with a random bandit. As I was heading back to the only safe place I knew, 5 others of his buddies chased me for revenge. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find intense space battle wherever you go in X4 if you choose.

Is it an X game or just a reskin of Stillbirth with stuff tacked on?

Seems like a true X game to me. And I don't think Perkel likes Rebirth at all.

 

[Zarniwoop]

So it is not like a FreeLancer or the original X game. I do remember the first X having some campaign about aliens and pretty tough battles....maybe i am mistaking it with other game. It is shame that modern games are more about the sandbox and lack those big scriptedish battles between different factions.

Well, I just ventured out into space and had an exciting 10 minute battle with a random bandit. As I was heading back to the only safe place I knew, 5 others of his buddies chased me for revenge. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find intense space battle wherever you go in X4 if you choose.

Is it an X game or just a reskin of Stillbirth with stuff tacked on?

Seems like a true X game to me. And I don't think Perkel likes Rebirth at all.

He played it for hundreds of hours instead of reacting with utter revulsion and immediately uninstalling it, like a sane person.

Plus, he keeps comparing this game to Stillbirth, talking about the differences and similarities between the 2. I don't trust his opinion.

 

[Perkel]

edit: There is actually trader start in game. You need to unlock it by going via campaign.

He played it for hundreds of hours instead of reacting with utter revulsion and immediately uninstalling it, like a sane person.
Plus, he keeps comparing this game to Stillbirth, talking about the differences and similarities between the 2. I don't trust his opinion.

200 hours to be exact. 50 first to get grip of the game, another 50 trying various mods thinking it will be good (mods will fix it), 10 raging that mods can't fix it. Then last year i gave it final spin because there was release total overhaul mod which fixed most of the game issues and game itself was version 4.0 not 1.5. At first 40 hours i thought it finally was fixed later on when i started to deal with proper kingdom management i realized that again game is missing even while havign total overhaul important bits that made X games fun.

By comparison i spend easy 1000hours+ on TC and then few 100s more on AP over the years mainly playing X-tended overhaul.

As they say when you are hungry even tree bark will start to look like it is edible.

 

[Jinn]

He played it for hundreds of hours instead of reacting with utter revulsion and immediately uninstalling it, like a sane person.

Plus, he keeps comparing this game to Stillbirth, talking about the differences and similarities between the 2. I don't trust his opinion.

Well, I guess he's the leading expert around here on the X series. I'll leave that response to him.

I never played Rebirth because it sounded horrible. I did play X3, and from what I can tell, this is an improvement. Hard to say after only 4-5 hours though.

 

[Kruno]

Funniest shit just happened. I just started the game and a ship landed near mine. I went into the cockpit wandering if I could steal the ship. I am in the cockpit and the guy closes the door and takes off leaving me going for a joy ride.

 

[Kruno]

I would also like to add:
nVidia card owners.

2xMSAA looks better and is faster than the best FXAA.
Use borderless window AND Vsync + Triple Buffering or your mouse movements will feel laggy.
Turn down SSAO, and Screen Space reflections off.

Game runs buttery smooth while using < 50% GPU.

 

[Kruno]

Is there any way to "Get Up" and keep the ship flying? I want to stare out of the window!

 

[Perkel]

Hire captain at equipment station and you can get off while your captain will take over and continue what you were doing (assuming you were using guide. If not just tell him where to fly and you can stare as much as you want.

Figured out how to group things. I was an idiot. There is "defend" option and when you do that instead of follow ship defended will be head of wing. And there are formation apparently !

 

[Perkel]

oh my... look at that. My Homeworld senses are tingling:

 

[Zarniwoop]

Patch released same day as the game, that definitely sounds like a typical X game.

 

[Duellist_D]

edit: yeah Discoverer cockpit is aas. Elite cockpit from 1st start is much better.
edit: default keyboard binding is ass. For example F is completely not used so is G. which perfectly works for Travel mode and quick menu instead of pressing enter like retard every time. Space is a bit weird for shooting but i guess it works when you have right click context menu.

Yeah looks like other HOTAS people use don't work correctly.
Judging by profiles in controls officially supported by Ego sticks are:

- Saitek X52 Pro
- Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthhog

my performance outside of 1st station in with 1st start (young something):

60fps locked
70% GPU use
50% CPU use

High settings@1080p no aa but shimmering is fairly small.
i5-3570K@4,5Ghz + GTX980 stock.

Overall performance is great and looks like going from DirectX9 to Vulcan lowered ALOT CPU usage
compared to X-rebirth.

Though i understand why people could complain on performance considering it doesn't look like Elite nor it runs like it (which runs at 100fps+ on my rig)

X52 works? Excellent, it was collecting dust since EliteTrucker Dangerous started to bore the hell out of me.
Downloading atm, but probably won't be able to play it, since GPU is cocking up.

Since it seems to like Vulkan so much, Vega64 would probably be a good choice?

 

[Perkel]

I don't have x52 but there is officlal profile for it so they probably tested it.
Also one codexer said x52 works.

 

[ZeniBot]

I'm looking forward to seeing how the RTS mode works, my homeworld senses are tingling as well. Here's hoping for a Teladi shekel fleet.

 

[Zarniwoop]

RTS mode?

Kingdom management????

What the FUCK are you all talking about?

Have any of you actually played X series games before? Because those things make no sense.

Were those in Stillbirth? Because that's the Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel of the X series.

 

[Perkel]

Second crash, i deployed satelite flying past by station about 2500m/s.
Obviously i expected satellite to slow down and stabilize.. Well it went past by station lol and then i think went into range of other station which probably caused crash. Also got destroyed eariler due to glowing rocks. Flies by them and the moment i realized i get damage i was already at 25%.

 

[fantadomat]

The economy seems pretty broken. You do a bunch of missions like fixing leak on a station or transporting a guy and then you can buy giant cargo vessel. At this point every engineer should be a millionaire. To be honest the missions seem poorly balanced,not the economy per say.

 

[Perkel]

The economy seems pretty broken. You do a bunch of missions like fixing leak on a station or transporting a guy and then you can buy giant cargo vessel. At this point every engineer should be a millionaire. To be honest the missions seem poorly balanced,not the economy per say.

My take as well. Some of them can payout easily 300k + loot which can be sold for another 300k though they take some time to do stuff. Well at least it is not like in X3 where missions paid basically nothing and by the end of mission you were most of the time in red and buying first M4 was a fucking few hours of grinding.

That stuff can be easily modded though considering what was in X-rebirth (it has same modding resources etc)

edit:

Magpie or Tethys ships have broken UI and they can't trade or mine.
Egosoft said they will fix this in next patch. So don't buy them for now.

 

[Mortmal]

I can rediscover that one city I built in SimCity2000!? Oh, boy!

Sim city 2000 level of graphics ? Not anywhere as good lol no...but you can build anywhere in the universe from lava planets to discworlds. Extremely janky does not even cover it either. It's cluncky, unoptimized,done by an autistic old man with some spark of genius refusing any outside help or team. That's something to witness at least once in a life. It's supposed to be MMO, but in fact if you select random spawn, you will never meet anyone ever . First there's likely not more than 10 guys playing at peak and second the universe is too vast. Still had some good fun.
The kind of stuff for connoisseurs of shit, like space station 13 and other ugly indies.

 

[Spectacle]

How is the actual space combat? Is it fun or just something you do when enemies get in the way of your business operations?