X3: Albion Prelude on Steam

[Markbnj]

Anyone try it? I liked X3:TC but I never finished it. Wondering how the pre-gate universe plays out in the game? Is it more travel within the Earth solar system? Seems like it might be worth a go for 10 bucks.

 

[Via]

Have you checked for sure you don't have it already?

I got it for free somehow, maybe because I bought the X complete pack?

 

[Rifter]

Have you checked for sure you don't have it already?

I got it for free somehow, maybe because I bought the X complete pack?

me too, got it for free, dont know how. I also had the complete pack though.

 

[Markbnj]

Yeah, I only bought X3:TC and that was a couple of years ago.

 

[ImpulsE69]

You get it free with TC. It was very nice of them to do that. I didn't own it prior, but bought TC and get it for free after I read about it. I tried playing but wow it's deep (and you move so slow). Not sure I have the patience right now to put any real time into it.

 

[Red Storm]

I could never get beyond moving around in X3. I've survived EVE Online's learning curve, but X3 I have no such luck. It's annoying because I feel like I would love the game, but I can't figure out how to play it...

 

[SViper]

I could never get beyond moving around in X3. I've survived EVE Online's learning curve, but X3 I have no such luck. It's annoying because I feel like I would love the game, but I can't figure out how to play it...

I felt the exact same way for the longest time. I got X3: Reunion about a year ago, but I shelved it shortly afterwards because I didn't learn how to play it. After getting X3:TC and X3:AP on sale, I buckled down and learned the game with the help of guides (X3 official forums are an excellent source). Now I can't put this thing down. According to steam, I've put 32 hours into X3:TC and I have only done the first main plot quest. I've only got 2 mil and about 5-6 sector and universe traders working for me. This is also not including time I still have to put into X3:AP and X3:R if I choose.

The game really opens up when you have money. Fastest way to do that is to hijack enemy ships and sell them. 2nd fastest way (and safer) is to get sector and universe traders working for you.

It can get overwhelming at first, especially when you look at the control list and see the large number of buttons to do things. What worked for me is separating controls on the keyboard based on tasks. For example, I've got my fight and movement controls setup around WSAD keys to fight or get out of a jam quickly. I've got my trading and map controls around JKL; keys. This works for me because I'm never going to be fighting and trading/looking at the map at the same time.

 

[Anteaus]

I think the only ones that got it free are those that purchased the X complete pack. I bought TC when it first came out and I didn't get a free copy of prelude.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I wasn't ever able to get into the game. I put in a few hours trying to learn how it works and it was just too slow. All I was able to do was buy a particular commodity for a low price and sell them for a slightly higher price, but after a couple successful runs I was no longer able to even do that. All the ports I went to either weren't offering enough money or didn't need any of what I had. After a while I got bored and stopped playing.

Even setting it to 10x speed felt too tedious. Also, the missions are pointless, they give you like 15 minutes to go somewhere and get something when it takes 15 minutes just to fly to the nearest gate.

 

[Markbnj]

I wasn't ever able to get into the game. I put in a few hours trying to learn how it works and it was just too slow. All I was able to do was buy a particular commodity for a low price and sell them for a slightly higher price, but after a couple successful runs I was no longer able to even do that. All the ports I went to either weren't offering enough money or didn't need any of what I had. After a while I got bored and stopped playing.

Even setting it to 10x speed felt too tedious. Also, the missions are pointless, they give you like 15 minutes to go somewhere and get something when it takes 15 minutes just to fly to the nearest gate.

Most of those timed missions are pretty stupid. They're almost all actually doable if you have the right ship and mods, and take exactly the right route, but that's not the kind of gameplay that I look to an X3 title for anyway. I enjoy the main quests, but primarily for me it's about exploration and building up my little empire.

And speaking of exploration: anyone know what travel is like in Prelude? The Steam blurb described it as taking place in a time before the gates were completed... so where do you get to go?

 

[Dankk]

me too, got it for free, dont know how. I also had the complete pack though.

Congrats, if you own the X3 Complete Pack then you automatically get a free copy of Albion Prelude.

As for me, I'm still working my way through TC.

 

[zinfamous]

I could never get beyond moving around in X3. I've survived EVE Online's learning curve, but X3 I have no such luck. It's annoying because I feel like I would love the game, but I can't figure out how to play it...

I downloaded some "X3: TC for Dummies" PDF that really helped me out. In the end, the strategies it proposes aren't the best for TC (it is based on the Reunion world, or so I've read, and the economy mechanics between that and TC are a bit different--so the advice is a slower grind to building an empire)

...anyway, after lots of reading and experimenting, I finally got the hang of it. It's fun, but can be very grindy. i think I'm ~80 hours in and completed maybe the first 2 story missions. --As a trader, it akes a long, long time before you can actually start it, though. I started my initial game as a fighter, but gave up on it quickly, then re-rolled as trader and enjoyed quite a bit more. main mission starts almost instantly as a fighter.

 

[zinfamous]

I wasn't ever able to get into the game. I put in a few hours trying to learn how it works and it was just too slow. All I was able to do was buy a particular commodity for a low price and sell them for a slightly higher price, but after a couple successful runs I was no longer able to even do that. All the ports I went to either weren't offering enough money or didn't need any of what I had. After a while I got bored and stopped playing.

Even setting it to 10x speed felt too tedious. Also, the missions are pointless, they give you like 15 minutes to go somewhere and get something when it takes 15 minutes just to fly to the nearest gate.

well, you really need a warp drive before you can start those missions, and an on-demand fast-ish trader ship or a speedy fighter ship with decent cargo hold (if you want to do the lighter illicit cargo missions).

Once you have the right ships and mods, they can be easy--but yeah, you can end up doing them over and over and over again. The thing about TC, though, is those are the fastest way to get cash. I went the slow route, just shuffling energy cells and ore between power plants and mines, until I had enough to buy a Mistral (hours upon hours upon hours), then worked back that same money a decent bit faster, started upgrading, bought factory, etc.

now, if I had focused on finding some of the good derelict ships early, those cargo missions would have been doable much earlier.
The other reason to keep doing these missions, is that you get your race reputation up for each successful mission. You end up getting paid more and more, in general, get access to better missions and, of course, ability to buy the good equipment from each race.

 

[veri745]

So what's the verdict? I would be willing to get back into X3 if Albion is good. I don't have the complete pack, though, so it would cost me $10

 

[zinfamous]

So what's the verdict? I would be willing to get back into X3 if Albion is good. I don't have the complete pack, though, so it would cost me $10

I did pick it up on Steam sale for 5 bucks--not sure if I will play it, though (Skyrim. sigh...).

Dang, i hope it wasn't free for me--I only have TC.

 

[aka1nas]

I am enjoying it quite a bit, it feels a lot more finished wrt to features and I noticed that I haven't felt a need to install as many scripts or mods as I would have with TC or Reunion.

I currently just have NPC Bailing Add-on (turned on super low as hulls are increased in AP), Cheat Scripts for Unlimited Salvage Insurance, and Missile Safety.

 

[Martimus]

Man, I am completely addicted to this game right now. While it is far from perfect, it is a very fun game. It feels like a single player version of Eve, although it is less indepth in some areas, yet more in others.

From what I have read Albion Prelude has improved most of the biggest issues from Terran Conflict. Things like OOS combat are now MUCH better, to the point it isn't that different from in sector combat now. (at least to me)

I just set up SETA for the day at work for the first (and probably only time). I finished a small space weed complex to go with my self sufficient drone complex, and a couple of factories. I also have a warhead complex that doesn't seem to make any money, but at least that one was relatively cheap, even if it was a complete waste of money. Making money on the stock market is probably too easy though. If they removed the commodity part (the parts that are completely synthesized and aren't actually traded in game) then I think it would work much better though.

I'll see when I get home whether my ship is dead from pirates, or if any of my haulers died, or what happened after about 90 hours of game time or so for today. I hope I made at least 20M credits durign that time.

 

[Martimus]

Well the experiment ended up well. I had about 45M after the day, and the funny part is that the second highest grossing factory was the warhead complex. The Spaceweed complex didn't make any money, but it was because my hauler providing it energy cells must have died soon after I left in the morning.

I used that money to reinvest in my primary drone complex. I removed the two advanced drone factories (since I couldn't sell them anyway, and I already had over 750 of the Drone MK2s to use for myself) and added a crystal foundry, a medium solar plant, a medium ore mine, and 2 1MJ shield factories, a PAC foundry, a 200MJ shield factory, and a lasertower factory. I left that run overnight, and I had 130M credits in the morning.

Now that I have the money, I may just start building a nice fleet, or maybe create a new self-sufficient complex to make more stuff. I am considering making a complex that will supply my planned centaur/elite fleet with shields and weapons, or maybe a self sufficient space weed complex.