X2 - The Threat

[XMEN Gambit]

Ok, I'm actually playing it now. Hooked up my force-feedback joystick and everything.

So far I've only done the main storyline "fedex" missions. No combat so far worth speaking of, other than a pirate ambush on my nearly-helpless, slow-as-a-dog personnel transport. My tactics consisted of "run (ok, crawl) away, screaming for help to anyone who'd listen, while taking token potshots with the turret." Heh.

I can see how the multiplayer would be impressive. The universe is big, and there's lots of stuff going on.

I'm still trying to figure out the best keyboard shortcuts. The in-game menus are great, but not speedy.

[XMEN Gambit]

Did I say the universe was big? I think I understated it... There's a whole lot going on, and a whole lot to do. I've done very little but go through some of the pre-scripted missions so far, but from what I can tell here are some of the things you can do:

• Free trader
• Pirate (duh!)
• Law enforcement (extra bounty on pirates)
• Asteroid miner (Buy mining equip for your ship and get diggin!)
• Space Station owner, with stations in multiple systems.

And who knows what else.

Of course, you can combine careers. One man's pirate is another man's policeman.

[TimberWolf]

Sounds a lot like Freelancer but with more room for personalization of ships and careers. What you have said has got me interested. What else is there to the game? How does it play and what kind of equipment and ships can you get?

[XMEN Gambit]

Well, the official site will get you started:
http://www.x2thethreat.com/games/x2/info_en.php

You'll probably find the most useful info in some of the linked reviews. The web site says 60 ship types.

Not sure what else I can tell you, since I've only seen a tiny fraction of the game, but I'll try.

The economy is reasonably complex, with every trade good or piece of equipment coming from factory stations that requires resources. Buy your gear straight from the manufacturer, or go to the "convenience store" where they've got it all.

There are lots of helpful upgrades you can get for your ship(s) besides the usual, such as multiple levels of trading, navigation (autopilot!), and other software. At game start you get around via jump gates, but when you get the cash you can buy jump engines that require energy cells to run.

Can give orders to wingmen (haven't figured out how to get wingmen yet). Buy fighter drones for an emergency escort.

Each station has a bulletin board with news and work offers. You don't pick a career per se, you are just given a ship and the mainline quest which you can follow, or go do your own thing. To be a policeman, go to a station and buy a "law enforcement license." To be a pirate, contact a trader and demand he drop his goods.

I found an option today that basically said "don't rebuild pirate bases," so I guess you can keep the enemies spawning or wipe them out, however you like.

There's a weird naming convention for ship classes. You start out with an "M5", which seems to be a sort of light freighter/fighter combo though you start with very wimpy guns. The second ship you acquire is a light transport, pretty darn slow but useful for larger loads or groups of passengers. (The M5 can carry one passenger.) Many missions are restricted based on ship type or pilot title/experience level.

Oh, you can also capture ships. You can actually jump out of your cockpit wearing a spacesuit and fly over to another ship. You can also buy a pricey low-powered "transporter" to save time.

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

Did Gambit forget to mention that this game is gorgeous!? I think he did.

I've only played up to the first few "tasks" in the main storyline, but I've done quite a bit of poking around. When Gambit says that the universe is huge, that's a huge understatement! (Hehe.) The universe is gargantuan! And I don't mean gargantuan in the dinosaur-to-ant comparison, I'm talking 14-billion-light-years-across-size-of-the-known-universe-to-the-proverbial-period-at-the-end-of-this-sentence huge!

Literally.


I've spent many hours just getting the hang of flying the spacecraft in the sim. It's fun, but it's a bit tricky at times. You really have to get used to the idea of setting your turrets to track and fire on enemy targets, and letting them do their thing. I've yet to figure out how to fly the drones, while letting the nav computers (autopilot) fly the ship so that I can take down some bad guys, and I've yet to figure out how to successfully command the cap ship in the simulator. I'm finding that the game has a steep learning curve for certain things, but once you learn them, you're all set!

I picked it up for less than 10 bucks, and I'm sure there are still copies of it floating around out there. It's definitely worth it!

[XMEN Gambit]

Yes, it is a very nice looking game, if you don't count the character models. I think the character animation stinks, but it's a space game so it's a peripheral issue. The other problem I have with it is that it has a few poor translation/language things going on in the dialog. Again, space game, peripheral issue. Does kind of spoil the mood for me, though. (I don't mind some Japanese words or syntax thrown in, providing it's in character, but there are some proofing mistakes that I'm just sensitive to...) But back to the graphics: I got it free with my GF 6800. Obviously they're going to want to package software that really shows off the hardware, so that should be some indicator though it's a year or two old.

Make sure you're fully patched (v1.4). The "artificial life" stuff is pretty significant, I think.


To sum it up, I really think X2 is probably the best game in the Elite tradition that I've ever played, and I've played most of the big-name ones. Privateer may have been better for its time period, but on an absolute scale there are just so many more features here.

Oh, found a very nice website for all things X.

[TimberWolf]

I am liking it more and more. It sounds like Freelancer, which I enjoyed alot, but much larger and with more freedom of choices. If I see it for $10 the next time I stop by a store then I will get it. Last time I looked at Walmart they didn't have it, and there are no Best Buys, CompUSA's, Fry's, or any other large computer dealer near by. There are Gamestop and EBgames near by.

[XMEN Gambit]

If you can stand to mail-order:

http://www.gogamer.com/cgi-bin/GoGamer. ... View/001X2

[XMEN Gambit]

Last night I figured out how to order my ships around to do something useful. Pretty easy, actually, once you have the right equipment. I haven't got advanced trading down yet, but I can send that pokey transport from station to station, check prices at all stations in a sector, and direct the ship to buy or sell goods while I'm half a galaxy away, carrying out "important missions" or whatnot.
Making progress on the wingman front, too.

I'll build myself an empire yet! BTW, I'm doing almost all of this without a manual, which really makes it interesting...

[TsN|Wildchild|xmen]

I don't like you guys. I stil lcan't get mine to work properly and the idiots over at the X2 forums can't help.

Their answer was, "Do this and it should be fixed this way."

My answer, "No, still doing the same thing."

Their response, "Oh well."

Yes the game is superbly fantastically beautiful. And did we say huge? And gorgeous? And.. .well you get the idea.

They are in the works with a new one already. It had started out as an expansion but it was so big, they are turning it into a whole game. it's called Redemption or something like that.

[XMEN Gambit]

WC, now that I've actually played it somewhat, how about you go over your symptoms again, and what you've tried so far. I'll give it a try this time, and we'll see if we can get you going.

[TimberWolf]

I would mail-order but this is an unnessesary expense to me, and I have to watch my money carefully since I am a low wage college student. It is actually easy for me to drop by EBgames and Gamestop when I go out to the stores around here, or visit my mom at her work. I will take my time getting it, and going the home work I should be doing, and hopefully when I do find it then it is just that much more cheaper (maybe be on the $10 racks).

[XMEN Gambit]

Hey, I said "if." I understand all aspects of your reasoning perfectly well, having been there myself.

The price at the link above was, I think, less than $15, and there's no tax.
I was unable to find the game at EB or Gamestop, so I'm thinking they probably won't be stocking it what with shelf space competition. You might find it more easily at Wal-Mart or the like.

[TimberWolf]

I took a quick look at their message board a saw a post talking about how bad carriers are. Appearently you have to manually launch every ship and the AI for the swarm target frieghters and low priority targets first instead of other military threats. One player lost almost a hundred fighters to a destroyer escorting some freighters, the fighters ignored the destroyer and kept on flying into its gun range trying to get by it to hit the freighters. The player was dum not to manually target the destroyer instead of letting the computer control them.

I have to wonder, is it possible to fill the carriers' or destroyers' cargo hold with goods and have then carry freighters then jump between sectors and use the freighters to off load cargo and get new supplies? If so then that maybe a good means to distributing goods and conserving fuel, since the only ship that would need jump engines would be the carrier or destroyer. Mobile warehouses basicly.

Some questions:
What space stations and factories can you buy/make?
Are there some kind of trade lane, like Freelancer, to help move in sectors?
If goods require mined materials and the AI don't mine then were does the materials come from?
If a ship explodes and no one hears it, did it really explode?

[XMEN Gambit]

Hmm, I found an item in the FAQ that mentioned a shortcut key where all your fighters would launch at once. There were also ways to have some of your fighters attack target A while others would attack target B. And I sure agree with you that the dude should have targeted the destroyer and had them attack it first!

But, you know, most of that stuff can be changed with a mod. There are a lot of mods available, and it's not too tough, so you could work on a fighter-pilot script if you don't like what's there. I found one yesterday that creates trading AIs for you.

Yes, it is possible to have smaller ships do trading runs for a larger ship, and be carried by it. I don't think it's quite like you describe, but similar, and your point about the jump engines is certainly true from what I've read.

What space stations and factories can you buy/make?
Almost anything. Factories, mines, etc. Not sure about trading posts, shipyards, or equipment docks.

Are there some kind of trade lane, like Freelancer, to help move in sectors?
Nope. I haven't really seen the need, either.

If goods require mined materials and the AI don't mine then were does the materials come from?
But the AI DOES mine. There are various types of mines hanging off asteroids all over the place. Ore, silicon, etc. One thing I'm not sure of is the other end: I haven't found consumers for the final, end products of some of these long production chains.

If a ship explodes and no one hears it, did it really explode?
Yup. In space, no one can hear you scream... (or explode!)