How does it compare to X3?

[DaLagga]

So I've wanted to get into this series for a long time and finally picked up the X3 games after Steam had them all on sale for like $3 a month or so ago. I've only played Farnham's Legacy because that's what a friend recommended in terms of being the best as far as open world content goes. I've played a lot over the past month and while I do like it, the game does have quite a few serious issues (horrible UI, rather bad AI, no endgame like conquering sectors, etc.).

So how does X4 compare exactly? With all of the DLC is it a worthy upgrade or should I just stick to X3? I love the ability to actually walk around in space games but does it add much to the game or does it just get rather tedious? Can you finally target individual ship systems to disable them or is it still just a generic HP bar like X3?

Finally, are systems a bit more open? One problem I have with X3 is that systems themselves are all rather tiny (I know you can fly out a long way, maybe forever, but it's just empty space) which means that all combat basically takes place in major trade lanes/industrial areas. I wish there were more open space that was actually worth exploring, a bit like Freelancer or Elite: Dangerous. Thanks!

[Oddible]

Forum search. This game has been out for years, this question has been answered probably 1000 times.

[Valykry]

I never played X3. I started with X:Rebirth, then picked this one up a while back, so I don't know how it compares.
As far as having an "endgame" goes, it's whatever you want it to be. If you want to conquer all the sectors, feel free. But above all else, it's a sandbox game. It has no endgame any more than minecraft does

You CAN target individual ship systems, and if capturing ships is your thing, it is highly recommended that you do so. (I prefer engines first to stop it in it's tracks, then turrets, then everything else)

The sectors are pretty large. I don't know how large in comparison to X3, but some sectors have a dozen or so stations and even those don't seem crowded.
A lot of combat will still happen in trade lanes, but that's just because that's where the ambushees happen to be when a raiding party wants to pick a fight.

[Wraith]

X4 has a MUCH better UI then X3.
Don't get me wrong it still pretty bad at making it accessible and easy to navigate but it miles ahead of what X3 has.

X4 combat AI suffer mostly around station fighting with destroyers.

Ship vs Ship don't have to much issue.

Small and Medium ships are shield hp bar and hull hp bar with no targetable subsystem.

However L and XL ships do have subsystem that can be destroyed like engines, turrets, shields generator,
after that it their Hull HP bar.

Unfortunately system exploration is about the same as X3 most thing are concentrated in the center of the sector and then a couple of hundred KM from the sector borders on occasion.

However unlike X3 System can change hands and war is active. (even more so with mod that introduce dynamic relations)
So while fighting take place in major spots the battlefield will eventually shift somewhere else.

As for walking around it not bad as there are shortcut keys that teleport you back to your ship so it not to tedious.

Economy is also real as well in X4 where ships need to be built instead of spawned in like X3.

[Valhalla Awaits]

Originally posted by DaLagga:

So I've wanted to get into this series for a long time and finally picked up the X3 games after Steam had them all on sale for like $3 a month or so ago. I've only played Farnham's Legacy because that's what a friend recommended in terms of being the best as far as open world content goes. I've played a lot over the past month and while I do like it, the game does have quite a few serious issues (horrible UI, rather bad AI, no endgame like conquering sectors, etc.).

So how does X4 compare exactly? With all of the DLC is it a worthy upgrade or should I just stick to X3? I love the ability to actually walk around in space games but does it add much to the game or does it just get rather tedious? Can you finally target individual ship systems to disable them or is it still just a generic HP bar like X3?

Finally, are systems a bit more open? One problem I have with X3 is that systems themselves are all rather tiny (I know you can fly out a long way, maybe forever, but it's just empty space) which means that all combat basically takes place in major trade lanes/industrial areas. I wish there were more open space that was actually worth exploring, a bit like Freelancer or Elite: Dangerous. Thanks!

Compared to X3:

- Much better graphics
- Music as always in the X series has one of the best videogame music composers in the world still doing the tracks.
- You can actually WALK AROUND on every ship and every station in first person and watch battles unfold around you.
- Much worse performance (You need WAY higher pc specs than what the game recommends, in fact X4 may be the most cpu demanding game in existence, late game.)
- Balance is heavily in favor of spamming smaller ships or making battlestations. Capital ships really got the stick in X4. Except for the asgard battleship, with it's literal Deathstar main gun that kills anything in the game in one shot.
- A.I. is horrible. Beyond beyond beyond stupid. But there are mods that drastically improve it. X3's wasn't exactly brilliant either, but it's a downgrade in X4 somehow.

X4 can be really cool, and also horribly frustrating. Overall the good outweighs the bad and is worth playing, especially now after years of patches making the game a lot less buggy. (X series games are always unplayable on launch day, and need at least a year of patching.) You still really need a hell of a PC to play this game though, especially the best CPU you can get. The terrible A.I. in fleet battles will cripple performance, and eventually the game world will grow to the point where it chugs even with no battles happening due to the scale of the galactic economy being simulated.

[Flatcap]

I love X4 But I actually like X3AP more for some reason. Might be the nostalgia, might be the way they say Khak. Might be the unique ships and spending hours trying to get them.

[--T-a-u-r-u-s--]

To tour questions I would say yes
To all better

The exploring ther is nothing behind the zones just enemy's which will spawn in and some traders which you could capture

And lockboxes which contain some goods for Crafting

Yes ther are sub turrets,shields,engine on capitals which you can destroy

You can hack station to stop production, drop wears, disable weapons, etc. To help you in some ways

Build customisable station from basic production goods to final ship production

Now in my playthrough most faction are low on hull parts so no ships to build so they start losing to Xenon

[Zalym]

Originally posted by Valhalla Awaits:

...really cool, and also horribly frustrating...

I've played since X:3, and loved that game/expansions--I hated Rebirth. I've had X:4 for a while sitting idle. But as alluded to above, without a PC able to handle it well enough to enjoy.

But this quote could be the series' tagline for every review. :)

[DaLagga]

Originally posted by Oddible:

Forum search. This game has been out for years, this question has been answered probably 1000 times.

I did but the posts I found were old and didn't take into account all the updates and expansions.

[--T-a-u-r-u-s--]

One more thing just that missiles are duped down from X3 you can play with them and have fun just that sometimes you fill like they are useless

[DaLagga]

Originally posted by Wraith:

Economy is also real as well in X4 where ships need to be built instead of spawned in like X3.

That's good to hear. So if you cripple a faction's economy, eventually they won't be able to produce ships and stuff like that?

[Kalisa]

i prefer X3 for performance and certain mechanics over x4, the performance in x3 is vastly superior but there is a lack of endgame without mods in x3, tho there are pretty good mods that allow territory warfare as well that fill that gap, x4 still has some growing to do but it is fun and the mechanics are deeper in certain areas like targeting ship subsystems, controlling your fleets (tho it leaves allot to be desired still) and better economy managment, the walking in stations can get alittle tedious if your used to x3 but it allows better rp and story expression.
There are no jump drives in x4 like x3 has so moving ships around can also be allot slower, espically the bigger ones but the game doesnt rely on SETA like x3 does, has other mechanics to help mitigate that like the travel drive and space highways.
Also i certainly prefer the space station building in x4 allot more then X3 but the blueprint system does eventually make credits totally pointless later, unlike in x3 where you always need to pay to build a station, in x4 its just material cost once u get setup.
Also really miss asteroid mining bases in x3, in x4 u cant build stations on asteroids and need to rely on mining ships.

[Huillam]

X3 UI isn't that bad. It's overwhelming at first but once you get used to it you can do pretty much anything in a matter of seconds.
X4 UI is an abomination.