How do I make this game fun?

[Zoltan]

I purchased the whole package after all the rumors that the devs improved the game a lot and I have only played 12 hours. There was a steep learning curve as it does not play like other space games.

I have the first ship with 3 other crew and have been upgrading. But I am finding myself in a boring recycled grind. Every station is almost the same except for their looks and the type of resources. The quests are repetitive. I don't feel like I am discovering anything new when I visit a new station. Its like a galaxy full of repetitiveness?

What am I doing wrong and how do I make this game fun before I regret all my time spent on the game before dying of boredom. I was excited when I started this game.

[fiese Fee™]

Build your own stations to rule them all.

[Zoltan]

I have not even found blueprints yet to build a station.

Did I start with the wrong campaign? Should I have started with a campaign from the latest DLC? I just assumed I would learn first from the basics with expectations of starting over if needed from a better campaign.

[arrak]

Originally posted by Zoltan:

I have not even found blueprints yet to build a station..

First search for rods radiating elektric bolts, in station plating. Be in "scanning mode".
Those are "mission beacons". ( At most the third found rod. Usually the first)
Aproach slowly. When within a certain distance, you get video radio'd and should get
HQ mission.

Research your wanted production node you want most, when you have HQ.
Red orb in plating (radiating electricity), will only give a blueprint, if you have
researched that node type you're scanning red orb at.

To save search time, etc ... if you want blueprint, buy an Orb gun.
Close to wanted station production node, leave ship in space suit and aproach.
Switch from repair laser to Orb gun.
That creates 3 orbs on station you have to slowly aproach in "scanning mode" so
"auto scan" happens for blueprints at 3'rd scanned orb.

I would recomend that you first research "teleport 1" before doing that action.

Edit: You have to Craft Orbs at the crafting station, to have ammo for orb gun

[Belteguesian]

Originally posted by Zoltan:

I have not even found blueprints yet to build a station.

Did I start with the wrong campaign? Should I have started with a campaign from the latest DLC? I just assumed I would learn first from the basics with expectations of starting over if needed from a better campaign.

OK.. Stations are modular, in any campaign you have the basic blueprints to built a basic Station.

The key word is basic. Do not expect much from it.

Blueprints you can buy from faction reps if you have both the correct reputation (at least for some of them) and the amount of money for it.

You can also "steal" blueprints if you do the PHQ plot and research hacking for blueprints. Then you can steal almost whatever you like, except Shipyards and Equipment Docks that are not "stealable" and require +20 rep with a faction to be able to buy them.

As for which gamestart? It hardly matters, except with the Terran ones that you get the PHQ in a different way.
The ships that you start in each and every one of them are basic, don't expect much from them, except for the Accomplished Scientist and the Unworthy Enterpreneur. To get these though you must first start a game and finish the PHQ for the first, or build a station for the second.

As a rule of thumb the main game gamestarts are the ones anybody should use to get used to X4, while the DLC ones are for more advanced players.

[fNarkos]

Start with running ALL the tutorials. Although some plots are holding your hand at the start they leave much to discover on your own, by trial and error, or by searching the internet. This is a giant sandbox game!

[ZeroAffex]

Originally posted by Zoltan:

Every station is almost the same except for their looks and the type of resources.

This actually comes up quite a bit and it's explained in the lore why stations all sorta look alike. It's not because Devs were lazy or anything like that, there's actually lore behind it. Here's a very generic, slightly spoiler'y response for you if you are curious; Everything you'll come across is mostly by Teladi design as they are the ones who supplied the commonwealth through 'informational exchange' their technological advancement for all sorts of aspects of space-faring from station building/docks to even engines/shields/weapons. Of course, over time each faction has added their own flavor and appearance to make it more unique to their faction but you can still see a lot of the similarities from the original Teladi designs that they use everywhere you go.

As for your other concerns, you're only 12 hours in.. You may think you have seen all there is and have a good grasp on all that can be done in the game but trust me, you're not even at the tip of the iceberg!

X games aren't structured. You will need to carve out your own path in the universe. I'd suggest coming up with some basic goals for yourself and starting there.

Here's a few play style archetypes I'd consider if I were you;

• Building your own empire and ruling over a bunch of your own sectors with an iron fist that has unmatched naval supremacy and defense platforms that make the Death Star seem like childsplay.
  
• Become a legendary trader with massive fleets/trading stations that supply the universe with goods that is beloved by all. You can also take a more nefarious approach and force the universe into a monopoly controlled by none other as you starve out competition until you're the last one standing.
  
• Start your own criminal empire making cold hard creds through casino's, piracy, smuggling and stolen goods--especially stolen ships which can be recycled into your fleets or sold.
  
• Take revenge and become a Xenon hunter--driving back their forces and recapturing commonwealth sectors.
  
• Go into the shipbuilding business, cranking out ships and ship components for your allies to purchase and use as if you were Henry Ford re-incarnated always trying to push the limits on productivity, efficiency and most importantly, profitability. May even have to start a war or two just because the money is so good!
  
• Become a legendary bounty hunter or simply "the law" that would make Wyatt Earp proud, going after the worst offenders either by yourself or with the company of your own hand selected, battle hardened crew to bring justice throughout the universe.
  
• Go with a "Friend in High Places" approach and help out your favorite faction become the most powerful in the known universe by doing their bidding, fighting their wars and providing them all the essentials for their economy to boom.
  
• Become the most legendary drug dealer in the entire universe that makes Pablo Escobar seem like an amateur creating your own drug empire to produce, grow and manufacture your own space drugs while taking down rival competition, avoiding the law and coming up with new ways smuggle your dope and avoid detection.
  
• And anything else you can think up! The only real limitation is your own creativity.

I can continue but am going to stop. You get the idea. There's a gazzilion different ways to play these games. If you were expecting a more mainstream, hand holding approach with on the rails stories and missions, you'll be disappointed. As others said, it's more of a space sandbox than anything. You can find missions and even story archs to explore but the focus is on you and your own universe. The beauty of X4 is basically anything you can dream up can be done, you just need to figure out how to do it.

So my advice, is think big, start small and take it slow. There's no rush. There's no finish line. There's no penalty for taking too long. And remember: It's not so much the destination that's important, but the journey!

Hopefully this helps clear some things up for you. If you find yourself stumped or need any advice or help, don't hesitate to reach out to the community. Have a great rest of your weekend pilot!

[SpaceToast]

Game is boring due to lack of any real threat to the player.

[Micheal]

Originally posted by SpaceToast:

Game is boring due to lack of any real threat to the player.

LOL couldn't be more wrong. Ignore this one. There is certainly plenty of threat to the player.

[vincentf563]

Im having alot of fun after I got my Research station from Bosa Ta, I made it into a mega shipyard that has all the wares overstocked so they can be sold off to make money. Im constantly tweaking that. And I'm constantly acquiring new blueprints to do missions that require fleet delivery. The storylines require a lot of money so I set the shipyard to unrestricted and it automatically makes money. Missions are fun. Leveling up pilots and crew are fun. Acquiring parts for mods is fun once you get the research station and can mod your ships. Its a great game im hooked on it. If you just run and gun its boring like he said but if you shoot a while trade a while and build a while its really fun. I really liked X3 but this is way more fun than that ever could be IMO

[vincentf563]

Originally posted by Grumpy:

Originally posted by Micheal:

LOL couldn't be more wrong. Ignore this one. There is certainly plenty of threat to the player.

LoL there isn't. Anything I need destroyed I send my fleet of 50 Bohemoths.

I got 25 for Xenon station smashing lol

[bloodymonarch]

Originally posted by Grumpy:

Originally posted by Micheal:

LOL couldn't be more wrong. Ignore this one. There is certainly plenty of threat to the player.

LoL there isn't. Anything I need destroyed I send my fleet of 50 Bohemoths.

Yes, once you get to the "end game" and have infinite fleets of doom, you will potentially get bored. That is why there are so many ways to play the game. Like it's a sandbox or something... Anyway, just start a new game start and play a different way. Restrict your conquest to only a certain faction's equipment. Something. Just make it fun for yourself, all the toys are there.

At the end of the day, there's always Star Wars Interworlds. I've been wanting to try it out myself, but I want to wait for 6.0 to come out and for them to update it to that.

[Antearz]

Originally posted by Zoltan:

I purchased the whole package after all the rumors that the devs improved the game a lot and I have only played 12 hours. There was a steep learning curve as it does not play like other space games.

I have the first ship with 3 other crew and have been upgrading. But I am finding myself in a boring recycled grind. Every station is almost the same except for their looks and the type of resources. The quests are repetitive. I don't feel like I am discovering anything new when I visit a new station. Its like a galaxy full of repetitiveness?

What am I doing wrong and how do I make this game fun before I regret all my time spent on the game before dying of boredom. I was excited when I started this game.

Before anything else let me get something out of the Way.
For Stuff to Happen in the X Universe. It can take 10-20-50-100 Hours etc.
And something many New Players Miss is the Option to Build the Sinza Time Accelerator.
This thing basicly allows You to let the World Run on Fast Forward.
With that You can Skip Long Automated Flights for example.
But most of all. You can let the Universe Run Forward so Big Events in the Background Simulation start to Happen. Like Big Wars and Alien Invasions etc.

So if You dont have that. Look up a Tutorial on how to get it.
Its Really an Must Have Part of the Game. I got no Idea why they did not Add it as a Starting item....


With that out of the Way lets Talk about what You can do in the Game to have Fun.
It Depends Greatly on what You Expect from the Game and what You find Fun to do Really.

Let me List You the Usual Stuff People do in X4

1.
You can Play the Different Campaigns.
Unlike the Standard Missions which are Basicly Common Duties to be taken care off.
The Campaigns Generally have some more Fleshed out Missions that can be Played with more Variety.


2.
You said You only got 1 Ship with 3 Crew Yet.
That means You likely have not done much aside from just Grinding Missions right ?
But most Activities and Especially the ones that are more Profitable are actually Free Activities.
2.1
Space Trucking.
Funny enough this is something alot of People love doing.
Looking for Trade Goods and basicly Buy and Sell Goods.
Checking Cheap Producers and Generous Consumers to get a Big Margin while Flying around and Trading.
2.2
Mining
Again one of the things many People do for whatever reason.
Mining in Asteroid Belts for Ressources and Sell these.
2.3
Earning Bounties.
If You got a Module to Track Bounties You can get Paid for Killing Alien and Pirate Ships.
This is also a Great Way to learn how to Fly Properly in X4
2.4
Exploration.
You said its a Universe of Repetition.
But actually there is ALOT of Hidden Stuff in this Universe.
I mean dont get me wrong. But from Specific Rare Crystals on Asteroids to be found in certain Asteroid Belts down to Secret Bases in Gas Clouds or even outside the Map and even entire Ships and Cut Off Systems can be Found.
There is Crabtons of Stuff that can be found if One Looks Closer and does not just Rely on the Map and the Things that Readily turn on their Transponders to make their Presence known.
2.5
Piracy
Not much different from General Combat. Except that You try to Find Booty away from the Authorities and Steal it. Killing Transports and having an NPC Crewed Transport Ship to then take the Stolen Goods to Sell at a Pirate Station.
""Warning"" You need to have Reputation with Pirates and Actually Find the Pirate Stations First.


3.
But as mentioned briefly above.
The Really Big thing in X4 is actually the Empire Building.
Building Stations and Entire Production Chains and Ressource Extraction Outposts.
Having a Whole Armada under your Command and Conquering or Buying Your own Sector.
Fortifying it and Developing it.
Building a Trade Empire or an Empire at War.
Or even a Pirate Empire if You want. Albeit on Empire Scale that just ends up an Empire at War again xD
3.1
Of Course You can also Stay Short of that and just Command your Fleet and Assets as Part of one of the Existing Empires. Trying to Expand their Influence instead.


4.
And well. Then there is the more Tricky Parts.
X4 Actually has a Giant Background Simulation. The Universe is Actually pretty Alive.
And Factions will have Wars between themselves and with Aliens.
Sectors Changing Hands and Aliens trying to Eradicate Humanity etc etc etc.
You can actually meddle in this as well and try to Provoke certain Actions like this.
For example if You Supply Ressources Required for Station Building to a Faction they can Expand into new Sectors.
Likewise if You Destroy certain Ressources of a Faction You can Severely Weaken them etc.
You can also Conquer Alien Sectors or Reconquer Sectors the Factions lost to Aliens.
And after some Time they will try to Reclaim it.
(Supplying them with Ressources Speeds this up alot)

[NoDMoD]

Originally posted by Zoltan:

What am I doing wrong and how do I make this game fun before I regret all my time spent on the game before dying of boredom. I was excited when I started this game.

If that's the way you feel already in the beginning, it probably won't change.
Every game is like this. If you don't enjoy doing it, you won't enjoy doing the same grind for 200 hours.

[Low Standards]

Originally posted by Grumpy:

The most fun you will have is at the beginning where you have to do things yourself. After you get other ships to do things for you there will be nothing worth doing. At that point it becomes boring micromanagement. Once you include bugs and all stupid decisions about the game you realize that it's not a game for everyone.

NOT many people like this game. I am still playing/evaluating this game, but I also think I know why this will never be popular. Simply put, it is a multi-genre game that is great at nothing.

At first, the game tries to be like Privateer or Elite Dangerous, but gets nowhere close in terms of exploration, or combat, or graphics.

Second, it slowly tries to turn into an RPG with larger story elements, but again, does it very porrly compared to it's peers. Strangely if you can find the story missions they give away free ships, free starting bases, etc. This defeats the sandbox mode.

Then it turns into a strategy trading game like Anno 1880 or The Guild. And here we go again. It doesn't do this very well at all.

Finally it tries to become a large scale RTS. For this, just play the amazing Empire At War and all it's DLC and expansion.

And let me not get started talking about how much of a time suck this game is.

Somehow, people like this game and I am curious as to why? That is why I am playing it right now.

[lefty1117]

It's a strange game, janky and with a lot of different subsystems to learn, not great explanation of them, graphics are good in certain views but the character models are not very good :)

But there is something about it... I have played it a few times off and on over the last years but for some reason trying it out with the new Beta has just really grabbed me. I'm totally sucked into it right now. I didn't cheat or exploit, but one thing I did do was get a couple of small mining ships as soon as I had money, and set them to work mining silicon in Oort cloud. That's a steady stream of about 160k every 10-15 minutes or so. before I knew it I had a couple million. Then I bought a couple of medium size miners and with a fleet of 4 I had a several million credits in no time. That really opened things up for me in terms of doing the PHQ storyline and the terran stories because you do need a significant amount (relative to a new player) of money to upgrade your ship, or acquire components, or fund the station etc.

But you don't have to grind anything .. you can put the AI to work for you, and that's what I find really intriguing about the game.

Thing happened last night - I had a callisto trader get held up by a pirate. I told him to dump the cargo and move on. But then I took two scouts that I had who were exploring sectors for me (both acquired by doing various storyline missions) and assigned them to defend the trader. The next time that trader was pirated, I told them to fight and they took him out. Pretty cool.