X-Universe News Issue 21 is currently winging its way to subscribers. As well as announcing the 1.4 patch for X³: Reunion, and the two demos, rolling and playable, it also includes information about a rather special mod for X³ which may please those who miss the cockpit view from X²: The Threat.

Imp.-'s "Callback Mod" not only re-introduces the cockpits from X², but also adds 8 new cockpits for Argon ships designed by Imp.- himself. You can read more about the mod in an interview with its author in the X-Universe News. You can find the mod itself on the Bonus Material download page.

For those of you who have been awaiting a playable demo before taking the plunge, or even just those who would like a slightly gentler introduction to the game, the wait is over. This playable demo walks you through key game concepts in a limited game universe. Don't imagine that it will all be plain sailing though. The deadly Kha'ak will be there too and you will have to contend with their presence while you learn about the other aspects of the game.

The playable demo can be downloaded from the Demo Download Page.

Note that we have updated the demo setup file to include a fix for a "File Not Found" issue. If you have the old version of the demo, please download the hotfix from the demo download page.

The 1.4 update for X³ provides some new game features as well as improving on those added in 1.3 and fixing a variety of problems experienced by some players in different parts of the game. For those who have been playing the 1.3.1 and 1.3.2 BETA versions, the even better news is that savegames from these versions are compatible with 1.4.

New features:

- Tug Laser allows M6/TL class ships to move stations using a tractor beam
- New commands for automated mobile mining are available through the Special Command Software
- New option to have ships contact you once they have completed their current command

Other improvements:

- If a hired TL freighter is destroyed an entry in your logbook will be created
- New military ships have better scanners
- M6 class ships have better energy generators
- Improved performance in sectors with large asteroid counts
- Additional graphics options to help improve performance on lower-end graphics cards

A more detailed list, which also includes the various bug-fixes, is available in the readme file that comes with the update and in the comment thread for this news article. You will also find several mirrors there in case the link in our Downloads area is overloaded.

Note: Savegame compatibility is maintained from all previous publicly released versions to 1.4, including public BETA versions 1.3.1 and 1.3.2.