Going through some negative feedback while planning the next 4.0 update

[Tempest]

Thank you for your transparency and casual address Bernd,

i see you are doing small bits of " damage control/aftersales support" @ the steam-review section, unfortunatly most reviewers remain silent and w/o any feedback or simple response back.

not saying any platform should get some sort of special treatment, but people around here are atleast engaged and somewhat more involved. (talking about the 500+ post members for instance)



i'll try to squeeze a bit more hours out of CP2077 while waiting for COH, but it's honestly not worth a 2nd playtrough... itching to take the brand new 5800x for a spin in X4. (the performance thread we have on here looks promising)

[Tempest]

Personally for 5.0, I'd love to adress NPC uniforms to include dress code (e.g. ship captain use this uniform), faction colors and faction emblem. I think currently only player space suit do this

Edit: Especially with Terran DLC, it will be more and more hard to distinguish human faction NPC without proper uniforms.

been thinkin about, and wanting the same aswell. it seems simple enough *cough*. most uniforms are already there.

- e.g. Marines stood on the bridge in actual armor, looking like an actual "Marine"
- as you mentioned, something worthy of a captain
- shipwide-dresscode for crew, maybe something separate for service crew, could apply to ones stations aswell.

no more casual friday gear!, clothing not "optional" for Teladi! lol

[dtpsprt]

Personally for 5.0, I'd love to adress NPC uniforms to include dress code (e.g. ship captain use this uniform), faction colors and faction emblem. I think currently only player space suit do this

Edit: Especially with Terran DLC, it will be more and more hard to distinguish human faction NPC without proper uniforms.

been thinkin about, and wanting the same aswell. it seems simple enough *cough*. most uniforms are already there.

- e.g. Marines stood on the bridge in actual armor, looking like an actual "Marine"
- as you mentioned, something worthy of a captain
- shipwide-dresscode for crew, maybe something separate for service crew, could apply to ones stations aswell.

no more casual friday gear!, clothing not "optional" for Teladi! lol

Even though I agree I'd prefer something done for the Argon faces, they are simply unacceptable, dress code should come after that. In the dress code a good addition would be for the female Argons not to be dressed like nuns on duty!!!

[Roeleveld]

Personally for 5.0, I'd love to adress NPC uniforms to include dress code (e.g. ship captain use this uniform), faction colors and faction emblem. I think currently only player space suit do this

Edit: Especially with Terran DLC, it will be more and more hard to distinguish human faction NPC without proper uniforms.

been thinkin about, and wanting the same aswell. it seems simple enough *cough*. most uniforms are already there.

- e.g. Marines stood on the bridge in actual armor, looking like an actual "Marine"
- as you mentioned, something worthy of a captain
- shipwide-dresscode for crew, maybe something separate for service crew, could apply to ones stations aswell.

no more casual friday gear!, clothing not "optional" for Teladi! lol

Even though I agree I'd prefer something done for the Argon faces, they are simply unacceptable, dress code should come after that. In the dress code a good addition would be for the female Argons not to be dressed like nuns on duty!!!

For the dresscode, having the faction-logo displayed on the breast-pocket and back of the top would be nice.
And also on the helmet (if they wear one)

[Falcrack]

I still would like to se the trade computer from Rebirth. That was one of the best things Rebirth had in my opinion. The map is really limiting not being able to se more than one offer of a given ware without zooming in and out on and moving around the map. Framerates on the map are also pretty bad in the later stages of the game.

The trade computer list was really great. You instantly saw the best offer and how far away it was from selected ship. You saw the discount % of the offers and you saw all offers from stations with trade updates. On top of that, the whole list was searchable, filterable, sortable. Ofc the ship selection for the trade was a mess which should be improved and not be a list that you have to go through one by one to get to the right ship.

Agreed, the trade computer in Rebirth was one of the things really Rebirth did right, and I would love to see it make a return.

[warjager]

The more i read people experience, and the more i think that, the most serious flaw of the game, is at the core and basic of the universe economy..... the raw material! Basic material are everywhere and infinite!! no need to find some and no fear of lacking of. Faction dont have to fight for a resourcefull patch to play strategicly, and winning the upper hand in a war.. and so are the player! If ressource where random at game start and finite, there be a real deal with who can win and where to attack. Resource can ben finite yes... but can respawn at random outside the known bubble after X time, or something like that, and ence could be a reason for exploration too.

Because of this, player can no longer be an all mighty god that print money, cause if your ennemy have the ressource, even with billion, no ressource=no power! All this should also come with a dynamic faction relation. Help a faction, and there ennemy will be pissed at you. The game as it is now as no concequence for any action you take (unless you directly attack a faction). The bigger you are, the more you should be taken seriously by all the faction.

that was my 2cents

[dtpsprt]

The more i read people experience, and the more i think that, the most serious flaw of the game, is at the core and basic of the universe economy..... the raw material! Basic material are everywhere and infinite!! no need to find some and no fear of lacking of. Faction dont have to fight for a resourcefull patch to play strategicly, and winning the upper hand in a war.. and so are the player! If ressource where random at game start and finite, there be a real deal with who can win and where to attack. Resource can ben finite yes... but can respawn at random outside the known bubble after X time, or something like that, and ence could be a reason for exploration too.

Because of this, player can no longer be an all mighty god that print money, cause if your ennemy have the ressource, even with billion, no ressource=no power! All this should also come with a dynamic faction relation. Help a faction, and there ennemy will be pissed at you. The game as it is now as no concequence for any action you take (unless you directly attack a faction). The bigger you are, the more you should be taken seriously by all the faction.

that was my 2cents

+1 to that

[Gavrushka]

Although I agree with the boundless resource issue, I think we all appreciate it's a discussion that isn't going to lead to changing the gas/ore infinite availability throughout the galaxy, and changing its distribution would be a massive irritation for current players.

...But here's the thing. - In any war situation, the first thing the enemy tries to do is cut your supply chains. -Now if that were to happen in game, it may be, at the very least, a nuisance for the player. - Imagine a dozen enemy scout ships filled with mines emptying their content around resource probes or simply targeting resource probes or even mining drones. - Enemy fleet raids against outlying mining operations when they're poorly defended, followed by a quick withdrawal before the player can react...

And I too did love the trade system in Rebirth, where a purchase and sale were married into one interaction. - With the functionality of the current UI, imagine the degree of flexibility which could be incorporated into enhancing the trading function. And didn't ships need antimatter cells for moving at speed or am I just imagining that? If not, why in the name of god was it removed from X4?

[aurelcourt]

The more i read people experience, and the more i think that, the most serious flaw of the game, is at the core and basic of the universe economy..... the raw material! Basic material are everywhere and infinite!! [...]

+1 to the general idea yes !

Maybe not a "most serious flaw", but definitely something worth a thought, and with a lot of cool side effects :

- prospector ships
- buying prospecting maps to AI
- actually defending a good mining spot (or hiring private escort if you play more on the tycoon style)
- having to escort material convoys because they'd be a really critical resource, and probably be far away from the main high-tier factories / Shipyards
- having XL ore/gas transporters (because you won't build a whole factory chain on the spot if the resource is finite
- relocating the mining base after a while

- ... and many more that'd bring a lot of immersion to the game too

[jlehtone]

Basic material are everywhere and infinite!! no need to find some and no fear of lacking of. Faction dont have to fight for a resourcefull patch to play strategicly, and winning the upper hand in a war.. and so are the player!

...But here's the thing. - In any war situation, the first thing the enemy tries to do is cut your supply chains. -Now if that were to happen in game, it may be, at the very least, a nuisance for the player.

ZYA does suffer from resource shortage. "Their resources" are either in enemy space or far from Wharfs and "behind enemy", and their logistics does not blacklist the suicidal routes. The enemy (#79B and #598) does cut the supply line quite predictably.

But ZYA is only an exception. The Xenon do not act "intentionally". Cutting the ZYA supply is a mere side-effect of normal Xenon activity. Although, I'd guess that the result is intentional by the devs.

Therefore, I would focus on the AI logic. It does not matter much that resources are infinite, if your enemies do actively block your access to them. The current AI can't nor does it protect its own access.

[terodil]

Therefore, I would focus on the AI logic. It does not matter much that resources are infinite, if your enemies do actively block your access to them. The current AI can't nor does it protect its own access.

I agree with this. Making resources finite would introduce a hard limit to game duration and artifical time pressure -- both of which I don't like, at all; I like long games and I like being able to take my time. Enemies blocking off access to infinite resources is a much better gameplay element, as it does not limit the game itself, but introduces an extra challenge.

[warjager]

Therefore, I would focus on the AI logic. It does not matter much that resources are infinite, if your enemies do actively block your access to them. The current AI can't nor does it protect its own access.

I agree with this. Making resources finite would introduce a hard limit to game duration and artifical time pressure -- both of which I don't like, at all; I like long games and I like being able to take my time. Enemies blocking off access to infinite resources is a much better gameplay element, as it does not limit the game itself, but introduces an extra challenge.

When i sed finite, i didnt mean REALLY finite, cause with the dynamic economy of the game, this isnt really an option cause everything could crash and stop. I ment finite like you must move somewhere else to find another plentyfull resource patch. Kind of a dynamic switching mining spot. How to implement this is up for discution. And i know that player love also the infinite ressource of this game, so why not just use a toggle in a new game start where you chose finite or infinite ressource? this way, everyone's happy!

[Graaf]

But adding a faction that has no free access to resource and who is entirely reliant of the player to supply them is IMHO not a challenge, but bad design.

[GCU Grey Area]

But adding a faction that has no free access to resource and who is entirely reliant of the player to supply them is IMHO not a challenge, but bad design.

Have you actually tried it? Playing as ZYA in my current game & having a great deal of fun. It is a challenge to maintain access for ZYA miners to the resources their faction needs, while simultaneously fending off Argon forces to the east. Personally think it's quite nicely balanced for players who like such things. Small amounts of everything in Family Nhuut, which is relatively easy to hold; significantly more in Family Zhin, but the Xenon are MUCH more of an issue there. Really loving this particular start. Would be far less interesting if all the resources were in Zyarth's Dominion instead. Very glad of the decisions they made when they were designing this part of the map.

[jlehtone]

i know that player love also the infinite ressource of this game, so why not just use a toggle in a new game start where you chose finite or infinite ressource? this way, everyone's happy!

So, by ticking a checkbox the NPC factions either have predictable access to resources or not. How would you test that the latter scenario does not burst into orbit? Nobody likes exploding simulations. (Except those K-game players ...)

It is a challenge to maintain access for ZYA miners to the resources their faction needs, while simultaneously fending off Argon forces to the east. Personally think it's quite nicely balanced for players who like such things.

For those who like, yes. How about the ones, who do not like and therefore will not babysit ZYA, but still want to trade with ZYA "later"? Have-and-eat the cake?

Would be far less interesting if all the resources were in Zyarth's Dominion instead. Very glad of the decisions they made when they were designing this part of the map.

Agreed. (I don't play as ZYA, but do like nevertheless.)

[GCU Grey Area]

It is a challenge to maintain access for ZYA miners to the resources their faction needs, while simultaneously fending off Argon forces to the east. Personally think it's quite nicely balanced for players who like such things.

For those who like, yes. How about the ones, who do not like and therefore will not babysit ZYA, but still want to trade with ZYA "later"? Have-and-eat the cake?

Fair question. Critical point however is that "later". A lot depends on how much later. Do have a few days at the start of a new game when the Xenon seem fairly passive in that region (at least they did in my game). Trade is certainly possible during that period. After that point it would still definitely help keep ZYA in the game (though would be somewhat riskier), particularly if they've lost access to their own mineral/gas resources & are reliant on imports. Would recommend anyone who wants to trade with ZYA should do so & consider doing it sooner rather than later, even if they don't want to intervene militarily. Think it does all help. Even supporting other factions who trade with ZYA can have a knock-on effect.

[Tilen]

Can we expect faction AI improvements?

For example, factions actively pursuing enemies in their sector and actively defending their stations. Factions reacting more?

Can we expect the AI to be more strategic in its expansion? For example, deciding to take over a sector and actively moving its forces there to attack any enemies in it.

In general, can we expect this war to be more like war and less like the human immune system under a microscope?

[Graaf]

Have you actually tried it?

No because I haven't played after Dec 29, 2018. The game was boring and uninteresting and no patch notes made it look like that changed. More like the opposite. And I'm not going to spend more money on an already overpriced game to gat more base content. It's not my fault that due to their poor choice of game design they have problems in getting content available, and I'm certainly not paying extra for that.

[Slashman]

Have you actually tried it?

No because I haven't played after Dec 29, 2018. The game was boring and uninteresting and no patch notes made it look like that changed. More like the opposite. And I'm not going to spend more money on an already overpriced game to gat more base content. It's not my fault that due to their poor choice of game design they have problems in getting content available, and I'm certainly not paying extra for that.

Wait. You haven't played the game in 2 whole years???? What and how can you give advice and direction to a thing you have no idea what state it is in?

And why are you even trying? What do you think they will change at this stage to make you come back to the game? I'd just move on were I you. Not that I expect you to take my advice or anything. I just don't get it.

[1eskimo]

For the record, I wish to say that X4 in its current state is the best incarnation of the space sandbox I've yet seen from any of the previous iterations. I particularly wish to applaud the genius of the pause button in X4. It freezes time but does not freeze your actions. You can use it to bypass many problems of menu complexity and ship management. Fighter squadron groups in X4 are more effective than in any X game before but they require micro just like a proper RTS. The pause button allows for you to consider actions, ensure the AI is in the right place, all without having superhuman APM values. It is a relaxed way to handle massive combat. Alternatively, you can just mix it up yourself in your combat ships of any size. I routinely use this pause feature to pinpoint subsystem target and to manage boarding operations.

It is the craftsmanship in this game that is most impressive to me and the dedication of the team at Egosoft has created a world that exists nowhere else. I can walk out of my docked fighter on my custom modded rattlesnake and watch as the turrets swing and track targets all around. This capability exists nowhere else and few companies have even attempted a project of such scope. Today, I have written a favorable review of your game on steam and have purchased gift copies to friends that would most certainly enjoy it.

Team members of Egosoft, the quality of your game is beyond question and the effort you invest in its improvement shows remarkable devotion to your craft. You have made something beautiful here.

-Eskimo
Professional Lurker since the days of X2