X³: Reunion
Encyclopedia
X³: Reunion is a single-player space trading and combat game developed by Egosoft
and published by Deep Silver. It is the third installment in the X universe adventure
video game series and the sequel to X²: The Threat
(2003
), which in turn followed X: Beyond the Frontier
(1999
). X³: Reunion was released on October 28, 2005 for Windows
PCs
, Linux
and Mac OS X
and on November 4, 2005 in North America. The game has been ported to Linux
and Mac OS X
; Mac OS X
for release in August 2007
; the Linux
version followed on December 5 2008
. The X series is often compared to the classic Elite, in that these first-person
space adventure
games focus on trade
and exploration
, as well as combat
.
X³: Reunion began as project X²: The Return, Egosofts planned extension
for X²: The Threat. However, as the project advanced, it soon outgrew the constraints of the X² Engine. In April 2005, Egosoft announced that X²: The Return was cancelled and that the game, using the new X³ Engine, would become X³: Reunion. A month later, they demonstrated the power of the "X³ Reality Engine" in May's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), stunning industry insiders with high-definition moving renders of space stations, planets and other scenes. X³ was released five months later in October.
It quickly emerged that a number of flaws existed in the retail version of X³ - including a bug
which prevented the player from completing the game. Egosoft quickly released a series of patches
to fix it, but some reviewers and players remained critical, suggesting Egosoft had released the game before it was ready.
Egosoft have continued to expand and develop this game since release, adding new ships and equipment, a new kind of station as well as new modding
tools, and a new series of missions. New material for this game - official and fan made - is frequently released through Egosoft's official website.
to give highly detailed renders of ships and stations, along with photo-realistic planets and a host of new effects, including lighting, shadow and reflection. Graphically, Egosoft redesigned everything from scratch. The stations are restructured, larger and more detailed. Few contain the internal docking ports of the prior games, instead featuring external docking clamps. Ship sizes have been redesigned according to a logical scale. Egosoft ensured a pilot would actually fit in their cockpit, and that a carrier vessel was actually large enough to carry a given number of ships. As such, ships and stations are noticeably different in size from prior games.
The HUD
has also been altered. Egosoft removed non-functional internal cockpit graphics, giving the player a largely unobstructed view of space. There are now markers over game objects such as ships, stations and large asteroids, and each object is selectable by a simple mouse click, or through a keyboard or controller. X³ uses a new interface designed to be faster, more user friendly, and compatible with a console
controller. The game carries over many of the same short-cut keys
from previous games, but now the mouse too can be used for functions including menu navigation, target selection, flying and combat.
The economy has been redesigned to be more sophisticated, with non-player ships now in direct competition with the player. New tools have been added to help the player compete in the X-Universe, including a new way of linking factories together into complexes which can be self-sustaining
to varying degrees. There are also new in-game software products that allow a player to automate operations. In addition, Egosoft presents the player with a number of new scripting tools encouraging computer literate
players to write their own functions into the game. This is further supported through Egosoft's scripts and Modding forum, where players share ideas.
Combat AI
is improved, and enemy behavior redesigned. Many pirates now travel in gangs, often heavily armed, making them much more threatening than in earlier games. There are also smugglers, pirates who remain hidden until their cargo is scanned for contraband
wares. There are now pirate missions available to the player, as well as a new pirate faction, known as the Yaki. Xenon and Kha'ak remain the primary antagonists; both races are entirely hostile and will often mount full scale sector invasions.
Status has far more relevance than in previous games. Now, many kinds of weapon, ship, and factory are not purchasable until the player has earned sufficient reputation with the vendor race. With some races, reputation can be earned through trade; with others, the player must earn respect by killing unwanted visitors in the race's space - such as pirates, Khaak, or Xenon. Some races appreciate both. By choosing to be an upstanding citizen, the player can earn the right to buy powerful new weapons, ships and technologies. By engaging in piracy, destruction, smuggling or other crime
the player may lose reputation, and so may lose the privilege to buy things. The persistent wrongdoer may lose the right to land at stations, or even to enter sectors, being attacked on sight. Eventually, the player may find it impossible to buy many of the game's most powerful ships, weapons and technologies (although such things may still be possible to acquire through less orthodox means).
By X³, the X-Universe consists of around 160 sectors connected by two-way jumpgates. The main area of each sector typically contains several stations and up to four gates. The game is open-ended, allowing the player to go where they like, when they like, doing whatever they like; a player is limited only by their in-game status and resources. As such, a driving force of the game is to acquire credits, (the universal currency) and status.
The game contains numerous races. Status affects how individuals in different races respond to the player and what kind of missions are offered. A player's status is categorised according to "Mercantile" skill, "Combat" skill and a "Notoriety" ranking for each race.
Using credits, a player can buy wares from stations. These wares may be used, or flown to another station where they can be sold, ideally for a profit. However, prices vary depending on demand; the less of a ware there is, the higher its price. As such, the X-Universe has a truly dynamic market-driven economy
. A player can capitalise on emergent
trends, meeting demand to make vast profits, or as easily, can waste money and time on a bad cargo choice. In X³, many NPC
ships have the same plan, and the player can easily miss their intended market if another ship arrives first.
As a player builds profits they can buy equipment, weapons, ships, and even their own factories.
Factory stations consume power and resources to produce products
, which can then be sold into the X economy. If the product is rare, and the resources are cheap and plentiful, the factory can make profit. If not, it is possible to lose money. By filling a gap in the economy, a player can make solid and consistent profit through a factory. However, X³s economy is self-adjusting; NPCs are able to build factories and can similarly profit. As such, X³ has the most advanced, realistic, and arguably the most competitive economy of all the X games.
The player can acquire an unlimited number of ships and stations, of varying size, shape and function. Starting with little, the player can build their empire, set their own goals, and choose their own path in how they wish to shape the universe.
X³: Reunion picks up where X² left off — the Kha'ak are assaulting all areas of the X Universe, and Julian's father, Kyle, is still in a coma after being rescued from the Kha'ak. The player is then involved in an intricate plot, revealing the reason for the Kha'ak attack, the quest to open a portal to Earth with special gem artifacts, the introduction of a mysterious alien race, Kyle's re-awakening, and the arrival of Terran (Earth) forces into the X Universe.
A mysterious alien only referred to as "Sargon" manipulates events during the story. Julian is tasked with finding three crystals and an artifact referred to as the "seed" in order to help open a gate to Earth by the Goner named Ion. During the storyline, he meets the pirate Don Toni Marani and his daughter, who help in later missions. Ion attempts to run off with the artifacts when he gets them, and reveals during his capture he was being manipulated by Sargon. Kyle re-awakens from his coma, though his brain waves are still linked to the Kha'ak, leading them to open another an assault in Paranid space, and the Argon Federation to declare him an enemy to appease the Paranid.
Julian is marked an enemy of the Argon Federation in hopes to avoid a war with the Paranid, who accuse Julian of committing crimes in their territory. The Paranid are revealed to have provoked the Kha'ak into attacking the races of the X-Universe, when one of their scouting missions found their home world. The Paranid are also found to have been strip mining the valuable Nividium asteroids, which further anger the Kha'ak as they make their homes from the Nividium material. The mined Nividium alongside synthesised versions of the artifacts were being fashioned into jump gates, which the Paranid hoped to manipulate the economy with.
A gate to Earth is opened, which Kyle passes through, causing the Kha'ak to be aware of it. They attempt to go through it and fight through a combined Teladi, Boron and Argon fleet led by Ban Danna, inflicting large casualties. Julian and Ion try to stabilise the gate with the Teladi station, which sends both of them through it, killing Ion. Julian manages to survive and finds himself floating at a gate near Earth, with a massive fleet moving towards him. The Terran fleet arrives with Kyle and Julian on board through the jump hole and helps the overwhelmed defenders against the Kha'ak. The Terrans afterwards show their distrust towards the X Universe races, even the Argon humans, prompting Kyle to return to Earth to try to sort out the situation. Julian is released, pardoned of his crimes by the Argon Federation and the Paranid Empire, and the player is left to play in the post-plot universe.
.
After his arrival at Argon Prime, Julian is contacted by his old friend Ban Danna of the Argon Secret Service
. Danna informs him that the Argon military has suffered heavy losses in their war with the Kha'ak, and asks Julian to help in training some new pilots. Julian agrees and soon a series of events unfold, leading Julian to hunt down the seeds, ancient alien artifacts that may hold the key to making jump-gates, and allow a reunion with the lost planet Earth
.
For X³s plot, Egosoft hired an experienced game and TV writer, Andrew S. Walsh.
), "all very stylish and sharp" (IGN
), and "by far the most visually impressive game at the booth." (The Inquirer
)
.
PC Zone
hailed it as "one of the few games that has the power to engage your imagination with pretty pictures, then actually live up to your imaginings when you get your hands on it". and GameZone
gave it "Editor's Choice", calling it "a bona fide winner". However, GameSpy
asked "How much slack can you give a game that in many ways manages to achieve [its] lofty goal, but buries it under a painfully incomplete implementation?". Reviewers complained of low frame rates, frequent crashes
, and bugs that made it impossible to complete the game; "the game was simply unplayable out of the box". "[I]t's not that X³ is a bad game, or that it isn't fun - it just isn't done." Complaints were also made about its complicated interface, exacerbated by an unhelpful manual which references "features and options that aren't even in the final version".
On the review aggregator Game Rankings
, the game has an average score of 75% based on 39 reviews. On Metacritic
, the game has an average score of 71 out of 100, based on 32 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.
and an improved manual through their official website that addressed the issues. "Three patches on," Computer Gaming World
's Matt Peckham
wrote: "[S]omething nigh-miraculous occurred: With doubled performance and many of the mission-busting bugs fixed, X³ evolved from a Byzantine hodgepodge to an actually accessible, massively multiform space sim. The bottom line: It's back on my hard drive, this time to stay".
In November/December 2006, the game was re-released, patched up to version 2.0. This release also included the Bala Gi Expansion.
, first to resolve problems and later to add new features, expanding the game.
The game itself was relaunched as a budget PC DVD-ROM titled X³ Reunion 2.0. The re-release has the 2.0 patch already applied, and contains no trace of StarForce Copy Protection
.
Trading Stations are usually found in every established sector. They each have a list of wares which they buy and sell at a fixed price. Equipment docks are trading stations which are aimed at the distribution of ship upgrades and equipment. They trade in missiles, lasers, shields, software and upgrades. All types of ships can dock at an equipment dock. Wares in both stations gradually deplete over time, ensuring a steady demand for higher-tier goods.
Shipyards sell ships and stations to the player. The player can sell and repair their ships at shipyards.
Pirate bases are located around the X-universe. The player can buy and sell illegal goods in these stations. The player can also hire a hacker to change stations from hostile to friendly, allowing the player's ships to dock at stations they would not normally be able to trade with.
There are a handful of special stations which do not produce any goods. These are used in the plot.
traders can specialise in one or more classes of ware and provide factories with their resources. Unlike previous games in the X-Series, NPC traders are not owned by a single factory or station, but are instead all freelance traders, looking for the best trade runs between stations.
Steam online content delivery system. The Steam version includes the most recent 2.5 patch and has the StarForce
copy protection system removed.
and Xbox
. However, shortly before release it was announced that the Xbox version had been cancelled. No Xbox version is available.
, which includes all of the games from the X Series.
Egosoft
Egosoft is a computer game developer founded in 1988 and based in Würselen, Germany. It became a commercial company in 1990. Its first products were for the Amiga, but it later became a PC game developer....
and published by Deep Silver. It is the third installment in the X universe adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
video game series and the sequel to X²: The Threat
X²: The Threat
X²: The Threat is a computer game developed by Egosoft for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It is part of the X Computer Game Series. It was released in 2003 and is a sequel to X: Beyond the Frontier...
(2003
2003 in video gaming
-Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame....
), which in turn followed X: Beyond the Frontier
X: Beyond the Frontier
X-Tension was released as an expansion to X:BTF; however, many gamers and reviewers consider it more a "sequel" than an "add-on". It follows on after the story in X: BTF, with "the evil Xenon vanquished" and the player "still stranded light years from home." The player once again takes control of...
(1999
1999 in video gaming
-Events:*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 2nd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards*March – Game Over republished as “Game Over: Press Start to Continue”...
). X³: Reunion was released on October 28, 2005 for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PCs
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
and on November 4, 2005 in North America. The game has been ported to Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
; Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
for release in August 2007
2007 in video gaming
-Events:*March 14: Microsoft announces Games for Windows - Live, a version of Xbox Live for the Windows platform. The service launched on May 8.*March 27: Microsoft announces the new "Xbox 360 Elite" stock-keeping unit . The revision comes with a bigger hard drive and the ability to output HDMI...
; the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
version followed on December 5 2008
2008 in video gaming
Notable events of 2008 in video gaming. See also history of video games. The release dates listed in this article are the games' original release dates.-Events:...
. The X series is often compared to the classic Elite, in that these first-person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
space adventure
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
games focus on trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
and exploration
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
, as well as combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
.
X³: Reunion began as project X²: The Return, Egosofts planned extension
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
for X²: The Threat. However, as the project advanced, it soon outgrew the constraints of the X² Engine. In April 2005, Egosoft announced that X²: The Return was cancelled and that the game, using the new X³ Engine, would become X³: Reunion. A month later, they demonstrated the power of the "X³ Reality Engine" in May's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), stunning industry insiders with high-definition moving renders of space stations, planets and other scenes. X³ was released five months later in October.
It quickly emerged that a number of flaws existed in the retail version of X³ - including a bug
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
which prevented the player from completing the game. Egosoft quickly released a series of patches
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
to fix it, but some reviewers and players remained critical, suggesting Egosoft had released the game before it was ready.
Egosoft have continued to expand and develop this game since release, adding new ships and equipment, a new kind of station as well as new modding
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
tools, and a new series of missions. New material for this game - official and fan made - is frequently released through Egosoft's official website.
Overview
X³: Reunion incorporates open-ended "sandbox" gameplay. The main quest can be postponed or ignored as the player explores the expansive universe and spends the most time in control of a ship, doing tasks of their own choosing. Different ships are available for various tasks: small, fast scouting ships; freighters; powerful battleships; and massive carriers for moving a fleet. Most ships seen in the game can be bought or captured, and flown by the player. The player is free to go anywhere in the X-Universe at any time and explore, complete plot-related goals or to fulfill their own personal goals.New features
X³ uses a new, specifically developed graphics engineGame engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
to give highly detailed renders of ships and stations, along with photo-realistic planets and a host of new effects, including lighting, shadow and reflection. Graphically, Egosoft redesigned everything from scratch. The stations are restructured, larger and more detailed. Few contain the internal docking ports of the prior games, instead featuring external docking clamps. Ship sizes have been redesigned according to a logical scale. Egosoft ensured a pilot would actually fit in their cockpit, and that a carrier vessel was actually large enough to carry a given number of ships. As such, ships and stations are noticeably different in size from prior games.
The HUD
HUD (computer gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
has also been altered. Egosoft removed non-functional internal cockpit graphics, giving the player a largely unobstructed view of space. There are now markers over game objects such as ships, stations and large asteroids, and each object is selectable by a simple mouse click, or through a keyboard or controller. X³ uses a new interface designed to be faster, more user friendly, and compatible with a console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
controller. The game carries over many of the same short-cut keys
Keyboard shortcut
In computing, a keyboard shortcut is a finite set of one or more keys that invoke a software or operating system operation when triggered by the user. A meaning of term "keyboard shortcut" can vary depending on software manufacturer...
from previous games, but now the mouse too can be used for functions including menu navigation, target selection, flying and combat.
The economy has been redesigned to be more sophisticated, with non-player ships now in direct competition with the player. New tools have been added to help the player compete in the X-Universe, including a new way of linking factories together into complexes which can be self-sustaining
Autarky
Autarky is the quality of being self-sufficient. Usually the term is applied to political states or their economic policies. Autarky exists whenever an entity can survive or continue its activities without external assistance. Autarky is not necessarily economic. For example, a military autarky...
to varying degrees. There are also new in-game software products that allow a player to automate operations. In addition, Egosoft presents the player with a number of new scripting tools encouraging computer literate
Computer literacy
Computer literacy is defined as the knowledge and ability to use computers and related technology efficiently, with a range of skills covering levels from elementary use to programming and advanced problem solving. Computer literacy can also refer to the comfort level someone has with using...
players to write their own functions into the game. This is further supported through Egosoft's scripts and Modding forum, where players share ideas.
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
is improved, and enemy behavior redesigned. Many pirates now travel in gangs, often heavily armed, making them much more threatening than in earlier games. There are also smugglers, pirates who remain hidden until their cargo is scanned for contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
wares. There are now pirate missions available to the player, as well as a new pirate faction, known as the Yaki. Xenon and Kha'ak remain the primary antagonists; both races are entirely hostile and will often mount full scale sector invasions.
Status has far more relevance than in previous games. Now, many kinds of weapon, ship, and factory are not purchasable until the player has earned sufficient reputation with the vendor race. With some races, reputation can be earned through trade; with others, the player must earn respect by killing unwanted visitors in the race's space - such as pirates, Khaak, or Xenon. Some races appreciate both. By choosing to be an upstanding citizen, the player can earn the right to buy powerful new weapons, ships and technologies. By engaging in piracy, destruction, smuggling or other crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
the player may lose reputation, and so may lose the privilege to buy things. The persistent wrongdoer may lose the right to land at stations, or even to enter sectors, being attacked on sight. Eventually, the player may find it impossible to buy many of the game's most powerful ships, weapons and technologies (although such things may still be possible to acquire through less orthodox means).
Open ended
The game contains numerous races. Status affects how individuals in different races respond to the player and what kind of missions are offered. A player's status is categorised according to "Mercantile" skill, "Combat" skill and a "Notoriety" ranking for each race.
Using credits, a player can buy wares from stations. These wares may be used, or flown to another station where they can be sold, ideally for a profit. However, prices vary depending on demand; the less of a ware there is, the higher its price. As such, the X-Universe has a truly dynamic market-driven economy
Market economy
A market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...
. A player can capitalise on emergent
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
trends, meeting demand to make vast profits, or as easily, can waste money and time on a bad cargo choice. In X³, many NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
ships have the same plan, and the player can easily miss their intended market if another ship arrives first.
As a player builds profits they can buy equipment, weapons, ships, and even their own factories.
Factory stations consume power and resources to produce products
Product (business)
In general, the product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process", and stems from the verb produce, from the Latin prōdūce ' lead or bring forth'. Since 1575, the word "product" has referred to anything produced...
, which can then be sold into the X economy. If the product is rare, and the resources are cheap and plentiful, the factory can make profit. If not, it is possible to lose money. By filling a gap in the economy, a player can make solid and consistent profit through a factory. However, X³s economy is self-adjusting; NPCs are able to build factories and can similarly profit. As such, X³ has the most advanced, realistic, and arguably the most competitive economy of all the X games.
The player can acquire an unlimited number of ships and stations, of varying size, shape and function. Starting with little, the player can build their empire, set their own goals, and choose their own path in how they wish to shape the universe.
Characters and setting
A mysterious alien only referred to as "Sargon" manipulates events during the story. Julian is tasked with finding three crystals and an artifact referred to as the "seed" in order to help open a gate to Earth by the Goner named Ion. During the storyline, he meets the pirate Don Toni Marani and his daughter, who help in later missions. Ion attempts to run off with the artifacts when he gets them, and reveals during his capture he was being manipulated by Sargon. Kyle re-awakens from his coma, though his brain waves are still linked to the Kha'ak, leading them to open another an assault in Paranid space, and the Argon Federation to declare him an enemy to appease the Paranid.
Julian is marked an enemy of the Argon Federation in hopes to avoid a war with the Paranid, who accuse Julian of committing crimes in their territory. The Paranid are revealed to have provoked the Kha'ak into attacking the races of the X-Universe, when one of their scouting missions found their home world. The Paranid are also found to have been strip mining the valuable Nividium asteroids, which further anger the Kha'ak as they make their homes from the Nividium material. The mined Nividium alongside synthesised versions of the artifacts were being fashioned into jump gates, which the Paranid hoped to manipulate the economy with.
Plot
The game is set in Earth year 2935 (X Universe year X 765), in a universe (seemingly) far removed from our own. The player reprises the role of Julian Gardna, also known as Julian Brennan, from the previous gameX²: The Threat
X²: The Threat is a computer game developed by Egosoft for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It is part of the X Computer Game Series. It was released in 2003 and is a sequel to X: Beyond the Frontier...
.
After his arrival at Argon Prime, Julian is contacted by his old friend Ban Danna of the Argon Secret Service
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
. Danna informs him that the Argon military has suffered heavy losses in their war with the Kha'ak, and asks Julian to help in training some new pilots. Julian agrees and soon a series of events unfold, leading Julian to hunt down the seeds, ancient alien artifacts that may hold the key to making jump-gates, and allow a reunion with the lost planet Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
For X³s plot, Egosoft hired an experienced game and TV writer, Andrew S. Walsh.
Pre-release
X3 first showed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May 2005, where it received considerable praise for its visuals, described as "beautiful" (GamespotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
), "all very stylish and sharp" (IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
), and "by far the most visually impressive game at the booth." (The Inquirer
The Inquirer
The Inquirer is a British technology tabloid website founded by Mike Magee after his departure from The Register in 2001. In 2006 the site was acquired by Dutch publisher Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen...
)
Release
On release, response to X³ was mixed. While some sources praised its vision, freedom and scope, others complained of a buggy implementation, under-performance and a steep learning curveLearning curve
A learning curve is a graphical representation of the changing rate of learning for a given activity or tool. Typically, the increase in retention of information is sharpest after the initial attempts, and then gradually evens out, meaning that less and less new information is retained after each...
.
PC Zone
PC Zone
PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published...
hailed it as "one of the few games that has the power to engage your imagination with pretty pictures, then actually live up to your imaginings when you get your hands on it". and GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
gave it "Editor's Choice", calling it "a bona fide winner". However, GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
asked "How much slack can you give a game that in many ways manages to achieve [its] lofty goal, but buries it under a painfully incomplete implementation?". Reviewers complained of low frame rates, frequent crashes
Crash (computing)
A crash in computing is a condition where a computer or a program, either an application or part of the operating system, ceases to function properly, often exiting after encountering errors. Often the offending program may appear to freeze or hang until a crash reporting service documents...
, and bugs that made it impossible to complete the game; "the game was simply unplayable out of the box". "[I]t's not that X³ is a bad game, or that it isn't fun - it just isn't done." Complaints were also made about its complicated interface, exacerbated by an unhelpful manual which references "features and options that aren't even in the final version".
On the review aggregator Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, the game has an average score of 75% based on 39 reviews. On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the game has an average score of 71 out of 100, based on 32 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews.
Post-release
Reviews consistently criticised X³s numerous bugs and poor performance, a sentiment that was strongly echoed on Egosoft's Technical Support forum. Soon after the game's initial release, Egosoft released a series of patchesPatch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
and an improved manual through their official website that addressed the issues. "Three patches on," Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
's Matt Peckham
Matt Peckham
Matt C. Peckham is an American journalist, critic, and columnist. He currently writes for TIME and edits PC World's official games blog .-Background and education:...
wrote: "[S]omething nigh-miraculous occurred: With doubled performance and many of the mission-busting bugs fixed, X³ evolved from a Byzantine hodgepodge to an actually accessible, massively multiform space sim. The bottom line: It's back on my hard drive, this time to stay".
In November/December 2006, the game was re-released, patched up to version 2.0. This release also included the Bala Gi Expansion.
Updates
The original release version of X³: Reunion was plagued by a number of bugs and issues. Subsequently, Egosoft released a series of patchesPatch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
, first to resolve problems and later to add new features, expanding the game.
Early Patches
Patches 1.2 to 1.4 were primarily aimed at eliminating bugs, improving performance and resolving compatibility issues.Updated Manual
On December 31, 2005, an updated manual was released for the game in a PDF file. This can be obtained from the downloads section of the official page. At 97 pages long, it is 16 pages longer than the first version. It contains information about the changes in the v1.4 patch, and corrections to errors in the earlier manual that shipped with the game.Bala Gi Research Missions
On November 11, 2006 Egosoft released version 2.0.01 of X³: Reunion. This contained many new ships, features, new sectors and further bug fixes. Bala Gi's missions are available to players who have logged 10 game hours, have at least 5 million credits on account, have a good reputation with the Boron, are not an enemy of the Split or Paranid, and own at least one station. Rewards include the Player Headquarters, the M7 class prototype battleship and the ability to build the new M3+ class of Heavy Fighters. The availability of these missions is not dependent on the main plot and saved games from previous versions are able to receive the new missions and mission rewards.The game itself was relaunched as a budget PC DVD-ROM titled X³ Reunion 2.0. The re-release has the 2.0 patch already applied, and contains no trace of StarForce Copy Protection
StarForce
StarForce is a software copy protection mechanism developed by Protection Technology, which claims that products protected with StarForce are difficult to reverse engineer.- Product families :Currently known official versions of StarForce include:...
.
X³ Uplink
On December 24, 2007 Egosoft released version 2.5 for X³: Reunion. This added an uplink feature whereby players can upload game stats to the Egosoft website. The website displays many different achievements in leaderboards. The uplink feature was also added to X²: The Threat.Mac OS X Non-Cider Update
The original version of X³: Reunion for Mac OS X used the Cider "wrapper" technology developed by Transgaming. On June 29, 2010, Virtual Programming issued a new version of the game that eschewed Cider. Virtual Programming CEO Mark Hinton was quoted as saying: "We weren't happy with X³: Reunion's performance when using Cider, and it turned out many of our customers weren't either. As a gesture of goodwill, we reengineered the game as a native port that's a free update for existing customers. Starting today, new X³: Reunion customers will receive the updated version of the game."Universe
The X Universe is a collection of sectors connected by a system of two-way jumpgates. The total number of sectors is around 160 in X³: Reunion. Each sector is vast in dimensions but the central area usually contains the stations and gates.Trade
There are many different wares in X³. Some are produced, others are constantly available such as software upgrades. Example classes of ware include lasers, missiles, shields, energy, minerals, foodstuffs, technological and biological.Stations
Factories are stations which use resources to create one or many products. The needed resources and produced wares need to be transported by a ship. Traders in the universe must move wares between the factories to keep production going; if supply exceeds demand a factory will often stop producing goods. The player can build factories by buying them at a shipyard and loading them onboard a large transport ship (TL class). The player factories can own their own ships to buy resources and sell products. There are many factory options to configure the trader ships behaviour and job. Player factories can also connect to each other to share resources and products. The factories are connected through tubes and the docking bay is moved to a central complex hub.Trading Stations are usually found in every established sector. They each have a list of wares which they buy and sell at a fixed price. Equipment docks are trading stations which are aimed at the distribution of ship upgrades and equipment. They trade in missiles, lasers, shields, software and upgrades. All types of ships can dock at an equipment dock. Wares in both stations gradually deplete over time, ensuring a steady demand for higher-tier goods.
Shipyards sell ships and stations to the player. The player can sell and repair their ships at shipyards.
Pirate bases are located around the X-universe. The player can buy and sell illegal goods in these stations. The player can also hire a hacker to change stations from hostile to friendly, allowing the player's ships to dock at stations they would not normally be able to trade with.
There are a handful of special stations which do not produce any goods. These are used in the plot.
NPC Trading Ships
Trading ships move wares from one station to another. The NPCNon-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
traders can specialise in one or more classes of ware and provide factories with their resources. Unlike previous games in the X-Series, NPC traders are not owned by a single factory or station, but are instead all freelance traders, looking for the best trade runs between stations.
Ship classifications
A range of different ship classes are available to fill different game functions. With some exceptions, each race produces their own kind of ship for each class.Steam
On July 22, 2006 it was announced that both X³ and its predecessor X² would be available via Valve'sValve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
Steam online content delivery system. The Steam version includes the most recent 2.5 patch and has the StarForce
StarForce
StarForce is a software copy protection mechanism developed by Protection Technology, which claims that products protected with StarForce are difficult to reverse engineer.- Product families :Currently known official versions of StarForce include:...
copy protection system removed.
Xbox
The game was intended to be Egosoft's first multiplatform release on both WindowsMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. However, shortly before release it was announced that the Xbox version had been cancelled. No Xbox version is available.
X-Superbox Bundle
On August 16, 2010, the "X Superbox" was announced by Deep Silver and EgosoftEgosoft
Egosoft is a computer game developer founded in 1988 and based in Würselen, Germany. It became a commercial company in 1990. Its first products were for the Amiga, but it later became a PC game developer....
, which includes all of the games from the X Series.
External links
- X3 wiki—A wiki on X³: Reunion