I down loaded the demo. Can't figure out how to move or aim to shoot at the attackers. Or how to dock with a station or anything .<
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Is it true that you should buy the game by downloading it form their site instead of getting the cds? Read on their message board that the cds in stores and amazon where corrupted or something. Tsulyra Shadowhawk<
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Pollyra 50 monk - Venerable Bellyra 63 cleric - Reva 52 rogue<i>Edited by: Tsulyra Shadowhawk  at: 8/4/06 1:59 pm<
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I have played X2: The Threat quite a bit, and X3 is not much different in terms of general gameplay. X3 I have purchased from Best Buy, but haven't been able to get it to work. I gave up a few months ago and just ate the $40. The game runs, but with my crappy old computer (barely above their minimum specs) it gets horrible framerate as soon as I open a menu up.<
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I LOVED X2 back when I played it. It's like Freespace, but Freespace x 100 and on steriods. HUGE open ended gameplay-- the universe is bigger than any other game in the genre. You can create trade networks, building factories, space stations, and massive fleets. You can become a pirate and kill everyone around you, for as long as you can survive. You can pick sides. There are pirate bases, secrets, black markets, missions...<
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The single player scripted storyline in X2 was quite fun. You could leave it and do other things whenever you like, as well-- you aren't stuck in it until you beat it.<
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You have direct control over all your ships-- control that improves with improved technology installs. You can be the master commander of literally 100s of ships, probes, satellites, space factories, space stations, all moving all over the universe (independantly-- don't have to be all together in a fleet of some kind) doing your bidding. Because there are so many AI ships with the same kind of independance, moving from station to station looking for work, pirating, defending, police work, or trading-- the game can quickly become a resource hog. It's keeping track of everything in it's massive universe...<
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X3 three is simply a more detailed, version of X2. AI ship movement has been improved, graphics improved, some gameplay elements improved, and the storyline is different. <
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With all that complexity, however, comes a price. The game has a fairly steep learning curve. There is much to learn, and no simple step by step tuturial when you begin. This is not WoW when you start, either . You have to put considerable time learning how everything works.<
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I highly recommend this game series-- it's not perfect, but it's in my opinion the best open ended Freespace-type game out there right now. In reference to your question about availability, I've seen it in EBGames, Best Buy, and Wal Mart. I don't know about the corrupted disks you are speaking of-- I haven't been on those forums in a long time now.<
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mmmmmm talking about it makes me want to reload X2 up and play it again.<
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I've had my eye on this game for awhile now and just picked it up with the price drop to 20 bucks and some online reader reviews at Gamespot that say the game is playable now with patches (whereupon release it was not). Been playing it for only 2 or 3 days.<
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I know it's cliche, but the learning curve is steep...and I'm a computer game dork that usually picks these things up quick. As already stated in the above post there is no tutorial. Additionally, the manual is not really of any help. For instance, the keys mapped in the manual don't seem to match what is mapped in the actual game. Additionally there is no description on what some of the key mappings do. The perfect example is the "E" key in the manual...supposed to target the nearest enemy. But it doesn't really seem to do that. I think you have to be in combat mode first, which I think you enter by hitting "Shift-T"...but the results have so far been unsatisfactory. Sometimes it seems to do what I want and sometimes not. I've tried downloading the most recent manual from their website (it's had multiple revisions) but ran into more problems. You have to register with their forums, put in a code that came with your game, and then you can download the manual...except I kept getting kicked out during the registration process by errors on their website. Going to try it again after this.<
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That said, if you've got the system specs the game looks real good and seems to be pretty stable. Plus if you like these kind of open ended trading games, this is pretty much the only thing going. The pickings are slim in this genre of games these days and I've seen enough to like in X3 to stick with it. If you've got the patience (and by patience I mean 8 hours+ to probably just figure out the damn key mappings) to figure out how the game is played I certainly think it's worth the 20 bucks.<
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BTW, did I mention the keyboard mappings are confusing?<
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Edit: To respond to the first post. I bought retail...CDs worked fine. Personal choice I'd say...just keep in mind my problems registering for the forums to get the manual. The game is bought online at Steam, but the online manual is obtained from the developers website. <i>Edited by: Tanaman D Lin at: 8/4/06 6:59 pm<
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I wish this game didn't have starforce or else I'd have gotten it. <
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"The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom."<
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Get the no-cd crack + a starforce driver remover. -Everyone has the right to my own opinion.<i></i>

I'm not 100% sure, but it looks like the Steam version has StarForce removed. There's also been a post from a Egosoft forum guy in July saying they're releasing a patch to remove StarForce.<
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Looks like a cool game, though. Might pick it up either through Steam or when they release this patch they're talking about. <
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[Tynkur Toyz][70 Gnomish Arch Magus][Email][Magelo]<
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Steam version is indeed Starforce otherwise what Tynkur said. Patch incoming to get rid of Starforce entirely. Quote:If Venen tells me he owns a dog, I'll probably believe him. It doesn't affect me or anyone else one way or another if it's true or not. However if Venen claims he has a unicorn, I damn well want to see it.<
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-Tarot<i></i>