[CaptainHaplo]

I am going to agree and disagree with you on some things Skybird. I have "played" about 15 hours so far.

I bought the game early on Steam and had preloaded. The game launched all of 3 minutes late. 3 minutes after launch Steam went from preloaded to downloading a ~450mb release pack. This, along with the preload, got the game ready to play. Basically, I was running within 10 minutes of the scheduled launch time.

It is worth noting that in the three minute delay of launch, a thread complaining about the "late launch" grew to nearly 7 pages....

Game launch and in I go. My first impression was not so good. Controls were horrible. I currently use a Logitech Extreme 3d pro. Most controls did not work out of the box, and what did was extremely sluggish. I probably spent an hour working on control configuration. Joystick control works well for me now, though CH and CFS users are having issues. It just took time to get it to work - something that should have been better documented. The sluggishness was actually part of the storyline and was resolved through the playthrough.

Next, I agree with Skybird on the visuals. You truly get a sense of scale in this game. You are no giant and the universe looks amazing.

Performance - well I have what most would consider a monster of a system. The game runs smooth under most circumstances, but there are times I get some hangs. Usually this centers around high traffic areas, which can be optimized with time. I don't believe it is using all cores however....

Speaking of - the game "requires" a x64 OS - but the EXE is a 32 bit app. NOT COOL! They need to build/release a 64 bit version of the exe. This alone would go far to fix performance issues. Egosoft gets a "Fail" on this.

Gameplay - For me, it plays just fine. The biggest thing is its just ... different. Being an old school X player, many things have changed. The "highway/superhighway" system is a bit hard to grasp in navigational terms. The different docking locations on city-stations is great, but the "walkabout" part does feel ... aged for lack of a better term. There is little to no challenge, the "talking" minigame just hurts (I have seen better in Leisure Suit Larry), and the process is overly repetitive. It is just too "dumbed down" to be immersive.

Next to last gripe - the UI. Sadly, this is probably the other big "Fail" in my mind for Egosoft. What used to be simple, is now convoluted. Its just too many keystrokes to get to anything. The lack of "previous", "next", and "closest" target shortcuts is just inexcusable. The inability to "lock" your target is also frustrating. Your cockpit has multiple "modes", which in theory is great - but it lacks a "combat" mode which makes combat in crowded areas really difficult. Information on other owned assets, like transport ships, is also hard to find and hard to manage.

Final gripe - the AI and mission scripting. Missions still have some bugs, and getting stuck in a storyline sucks. If you spot an enemy in a line of civvies and you attack, you would think that all the normal civilians would scatter - or at least react somehow. Nope, they chug along in their orderly flight lanes. Attack one of the civilians - and the rest ignore you as well. Then add in the occasional "cop" (complete with flashing lights and siren!) who is never to be found except right outside the bar dock - yet appears to have had one too many him/herself because all they do is move back and forth, siren blaring and lights blazing.

With all that said, it must be a pretty horrible game, huh?

Nope. Actually, its quite good. Like all of the X series, it has a learning curve that is more than just "follow da path to git bigger gunz". It has a depth. You are not Mr. Space Hero, ready to save the day. Your Mr. Joe Shmoe - and with the right breaks, the right skill and the right choices, you MIGHT just be Mr. Space Hero one day. The game does - at times - truly make you feel "small" in its universe.

Yes, its different. It is also good. It is not great. YET.

Egosoft released 2 hotfix/patches on day 1. More are coming. Egosoft/Deepsilver have always shown to have "Best in Class" product support over the long haul. There are problems, but they are already being addressed. Egosoft has acknowledged and verified that they intend to fix the UI, performance and other issues. X3 and its follow ups had the same teething issues. The came is called Rebirth - and with any birth there is some pain. But the reward is well worth it.

Its playable, deep, enjoyable, but sometimes frustrating. Its a simulation - meant to simulate real life in an alternate, future universe. Well, real life is frustrating at times. The good thing is, you can patch a simulation - and I see another Diamond in the Rough between the long term developer and mod community support.

Can I recommend the game? Yes. But only if you are willing to undergo the teething problems. Otherwise, wait 2 or 3 months, then get it. It will be much more polished by then.

Ultimately, the best endorsement I could ever give a game is that, after playing it, I don't regret the purchase. I can say that about X:Rebirth.