Bernd: Gamestarts and Campaigns

I feel I have to clear up a common misunderstanding on how the various campaigns in X3:Terran Conflict are presented. Many of the somewhat preliminary reviews that I have seen about the game so far seem to confuse gamestarts with campaigns.



X3TC lets you choose between many gamestarts. A gamestart throws you into the universe from a unique position. It changes the way you look at the universe by showing it from the perspective of a Paranid or a Terran military pilot, an Argon or other of the less frequently played species. It also means you will have completely different ships, weapons, race relations AND sometimes a few special missions to get into the game.

BUT (and thats the key information here): You can usually play all campaigns (we normally call them plots) of the game with all gamestarts. There are exceptions to this rule, but especially the gamestarts available to the player right from the start allow you to play all missions including all the main campaigns.

X3:Terran Conflict has one plot which is designed to start the game with. It is easier and a bit faster paced than the rest. This is the plot about the Terran system and you have to play it on the side of the Terran USC (military). Obviously this is easier to get into, when you start the game as a Terran military pilot. With most other gamestarts you have therefore "bridge missions" which you can pick up to get the right relation with the Terrans and get into this particular plot.

HOWEVER (and this is the second key information many reviewers miss): This game has a lot more unique mission content than just the Terran plot. There is a story that evolves around a special somewhat ancient construction built by the Terraformer for example. The german translator team mentioned this in their blog article and called it the "boron plot" (a term that I didn't hear before. We usually call it something else, but that name may spoil the story a bit, so I will from now on comply with the translator team ;)

So to put it into the language game reviewers love let me give you a nice tabular overview:

• Gamestarts: 4 from start + more than 10 activated later
• Campaigns: 5 each with unique rewards and full voice recordings.
• PLUS: Special gamestart "bridge" missions, corporation specific missions and lots of generic missions.

-Bernd

Ivan: Writing dialogue

Originally we asked Owen Lake, the guy behind the Terran plotline and one of the mission programmers, to write a little article for the blog today.

Unfortunately he had to catch up on his sleep after some really stressful days, trying to kill plot bugs. So while he gets his well deserved rest, let me introduce Ivan Tefalco:

Hi I'm Ivan Tefalco. Over the years I've worked with Egosoft on a wide range of dialogue and text content for the X-Series, from race, trade and and combat ranks to Bret Sera's message from beyond the grave. From sector descriptions such as Presidents End in X3, to the NPC AI responses given by races when you communicate with them throughout your journey in the X Universe.

Each race has grown over time to have a very particular style and manner of response. For example, the Paranid excel at that 'holier than thou' attitude, while the Boron tend to be meek and at times subservient. With X3:TC, those styles have evolved in line with the timeframe each game is set within. Universal translators have improved to the point where there is some standardisation of speech, however this doesn't mean you won't find unique and varied content amongst the myriad of pilots out there flying around on their daily routines.

Both Pirate and existing races have had substantial in-flight content added to the already wide array of responses previously created in Reunion. If you dig deep enough, you will see nods to sci-fi cult classics, as well as replies to player contact that will draw you even deeper into a game that for many is very much a part of reality.

Without wishing to spoil many of the surprises out there, all I can ask is that you listen as well as look on your travels. When your hull's down to twenty percent and the Yaki on your tail decides you're too cute to kill, just remember, there's a great deal more out there than meets the eye.."

Mfg
IvanT