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Egosoft and Deep Silver narrow the release date down.Computer games developer Egosoft and Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products, are releasing ten new screenshots from the game X³: Terran Conflict today.The screenshots show the high quality and level of detail of the X³: Terran Conflict graphics engine as well as the variety of the X Universe.X³: Terran Conflict is a brand new, stand-alone game set in the universe of X³. It is the culmination of the X trilogy, with a grand finale that takes us all the way back to Earth's own solar system. Gamers can take on the roles of different characters in the X universe, or of a Terran military pilot, and experience a multitude of stories in the largest X universe ever featured – for X³: Terran Conflict will offer more missions than any other X game before. Meanwhile, X³: Terran Conflict will pose questions such as: How has Earth changed in all these years? And how will relations between Earth and its counterparts in the X universe develop?X³: Terran Conflict is scheduled for release end of September 2008.
We are honored to have gotten the chance to interview Bernd Lehahn, Founder and Managing Director at Egosoft recently. Egosoft, for those of you who don't know, is the developer behind the 'X' series of space-combat/sim titles starting back in 1999 with X: Beyond the Frontier and culminating with the release of X3: Terran Conflict this month. We would like to thank Bernd Lehahn as well as Jerry Whitehead III at Reverb, Inc for making this interview possible.Q) First of all, let me say thank you for taking the time to answer our questions Bernd. The original X: Beyond the Frontier came out in 1999, and when you look back at the path from X to X3: Terran Conflict, what have been the best and worst parts of the journey for you? A) Hello! Well, we are talking quite a long journey here. In retrospect, it is always great to see a game being released. We have always been proud of our games and were always excited to see how people received them. On the other hand, X3:Reunion was developed under extreme time pressures, and when the game was finally being released, we had to release a number of patches in a row. So the release of a title has both good and bad aspects. On the upside: THIS time, with X3: Terran Conflict, we had a lot more time to fine tune and balance the game. X3: Terran Conflict is by far the best game in the series and we are focusing almost entirely on new features with the updates that are currently being developed. So this feels good too :-) Q) Take us back to 1999: what was the process like in developing X: Beyond the Frontier. How did it come about? A) It sounds like ancient past now already, but even 1999 was not the start. It was the end of a story that started almost another 10 years earlier. The idea to create a space simulation game was with EGOSOFT almost since the company was founded. In the late 80s and early 90s, we worked for the Commodore Amiga and the space game was just a prototype called 'Starlight One'. It never saw the light of day for the Amiga and unfortunately the platform disappeared before the game was finished. So X was born when I first heard of 3D accelerators for Windows 95. Microsoft was promoting their games’ SDK (later renamed into Direct X) and we thought that this was a great opportunity to re-start with a space sim. The work on this spanned from 1996 to 1999.Q) The original X: Beyond the Frontier is, without question, one of the best space sim/combat games ever made. It had a sense of realism to it due to your character's origins as well as stock equipment. X2: The Threat seemed to take a more stylized approach with campier dialog as well as well as an oddly-named antagonist species. Where did the 'Khaak' come from in terms of name and design? A) Hehe...unfortunately most of the developers on the team at that time were still non native speakers here from Germany. Nowadays, our team became a lot more international. The name was actually already mentioned in the back fiction of XTENSION (the expansion product of X: Beyond the Frontier) and we wanted to stick to the facts established with the first game. In retrospect, it was not a wise decision ;-) But apart from this naming problem, I would not say that the story of the game was any more stylized than X:BTF. That was never our intention. It just continued the saga and that meant it could not start with earth anymore.Q) If you had the chance to do one thing over again in the course of developing all of the X games, what would it be? A) I would not have agreed to release X3: Reunion in Q4 of 2005. Q) Now that X3: Terran Conflict has been released and is being enjoyed by gamers, what is EGOSOFT up to? Are you officially done with the X universe or can we expect a new X game at some point? A) We are not necessarily done with the X universe, but we are done with the X games as such. What I mean with this is that I strongly believe that X3: Terran Conflict is the best possible game inside the gameplay definitions of the X games so far. We listened to what our fans wanted and implemented as many of these things inside the framework that was established with this series. We do not want to continue this development inside these boundaries forever. At the same time however, as with our previous games, X3: Terran Conflict WILL be improved with further (free) updates. X3: Terran Conflict has introduced a new mission design system which allows us (as well as modders) to rapidly create cool new missions for this game. We hope to make more good use of this system and also inspire modders to use it. So you can expect a number of updates for X3: Terran Conflict and hopefully also mods. Q) X3: Terran Conflict looks to provide the same open-ended gameplay we have all come to know and love in the X series. What is the longest anyone on the dev team has played X3: TC for? A) Phew...I would have to set up a poll to answer this. I am sure none of the devs can compete even remotely with some of the 'X-TREME gamers (tm)'. If you look at the X3: Reunion UPLINK statistics on our website, you can see that indeed many of our fans play the X games like a single player MMO. More than 1,000 in-game hours - need I say more? But our current team mostly consists of people who joined us after they became fans of the series. So we are all players as well. Just not extreme enough to make it into the UPLINK charts ;-)Q) What is the current status of 'X Online' and what can you tell us about it at this point in terms of gameplay and social mechanics? A) Since the very beginning of this series, we wanted to create an MMO based on this series. It just fits perfectly well. Unfortunately, our last attempt with 'Online-Universe.net” back to 2002 was stopped by the lack of financial backing, so we concentrated on more manageable projects first. We have many plans for the future and an MMO is certainly one of them. But not the first. Q) Has there been any talk of creating a new space-based IP? Starting over with a proverbial clean slate? A) I would not see why. See my answer about continuing the universe as opposed to the game series. The fictional universe is much more than the sum of the games that played inside of it and it would be a waste not to use it anymore. On the contrary, we try to broaden it into new areas. In Germany, for example, there have been three books released by Helge Kautz already and the next one is coming out soon. Farnhams Legend, the first book which describes among other things the start of X:BTF and the odyssey of Kyle Brennan into the X Universe, is now also available in English (check out our webshop at www.egosoft.com). Q) Have you considered moving into other genres of gaming? RPGs or, perhaps, some hybrid space/land combat game? A) We are a team of fans of this game series. If I would decide that now we have to make something very different to make good profit, it could never be such a good game. A team is best if it works on something it loves. Hybrid on the other hand is a good keyword. I would say that the X games already are VERY hybrid and we sure keep our eyes open for other genres to merge the X universe with. Q) And finally, if there was one thing you wanted to tell us gamers that we did not cover here, what would it be? A) How about this: Please read the quotes at the start of X3:Terran Conflict. They contain a lot of wisdom.
X³: Terran Conflict Update 1.3The Update fixes many issues which have been bothering players as well as adding new features. We also listened to your feedback and rebalanced the game accordingly. Here is a brief summary of the changes: * New commands for controlling Freight Drones * Improved Shipyard trade menu * Rebalanced mission enemies and rewards * Mission guidance can now be disabled * A new capital ship makes an appearance in some missions * Many more fixes and improvements Attention: This update is not compatible with the Steam version of X3TC! The Steam client will automatically update your game files. Select your download method: either http or a BitTorrent client (Guidance for using this can be found in this FAQ). Once downloaded, simply run the .exe and follow the instructions. Available Languages: English, French, German, Italian and Russian.
X³: Terran Conflict 2.0 – The Aldrin Missions Coming Soon to US RetailersCompany: EgosoftDate: 18 Feb 2009Parkville, Maryland – February 17, 2009 – EGOSOFT, renowned developer of the acclaimed X franchise of computer games for PC, Mac and Linux, announced today that the latest version of its critically acclaimed title, X³: Terran Conflict, will be available at all major US retail outlets beginning April 7, 2009.X³: Terran Conflict 2.0 – The Aldrin Missions will feature a host of new missions, new ships and much more – and will be available at all major US retail outlets and on Steam, a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games and digital content with over 15 million accounts around the world. The release at retail and on Steam will be simultaneous.Entitled X³: Terran Conflict 2.0 – The Aldrin Missions, this updated version of X³: Terran Conflict is being published by IGS Interactive and will feature a host of new missions, new ships and much more.“We couldn’t be more excited to get X³: Terran Conflict 2.0 – The Aldrin Missions into our customers’ hands,” said Bernd Lehahn, managing director of EGOSOFT. “With this new version, we will build on the fantastic critical response to X³: Terran Conflict and will deliver a truly memorable experience to the gamer.”As with the previous titles in the X series, X³: Terran Conflict 2.0 – The Aldrin Missions is a single-player space simulation featuring fast-paced first-person space combat, free-form open exploration of a huge dynamic universe, and large-scale management of the player’s own intergalactic corporation.In X³: Terran Conflict (the predecessor to 2.0), the long-lost Terran colony of Aldrin was rediscovered. Now, after numerous years of isolation, the Terrans are keen to bring the Aldrans back into the fold as part of their massive effort to colonize areas of space thought lost or inaccessible. No colonization is easy, however, and you will be asked to not only help in the shaping of the new frontier, but will also be called upon to provide protection for the colonization effort against forces determined to oppose the Aldrin Expansion. New Terran stations and complexes, a new Terran ship and a host of other new features are introduced as you play a decisive role in the shaping of this new Terran frontier.“We are honored to be publishing the latest installment in such a proven franchise,” said Paul Lombardi, CEO of IGS Inc. “The Aldrin Missions is a more than worthy successor to the outstanding Terran Conflict, and this version will further solidify EGOSOFT’s already stellar X franchise as one of the best in gaming.”X³: Terran Conflict was released in European retail outlets and on Steam on October 17, 2008. The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive and X³: Terran Conflict currently boasts a 78.2% ranking on Game Rankings. IGN, the largest and most influential videogame site in the world, said that “Clearly crafted by a design team on a mission and with a vision, X3: Terran Conflict is a pretty and impressively ambitious voyage into the heavens that should satiate the thirst of anyone who pines for life away from earthly confines.”For more information about the X series, X³: Terran Conflict 2.0 – The Aldrin Missions or EGOSOFT, please visit www.egosoft.com.ABOUT EGOSOFT:EGOSOFT, founded in 1990, is one of the oldest game development companies from Germany. Its team of industry veterans and dedicated game enthusiasts entered the international stage with the widely acclaimed X-Beyond the Frontier space simulation game in 1999. EGOSOFT is now exclusively dedicated to setting new standards in the space game genre and constantly improves the level of freedom in the X Universe. For more information on EGOSOFT and its products visit www.egosoft.com.ABOUT IGS INC.:Founded by Paul Lombardi in 1999, IGS Inc. is a privately-funded interactive entertainment publisher based in Parkville, Maryland. IGS has published numerous titles, including Restaurant Empire, Baseball Mogul, Capitalism, Football Mogul, Baseball Mogul, Battlecry 3 and many more. Lombardi has over 25 years experience in the interactive entertainment publishing industry and has founded multiple companies, including Interactive Magic and Enlight Interactive USA. For more information about IGS or any of its published titles, please visit igs-games.com.
Deep Silver to publish X³: Gold Edition from EgosoftReturn to Blue's News Deep Silver to publish X³: Gold Edition from Egosoft Gold Edition includes X³: Reunion 2.5, X³: Terran Conflict 2.0, "The Aldrin Missions", and a soundtrack CD The computer game developer Egosoft and Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products, today announced the upcoming release of the X³: Gold Edition. The agreement includes world-wide rights (except for the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean). The collector's edition contains both X³ games, including all add-ons. The new add-on "The Aldrin Missions" for X³: Terran Conflict is released for the first time, offering numerous additional missions, ships, and sectors. The X³: Gold Edition represents the grand finale of the X trilogy, providing many hours of gaming fun. For those who like to experience that outer space atmosphere outside of the game as well, the X³: Gold Edition also contains a soundtrack CD with music from X³: Terran Conflict. The award-winning space drama X3: Reunion 2.5 begins in 2935. The Argon fleet is stretched almost to breaking point by the continuing attacks from the aggressive Khaak, while ruthless Yaki pirates hunt for a mysterious relic, and an equally mysterious machine, obviously left behind by an ancient species, poses a whole new set of questions... X³: Terran Conflict 2.0 creates a bridge back to Earth's solar system. The player gets to take on the roles of various characters from the X universe, or a Terran military pilot, and set out on numerous adventures in the most extensive world of all X games ever. X³: Terran Conflict 2.0 raises questions such as: how has Earth changed in the course of all those years? How are the relationships between Earth and its brethren from the X universe going to develop? The new add-on, "The Aldrin Missions", features the colony of Aldrin, which was lost centuries ago, and is now once again joining the Terran system. The Terrans are quite eager to reestablish the connections between Aldrin, separated from the rest of the universe for so long, and Earth. The Terrans are putting a huge effort into recolonizing the system that had been presumed lost for so long. The player takes on a crucial role in shaping this new Terran frontier, while exploring new Terran stations and facilities, and making use of a new ship and numerous additional features. Personal Uplink: Both games now allow players to connect to Egosoft's new "Personal Uplink" community and compare their achievements within the X universe to those of others. X³: Gold Edition will be released early in the 2nd quarter of 2009.
