Interested in buying the game but.....

[IceManHG]

Hey gents, I have some questions before I buy. I have played the demo.

1. How large and dynamic is the universe? I read that it is extremely large. But exactly how large is it? And does each system have its own random AI traffic or am I going to see the exact same ships everytime I play?

2. Does the game have a campaign I can play through with missions or is it strictly sand box?

3. How interesting are the missions? I see that there are tons of mission that fit into combat and non-combat catagories. But are they just "go here and kill X number of these ships and come back for a 100 credit reward" or are they a little bit more interesting?

What about the Spy and exploring missions, what are those like?

[verbosity]

Originally posted by IceManHG
1. How large and dynamic is the universe? I read that it is extremely large. But exactly how large is it? And does each system have its own random AI traffic or am I going to see the exact same ships everytime I play?

16 charted systems, serveral 'hidden areas. all the traffic is 'random' and each area has its own range.
On the dyamic score - you affect your reputation in a system and my own server is about to go 'dynamic' in which you'll find that a pilots actions will affect storyline and the universe to a much greater degree

2. Does the game have a campaign I can play through with missions or is it strictly sand box?

therre is a 'quest' and you can take a 'military role to progress through the military but the missions are semi-generic, if you are looking for a campaign i'd recommend Arvoch conflict ( or again my dynamic server will have a slightly more 'campaign-ish feel)

3. How interesting are the missions? I see that there are tons of mission that fit into combat and non-combat catagories. But are they just "go here and kill X number of these ships and come back for a 100 credit reward" or are they a little bit more interesting?

nope, spy, escort missions exist as well as being able to transport passangers, amonst others

What about the Spy and exploring missions, what are those like?

spy = fun but hard
exploring is more a freeform thing, fun and sometimes frustrating - but worthwhile

[Edited on 2-6-2009 by verbosity]

[tha_rami]

1. Large. Someone posted a complete list of everything, but basically, the game has far over 500 locations to visit by default and can be modded to have much more. It has been calculated that if you wanted to visit it all, you'd take a lifetime. Actually, a few. As for the other part of your question, each system has its own culture - some will focus on agriculture, others on technology. The amount of ships, hostility and type of ships depends on the system and your reputation in that system.

2. Both. The game is completely freeform, but you can follow a linear quest in which you have to "solve riddles" and locate beacons in a trail. Completing the quest will yield some advantages.

3. There are many types of missions. Some are indeed simply "go there and kill", but there are also escort missions - for example. There are no overly complex missions with entire storylines behind them available, though. They're purely business contracts.

[Vice]

1 - Most solar systems are contained within the Evochron Quadrant, which is a collection of about 10,000 sectors across, 10,000 long, and several sectors high. A rough calculation would be 10,000 X 10,000 X 4 = 400,000,000 sectors. It would probably take you about 20-30 minutes to travel through one sector with the IDS off cruisng at top speed in a fast ship, so that may help give you an idea of the scale. The game presents a 'vast' approach to the space between solar systems, so there can often be several hundred sectors between systems. Traffic is pretty random, probably similarly realstic to how your flight pattern in the game might look. There are common traffic pathways in populated areas, toward stations, cities, etc, but when and where ships take those paths are pretty random. There are no static 'trade lanes' if that's what you mean.

2 - No campaigns in the 'classic' sense, very sandbox/freeform. There is a beacon quest you can take on, which provides a structured hunt. Otherwise, you pick what you want to do and where.

3 - Difficult to answer without being subjective. There are lots of things to do, both 'mission'/'contract' based and more freeform 'choose your own objective' type activities. Plenty of 'go here and kill X number of ships' type and 'find this', 'escort this', 'deliver this', 'patrol here', 'clear asteroids', 'clean solar cells', 'race this ship', etc... although it can also be fun to come up with your own objectives

Spy missions involve staying close enough to a capital ship for long enough to complete a detailed scan. You do this while being shot at from the capital ship itself as well as any escort ships it has with it.

[Edited on 2-6-2009 by Vice]

[BraveHart]

Legends is Awesome and has a Great price......Buy it and Enjoy it

[IceManHG]

Wow, so the scale is there.

Is there something going on in all the sectors? Or are there a few "main sectors" with the rest being unpopulated by anything except some random planets and nebula?

Im very impressed with what im hearing so far. I was a huge fan of Freelancer. I tried X3 and found it was too complicated for me to enjoy....too much emphasis on building a trade empire and then micro managing it. Not enough combat and other things.

Can I own more than one ship? I understand that I can buy a share of a station and use that. Do I get a personal hangar to use?

What about wormholes, black holes and other space mysteries? What effect do they have on gameplay?

[Daedalao]

Wormholes, black holes etc are pretty entertaining. You would have to explore a bit to understand. As far as owning more than one ship, no.

[Vice]

Is there something going on in all the sectors? Or are there a few "main sectors" with the rest being unpopulated by anything except some random planets and nebula?

There are a lot of events that can occur in each solar system (sectors are just the divisions of space used for navigation). Your reputations, both global and faction, determine how you are treated in each system and the kinds of contract offers you'll get. Sometimes, ships attack each other around you, sometimes they mine, sometimes they transport commodities, sometimes they even fly to hidden storage containers to can exploit (very rare though

Im very impressed with what im hearing so far. I was a huge fan of Freelancer. I tried X3 and found it was too complicated for me to enjoy....too much emphasis on building a trade empire and then micro managing it. Not enough combat and other things.

This game intentionally avoids remote/indirect gameplay, empire building, and business micromanagement. It focuses on direct gameplay decisions and 'lone-wolf' survival elements.

Can I own more than one ship? I understand that I can buy a share of a station and use that. Do I get a personal hangar to use?

Not hangars, but the game offers a no-trade-loss value ship exchange/building system in the shipard, which is kind of like being able to park any ship you want at any station or city that can support its construction.

What about wormholes, black holes and other space mysteries? What effect do they have on gameplay?

Wouldn't want to spoil it for you I'll just say that they can lead to very beneficial regions, some are dangerous but useful.

[Edited on 2-7-2009 by Vice]

[IceManHG]

Cool. Except for the hanger part this game has everything I want in a space combat sim. Im sold

[BraveHart]

Welcome aboard IceManHG.....I look forward to flying with you in MP online

[warsign]

>Me too. welcome

[Knight Rider]

Welcome aboard.

[PingBosun]

Welcome IMHG. See you out there sometime