#X3 albion prelude controls manual
#X3 albion prelude controls full

What space sim would be complete without jump gates?Īpart from a rather obvious case of perspective distortion that manifests itself at the outer edges of the screen and those frame rate issues discussed earlier, X3 is a beautiful game. We'll simply say this - though your ships are easier to fly and maneuver than you might think they might be in such a complex sim, ultimate success and ultimate reward come only through discovery and exploration and a willingness to, in the words of the US Army, be all that you can be. And certainly the distances between assignments and objectives are lengthy - though you need merely hit the J key to engage time compression. We can authoritatively say that things can become somewhat bland every now and then if you don't dig into its adventuring, entrepreneurial side. At times it can be hellishly combative, at times relaxing, and at times a real brain tease. Due to the game's many variables, an accurate description of life at the controls of an X3 craft is not easy.

#X3 albion prelude controls manual

That the aforementioned manual is as accommodating, well-written, and downright enjoyable as it is, especially considering the wealth of information housed inside, is a real feather in the cap of the German design team.

Moreover, you can click on virtually any item within radar range for a fully detailed explanation of what it is and what it does. X3 offers up a ton of guidance and advice from within the game, in the form of helpful commanders and peers, liberal voice-over explanations, and of course that icon-based sidebar. Indeed, you may not even need to consult said manual nearly as much as you might think.

You can pretty much just jump in and wing it, so to speak, picking up the knowledge you'll eventually need as you progress.

#X3 albion prelude controls full

If, for instance, you haven't yet committed to memory the four full manual pages describing equipment and upgrades, the three pages on artifacts, or the twelve (!) pages recounting each of the game's key spacecraft, you needn't fear. Truth is that despite its almost frightening enormity and the high learning curve it sets out for those who want to play it to its full potential, it isn't as brutal for rookies as it seems. The dark recesses of space brighten up considerably when you waste an enemy.īut that's just part of the genius of X3. Choose to be a 'Terran Defender,' for example, and prepare for a life of relative ease when compared with other choices such as 'Bankrupt Assassin.' And that's just one more positive attribute for those who want to play again and again. Even your choice of characters at the outset influences your goals, your difficulty, and your potential status. And indeed, coming to grips with the game and really learning all that's available within it is a gargantuan task in itself. Even the most detail-oriented players may be taken back initially by what they see.

The game will seem crazily complex at first blush, particularly when you take your initial gander at the massive 112-page online manual and the profusion of data and maps and information found within the sidebar on the left of the gameplay screen.

An empire that in many cases can explore, progress, and move about in any way it wishes. Here, you aren't just a pilot - you are in effect an empire. A highly open-ended affair, X3 asks not that you merely blow up bad guys, but that you also trade and barter goods, converse with a ton of people, rack up the air miles by traveling virtually everywhere in the solar system, and even build floating mega-factories.