X³: Terran Conflict

X³: Terran Conflict is a standalone add-on to X³: Reunion and the fifth part of the X-saga. Instead of putting the player once again in the shoes of Kyle-William Brennan or his son Julian Gardna, the game features several starting scenarios putting him in the shoes of a Terran Soldier, an Argon Merchant or other combinations. As the game progresses, new starting scenarios can be unlocked. The choice made here defines how difficult the game will be, with which resources the player starts and of course from which view point the player will witness the return of the Terraformers or Xenon. And yes, the AI controlled machines are back in full force.

Three years have gone by since Julian found Earth (and the solar system) at the end of X³: Reunion and united it with the X-Universe. The relationship between the long lost Terrans and the other races is still a cautious one but everyone looks optimistically into the future with more and more of the new sectors surrounding Earth being explored, populated and exploited. At least until one day a Terran patrol picks up signals which, after further investigation, are discovered to be attacking Xenon. Now that the old threat has resurfaced, it not only has to be defeated once and for all, but the reason for its reappearance seems to have something to do with one of the other races. A race for the survival of the whole universe begins.

As in the previous installments of the X: Beyond the Frontier universe series, the player is offered a considerable freedom of actions. All the already known sectors of the X-Universe and the new Terran sectors are his to explore from the start. He can take part in the complex trading simulation by flying through the sectors himself, building his own factories and hiring his own pilots to fly transporters for him, become a pirate and attack the merchants himself (and become the most hated person in the sector), play as a policeman, and so on. The possibilities are quite vast, with missions and other objectives that increase the player's rank with the corresponding faction if successfully completed, giving him access to better technology, ships and trading opportunities with the races.

Besides the improved graphics, the Terrans as a playable race, several hundred new ship and station types, and new tutorials, X³: Terran Conflict also features a new mission guidance system allowing the player to always see in the ships HUD where he has to go next. It's now also possible to control all the menus with the mouse instead of only the keyboard as it was in X³: Reunion. Other additions are the ability to form squadrons of player ships to better protect the very vulnerable freighters and the possibility to hire trainable soldiers which can enter and seize enemy ships.