X Universe Newsletter 39: v2.6 is Out

[GT182]

Just got an email of the newsletter. 2.6 is out but linked with Steam. Not sure I like that idea but I'll have to see.

News here.... http://www.egosoft.com/x/xnews/201004_1_44News.html

Edit:
2.6 download is here..... 27.Apr.10 X³: Terran Conflict 2.5 -> 2.6 18 MB - 3rd one down.... http://www.egosoft.com/download/x3tc/patches_en.php This one is not compatable with Steam..... and it's the one I want. :d

[Lionheart]

Thanks for the heads up Gary.

I saw last night that its at Steam. Its also half price right now. I have 2 games through Steam. You have the option of running Steam offline. Also, its nice to have auto updates. No more having to check for updates, etc.


Bill

[GT182]

Bill, the nonSteam v2.6 is free and I have that one downloaded and installed. I am also downloading the free 206mb version that is for any previous version of X3: Terran Conflict. I can't see paying for it thru Steam if I don't use Steam.

Now I've got to go back and look at how to run multiple installs so my saves are separate for each. I don't want to lose my AMS X3:TC 2.5 saves. Tho I'll probably try to install the AMS mod into 2.6 if it's possible and start my current career again.

[gigabyte]

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water.... no wait back into space... ahhh what ever...lol

[whitehawk_2009]

Great! I told Steam not to update X3, and what do I find it doing? UPDATING! Do I lose my saved game now?

WH

[GT182]

Great! I told Steam not to update X3, and what do I find it doing? UPDATING! Do I lose my saved game now?

WH

On that I have no idea WH..... and part of the reason I won't use Steam. I had an account with them for a couple of games and it made a mess of them doing updates. Hense, I no longer will use Steam.

[gigabyte]

I can't say for sure (not yet but give me an hour), however I do not think there will be any problem with save games, this isan official Ergosoft patch/update, and from past experience with the official patches they do not require restarts. I would also expect that if this patch blow away your save games there would have been a pretty visible warning and the installer would have backed them up as well. Ergosoft has always been pretty good about that stuff, I have found that it is only the full remake mods that make you restart from scratch.

Stay tuned, I backed up my install last night and I am doing the update now so I will let you all know how it works, and if I don't like it I'll just blow it away and go back to where I was.

[gigabyte]

OK Guys & Gal, Saved games are safe as I thought, the only issue I encountered was I had the AMS mod selected in the start menu and when I installed the update it was unseected so I simply had to select it and restart and everything works fine. If you do install into a modded game such as AMS and do not reselect it you will get an error when trying to load a saved game, but it is simply because the mod has not loaded so as long as you remember to reselect your Mod you will be fine.

I would also warn anyone that has installed any mods using the false patch method, make sure BEFORE you install 2.6 that you renumber your 10.cat and 10.dat files to a higher number, this update installs as # 10 so if you don't do this you will overwrite whatever you have as patch 10 now and that could cause a problem with saved games. It would not be hard to fix but it is always easier to change the files before hand than try to figure out what it was you overwrote after the install. If this happens to anyone let me know I can probably help fix it up. Just for reference what I had was the AMS mod installed in the Mod folder and the cockpit mod in the main folder as 10.cat and 10.dat, so I renamed the cockpit mod to 11.cat, 11.dat before the install and everything is good in gigs universe

[GT182]

Most excellent news Mike. My thanks.

[whitehawk_2009]

Thanks for the news!

WH

[gigabyte]

Here is another quick update, I did find a nice improvement in rendering with the new patch and some pretty neat effects. The details on some of the stations I docked at last night was much better up close - not that it was ever bad but there is a noticable improvement. I also found some nice new effects I had only seen on older mods previously such as realistic vapor trails on the M3's and M4's. I am still playing around, but so far this one looks like another winner to me.

I did decide in the end to try a fresh start after testing my saves, I was having problems keeping track of everything after all my "Empire Building". I zipped up my saved games then deleted them all but my last and started fresh with the AMS start, I didn't really want to jump right in an try to manage a big fleet again so I sold off everything except a few ships, which gave me a nice little nest egg to boot. I put my 3 mules to work sector trading and parked the Minicar, Battle cruiser, Vitar, and Gunbus, then set out to explore in the Elete. I had totally forgotten how much fun it was just to explore and roam around the XUniverse, I had a ball. I am collecting a few derelicts, I just call out the Minicar and park them for later sale or repair, and I am scouting out the sectors one at a time, I think I will join a plot line after some more exploring but for now this is just plain FUN!

[GT182]

Mike, That's how I started out with the AMS mod..... just explore and trade very little in an ever expanding circle of sectors. I actually ended up as an unintentional mercenary, then the plot cought up with me once I ventured out into the eastern Argon sectors. When and if I start over, I'll do the same... there's money to be had protecting stations and sectors.... more than in the trading of wares. And when I start over I'll sell off most of the AMS fleet, tho I'll fly again with the Vidarsaurus. She is as lethal and faithful as the day is long. Kinda like a Timex watch..... takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. :d

Tho I sure wish there was a Firefly as lethal and powerful as the Vidar is.

[GT182]

From the The Egosoft website... Downloads.

"X³ Terran Conflict - Bonus Package 4.1.00

This new, complete archive contains all of the bonus plugins, any number of which can be selected for installation."

Download Link...... http://www.egosoft.com/download/x3tc/bonus_en.php

Not sure if all this is in X3TC v2.6 or not, but it was updated 04/27/2010.

[gigabyte]

There is a new newsletter out this week the patch to 2.6 is official for all versions and the final bonus material is 4.1.01, I downloaded both but will not get chance to try them until next weekend, you guessed it another week on the road... drats, and double drats....

[GT182]

Patch 2.7 is out. Is that what you meant Mike? From what I've read this is the good one that really improves game play. Only found out about it because of what happened Tuesday........

I lost my installs of X3, X3TC, and the Plug-ins the other day. No idea what happened but everything was gone. Only the desktop shortcuts were left for everything to do with X3. Click on one and it couldn't find the application, the Egosoft folder was empty... stripped bare. Saves were ok tho. :d I spent 2 days getting everything back in order and installed 2.6 again, and the new 2.7 too. Load times are faster than ever now seeing the 2.7 patch allows your computer to use more than 2GBs of memory in X3.

I sure hope the sim has less stutters because of this. I will find out tonight after I setup my keyboard commands again. Hopefully I can go back to where I stopped in the Asteroid Belt because it unplayable. I sure can use those 403,000,000 credits knowing what I know now.

[Lionheart]

Sorry to hear this Gary.

Man......!

eeeks.. Almost ruins my morning..




Bill

[GT182]

All fixed Bill. Tested it this afternoon and it runs better than ever now with 2.7 installed..... except for the little momentary hang up every now and then. But I can live with that.

My saves I thought I couldn't use again are now working too. :d Just have to get Free Jump working and I'm all set to continue reeking havoc again.

[gigabyte]

Gary that sucks that you had to reload everything, but I am glad to hear you got things working again. I have downloaded the 2.7 patch but I have been playing Reunion with the Xtended Mod for the past month so I have not tried it yet, I may give it a go this weekend.

I have to say Reunion with Xtd is awsome, those guys did one heck of a job on the Mod and it is easy to see why Ergosoft used it as the basis for TC. I am so amazed at the effects and the additional ships it is really like a totally new game.

OH BTW I came across a neat little Save Game Manager which is really neat, I am starting a seperate topic with the links for the download, check it out, it is great for managing save games if you are running a couple of Mods. There are seperate versions for Reunion and TC and it is just too simple to use.

[GT182]

You'll be amazed Mike on how much better 2.7 makes TC run.

For now I've just got TC installed, I'll reinstall Reunion later on. I did try the XTended mod for a bit but I'm still hooked on TC. Looked gret and ran great but I wasn't up to it to stay with it. The way I'm playing TC with the AMS mod keeps me addicted. I went tru withdrawl from last Thursday to today because I couldn't play it. Seems everything else has been place on the back burner for now. Now I know why they said you'd be addicted once you start playing.... and they are right.

[GT182]

Mike, have you found out if the final bonus material 4.1.01 will work with the TC 3.0 patch?