Jun 20, 2024

X4: Foundations 7.00 Update and X4: Timelines now available

X4: Foundations - belgoray

Egosoft is excited to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated, major 7.00 update for X4: Foundations, along with the brand new expansion, X4: Timelines. These updates bring a wealth of new content and enhancements to the acclaimed space simulation sandbox game, offering both veteran players and newcomers an enriched gaming experience.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2700340/X4_Timelines/

Introducing X4: Timelines

IMMERSIVE SCENARIOS AND UNIQUE UNLOCKS

Embedded in a new X4: Timelines storyline, you'll find a wide range of scenarios in which you will experience the many different aspects of X4 gameplay. Playing these scenarios will also unlock new missions within the X4: Timelines storyline, and bonuses for your wider X4 sandbox universe - among them reimagined, classic ships from X universe history.

MYSTERIOUS NEW STORYLINE

You'll take on the role of Harper Donel, a trader in the border territories, who is not averse to risky deals. A fateful encounter not only changes your short-term plans, but shakes the foundations of your understanding of the universe, and everyone in it. Prepare to be immersed in a tale of intrigue and revelation.

X4: Timelines is more than just an expansion; it's a revolution in the X4 universe. Whether you're a seasoned space explorer or a newcomer to the galaxy, this thrilling new chapter promises to captivate you with its blend of mystery, adventure, and strategic gameplay.

Update 7.00 - Elevating Your Space Experience

(Please check out the complete changelog in our forum.)

With the latest update to X4: Foundations, players are invited to experience the most comprehensive evolution of the game yet, with enhancements spanning content, gameplay mechanics, usability, accessibility, and technical performance. This new chapter introduces a series of transformative updates and features designed to deepen the immersive experience of exploring the vast reaches of space, engaging in dynamic encounters, and navigating the intricate economies and political landscapes of the X4 universe.

A Wide Range of New Content

The universe of X4: Foundations grows more intricate and vibrant with the introduction of reimagined Teladi and Argon Capital Ships. These iconic vessels have been meticulously overhauled, featuring designs that add a new layer of depth and intrigue to space encounters. As commanders take the helm of these majestic ships, they'll find each battle and exploration endeavour imbued with a renewed sense of awe and strategy.

The expansion of the universe also introduces players to new sectors and landmarks, beckoning them to venture into previously uncharted regions. These fresh discoveries promise to expand horizons and opportunities, offering new adventures and mysteries waiting to be unraveled. Complementing this expansion is the introduction of race-specific managers' offices, providing a unique cultural insight into the various factions populating the universe, and allowing players to further personalise their spacefaring experience. See the cosmos like never before with the new Observation Deck module, offering breathtaking views of the universe from the comfort of your space station.

New and Redesigned Xenon Ships

The 7.00 update will introduce several new ships to the universe, and we want to highlight a very special addition. We're thrilled to reveal the awe-inspiring, redesigned Xenon models PE and SE, which will gradually replace their previous models (P and S) in the open universe, just as the redesigned capital ships did back in 5.00.

Equally exciting is the debut of several Terraformer ships. These ships delve into the legacy of X: Beyond the Frontier (1999) to celebrate this year's 25th anniversary of the X series. These new models, reminiscent of their predecessors, can be encountered in the open universe. Get ready to explore these unique designs!

Flyable Xenon Ships for the First Time in X4

Hold on to your pilot seats, because there's more! With the 7.00 update, we are enabling you to actually fly selected Xenon ships. Both the redesigned Xenon models (PE, SE) and the new Terraformer models introduced in 7.00 can be boarded and flown, just like any other ship in your X4 fleet. Get on board to discover how they've been adapted for you to take control, offering a whole new perspective on the X universe.

Gameplay Innovations

In addition to all this new content, the 7.00 update also includes significant gameplay enhancements, such as the introduction of the "Existential Crisis" endgame challenge for veterans. This daunting confrontation pits players against a faction that spares no effort in its aggression, offering a thrilling new dimension of strategy and resilience.

A fundamentally improved and more intuitive external camera system also debuts, enhancing the way players view, and more importantly, interact with the universe, almost making it feel like a new game. Alongside this, AI improvements across the board make for a more dynamic and realistic universe. Ships now utilise Travel Mode more effectively, enter and exit it with greater consistency, and exhibit improved navigation through jump gates and in combat situations. These enhancements are complemented by reworked and expanded tutorials, ensuring both new and veteran players can fully engage with, and understand, the depth of the game's mechanics.

Usability and Accessibility Focus

With an emphasis on making the game more accessible and enjoyable for all, this update introduces enhanced button remapping and ready-made control profiles to match your steering needs in space. It also provides an FOV slider and new options for colour-blind players with customisable UI colours. Additionally, the update brings audio and text feedback for various actions to further assist players in understanding the game dynamics and making informed decisions. Furthermore, a reduced speed mode has been introduced for those who find the pace of the action a bit too hectic, allowing for a more controlled and leisurely gameplay experience. These features are designed to offer players the flexibility to tailor their gameplay experience to their preferences and needs.

The introduction of Visual Enhancement Goggles that let you zoom in on the action, along with a customisable radial menu for quick access to in-game actions, and reworked shaders in scan mode, further enriches player interaction and immersion. These improvements ensure players have the tools they need to navigate the complexities of space warfare and exploration with confidence.

Technical Advancements

At the core of the update are the significant technical enhancements made to the XTECH 5 Engine, delivering smoother and more stable gameplay. Players will notice the difference these improvements make, among them the temporal anti-aliasing that brings crisp visuals and the enhanced shadows that add depth and realism to the universe.

Updated Bundles

With the release of X4: Timelines, the X4: Community of Planets bundles on Steam have been updated to include the new expansion. Existing players can take advantage of the "complete your bundle" feature on Steam to receive a discount when purchasing X4: Timelines.

>> X4: Community of Planets Edition
>> X4: Community of Planets Collector's Edition

A Special Thank You to Our Community

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated players for their unwavering support over the years, and especially during the beta tests that have helped us enormously in the run-up to this day. Without you, none of this would be possible. We hope that you enjoy what we've been working very hard on over the past year, and can't wait to read your feedback. X4 is stronger than ever, and we couldn't be more excited to have reached this milestone. Your passion and commitment inspire us every day, and we are immensely grateful to have such a fantastic community.

7.00 Changelog

(This is an excerpt. Please check out the complete changelog in our forum.)

New Feature: Reimagined Teladi and Argon capital ships.
New Feature: Redesigned Xenon PE and SE ships.
New Feature: Flyable Xenon ships (selected ships only).
New Feature: Historic Terraformer ships.
New Feature: Observation Deck module for stations.
New Feature: Additional sectors and landmarks.
New Feature: Race-specific managers' offices.
New Feature: Improved AI.
New Feature: Reworked, improved and expanded tutorials.
New Feature: Late-game crisis for advanced players.
New Feature: Customisable radial menu for quick access to actions.
New Feature: Extended input mapping options.
New Feature: Enhanced external camera system.
New Feature: Visual Enhancement Goggles.
New Feature: Improved explosion effects.
New Feature: FOV slider.
New Feature: TAA support.
New Feature: Enhanced shadows.
New Feature: New accessibility options.
Added advice message for first-time players.
Added gamestart recommendations for new players.
Added Wayward Scion gamestart.
Added guidance to new HQ location when player scans old HQ plot signal leak with Kingdom End active.
Added more skilled marines to newly created Terran Asgard ships.
Added option to override ware baskets of subordinates with trade assignments.
Added indication of critical wares to AutoTrade default behaviour.
Added possibility to skip conversation lines in interactive dialogues with Space key.
Added option to choose default camera when piloting ships.
Added possibility to customise external camera position per ship model.
Added means to rescue people who are stranded in space suits, with options for player to request rescue.
Added crew bailing out of player-owned ships that are destroyed.
Added player character to list of things Live Stream camera can showcase.
Added auto-targeting of next hostile or next surface element on destruction of current target.
Added target type identification voice feedback for surface elements.
Added visual effect when hovering over HUD target elements.
Added icons to Data Vaults to indicate unlock progress.
Added icon on Map for orphaned build storages with wares to sell.
Added option to select order sector parameter by clicking on Map.
Added cover status information to message ticker.
Added player character portraits to New Game menu.
Added weapon and turret range of ships to Object Information menu.
Added wrecked equipment in Object Loadout menu.
Added full equipment and module names to mouse-over texts in Ship and Station Configuration menus.
Added number of available missiles or bombs in Ship Interactions and Ship Loadout menus.
Added new weapon modes and renamed some old weapon modes for clarity.
Added faction filter to Station Configuration menu shuffle function.
Added lock range, lock time and resilience against countermeasures to missiles in Encyclopedia.
Added link to Encyclopedia in Ship Information menu, and in Module context menu in Station Build menu.
Added full module names to search in Station Build menu.
Added visual hint to indicate which categories contain searched items in Station Build menu.
Added checks for missing equipment blueprints to construction plan selection in Station Build menu.
Added confirmation dialog when deleting Construction Plans.
Added separate default options for Global Standing Orders for military ships.
Added option to disable transform gizmo in Station Build menu.
Added ability to show external target view for ships in highways.
Added ability to move orders immediately to start/end of order queue in Object Behaviour menu.
Added information about automatically calculated buy amount to Station Overview resource boxes.
Added fleet and sector names to Map menu searches, and provided suggestion box.
Added skip buttons to sliders in menus to immediately set them to their limit.
Added ticker history to Logbook.
Added ability to select options in dropdowns by typing.
Added mouse-over texts explaining mission difficulties.
Added Interact menu of station or ship when interacting with surface elements.
Added Deposit Inventory order for multiple selected ships.
Added reset buttons to Global Standing Orders menu.
Added option to mark Build Storages as hostile.
Added mission arrow to HUD for multiple mission targets that are close together.
Added shield bar animation when receiving damage or boosting.
Added wiggle animation to hull and shield bar when being attacked.
Added visualisation for projected weapon heat after next shot.
Added up-arrow button above tab icons to close top level menu and hide icons.
Added warning about removing unavailable equipment when applying presets in Ship Configuration menu.
Added warnings about missing military or mining equipment to Ship Configuration menu.
Added warning when removing last controller input from certain important menu navigation controls.
Added support for customisation of keyboard modifiers and remapping of Shift and Ctrl keys.
Added feedback for input actions.
Added Numpad-5 as an additional input to reset map view.
Added wider range of ready-made input profiles.
Added new default profiles for various joysticks.
Added new default controller profile.
Added option to delete input profiles.
Added Menu Width Scale option to adjust menu widths in, e.g. multi-monitor setups.
Added HUD scaling.
Added docking UI in external view.
Added glow option for UI.
Added colour-blind options to accessibility settings.
Added Reduced Speed Mode accessibility option.
Added flickering of lights in rooms when ship or station is taking heavy damage.
Added low shadow quality setting.
Added more achievements.
Changed placement of station target elements to be in visual center of stations.
Changed appearance of mission targets that are relative to objects.
Changed target speed display to use more appropriate units.
Changed option to reset Global Standing Order responses for all ships to be on dedicated button.
Changed Object List and Property Owned menus to show stations under construction in same way as station entries.
Changed order of Dock Areas in station elevator menu to prioritise current location and ship dealerships.
Changed Map menu trade ware and storage type filter from being persistent per player/account to being persistent per save.
Changed discovered Data Vault icons to remain on Map even outside of live view.
Changed Laser Towers to show up as "ping" on map after long range scan.
Changed messages in ticker to no longer disappear while game is paused.
Changed faction colours to be more distinct.
Changed colour of collectable HUD elements that cannot currently be collected.
Changed hull bar colour in Map and radar from green to white to match HUD representation.
Changed missile reload bar to animate from full to empty.
Changed white flash effect when opening menu to more subtle colour.
Changed SSAO quality settings and added Ultra option.
Removed chance for fighters to deploy mines in dogfights.
Removed names of landmarks from target element.
Removed interaction icons for NPCs that are not current target.
Removed option to minimize Map menu.
Removed mouse HUD mode.
Improved ending of Combat Scenario to be less confusing.
Improved Hatikvah mission objective to indicate requirement to place 2 explosive charges during station sabotage section.
Improved strength of Xenon fleet in Mutually Assured Destruction mission.
Improved Find Resources mission to have more variation and to take into account new resource regions.
Improved station selection for Gride's delivery station in Paranid story.
Improved scanning mission to verify that opposing faction matches that given in briefing.
Improved mission to track ship to abort if target was destroyed before accepting mission offer.
Improved balancing of mineral and gas region yields across whole map.
Improved balancing of drop rates, types and amounts for ships and lockboxes.
Improved balancing of seminar prices to match equivalent NPC hiring fees.
Improved balancing of stellar output across all systems to match stars and locations.
Improved balancing of storage volume for S and M storage modules.
Improved ware allocation for wharfs, shipyards and equipment docks.
Improved quantity and locations of Xenon Defence Stations (in new games only).
Improved fleet composition of Terran Protectorate.
Improved spacesuit manoeuvrability.
Improved character appearance when moving and performing certain activities.
Improved mission guidance and NPC pathfinding in large walkable areas.
Improved presentation of NPCs greeting passers-by in certain situations.
Improved behaviour of collisions between capital and S/M sized ships.
Improved tolerance of turret friendly fire between player and non-player factions.
Improved friendly fire handling between non-player factions.
Improved flee behaviour of S or M ships under attack by capital ships or stations.
Improved boarding pod launch velocity.
Improved accuracy of weapon aim prediction.
Improved auto-aim targeting on engines, shields and turrets.
Improved docking of spacesuits on S and M sized ships.
Improved behaviour of missiles targeting stations.
Improved flight behaviour of guided missiles and accuracy against certain targets.
Improved missile hit detection.
Improved docking guidance.
Improved precision of target guidance in space.
Improved automatic collision avoidance for player ship when near moving objects.
Improved AI flight by not interrupting travel mode due to small course changes.
Improved AI flight while moving to jump gates.
Improved capital ship movement when approaching and exiting gates, accelerators and highways.
Improved capital ship combat movement against large targets.
Improved ships unnecessarily dropping out of travel drive when flying in formation.
Improved boosting without flight assist to no longer set throttle to zero.
Improved undocking behaviour of S/M ships on stations such as Teladi Trading Station.
Improved high speed carrier undocking.
Improved combat behaviour of missile-armed fighters attacking large targets.
Improved combat approach for capital ships attacking very large, very slow or immobile targets.
Improved some cases where weapons fire with no chance of hitting target.
Improved turret behaviour to allow slow heavy-hitting turrets to target smaller/faster enemies if there are no more suitable targets.
Improved boost usage of ships in fleets that are traversing jump gate to attack.
Improved capital ships approaching gates prior to sector transition.
Improved fleet gate traversal to sectors with hazardous regions.
Improved manoeuvring capability of tugs while towing scrap cubes or wrecks.
Improved ships with very low strafe speeds flown by very bad pilots sometimes appearing not to move at all.
Improved long-distance movement to moving objects.
Improved gate transition for very long NPC ships.
Improved ships with mining orders avoiding asteroids they are not currently targeting.
Improved free traders finding trades when operating over multiple sectors.
Improved miner decision-making involving mining in distant sectors which are contested by hostile factions.
Improved manual mining order for solid resources.
Improved manual mining order when cargo is already full.
Improved reliability of capital ships getting supplies.
Improved reliability of construction ships building stations in owned faction space.
Improved repair and resupply for ships with repeating orders.
Improved repair and resupply by allowing player-owned ships to use player-owned equipment docks, wharfs and shipyards.
Improved damage calculations for certain weapons when player not nearby.
Improved response to being boarded.
Improved price balancing for several MK2 weapons.
Improved voice feedback for repeated target selection.
Improved fighter pursuit of very fast, large targets.
Improved fighter pursuit of targets when player not nearby.
Improved Flee order, particularly when fleeing from ships attacking head-on.
Improved Flee behaviour when fleeing ship was moving rapidly to distant destination prior to fleeing.
Improved drone launching and recovery at ships with launch tubes.
Improved behaviour of NPC ships regaining lost subordinates.
Improved reliability of carrier-based fleet subordinates.
Improved subordinates with Mimic to inherit commander's default behaviour when promoted if commander is destroyed.
Improved fight-or-flight decision making for subordinates in fleet with Carrier or Fleet Auxiliary Ship in combat.
Improved stations set to sell excess resources in logical overview to no longer reduce automatic buy amount.
Improved station-based trader handling of ware shortages.
Improved redistribution of NPC military ships from long-standing quiet areas to potentially troubled ones.
Improved delivery of scrap to processing modules.
Improved order to deploy satellites to show radar range of satellite before deployment.
Improved messages for stations reporting friendly ships being attacked close to station.
Improved relation penalty on issuing attack order so that penalty is removed if attack order is cancelled before shooting has started.
Improved station deconstruction by transferring remaining cargo to build storage.
Improved Station Design Simulator environment.
Improved Live Stream view target selection logic.
Improved ticker message when picking up crates or asteroid chunks.
Improved selectability of small target elements in HUD.
Improved look and feel of mouse interactions in space and on radar.
Improved map zoom level range to allow it to show whole map.
Improved visuals of communication channel video feed.
Improved display of effective countermeasure resilience for missiles in encyclopedia.
Improved Controls settings menu layout.
Improved mapping of mouse buttons and mouse movement with Shift/Ctrl modifiers.
Improved support for joysticks with more than 32 buttons (up to 64 buttons per device supported).
Improved colours of exclusion zones and building lot bounds in station design menu.
Improved conflicting controls popup when remapping is not possible.
Improved range of control mapping options.
Improved support for DualShock and DualSense controllers.
Improved performance of Player Info menu under certain circumstances.
Improved black beard for human characters.
Improved cockpit visuals for Irukandji.
Improved historical accuracy of broken Terran jump gate model.
Improved presentation of loadout editor for Boron ships.
Improved structure of Options menu.
Improved visuals for Thermal Disintegrator bullets.
Improved rendering distance of Kha'ak Defence Platform.
Improved Kha'ak muzzle effect timing and appearance when viewed from far away.
Improved detail on wall of Terran 4M10S Luxury Dock Area.
Improved data leak visuals.
Improved appearance of stardust effect.
Improved lighting in Station and Ship Loadout menus.
Improved flickering of object lights when transitioning between functional and non-functional.
Improved UI colour differentiation between Realm of the Trinity and Kha'ak factions.
Improved clarity of icons representing obstructed enemies.
Improved icons for various ship types.
Improved visuals for scan mode.
Improved visibility of mining nodes on nearby asteroids.
Improved consistency of glow with different anti-aliasing and upscaling modes.
Improved readability of weapon heat bar on bright backgrounds.
Fixed some pirates not being active in Kingdom End expansion sectors when gate opens.
Fixed missing default paint theme when at high reputation with Queendom of Boron.
Fixed Leda We being placed in same spot as Boron marine in The High Road mission.
Fixed Godrealm of the Paranid and Holy Order of the Pontifex being present in some Split sectors after Paranid unification.
Fixed Boron story sometimes getting stuck if Boron Shipyard is destroyed.
Fixed A Matter of the Utmost Gravity mission getting stuck if conversation with Kromancketslat's lieutenant is interrupted by opening Map.
Fixed Trinity faction not able to rebuild wharfs, shipyards and other major stations.
Fixed stereo audio issues in some cutscenes of Boron story.
Fixed incorrect countdown in Casino welfare module research time trial.
Fixed E model Paranid capital ships not being used in Paranid story.
Fixed Covert Operations story sometimes getting stuck between Buy Plot and Build Station phases in Operation Hyena.
Fixed HQ-related achievements not being unlocked in some storylines.
Fixed speech being cut short in Rescue Ship generic mission.
Fixed being unable to dock due to reputation loss if player attacks Gride's ship when it loses cover during Paranid story.
Fixed cipher ship vulnerability in Paranid story.
Fixed Gride talking about toolbox when the Paranid story already progressed past that stage.
Fixed story missions requesting player to deliver resources becoming blocked under certain circumstances.
Fixed passenger transport mission sometimes asking to pick up passenger from invalid location.
Fixed Dal Busta not being available to talk to continue Hatikvah story.
Fixed hidden mission objectives getting prominent target elements under certain circumstances.
Fixed potential freeze during Blazing the Trail mission.
Fixed stuck data heist mission of Covert Operations story.
Fixed items spawned from container in Find Object mission disappearing when player flies away.
Fixed Trade Subscription mission characters sometimes appearing behind counter in trade corner.
Fixed being unable to complete Northriver story if enemy with Teladi because basic engine research cannot be completed.
Fixed Ace just responding with same sentence when spoken to in High-Tech Hold-Up mission of Criminal story.
Fixed Ace talking when scanning ship after heist part of Criminal storyline already completed.
Fixed damage fields in Torus Aeternal.
Fixed mission-only module blueprints being unlocked in Station Design Simulator.
Fixed missing animations when selecting New Game under certain circumstances.
Fixed autopilot being active after teleporting to ship.
Fixed characters speaking to player sometimes looking in wrong direction.
Fixed NPCs facing wrong way when using transporter rooms in shops on dock areas.
Fixed reassigned pilots getting stuck leaving Boron ships when player not present.
Fixed ships not using travel mode when ordered to attack target in distant sector.
Fixed several situations where ships could fly through station or carrier while docking.
Fixed dock assignment and ship hologram persisting when stopping control.
Fixed various issues with retrieving ships from internal storage.
Fixed various issues with player docking requests.
Fixed NPC subordinates sometimes docking indefinitely.
Fixed some pilots finding it hard to land on Boron Wharfs.
Fixed Mk2 Laser Towers getting stuck in docking bay on launch.
Fixed player-owned police ships continuing to police old sector after player loses control of all sectors.
Fixed free traders sometimes not finding trades, particularly when only working with one ware.
Fixed ships sometimes reporting failed trade orders despite successfully completing trade.
Fixed capital ships sometimes repeatedly trying to trade with stations they cannot dock at.
Fixed frigates, destroyers, and battleships sometimes not launching defence drones when they should.
Fixed transport drones on player's personal capital ship not collecting drops when set to do so.
Fixed frigate-based defence drones sometimes escorting their frigate indefinitely rather than engaging hostiles.
Fixed ships tending to repeatedly switch targets if faced with multiple small targets in close proximity to one another.
Fixed non-capital ships in combat tending to always prefer to target individual ships rather than capital ships or stations.
Fixed NPC ships sometimes unintentionally initiating hostilities against neutral or friendly ships or stations.
Fixed ships performing queued Coordinate Attack orders trying to attack wrecked targets.
Fixed participants in Coordinated Attack pursuing targets to adjacent sectors.
Fixed Attack orders sometimes generating failure messages even if order resulted from automated behaviour.
Fixed fleet subordinates sometimes no longer following commander after commander's pilot having been changed.
Fixed attack subordinates sometimes getting distracted by other targets far from their commander.
Fixed attack subordinates attacking targets other than their commander's without provocation.
Fixed disproportionately large number of Xenon miners getting destroyed outside Xenon space.
Fixed infiltration phase of boarding taking longer with higher-skilled marines.
Fixed ships attacking targets that are being boarded by non-hostile faction.
Fixed ships that are unable to inflict damage potentially deciding to fight in response to attack.
Fixed turrets not shooting at station modules (especially Kha'ak) unless set to Attack my current enemy.
Fixed capital mining ships not firing on asteroids with some turret or drone configurations.
Fixed weapons aiming at target sometimes moving erratically when target is lost.
Fixed capital ships sometimes approaching too closely in combat.
Fixed excessive travel-drive dropouts for small/medium ships during dogfights.
Fixed ships re-engaging in combat after being ordered to disengage or being given a move order.
Fixed Coordinate Attack including subordinate groups that have been set to Docked.
Fixed ships sometimes not considering other ships in front of them and therefore not slowing down.
Fixed ships sometimes spiraling around carriers while trying to dock when player not nearby.
Fixed ships sometimes flying backwards in Travel Mode after changing current orders.
... Please check out the complete changelog in our forum.