I’m always on the lookout for decent space technology building games, especially those that allow me to build factories, mine asteroids or maybe peddle loads of consumer goods with the intent of turning myself into a multimillionaire. Then again, maybe starting as a bounty hunter and blowing pirate ships to smithereens is more to my taste. Even doing missions as a patrol officer has exciting prospects, you might think.

X3: Terran Conflict is the latest game for the X series from Egosoft Inc. This is a stand-alone game, and you don’t need to have played previous versions to play this game. I downloaded X3: Terran Conflict via Steam’s digital download manager while I slept. After a smooth install, I began the routine checking for updates, looking through the options, making sure the video devices were working properly and so on. This game is basically in a first-person mode, though you can key the cameras to display your ship in various positions. I would stick with the latter mode as it’s the default position and you will use it mainly.

Running the game revealed my biggest and annoying concern: I got video lag big time. Things were taking extra long, and the drive was going like gangbusters. I have a 2.8 gigahertz dual-core computer with 2 gigabytes of RAM and a Nivida 6800 video card, so things should have been running smoothly. After 20 minutes of lagging video displays, I checked out the video option settings, which seemed fine, and then I remembered there were another set of video options. I discovered the default was a high graphics display. After changing this to a medium resolution and restarting the game, things finally calmed down. My recommendation is to change that resolution to medium before you begin. The graphics display is minimal between the two, and you’re less likely to have the lag problem.

I do think the graphics are exceptional. The different stations are done extremely well. They are detailed realistically so that you have the feeling as you approach them that you will be stepping into a thriving community. The universe is believable, and you can imagine in the immense cosmos. Everything is seamless, even down to the jump gates, which you use to traverse to the different regions of space.

Also of note is the music, which is varied but became redundant after awhile. I usually turn off the music while playing games since it can get distracting or effect gameplay. Voice acting in the game is exceptional as well, giving you the feeling that people are at work. The announcements in the stations add a nice touch.

X3: Terran Conflict begins with four players and a custom game. Terran Defender has you doing missions in Terran areas in the beginning. Aragon Patriot is basically the same, but you start in Aragon space. A Humble Merchant has you mucking around. And Bankrupt Assassin is this game’s version of extremely hard. Hard isn’t the word I’d use — more like suicidal, if you ask me. The custom game is just as bad since you start with 1,000 credits, no lasers, no missiles and a yucky sector. The best of the bunch in my opinion is A Humble Merchant because you start with 9,000 credits. I’ve played all five options, and the first three offer at least the most interest either in missions or trading. As the assassin, I was not only without credits, but I got ganged up on within the sector I was dumped. Needless to say, I didn’t last long.

Trading in X3: Terran Conflict has the biggest disadvantage, again, in my opinion. The only time you can determine what the price of goods are is by landing at the various stations. If you just scan them without landing, you just get question marks — unless you buy a market analyzer addition. Scanning any station becomes easier with the add-on, and you can see what prices are being offered. As a merchant, that was the first thing I bought. You have no idea my frustration when I bought goods at one place only to find I would be selling at a loss at another place. The trading system is pretty complex. Having to find the right station that is selling what you want means moving to other sectors, since certain stations only make certain items.

Combat is pretty straightforward, and for best results, you should use a joystick. Using the mouse is your only other option. As in most space flight simulations, you have shields, your armor plating and the hull. This game has you protected by just shields. Once the shields go down, you take damage immediately. Woe to you if that happens, since your speed is also reduced; speed plays an important role, considering the vast distances between gates and stations.

That brings up what I thought to be the most boring part of this game: the vast distances between objects, depending on the speed of your ship. It can take minutes to get from place to another. The only saving grace is your SETA device, which boosts speed by 600 percent. Keep that in mind since it boosts your current speed only. Repairs to your ship can be made only at a dockyard, and not every sector has them; so spend time jumping around between sectors looking for one.

You can build a reputation and earn credits by taking missions. There are delivery, kill and storyline missions. Be careful and read fully the details before accepting any since it most likely will be a timed mission. Once you earn enough credits, you can buy factories and stations and increase your wealth. You can also create trade routes. Become a bounty hunter and clean up pirate-infested areas. Speak to other citizens, and they might provide a bit of interesting info.

X3: Terran Conflict is pretty in-depth with two storylines. The game also lets you readily start in sandbox mode if you want. I find that traveling from one station to the next the most boring aspect of this game, even with the SETA device. Trading could be easier without having to buy an expensive add-on, and the video settings caused some concern until they were corrected. Also of note is the fact that everything you do is in your ship. You have no avatar, so walking around is a non-issue. I didn’t get to the mega wealth stage, unfortunately. Last on the list of my complaints is Steam. I found out fast that before the game will run, Steam must launch first. This means that if your Internet goes down, so does Steam, and your game will not run. Basically, you’re being held hostage to the launcher.

All in all, X3: Terran Conflict held my interest on and off. I was mainly turned off by the distances I had to traverse and the trade schematics. I found it somewhat boring, but that’s my take on this game. It’s something to do when nothing else comes to mind. If you like this type of game, just remember what I wrote before you plunk down those greenbacks. But there is a large community of fans out there.