X-Tension

Flash forward to July 2000, and a massive add-on pack called "X-Tension" is about to be released, promising to fix many of the problems that plagued the original game while expanding its scope. We got hold of a preview version of X-Tension courtesy of publisher THQ to see if it really can re-invent X.

Oh My God - It's Full Of Stars!

The most obvious change when you start up X-Tension for the first time is that the graphics engine has been given a massive overhaul, which is lucky as the original game's graphics were adequate but hardly stunning.

The new backdrops are nothing short of sensational though, with nebulae, dust clouds and stars that are a match for anything that eye candy kings Homeworld and Starlancer can offer. As before, 3D planets and moons hang in the sky, nearby stars cause spectacular lens flare effects, and everything is lit in real time, right down to the headlights of your ship playing across a space station's hull as you dock.

The detail of the various space craft and factories has also been increased, with high resolution textures and more intricate models for the various kinds of starship and space station giving the game a grittier more realistic look. Even the jump gates that link the game's sectors have been given a face lift.

Fly And Be Free

Of course, graphics alone do not a game make. The good news is that German developers Egosoft have responded to most of our criticisms of the original game.

For starters the controls are somewhat more responsive than before. A tuned up Argon Buster replaces the slow moving and awkard "X-Perimental shuttle" that you were stuck with in the original game, and it looks like you will no longer have to save up your pennies to get essential equipment such as a time compression function and a basic navigation system - these were included as standard in the preview version we played.

As before you can upgrade your ship with more equipment and heavier weapons and shields throughout the game, but X-Tension also allows you to buy an entirely new ship if you wish, with up to thirty different kinds to pilot, varying from huge freighters for traders to long distance fighter craft for explorers. You can even capture other ships during a fight!

Each class of ship has its own handling characteristics and virtual cockpit, giving some much needed variety to the game. Being able to purchase more advanced ships also means that you now have something to do with the vast sums of money which you can earn later in the game. This should give X-Tension a lot more longevity than the original, which soon became rather dull when you ran out of new toys to buy for your ship.

Mission Impossible

Another of our criticisms of the original game was that the "plot" was very linear, and involved repeatedly flying backwards and forwards across the galaxy for no apparent good reason.

X-Tension replaces the tired old "find a way home" storyline with literally dozens of "Elite : Frontier" style sub-missions, which can keep you busy for weeks. You could find yourself on a mercy mission to deliver energy cells to keep a space station's life support systems running, or running a blockade to take supplies to a rival empire.

In one mission a ship is drifting towards an asteroid, and you have seconds to destroy the lump of rock before it collides with the ship. In another you could end up in a race to a nearby space station as part of a bet. There is even a mission where you are hired by a military hardware magazine to go and take photographs of enemy fighters!

And as if all these missions aren't enough, the developers are also promising to release a free patch in the near future with even more missions, designed by a dedicated group of fans of the game.

Space Tycoon

One of X : Beyond The Frontier's most enjoyable aspects (for me at least) was the strategy section, which allowed you to build your own factories, and then purchase cargo ships to ferry supplies between them as necessary.

Unfortunately the only way you could manage your budding business empire was by flying from sector to sector and docking with all your facilities - time consuming, and not very effective. Thankfully X-Tension allows you to manage many of the options for your factories remotely, simply by installing relay satellites in different sectors to transmit your commands.

This is linked to another of the game's big improvements - it now has a built in map of the galaxy, which can be used to examine individual sectors and see all the facilities and ships that are there, again using relay satellites to scan the areas. This means that you no longer have to draw your own maps on pieces of scrap paper, and write up long lists of which facilities are in each sector. Or am I the only one who resorted to that?

Other additions include fighter drones which can help you in fights, laser towers to defend your factories with, and the ability to hop between ships using a transporter device. It all makes the game more interesting and more manageable.

Conclusion

There were still a few problems with the preview version we played though. Most notably the trade system still seemed to be a little suspect, with many factories trying to sell products at higher prices than their neighbouring facilities were willing to buy them at - hardly sound economics.

Otherwise X-Tension appears to solve all of the main problems we had with the original game. The galaxy is bigger, and there is a jump drive you can buy to help you get around it more rapidly. The linear plot has been mostly replaced with many smaller missions. Your ship is far more controllable, and you can buy new craft instead of being stuck with the same basic tin can throughout the game. The AI has been improved, making combat more challenging.

You can even rename your ship now. I call mine .. Bob. It's the little things in life, y'know?

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X-Tension screenshots

X : Beyond The Frontier review