Expansion pack

[LDiCesare]

I'm slightly diappointed by the X pack.
It brings some nice graphics, more techs and ships, but generally more of the same.
The only difference in gameplay with 1.05 is the space sharks. Since you can spawn them with survey ships, there are many of these running loose.
The scores are also changed (a typical maso game of mine, usually worth arounf 8-10k in 1.05 becomes worth 24k points).
Overall, that's not much.
The additional techs are almost negligible as far as I'm concerned (some +10 weapon military techs noone wants to sell and that cost a lot to research - you're still better off harvesting a military resource).
Waypoints might be useful, but I don't play big enough maps for them to be interesting, and I'm afraid Switching waypoints and forgetting to replace one may prove more problematic than the lack of waypoints.
The tech tree is pitiful because you can't browse the next tech effect (forces to play a game where I'd research techs I'm uninsterested in just to see if they lead to something useful later on...)

What do you think of the Xpack?
Spacesharks are cool, but that's about it for me.

[vee4473]

The x-pak is ok. Nothing special.

The hyperlinks should give descriptions of new improvements to planets as wel as techs.


and the tech tree is bad in that you have to keep going forward and back, forward and back to find the tech you are looking for...

the tree should have been something that you can see the whole thing. Like civ 3 is...you see the whole tree and if there is a specfic thing you are going for to suit your strategy, then just click it and the pre-reqs get selected.

the tech tree is an improvement, but not by much.

[vee4473]

by the way, this tech tree does not help if you want to go for battleships or the final frontier...unless you like going back and forth incessantly through the tree...

[Asmodean]

The x-pack is okay for me.

I mean, I agree with most of your points, but then again....

How much do you expect for free. This is the first free x-pack I have ever seen, and when I compare the fact that it is free, to the features it has, I must say that I am very satisfied

Asmodean

[vee4473]

they are doing great for free updates. and I still think their whole approach to the support of this game is a winner.

[LDiCesare]

I agree that the support for the game is great. The fact that the XPack is free isn't important with regards to the content, because we already paid for it when we paid the game (as Brad sais, they had budgeted 1 year of support after release). Still, the marketing model used by Stardock is great, and their commitment to the customers is extraordinary.
Anyway, I would have expected something more from the Xpack, like bomber ships, or something which could affect gameplay.