When one beta finishes, another one starts - here we are again! Following the great reception of the free 7.00 update for X4: Foundations, we're diving straight into preparations for the next update. We look forward to your support in the 7.10 Public Beta, which is now available. You'll find the changelog at the end of this news.
How Do I Take Part in the Public Beta? Every player who owns X4: Foundations has the opportunity to download the new 7.10 Public Beta version. In order to ensure that beta participants are aware of the risks and rules involved, we ask all interested players to visit our forum, where they will find the rules and disclaimers, as well as practical instructions for participating in the beta. Follow this link to our forum - no registration required - to find the relevant information.
Please share your feedback / bug report in our Public Beta Feedback forum. Before doing so, please make sure you read the Public Beta Rules and Information, which you can find in a sticky thread at the top of that forum.
FAQ on X4: Timelines and the Future of X4
In case you missed it: shortly after the release of the latest expansion, X4: Timelines, we published an extensive FAQ addressing some of your most pressing queries about Timelines. In the FAQ, we list all the rewards you can unlock in Timelines for your X4 sandbox, and explain how the development of X4: Timelines has positively impacted, and will continue to impact, the future of X4. We also provide a brief outlook on our priorities for the next major updates (likely to be numbered 7.50 and 8.00). Feel free to check out the FAQ in our Steam News.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/392160/view/4179984470687918882
Sapporo and Dart Ship Showcase
The 7.10 Public Beta is making some changes to two of our exciting new ships, so we're showcasing them a bit more closely in this news. Both of these ships can be used in your X4 sandbox by playing our latest expansion, X4: Timelines (see FAQ for unlock conditions). Please check the changelog at the end of the news to see the changes made to these ships in 7.10 Public Beta 1.
Sapporo
(originally a sturdy Terran deep-space explorer, later refitted to fill in as a nimble light destroyer and saviour of humanity)
"The Sapporo class was created as a non-combatant exploration vessel to be used to scout out new locations for the Terran to colonise. As the Terraformer conflict ramped up, the Sapporo was quickly redesigned to perform as a mobile command and control centre, able to oversee larger battles and provide a powerful pivot point for any battle. It still maintains several features of its originally planned role, such as its high speed and manoeuvrability."
Dart
(an unreasonably fast racer for the reckless, which pilots with a stronger sense of self-preservation may prefer to keep as a trophy)
"The Dart was initially released as a mail-in kit project, to which an aspiring racer could subscribe and have parts shipped to them periodically. Due to its popularity, the Dart was quickly offered as a ready-to-fly ship, and the project took no new kit customers. It is easy to identify a kit-built Dart from a production one, as the tooling for the rear titanium fins was recreated due to complaints about the fins' shape not fitting that of the rest of the ship. Despite being discontinued, the kits remain remarkably popular, and incomplete kits regularly sell for beyond the price of a production ship."
Modding Support: New Documentation in the X Wiki
We would like to inform X4 modders that we have changed the structure of the "Modding Support" section of our X Wiki. Additionally, four new guides have been added to the wiki:
Community modders have also added new guides to their parts of the Wiki, so be sure to check it out; it will certainly make a modder's heart beat faster!
7.10 Public Beta 1 Changelog
- Added Factions and Relations tutorial.
- Added travel drive to Dart engines in Open Universe.
- Added dedicated weapon groups to Pre-Battle Skirmish Timelines scenario.
- Added Docking Computer to A Merchant Mind and Teladi Trading Try-Outs Timelines scenarios.
- Added ammo clip visualisation for missile launchers to HUD.
- Added Skip Dialog Line option to Controls menu.
- Added mouse-over texts when navigating menus with keyboard input.
- Added input feedback when Travel Mode not available.
- Added Start Timelines button to Timelines menu
- Added Mk5 shield generator to Xperimental Shuttle.
- Removed signal leak missions in Timelines trading scenarios.
- Removed Trade and Go to Ship options in Dock Interactions menu in Timelines Nexus.
- Removed Lock Range and Lock Time information from Encyclopedia missile entries where not relevant.
- Removed storage allocation warning in Logical Station Overview for trade wares.
- Improved Timelines intro cutscene for more immersive experience.
- Improved Timelines scenario result screen layout.
- Improved rating visualisation for Timelines scenarios.
- Improved clarity of Timelines mission descriptions.
- Improved sequence of early Timelines scenarios for better first time player experience.
- Improved transition between Timelines scenarios by not closing scenario selection menu when returning from scenario unless required by story.
- Improved placement of The Recruitment Mission Timelines scenario in Mission Interface to be more immediately noticeable.
- Improved The Recruitment Mission Timelines scenario cutscene to show prison guard being affected by Impedence Bubble.
- Improved flow and difficulty level of Impeded Extraction Timelines scenario.
- Improved finale of Battle of Omicron Lyrae Timelines scenario with special music.
- Improved balancing and weapon loadout of Sapporo.
- Improved combat movement of capital ships armed only with turrets and fighting very large, slow targets.
- Improved combat behavior of fighters when set to attack surface elements when player not present.
- Improved combat behavior of fighters armed with guided missiles or torpedos.
- Improved lasertower behavior against capital ships.
- Improved speed of ships docking on carriers.
- Improved mining behavior when player present.
- Improved Crew Transfer menu if one or both ships do not have captain.
- Improved notification text when travel mode is disrupted by external factors.
- Improved unnecessarily cut-off texts in Modifications menu under certain circumstances.
- Improved readability of text while moving or rotating in station editor.
- Improved visibility of subtitles by making background more opaque.
- Improved UI scale range to allow maximum of 1.8.
- Improved Terran Meson Stream weapon by adding small gimbal.
- Improved engine glow on some missiles.
- Improved performance of explosion effects.
- Improved low quality shadow option.
- Fixed Frontier equipment not being available in Creative Custom Gamestart.
- Fixed Escort Position being too far away from HQ if superhighway entry is present in Timelines Epilogue story.
- Fixed reward notifications disappearing too quickly after playing certain Timelines missions.
- Fixed reputation recovery mechanism in Timelines trading scenarios to allow docking if player accidentally falls below threshold.
- Fixed Zeus drifting in second Timelines racing scenario.
- Fixed player ship crashing into obstacles in Timelines racing scenario outro cutscene.
- Fixed player being able to fly before race starts in Timelines racing scenario.
- Fixed non-localised text in Timelines racing scenarios.
- Fixed announcer in 17th Getsu Fune Asteroid Smasher Showdown Timelines scenario being unable to count to 50.
- Fixed being unable to complete President's End Timelines scenario if Jump Gate selection menu closed by player.
- Fixed score in Mine Your Own Business Timelines scenario not taking into account player's surviving ships.
- Fixed unreasonably high leader board scores in Teladi Trading Try-Outs Timelines scenario.
- Fixed enemy ships shooting at player when docked to trade in Frontline Dealings Timelines scenario.
- Fixed Kaori sometimes giving inappropriate reply in The Recruitment Mission Timelines scenario.
- Fixed credits not being subtracted from player account when buying Dart in Open Universe.
- Fixed clone of Axiom appearing under Personnel Management in prison gamestart.
- Fixed extreme reputation change during missions such as VIG storyline resulting in promotion ceremony needing to be performed again.
- Fixed war and storyline missions to use new Behemoth and Phoenix ships.
- Fixed Boron storyline blocked during BoFu delivery.
- Fixed player being able to complete Trading Lessons mission in Avarice story by selling to themselves.
- Fixed player wrongly receiving email to search for Boso Ta signal leak with Kingdom End active.
- Fixed Scan Ship missions sometimes asking player to scan lasertower.
- Fixed Find Resources missions offered by guilds not showing search radius.
- Fixed large supply missions being offered with factions that have no trade offers.
- Fixed being able to sell ships to Quettanauts faction.
- Fixed strange guidance movement for crates dropped during find object missions.
- Fixed capital ships in fleets with fleet auxiliary ships going in for repairs while in combat.
- Fixed ships spiraling indefinitely when docking at resupply ships.
- Fixed ships indefinitely running into station modules.
- Fixed ships having travel mode enabled after undocking.
- Fixed ships sometimes automatically docking again immediately after undocking under certain circumstances.
- Fixed capital ships sometimes not firing at Attack order target.
- Fixed shields and turrets on station modules not being shielded initially.
- Fixed cargo drops sometimes spawning inside stations.
- Fixed promoted subordinates which had Mimic assignment not inheriting old commander's default behavior on commander death.
- Fixed NPCs sometimes taking exceptionally long time to appear on Boron dock areas.
- Fixed Antigone station modules not being available in Station Design Simulator.
- Fixed build modules in Logical Station Overview being in random order.
- Fixed different order of turret groups in Ship Configuration menus under certain circumstances.
- Fixed repair option in Ship Upgrade menu not being available under certain circumstances.
- Fixed attached boarding pods still being listed in property list.
- Fixed HUD satellite icons not indicating active status.
- Fixed invisible UI when game is paused before loading finishes.
- Fixed missing guidance UI when enabling guidance towards superhighway entry gate or unknown jump gate.
- Fixed positioning of docking UI in external view.
- Fixed target problems when using External Target View on far away objects.
- Fixed signal leak indicator position with non-default FOV.
- Fixed inconsistent message ticker position while docked.
- Fixed ticker messages sometimes disappearing too quickly.
- Fixed stuck radial menu under certain circumstances.
- Fixed Interact menu revealing undiscovered information about NPCs.
- Fixed message about no captain being assigned to nil in Crew Transfer menu.
- Fixed left-over crew member entries in Crew Information menu under certain circumstances.
- Fixed missing buttons in Crew Transfer menu under certain circumstances.
- Fixed incorrect Stop Travel Drive option in Ship Interactions menu under certain circumstances.
- Fixed mining equipment warning not working when buying capital mining ships.
- Fixed missing menu title in Input Profile menus.
- Fixed issues with sliders in trade context menu.
- Fixed top level menu playing UI sounds.
- Fixed menu artefacts when starting Timelines scenario under certain circumstances.
- Fixed cases of wrong save being loaded on quickload or when finishing tutorial.
- Fixed unnecessary warning of restart being needed when restoring settings to default.
- Fixed not being able to use elevator in Porpoise (Mineral).
- Fixed not being able to reach pilot chair in Plutus (Mineral).
- Fixed incorrectly oriented turrets on Odachi.
- Fixed muzzle effects for beam weapons sometimes outlasting actual beam.
- Fixed muzzle effects for beam weapons sometimes remaining active on wrecks.
- Fixed ramp of Hydra and Hydra regal flickering erratically when docked.
- Fixed various flickering and incorrectly moving animated parts.
- Fixed missing wreck geometry for various ships.
- Fixed lack of detail on wreck of S Plasma Cannon Mk2.
- Fixed swapped azimuth/elevation for Terran S/M weapons.
- Fixed floating drinks and disconnected lights in Astrid.
- Fixed animation of disgruntled roulette players.
- Fixed thin geometry blocking spacesuit dock in Cutlass.
- Fixed pilots being unable to walk to rear cabin of Odachi.
- Fixed being able to select turrets of Odachi.
- Fixed paint mods not affecting entire hull of Odachi.
- Fixed some parts of Xperimental Shuttle not being visible in menus.
- Fixed floating geometry detail on Colossus E.
- Fixed missing geometry and incorrect light colour on bridge of Sapporo.
- Fixed missing collision in Argon L bridge.
- Fixed missing collision in crew common room.
- Fixed rare case of stations not having collisions.
- Fixed exitcode 239 error on launch with some AMD graphics cards and newer drivers.
- Fixed several causes of crashes.