X²: The Threat threatens to devour hours of our lives

by Louis Bedigian

Exclusive screens, gameplay details, new info and more in GameZone Online’s interview with EGOSOFT.

Shortly after it was announced that X²: The Threat would be released this fall, GameZone Online began planning their next trip to outer space.  Officially, we have never been away from terra firma, but when word leaked that Sony had begun manufacturing PlayStation 3 units on the moon, we couldn’t resist.  Of course, due to government regulations, you’re not supposed to know that…

This time around, we wanted to delve deeper into space.  Mars, perhaps?  That was our goal.  But as we approached the planet, a strange power of some kind began pulling us forward.  It sucked us much deeper than we thought possible, and before we knew it we were in a whole other galaxy.

Landing on the nearest planet, we found what appeared to be a deserted land.  Unfortunately for us, it wasn’t deserted, but the local chefs did offer themselves a rare delicacy for dessert: us!

Using the sword-fighting techniques we learned playing Soul Calibur 2, we quickly severed the limbs of our alien attackers.  With brute force we unleashed our artillery and threatened to annihilate anything that stood in our way.  Then the aliens grabbed their indestructible, high-tech weaponry and told us that if we didn’t leave immediately, they’d come to Earth and make the movie Independence Day a reality.  We got the message and jumped back into our spaceship.

However, we didn’t know how to get home.  We weren’t exactly sure where we were, and without another mysterious current to drag us back to Earth, we wouldn’t have enough fuel power to survive.

Thankfully, game developer EGOSOFT just happened to be in the neighborhood.  They were orbiting the galaxy, doing research for their upcoming first-person space simulator – X²: The Threat.  After saving our lives, Bernd Lehahn, Management Managing Director and Project Leader for X², took a day off from intergalactic exploring to tell GameZone Online all about this forthcoming sequel.

First off, please give us a detailed description of the gameplay.  There are bound to be some newcomers to the series, so we want to be able to provide our readers with as much information as possible.
 

Bernd Lehahn: X²: The Threat is a first person space simulation involving high adrenaline combat, plot and mission progression, trading, exploration and empire building. The player has complete control in their choices during the game-play. They can chose to play the game following its story missions entirely or play part of them, then go off for a period of time and do their own thing building up a fleet of ships and stations, trading, exploring and fighting then come back to the story at any point they choose.  Because of this free form structure, there are countless hours of game-play possibilities. This title also has a huge following from the original X: Beyond the Frontier. For example, some of the X fans have played the original over a period of years and have been eagerly awaiting the sequel!

How soon after completion of X: Beyond the Frontier did you begin working on X²: The Threat?  Were concepts or ideas for a sequel being thought of during Beyond the Frontier's development?

BL: X²: The Threat is the game we have always wanted to make and we knew while developing the original that we would expand into a second title. So basically, X² is a product of 7 years work beginning with X- Beyond the Frontier. We never really stopped one and began the other, it was a natural transition.

In addition to the spectacular lighting effects, X² features incredibly realistic-looking ships.

What are the key elements of creating a great sequel?  Obviously you have to have everything that made the original great, but what is necessary to make the sequel better, and not just bigger or longer?

BL: The A.I. is one area we focused on and it has been reengineered completely.  With these enhancements, the A.I. is much less predictable and a much harder foe. Pirates are less predictable and the same can be said for the other races. The Khaak are a serious adversary – and the player will soon discover this!

Also there is even more freedom of movement and game-play in X² and the size of the universe had been extended, it is now HUGE! Basically X²: The Threat is a living universe that will expand in a dynamic real time environment. Even without the player’s interaction ships will be built and sold, the military will patrol their space and defend their territory against threats, pirates will travel the universe hunting for their next victims and war can even break out between races. We have created a universe that lives, changes and reacts as the game is played.

"Cause and effect" plays a big part in X².  How does this work?  Could you give us some examples?

BL: Depending on how you choose to play may effect how other races interact with you. For example, if you choose to play as a pirate any of the other races within the game could become your enemy. Though during the course of the story the player will discover there is a greater danger that threatens the X Universe, The Khaak!

In X², players have the option to take on the role of a trader, bounty hunter, pirate, miner, or a strategic combination of them all.  How will the role chosen affect the gameplay?  What unique features does each one provide?

 

BL: The game offers you FULL freedom and that means that there is never a point where a decision you make is “black or white.” For example, every player is different and the path they choose creates a unique mixture within the universe – just like in real life. Real life is in fact the only guideline for us in the game creation and the reason why X will never be finished. We wanted to model an alternate reality here.
 

Here’s a closer look at the ships’ metallic surfaces.  Amazing, isn’t it?

Since the player has the option to use a combination of the in-game roles, why would he or she choose one individually?  What advantages or disadvantages are there for using a specific role as opposed to a combined role?

BL: Well if you choose to play as a rampaging pirate who steals and attacks everyone, the effect of your actions will be quite noticeable within the dynamic of the game universe. There will be serious consequences and everyone may hate you :-) Choosing the role of a peaceful trader will alter the gaming dynamic in a much less obvious manner (you wont have hordes of aliens trying to blast you to oblivion) but you may not be able to succeed in acquiring certain vessels. We feel that leaving the options completely open to the player gives the game a tremendous amount of depth and re-playability. 

X² is said to be taking advantage of a new, state-of-the-art graphic engine.  We'd love to hear about all of the exciting details.

BL: X²: The Threat has a completely rewritten 3D engine under the hood based on the latest in DirectX. It encompasses many visual effects such as volumetric Nebulae (gas clouds) that have a real impact in the game (you can hide in them), many new engine, shield, weapon and explosion effects. Objects cast real dynamic 3D shadows! Dynamic DP3 bump mapping allows a previously unseen level of detail. The built-in Automatic Quality Control (AQC) system changes the visual quality to achieve the highest possible frame rates on any given, supported system.

Do you plan to license X²'s engine to other game developers?

 

BL: We don’t try aggressively to sell or license our engine at this time. If companies are interested however we are always open for discussion.

What are the minimum PC specifications needed to run this game?

 

BL:

Microsoft® Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP
Pentium® III 800Mhz or equal
128MB RAM
32MB 3D graphics card (GeForce)
Soundcard
800MB free diskspace
4x CD-ROM
Mouse + Keyboard or Joystick (Optional support for force-feedback)

We are still conducting tests on systems with 128MB of memory. So it may be that the minimum memory requirements will be 256MB.

Those moderately high (but very reasonable) system specs will get you a game that looks like this.

The graphics are clearly a top priority in X², but what about the music and sound effects?

BL: Sound and music are important to any game. Everything has to fit and flow together seamlessly or everything is wasted.  Though for us, it is neither the graphics nor the sound and music but the game-play and freedom factor that had top priority.

Who composed the soundtrack?
 

BL: Thomas “Laxity” Petersen who also made the music for XBTF and X-TENSION.

How does the story fit into all of this?  What is the game about, and who are the main characters that players will encounter?
 

BL: The X-Universe (the game universe and the fiction that surrounds it) had been a place of many conflicts between the different races that occupy it. It currently stands in somewhat of an uneasy truce. Races have collaborated and trading, monetary and time systems have been adopted by most. This "peace" is about to be broken, in such a way that the player will have to learn new skills, new technologies both offensive and defensive if they are to survive.

The story is important as it brings you into the game world and introduces you to the freedom. It leaves you the option to follow the plot for a while or pause the plot at anytime in favor of free-form actions like trading, pirating, building own factories, working on free missions offered at stations you may visit.

In X², the player takes on the role of a pilot (Julian) indigenous to the X-Universe. The story begins with our soon-to-be hero and his companion attempting to steal a ship and after a failed, action packed escape attempt in a dense nebulae, he soon finds himself aboard a security ship, destined to live out his days on the cold, prison-mining world of Artur.

There are many other characters the player will encounter during the course of the game such as Saya. Saya is a pilot for Terracorp. Most males throughout the X universe fins Saya most attractive and she obviously has some affection for Julian. Besides Saya another major character is Ban Danna, a high-ranking member of the secret service of the Argon Federation who offers our hero a chance at a new start as a pilot with TerraCorp. 

Thank you for you for a great interview.  I eagerly await the moment when I can explore the incredible world you’ve created!
 

More Exclusive Screens:

Note: The exclusive screenshots were taken from the Argon area in the X² universe.  Here’s a brief description:

“The Argon create the most balanced ships and you can see the Boron influence which mirrors their joint development. When you buy an Argon ship you have a good all-round versatile ship. But as the Argon do not share the peaceful Boron nature they also use, together with the Split, the Gattling gun. The Argon developed this weapon according to old documents and the Split were so impressed they paid immense licence fees for their own manufacture.”