X3AP version 2.0

The war continues

We are pleased to announce that X3: Albion Prelude 2.0 is now available! The latest update includes two new mini-plots and a number of additional features and bugfixes.

One of the new mini-plots draws the Boron deeper into the war than ever before and provides the player with access to the mysterious Xenon HUB. The second re-introduces the secret Unfocussed Jumpdrive and the mighty Player Headquarters, the latter providing a new function to easily equip newly built or bought ships – a function that all fleet commanders will no doubt appreciate. With the ongoing war and the associated investment in new assets, it's no surprise that the various races have come up with a new type of ship to support their war fleets. With version 2.0 the X-Universe sees the first examples of this new category of fast, light escort carrier. If you are too busy doing other things to follow the regular war reports, version 2.0 brings a function to disable these reports until you want to take part in the war again. In addition, new graphs give you a better overview of your property and your current progress. We also have good news for all Polish players, as X3AP version 2.0 will include a complete Polish text translation.

As well as adding new content and features, the latest development also eradicated some of the most annoying bugs. Amongst others, the problem of ships forgetting their commands and some related bugs with the Rapid Response fleets have been fixed. As usual the complete changelog can be found in the documents folder of your X3: Albion Prelude installation directory.

X3: Albion Prelude 2.0 is available now for download over Steam. The Steam client will automatically update your game to the latest version, provided it has not been configured to prevent this.

X3AP Retail versions

Those of you who have been waiting patiently for the retail version of X3: Albion Prelude can now finally breathe a sigh of relief. X3: Albion Prelude will be hitting the stores on DVD.

If you already have X3: Terran Conflict, then the Add-on package containing only X3: Albion Prelude will provide you with the means to get directly into the Argon-Terran War. If you want to experience the whole story of the conflict and the war between the Terrans and the Commonwealth races, then the Terran War Pack will be the right thing for you. The Terran War Pack contains:

• X3: Terran Conflict
• X3: Albion Prelude
• X3: Albion Prelude Soundtrack

The Terran War Pack will be available for a price of 19.99 € in €-zone countries. The DVD versions of both Terran Conflict and Albion Prelude include the latest versions with the newest features.

The following versions and release dates are confirmed for several territories:

Version	Translation			Release Dates		Countries
(all 2.0)	Packaging	Voice	Text	Add-on	Terran War Pack
English	•	•	•	-	9th March	UK Scandinavia Benelux
German	•	•	•	2nd March	2nd March	Germany Austria Suisse
French	•	•	•	-	9th March	France Benelux
Italian	•	-	•	-	9th March	Italy

If your country is not listed here then you will be pleased to hear that the Egosoft shop will be selling the DVD versions of X3: Albion Prelude. As usual there is only a limited stock available, so order sooner rather than later.

Requirements

Both the X3: Albion Prelude Add-on and the Terran War package will require you to install the Steam client in order to be able to install and play the game(s). Note that if you already have a Non-Steam version of X3: Terran Conflict then you can register it with Steam to get a Steam version. If you have any questions about the installation process, or about Steam in general, we recommend having a look at our new Steam FAQ section. It covers the most common questions about Steam and gives useful tips that will hopefully make your experience with Steam and the X-series games an enjoyable one.

A NoSteam executable for version 2.0 of X3: Albion Prelude will be made available for those who have technical issues relating to ongoing Steam connectivity after installation.

X3: Albion Prelude Survival Guide

Surviving in the turmoil of war

Thrown into the war between the Commonwealth and the Terrans, the X3: Albion Prelude - Survival Guide will provide you with all the information that you need to gain a first foothold in the newest part of the X-series games.

Starting with the graphical functions over the Gameplay features right up to the scripting and modding possibilites, the Survival Guide covers all the new functions and content X3AP introduces into the X-Universe. Special attention is put on the new Stock Exchange feature that lets you trade with shares of different commodities and companies. Carefully reading and following these explanations will ensure that you won't lose your shirt. Also covered are the new functions to equip ships more easily and faster as well as the rebalances that will make your fight experience most enjoyable. If you are already a little bit experienced in scripting and want to create your own graphs providing the users of your scripts with visualisations of how they are doing in the game, you will be pleased to hear that the Survival Guide also gives an introduction into creating these. While explaining a lot, the Survival Guide won't spoil the fun of discovering a few things on your own. The changes of the gate network, derelict ships left in space without notice of their original owners or the tactics of the Rapid Response fleets will remain a secret until brave pilots try to lift them.

The Survival Guide is also available as a .pdf-document in English and German and can be downloaded from the X3: Albion Prelude Bonus Material Download section on the Egosoft website.

X Rebirth

Resources are needed everywhere

In X Rebirth resources will be much more important than in any of the previous games of the X-series. The whole economy will depend on a wide range of different resources. Therefore also the ships are much more specialised.

On this image you can see one of the new Collector ships - specialised for collecting hydrogen.

Stay tuned for more screenshots of X Rebirth that will be released soon.

X-Music by Silver Surfer

Something to pass the time

Music has always been an important part of the X-Games. It helps us to get a feeling for the current location and puts emphasis on the right moment: The peaceful sounds when manually docking to a station in contrast to the driving music of an enemy attack, the spirit of optimism generated by the music of sector Getsu Fune against the relaxing drums of the music in the Xenon HUB, the nothingness of LooManckStrat's Legacy versus the activity of Heaven's Assertion. All these and many more tracks help us to immerse even more into the game.

Trying to find his way between the musicians of the X-series games, Community member Silver Surfer (also know under the artist name 'Hollow Infinity') is composing and creating his own music. Those of you, who own the X-Superbox, might already know his name, as his music compilations Pieces of X Vol 1 & 2 are on the Bonus Material Disk. Now, he also made a few tracks in anticipation of X Rebirth. The album Soundscape Dimensions includes 10 tracks that will bring you just in the right mood for the next great space adventure.

Check out Silver Surfer's topic in the Creative forum and have a look at his signature to find even more of his songs.

If you also like the X3: Albion Prelude soundtrack and want to listen to it, even if you're not playing the game, then you will be pleased to hear that it is now available from iTunes and amazon.com.