What is X4: Foundations, Exactly? Is It A Game For You?

[@dusk1947]

I can say it is a game for me. I adore it. And I highly recommend it to others. Good video topic. I'm a long time science fiction fan and have played multiple other prominent space games. Everything from 12 years in EvE Online, to exploring the reaches of Elite Dangerous, to shooting things up in Halo and everything in between. It's not a prefect game, none are. It can be a slow burn for most of the game, and there are notable deficiencies to end game job paths which do not involve waging war on the galaxy. However, I find the progression of X4 to be particularly rewarding. Starting from nothing, and slowly building from one ship, to a fleet, to a trade empire or war machine is a fantastic game loop I have spent hours (473 hours according to Steam) adoring.

[@jh5kl]

x series a long time ago, actually had a sci fi writer write books on the lore, and i mean actually proper real books, its now all cannon, some current sector names are related to events from the books 🙂

[@efxnews4776]

I have 1800 hours on GOG... It is a game for me...

[@thezanzibarbarian5729]

I have a very silly quirk that I like to do once I've got a good fleet up and running. It's very daft, but I still enjoy doing it. 1 - Jump into your small ship in a station and tell your captain to take off. 2 - While doing this, you've told your "M" ship, that has a small dock, to land on your "XL" ship, that has a "M" dock. 2 - Tell your "S" ship pilot to land on the "M" ship. Just make sure you can get to the "M" ship before it too lands. 3 - Sit back and watch it all unfold in 3rd person, out of the cockpit view, as one "S" ship lands on one "M" ship that'll then land one "XL" ship. I'm well into 400+ hours on X4. But I've also done X2 and X3 and it's DLC. But they were pre Steam. On disks!! And at least 3 or 4 PC ago. So Christ knows how many hours I've done all told... 8-((...

[@angeltraxx1]

@@thezanzibarbarian5729 i really miss those X3 days..they were good and not too complicated as every after it.I played from X3:Reunion to Albion prelude,in last one it is quite fun actually,having a fleets of Kha'ak destroyers and controlling safe traffic across Xenon sectors.The developers should remastered those ones instead making new ones,i liked the ships and sectors,also mod community added a more feel with extra scripts.

[@thezanzibarbarian5729]

@@angeltraxx1 It seems to be the mantra of all game makers now. _"Let's make the game as complicated as possible. That's what players want. Complications!"_ I want something that's really playable. My first ever PC _space game_ would have been Dave Braben's Frontier: Elite II (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier:_Elite_II). It came in a box. Was all on one disk. Had written instructions in a real, paper booklet form and also had it's own _galaxy map_ on a large A2 size sheet of real paper. It was simple to get into. Hard to master. Great to play.

[@chr0nosIRL]

This sounds freaking amazing. How the hell have I never heard of this game.

[@jorgeramirez7761]

Because the developers release incomplete project after incomplete project. X4 is no exception. They are already working on their next release, yet X4 is a buggy mess with horrible AI and a lot of recycled code from 2007.

[@nou8257]

@@jorgeramirez7761 Because all modern games are just bug free wonderful experiences these days huh.

[@khanch.6807]

The Devs are German. They are more focused on Engineering than Marketing and Aesthetic. It's quite a spectacular to see thousand of ships fight from the deck of your carrier. No game has matched the amount of scale this game brings for it's fights nd economy. The most common and annoying bugs I had to face was slamming my ship at 20kmps in an astroid or station and clipping into the model. I use it as an exploit since you can slam into a xenon I and destroy it from the inside.

[@chiefyk]

@@jorgeramirez7761 U wrong

[@GayForLife1]

​@@jorgeramirez7761 Hate to break it to you but your info is wrong, Egosoft isn't working on another game not by a long shot x4 is there main priority, like they said I'm the comments every game has its bugs but at least there working on it instead of ignoring it x4 is one of the best space sim games out there, instead of bringing your negative comment you should have just kept your opinion to your self 👌👍

[@UrielSepsis]

Oh boy, the game seems to include most things I dreamed of when I was playing X2. If the list of games I own and haven't played yet wasn't so big, I'd get this in a heartbeat! I'm so glad Rebirth didn't kill Egosoft and they got to make another true X game.

[@SakaGames]

Agreed. They learned from Rebirth and have ironed out X4 quite well so far!

[@Archaon12]

Steam sale for $19.99 right now. Just got it myself.

[@UrielSepsis]

@@Archaon12 Yeah, for the base game. I need the Split Addon! N E E D ! ^^ ~40 bucks for the full game, which is probably still great. Going to sleep on buying it... I know I want to play it at some point... ...

[@UrielSepsis]

Couldn't resist for much longer. I guess I'll be playing instead of sleeping. ^^ There's also a brand new addon out I didn't pick up on earlier (more sectors, more pirate ships and new ship salvaging mechanic). So ~55 bucks in total atm - IF folks want to get everything (the latest addon is oc not on sale yet).

[@Archaon12]

@@UrielSepsis Love the spontaneity! Enjoy

[@NotThatBob]

Not sure this video does a good job of explaining what X4 Foundations is, but OP does get the idea across that it's huge in everyway.

[@SakaGames]

Thanks for the comment, Ron!

[@NotThatBob]

@@TrueRandomization I'd start at the developer's website and also check with Captain Collins here on KZbin. The game has a large learning curve, but the game has tutorials and Collins does an amazing job explaining almost every aspect of the game.

[@lewistowers698]

WOW, didn't know there was a game like X4. It's a fantastic concept, can't wait to try.

[@SakaGames]

Glad I could be of help! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. My playlist is a walkthrough of the story and real gameplay so if you wanted to see what the game looks like in action, please tune in!

[@Kevin_Knox]

Just recently took the dive into this beast of a game, and I logged 60 hrs in one week! I am completely in love with this game and only wish I had tried it sooner! The possibilities are quite plentiful. It reminds me of a game from way back in the day called, ''Hardwar''. Only this game is a million times deeper!

[@SakaGames]

Great to hear! It really is a unique experience for us space fans. I haven't dabbled into the modding scene except for Star Wars, but it seems like it's pretty open as well!

[@thezanzibarbarian5729]

How much do I love X4: Foundations? _Hmmm... I'll give you a clue._ Let's go back to 1994. Dave Braben's Frontier: Elite II. Then the next jump was in 2003 when X2 was launched. Then carry on past X3, 2005, and it's DLC's to now with X4. Oh! And there have been a few other space games in between too. I just wish that somewhere, some bright spark can revamp a game like Frontier: Elite II. Get rid of the _blocky_ images and bring that up to date. A nice simple to play game that was still hard to play. Especially when you've done an emergency jump to another system to avoid those damn pirates, only to realise that where you ended up is literally light years from any civilisation with zero hope of getting anywhere. And that game came in a box with a disc. And it had instructions. And it had -the...- _IT'S_ universe map too. A great big A2(Or A1?) sized map. C'st la vie... But getting back to X4. If you like space and are a bit of a sci-fi nut, then you cannot ignore X4. I dread to think how many hours I've put into all the space games I've played 8-((...

[@8Tarkus8]

Its DLCs*

[@ashwinnmyburgh9364]

Frontier Elite 2 is a surprisingly good game for hoe old it is. I have started trying it recently, and it is awesome!

[@thezanzibarbarian5729]

@@ashwinnmyburgh9364 When it first came out, I spent 15 mins, talking off, then landing again just to watch the landing gear going up and down. If you can, get to a system called Cemiss _(Or similar!?)._ Should be SW'ish of Sol if my memory serves me correctly. They will pay you to take away precious metals et al and when you get to Sol, you make a shed load of money. But they may have changed that in later versions of the game.

[@Johnduhh]

Dinosaur

[@aurawolf2221]

As a massive Sci Fi fan who dreams of being a captain of my own starship one day, this game seems to be the dream space game I always wanted to play, Thank you, you've helped me make up my mind about this game!

[@SakaGames]

Glad to help! Please don't be discouraged from the menus, take it slow and play with a few ships to get started. Once you get the playstyle down, go as big as you'd like! Shameless plug, my playlist is kind of a walkthrough to start from nothing and slowly build up.

[@aurawolf2221]

@@SakaGames I'll be sure to take a look, I've no doubt I'll need help because I'm a new PC gamer in general haha 🤣

[@ChrissieBear]

I enjoyed X3 when I was younger, even if I didn't play much. I'm sure I'd enjoy X4.

[@SakaGames]

I'm sure you would. They've streamlined commanding fleets and ships, as well as allowing you to see all of the sectors you've flown through in real time (with satellites of course). Mods are available for X4 as well, and the sandbox start is a great way to get in with any ship you want with a boatload of money.

[@jh5kl]

@@SakaGames could you perhaps one day make a review on the star wars mod called interworlds for x foundations? a few ships even have full interior like the millenium falcon and the razorcrest

[@SakaGames]

@@jh5kl It’s on my radar for sure. I figure when this main run on my roleplay is at an end and I can retire, I might do a mini series in the Star Wars ships.

[@jh5kl]

@@SakaGames 😀👍

[@wpsp2010]

3:54 "get yourself a minor" Mc youtubers: Foaming at the mouth

[@mattforthelikes]

I went from debating Stellaris vs. Endless Space 2 to Stellaris vs. Sins of a Solar Empire 2 but i think X4 is the EXACT game for me.

[@SakaGames]

It’s good for the player that’s very hands on, wanting to take an active role I think. Stellaris is about the progression of your species and more diplomatic, and SOASO looks to be RTS focused (never played it myself). I really like stellaris too, but X4 keeps me coming back as it feels more personal instead of divine guided if that makes sense.

[@stevebee2865]

Is there a ship in this game that does the lot. I don't like the idea of owning and managing a lot of ships. But I fancy doing a bit of trading mining with a ship that is also good enough to do a bit of dog fighting if necessary. Is this possible at all?

[@SakaGames]

Mining comes in 2 categories, liquid and solid, and those ships don’t have much combat ability and no space to carry anything else. If you didn’t want to do mining, there are decent medium and large combat ships with a good amount of cargo space for trading. I will say if you intend to do main quest missions, there are a few that needs a few large combat ships to complete. With one ship, money will be slower to come in but if you just want a chill cruise from sector to sector, one ship can work.

[@markhackett2302]

A Courier Class Paranid trader will (sluggishly) turn and carry some stuff, but also go fast and carries two weapons. You CAN use a "normal" gun to mine with, the mining laser is not required. The thing that stops you mining is you can't carry the solid or gas (liquified for space constraints) in a container ship. But that is a "do anything" ship. A Raven has more space, but you only get one and only if you installed and activated Tides of Avarice. You can get an S class miner, they are faster, but can't turn as well and may not be able to be fitted with non-mining stuff, and you can't DO gas mining in an S class ship, you need an M or L class to have a dock where gas drones do the collecting. Try using the smaller couriers, but not the Teladi ones or the Callisto, the former are too slow and the latter too small, meaning you are better off getting the much faster Teladi scouts that can hold about as much.

[@Naindurth]

oh no, not a game for me. This game looks like getting a second job, those screens... omg. No. Thanks for the review! You saved me.

[@SakaGames]

It certainly isn't for everyone for sure! If you were ever curious in the future, they usually go on sale during the Steam sales. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know I helped!

[@TristanWardCoombe]

It's absolutely amazing the fact you have so much freedom with hardly any hand holding is what I love about the game. Can't wait for my PC tobe fixed so I can get lost in it's universe again

[@james8449100]

Has anyone played on a pc with the minimum cpu requirement? My cpu is a Xeron 1225 E3 slightly better than an i5 4590 (I think) the foram have may post asking about something below the minimum. I'm just wanting to know how bad the experience will be.

[@SakaGames]

I believe it's pretty processor intensive, my thought would be to get it on sale and refund if it chugs too bad. The late game gets worse if you have the largest stations producing multiple things and satellites everywhere keeping the universe visible outside of your range. I'd wait for sale if you aren't confident.

[@acid3129]

I played with an i5 3450 for a while and an rx 570 4gb with 16gb of ram it was fine on low settings

[@johnsmith-oh2xo]

I have an older Ryzen 3800x and a RX5700xt and it play's great i have no problems running everything on high and at 2k Res...OH and 32gb of ram too....

[@aaronferguson9328]

why no multiplayer, who makes this type of game only single player

[@SLACKPLAN9]

I am actually upgrading my long in the tooth 2016 gaming laptop to a more up to date one to take advantage of the gigantic statiom upgrade for the HQ station in this game. You build too much, and eventually your FPS slows to WORSE than a crawl.

[@nufh]

How is performance wise? Last time I play it was a quite laggy.

[@SakaGames]

Early game it’s ok. As more ships of yours run around and satellites are placed, areas with a lot of asteroids can hiccup. There are some more settings added in the latest patch to help optimize graphics settings as well.

[@nufh]

@@SakaGames Compared with last time is it improve more or just slightly? I'm still new with X series, bought it last time because it look interesting, but stop play because of lag.

[@SakaGames]

The last big update was in March, so if you haven’t played it since then it did get better. If you’ve played it recently, no further optimization has been done. I still see stutters myself about 300 hours into this save.

[@skysoftware4581]

x3 mayhem mod winner to this is made better in 5 years.

[@jh5kl]

honest question, i ve been thinking, and i don t see why x4 foundations shouldn t be considered a roleplaying game also, certainly not the deepest rpg, but it has many light aspects that rpg s have. why is not generally described as a light rpg also, by x series fans?

[@SakaGames]

Thanks for the kind words! I feel that "RPG" has a certain expectation. Hit points, skills/stats that can be affected, things like that. Of course I believe that if a game has a storyline and dialogue choices, it can be roleplayed certainly. That's why my entire X4 playlist focuses on that side, doing things as if I were there. X4 is sold as Space Sandbox, and that's what it truly is. You get into disappointment if players tell their friends "Space RPG" for X4 and they expect the next Mass Effect. To be fair, just because it doesn't say RPG on the box doesn't mean you can't roleplay! I'm proof of that, and it sounds like you are as well! :)

[@jh5kl]

@@SakaGames thank you for the answer :)

[@efxnews4776]

@@SakaGames X4 has an incredible emergent gameplay, wich in my point of view is far better than rpg, RPG is limited to a few choices and consequences, emergent gameplay is better because it's limited only by the systems of the game. You do have the main story, but theres nothing better than go blind to the game and take the first opportunity to make war with a random faction just to see how they react and how the game change. You could for instance wage war against a wrong faction and ended up screwing yourself in that long run just because you screw a faction that is holding an hostile faction, you fell great to destroy a faction just to realize that you doom yourself. You can roleplay, and to be honest is amazing to just write a diary with your progress and thoughts, and then you will see how great story you did for yourself. This is the greatness of X4, theres an universe around you, but you don't need to interact with if you don't wanted...

[@SakaGames]

Agree for sure. Losing NPCs that I've hired early on due to a battle I wasn't planning for is as impactful as a scripted loss. I love games that go on without the player and fights back if pushed.

[@dejaeviz]

sooooo ... its single player ?

[@SakaGames]

Yes, single player with plans in the future to have ships visit other player's instances to do trades. That aspect is a ways away though.

[@OfficialInformationMedia]

is this better than elite dangerous?

[@Joseph-wh5of]

Both games are very different and offer different experiences. One is not better than the other it really is up to your own preference. In a Elite dangerous you can land on planets partake and 1st person shooting and do massive ship combat combat. X4 you can build your own space stations follow a narrative and build an Empire.

[@SakaGames]

Thanks, Joseph. Spot on indeed!

[@guinotrool]

it sounds super boring. but nice video, thanks for saving my time

[@SakaGames]

Glad to help!

[@acid3129]

It's very planning intensive once you get a good business going with ships and trade set up it can be exciting I had a random group of pirates set up on a trade line I was using and I kept losing ships so I grew an attack fleet and placed it in the system and started sending out bait ships when they attacked I swamped them with my carrier and fighters it was really fun and I sat in the deck of my carrier watching the battle that was a great experience . I did get stranded once I bored an ai trade ship in a station and it flew me half way across the galaxy I had to order the ai to fly my ship to me but it got blown up

[@dons3006]

I’m reluctant after 1900 hours of Elite

[@sirhoschi]

wow, absolutely not my taste of game...

[@SakaGames]

Felt, it's certainly a niche game that a certain type of player likes. Thanks for watching, glad I was able to save you some money!

[@yes55504]

It's a fucking horrible mess

[@ArthurOseven]

I like you X4 story so far. Thank you for the shoutout! of My Captain Collins Saka o7 The Crew is watching you.

[@SakaGames]

Thank you so much for watching! The crew is much appreciated!

[@toocompettoochill7716]

How have I never heard of this. I am so excited! Kenshi in space. What a time to be alive

[@SakaGames]

There ya go! Though it's not as crazy/unpredictable as Kenshi, but still free for the player to move about and do missions as they see fit. The added bonus of being able to take control of any ship you own, even if it's part of a fleet, is a huge plus. Feel free to watch some of my videos to get a feel of what the day to day looks like! Thanks for watching!

[@CaptainCollins]

Thank you so much for the shoutout!

[@SakaGames]

Thank you for watching, sir! o7 I learned a bit from your tutorials and I'm having a lot of fun with X4 now. Can't wait to start scrap mining soon!

[@jh5kl]

don t laugh, there s an apostrophe there

[@jh5kl]

very well summarized, nice vid 👍

[@SakaGames]

Appreciate it!

[@storm14k]

Coming to this now believing this is probably more interesting for a person that plays Elite Dangerous entirely solo. To be honest with the instancing I really don't feel like ED felt like an MMO. It sounds like from other reviews most of the NPC's are going about actual tasks in the sim so it sounds like it'll be "alive" anyway. Hope I can get lost sinking time in this.

[@SakaGames]

There ya go, that's a good way to look at it. I'm a primary single player, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

[@storm14k]

@@SakaGames got in just a tiny bit of play time but I'm highly interested in all of the possibilities.

[@SakaGames]

That's what new players kind of run into, sort of hit with all possibilities and get a bit shell shocked. Set some small goals, experiment, and have fun!😀And you can check out my roleplay series to see my approach this playthrough!

[@baneblackguard584]

the X series of games have all had pretty steep learning curves, but if it's an engaging time sink you're looking for it definitely does that.

[@eljefeamericano4308]

I can confirm at least my own interest in this game, as someone who presently plays Elite entirely solo. I'm really not the MMO type.

[@HalkerVeil]

I remember when I played as a kid. My parents heard the voice actor say Kha'ak and took the computer away. The irony is to this day Egosoft wants to maintain their child rating by not letting you use things like casino's.

[@SakaGames]

X3 put emphasis on the name for sure. I'm sure something was lost in translation and since it's canon, it's tough to change. They'd need a game reason for the name to change, perhaps a new queen or civil war that spills out into the gate network.

[@nou8257]

Kha'ak Destroyer was always a little giggle followed by better make sure I fly away from that. Since kha'ak fights are messy

[@Robert-zz7qj]

As a non-native english speaker, may I ask why 'Kha'ak' is considered a bad word?

[@bendaboi295]

Wait Soo mount and blade in space ?

[@SakaGames]

I've heard it described that way. Just like MB, you start as an individual in sectors that do their own thing with or without you. You purchase new ships to fly yourself or assign tasks to do on their own. You can create your own stations (like workshops) that produce the goods needed in the live economy. The factions buy/sell and build their own stations from the needs of the economy. You can improve relations with all of them to open up new ship purchase options, and even buy blueprints to produce your own ships at your own stations that use materials mined from your own miners. Choose to do military related missions, or transports goods from place to place, or give orders to your fleets and watch them work. It's a true sandbox in space, and moddable as well. If you are a Star Wars fan and dreamed of flying a Star Destroyer and launching 50 TIE fighters into combat while you watch from the bridge, this is the type of game for you. Feel free to watch my playlist to see the story missions/real gameplay.

[@bendaboi295]

@@SakaGames bro that sounds awesome ands everything I want, I just don’t have the money to buy it with its dlcs Soo Imma just gonna have to watch ur vids on it to get a feel lol

[@SakaGames]

@@bendaboi295 sure thing! Until July 7th, it and all DLC is 10.32 USD on steam so if you can swing it, now is a great time to buy!

[@irish7460]

Everyone loves a kha'ak joke.

[@n1ck7hequick]

So, I'm thinking about getting the game (on sale right now), but I don't know if I'll get the full enjoyment. I would probably stick to combat and maybe some fleet management. I guess my question is: would I still have a good time on the game without having to worry about trade and economical issues? Could I simply start a combat fleet and wage war without going too deep into the economy systems?

[@SakaGames]

The one way I could see it happen is joining war efforts with a faction. You will be essentially a mercenary and you will get quests to destroy stations/board ships/place satellites, that sort of thing to make money. Credits are the blood of any good military fleet. Waging war against multiple factions would reduce the number of trade partners and customers, reducing the amount of money you could spend on new ships. It is possible for sure, but only sustainable if you set up yourself to be self sufficient and protect all of your assets or ally yourself with one powerful faction that can sell you more fleet. It wouldn’t be like say Stellaris where your planets would make everything you need to make a fleet. In X4, ships are built by stations that use actual mined goods elsewhere. You’re relying on the supply of your allied stations to have the products they need to make more, but if they are strong themselves, you can piggyback your fleet with theirs to great success.

[@lagrangewei]

the only issue with playing mercenary is you have a higher risk of losing ship. the mission are not really clear how difficult they really are, like I have a mission to recover a box, sound easy right? until u reach the place and discover it is in the middle of 4 enemy bases with a dozen capital ship roaming around... the funny thing is I only accept war mission in endgame now, cause I need something for my fleet to do, but in midgame, war bounty can be a struggle when you have small ship to work with. especially in a war, where there are 100 of enemy fighters, you have to be very aware of what you can do, due to it sandbox nature, the enemy is not scale by mission. if you don't mind using your "big brain", the game can be play without working the economy, it not going to be a gamey/arcade experience, you feel like you are in a real world and they are not going to play fair, there will be alot of cancelling mission that is just not worth your time.

[@MosesTheGr8t]

Sooold!!! Thank you 👍

[@SakaGames]

You're welcome!! Glad I could help!

[@S200.]

Awesome video dude I now understand WTF this game is 🤣 I've only played kenshi and loved it this seems awesome too.

[@SakaGames]

Yeah, kind of Kenshi in space, minus the brutal nature of the start. In X4 at the start, you're kinda left alone unless you fly too close to a hostile sector. A mix of Mount and Blade in there as well. Thanks for stopping by!

[@superslash7254]

So basically someone saw a minecraft tech pack and thought "Yknow what? This needs to be Eve Online, Civ, and Homeworld at the same time too."

[@SakaGames]

You could say that, but X has been around since 1999 so it could have been the other way around!

[@carylbernhabenpongasi589]

I chuckled at Kha'ak. It does have an apostrophe, but come on. lol

[@swamp_croc]

*Would you like to be overwhelmed?* Yes......

[@gwevans358]

Not sure I would even call it a "game." It's more of a "simulation" to me. If I could afford it, I would buy a separate PC - JUST to run X4 on. The reason? Because many things - like XL ship building, and especially station building - take forever. If you have a complex station to build, once you aquire a builder to build it, just leave the game running and go off and do something else - mow the lawn, water the garden, take a nap. By using a dedicated PC, you can let it grind, while you do something else on a different PC. Otherwise, I really love the "game."

[@SakaGames]

Very true! Thanks for watching, it's one of my favorites.

[@david8157]

Good review video

[@Tchousssman54]

Looks like mount and blade in space

[@SakaGames]

Easiest way to explain it. Start small in a very large pond, make a name for yourself, recruit an army, own stuff, sell stuff!

[@endrizo]

looks too complicated

[@jh5kl]

you can do a simple play through of just playing the story missions or join a faction, and not do anything complicated at all

[@mindfortress105]

When 95% of the videos of the game on youtube are guides and tutorials, no, it's probably not for me. If I need to spend countless hours just learning how to play, I'd rather do something more productive with my life

[@Oscuros]

You "grow" empires now, like ickle-wickle pwants, because develop is tough to spell for some. Business Development and the same job-title of Business Development are out, it's "Business Grower" now. Really.

[@erich1394]

wat even

[@rickjamesbitch7632]

Hey there there's a couple of things to know.. the best thing and the only thing that they done good was the start customization... It don't matter how many stars your crew has they won't fully repair the ship unlike ncps 🤔 you have to do it yourself.. fighters are a waste of credits and resources because they are good only for cannon fodder... The AI is about as intelligence as the developers sorry 🙄 but it's true...