Issue 13

February 2004

Content

Welcome to the latest issue of the X-Universe News

This is the 13th time we've sent the X-Universe news out into the wilds of the Internet - but we're certainly not bringing bad luck :-)
Issue 12 was really not very long ago and we already have a whole bunch of new things to tell you.

First is the great success of X², about which we are very pleased, and which we could not have dared dream of - to our eyes, this is a clear signal that the so-called dead genre of space simulation is well and truly alive! Furthermore, we are proud to be able to transfer our first excellent donation (from the sale of "Booster-packs") to "Medecins sans Frontières".
And also: our office is facing an invasion - in Germany it is X-Con time again!

A rather less happy piece of news concerns our webserver, which has been struggling under the enormous flood of new visitors, and has frequently been unable to provide a service. We are working on it as a matter of urgency and have already upgraded the hardware, and have taken all possible measures to improve the reliability and speed of the server.
Although these efforts have achieved some success, it is still possible that it may become overloaded at peak times.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and hope to be able to get the problem finally under control soon.

Have fun with the X-Universe News XIII!

(mb)

Already up to date!

Since X² is already delivered as version 1.2 in Europe, it is not necessary to download and install the 1.2 patch again as it will not improve your current version of X².
Only if you have a problem with the copy-protection should you install the 1.2 patch.
Please save our poor little server for the mass-download of 1.3 patches!

NEW:
Updates und Patches can now also be downloaded without registration. With immediate effect, the distribution and mirroring of the downloads (in unaltered form) is now allowed.
We still recommend the registration of the game because, as before, registration avoids the need to worry about which version of the game you have and ensures you receive the correct update for the version you have.
This is the safest method of achieving an update. Egosoft cannot be held responsible if the wrong version of an update is installed.
Your personal download page will continue to be updated with all future scipts and other content. These bonus downloads will only be available to registered users.
All previous and future updates will of course also be available.

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Try out X²

The playable demo of X² is already available for download: http://www.egosoft.com/x/xmain.php?language=44&display=demo.

The size is around 140MB.
Obviously, the demo also will be available on the cover CDs/DVDs of popular gaming magazines.

(mb)

3rd edition bug killer

Not much longer before the 1.3 patch will be let loose on the gaming community.
Once again, we have been able to correct several annoying problems and thanks to feedback from the community, several difficult-to-trace bugs have also been eliminated. Among these was a problem that could leave a save-game corrupted if you had given your property very long names. These save-games will also be repaired with this patch.
Another problem which had bothered many players was the "doubled" menus which occurred if you left your ship inside a station. And then there were those Xenon capital ships which were unintentional fitted with the excessively effective camouflage, in fact they were invisible and also couldn't be hit with any shots. 1.3 brings these craft back into normal space-time.
There are numerous other, smaller fixes and improvements, and there are also some new things!
Among other things is the facility to instruct your ships to make a jump, assuming they are fitted with a jumpdrive, using options that are fully integrated into the command console.

Modders take note!

And yet more good news!

(mb)

X² is a complete success!

A magnificent launch! In many countries, X² shot straight from 0 to 1 in the sales charts and is holding on in the top 10.

In the MediaControl Charts X² - The Threat has already held onto its place at the top three times.
And in the Saturn games- and sales charts it is also romping away at number 1 for the third week! See for yourself:
Saturn: Number 1 (German) http://saturn.computec.de/saturn/entertainment/games/index.cfm?menu=0500 (As of Feb 28th)

Yes, you read it right, X² has done it!
Several great awards have confirmed what we had hoped.
The long years and the loyal waiting of the X-fans has been worth it, and we are pleased with the result.
Your help and your many suggestions have made X² what it is today - a chart-stormer! THANK YOU!
We are also fully confident that we will be able to remove the last stumbling blocks and add yet more features, so that X² will really be what many of you have dreamed of.

(The_Jam)

Publisher:

EGOSOFT / Deutschland - info@egosoft.com

Editor in Chief EN:
Darren Astles / Great Britain (da)

Editor in Chief DE:
Michael B. / Germany (mb)

Editor in Chief contact:
X-Universe-News@egosoft.com

Staff:
Jonathan Handby (jh)

Translation and Proofreading:
CBJ
Vassenego (vas)

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