Anyone know if their 64bit executable is making the game more stable and that performance goes up on Windows 8.x platforms that are 64bit? You would think that the majority of the issues with the game would lessen with this move. How does the game run on a Win8.1 setup? See a lot of HUD/Menu improvements in 2.5 as well.

Video showing the new features

Just in regard to the new free look around the cockpit I find it rather strange that their is no body in the seat.

Well, I've just re-installed X Rebirth and finally, I have absolutely no performance problems whatsoever: solid 60fps with no dips at all with all graphical settings maxed out at 1080p.

Granted, I did just upgrade to an absolutely monstrous machine: 6-core i7-5930K, 16GB of 2666MHz DDR4 RAM, and the astoundingly fast (and amazingly quiet) GeForce GTX 980.  

Whether the game runs so well now can be attributed to performance patches, my previously having hardware which is specifically ill-suited to the game, the new 64 bit executable, or just shear brute force, I can't say.  My guess is that its mostly brute force, the last day or two I was playing Elite Dangerous and Far Cry 3 both on maxed out settings on 1080p, and they both hit like 100fps, so this system is just as ridiculous as I was hoping.

Anyway, Finally!  I can actually play X Rebirth and see if it's quite as bad as they say...  I have a small amount of hope left because of Egosoft's history with disastrous releases which later turn into great games... and it only took a $2500 build...

Noticed that have added another 12 meg must have been some sort of hot fix.

Think I might wait till the release the DLC before trying it again.

Glad to hear this ExpandingMan because you have been critical of its performance over the past few months so I will be interested in a small review of how the game runs on your rig, because I have been eying that gfx card for my machine next year for when Star Citizen kicks into gear 🙂 and of course I do want to finally play and complete an X game and I think this might be the one hehehe I know I have been saying this for years now.... I think Pinback has too haha.

 I do want to finally play and complete an X game and I think this might be the one hehehe I know I have been saying this for years now.... I think Pinback has too haha.

I just started SPG2  and if E:D appears at Christmas, then it may be curtains for X:R   although I have put a good few hours into the earlier versions but its getting annoying having to restart every time they do a major update and would I be right in saying that the campaign mode is starting to get out of sync with the updated game.

Have they done something to the character models on the stations as they don't seem to be as butt ugly as they were in the earlier games and they also seem to be more animated. Also looks like the highways have changed again as it a lot harder to stay in them. 

Glad to hear this ExpandingMan because you have been critical of its performance over the past few months...

Yeah, I've been bitching about it quite a lot, lol.  (It was what I'd call unplayable the way it was before for me, though.)  Actually, I have had some slow-downs inside stations (out of ship): occasional sustained dips to 20 to 30 fps.  For the record, this is the lowest framerate I have gotten anywhere in the games I've been trying my new computer out on: Elite Dangerous, Far Cry 3, Shadow of Mordor, Borderlands the Pre-Sequel, Tomb Raider (not counting loading), so that still does not speak well for X:R's performance.  Regardless, it's certainly very playable now so I guess I can't complain.

Anyway, I don't have too many hours in it yet but I am immediately struck by just how SIMILAR it is to previous X games.  The one significant advantage I see so far (other than graphics, which do look quite nice once it is running ok) is that it is far less claustrophobic.  I always felt that the sectors in X3 and earlier were WAY too small, and while the jury's still out on the highways, it feels much more like an open world.  Claustrophobia was one of my biggest problems with X3, so this is actually a pretty substantial improvement in my opinion.  On the downside, the flight model seems to be much the same bizarrely rigid thing of the previous games, so no improvement there, it seems the focus of X is never meant to be flight simulation.  

My one really massive complaint after a few hours though (and keep in mind I have a huge amount of hours on previous X games) is that the UI STILL SUCKS.  It even sucks in it's own weird new ways, in addition to the old ways.  The addition of the sidebar menu is helpful, but it is just a resurrection of the same terrible UI that hampered all the previous games.  How it is that Egosoft fails to understand how important UI is for that sort of game is beyond me.