What's New Games

Update 7.10 now available

August 8, 2024

A mere seven weeks or so after the release of our major 7.00 update for X4: Foundations, we're pleased to announce the release of the 7.10 update, bringing a range of improvements and fixes to enhance your space-faring adventures.

In addition to improvements to ship behavior during activities such as docking, mining and combat, fixes for smoother progression and completion of various missions, performance and stability enhancements, and a number of small but impactful improvements to the user interface, this update also features a new Factions and Relations tutorial to help players navigate the complex political landscape.

For a detailed list of all the changes and fixes, check out the full changelog at the end of this news article.

Featuring as ships in the new X4: Timelines expansion, the Dart now includes a Travel Drive when unlocked in the Open Universe, allowing it to be used as a fast and efficient way of getting around the galaxy, while the Sapporo has been upgraded with a new anti-fighter missile to boost its combat effectiveness. Further improvements have been made in X4: Timelines itself, making its exploration and combat scenarios more engaging.

For those looking to make their mark, the X4: Timelines Leaderboards offer an exciting competitive element to the expansion. We're sharing a quick video guide below, to help more players learn how to log in and track their ranking. Join in and see your name rise to the top!

The 7.10 update for X4: Foundations is now live. Dive into the game to experience these enhancements and fixes that elevate your gameplay experience. Fly safe, and may your journeys through the stars be ever thrilling. And a big thank you to everybody who has been involved in beta testing 7.10 over the past few weeks!

7.10 Changelog

Added Factions and Relations tutorial.
Added dialog to Timelines mission selection menu when player returns from scenario.
Added Terran production method to Frontier equipment.
Added several new exploration voice lines to Timelines Facility.
Added travel drive to Dart engines in Open Universe.
Added dedicated weapon groups to Pre-Battle Skirmish Timelines scenario.
Added Docking Computer to A Merchant Mind and Teladi Trading Try-Outs Timelines scenarios.
Added further hint to end of Timelines story.
Added credit sequence after final story resolution to more clearly denote when Timelines story has finished.
Added Timelines racing trophy to player HQ.
Added icon to newly unlocked Timelines scenarios.
Added message to Open Universe listing unlocked Timelines rewards.
Added Antigone XL Housing as available blueprint rewarded via rank and available in Station Design Simulator.
Added information about installed surface elements to Station Build menu.
Added ammo clip visualisation for missile launchers to HUD.
Added Mk5 shield generator to Xperimental Shuttle.
Added new anti-fighter missile for Sapporo.
Added new ring explosion effect to XL explosions.
Added Start Timelines button to Timelines menu.
Added Skip Dialog Line option to Controls menu.
Added mouse-over texts when navigating menus with keyboard input.
Added input feedback when Travel Mode not available.
Added input feedback when trying to change speed of ship with damaged engines.
Added separate icon for collectable ammunition containers.
Added French localisation for keyboard icons.
Removed signal leak missions in Timelines trading scenarios.
Removed Trade and Go to Ship options in Dock Interactions menu in Timelines Nexus.
Removed Lock Range and Lock Time information from Encyclopedia missile entries where not relevant.
Removed storage allocation warning in Logical Station Overview for trade wares.
Improved Timelines intro cutscene for more immersive experience.
Improved Timelines scenario result screen layout.
Improved rating visualisation for Timelines scenarios.
Improved clarity of Timelines mission descriptions.
Improved sequence of early Timelines scenarios for better first time player experience.
Improved transition between Timelines scenarios by not closing scenario selection menu when returning from scenario unless required by story.
Improved timing of Mitsuno Hack video calls to be less obstructive of important Target Monitor information.
Improved placement of The Recruitment Mission Timelines scenario in Mission Interface to be more immediately noticeable.
Improved The Recruitment Mission Timelines scenario cutscene to show prison guard being affected by Impedence Bubble.
Improved flow and difficulty level of Impeded Extraction Timelines scenario.
Improved finale of Battle of Omicron Lyrae Timelines scenario with special music.
Improved Xenon Shipyard plan to not include overlapping docking module (new stations only).
Improved Xenon loadouts in Brennan's Trial Timelines scenario to use fewer laser towers.
Improved composition of allied fleet and pilots in Brennan's Trial Trial Timelines scenario.
Improved loadout consistency in Mine Your Own Business and Lord Prospector's Foray Timelines scenarios.
Improved Rise and Mine Timelines scenario by disabling tutorial dialog after player has achieved rating of 1 star.
Improved wording of Timelines unlock notifications.
Improved new player guidance in Timelines by adding hints about tutorials and Open Universe.
Improved enemy behaviour in Tangling with the Teladi mission.
Improved combat movement of capital ships armed only with turrets and fighting very large, slow targets.
Improved combat behavior of fighters when set to attack surface elements when player not present.
Improved combat behavior of fighters armed with guided missiles or torpedos.
Improved capital ship combat movement for ships that do not have forward-mounted weapons but do have turrets concentrated at front.
Improved lasertower behavior against capital ships.
Improved hit precision of ships attacking piers.
Improved firing range accuracy of turrets.
Improved accuracy for NPCs firing at Maja Dust production modules.
Improved ships assigned to protect stations getting repairs in between fights.
Improved speed of ships docking on carriers.
Improved mining behavior when player present.
Improved chances for ships currently docking or undocking to escape when dock explodes.
Improved balancing and weapon loadout of Sapporo.
Improved ship resupply.
Improved resource distribution by Xenon transport ships.
Improved prioritisation of resource buy offers for special projects like research or terraforming.
Improved Crew Transfer menu if one or both ships do not have captain.
Improved NPC pathing between docked ships where elevators and transporters are involved.
Improved notification text when travel mode is disrupted by external factors.
Improved station editor by showing station's build storage location.
Improved guidance on Map if player is not near last controlled ship.
Improved display of orders on map by always aligning icons towards camera.
Improved display of order queues and paths on map.
Improved unnecessarily cut-off texts in Modifications menu under certain circumstances.
Improved visibility of station budget issues when looking at trade offers on map.
Improved visibility of subtitles by making background more opaque.
Improved visibility of ship holograph dock guidance.
Improved readability of upkeep alert text in map.
Improved readability of text while moving or rotating in station editor.
Improved readability of slider UI elements.
Improved signal leak indicator visibility by adding background.
Improved colouring of drops on map and radar by making it consistent with HUD colors.
Improved available UI scale range to ensure readability at lower resolutions.
Improved UI scaling to include HUD monitor texts.
Improved alignment of icons embedded in text.
Improved Terran Meson Stream weapon by adding small gimbal.
Improved engine glow on some missiles.
Improved impact effect of Xenon Seismic Charge Turret.
Improved performance of explosion effects.
Improved trail resolution of Sapporo missiles.
Improved window facade of the Casino welfare module.
Improved collisions on Xenon Dock.
Improved low quality shadow option.
Fixed several missing hints in spacesuit tutorial.
Fixed trade tutorial not progressing if trade map filter is already on.
Fixed ship upgrade tutorial not progressing when selecting pilot prematurely.
Fixed cases of wrong save being loaded on quickload or when finishing tutorial.
Fixed Frontier equipment not being available in Creative Custom Gamestart.
Fixed upgraded Erlking custom gamestart option not granting equipment blueprints.
Fixed being able to phase through geometry in Timelines scenarios involving space suits.
Fixed Atlas not granting points in Incursion of the False Pontifex Timelines scenario.
Fixed ramming speed score in Battle of Omicron Lyrae Timelines scenario not being calculated correctly.
Fixed various cases of Attack On Antigone Timelines scenario not progressing correctly.
Fixed Mine Your Own Business and Lord Prospector's Foray Timelines scenarios miscounting wares lost on ship destruction.
Fixed capital ships in Flight of the Dragonfyre Timelines scenario having no service crew.
Fixed timer not stopping when reaching finish in Hazing the Newbie Timelines scenarios from shortcut.
Fixed reputation recovery mechanism in Timelines trading scenarios to allow docking if player accidentally falls below threshold.
Fixed Zeus drifting in second Timelines racing scenario.
Fixed player ship crashing into obstacles in Timelines racing scenario outro cutscene.
Fixed player being able to fly before race starts in Timelines racing scenario.
Fixed non-localised text in Timelines racing scenarios.
Fixed announcer in 17th Getsu Fune Asteroid Smasher Showdown Timelines scenario being unable to count to 50.
Fixed being unable to complete President's End Timelines scenario if Jump Gate selection menu closed by player.
Fixed score in Mine Your Own Business Timelines scenario not taking into account player's surviving ships.
Fixed unreasonably high leader board scores in Teladi Trading Try-Outs Timelines scenario.
Fixed enemy ships shooting at player when docked to trade in Frontline Dealings Timelines scenario.
Fixed Kaori sometimes giving inappropriate reply in The Recruitment Mission Timelines scenario.
Fixed case of missing guidance to remaining enemies in Rise Against the Machine Timelines scenario.
Fixed missing results in Timelines debriefing menu under certain circumstances.
Fixed Xperimental Shuttle equipment blueprints not being retroactively rewarded when Timelines epilogue completed.
Fixed Escort Position being too far away from HQ if superhighway entry is present in Timelines epilogue story.
Fixed Boso Ta not offering Dialogue Option to unlock research while Timelines epilogue mission running.
Fixed Teladi capital ship in Timelines epilogue being invulnerable even after story has finished.
Fixed Call and Response mission of Timelines epilogue not completing properly.
Fixed Kaori's Xperimental Shuttle not being invulnerable in Timelines epilogue.
Fixed Kaori's station remaining invincible after Timelines epilogue finishes.
Fixed reward notifications disappearing too quickly after playing certain Timelines missions.
Fixed credits not being subtracted from player account when buying Dart in Open Universe.
Fixed clone of Axiom appearing under Personnel Management in prison gamestart.
Fixed extreme reputation change during missions such as VIG storyline resulting in promotion ceremony needing to be performed again.
Fixed war and storyline missions to use new Behemoth and Phoenix ships.
Fixed Boron storyline blocked during BoFu delivery.
Fixed lasertowers in A Return To Normal Order mission being hostile to nearby station.
Fixed Nila sometimes not leading player to Leda We's ship in Propositions and Negotiations mission of Boron story.
Fixed Geometric Owl not being sellable after completion of the Terraforming story.
Fixed The Meeting mission of Covert Operations story not progressing if target station destroyed.
Fixed Argon-Boron relations not being taken into account when making final decision in Covert Operations story.
Fixed Dagobas Lahubasis Yorilos III running out of oxygen if not rescued in Trade Obstruction mission of Avarice story.
Fixed player being able to complete Trading Lessons mission in Avarice story by selling to themselves.
Fixed player wrongly receiving email to search for Boso Ta signal leak with Kingdom End active.
Fixed Scan Ship missions sometimes asking player to scan lasertower.
Fixed Find Resources missions offered by guilds not showing search radius.
Fixed large supply missions being offered with factions that have no trade offers.
Fixed station-based traders belonging to player loading up more product than they can immediately sell.
Fixed subordinates mimicking station-based traders or miners not inheriting their manually restricted ware baskets.
Fixed Deliver Crew missions showing Transfer Crewmember conversation option even though NPC isn't at mission destination.
Fixed confusing mission guidance text for certain mission objectives.
Fixed mission radius being displayed incorrectly when in sector Leap of Faith.
Fixed mission guidance not working if target is highway exit gate.
Fixed factory supply missions being offered for factions with no trade offers.
Fixed being able to sell ships to Quettanauts faction.
Fixed strange guidance movement for crates dropped during find object missions.
Fixed Boso Ta constantly mentioning mysterious ship after crisis has ended.
Fixed crisis targeting unsuitable story sectors.
Fixed guided missiles being launched from way outside intended fire range.
Fixed smart missiles with friend-foe detection sometimes not picking suitable target.
Fixed Sapporo's missiles destroying each other on impact.
Fixed player space suit colliding with launched bombs.
Fixed more unscannable signal leaks.
Fixed attack preferred target type weapon modes.
Fixed fleet subordinates unnecessarily leaving formation when attacked by something they cannot attack.
Fixed ships continuing to fire on non-hostile targets after having been ordered to attack surface elements.
Fixed player-owned ships not automatically getting repairs at player-owned equipment docks.
Fixed autopilot refusing to fly to unknown jump gates.
Fixed ships sometimes being in Travel Drive mode immediately after undocking.
Fixed ships getting stuck when undocking from certain internal docks.
Fixed ships not being able to leave covered dock modules.
Fixed ships spiraling indefinitely when docking at resupply ships.
Fixed ships trying to resupply at fleet auxiliary ships that are not ready for them.
Fixed capital ships in fleets with fleet auxiliary ships going in for repairs while in combat.
Fixed ships indefinitely running into station modules.
Fixed ships having travel mode enabled after undocking.
Fixed ships sometimes automatically docking again immediately after undocking under certain circumstances.
Fixed capital ships sometimes not firing at Attack order target.
Fixed ships continuing to attack player-owned ships or stations after ceasing to be hostile.
Fixed Xenon ships in Nopileos' Memorial not dropping wares when killed.
Fixed player being catapulted away from Obliterator.
Fixed player-owned Astrids teleporting out of Leap of Faith under certain circumstances.
Fixed capital ships not being able to fly in formation with player.
Fixed fighters not doing any damage to stations or capital ships when player not present.
Fixed shields and turrets on station modules not being shielded initially.
Fixed being unable to equip Odachi with Mk2 and Mk3 Frontier shield generators.
Fixed invincible surface elements with 0 hull.
Fixed ship hull being 99% instead of 100% after loading savegame under certain circumstances.
Fixed incorrect collision response when colliding with rotating object while in relative movement.
Fixed incorrect positioning of sticky bullets when hitting surface elements of objects.
Fixed weapon recoil strength increasing with lower framerate.
Fixed fast-moving deployables sometimes continuing to move indefinitely.
Fixed cargo drops sometimes spawning inside stations.
Fixed certain player-owned ships docked at a boarded target being destroyed.
Fixed default response not working when some military-only responses are set.
Fixed promoted subordinates which had Mimic assignment not inheriting old commander's default behavior on commander death.
Fixed certain discounts potentially being applied to trade orders twice.
Fixed wares with very high price range calculating negative price at extreme discounts.
Fixed Xenon SE falsely appearing to be able to mine gas resources.
Fixed being short by one worker for very high habitation capacities when setting Fill whole habitat.
Fixed characters sometimes walking through closed doors in Timelines Facility.
Fixed Sedatives not being used as filter for Black Marketeer placement.
Fixed player ship continuing to move after pressing Full Stop while menu open.
Fixed SETA being active while standing or walking under certain rare conditions.
Fixed characters walking on bridge warping away after loading save.
Fixed case of NPCs warping on various ships.
Fixed NPCs turning in wrong direction when entering Cobra.
Fixed NPCs sometimes taking exceptionally long time to appear on Boron dock areas.
Fixed Odachi elevator not being usable by NPCs.
Fixed elevators into ships not working after retrieval from internal storage.
Fixed player and NPCs being unable to reach pilot seat in Plutus (Gas).
Fixed transporter room devices sometimes being inaccessible.
Fixed airlock transition to first person resulting in invalid position.
Fixed loading screen hint text exceeding screen dimensions.
Fixed loading screen proverb not being vertically centered.
Fixed local highways sometimes disappearing on map.
Fixed object status bars on map disappearing when zooming in.
Fixed Unknown Station icon being shown outside of sector on map.
Fixed display position of order icon on map if order leads through gate or highway.
Fixed wares in Map menu grayed out despite Trade Filter being off.
Fixed map not showing Explore order details when targeting gate or superhighway entrance and queued after another order.
Fixed build storage sometimes not showing full trade offers on map when there are not enough funds.
Fixed order paths of non-player ships on map sometimes skipping gates.
Fixed Teleport shortcut not working on map under certain circumstances.
Fixed station icons on map disappearing when zooming out even though text filter is active.
Fixed mission target icons not visible if map opened with deactivated Other filter.
Fixed ships not being sorted correctly under certain circumstances.
Fixed rare case of Encyclopedia entries not being displayed.
Fixed missing data from Encyclopedia sector graphs.
Fixed Antigone station modules not being available in Station Design Simulator.
Fixed build modules in Logical Station Overview being in random order.
Fixed some background elements disappearing at certain angles in station editor.
Fixed background lighting in station editor being dependent on view angle.
Fixed planets in station editor not reflecting terraforming changes.
Fixed different order of turret groups in Ship Configuration menus under certain circumstances.
Fixed repair option in Ship Upgrade menu not being available under certain circumstances.
Fixed Trade menu not displaying available cargo correctly under certain circumstances.
Fixed Object Info menu not working after Boarding Pod is removed.
Fixed Accept Estimate button in Research menu's Account node not removing Insufficient Funds warning.
Fixed attached boarding pods still being listed in property list.
Fixed HUD satellite icons not indicating active status.
Fixed invisible UI when game is paused before loading finishes.
Fixed missing guidance UI when enabling guidance towards superhighway entry gate or unknown jump gate.
Fixed engine status light not showing when all engines are non-functional.
Fixed external target view persisting when player leaves sector.
Fixed positioning of docking UI in external view.
Fixed incorrect external camera position if activated while paused.
Fixed external view on some stations rotating around incorrect center.
Fixed external view on surface elements such as turrets and engines.
Fixed spacesuit jittering in external view.
Fixed target problems when using External Target View on far away objects.
Fixed signal leak indicator position with non-default FOV.
Fixed inconsistent message ticker position while docked.
Fixed ticker messages sometimes disappearing too quickly.
Fixed stuck radial menu under certain circumstances.
Fixed Interact menu revealing undiscovered information about NPCs.
Fixed message about no captain being assigned to nil in Crew Transfer menu.
Fixed left-over crew member entries in Crew Information menu under certain circumstances.
Fixed missing buttons in Crew Transfer menu under certain circumstances.
Fixed missing rank and licence information in Quettanaut promotion ceremony.
Fixed incorrect Stop Travel Drive option in Ship Interactions menu under certain circumstances.
Fixed mining equipment warning not working when buying capital mining ships.
Fixed loadout editor always showing Sapporo's main weapon slot as empty.
Fixed hint overlapping important menu items when buying ships or buying/selling wares in tutorials.
Fixed missing menu title in Input Profile menus.
Fixed issues with sliders in trade context menu.
Fixed not being able to hide cockpit when using non-pilot control position.
Fixed invisible signal leak and long range scan indicators when cockpit hidden.
Fixed aim-ahead indicator not taking own ship's lateral movement into account.
Fixed cockpit still obstructing sunlight when cockpit hidden.
Fixed menu selection in Logical Station Overview storage nodes resetting under certain circumstances.
Fixed incorrect shift selection in Object List or Property Owned menus under certain circumstances.
Fixed Accept Estimate button in Station Overview menu's Account node not removing Insufficient Funds warning.
Fixed inconsistent Station Build menu layout under certain circumstances.
Fixed incorrect radial menu size under certain circumstances.
Fixed menu artefacts when starting Timelines scenario under certain circumstances.
Fixed partially missing Timelines scenario menus under certain circumstances.
Fixed Timelines scenario menu reopening when changing UI scale during animation after closing it.
Fixed missing dock UI elements at lower UI scales.
Fixed incorrect tooltip font size under certain circumstances
Fixed top level menu playing UI sounds.
Fixed target monitor sometimes still showing information about previous module after teleporting away.
Fixed flickering target monitor when firing HEPT.
Fixed unnecessary warning of restart being needed when restoring settings to default.
Fixed not being able to use elevator in Porpoise (Mineral).
Fixed not being able to reach pilot chair in Plutus (Mineral).
Fixed incorrectly oriented turrets on Odachi.
Fixed muzzle effects for beam weapons sometimes outlasting actual beam.
Fixed muzzle effects for beam weapons sometimes remaining active on wrecks.
Fixed damage effect triggering when repairing ship or module.
Fixed engine boost flames being visually disconnected from ships with integrated engines.
Fixed beams sometimes appearing to pass through targets.
Fixed not being able to reliably hit shield generator on Xenon Base Module.
Fixed ramp of Hydra and Hydra Regal flickering erratically when docked.
Fixed turret hatches on certain ships closing before turrets have fully retracted.
Fixed Cutlass and Odachi locker doors animating when entering cockpit.
Fixed various flickering and incorrectly moving animated parts.
Fixed various minor issues with incorrect or missing animations.
Fixed landing gear animations in various small and medium ships.
Fixed missing wreck geometry for various ships.
Fixed lack of detail on wreck of S Plasma Cannon Mk2.
Fixed swapped azimuth/elevation for Terran S/M weapons.
Fixed floating drinks and disconnected lights in Astrid.
Fixed animation of disgruntled roulette players.
Fixed thin geometry blocking spacesuit dock in Cutlass.
Fixed capital ships showing floating bridge in docking hologram.
Fixed pilots being unable to walk to rear cabin of Odachi.
Fixed being able to select turrets of Odachi.
Fixed pink surfaces on Odachi if Kingdom End disabled.
Fixed paint mods not affecting entire hull of Odachi.
Fixed some parts of Xperimental Shuttle not being visible in menus.
Fixed Erlking main battery disappearing from certain viewing angles.
Fixed parts of Heron E fading away too quickly when viewed from afar.
Fixed paint mod on Ravager and Obliterator affecting almost all surfaces.
Fixed missing detail on Elite.
Fixed floating geometry detail on Colossus E.
Fixed floating turrets on Phoenix E.
Fixed missing windows on Phoenix E.
Fixed Thresher engines not lighting up when in use.
Fixed missing geometry and incorrect light colour on bridge of Sapporo.
Fixed incorrect colours on Xenon SE wreck.
Fixed incorrect positioning of sticky bullets when hitting surface elements of objects.
Fixed being unable to open hidden conduit in wrecks.
Fixed invisible wall on Terran Dock Area near M docking bay.
Fixed visually scrambled hallway wall on bridge of Shark, Orca and Walrus.
Fixed missing collision in Argon L bridge.
Fixed missing collision in crew common room.
Fixed some small ships being unhittable.
Fixed nearby objects sometimes not being visible or collidable.
Fixed rare case of stations not having collisions.
Fixed missing subtitles in some cutscenes.
Fixed lip movement continuing after character speech is interrupted.
Fixed repeated indicator sound when approaching capital ships.
Fixed incorrect travel charge sound for Xenon H.
Fixed rare freeze.
Fixed menu crash in Station Build menu under certain circumstances.
Fixed rare case of not being able to move or save game any more after conversation with NPC.
Fixed exitcode 239 error on launch with some AMD graphics cards and newer drivers.
Fixed several causes of crashes.

Interview with X Series Composer Alexei Zakharov

August 7, 2024

The X-Universe is vast and beautiful. No matter where you are in the game, or what pursuits you are involved in, music is omnipresent. The music composed by Alexei Zakharov plays an integral part in creating the atmosphere of the universe and breathing life into its different locations and situations, from calm explorations to massive battles.

Today, we want to give you a glimpse into the mind of the artist behind the music, so we welcome Alexei for a short interview about his art and work for the X4 soundtrack. Enjoy!

Welcome, Alexei! How did you get into composing music?

I think that I always loved music. Even though none of my parents were musicians, music was always playing in our house. My dad was a fan of classic rock and was listening to Queen, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep… and little me was happy to be around that. My dad later told me that instead of lullabies, he was singing metal songs to me when I was born. Though I have never had a chance to get a proper music education, I was eager to play all musical instruments I saw, like old detuned and distorted sounding pianos at friends and relatives' houses, my granddad's broken balalaika (which I inherited), and every good sounding surface to use as a drum. When I grew up, I think that it was at the age of 13, my friend and I discovered our first music software, and I think that was one of the Trackers, probably Fast Tracker. There were many other software tools we tried back in the days, it was more out of the fun and I never thought that I would end up producing music professionally.

What are your biggest musical influences?

There have been many and they were changing throughout my life. As I have already said, I was really a fan of classical rock and I'm still listening to it. Also, some much heavier metal music. It always gives me energy, not always positive, but every energy and emotion is good for producing your own music. I also love to listen to some classical music: Sveridov, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov. Movie soundtracks too, but I am not a fan of modern soundtracks, when the sound is more important than the melody. Howard Shore is great in that regard, an amazing composer of an old school of soundtrack writing. As for games soundtracks, a lot are also way too generic these days. I can probably note Gareth Coker as one of the best composers in the games industry now. That guy rocks!

How did you come to create music for the X games?

It was a mix of luck and coincidence. Back in the day, I think it was the summer of 2003, I was already a fan of the X series and just on a whim decided to write an email to Egosoft, saying how much I love their games and how good the music in there was. I also mentioned that I am producing electronic music and would love to write something for them. A couple of days later, I received an answer from Bernd, the boss himself! I was shocked and happy at the same time, but he said that they don't really need any techno music, but that I am free to send whatever I have. I decided to write something completely new and after two days I had a track that I sent to him. He seemed to like it a lot and said that it will definitely end up being used in X2. This track was "Aurora" and you can find it on the X3: Albion Prelude soundtrack, which was released much later. After that, I composed several additional tracks like this and Bernd asked me to do music for a Rolling Demo, which was supposed to be released just a couple of days after his request. I composed four tracks for it on a very tight schedule, and the music was added to it just an hour before it was released. That was my first work for Egosoft. The rest is history.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rcFj8DKWPJM&si=kn7SJEj82y-xrwGA

Your music provides the X games with a strong identity. How do you explore the themes of the X-Universe musically?

I just play, explore and see myself... but trying to do that in small pieces. For example, we needed music for the HUB in our newly released expansion - X4: Timelines, I was just starting the game and making it run on a desktop for some time and was trying to imagine and feel what could fit each place there. After some time, I had a strict idea of what I should compose and how it would sound. After putting the tracks inside the game, I am also spending some time running around or just standing still and listening to the music and how it feels to be inside the game. Then I am showing the stuff to the team and listening to the feedback. That's my algorithm.

How do you approach your work on new X music? What does your creative process look like?

I have already partially answered that question in a previous one, but I can try to explain how it goes on a more global scale. On a global scale, it is always going very differently and sometimes even chaotic. Music production is spread throughout the whole development cycle. Since I am doing not just music, but the whole sound in our game, sound effects production and music production stages interchange with each other all the time. Sometimes it is hard to always change the way you work, but in other ways it helps to not be overly bored with doing the same stuff all the time. When it comes to the music composing itself, it is also coming very differently. Sometimes I just force myself to sit and write something, because I have to! But sometimes, I just manically wake up in the night and run to my studio PC to write a theme that just came to me in a dream. Music is such an unpredictable thing that it can get you in very uncommon places and you never know when exactly. And of course, these spontaneous tracks are the best. For example, track "Rise of the Protectorate" was composed like that. The idea of a vocoded robotized sounding choir came to me at night.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=8jNsenxtC54&si=Rd1lOHvnHfLW7cMl

Do you compose only with electronic instruments, or do you also work with analog instruments?

I am mostly composing using hardware synthesizers and sampled orchestra. I own 6 synthesizers which I purchased during my career in Egosoft. Not everything at once, of course. My first purchase was a Virus TI, one of the most iconic modern synthesizers, which was sadly discontinued this year. It's one of my favourites for composing space-oriented music and I think that I will never ever get rid of it. Also, I own a couple of KORGs, and the last purchase was a Clavia Nord Stage 4. But if I need to enhance my tracks with live instruments, I contact my friends in the orchestra to record things for me. Whether it's a large-scale orchestra or just single instruments, it always sounds much better. Quite often I am also using real world sounds to enhance my music. For example, for the track "Mission Control" in X4: Timelines, I recorded the sound of my metal door. After working with that sound, I pitched it down and heavily effected it, it turned into this very ominous growling sound that you can hear throughout the whole track. That is just a small example of how these tracks become alive.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=sCBL9FvXDIo&si=ueDhHXu74TtvPYKH

Which track that you have created for X are you most proud of and why?

I think that there is not one super specific one. Of course, I love what I do, but there is always room for improvement. We should never stop learning and evolve. So, I would leave that choice to our dear players and listeners.

Have you ever encountered a creative barrier while composing? How have you overcome those hurdles?

Of course, I have and that is a part of the creative work process, when you always have to do something new, but in a way, so that your audience will be happy and not disappointed. I think that is my main blocking factor, not to disappoint, and make it as good so the team and myself are happy with the results. But, as always, most of these blocks are mainly in my head and I tend to give them too much room. What helps? Hmm... maybe walking in the forest, or sitting on a bench at the river, always different stuff. But sometimes, the most helpful thing is just to force myself to sit down and just do it.

Are there themes or musical influences that you would like to explore further in the future?

We are always trying something new. Though in slow portions. But for the future, I would like to make a bigger step in changing music. It could become darker and much heavier, but of course, it will stay melodic.

Kasia, Alexei's loyal assistant.

What is your single most important advice for aspiring artists?

Don't start it, haha. It will take all of your time, heart, emotions and even eats you alive… and it is not guaranteed that you will become successful in any way and make you profit. But if you are not afraid, and have already decided to overcome all of this, it is your first step to becoming successful. Just remember how hard the road can be and that many famous composers were not actually famous during their lifetime. Many of them were unhappy and never believed truly in their work. Only much later have people acknowledged their genius. So, after saying this, my advice would be to believe in your work. Maybe today, nobody listens to it, but if you will be truly faithful to your job, there will be a time when it will be appreciated!

Besides creating music for a whole universe, what do you enjoy in life right now?

Oh, I don't have much time for anything else. Probably just playing games sometimes, since this is my first passion after music. Travelling to mountains, once a year. Mountains give me a lot of energy and inspire me a lot. I would say that this is my place of power.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/13520/X_Universe__Soundtrack_Collection/

Where can people follow you and your work?

Sadly, I don't have any website at the moment, since all we need are social networks these days. So, here are my social pages and music streaming profiles:

Any last words you want to direct to your fans?

Thank you very much for being with me for all these years! Love you all!