After the relatively disappointing X: Rebirth, Egosoft is back with X4: Foundations. It promises the “most sophisticated universe simulation ever”, and features all kinds of ships. Whether you’re looking for a fighter or a capital ship, X4: Foundations lets you take the helm following its release on Steam.

What do you do in X4: Foundations? Pretty much everything possible in outer space, from commanding entire fleets to participating in large battles. You can build bases, start and expand a trade empire, or even become a space pirate. The game offers unprecedented freedom, whether it’s in the field of space combat or business.

Though official reviews aren’t out just yet, the game’s user review score on Steam is “Mostly Positive”. The visuals and overall freedom in gameplay have been praised, but crashes and optimization issues seem to be cropping up. Egosoft recently released a hotfix, which fixes crashes caused when the game is unable to write files to disk. It also fixes the blue screen flash that occurs after the intro video.

X Rebirth, the space simulation game, has seen it’s fair share of bugs and issues in the wake of its recent release on Steam. Egosoft, the game’s developer issued a statement via Steam’s Community page for the game apologizing and detailing future updates:

“First of all let me start by saying that I am vey sorry if you personally experience problems with our new game. We are doing what we can to fix these issues as fast as possible. Below I will try to summarize some tips and inform you about our plans for updates and patches based on the feedback from threads in this forum and the egosoft community,” the developer said.

Version 1.14 was released on November 18th targeting specific bugs, and version 1.15 will be released today to tackle a different set of issues.

X Rebirth was released on November 15th for Windows. Hopefully it will get it’s feet under it soon and live up to its conceptual potential.

X Rebirth will see you moving through areas such as an asteroid field, seen in the trailer above, in order to search for objects. There are other scanners which allow you to discern which objects are more valuable and the pick-ups you’ll be able to obtain. High level scanners and some luck are necessary for picking up the most valuable objects.

X Rebirth is currently set to release on November 15th for PC and Linux via Steam.

The Limited Edition Box Version will include an Updated Color X Encyclopedia ebook, an art book full of concept art, the player’s manual, the game’s original soundtrack and bonus videos. This isn’t to forget the game itself, of course, which will build upon the series’ classic design with new features to provide a greater range of freedom mixed with more ships and enhanced realism. That doesn’t include a larger range of activities, of course.

Considering the dearth of open-ended sci-fi space sims, with only Chris Roberts’ Star Citizen being the other big release, X Rebirth is the closest we’ll get to reliving the glory days of space sims. It releases on November 15th for PC.

In the new teaser trailer, you’ll be able to recruit different ships to your cause. Most of the game is still centered around exploration and adventure, though there’s plenty of combat as you aligned ships will engage in battle. You’ll even be able to pilot different drones from your ship for different purposes, though no combat functions were showcased as such.

X Rebirth is currently scheduled to release for PC via Steam – it won’t be heading to consoles any time soon. If you’re a long time fan or just want to experience a brand deep space quest, stay tuned for the game’s release.