Egosoft is announcing that X3: The Terran Conflict, the last chapter in the X saga, is due to be launched via Steam on October 17. Those interested in the game can now pre-order via Steam, the digital distribution platform from Valve. A boxed version will also be available, but Steam offers the chance to get the game quickly and without any hassle.

The game is a space sim with a twist. It allows the player to engage in first person space combat, with a variety of ships at his disposal, explore the far reaches of the galaxy in search of trade opportunities and of artifacts, manage trade and character development. The game is set to offer an epic experience, as always, and a few improvements over the previous installments.

The game can now be controlled using only the mouse, with the flight controls overhauled and with better responsiveness. The setup is created so that it's easy to go from exploration to combat and to management.

There are also new factions in the game, the highlight being the Terran United Space Command, the primary military force of Earth. Some of the factions can also form their own interstellar corporations, which the player will need to ally with or to fight against as the game progresses. In order to facilitate bigger conflicts in space, a new fleet management interface has been implemented, and space battles will now be way more interesting as 100 new ship models have been added to X3.

Bernd Lehahn, the managing director of Egosoft, said that “Since 1999 with the launch of : Beyond the Frontier, the X series has always been about letting gamers trade, fight, build and think their way through the X Universe to try to find their way back home to Earth. With X3: Terran Conflict, for the first time ever, we’re allowing players to finally visit our own solar system to travel and trade with all the stations and planets, including Earth – combined with updated next-gen graphics, an engrossing plot and plenty of side missions, we feel that this is the best X game yet and a perfect way to culminate the series”.