X4 Foundations is a space sandbox game developed by Egosoft for their X Universe game series. Unlike many games in this genre (for example, Elite Dangerous), X4 Foundations, and the series as a whole, do not focus on exploration and combat, though there’s still plenty of that. Instead, the main selling point of this game is its complex, fully simulated economy.
Here, the economy works the same way it works in real life, through logistics and supply chains. First, the base resources, such as energy and ore, are produced. Cargo spaceships take these resources and deliver them to factories which turn them into intermediate products, and, somewhere down the line, usable products such as that shiny SPL M Tau Accelerator Mk2 weapon you’ve been eyeing. And if there’s none in stock? Well, maybe it’s because a few Silicon Wafer factories on the other side of the galaxy have stopped production and now there’s a shortage. Time to seize that market share; in this game, you don’t just fly around and trade and shoot. You can, eventually, lead a vast trade empire with many factories and ships under your command.
Although it is only available on Windows and Linux, you can run X4 Foundations on Mac too by using third-party software. The guide below will provide the instructions.
