I'm pumping a little bit of life into this thread because I just got another news letter from Egosoft: http://www.egosoft.com/x/xnews/201107_1_44News.html
However, here is the relevant bit.
X Rebirth Feature - Ore Refinery
In this edition of the X-Universe News we would like to show you a few pictures of just one single module of a much larger factory complex. The module you see is an ore refining module. It receives unrefined ore and processes it into refined metals.
The raw materials for this module (ore rock) can come from different sources and you as a player can play a very active role in this, if you like. But that’s perhaps another story for a later issue of X-Universe News.
The station module you see here is not small. It is exactly 1900m long in fact. But what you see here is still just one small module inside a station complex that can be much much bigger.
X Rebirth will allow you to build many different types of station. Many of them can eventually be expanded to contain an ore refining module. That’s when you will have one (or more) of these production lines visible in your station.
The result is that you can see precisely what’s going on inside your mega complex. Is it producing right at this moment? Well you can ask the manager who helps you run the station, or you can just fly past it and see for yourself.
And this is all of course only one example. The whole economy works like this. You can physically see what’s going on and you can interact with these modules. Analyze the production, sabotage your competition or just check what a competing station is really producing.- Toastie
And a picture.
X Rebirth is currently expected to be released in Q4 this year, for now here is the link to the gallery that contains all the screenshots and concept art Egosoft have uploaded so far.
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