Yeah I mean outside of the main story as yes its obviously impossible to finish the main storyline in any X game without combat. However it really is easy to avoid combat in X3 Renuion & X3 Terran Conflict since if you don't want the trouble then you don't go looking for it 
. So if Wombat wants to play a sandbox exploring and trading game without fighting anyone he could do it just fine in them. He's talked about doing that in FL and FL is exactly the same in that its impossible to finish the story without combat missions. So if he can do it in that then he can do it in X3 games just the same.
With X3R I setup shop building stations and trading ships in the Argon systems (especially presidents end as its nice and empty thanks to the Khaak in X2 haha) and I was never attacked. I've seen threads on the egosoft forum from angry players complaining about no action and no Khaak attacks and people would reply that apparently the Khaak fleet will pick a random system and attack it and generally just sit there for the rest of the game until someone kills them. I had the same problem as I don't know what system they picked in my game but I never saw them haha. Xenon never ventured further than a system or 2 from their home systems so I never saw them either unless I visited them looking for a fight (sadly they don't random spawn attack systems in X3 like they used to in X1-2). Not one of my ships or stations got attacked.. after the constant danger in X2 I was really shocked with how I was never in danger unless I did a mission or visited an enemy home system in X3.
With X3TC same thing again.. no sign of the Khaak fleet so presumably they're off being lost in some useless system. Xenon are the same again only defending their homes. I was never in danger unless I went looking for it lol. I don't generally capture ships, I like building up a huge business empire and simply buying the cap ships I want. The one time I couldn't do that was with the Paranid Hyperion corvette which is my favourite 'player home ship' to spend most of my time in so I had to train up some marines and attack one. I made sure the Paranid loved me before hand, took it as quick as a I could, then hailed them saying it was an 'accident' just as my marines took control mwahaha. Then did some more missions for them to mak them love me again. Was like it neeeeeever happened haha. Then I dissembled it in my player HQ to get its specs so I could build more!
In the original FL I too used mods to have that experience. I make my shield super strong and everyone like me if I killed nomads (even the nomads liked me more if I killed them haha). Once I made everyone love me I mapped out every system exploring every little secret hehe.. I hope to explore all the systems of CF one day too. No doubt Swat and the others have crafted all sorts of gorgeous and mysterious places to be found out in the darkness. 
Also I did something quite similar in X3TC.. as mentioned in a previous post there's a mod that allows you to see what all major and sub factions think of you (purely view them, it doesn't modify them) just like in FL. Using this I was able to work away via trading and station building missions to make almost every faction including the pirate factions like me haha. I started getting station building missions from pirates and building huge networks of stations for them. The more stations I'd build for them the more places where job opportunities (eg MORE station building missions haha) would crop up. Super cool to actually build pirate empires across multiple systems they usually either no or little presence in lol as I'm not sure if the egosoft intended that. By not taking on any factions shooting/war missions and only doing trading, building and other non-combat missions I was able to get everyone liking me except for the a special paranid pirate faction (apparently you have to blow up their HQ and cap ships to force them to respawn before they'll talk to you and give missions lol) and of course the Xenon and Khaak who I don't think it's possible to make them like you without cheats haha. But every single other major faction and sub faction loved me and wanted to do business with me without me having to fire a shot at anyone haha. I do like playing the stories though so naturally I switch from business player to combat player for those but no one has to do them if they don't want to haha.
X3 Albion Prelude will likely be harder as there's the big war going on but I suspect I can avoid it and build a big trade empire again haha. Then when I feel like it I'll go in all guns blazing and complete the game stories.
No idea about Rebirth and X4 though.. maybe they'll be more like X2 again where I was constantly having to run back to my stations to protect them from xenon and pirate attacks despite being in core Argon systems. I'd end up building huge fleets to patrol and protect those systems while I was away. Was a relief but also a bit disappointing when I didn't need any defenses for my stations in X3 lol. Maybe I should have built them in a hostile system to keep my heart pounding haha.
Oh and thanks for visiting my site Wombat. Unfortunately I'm guilty of being way behind on updating it. I've posted threads gathering info on FL like games all over the FL forums (I probably drive Swat nuts as he must see all my duplication across the different forums we're both members on haha) and have been given heaps of feedback on FL like games and FL mods, some appearing to give that single player experience you and I prefer.
Here's some I've been told about and will add to my list but I haven't tried them yet..
There's FL Nomad Legacy mod which has an english translation and a single player story with NPcs etc I believe.
Freelancer: The Nomad Legacy mod - Mod DB
There's FL Genesis mod which I think is hybrid like CF in that it is single player but supports multiplayer too.
Genesis mod for Freelancer - Mod DB
There's the old FL shattered worlds mod which I think supports single player and is not just multi.
Shattered Worlds:War-torn mod for Freelancer - Mod DB
There's FL Aftermath mod but I hear thats pure multiplayer like Discovery sadly.
Freelancer: Aftermath
Maybe SWAT_OP-R8R knows of some more single player FL mods not mentioned here or on my site?
Outside of FL there's some FL like single player games coming or already out which I'm excited about however I suspect they're heavily combat focused which you may not like.
Everspace 2 has a premade galaxy instead of random generated this time thankfully.
Everspace 2
Starpoint Gemini looks cool.. I've wishlisted it to keep an eye on it haha
Starpoint Gemini 3 (New Freelancer Like Game)
I'm waiting for Rebel Galaxy Outlaw to come to steam as I cbf dealing with another game client (epic game store)
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
Very poor connection here at the moment. Will read outside daylight hours and get back to you.
(Up to Episode 2). He gets "bumped" about a bit, which would really piss me off, but Drew just laughs it off !
However, I'm not put off totally, Watching the X4 videos above, certainly makes one enthuse about the graphics.
.….… but where is the best beginning to cover it all?
