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It is damn tough to get used to a joystick again after "flying" with mouse + keyboard for more than a decade. But I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it, after having remapped half the controls!
It's probably not a huge help that the X52p HOTAS I got specifically for Elite (although I want to give it a try at MWO too, whenever I'm getting back into the mood for it, probably at around CW starts) has like a bazillion buttons everywhere. Though I have to say that I've figured out a control scheme that is fairly intuitive to me now. Also, I absolutely love how I have to flip up a red safety cap for the DEPLOY HARDPOINTS button.
Trivial bonus: the Mark I Sidewinder's in-game cockpit has a joystick that looks exactly alike!
Anyways, here's the E3 trailer!
/drool
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/06/13 05:10:08
Well, the Coriolis-type (named after the coriolis force) is not the only space station one will find in Elite - but it is a legacy of the old games and will probably be the most numerous. Personally, I like that the game is sticking to its existing designs: not only does this give veterans a feeling of recognition and consistency, but I'd even argue that simple geometric shapes such as these are the ones most likely to actually find use once humanity really takes to the stars. Not that it won't have at least a few more "conventional sci-fi" looking ships, mind you. Such as the Eagle long range fighter that can be seen in the trailer, too.
The Torus-type from Elite II has been pretty much confirmed for ED as well, at least judging from this concept art / wallpaper. In fact, it seems Elite will feature a wide range of station designs all based on modular assets, while still adhering to basic scientific principles. It was explained in detail in a newsletter here, with some more images. I particularly like the possibility to see stations grow over time, partially based on player activity.
As for combat, personally I'd say the trailer showed enough - there really isn't a lot that can be shown on combat without greater explanation of all the little "behind the scenes" details such as power distribution, heat management and silent running, which would have reduced the cinematic feel of this teaser. I guess they could have shown how every single weapon looks like, but ultimately, whilst combat is an important part of Elite (to be enjoyed or dreaded, depending on the role you choose), I think the game's primary concern are immersion and the concept of possibilities. And this is what the trailer was all about.
As another fan put it: "one ship. one galaxy. 400 billion stars. where will your journey take you?"
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/06/13 12:35:20
Ok so we have cubes and wheels now ;P. I'm fine with that though I just have to joke about it.
I dunno the combat could be cool. I'm not really into ship to ship combat like this is mostly about but you seemed to be right on the money with 'shadowrun returns'. The only thing I didn't like about the first was the super camp of the inter-dimensional bugs but I could see how people might like it in a retro video game or comic type of sense. The rest of the game just felt serious and then bam fething spirit bugs.
Oh and this isn't entirely related to 'elite dangerous' but I thought it was very cool news indeed.
chaos0xomega wrote:Query: Will the game allow for player controlled battlecruisers like the one shown at the bottom of the newsletter?
I don't think so - that would be more in EVE's territory, or possibly Star Citizen. Elite is less about individual players gaining huge influence (usually by banding together in vast out-of-game guilds), but more about individual pilots making ends meet on the frontier of civilisation.
Less Commander Adama, more Mal Raynolds, so to say.
I believe the largest ships players will be able to pilot are corvettes and transports, as per these specifications.
The largest ship in the game so far is the Lakon Type 9. And it seems to be quite tricky to get her through the starport airlock; you trigger the PROX alarm every time you pass through. ^^
Ships like these will require multiple crew - in fact, the Cobra Mk III is a two-seater already. However, as of now the crew will be just NPCs. Other players manning stations may come after release.
Kind of. Don't really like how they always have to refer to Star Trek as if that was the only sci-fi out there, but I guess it gets them hits and thus poblic exposure.
Kind of. Don't really like how they always have to refer to Star Trek as if that was the only sci-fi out there, but I guess it gets them hits and thus poblic exposure.
Seems like I jinxed something with that post about the stations. The new newsletter officially announced the redubbed(?) Orbis-type, and it's going to be a beast at 8km in diameter and a lot more expensive to build than a Coriolis.
Spoiler:
The Orbis will see the light of day in the upcoming Premium Beta Build 2, together with new systems to explore - but unlike the ones currently available in the Beta, these new systems will be situated further away from the galactic plane.
Spoiler:
Also, I seem to have completely missed the Anaconda's introductory video!
"In trader parlance, the Anaconda is built as strong as a rogue asteroid, and steers like one." - from the 1984 Elite manual
And yeah, as you have seen they are tough nuts to crack! I had to take on one of those in a scenario, and required two wingmen to take it out from distance, continuously forcing it to shift its focus between the attackers.
With the right weaponry - turrets and missiles perhaps - I could see a militarised version providing a fine flagship for a small squad of law enforcers, with a couple other pilots accompanying this big support vessel with smaller, more nimble fighters.
Law enforcers ... or pirates, that is, if one were so inclined.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/06/14 05:06:51
And with larger docking yards there are larger ships to come with it perhaps?
The smaller yards seemed to have a greater limit whereas these shipyards seem to have a higher upper limit.
It sounds like a band of ships can come together. I just now had the idea that if you were with a large ship you couldn't refuel the large ship but possible the smaller ships that come with it so going to these smaller stations may even be good if your escorting a bigger ship along. I don't know if it'd be possible to refuel a bigger ship with smaller ships though.
I am having plenty of ideas on this but I lack the knowledge of the game or what's been said for the most part to make the most well informed decisions. For some reason this game is interesting but it just doesn't feel like my thing.
I'm glad you're enjoying it though lynata. Then again it sounds like you have too many hobbies whereas I have too few. I need to find a game I'd like to play. Perhaps if you can find a good judge dredd game I'd totally get into it.
Can't wait for ED to go gold. Might even have to take the plunge and pick up a joystick :O
Kain wrote: Hope feeds Tzeentch, who will do horrible things to your planet to reward you for your service. Ergo, Hope is evil, and you should stop having it, but you can't have despair because then Nurgle gets a free ride. You could be angry about this, but that'd just get Khorne's jollies off. And heck you can't even get your own jollies off without Slaanesh giggling and farting out some daemons. And if you manage to avoid all that, some genestealers might infiltrate your planet and bring a hive fleet crashing down on you any way.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but whats the deal with the 'new systems'? I was under the impression that they were procedurally generated and there was technically an infinite number of them or some such?
CoALabaer wrote: Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
flamingkillamajig wrote:And with larger docking yards there are larger ships to come with it perhaps?
Personally, I don't believe the ships will be getting much bigger - and I think part of the design vision is to keep the players thinking small in order to limit how much they can influence one another. I mean, it is possible that it could happen (there certainly are larger capital ships, and one of them - the Farragut-class Dreadnought - is already in the game), but I would not expect it as it would represent a pretty big shift away from the traditional Elite experience. Such vessels are manned by hundreds or thousands of crew, and that's just ... a different scope.
What I am expecting is more ships that "only just so" fit through the docking port. Here's the design concept of the Lakon Type 7 that's not in the Beta yet (look at that tiny bridge with the tiny terminals):
Spoiler:
There's also been talk at the E3 about the docking ports being electrically magnetised to assist with docking.
Speaking of docking - I just noticed today that most stations have a "green line" and a "red line", meaning you're actually supposed to fly on a specific side depending on whether you're entering or exiting. That ought to prevent a couple embarrassing encounters...
Also, from the forums:
I was docking at Dahan 30 minutes ago, doing 50% speed, lights on, full shields and on the green side when a fast sidewinder came up from behind and bounced off my Cobra into the cattle grid, didn't notice him after that as I was cruising through the slot on the green side with my outer shield scratched.
When I was inside, the station announcer said, "Kill your speed not your bank balance". Pity he couldn't hear it.
chaos0xomega wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but whats the deal with the 'new systems'? I was under the impression that they were procedurally generated and there was technically an infinite number of them or some such?
Well, about 400 billion - as much as our Milky Way has! However, at the moment the accessible space is still limited to a few systems - I imagine both because it's easier on their current tech as well as because they want us to actually meet one-another and conduct a foreseeable range of activities in order to detect any issues. It's hard to analyse the effects of human traders on markets if you've got all the participants scattered across human space (or beyond), and you can't balance PvP if no-one ever meets anyone else ... so for the purposes of the Alpha, people were restricted to only 5 star systems:
Asellus Prime (F7V main sequence)
Independent, High-tech, Corporate Governance
pop 40.000
Traveller's Note: this is apparently a good place to sell coffee
Dahan (K5V main sequence)
Federation, Refining, Colony
pop 4.000
Eranin (K3V main sequence)
Independent, Agricultural, Communism
pop 450.000
Traveller's Note: Eranin defence forces have recently clashed with the Federation Navy. stay outta trouble - or at least know whose side you're on before you go there, and act accordingly.
I Bootis (G0V quaternary system)
Federation, Industrial, Democracy
pop 2.2 mio
LP 98-132 (M2V red star)
Anarchy, Extraction
pop 1.500
Traveller's Note: piracy is rife in this region; the system's only station, Port Freedom, is pretty much the only place that has something resembling law
The next build of the Beta will open up a couple more systems that are situated a bit further away, possibly to test some new stuff - or simply to accomodate the new players that have flooded into the game when it switched from Alpha Access to Premium Beta. The final game will have the full galaxy, of course. Or even one of the last pre-release versions before it goes gold.
Of note, the "sky" in the game is already simulating the galaxy; all the stars aren't just a background box, but are accurately reflecting your position in the Milky Way. It's just that only a tiny percentage of them have been unlocked as hyperspace destinations.
[...] "And of course, as everyone reading this newsletter knows, with Elite: Dangerous we are taking another huge step for today’s hardware. Detail and accuracy has taken another great leap, but, we have a confession to make: Alpha builds 1, 2 and 3 have all used a ‘skydome’ – a static, painted backdrop around a 64 bit play space roughly 1 light year across. Within that all the planets and stars are still modelled, but the galaxy beyond was not. Until now.
Alpha 4 genuinely contains over 400 billion star systems. And they are all moving correctly; spinning, orbiting each other in an incredible astronomical ballet. We are also modelling interstellar molecular clouds, and though some of the detail in these (particularly for nebulae) will come after Alpha 4, wherever you are, the ‘night sky’ is accurate. Beyond our galaxy, perhaps surprisingly we do still have a ‘skydome’ - but it is now a staggering 100,000 light years away, containing all the other galaxies, including the Magellanic Clouds. That’s one heck of a draw distance…" - from the May newsletter
... in theory, it is possible to travel to nearby systems using the FSD aka SuperCruise, it'd "just" take days in realtime to get there, even at more than 10x the speed of light. I wonder what would happen if you would try to get to one of the "locked" systems this way?
But you'd probably just run into an invisible wall, if I am interpreting the "bubble" surrounding the currently available systems correctly.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/06/16 22:45:26
flamingkillamajig wrote:And with larger docking yards there are larger ships to come with it perhaps?
Personally, I don't believe the ships will be getting much bigger - and I think part of the design vision is to keep the players thinking small in order to limit how much they can influence one another. I mean, it is possible that it could happen (there certainly are larger capital ships, and one of them - the Farragut-class Dreadnought - is already in the game), but I would not expect it as it would represent a pretty big shift away from the traditional Elite experience. Such vessels are manned by hundreds or thousands of crew, and that's just ... a different scope.
What I am expecting is more ships that "only just so" fit through the docking port. Here's the design concept of the Lakon Type 7 that's not in the Beta yet (look at that tiny bridge with the tiny terminals):
Spoiler:
There's also been talk at the E3 about the docking ports being electrically magnetised to assist with docking.
Speaking of docking - I just noticed today that most stations have a "green line" and a "red line", meaning you're actually supposed to fly on a specific side depending on whether you're entering or exiting. That ought to prevent a couple embarrassing encounters...
Also, from the forums:
I was docking at Dahan 30 minutes ago, doing 50% speed, lights on, full shields and on the green side when a fast sidewinder came up from behind and bounced off my Cobra into the cattle grid, didn't notice him after that as I was cruising through the slot on the green side with my outer shield scratched.
When I was inside, the station announcer said, "Kill your speed not your bank balance". Pity he couldn't hear it.
Well if there are bigger shipyards it may mean more NPC type ships. I mean just because you don't get to drive capital ships doesn't mean they aren't there. Perhaps they're only battleships or corvettes but something tells me some battles will exist. The one trailer you showed did seem to have larger ships even if they were probably NPC ships. So in a sense what you say and what I say could both be fulfilled. It's just all the larger ships would be NPC controlled and they're doing whatever they do (fighting battles, docking, in need of escort for something or whatever battleships need to do).
So there are jerks in the game just like in real life just as there will be jerks in the future too. It's kind of a constant of life. Sure things change but the general types of people will probably pretty much always be the same.
At least it sounds like the game is taking steps though to minimize the risk of huge crashes in the future. Oh and I saw that video. He spun out pretty hard but he killed the other guy totally by accident. He should've seen if that guy had a bounty or free loot to grab. Hey free loot and it's what I might do for causing me that kind of trouble.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/06/16 22:49:31
Oh, sure, there'll be huge ships in the game. The aforementioned Dreadnought is already incredibly fun to fly around and/or through. Feels like a Star Destroyer or a Battlestar. I thought you were referring to playable ships now, since the Dreadnought was already in some of the videos.
Well I guess it'll be nice to at least see these ships out there even if to fight or to protect. Might be cool to see some boarding actions but I don't think the game has gotten that complex even if it's a bunch of pirates taking over a trade vessel or something.
Boarding is something that SC is planning to do, but stuff like that won't be in Elite. Or at least not at launch - giving you the ability to walk around is something Braben's team wants to take a look at post-release. For now it's baby steps.
Also, here's some music.
And a size chart for the player ships currently in the Beta:
Spoiler:
On a sidenote, who would've thought alcohol would be classified as contraband in I Bootis? Damn Feds, always sticking their noses into other peoples' business ...
Next time I've got a patrol telling me to stop for a scan, I'll either bail it or blast it.
This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2014/06/17 00:13:54
Wow, I didn't know the Eagle class was so big. I thought it would be smaller (that is only a bit smaller than how big I would think the Viper would be).
What is the one between the Cobra and the freighter? Looks a bit big for an Asp, and doesn't quite have the silhouette for it.
Yeah, the Eagle's shape betrays its size. The frame and the cockpit window make it look like the "In Spaace" version of an F-17 or whatever, but if you take a peek at its rather sizable interiors...
Spoiler:
And that's just the cockpit section!
Also, here's a size comparison with the Big Ben. ^^
Spoiler:
Regarding your other question, do you mean the second ship from the left? That'd be a Lakon Type 9, a heavy cargo hauler:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
dat view. It's like your own personal supervillain blimp.
Right now, it's the ship with the most capacity, but it's slooow and huuuuge. Barely fits through the docking port and triggers the PROX alert every single time you try. People are waiting for two things tho:
- the previously announced docking computers and electromagnetic landing collars
- a light transport, because the Type 9 costs a million spacebux, so prospective traders are currently either "forced" to start as bounty hunters until they can at least afford a Cobra, or ... well, have fun playing delivery boy with just 4 tons of space in your Sidewinder's cargo hold)
I've been checking in to this game and one thing with the purchasing instantly struck me, pre order is €60 while beta is €120, paying normal price to test a game isn't alright, they're earning money off what was originally something they'd either need to pay to do or do for free, but paying DOUBLE is not right.
That question comes up a lot. It's because the Alpha and Beta truly are test phases, as opposed to the glorified demos that some other studios are presenting their betas as. This means they do not want every potential player in the game right away, but only those who are suitably invested that they actually "enrich" the testing process, rather than just playing the game as if it was already released. It saves the developer server resources, and makes sure that they receive more input from the players to refine the end product. It is also a nod to the original Kickstarter backers, where Alpha and Beta access were part of the higher backing tiers of the game, and it might feel weird to effectively sell these perks cheaper to anyone who did not have the faith to chip in right at the beginning, making sure the game actually gets made in the first place.
->
David Braben wrote:We knew how many people we wanted on the alpha, and it may seem like a cruel and merciless way of doing it. But that’s the way of getting people who are most likely to be dedicated and genuinely want it. Looking at it another way - what else is a good way of doing it? Looking at ways of doing that, that works the best. It may seem mercenary but it seemed like the very best way to do it.
Also, it's worth pointing out that the current price for Beta Access does include a lifetime pass for any potential expansion packs, such as the one that would add planetary landings and leaving your ship.
By the way, Premium Beta build 2 is live, together with the new station, the new ship class, and various other additions. Check out this trailer for some nostalgia potential and delicious sci-fi eyecandy.
I think the main difference between both games is that Star Citizen is going for a smaller but more detailed area with "handcrafted" planets and stations, whereas Elite wants to depict the entire galaxy but relies mainly on procedural generation and modular construction steered by a background simulation.
In a way, you could say it's "Quality vs Quantity", though quantity here also means the freedom of having the entire Milky Way open for exploration, and actually being able to get lost somewhere "out there", with other players far away.
Other than that it's chiefly a matter of date of implementation. SC is planning to go live with a host of features that Elite only plans to implement over time:
Elite Dangerous newsletter #29 wrote:We do intend to release small, free updates after launch, but expansions that include significant new features and content will be charged for separately. For example, our current roadmap is to add (in no particular order):
- Landing/ driving / prospecting on airless rocky planets, moons & asteroids
- Walking around interiors and combative boarding of other ships
- Combat and other interactions with other players and AIs in the internal areas of star ports
- Accessing richly detailed planetary surfaces
- Availability of giant ‘executive control’ ships to players
Alpha and Premium Beta customers, and those who have already bought the £35 expansion pass alongside either Beta or the full game, will have access to all these features and updates for as long as we create them at no further cost.
That said, SC is also much farther away from release than ED. It is entirely possible that Elite introduces the last of these features the moment Star Citizen goes live with all features available at once.
I am not sure what options SC is going to offer in terms of multiplayer, but Elite can be played as singleplayer offline, singleplayer online (receive updates from the multiplayer galaxy), or multiplayer with friends, or multiplayer with everyone.
I was also impressed by the amount of detail that goes into the aforementioned background simulation, and how players can kick off a chain of events that sees entire worlds having a food crisis, or seeing the military deploy to curb pirate activity, or new space stations constructed in recently explored and annexed territory. And I know this sounds incredibly macabre, but I like how you can even sell slaves not as slaves, but foodstuffs or medical supplies. And turn passengers into slaves. In theory, you could make a living from being a scum spacer who offers cheap trips to distant worlds, but then sells the cryo-frozen passengers to a secret laboratory for experiments, like in Alien 4.
There are also subtler differences between both games such as the flight model, the amount of science behind stuff, and the visual designs of the starships. All of this is very much a matter of personal preferences, though. For example, some people like the classic sci-fi look of SC's fighter jets with all sorts of wings and stuff sticking out of the hull and think ships like ED's Cobra are "boring", others prefer the toned down "blocky" naval design of most of Elite's ships and think SC fighters look silly for spaceflight. Although it should be mentioned that both games have some ships that would qualify for an overlap.
