Elite: Dangerous

[Falconeer]

Yes, as someone else said, the docking computer is a thing but you have to make enough money to buy it.
Autopilot, to travel from star to star, was in Elite 2 but they could cut it here to avoid the EVE (another game inspired by Elite) effect where you read books and watch TV while the game plays itself.

About some of the peculiar Elite details, you have to keep in mind that this franchise is LEGEND. Maybe not in the US, but it is on a league of its own in the rest of the world to the point that it has invented a genre, inspired countless games and influenced armies of designers. It's only natural that some of its more recognizable characteristics are preserved across the newer version. The shapes of the starbases and some of the ugliest spaceships in the history of games are among these.

Finally, no in Elite: Dangerous there is no challenge whatsoever in docking (unlike in the original Elite). All it takes is 3 minutes of practice and, at worse, some key remapping if you are uncomfortable with the default. It is really really easy to dock but it is also quite satisfying and immersive so they left it in the way it is as a tribute to the series and because it feels right. You'll see when you'll try it.

[pants]

Yep, just want to say +1.  It wouldn't be an elite game if you didn't plow into the side of a spacestation while docking.

[Ironwood]

Ugliest spaceships ?

You take that back, goddammit.

[Falconeer]

I actually think they are the prettiest! 
But everyone keeps telling me I'm blinded by nostalgia.

[5150]

Especially in later versions when it simply docked you instantly when you were close enough to the station.

I'd argue in Frontier and First Encounters it was mandatory (which is why you started with one, although I recall it was one and the same as the autopilot) because the newtonian physics made the game impossible [for me] otherwise.

It was usually the first thing to you lost in a firefight (prompting a reload)

It was also really stupid and would try and fly you through a planet to reach a space port on the surface on the other side!

[5150]

some of the ugliest spaceships in the history of games

I still prefer the original Anaconda to this new one.

That said once I finally got to fly one (Frontier) it was no longer the biggest and therefore just wouldn't do

Mines the Panther clipper with enough shields to just ram the hostiles (and an auto hull repair system)

[tmp]

About some of the peculiar Elite details, you have to keep in mind that this franchise is LEGEND. Maybe not in the US, but it is on a league of its own in the rest of the world to the point that it has invented a genre, inspired countless games and influenced armies of designers. It's only natural that some of its more recognizable characteristics are preserved across the newer version. The shapes of the starbases and some of the ugliest spaceships in the history of games are among these.

Did they keep the "Check the other side" notices on the starbases, too? I couldn't tell in that latest trailer.

[Falconeer]

HAH! Sadly, no. That was glorious in Frontier.

[Yegolev]

I'm not trying to start anything, really, but I'm going to be cautious.  Nostalgia doesn't get me to play a game anymore, because nostalgia doesn't magically wipe away the other concerns of my adult life.

[DraconianOne]

Did they keep the "Check the other side" notices on the starbases, too? I couldn't tell in that latest trailer.

It's a stretch goal for when they get 1 million players signed up for Premium Beta.





 

[Falconeer]

Heh, you know, wrong game.

Here, Braben believes Elite: Dangerous' steep early access price was "the very best way to do it".

Elite: Dangerous’ Kickstarter campaign laid out a gradually decreasing price plan for the game as it progressed through beta. Players could pay £100 for premium access from the end of May, £50 for the following standard beta, or a £35 pre-order to enter the game at its gamma phase just before release.

Frontier have stuck to that initial plan - but we wondered whether Braben still thought it was a good idea. He does.

“We knew how many people we wanted on the alpha, and it may seem like a cruel and merciless way of doing it,” Braben told PCGamesN. “But that’s the way of getting people who are most likely to be dedicated and genuinely want it.”

Asked whether the premium beta was made up simply of the richest Elite players rather than the most dedicated, Braben replied: “Well, a bit of both actually”.

[jakonovski]

"Let's pretend we didn't do it for the money"

[tazelbain]

As someone totally plans to buy this one day on a steam sale for pennies on dollar, thanks suckers!

[Pennilenko]

I am desperately trying to relocate it, but I swear I heard him say in a video interview that he was not considering steam distribution.

[Yegolev]

Or possibly any distribution.

[Falconeer]

That sucks, about Steam. I wonder, these days there are very few games, especially indie, that don't plan to get on Steam. I don't know how it works but I have to ask. Why would anyone not gonna get on a platform that is automatically gonna give you 50 times more visibility than you have? Even if they take a cut out of your profit, indie games are pretty much guaranteed an increase in sales. What am I missing?

[WayAbvPar]

As someone totally plans to buy this one day on a steam sale for pennies on dollar, thanks suckers!

This. I am looking forward to playing it, but I have no qualms waiting until it is reasonably priced.

[Falconeer]

Newsletter #29 is out. "Standard" beta will start July 29th which means the access prices drops from 120 to 60. Keep in mind that the game will cost 40 at launch.

At the same time, the 120 "Lifetime" package will be retired. The Lifetime package will give you access for free to every expansion that could be developed. Their roadmap (which is not binding, heh) is:

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

This means that if we are as successful as we hope to be, you will still be benefiting from the fantastic early support you gave us for a long time to come.

EDIT: Added an impressive 114 pages long "Game Manual" with all that is supposed to be in the game at launch, filled with pictures and detailed info.

[ajax34i]

New video, the Orbis Spaceport.

That was completely awesome, thanks for sharing.

Sorry for the late reply; video was ok, but that ship had its main engines on while flying at a constant speed and while slowing down to land, and that's just wrong.

[tmp]

Sorry for the late reply; video was ok, but that ship had its main engines on while flying at a constant speed and while slowing down to land, and that's just wrong.

It's one of these "old Frontier had it" things iirc -- the ships in the game would have engines permanently "idle" with small scale flame effect, and they'd flare up during maneuvers and such. Not unlike modern jets.

For that matter I think the same complaint (and explanation) happened recently with the Other Space Sim.

[Falconeer]

There's a new function in game that allows you to take very high resolution screenshots. Well, here's one.



-Spoilered so it won't take up 2/3rds of the goddamned page- WAP

[apocrypha]

Nice! Where did that come from Falc?

[Falconeer]

Some random user posted it. The thing is, and I am not sure how this works, since the latest patch when you hit Alt+f10 in game it takes a super high resolution screenshot. SOmething like 5400x3070, anyway very high. I didn't know games could take screenshots at a higher resolution than the one you are playing at, but apparently this is the case so everyone can take incredbly scenic screenshots. I guess it's their way to subtly advertise: fill the internet with amazing user submitted screenshots.

EDIT: Really not sure how this works but I just took one and it came out with a resolution of 7680x4320, a 98MB file. Whoa.

[apocrypha]

Awesome.

[Falconeer]

I just took this. It's 7680x4320, but I converted it from .bmp to .jpg so it went from 98MB to 18MB.

This is the infamous d12-shaped star base. The level of detail is quite crazy, and I must admit that before these hi res screens I've never really noticed.

[Stormwaltz]

I didn't know games could take screenshots at a higher resolution than the one you are playing at

LotRO had the ability to do this before it was released. I think a dev build, or some undocumented command? I remember seeing some of those ultra-res screenshots printed out three feet wide and hung as posters in their office.

[apocrypha]

It's taking the screens at 4x your resolution. Yours is 7680x4320 which is 1080p x 4 in each direction, mine are 10240x5760 which is 2560x1440 x 4. Doesn't anti-aliasing work in a similar way? I.e. internally render a higher resolution frame and then pixel-bin down?

Takes about 5 seconds to take the pic on my PC so I have to choose my moment carefully!

Edit: made an album: http://min.us/mDhZAfKeOEQfH

[Jeff Kelly]

Those shots alone nearly sell me on the game

[apocrypha]

I'm currently flying a Hauler but hopefully be in a more combat-capable ship in a couple of days. Once I am I'll try and get some more exciting pics :)

I was already signed up for the £50 beta stage but decided this was the game I was prepared to take a risk on and upgraded it to the £100 premium, plus expansion pass included in that.

It is giving the 11-yr old me fits of delight. I feel like I'm playing the same old Elite from all those years ago, but it looks as good as the game my imagination conjured up. It's superb with a TrackIR and HOTAS and I imagine it'd be amazing with an Oculus Rift if they ever get the resolution up to a reasonable level.

[Falconeer]

Did you know you can land your Hauler on the bridge of an Anaconda? 

[apocrypha]

Lols!    Now...can the Anaconda land in a station with the hauler on top? 

[Falconeer]

Only for hardcore Elite fans, David Braben talking for an hour about Elite, the origins, the funding, the development process, and science, at Nordic Game Conference 2014.

[apocrypha]

Listened to half of that, got annoyed with how vague he was about things like PvP/griefing. I don't think he's played EVE.

[Falconeer]

Ha! I noticed that too. It gets worse: they ask him a specific question about bounties and exploiting bounties, and he completely fumbles basically saying "I have no idea how to prevent that but la de da!"

Let's remember though that Elite Dangerous can be played "solo", meaning you can switch to an instance of the universe which is still influenced by the megaserver events (prices, supply and demand, politics), but where you cannot meet other players. I am afraid that they rely on this feature more than they actually believe they can stifle griefing.

[MisterNoisy]

Ha! I noticed that too. It gets worse: they ask him a specific question about bounties and exploiting bounties, and he completely fumbles basically saying "I have no idea how to prevent that but la de da!"

Let's remember though that Elite Dangerous can be played "solo", meaning you can switch to an instance of the universe which is still influenced by the megaserver events (prices, supply and demand, politics), but where you cannot meet other players. I am afraid that they rely on this feature more than they actually believe they can stifle griefing.

To be honest, I wouldn't mind (and would probably prefer) a straight single-player release, especially if it would speed up development.