Elite: Dangerous (Kickstarter)

[Dr Wookie]

Representing Elite Dangerous at E3 was a huge rush, as well as utterly exhausting! I was one of three community ambassadors, and even though I was initially nervous to meet one of my childhood idols, everyone was very friendly. Being a space geek, I had quite a few incredibly nerdy conversations with David Braben, and am now  helping (pro bono) with populating the simulated galaxy with black holes (my speciality). 

 

We had an enormous banner right at the front of the E3 entrance, and got a fair amount of people who had never heard of the game and were just curious. Then we either got people coming back with friends, or coming because friends/colleagues recommended us. Finally we got old schoolers who played the original Elite (mostly on the C64 over here in the US). Everyone seemed very positive, being blown away by the scale of the galaxy as well as the detail; the Oculus Rift implementation was also a big hit, so much so that OR themselves came along to check us out! Given that I was left to host Palmer Luckey rather than David Braben doing it, it must have been a late decision .

 

We got a couple of Best of E3 awards, one from Escapist and the other from some other site I can't remember, as well as a nomination from IGN Italia. Greg Tito, editor-in-chief of Escapist seemed very taken with ED, naming it one of his top five games of E3.

 

We had a meeting room rather than a booth on the show floor, so maybe missed out a little on exposure; for example PC Gamer didn't even list ED in their Every Game at E3 article, which was a bit of a shame. We had 4 stations, and a private area for DB to show stuff to the bigwigs, and the room was generally pretty full from mid-morning to closing. Plus I saw the above trailer many many times so the music haunted my sleep . I only had maybe 20 minutes to look around the rest of E3, but it was all very exciting. Would do again, but not for a month or so at least! 

[Architecture]

Sounds cool, I will definitely give the game a looksee when it becomes affordable.

[Dr Wookie]

WOW! there's a whole bunch of news in this week's newsletter!

 

--- Premium Beta 2 starts next Tuesday, with a new starter trader ship called the hauler

 

 

As well as 3 new star systems, including a new type of space station that was previewed at E3

 

Orders for Premium Beta will close on July 15th. Judging by progress so far, this suggests that standard beta ($75) will start mid to late August!

 

They've also started localization, with a German language version available from PB2 

All exciting stuff.

 

I tried posting images, but the site wouldn't let me: You can see them here:

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=09a3391149&e=9a500ef1b4

[TychoCelchuuu]

If we want the hauler can we give you a holler?

[miffy495]

It's only a dollar.

[Architecture]

But I need that buck to pay my rent.

 

Can't live in squalor.

[TychoCelchuuu]

Actually, forget that ship. I'd rather have something that's more of a brawler.

[Architecture]

Can you customize your player character? I'd like to be a tad bit taller.

[richmondster]

can you post some video's or screenshots here ?

[Dr Wookie]

can you post some video's or screenshots here ?

Here is a live, off-screen  gameplay demo from E3... a new space station is shown off from about 12 minutes in (17 minutes total)

http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:gametrailers.com:d1c64bc6-1355-4f01-8d25-68ead06f5019

[Dr Wookie]

For all those playing along at home, Premium Beta has now been released . There are 3 new star systems, one including a new type of space station, and a new type of space craft. There's also a whole bunch of little tweaks, but  I can't find the change log anywhere. Here is a celebratory video  (with obvious music choice )

 

[Griddlelol]

How worrying is it for these game creators that Star Citizen, Elite Dangerous and No Man's Sky are all coming out fairly soon? I'm aware they're all quite different games, but to the casual onlooker they all look like space sims. 

 

Is that an issue the devs are concerned about? Or are SC and ED content to appeal to that core audience while No Man's Sky will pick up the console crowd?

[Dewar]

It doesn't sound like either Star Citizen or No Man's Sky are going to be out all that soon.

[Griddlelol]

Maybe I'm confusing dates up! I thought No Man's Sky was estimated for 2015. Looks like Star Citizen is way off though! 

[Dewar]

From the Kickstarter updates, I got the impression that Elite will be out this year, though I can't find a note that says specifically when they're aiming for. I suspect you're right that No Man's Sky will be out next year, then maybe Star Citizen the year after? That's a nice slow pace that should let everyone get a good portion of the attention.

[Griddlelol]

Indeed! That's pretty good news. The more videos I watch for these things the more I get interested, despite my initial reaction of   I think it's something about the sheer level of immersion you can get in these things that interests me more than anything else. Plus I find space horrifying so I get a small adrenaline rush whenever I play a space sim. 

 

I just hope they don't end up being grossly expensive, or require microtransactions to play. 

[TychoCelchuuu]

Enemy Starfighter is coming soon too.

[Architecture]

I won't be happy until Sony confirms that Psygnosis is working on a new Colony Wars

[Dr Wookie]

Indeed! That's pretty good news. The more videos I watch for these things the more I get interested, despite my initial reaction of   I think it's something about the sheer level of immersion you can get in these things that interests me more than anything else. Plus I find space horrifying so I get a small adrenaline rush whenever I play a space sim. 

 

I just hope they don't end up being grossly expensive, or require microtransactions to play. 

While the base games are pretty reasonable ($40 for Star Citizen, $50 for Elite Dangerous), you could end up spending quite a lot to get the most out of these games. I've been playing ED on a wired 360 gamepad for the last 6 months (I have alpha access), which works fine. However, I got my hands on a Saitek X52 at E3, which was much more immersive (and about $130). Then there's Oculus Rift, which is magnificent but fairly costly on its own, plus the newer versions  need some pretty meaty cards to power them (DK2 needs a 780ti to get the "ideal" 75 fps, but the game is not very optimized yet).

 

ED at least seems pretty scalable, so many people could probably have a good time with just the base set up, but people wanting the absolute best  out of either ED or SC will probably need to fork over some serious cash. Having said that, I don't think that subscriptions are planned for either game, and I hope to play ED (and SC if the persistent universe is compelling) for years. ED should be out by the end of 2014, while the SC universe should be released by the end of 2016 (with other modules coming out beforehand).

 

ED backers have been polled about possible microtransactions, but the consensus seems to be that these should be restricted to cosmetic items only. I don't know so much about SC.

 

 

I won't be happy until Sony confirms that Psygnosis is working on a new Colony Wars

Colony was a great little shooter... thanks for reminding me, that would be fun!

[Griddlelol]

$50 is a reasonable price for a game, I was just concerned with all the potential to be buying ships or upgrades etc.

With the ability to play on a game pad it makes the entrance all the more likely for me and I assume a lot of people. Cosmetic micro-transactions are fine by me. Seems like a good way to generate income without affecting the game or making players angry. 

 

These are still things I'm not going to buy on a whim, simply because they're huge and indepth. Whereas I'd gladly buy a Mario game without even thinking about how long I'll spend playing. Strange really...

[Dr Wookie]

VERY exciting news in this week's newsletter, even if it was low on the pretties:

 

Beta access drops to 50 GBP / $75 on July 29, as we go into "Standard beta". At this point, the option to buy free expansions for life will no longer be available. The exciting bit for me as an existing tester is this: "Over the next few weeks we will be outlining the fantastic new features and content that we will add to the Beta – it’s a huge release, so ‘watch this space’ for more information."

 

@Griddlelol, yeah Star Citizen has a silly amount of ships for sale, but Elite Dangerous doesn't. There were a few Kickstarter options to start in either an Eagle or Cobra (fighter or jack-of-all-trades), but that's it. It's totally understandable to not want to buy these types of games on a whim... I think you would need to put a fair amount of time and effort in to get the most out of it; however, ED at least gives you the option of hosting your own offline universe (I think SC does too), meaning that progress can take as long as you like. Of course, since there are no levels even multiplayer should be accessible to players who dip their toe in every now and again. SC has a single play story mode, called Squadron 42, which is the main thing I am interested in, and that might be a better imuplse buy if they tighten up the ropey controls .

[Dewar]

I'm in at just the regular 20 pounds version. Part of me wants to upgrade to either get in the next wave of Beta at 50, or get the all expansion package at 80. I assume there's some sort of way to upgrade a Kickstarter pledge on their website?

[Dr Wookie]

I'm in at just the regular 20 pounds version. Part of me wants to upgrade to either get in the next wave of Beta at 50, or get the all expansion package at 80. I assume there's some sort of way to upgrade a Kickstarter pledge on their website?

If you just go to store.zaonce.net and sign in with your backer id, you should be able to get a discount at checkout... I'm not sure if standard beta is discounted yet, or whether you would have to wait until after July 29. 

[BadHat]

I won't be happy until Sony confirms that Psygnosis is working on a new Colony Wars

And a new G-Police, while they're at it.~

[Dr Wookie]

Time for another newsletter, detailing some of the improvements coming for Beta 1 (July 29th).

 

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=ddf8da5f8b&e=9a500ef1b4This week's peek is of a bunch of decals for the Eagle Mk II... up until now they have all had the same paintjob, so it will be great to see some variety

 

Personally, I love the wireframe look to go back to the game's roots (even though the eagle wasn't in the original game), and the cow pattern ! The big trader is nicknamed the Space Cow, so it would be fantastic to have one with a cow skin. A stars and stripes eagle might be too much freedom for me to cope with!

 

While the current premium beta is blighted by griefers, it looks like that will no longer be the case in Beta 1.

 

Firstly, the matchmaking will start, allowing us to mingle with the general population, set up friends lists and play in a private group, or even play single player if we're feeling  antisocial. All of these are online, so each player has an effect on the evolving universe, and is affected by it, even if they only see NPCs.

 

Secondly, there will be more robust responses to crimes. Reports of crimes will attract police (if appropriate for the type of sysem) in a new ship- the Viper Mk II. If they see crimes themselves they will attack, calling for backup if necessary. Stations can also have security forces swarm in too.  Minor offences will result in a fine rather than a bounty, but if you accrue enough fines, or don't pay for a sufficiently long time, then they will be turned into bounties.

 

Also, Beta 1 will finally allow communication between players ! Voice and text messaging will be possible, and FD are developing a series of standard messages to allow communication between players who speak different languages. It looks like we can ignore / cutoff hails too.

 

It looks like Beta 1 will be rather more friendly to new players. I would never recommend the alpha or premium beta to casually interested people, but Beta 1 *might* get to the point where I could be comfortable recommending it. Having said that, Beta 1 is $75, 50% more than the retail version, so people who can wait would be better off holding off until retail launch (supposedly near the end of 2014)