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Elite Dangerous 2.1 "Engineers" update available 5/26 (PC) 6/2 (X1)--crafting + more!

TheBez

Member
They've streamlined outfitting, missions and USS for sure. Moment to moment gameplay in supercruise (getting materials from scanning ships) and in normal flight (loot from destroyed ships or salvaging wrecks or scanning data caches) is definitely an improvement.

Content though, I have to disagree. We're still not there and this update really hasn't added a lot to do to the base game. It's mostly refinement and introduction of a new time sink. But we'll take what we can get at this point.

Hence the "seems like." Since I am not very familiar with the game, including the systems you highlighted, from the outside looking in this appears to be a big improvement. I guess I just want an idea of how to start and begin to enjoy the content. When I last played it took me a while to get used to the controls and I just found myself flying from point A to B which weren't very far apart. Didn't even really get into missions or combat as it seemed a little buried.
 

zorbsie

Member
I think I found a bug in the update on XB1. If you got to outfitting and then to livery. If you haven't bought a livery and click on browse, the menu selection disappears and you can't leave the section. Pressing "A" still makes a sound, but nothing happens. I had to save and exit to get control back. Maybe it's just loading something, but it happened again when I was looking at body mods. I guess those are bought with real money too?
 

Helznicht

Member
Hopefully the performance increase lets me bump up my HMD quality.

Still waiting for full planetary landings before I upgrade from base, seems MIA.......
 
Hopefully the performance increase lets me bump up my HMD quality.

Still waiting for full planetary landings before I upgrade from base, seems MIA.......

It might. I'm currently reasonably satisfied with:

HMD High preset
1x Supersampling
SMAA Anti-aliasing

It's not where it needs to be (aliasing is still something they're working on fixing properly for the Vive) and from what I can tell right now, the text resolution update is NOT in. But it's pretty good if your rig can handle that. AA off is still unacceptable.

Note: game is perfectly fine in the Rift. Rift owners should continue as usual.
 
Hopefully the performance increase lets me bump up my HMD quality.

Still waiting for full planetary landings before I upgrade from base, seems MIA.......

I'm hoping for a Season 3 announcement at E3, though it feels early, given how big 2.1 was and the three other updates they have due this year.

Still, Horizons was teased and announced at E3 last year and they apparently have had a team working on S3 for a little while now.
 
I got this for rift and hardly played it, its too daunting. I go in game and it tells me to watch youtube videos for tutorials, wtf is that. Why don't you show me while I am in the game.

So much info to take in.
 
Ah well, the requirements for the engineers ... getting some meta alloy (farseer) and some relics (the other woman). d'oh :D

I was searching for different black markets for a few minutes now (5 black markets interacted with) but could not find some that easy. Need to use a map to search them before starting to fly around lol. The down side of playing in VR it seems :(
edit: oh, black markets are noted in galaxy map system info. Good to know

I do not like the HUD text. It's even worse :( I hope I can get my hands on a 1070 early and crank up that supersampling
 

DrBo42

Member
Ah well, the requirements for the engineers ... getting some meta alloy (farseer) and some relics (the other woman). d'oh :D

I was searching for different black markets for a few minutes now (5 black markets interacted with) but could not find some that easy. Need to use a map to search them before starting to fly around lol. The down side of playing in VR it seems :(
edit: oh, black markets are noted in galaxy map system info. Good to know

I do not like the HUD text. It's even worse :( I hope I can get my hands on a 1070 early and crank up that supersampling
Meta alloys? Fuck. Didn't those only drop from barnacles? Can you buy them somewhere now?

Edit: looks like they broke barnacles and artifacts. Lol.
 
Downloaded 8.9 GB update via launcher as soon as it launched.

Came back later to game and now STEAM wants to download 8.9 GB of the game. Ok, guess I should have expected that.

Finish that download and try to play. Disk write error, game refuses to launch. Verify cache, 5,776 files failed to validate.

8.9 GB download starts again.


Ugh... That's a bit over an hour download each time.
 

Helznicht

Member
Well it let me bump up one on HMD quality with similar performance.

The game menus are much easier to read and the mouse controls in menus are nice to have now also.

But 2 weird issues for me:

1) It keep loosing my control settings for random items/or fully resets without warning. For a game with this many settings, its literally unplayable as it happens every 15 to 30 minutes.

2) The 2 popup monitors to the left and right in the cockpit now seem to focus at a different angle, so much so that they wont stay up when looking at them, they turn off shortly after looking to the sides. they only way I can keep them up is aiming my head downward and trying to look through the top of the lenses ( NOT ideal, too blurry).

This patch has rendered this game unplayable for me. :(
 
Keeping in mind I haven't played it yet, this reddit post offers some advice for people having a much harder time in PvE against AI:

I'll try to be constructive and make some suggestions to address the most common complaints.
AI outmaneuver me, even if they are in bigger ships
This is normal since they're now able to properly use power management. Learn to use your power management, even during combat. Full power to weapons when you're behind your target, full power to thrusters when you need to outmaneuver your opponent, full power to shields when you're being focused (and chaff, double chaff - if you were in an F-16 being fired at from multiple SAM site you'd be chaffing like a pro).
This may also mean that you need to adapt your outfit to the new AIs. For instance, if you need better agility, think about using low-power consuming weapons such as guns (they're better now), multicannons, missiles. You will be able to keep firing continuously even with 4 pips to the engines3.
If you have really a hard time to put your target in your sights, go gimbal or turreted, if you haven't yet. And learn to use lateral and top thrusters to get off the enemy line of fire.
I used to kick a**es in RES/CZ, now I'm destroyed in seconds
About the RES: you may think about choosing a Low or High RES instead of the Hazardous ones. Local police will help you and the level of the opponents will be lower2. If you want to go in the HazRES anyway, you may appreciate the help of wingmen. Otherwise, expect to do shorter sessions and repair your ship more often. Also, do not engage wings unless you're really really sure about what you're doing. And if you do, start from the wingmen, not from the leader (usually the biggest ship).
In CZ: combat awareness is everything. If you have to look at the map or pick targets, do it far from the centre of the CZ. You may have your shields blasted in just a couple of seconds, so you need to keep your attention on the fight. Spending time to pick the "right target1" in the left panel may lead you to instant death. Look instead outside, on the scanner to find spots where your forces are in superiority and they're targetting enemy ships. Keep moving, don't fly straight, and boost away if you find yourself in a sea of red.
Choose Low Intensity zones instead of High Intensity zones: the enemy will have lower ranks and worse equipped ships.
In all cases, lower your profit expectations wrt 1.5/2.0 - I think that now it's more realistic (taking out wings of Condas without a single scratch should be an ability that only Poe Dameron and some few pilots may have).
And finally, know your ship: learn to get the best from its characteristics. Don't do a turn fight if you're in a Cobra: light, fast ships are good for hit-and-run tactics. Don't expect to survive a frontal 1vs1 with a Conda if you're in a Viper...
Edits:
1 - The "right target" now is not the juicy one, is the one you can kill easily.
2 - I've read that high-security systems have better police forces. I have to test that yet.
3 - Disclaimer: up to C2, then you need to manage heat anyway.
 

ElyrionX

Member
My main gripe in the base game was that missiles were punitively expensive to use, especially if you're grinding criminals for credits. Have they changed this yet?
 
Holy cow the anaconda is big. I keep scraping the entrance and feel like I am going to grind the top of the exit only to scrape the bottom.
 
My main gripe in the base game was that missiles were punitively expensive to use, especially if you're grinding criminals for credits. Have they changed this yet?

I don' t know about changing the price, but even if they are the same price, their effectiveness has been GREATLY increased. They do splash damage against modules, have better targeting, and are faster, in general.
 

DrBo42

Member
So yeah, after a few hours in both Conflict Zones and RES sites etc you do have to think before you engage. Especially when it comes to if your target is in a wing. FA Off is now your best friend, you cannot afford to stay stationary or moving in a linear flight path. That's more so because of the ramming the ships do try to close the gap and face hug you rather than avoiding fire but it definitely helps with the latter. That's pretty much my only complaint with the AI right now, outside of them seemingly using engineer weapon upgrades already. Engineer upgrades to shields and boosters are now a necessity rather than an option IMO. As well as upping your TTK from whatever weapon build you're using.
 

Helznicht

Member
Yep the side panels seem to be lower now. I like it cause I can look out of the window now without them triggering

Its not the position of them, its where I have to point the HMD to get them to pop-up/stay up. I literally have to look at the very bottom the the screens to keep them up. Meaning I have to look through the very top of my lenses to read the top half of the screens (not ideal in the vive, very blurry). If I aim my HMD up to center at all, they turn off.

I guess I can map them to on/off with a voice command but that's not nearly as cool. :(
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk2GKnbUEDY

Wow, they added Donating Missions with 350k credits to donate :D

horse head nebula seems to be permit locked now. Aliens are coming?



Its not the position of them, its where I have to point the HMD to get them to pop-up/stay up. I literally have to look at the very bottom the the screens to keep them up. Meaning I have to look through the very top of my lenses to read the top half of the screens (not ideal in the vive, very blurry). If I aim my HMD up to center at all, they turn off.

I guess I can map them to on/off with a voice command but that's not nearly as cool. :(
Strange. I noticed I have to look a bit more down for both sides (DK2 here) but I can read them "just fine" (besides the worse readability 2.1 introduced for me overall) without the need to look to the top. Need to test this again later today.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk2GKnbUEDY

Wow, they added Donating Missions with 350k credits to donate :D

horse head nebula seems to be permit locked now. Aliens are coming?




Strange. I noticed I have to look a bit more down for both sides (DK2 here) but I can read them "just fine" (besides the worse readability 2.1 introduced for me overall) without the need to look to the top. Need to test this again later today.

First thing i saw was the donate half MILLION credits.

Incoming another "job" level to reach Elite (as of Trader, Combat and Exploration), The Philanthropist

:(
 
Its not the position of them, its where I have to point the HMD to get them to pop-up/stay up. I literally have to look at the very bottom the the screens to keep them up. Meaning I have to look through the very top of my lenses to read the top half of the screens (not ideal in the vive, very blurry). If I aim my HMD up to center at all, they turn off.

I guess I can map them to on/off with a voice command but that's not nearly as cool. :(

I use the upper most HAT on my X55 stick to bring up the panels. Left for Systems, Right for Ship, Down for SRV, up for comms. Works great. I have voice attack setup as a backup if I'm in a fight and can't easily get to the top hat (which is the hardest to reach)

EDIT: I should mention I am using a TrackIR, not a HMD though I hope to get one soon.
 
The game just crashed on me again :( After a few jumps (around 50) my memory (16GB) is filled entirely by Elite. Then the game has some hickups and it halts :(

Fulfilled the requirements for farseer and dweller to see what's possible. Now I need some materials and I have no idea where to get them :D Dwellers materials sound like they are collectable from enemies, so I decided to get back to my FAS and check out the RES. Seems like I was not in LHS 215 for RES hunting. Need to check this cause right now there is no RES there :D Could be that's where I bought the ASP for cheap.
 

DrBo42

Member
The game just crashed on me again :( After a few jumps (around 50) my memory (16GB) is filled entirely by Elite. Then the game has some hickups and it halts :(

Fulfilled the requirements for farseer and dweller to see what's possible. Now I need some materials and I have no idea where to get them :D Dwellers materials sound like they are collectable from enemies, so I decided to get back to my FAS and check out the RES. Seems like I was not in LHS 215 for RES hunting. Need to check this cause right now there is no RES there :D Could be that's where I bought the ASP for cheap.

Do you happen to remember who sells shield generator mods and what they need to unlock?
 

DrBo42

Member
As someone with absolutely zero experience with any Elite game. Is now a good time to pick up ED:Horizons?
It's a pretty decent time to start now that missions have been cleaned up. It's short on major content outside of establishing your own goals in terms of ranks, ships and exploration journeys but the actual ship control and combat is rather good. It's only going to get better but the timetable is a bit slow.
 
Do you happen to remember who sells shield generator mods and what they need to unlock?
This should be elvira and I do not have here yet. She's the one where you neet to bring seetill relics to. They are buyable now though. After my game crashed I did not start up again and now I'm off until sunday :(

What just hit me... I already bought a collector limpit controller for my FAS. But I do neet some limpets and therefore cargo space. DAMN! Oh and I need a point defense haha Need to sacrifice a shield booster for this :(
 

Scapegoat

Member
Uhh, sorry for the noob question but do I have to specifically run ED: Horizons in Steam to access the Horizons content? I'm playing on the Vive and my options are Play ED, play ED: Horizons, or play ED via SteamVR.
 

DrBo42

Member
Uhh, sorry for the noob question but do I have to specifically run ED: Horizons in Steam to access the Horizons content? I'm playing on the Vive and my options are Play ED, play ED: Horizons, or play ED via SteamVR.
Never mind, missed the VR part. Run in VR.
 

jond76

Banned
I'm really liking the new mission structure. Scanning Nav beacons for mission data, HUD display updates for mission objectives, etc. Its a lot more involving and fun.

(note: I'm just on 1.6 on Xbox, so no Horizons yet)
 

Reckheim

Member
A new update has been posted in regards to the issues with 2.1.

Hey guys,

We just wanted to get a post up to talk about some key issues that have come up in the community over the last few days and talk a little about some of the changes that are coming into effect from today and in future updates.

AI and NPCs
One of the most hotly debated topics in the community since The Engineers (2.1) is the AI and NPC changes. There’s no denying that higher ranked NPCs are now tougher to beat than ever before.

The aim of the AI and NPC changes is to ensure that there is a balance between having combat that challenges you and is exciting while not being so challenging that it spoils your ability to enjoy the galaxy and game on a day to day basis.

We’re aware from your feedback that this hasn’t hit that balance, either because of bugs or a number of other reasons, and so we’re going to be making some changes to help address those concerns.

The first change is that we will be removing almost all Engineers upgrades from the NPCs in game. There are a very few select upgrades that will remain for coding reasons but they will be low level and not combat specific upgrades. On the whole you should notice that the vast majority of upgrades are gone from NPCs which will mean that players will be greater equipped to deal with NPC threats and should be able to last longer in a combat situation, should they need to make a hasty exit. It will also mean that players who gather their own upgrades will have a technical advantage on the NPC combatants too. The good part about this is that these are all server side, which means we are able to make those changes today! Commanders will be able to see the changes taking effect shortly.

Staying on the topic of AI, we have also had a number of people discussing bugged or cheating weapons and abnormal, overly aggressive, NPC behaviour where NPCs are attacking Commanders without being wanted, being full of Cargo or for other known obvious reasons. In order to investigate these concerns more closely there are two new bug forum threads dedicated to these issues specifically. If you have any evidence or detail about these issues, we would appreciate you heading over to the Bugged weapons or the NPC aggro threads and giving us your feedback there.

With the removal of Engineers upgrades, even if the NPCs do become more manageable, we would still greatly appreciate any reports of AI attacking unexpectedly in the thread mentioned above as it will help us investigate the issues.

With the changes going out today the development team will be able to review the effectiveness of the AI on its own and see what additional balancing will need to take place. There are a number of additional changes that the dev team are looking at right now which could include balancing the frequency of higher end NPCs as well as other changes and we’ll keep you informed with more news on those as we have them.

The Engineers – RNG & more
We’ve also seen a lot of discussion on the Engineers generally we are listening to feedback. We’ve mentioned previously but in 2.1.1 we will be giving players the ability to exchange their experimental modifications for another modification but at a cost to your reputation with that Engineer. This will allow players a better opportunity to select what upgrades they receive. We are also very much listening to feedback on the Engineers and other updates too. If you have any specific feedback regarding the Engineers, the material gathering or any other changes, be sure to add them to the Engineers forum where the team will be reviewing and reading.

Bi-Weave shields
Many of you have noticed that Bi-Weave shields seem to have been taken off the shelves across the galaxy. This was the result of a bug fix which ended up removing them from circulation. These will be going back into game via today's server side update. They won’t be available at every station but they will result in becoming available at stations across the galaxy, in the same way other items do currently.

Thank you again for your feedback, it truly is vitally important to us. Please do continue to give us your suggestions! Fly Safe Commanders!

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=257892&p=3990998#post3990998

Personally i'm not sure how I feel about these changes, this game never really felt 'dangerous' to me and I liked the way the new AI acted (outside of the obvious bugs).
 

Jedi2016

Member
The problem is that there were two different issues. At the same time they increased the effectiveness of the AI, some NPCs were suddenly running with bugged weapons that would rip apart even the most well-kitted ship in a matter of seconds. So a lot of users just lumped them together as one problem and said "the new AI is too hard". The truth is, they can fix one without bothering with the other, I think... get rid of the bugged weapons and keep effective and intelligent AI. They can give them back the Engineer upgrades, as long as they keep them to a realistic level.
 

AJLma

Member
We’ve mentioned previously but in 2.1.1 we will be giving players the ability to exchange their experimental modifications for another modification but at a cost to your reputation with that Engineer.

Complain to the developers, get more grind. Great.

I wasn't a fan of their integration of integration of "loot" collecting in the last update with the SRV's, and I'm not a fan of what engineers means for the this game as far as player progression goes. It seems to me like they're planning to eventually sell booster packs or go F2P or something.
 

Burny

Member
I have the suspicion that (mostly?) removing combat engineer upgrades has at least a little bit to do with non horizon players. Simply put, they can't compete with the raw theoretical damage output of CPU controlled ships with over-Engineered (derp :p) weapons.
 
I have the suspicion that (mostly?) removing combat engineer upgrades has at least a little bit to do with non horizon players. Simply put, they can't compete with the raw theoretical damage output of CPU controlled ships with over-Engineered (derp :p) weapons.
good point. Depends how their dice works for rolling NPC modules. If it's easily possible for an NPC to have all modules with positive effects @ grade 5 then yeah, that would be bad :D
 

Vanmunt

Banned
That is what you call and update... 90 hours in the vanilla Elite and I still am only scratching the surface, will pick up Horizons very soon as I am in awe of Elite in VR.
 
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