Elite: Dangerous Standard Beta (Starting Jul 29th - $75)

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Man, I'm losing myself in ED's worlds... hours feel like minutes, the sense of scale and exploration is vast. Can't wait to go mining in Beta 3!
 
When's the next Beta coming out, might jump in then

At this point I'm just waiting for release. SO COME ON AND RELEASE ALREADY!!!!! :)



This game is going to own me when it does come out....
 
The Oculus Rift arrived home today...

I first had to go through all the basic setup, and then started to download a few demos while Elite was updating to the latest version. I tried a few demos and some were quite fun, some where kinda slow and some were giving me small headaches because of the mini stutter (haven't gone through all the info to check how to fix this).

Overall I was enjoying it, but as I expected, I was mostly looking forward to doing my own stuff in UE4 and trying it all by myself. That was the original reason for buying the DK2 anyway!

Then Elite finished updating and everything changed. I tried not to go with high expectations and pretty much assumed the game would be a stuttering mess and therefore only be able to play for 30 minutes or not. However when I finished all the settings for Oculus Rift... that thing was amazing.

Basically the game felt like a brand new experience. I already felt that jump in 'quality' when going from my monitor to a big projector, and from the 360 controller to the x52.
However this was something different. It went from playing a game, to actually being there handling a (guessing here) 50+ ton spaceship while traveling around actual space.
The fact that you can just look around in real life and see all the small details on the ship, look behind you and see the door or below you and see all the metallic floor panels.

This was also the first time I paid attention to some of the details like all the advertising in the stations, the menus feeling like actual holograms floating in front of you, and many other things. I was on a mission and had to land on a small station in the middle of nowhere, and it just felt like the place existed (even if it was very simple and lacking many details). The people that has the DK2 must know what I'm talking about. It's a sense of scale that would be impossible to demonstrate with an actual screen.



If this is even a small fraction of what the future might involve, please bring it NOW.



--

Now, on a couple technical issues I'm having.

- There are some instances where I see a somewhat bright light hitting from behind me illuminating everything. Is this related to the DK2 or the game itself? I haven't checked without the DK2 yet.

- When I'm in the middle of nowhere, the head tracking is flawless. Incredibly smooth...
However when I reach certain areas like around a space station or near some areas with planets and shit, sometimes the tracking gets a bit crazy. When I'm inside the station checking the menus sometimes it's alright but sometimes the tracking moves around a bit. I got used to it but when it goes back to the perfectly smooth tracking in space, it's such a difference...
And otherwise the game seems to have perfect framerate. When the tracking goes crazy I have tried to stay still and check if the ships in the back also stutter (to see if it's the actual framerate) but they move quite smoothly so...
 
The Oculus Rift arrived home today...

I first had to go through all the basic setup, and then started to download a few demos while Elite was updating to the latest version. I tried a few demos and some were quite fun, some where kinda slow and some were giving me small headaches because of the mini stutter (haven't gone through all the info to check how to fix this).

Overall I was enjoying it, but as I expected, I was mostly looking forward to doing my own stuff in UE4 and trying it all by myself. That was the original reason for buying the DK2 anyway!

Then Elite finished updating and everything changed. I tried not to go with high expectations and pretty much assumed the game would be a stuttering mess and therefore only be able to play for 30 minutes or not. However when I finished all the settings for Oculus Rift... that thing was amazing.

Basically the game felt like a brand new experience. I already felt that jump in 'quality' when going from my monitor to a big projector, and from the 360 controller to the x52.
However this was something different. It went from playing a game, to actually being there handling a (guessing here) 50+ ton spaceship while traveling around actual space.
The fact that you can just look around in real life and see all the small details on the ship, look behind you and see the door or below you and see all the metallic floor panels.

This was also the first time I paid attention to some of the details like all the advertising in the stations, the menus feeling like actual holograms floating in front of you, and many other things. I was on a mission and had to land on a small station in the middle of nowhere, and it just felt like the place existed (even if it was very simple and lacking many details). The people that has the DK2 must know what I'm talking about. It's a sense of scale that would be impossible to demonstrate with an actual screen.



If this is even a small fraction of what the future might involve, please bring it NOW.



--

Now, on a couple technical issues I'm having.

- There are some instances where I see a somewhat bright light hitting from behind me illuminating everything. Is this related to the DK2 or the game itself? I haven't checked without the DK2 yet.

- When I'm in the middle of nowhere, the head tracking is flawless. Incredibly smooth...
However when I reach certain areas like around a space station or near some areas with planets and shit, sometimes the tracking gets a bit crazy. When I'm inside the station checking the menus sometimes it's alright but sometimes the tracking moves around a bit. I got used to it but when it goes back to the perfectly smooth tracking in space, it's such a difference...
And otherwise the game seems to have perfect framerate. When the tracking goes crazy I have tried to stay still and check if the ships in the back also stutter (to see if it's the actual framerate) but they move quite smoothly so...

Yeah, that's pretty much how my first experience was. Scale is really something when you go to the stations that have an orbit that's very very close to the planet.

I would just sit there and feel like I was an actual astronaut and how they see our Earth. The sense of scale for the new builds have just improved. Planetary landings are going to be something else.
 
Yeah, that's pretty much how my first experience was. Scale is really something when you go to the stations that have an orbit that's very very close to the planet.

I would just sit there and feel like I was an actual astronaut and how they see our Earth. The sense of scale for the new builds have just improved. Planetary landings are going to be something else.

Oh yeah, planetary landing is going to be amazing.

Also for the Beta 3, do we know if we're going to get reset again, or be able to keep the same ship and money? I just bought a hauler, but I might as well spend some extra money on something else if it will only last 3 days :P
 
"Beta 3’s 2,406 star systems mean it is huge, about five times bigger than Beta 2. Yet it represents only a little over half a millionth of one per cent of the full game "

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Oh yeah, planetary landing is going to be amazing.

Also for the Beta 3, do we know if we're going to get reset again, or be able to keep the same ship and money? I just bought a hauler, but I might as well spend some extra money on something else if it will only last 3 days :P


There's going to be a soft reset you'll keep money but you'll start with a sidewinder

Edit:sorry to clarify you'll get the monetary value of your current ship back plus whatever credits you have in your account but start in a sidewinder
 
Weird i know right? It might be early. Otherwise, its probably a question of a few months before you can customize the HUD colors :)
Release, I think. They've already talked about it, they just haven't said when they'll add it. I expect it to be there in the final game, though.
 
There's going to be a soft reset you'll keep money but you'll start with a sidewinder

Edit:sorry to clarify you'll get the monetary value of your current ship back plus whatever credits you have in your account but start in a sidewinder
Gotcha, makes sense. I bought a hauler but I don't like that this ship hides so much of the sides. The Lakon Type 6 cockpit is incredible when it comes to enjoying your surroundings.

Weird i know right? It might be early. Otherwise, its probably a question of a few months before you can customize the HUD colors :)

Changing the colors for the HUD would be great. I absolutely love the orange tones, but my x52 is blue so in a way I sorta wanna have it all blend together nicely. Also after using the DK2 for half a day playing this, I definitely would like an option to slightly increase the size of some parts of the UI.
 
Looking forward to next beta step. With the fuel scooping you should be able to go quite deep in undiscovered territory and get some valuable exploration data.
 
Hmm so 2014 is still on the cards for release.
Won't it be content strict right now? Specifically with ships, weapons & missions?

Not part of the beta though, so my knowledge is mostly based on watching videos and the occasional blog report.
 
Hmm so 2014 is still on the cards for release.
Won't it be content strict right now? Specifically with ships, weapons & missions?

Not part of the beta though, so my knowledge is mostly based on watching videos and the occasional blog report.

While I wouldn't mind them postponing the release for a few months, I'm confident that what they will deliver will be good. I'm really impressed with the content added every month during the beta. I feel it's quite ready for a release (other than stability). The only thing I'm missing is a bit of story. They announced that the empires would slowly expand into new star systems (and you could support this by gathering the resources needed to build stations etc.). I hope this will be presented in a good and varied way.
 
While I wouldn't mind them postponing the release for a few months, I'm confident in what they will delivery will be good. I'm really impressed with the content added every month during the beta every month. I feel it's quite ready for a release (other than stability). The only thing I'm missing is a bit of story. They announced that the empires would slowly expand into new star systems (and you could support this by gathering the resources needed to build stations etc.). I hope this will be presented in a good and varied way.

That's reassuring! Really hope the elements like exploration and etc comes to the Single Player portion of the game. Internet is still way too shoddy for MMO type gaming :p
 
I have a feeling that they are ready for a 2014 release, they probably have an in-house build that has all the content being worked on and will iron out the bugs in gamma. The fuel scoop for example, the hud is from the beta1, yet we'll have it in beta 3.
 
Not a full list, as far as I know. Do we know when will they update? If it's early morning in the UK we are only a few hours away, if it's at 23:59 then....
 
Not a full list, as far as I know. Do we know when will they update? If it's early morning in the UK we are only a few hours away, if it's at 23:59 then....

Think it's going to be late in the day/night like last time. Meaning after the 28th's work day UK time.
 
I'm surprised this post isn't on the front page, with B3 out today.

I may be climbing up the wrong tree here, beating a dead horse, reaching for straws, and whatever other slogan, but I'll go ahead and ask:

I'm thinking of selling a watch and picking up the following, for both E:D and SC. What are the cons?

  • Oculus Rift DK2
  • TrackIR (is this useless with OR?)
  • Thrustmaster T Flight HOTAS X (never owned a HOTAS, so figured entry level will work)

After buying the game, I'll have about $500 left over....thinking of getting a SteelCase Leap v2 (used). Any other recommendations on chairs?

Can't wait to hear all of your impressions of B3!!!!
 
I'm surprised this post isn't on the front page, with B3 out today.

I may be climbing up the wrong tree here, beating a dead horse, reaching for straws, and whatever other slogan, but I'll go ahead and ask:

I'm thinking of selling a watch and picking up the following, for both E:D and SC. What are the cons?

  • Oculus Rift DK2
  • TrackIR (is this useless with OR?)
  • Thrustmaster T Flight HOTAS X (never owned a HOTAS, so figured entry level will work)

After buying the game, I'll have about $500 left over....thinking of getting a SteelCase Leap v2 (used). Any other recommendations on chairs?

Can't wait to hear all of your impressions of B3!!!!


I got myself a TrackIR (as a birthday presen to myself) in addition to my DK2. While I love playing with DK2 I can't do it everytime I'm playing ED, as sometimes I get dizzy. But at the same time I love to be able to look around.
 
I got myself a TrackIR (as a birthday presen to myself) in addition to my DK2. While I love playing with DK2 I can't do it everytime I'm playing ED, as sometimes I get dizzy. But at the same time I love to be able to look around.

Thanks for the info. This is a big concern of mine. I thought they fixed that with DK2, but I guess not. :( Is it a combination of the OR and TrackIR?

I bet it tells time just as good as this $6 watch I got at Walmart...

Everyone has different hobbies. :)
 
I got myself a TrackIR (as a birthday presen to myself) in addition to my DK2. While I love playing with DK2 I can't do it everytime I'm playing ED, as sometimes I get dizzy. But at the same time I love to be able to look around.

Yep I bought my first TrackIR a month ago too. I'm using it now for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and FSX, but I really wanted it for Elite down the road. Flying through space with stars, planets, and space stations all around me, hell yeah I needed the TrackIR.

I know full well I'll get a VR device someday but I'm not one to adopt new technology right away, I usually wait for new tech to come into it's own. For now the TrackIR is just fine to me.
 
I'm surprised this post isn't on the front page, with B3 out today.

I may be climbing up the wrong tree here, beating a dead horse, reaching for straws, and whatever other slogan, but I'll go ahead and ask:

I'm thinking of selling a watch and picking up the following, for both E:D and SC. What are the cons?

  • Oculus Rift DK2
  • TrackIR (is this useless with OR?)
  • Thrustmaster T Flight HOTAS X (never owned a HOTAS, so figured entry level will work)

After buying the game, I'll have about $500 left over....thinking of getting a SteelCase Leap v2 (used). Any other recommendations on chairs?

Can't wait to hear all of your impressions of B3!!!!

I wouldn't expect Beta 3 till very late today, so no there wasn't much to discuss yet.

But your question is interesting! Here's my take on it:
1) I love the DK2 and it is the only way I play Elite, which is shaping up to be an amazing game. The Rift brings the experience to a whole new level and together they've impressed pretty much all my friends and close family...
BUT!
The DK2 is not a final product, so it is not as cool, confortable and seamless as the final version will be, next year. It can be a pain to set up with certain games, depending on your tolerance for these things.

2) I don't own nor have I used TrackIR, but you almost certainly wont need one if you have a DK2 (unless you want to play while eating something, for example). It may have some use if you are getting used to VR and you are afraid of getting simulation sickness after playing for a while, maybe?

3) Can't help with the joystick either, sorry. It's probably fine!

4) Are you SURE that you want to sell that watch? Think that you are almost certainly getting almost none of that money back after spending it on these things.
 
Yep I bought my first TrackIR a month ago too. I'm using it now for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and FSX, but I really wanted it for Elite down the road. Flying through space with stars, planets, and space stations all around me, hell yeah I needed the TrackIR.

I know full well I'll get a VR device someday but I'm not one to adopt new technology right away, I usually wait for new tech to come into it's own. For now the TrackIR is just fine to me.

This is exactly what I want. I need to do some research as to how close I need to be to my monitor/TrackIR for it to work. It seems that my monitor would be too far away for it to be noticeable, as I barely need to move my head to look from side to side. Right now I sit about 3 feet away from a 25" monitor. I could definitely move it closer though.

Thank you for the response!

Anyone have recommendations on a good chair (less than $450)? I work from home full time, so that's why I was looking at the SteelCase.
 
The TrackIR is also great if you play ArmA III or flight sims.

Since getting ArmA III to run at a high enough framerate for something like the Oculus Rift is nigh impossible TrackIR is your best bet for that.
 
Has anyone noticed that space is not dark. There seems to be some kind of white haze all over. I think it's probably my gamma settings. Earth looks too pale and colors don't appear saturated.

Loving the game with the Rift DK2! Incredible experience! I wish this game had a physical artbook.
 
Has anyone noticed that space is not dark. There seems to be some kind of white haze all over. I think it's probably my gamma settings. Earth looks too pale and colors don't appear saturated.

Loving the game with the Rift DK2! Incredible experience! I wish this game had a physical artbook.

It's not just you, they made space all bright and purple in Beta 1. I don't understand the reasoning. Changing the gamma settings sort of helps.

Most people seem to hate the current skybox though, so we can hope they at least tone down the brightness a bit.
 
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