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

This has been happening with all the betas I've played. Not sure what the problem is.

The performance in 3.04 does seem a little less than 3.03. It was quite smooth then. But it could be me.

-M

I doubt it's just you. I definitely noticed a loss of 'detail' - I guess that would be the best word - while playing with the DK2. I didn't connect online (couldn't) so almost 98% of my play in all the betas has been Solo or Tutorials.

I do hope they can clear it up before actual launch and this isn't 'final'. There needs to be more polish done to the text and I'd be perfectly fine. That's the only thing really holding it back, I hate "leaning in" to read stuff!
 
Nice huge ship they created there. Probably going to cost a fortune. Cant wait to see it skinned.

We'll have the release date today, i wonder if its still 2014 ? :)
 
For those having issues with the DK2, be aware that FD has apparently changed the way the game reads the settings for the Rift. In earlier verisons, ED was directly pulling calibration data from the Oculus program, but now, they are pulling from an XML file that is not auto-synced with your calibration data. Lots of info on the ED forums about this. If you match up the calibration, you'll have much better luck keeping those side panels up and text readability goes way up.
 
The project planning between Frontier Devs and CIG is like night and day.

The scope in all is about the same; Elite gets more procedural and CIG gets single player campaign.

But Frontier devs are making a game first and foremost, then sticking the candy into it via planned expansion packs.

Meanwhile, CIG is doing everything that Elite is going to do, except all at once, in time for a... 2018 launch probably. Probably after we've seen full 3D ships and procedural planets in Elite AND No Man's Sky for a couple years.
 
The ships in Elite all look fantastic.

Wasn't there supposed to be an announcement this week about a release date? Or was that later in the month?

This ship (Python) indeed does look great, but I liked the concept art version better:

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Granted, that sneak peek model isn't finished yet and it seems to have maintained the overall same structure/features, the only part that really seems different to me is the cockpit, I can't see it in the sneek peak model, where as the concept art shows the cockpit right at the tip at the front, it's so small and shows the true scale of the ship. In the sneak peek model, that front tip of the ship in terms of structure looks different, perhaps it's below it where as the concept art is in the centre? Any ways, still looks awesome, perhaps it's just one of those unfinished parts of the sneak peek model.
 
The project planning between Frontier Devs and CIG is like night and day.

The scope in all is about the same; Elite gets more procedural and CIG gets single player campaign.

But Frontier devs are making a game first and foremost, then sticking the candy into it via planned expansion packs.

Meanwhile, CIG is doing everything that Elite is going to do, except all at once, in time for a... 2018 launch probably. Probably after we've seen full 3D ships and procedural planets in Elite AND No Man's Sky for a couple years.

I have the exact same impression. I'd also expect a lot more cross over between the two, but it seems a lot of people investing in CIG don't even know Elite exists and is where it is already.
 
Very good game, my only problem is that I never know how to do things they introduce.

Will it have some kind of help/tutorial in the release state? Cause for 2 months now I have to search forums and youtube videos on how to do most things. (Mining, PvP, Discovering New Systems)

I stopped playing because of this.
 
I have the exact same impression. I'd also expect a lot more cross over between the two, but it seems a lot of people investing in CIG don't even know Elite exists and is where it is already.

Elite also faced a lot of skepticism at first. I'm frankly amazed that they managed to raise 12 million dollars.

Hopefully they can push the game harder once it's out for realsies.

We are delighted to announce Tuesday 16th December as the release date for Elite: Dangerous!

Newsletter #48 out!
I was wrong. :P

ijqhXpmjsBjeV.gif
 
For those having issues with the DK2, be aware that FD has apparently changed the way the game reads the settings for the Rift. In earlier verisons, ED was directly pulling calibration data from the Oculus program, but now, they are pulling from an XML file that is not auto-synced with your calibration data. Lots of info on the ED forums about this. If you match up the calibration, you'll have much better luck keeping those side panels up and text readability goes way up.

Do you have any specific links stating this? I'll search later on but it sounds like this is a known issue?

EDIT: December 16th! Nice!
 
We are delighted to announce Tuesday 16th December as the release date for Elite: Dangerous!

Newsletter #48 out!
I was wrong. :P

Woot! Sooner than I expected to be honest, I hope they can squash all of bugs and incorporate the new content by then.

Think I'm buying the Mercenary Edition this weekend. Sure I'll still have to wait a month to play but I can do that.
 
Woot! Sooner than I expected to be honest, I hope they can squash all of bugs and incorporate the new content by then.

Think I'm buying the Mercenary Edition this weekend. Sure I'll still have to wait a month to play but I can do that.

I wish they'd just tell us what content to expect. Honestly they've hit most of their 1.0 milestones with B3.X...not sure what exactly they're planning on for 1.0.
 
Lack of info on what's coming worries me greatly. Game needs content so badly but I guess they're running out of money so it's time to launch and update the rest in.
 
HNNNNNNG

I was just about to say fuck it and grab the beta (because Interstellar), but now with a concrete release date, it makes it easier to wait. Dammit.
 

Ah, an IPD issue. Makes sense. I'll have to mess with those settings later tonight.

Lack of info on what's coming worries me greatly. Game needs content so badly but I guess they're running out of money so it's time to launch and update the rest in.

Yeah, content is a worry for me also. I dived in to the deep end mainly because of DK2 support but then enjoyed the game outside of that also. But I find myself not really having "direction" which I guess is kind of the reason/focus for the game ... not sure how that will translate for others though. While not having a direction works for some, it definitely does not work for most and I would assume they'd want more people on board.

The "make it what you will" is great for a beta, but I think an official release should have a little more guidance/direction as to 'what' the game is. But again, the 'mainstream' idea of a game and what this developer wants in their final game are a bit different. There is no 'end' and honestly, with the loss of all your money/ships a possibility, there is no 'beginning' really either. You just exist in space and make it what you want!
 
Content is indeed a bit sceptical but it's not as if what we are playing is the same branch they have, they're always ahead in features and implementation than what we are experiencing, but yeah I'd be lying if I wasn't sceptical. It has been said that they've implemented a lot of big stuff over the months that hasn't been available to us yet, I think we are going to get that big update around gamma that they are just finishing up now, and then it will be bug squashing time from then until release.

It's either we don't get everything that was expected at release, and they release it for cash injection, and we get the rest with patches the next month+ after release or whatever, I don't see any other outcomes. There is still stuff missing that was in the previous Elite games, but I believe all the major systems are in place, but just needs finishing up apparently. Things like bounty boards and proper assassination missions and stuff still needs to be there, salvaging, etc.

We're definitely behind in the branch of what they have, that's how it is with game development of this size, we're never on the bleeding edge.

I'm optimistic but sceptical at the same time, 22 November we can be more assured, since that's when Gamma goes live and that's when supposedly a huge update comes out and then bug squashing until release and balancing after release, I think that's the roadmap going forward at the moment. They've been saying release will be end of the year 2014 since the beginning of this year, so I think they're confident and ready, it's not as if it's a sudden decision. We'll have to wait and see.
 
Gamma will probably give us a good idea of launch content. In defense of FD, none of their major feature adds have been broken for more than a week or two post launch, so I'm not too concerned about them having nearly a month to iron out Gamma.

What I REALLY want for launch is some Oculus love. Fix the damn acceleration animation for VR users, improve direct to rift mode, etc.
 
Lack of info on what's coming worries me greatly. Game needs content so badly but I guess they're running out of money so it's time to launch and update the rest in.

Yeah i agree but i have a feeling that even after release they'll continue to add tons of content. I think we'll have a better idea with the gamma version on what is going to be available at launch and what features are missing (as in added after release).

Missions/Bounty/Assasination/mining/escorting need work and implemented logically in the universe depending in which region you are. I want to see the politicians asking for help if they are attacked, they need a broadcast system like what we saw in the original concept trailer to attract peoples in a region of space where there's going to be a lot of action. We still need the drones/probes too to actually make mining a possible business, probes to scan star systems or detect hidding ships, etc.

I have no worry they can pull all this off, but i just hope they are aware the mission system based on a "shopping" list in a space station is not too exciting, needs to be more dynamic.
 
Yeah i agree but i have a feeling that even after release they'll continue to add tons of content.

The reason most of us are apprehensive about post-release content is because FD has explicitly stated, multiple times, that expansion packs are entirely dependent on the success of the retail product.

Knowing how niche ED is, it's pretty easy to imagine a world where they see limited retail success, despite knocking it out of the park for a small subset of gamers.

If that comes to pass, and we end up with 1, or even worse...0 expansions, we'd like to know the full retail game has enough legs to last a while. Right now, it doesn't.
 
The Future of Elite: Dangerous

Devs discussing their history with the game/genre and what they are most looking forward to.

Cool. It kind of shows that they have can walk around in first person mode already. The ships are apparently already made with this in mind so an anaconda for example would be a huge level to explore.

I like to hear what the team personally wants in the future, it likely means they'll pull it off :)
 
Lack of info on what's coming worries me greatly. Game needs content so badly but I guess they're running out of money so it's time to launch and update the rest in.

uh what? they re quite in the plan... what kind of content are you looking for? quests?
 
uh what? they re quite in the plan... what kind of content are you looking for? quests?

Something engaging? Maybe something that makes my character feel like they're in a living universe rather than a very limited sandbox. Events going on that send shockwaves through the galaxy, effects of which can be observed outside a tucked away GalNet message that ultimately means nothing to anyone. I can go on and on. I don't doubt that they're in the plan, but with release a month away and having no co-op system, no events, no driving force to keep coming back to that world or see what awaits just a few jumps away, it's alarming.
 
I was having a read of the forums, and the amount of negativity about the release date is very worrying. Barely a single person there think the game is ready for release. Loads of bugs and not enough content. Some seem to think they have to release it this year for contractual reasons. It's all very worrying. This game will only be getting reviewed once, and it has to do well.
 
It's pretty clear now that Beta 3 does not represent the current state of development. The truth is we simply don't know how much they're holding back, and a lot of people take that to mean that the game won't be ready.
It's their fault for not being more transparent I guess, but they don't have to be.

I chose to be cautiously optimistic. If the preview build that comes out on the 22nd is just Beta 3 with a few added features, then I'll start to really worry. Until then, it's pure speculation.
 
It's pretty clear now that Beta 3 does not represent the current state of development. The truth is we simply don't know how much they're holding back, and a lot of people take that to mean that the game won't be ready.
It's their fault for not being more transparent I guess, but they don't have to be.

I chose to be cautiously optimistic. If the preview build that comes out on the 22nd is just Beta 3 with a few added features, then I'll start to really worry. Until then, it's pure speculation.

I think they've said the betas are just a "vertical slice" of the game as a whole but that's still a whole lot to get done by release, especially without public testing. We shall see, I hope they can pull it off.
 
I have a feeling beta 3 is all the content that will be at launch with maybe a couple of exceptions (more ships, full Galaxy map etc). And the next 5 weeks are all about big squashing.

I can't believe there'd be much more content to come that hasn't been beta tested by users. If they can't get beta 3 running without issues it seems a stretch that they'll fix all that AND add new features.

A bit worried but obviously not put off. Though I wish I hadn't read the post on those boards where everyone posted that they were bored with the game already.
 
I have a feeling beta 3 is all the content that will be at launch with maybe a couple of exceptions (more ships, full Galaxy map etc). And the next 5 weeks are all about big squashing.

I can't believe there'd be much more content to come that hasn't been beta tested by users. If they can't get beta 3 running without issues it seems a stretch that they'll fix all that AND add new features.

A bit worried but obviously not put off. Though I wish I hadn't read the post on those boards where everyone posted that they were bored with the game already.

You gotta take into account that the people on the Elite forums (and some of us here on GAF, including me) have been playing from early on in the Premium Beta before it even hit normal beta status. The honeymoon phase is over for many of us that have been playing for months. Not seeing any real development on the content side other than the crap missions in the Bulletin Board has been really disappointing.
 
I enjoy this sort of game and was going to get it at launch, but I'm not too sure now. Can someone sum up the 'problems' there are with the game? After reading some of the forums it seems there's just people saying "It's not finished" but i can't really see why they think that. I haven't really seen much of the game but i suppose in what i have seem it's been mainly the same things (Flying around shooting things, mining and trading) but i don't really know if there's more to the game than that and what i have seen doesn't seem particularly engaging, really.
 
I haven't played much during the beta phase (specifically to avoid getting bored), but at the same time I do feel like maybe the game (barring a huge amount of content we haven't seen being revealed on launch day, I'd love that) doesn't have enough variety and variability in content to hold attention.

It's actually kinda straddling a weird line between single player and multiplayer and I kind of wish they hadn't bothered with this pseudo-MMO aspect and just made it single player w/ co-op. As a person who really, really, really likes multiplayer games, one of their biggest selling points is the biggest flaw--billions of stars. Running into other players is simply too rare to keep me engaged. There's a whole lot of other potential player interactions that simply aren't feasible because of that as well.

Still, the game is good, but I'm definitely hoping there's a lot "more" on launch.
 
I enjoy this sort of game and was going to get it at launch, but I'm not too sure now. Can someone sum up the 'problems' there are with the game? After reading some of the forums it seems there's just people saying "It's not finished" but i can't really see why they think that. I haven't really seen much of the game but i suppose in what i have seem it's been mainly the same things (Flying around shooting things, mining and trading) but i don't really know if there's more to the game than that and what i have seen doesn't seem particularly engaging, really.

That's the issue exactly. The only motivation you have to play is to gain more money to upgrade the ship or upgrade to a better ship. That's it. There's nothing else in the entire galaxy to motivate you. No great cause to get behind, no faction to help rise up or help destroy. No opposing forces at all other than enemies you make via criminality or those that wish to do you harm or steal your cargo for the sake of it. It's a massive empty and bland world with amazing vistas going to waste.
 
Yeah, let's hope they have mostly surprises at launch, because if it's "just" the beta with some minor extras it's going to be disappointing indeed. They have a great framework in place, but it needs more.."soul" and "life".. There's not even graphical representations of..anything. Not even a single face (when f.ex. "talking" to the station staff)
 
I kind of wish they hadn't bothered with this pseudo-MMO aspect and just made it single player w/ co-op.

I don't really understand this thinking, and I see it daily on the FD forums. You have 3 game modes, single player, single player with co-op (more than 2 people even!) and open MMO. They've given everyone a choice, and yet there is still complaining.

If you want co-op, then just play private group. I personally want to merc fools, so open it is for me and me crew.

edit: there is even still talk of a 4th "ironman mode".
 
That's the issue exactly. The only motivation you have to play is to gain more money to upgrade the ship or upgrade to a better ship. That's it. There's nothing else in the entire galaxy to motivate you. No great cause to get behind, no faction to help rise up or help destroy. No opposing forces at all other than enemies you make via criminality or those that wish to do you harm or steal your cargo for the sake of it. It's a massive empty and bland world with amazing vistas going to waste.
TBH I want none of that. I want Elite for me means fully open world with zero direction or imperative for the player other than to do what they want.

I do want a better mission structure with more variety but the last thing I want is a plot or even a pseudo plot with some fake sense of purpose.
 
"I don't really understand this thinking, and I see it daily on the FD forums. You have 3 game modes, single player, single player with co-op (more than 2 people even!) and open MMO. They've given everyone a choice, and yet there is still complaining.

If you want co-op, then just play private group. I personally want to merc fools, so open it is for me and me crew."

It's not the same thinking as the E:D forums. The posters on the official don't want the multiplayer because they want to be safe and sound in their little solo bubble and play a single player game (which they can do). I feel like the multiplayer is a waste because it's pretty half-assed (so far as what we've seen currently implemented, subject to change) and that's time and energy that could've gone towards fleshing out missions and adding more interesting things to do in the game. And the Open MMO is pretty unsatisfying for more multiplayer minded players (speaking for myself) because you don't actually encounter players regularly and that's without even having the 400 billion star systems.


"I do want a better mission structure with more variety but the last thing I want is a plot or even a pseudo plot with some fake sense of purpose."

He's not asking for a pseudo-plot, he's asking for more meaningful interaction with the factions and NPCs currently in the game.
 
"I don't really understand this thinking, and I see it daily on the FD forums. You have 3 game modes, single player, single player with co-op (more than 2 people even!) and open MMO. They've given everyone a choice, and yet there is still complaining.

If you want co-op, then just play private group. I personally want to merc fools, so open it is for me and me crew."

It's not the same thinking as the E:D forums. The posters on the official don't want the multiplayer because they want to be safe and sound in their little solo bubble and play a single player game (which they can do). I feel like the multiplayer is a waste because it's pretty half-assed (so far as what we've seen currently implemented, subject to change) and that's time and energy that could've gone towards fleshing out missions and adding more interesting things to do in the game. And the Open MMO is pretty unsatisfying for more multiplayer minded players (speaking for myself) because you don't actually encounter players regularly and that's without even having the 400 billion star systems.


"I do want a better mission structure with more variety but the last thing I want is a plot or even a pseudo plot with some fake sense of purpose."

He's not asking for a pseudo-plot, he's asking for more meaningful interaction with the factions and NPCs currently in the game.
It doesn't read like that : but even then that sounds like a far better experience to seek in Eve.

In Elite while some sense of ebb and tide with factions could be interesting I'd still mostly be against it. For me Elite is about you being mostly alone in a huge Galaxy doing your own thing without the magic game/film/novel ability to make huge changes as a very, very small cog in the machine of things.

I want Elite to feel like I'm in space and too much of that kind of thing wouldn't feel right.

Besides the game has a clear and central goal: to become Elite.
 
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