Support NeoGAF

[Anton Sugar]

EGX has brought a number of new details regarding Elite: Horizons aka Season 2 for Elite: Dangerous. Previously, we knew that we would be able to land on non-atmospheric planets to find loot, raid pirate bases, explore, collect resources, etc. We also knew that a robust crafting and loot system is coming as a part of this.

At EGX, Frontier unveiled that you will be able to have multi-player ship crews. This means that you and friends can man the same ship--friends can man turrets while you fly or vice versa.

This also supports AI crew--details are sparse but it sounds like it will be a hiring system.

In addition, if your ship is large enough to house a docking bay, you can launch a fighter ship from your own ship, piloted by a friend.

Multi-Crew lets you fly in the same ship with friends, which will up the intensity and camaraderie levels of a joint mission even further! You’ll be able to share and alternate control of weapons systems, turrets and flight duties to multiply your effectiveness. Even to the extent of piloting a ship-launched fighter and working in combination with the mothership. It’ll be especially useful in some of the very large trading ships coming in season two.

You'll also finally be able to take off the helmet and show off your own avatar/character:

The all-new Commander Creator brings your in-game presence to life for the first time, and lets you identify friends with a quick glance across your ship's bridge. Its the first step in the longer term plans we have for you, Commander…

Viper Mk IV is coming to the game, trading speed and maneuverability for toughness. Free to everyone who backed Kickstarter at Beta or above:

We're happy to announce that, as promised, every player who backed our original Kickstarter at Beta level or above will find a Viper Mk IV docked at a starport for free in ‘Ships’.

A few planetary landing updates/pics: buggy cockpit, planet surface, and concept art

And, last but not least, you can buy a bobblehead for your ship's cockpit:

A few other details from Burny:

EGX Elite Dangerous live stream is running.

I'm only half listening/watching, but they've already mentioned launching smaller fighters from bigger ships as a coming feature.

Oh, and multi-crew just now!

Edit:

• Player multi-crew, that is. One flies the ship, the others control turret weapons. And may man the smaller fighters carried by bigger ships. They don't know how many players they'll let into a multi-crew ship, yet Sounds like they're still somewhere in the design stage.
• Launching fighters from ships
• Human faces Trailer! Faces are looking good imo, pretty varied, but there's no hair, yet. Hair will be in there though, according to Braben.
• Crafting mentioned. Changing laser color for weapons. But it'll apparently have other effects as well.
• Some crafting ingredients will be exclusively found on planets.
• Viper MkIV - (1.5 update) trades speed and manoeverability for toughness.
• Bobbleheads are returning. They have to be bought in the store, apparently. There'll be a David Braben bobblehead.

Sources:
Elite: Dangerous Newsletter #92
Elite: Dangerous EGX panel

 

[Akronis]

Hopefully this freshens up the game a bit. It's incredibly grindy and lacks variety.

Graphical, audio-wise, and flight model-wise it is top-notch.

It falls extremely short gameplay-wise.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Also, probably one of the best announcement trailers I've ever seen.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Also, probably one of the best announcement trailers I've ever seen.

Ha ha, that is wonderful!

 

[Anton Sugar]

Oh, and as a reminder: Elite: Dangerous is currently 40% off on Steam and the Frontier Store. Costs $26.

HOWEVER--if you preorder Elite: Horizons, it includes Elite: Dangerous, for $60 total. Unfortunately, it's kinda stupid--you can't play or get your copy of E until E:H is released later this year.

Horizons is coming to X1, but not at the same time as PC. X1 Early Access is $30 now and will cost $36 when the full game releases on 10/06.

 

[Burny]

In addition, if your ship is large enough to house a docking bay, you can launch a fighter ship from your own ship, piloted by a friend.

And AI according to the newsletter 92:

Ship-Launched Fighters can be docked in your ship's hold to give you a far greater range of options to tackle any situation in which you find yourself. Deploy your fighter under AI control or take the stick yourself and fly into battle while your mothership lies in wait.

Mission updates as well:

There are features that are trickier to illustrate but still very significant, like the extensions to the mission system with new military missions and rank progression, Powerplay missions and chained missions which will deliver an even richer gameplay experience. And as already announced, season two will introduce a new loot and crafting system, letting you create unique equipment.

 

[Dennis]

How good is the base game?

For some reason this one has flown a bit under my radar.

If it was an instant classic I am guessing we would see more of this game on GAF.

 

[thelatestmodel]

Hopefully this freshens up the game a bit. It's incredibly grindy and lacks variety.

Graphical, audio-wise, and flight model-wise it is top-notch.

It falls extremely short gameplay-wise.

Couldn't agree more. I started out all fresh-faced and eager to immerse myself in it, but now that I've got an Asp, 60 million credits and have been to Sagittarius A* and back, I feel like there's not much else to do.

I thought PowerPlay would rekindle my interest but it just ended up killing it even deader.

I enjoyed my time with the game, it's probably the best space game ever, but I can't help feeling it needs more actual goals that aren't based on grinding. Secrets, characters, life, just anything really.

 

[Pewpewlazors99]

I keep wanting to buy this game, but then I read about it and realize that the base game seems slim. Hopefully with this expansion I can finally get in on the action.

 

[Burny]

How good is the base game?

For some reason this one has flown a bit under my radar.

If it was an instant classic I am guessing we would see more of this game on GAF.

Extremely solid/great base mechanic for flying/dogfighting, but very barebones game mechanics on top of it that coild still use a lot of depth. Which will hopefully get added over time, but it's unfinished, yet.

Still, there are people who've played it for hundreds of hours.

 

[8bit]

Also, probably one of the best announcement trailers I've ever seen.

OK, that's pretty cute. Not sure if I want to spend a fiver on it, but it made me laugh.

 

[Anton Sugar]

And AI according to the newsletter 92:



Mission updates as well:

Missed the bit about AI! I'll update the OP.

How good is the base game?

For some reason this one has flown a bit under my radar.

If it was an instant classic I am guessing we would see more of this game on GAF.

As others have said, the base game is a bit barebones if you aren't invested or interested in its mechanics. There is a lot to do, but a good deal of it is surface-level at the moment or grindy.

However, the base mechanics are fantastic. The flight model is probably best-in-class and really *feels* good. The combat mechanics are robust and varied. There is a high-level faction system that is just now starting to get a little interesting, now that its been in use for a while AND player factions are coming (GAF has submitted its own, too). Exploration isn't terribly complex right now but can be relaxing and if you enjoy space porn, its ace.

They also recently added the CQC arena combat mode, which is a great change of pace and can also be a career path soon.

As others have said, the game can be shallow in some regards currently, but at the same time, people have put in hundreds of hours.

 

[RK9039]

Fuck it, I'm in. I didn't realize they were adding all of this in season 2. Multi-crew is huge news.

 

[5taquitos]

I hope that this is Elite's Reaper of Souls, I really want to dive in but too many impressions about the grindy aspects have kept me away

 

[Akronis]

I hope that this is Elite's Reaper of Souls, I really want to dive in but too many impressions about the grindy aspects have kept me away

Depends on if there is something to accomplish with landing and missions are completely overhauled and more variety is given to the world.

 

[PinkCrayon]

Excited for character creator, but that's a lot of bald people.

 

[DrBo42]

Depends on if there is something to accomplish with landing and missions are completely overhauled and more variety is given to the world.

There are settlements on some of the planets/moons and landing are one way to gain materials for the new crafting system. It's still very unclear what the extent of your activities on the surface are. Unless they overhaul the current things to do I honestly wouldn't expect too large a deviation. If you love what's already there...you can soon love it on a surface in a buggy.

Excited for character creator, but that's a lot of bald people.

There will be hair, just wasn't up to their standards to show at this moment.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Yeah, if they deliver on planetary landings, it basically sounds like a new (sub)game within the full game. They say you will be able to:

-Explore entire surfaces of planets, many of them earth sized. With buggies that can go up to 100mph, would take you days to travel across an earth-sized planet or moon.
-Raid pirate bases. There are different types of buggies and many have combat capabilities. You can find and raid pirate bases to find loot and crafting materials
-Ships can fly in low orbit over a planet and interact with planetary vehicles/buggies/enemies. Think providing air support in your starship while friends below assault in buggies
-Buggies deploy from and can be scooped up in ships, for easy traversal around a planet
-Planets will have points of interest to check out, but you can discover new locations
-Crashed ships on planets are salvageable

Really excited for this season.

 

[Aaron D.]

I'm really impressed with the Season 2 reveals thus far.

Pretty confident I'm going to upgrade Day One (which is pretty rare for me in regards to full-priced games).

 

[Pomerlaw]

Warning to new players who aren't aware of the game... Horizons will only gives you the option to land on airless moons/planets. Planets with atmo (gas giants and planets with clouds) will come later (in another expansion maybe).

Then even later on, planets with life.

 

[Hylian7]

Yes please, all of it. I love this game.

 

[Kalentan]

Kind of off topic but how's the Xbox One version of this?

 

[Effect]

Extremely solid/great base mechanic for flying/dogfighting, but very barebones game mechanics on top of it that coild still use a lot of depth. Which will hopefully get added over time, but it's unfinished, yet.

Still, there are people who've played it for hundreds of hours.

To add to this depending on one's interest a lot of time can be invested in just flying around and taking in the sites of the different systems. Visually there is a lot of interesting and fun things to see. However like even fighting npcs or even other players that can get a bit boring.

What I've been trying to do recently is pick destination and just flying to it and see what happens. To see if I get jumped by npcs, see something nice, or get side tracked by something else in the area.

They've been adding more and more things to the environment to show that it's living and breathing universe by having more npcs talk within the systems and what they say reflects the current situation of the area or having npc battles in various areas where you can join and that I believe can help turn the tide if that system happens to be in the middle of a civil war. The systems status will reflect that. Then there is the reputation system you can mess around with with multiple factions within any given system in addition to the Federation and Empire factions.

The Power Play system they added which allows you to help a major faction gain control, keep control, and lose control of systems (all of which give benefits to players I think) in the game is interesting. It's far more tedious then it needs to be though and takes to long for things to be influenced I think. All of this wasn't there day one but added after the initial launch and Horizons is likely to be handled the same way with things being added over the year. There is enough there to keep you playing for hours if you find it interesting.

 

[DouglasteR]

IN MY VEINS.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Kind of off topic but how's the Xbox One version of this?

Actually, it's damned good, if we're talking compared to PC. It's till in "Early Access" and has some bugs, but runs at 1080p, looks great, and the performance is mostly solid. Their target is 60fps, but it drops down to ~30 in certain areas. Like I said, they're still working on it, but have already made big improvements.

X1 Controller is a solid substitute for a HOTAS. Some PC players use it.

It's $30, but will be "full price" ($36) when it fully releases on 10/06.

 

[DrBo42]

Kind of off topic but how's the Xbox One version of this?

It's very solid, and runs well but is and most likely will continue to be a little behind the PC version in terms of releases. Control leaves something to be desired but does the best it can compared to a HOTAS or M+KB setup. Although the Elite controller will likely be the best solution on that console unless a 3rd party makes a HOTAS.

 

[Kalentan]

Actually, it's damned good, if we're talking compared to PC. It's till in "Early Access" and has some bugs, but runs at 1080p, looks great, and the performance is mostly solid. Their target is 60fps, but it drops down to ~30 in certain areas. Like I said, they're still working on it, but have already made big improvements.

X1 Controller is a solid substitute for a HOTAS. Some PC players use it.

It's $30, but will be "full price" ($36) when it fully releases on 10/06.

It's very solid, and runs well but is and most likely will continue to be a little behind the PC version in terms of releases. Control leaves something to be desired but does the best it can compared to a HOTAS or M+KB setup. Although the Elite controller will likely be the best solution on that console unless a 3rd party makes a HOTAS.

Hm... I might get it. I was worried it was going to be a really bad port... So wait will this expansion add sort of first person combat or am I wrong? I got the impression it will since it said you can raid bases. Cause like that would get me to buy it. I love the idea of flying a ship through space but I wouldn't like being stuck in the ship 24/7.

 

[DrBo42]

Hm... I might get it. I was worried it was going to be a really bad port... So wait will this expansion add sort of first person combat or am I wrong? I got the impression it will since it said you can raid bases. Cause like that would get me to buy it. I love the idea of flying a ship through space but I wouldn't like being stuck in the ship 24/7.

I've got some bad news... You're still stuck in the ship or with Horizons, the buggy on a planet or moon with no atmosphere. Don't think they'll ever do FPS combat but I think walking around the ship/stations and possibly some EVA is in the pipeline. None of that is for Horizons though.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Hm... I might get it. I was worried it was going to be a really bad port... So wait will this expansion add sort of first person combat or am I wrong? I got the impression it will since it said you can raid bases. Cause like that would get me to buy it. I love the idea of flying a ship through space but I wouldn't like being stuck in the ship 24/7.

On-foot/fps play is definitely coming (at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to see the first iteration late next year), but for Horizons, you either fly a ship or drive a deployable Surface Recon Vehicle (SRV buggy). There are different types of SRVs and some will be combat oriented. So its another vehicle for you to control.

It will be pretty unique, different though, especially since they aim to accurately model each planets gravity effects. SRVs will have thrusters to help launch you over ravines or to return to the surface if gravity is so low that you drift off.

Even flying your ships in low orbital cruise will feel and behave differently from space, as gravity drastically affects how ships handle.

I've got some bad news... You're still stuck in the ship or with Horizons, the buggy on a planet or moon with no atmosphere. Don't think they'll ever do FPS combat but I think walking around the ship/stations and possibly some EVA is in the pipeline. None of that is for Horizons though.

Pretty sure fps combat has been a part of their plans since Day 1. They also recently reiterated that they will add alien species hunting down the road, too.

 

[MaximusPrimus]

As someone who's been playing Elite exclusively on the Oculus Rift in my DIY cockpit with HOTAS for the past 9 months, I am EXTREMELY excited for all this news. I don't understand why this game(ahem, space simulator) isn't talked about more as being the leading VR game.

 

[Ape]

When do planetary landings happen? Any guesses? I'll purchase the game when that goes live.

 

[Anton Sugar]

When do planetary landings happen? Any guesses? I'll purchase the game when that goes live.

"Holiday 2015" aka Nov/Dec. X1 launch/1.4 is early Oct and they said 1.5 is a bit after that. 1.5 is the final "ships" update to E and 2.0/Horizons will be released simultaneously.

 

[Nokterian]

Also, probably one of the best announcement trailers I've ever seen.

That trailer was amazing..now i do want to cave in and buy this game since landing on planets is a must for me.

 

[Kalentan]

On-foot/fps play is definitely coming (at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to see the first iteration late next year), but for Horizons, you either fly a ship or drive a deployable Surface Recon Vehicle (SRV buggy). There are different types of SRVs and some will be combat oriented. So its another vehicle for you to control.

It will be pretty unique, different though, especially since they aim to accurately model each planets gravity effects. SRVs will have thrusters to help launch you over ravines or to return to the surface if gravity is so low that you drift off.

Even flying your ships in low orbital cruise will feel and behave differently from space, as gravity drastically affects how ships handle.



Pretty sure fps combat has been a part of their plans since Day 1. They also recently reiterated that they will add alien species hunting down the road, too.

I think I might hold off till they add FPS gameplay.

 

[elyetis]

Mission updates as well:

That's a great news, if done well.

Are all those things for 2.0 release or only what we should expect to be released during the season 2 run ?

 

[DrBo42]

Pretty sure fps combat has been a part of their plans since Day 1. They also recently reiterated that they will add alien species hunting down the road, too.

Huh. I don't remember that at all during the pitch process. Not that I don't believe you, obviously. I guess I just never absorbed it.

Further edit:

From the FAQ of "planned features" (Not specifically Horizons)

Can I walk around the ship, planets and space stations?
Yes, you will be able to walk around the ship interiors, operate ships with multiple players, board and steal other ships with Zero-G FPS combat, walk around and do FPS combat in space stations, do space walks to repair your ship, operate land and underwater vehicles and walk on entire 1:1 scale populated planets with NPCs in living cities, forests and be able to big-game hunt wildlife, like chasing big dinosaurs around as part of expansions.

That list...see you guys in 2020 for some of those.

 

[Angelus Errare]

I want a bobblehead!

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Oh my gooses. This all sounds too good to be true. I mean, I knew they were working on stuff like this... I guess time just flew right on by. When are all the vr headsets supposed to start popping up again? Lol

 

[Ape]

"Holiday 2015" aka Nov/Dec. X1 launch/1.4 is early Oct and they said 1.5 is a bit after that. 1.5 is the final "ships" update to E and 2.0/Horizons will be released simultaneously.

if I get it for $30 now will I get all expansions? or will planet landing be extra.

Played the "demo" and liked it a lot.

 

[DrBo42]

if I get it for $30 now will I get all expansions?[/B] or will planet landing be extra.

Played the "demo" and liked it a lot.

No. There was a lifetime expansion pass for like $150 on sale for a bit. Horizons includes the base game and you're set for Season 2 of updates. If anything is split into ANOTHER expansion later on, you'd have to buy that.

 

[Burny]

No. There was a lifetime expansion pass for like $150 on sale for a bit. Horizons includes the base game and you're set for Season 2 of updates. If anything is split into ANOTHER expansion later on, you'd have to buy that.

I expect that to be the case - yearly expansions ("seasons") as a quasi subscription. This seems to be their way of securing a continued funding while they expand the game.

It should also be noted that when they talk about the feautures coming in Horizons, these features won't all be there from the start. They'll be added over the course of a year.

I'm trying to guess which features will be available to all players, as they said some features will be also available to the season 1 players (when Horizons was announced). The character creator is likely candidate imo, as are multi crew features. It's hard to imagine that players who're already flying ships with bridges obviously designed for several people will be denied to expand their crew. It seems just as unlikely that only Horizons buyers have a face in Elite's universe. ^^

 

[CountAntonius]

I have always had interest in this game but never jumped in. Is PvP a part of this game at all? Something deep enough to be enjoyable in the long term? Possible to play this game fin with an Xbone Controller?

Since it's for sale I'm really close to pulling the trigger but I'm not sure.

 

[Graphics Horse]

It seems just as unlikely that only Horizons buyers have a face in Elite's universe. ^^

I'm not sure, they have those covered helmets too.

 

[Maintenance]

Being always-online plus the insane price conversion they did where I live made me stay away from the game, unfortunately. Looked good at first, thought about buying it once.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I have always had interest in this game but never jumped in. Is PvP a part of this game at all? Something deep enough to be enjoyable in the long term? Possible to play this game fin with an Xbone Controller?

Since it's for sale I'm really close to pulling the trigger but I'm not sure.

PvP is a pretty big part of the game, actually. You can play Open (PvP + PvE), Solo (PvE), or Group (PvE). It all shares the same game world/universe, though, so even if you're playing alone, you can contribute to Community Goals, power/faction struggles, etc. It's completely optional, though, which does lead to some balancing issues.

For the crown jewel of Elite: Dangerous PvP, check out Isinona on Youtube. Probably the best pilot I've ever watched in Elite (he plays with Flight Assist turned off, as well) and his videos are just riveting and tense as hell.

My recent fav is the asteroid chase with a Vulture pursuing him. FYI, the Vulture is one of the best combat ships in the game, outclassed perhaps only by a ship that costs 4x as much. Isinona is flying a Diamondback Scout, which is a capable combat vehicle, but certainly not top of class.

He uses a mixture of Silent Running to prevent target lock/scanning, and just amazing piloting. Silent Running turns off your cooling systems, though, so you can't stay in it forever.

As for straight PvP, they just recently added CQC, which is essentially arena combat. CTF, TDM, and DM. Check out the trailer here. It's a lot of fun and a great change of pace from the rest of the game. They're also going to weave it into the full game (it's a separate mode now) so you could potentially make a career out of it in the game. Kinda like being a sports star.

Huh. I don't remember that at all during the pitch process. Not that I don't believe you, obviously. I guess I just never absorbed it.

Further edit:

From the FAQ of "planned features" (Not specifically Horizons)



That list...see you guys in 2020 for some of those.

Haha, for sure. There's also this concept art released a while back:

I think S2 has the chance to put a lot of confidence into their long term plan. They've been a lot more upfront about their close-term roadmap than they ever have been and I think it's helping.

 

[Anton Sugar]

DP, sorry.

 

[CountAntonius]

DP, sorry.

Thanks for the informative post.