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[Anton Sugar]

Two live streams this week have shed light on the next 2.3 DLC drop for Elite Dangerous called "The Commanders". Going into beta in late February, with an expected release in March 2017.

Holo Me (character creator)
First screen

reddit:

(TLDR: It looks pretty sweet, all the snazzy stuff you'd hope for and solid presets for quick builds)
-New product that's been installed in your ship, you can access it at any point (Not in SRV or Fighter). Thinks it works in supercruise. ​It's a holographic representation.
-Options: Gender / Presets / Suit / Headgear ('helmet always on' option) / Patches (left shoulder decal, right shoulder decal etc).
-It uses the cockpit space to display the Holo while creating.
-Pre-beta build
-Standard animated features (blinks, eye direction, lip pursing etc on rotation)
-All presets = 'not artist made' - made using tools available to all starting from base model.
-Hair, beards, aged-ness (liver spots, eye bags) etc etc.
-Various suits colours Green/Purple/White/Navy Blue/Red etc
-Complexion Tab: Head archtypes with a slight age theme, ageing slider, skin blemish choices, 'asymmetry' slider, scars [1914 ish]
-Hair [1917]
-Face Tab: Cyborg eyes, different eye colors for L/R 'David Bowie' look if you want [1918]
-Can randomise each sub-section on its own (just eyes, just nose etc)
-Ton of customisation options if you want: (For eyes, type, 'type blend weight', distance, width, angle etc etc etc)
-undo/redo options
-Cosmetics tab, not shown, but some broad options: makeup (eyeshadow, blusher etc) / tattoo options [1927]
-Ed is a preset... (they spend ages messing with him, beard colour bit buggy)
-Helmet can be transparent or opaque [1934]
-All in 2.3
-Basic suit colours in 2.3 too [1935]
-Complex suit designs will be in store after 2.3 launch
-Well over a year by a small team on this [1937]
-Multicrew will be shown off on Thurs

Camera Suite
New camera

More screens

reddit:

-replaces debug camera
-pans around ship externally [1938]
-They look at little Ed in the ship
-Roll / Elevations / Speed
Unlock rotation / Lock to vehicle / lock to world
Zoom (can go back a long way) - toggles with Depth of Field
-Hide the HUD [1940]
-Can move ship while in camera mode [1941]
-When not locked to ship you get more control over camera movement
-Focal blur etc examples [1942]
-Pans way back until 'signal lost' [1943]
-Range of camera presets, which you can then move away from - under carriage with accompanying FDL barrage [1944]
-Missing UI etc, so hard to play like this, but keybinds work etc
-Originally called 'vanity cam', and that's the intent
-Locked to ship cam [1945]
-Works with SRV too
-More camera presets: ship cockpit, with all zoom and blur effects etc [1947]
-View from back of cockpit (can still shoot from here etc)
-Side pilot view
-co-pilot cam

Multi-Crew

Gunner cam:

Multi Crew info page:

Session Report:

New History tab for Multi Crew:

reddit:

-Barry started work on multicrew 6 months (But he does AI, balancing etc too) [1906]
-Pre-beta build. The most pre-beta build they've used. [1908]
-Chat Tab: Faces now included. NPCs get default black suit and helmet. Cmdrs get their face if they have one. Quick comms now grouped in text chat groupings. You can click onto one to open up. -Same colour themes as before (yellow for direct, blue for wings etc) [1913]
-Friends list: Now features Holo Me avatar. Multicrew section there too. Has info section, 'find a crew', and 'join another ship' options. Activities for the last two categories: Bounty hunting / piracy / mentor a player / further playstyles (mining, exploration, smuggling). Fluid, can add without client update. Each group type has info, and for example unlawful behaviours in a lawful type will result in kick from group if done twice. [1914]
-'Join another ship': same activities and rules. Availability column to the right shows number of available ships (I assume). [1917]
-New tab: History tab (clock icon). Tracks various actions (they can change what's included) - IE you could find a player you've been involved with, add them, block them etc. Only accessible from the cockpit. Standard friends stuff still menu accessible. [1918]
-Dolphin's fittings being altered. [1920]
-Ship names coming, no more to say now, but the Corvette is called Rancorous Bison (top right). [1921]
-Sandro's av in Helm position, waggling his stick. Messing with camera view etc. [1922:50]
-Crew holo joins. (Some cool cockpit views as they flick through them) [1924:15]
-Adam Woods holo joins (actually pretty similar to him) [1925:30]
-Landing page for crew. Shows info: Bounty Hunting & rules overview, Helm, roles (Gunner with x5 turrets, and 2x Fighter Bay roles) [192650]
-Crew HUD view: Streamlined with larger ship holo in centre [1927:50]
-Bonus pips (blue). Can't go over max of 4 pips. Can swap ship holo out to classic scanner view. [1928:50]
-Roles: Captain/Helm = owner with overall control. Can kick crew etc. Fly ship. All fixed and gimballed weapons. Basically everything same as usual. Can still control any NPC crew on board as normal. [192945]
-Full page Session Report: Updated live and available in left tab for all. Rewards, kills, time in role etc. Completed missions etc. [1931]
-Fighter seems same as usual. [193320]
-Multicrew doesn't work with SRV at the moment. [1935]
-Camera suite accessible by crew [1936]
-Helmet with transparent faceplate [193730]
(Various things failing to work. Client crashed, SLF didn't want to dock etc. Pre-beta etc.)
-Turret control: Missiles, Limpets, Chaff, Shield Cell etc can all be added in Fire Groups. Can see Helm's fire groups on same tab. Added to Quick Slots. [1940.30]
-External Turret view: 360 camera view of ship. Camera adjusts to make sure ship doesn't block view, they say. Seems to work, seems to move the ship just off centre enough so it doesn't cross over cross hairs. Pips, hull etc all visible. Target info. No radar, but target markers auto-targetted if you move over them. Colour-coded as usual (white for cannisters etc). Auto-scans them when you select target. -The scan is shared. Can chose to lock to that target. Range etc displayed. Can fire the missiles in 360. [194240]
-Hexagon marker shows if crewmate has targeted someone [1947]. Multiple markers if multiple crew target. [195630]
-Kill warrent and manifest scanner work in . Turreted mining lasers are going to be added. [194730]
-Still have access to comms panel in turret view. There's a zoom option too. Gunner weapon state (line of sight = orange, no line = red, hatching = 'on the other side') [1948]
-'Datalink?'. 'You never saw nothing'. Not ready to talk about that. (?) [1949]
-No multicrews and wings together. Want to avoid that double-dipping for now. [1950]
-Multicrew persists as long as you want (Supercruise, docking etc. Although not much to do) [19530]
-Any bounty vouchers etc gained in missions will be given to all (IE full amount given to everyone). This is being extended to Wings.. Anyone who attacked the ship will get the full bounty amount too. [1951]
-No merit gain (or reputation share). Mission reward is for Captain only. [195245]
-Nothing to say on Panther Clipper at the moment. [1954]
-Looking to add the 'target my wingman's target' function. Not in this build [1957]
-Some combat. Packhounds defeated by ECM initially. (Looks quite cool to see the missiles shoot off then swing to the target). Chaff doesn't seem to affect player turrets etc. [1958]
-NPC ships have names too. They spot 'The Inferno'. [2002]
-SCB stacking being addressed again in beta. [2003]
-Sandy happy to see he had all pips in shields but the crew pips were still helping in Eng & Weapons [2004]
-Not necessarily for long-term campaign gameplay. More to drop in and out. [2005]
-More ship kits coming. [2007]
-No can't walk around. Def seated only for now. [200730]
They finish by taking on an Elite Anaconda flown by Rod (Rob) Stewart called Shattered Tooth. Looks pretty cool going up against a bigger ship. Like exchanging classic broadsides, only twirling about in more dimensions. [2008]
Sandy wants hull-repair limpets. But we're not getting them yet. [2012]
Ed doesn't think we've seen the best thing in 2.3 yet. But then he's the PR guy (Asteroid base reference? Probably ) [2013]

Saud Kruger Dolphin

Mega Ship

reddit:

-Not player controllable/ownable
-​Have docking capabilities
-A range coming. First of many types.
-Will be capable of transporting ships?
-Vid of ship called 'Fisher's Rest' (Carrie Fisher ref then I guess . It's the station looking thing, but will ship docking bays externally it seems, apparently slow transit speed. [1954]​

Other stuff
Ship names confirmed

Wings will now collect full bounty from targets killed by Wing, not a dividend
New ship kits, including Corvette:

Turreted mining lasers added!
New messaging design w/avatars:
https://i.redditmedia.com/8QUv1vCa3FTYYHZDvwfrc-ibQNN1jzflGfNCiR_ipxc.png?w=731&

Thanks to reddit and DrBo42 for info and pics.

 

[BigTnaples]

Gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Indrid Cold1]

This amazing game

 

[Dizzy-4U]

Beautiful. The new camera stuff is very welcome. I always had trouble trying to use the old one.

 

[Gestault]

This game continues to be amazing. Those camera movements on the ship gif are nice and subtle.

 

[Caayn]

Whoo, playable external camera, finally.

 

[zorbsie]

Love everything here. Can't wait to get the update in a month or so. Really like taking space pics so the updated camera is huge for me. Will spend loads of time playing with the camera mode.

 

[cyress8]

Would be nice if they finally made limpets not be a consumable. Make mining even more awesome.

 

[Dizzy-4U]

The videos for those who want to watch the whole thing.

On the Horizon - 2.3 The Commanders Beta Livestream, Part 1

On the Horizon - 2.3 The Commanders Beta Livestream, Part 2

 

[Danlord]

I wonder if the timing of this 2.3 update is going to be alongside the PS4 release, since I remember the PS4 trailer showing avatars which (if I'm correct - though I'm not very up to date with everything Elite) weren't part of the base game when it was shown.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I wonder if the timing of this 2.3 update is going to be alongside the PS4 release, since I remember the PS4 trailer showing avatars which (if I'm correct - though I'm not very up to date with everything Elite) weren't part of the base game when it was shown.

They said PS4 was a Q2 release. Best case scenario: 2.3 drops on PC in March, with PS4 release in April. It has been confirmed that 2.3 WILL be out for the PS4 release--you don't be getting just 2.2 on PS4.

 

[Danlord]

They said PS4 was a Q2 release. Best case scenario: 2.3 drops on PC in March, with PS4 release in April. It has been confirmed that 2.3 WILL be out for the PS4 release--you don't be getting just 2.2 on PS4.

Ooh, I always thought it was Q1, I must have been confused. I guess April would be an optimistic date in the Q2 period. I guess it all depends when they finalise the 2.3 build for PC and Xbox One and then finish the PS4 build following that and Sony's certification.

Either way, this has me more hyped.

 

[Sibylus]

This update is going to be fantastic for my friend group and I. Lots of fun ways to bring newer friends up to speed and share awesome coop experiences.

 

[Burny]

This update is going to be fantastic for my friend group and I. Lots of fun ways to bring newer friends up to speed and share awesome coop experiences.

Yeah, from the sound of it, it's the first consistently great coop mechanic they introduce since the game was released end of 2014. It's both great and sad. Wings was added 2015 with the 1.2 update (lack thereof at release is already halfway embarassing), but it discourages from doing the ususal PvE things (shooting pirates with an inexplicable death wish/brawling in combat zones), by means of gimping everybody's payouts.

And by having to waste far too much time for everybody to meet up in one place. Travelling in combat ships in Elite after all means watching loading screens for about twenty minutes before you get anywhere you might want to be.