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Elite Dangerous: Horizons |OT| Just scratching the surface

Burny

Member
I had bought this the other day, base game. Is Horizons absolutely necessary?

No. You'll have enough stuff to learn with just the base game. Horizon adds more mechanics and you can still get it later, e.g during a sale.

Edit: Unless you plan to get into PvP. Horizons adds the exclusive engineer mechanic (grind for ship upgrades beyond normal buyable modules), which dictates the meta. It's also useful for wasting less time on loading screens by allowing you to increase your jump range, speeding up your travel time.
 

iosefe

Member
No. You'll have enough stuff to learn with just the base game. Horizon adds more mechanics and you can still get it later, e.g during a sale.

Edit: Unless you plan to get into PvP. Horizons adds the exclusive engineer mechanic (grind for ship upgrades beyond normal buyable modules), which dictates the meta. It's also useful for wasting less time on loading screens by allowing you to increase your jump range, speeding up your travel time.
I guess horizons can wait until winter sale then. Thanks
 

RomeoDog

Banned
Can someone explain to me why before 2015 there were no games with Horizon in the title and now there's 3?

Zero Dawn
Forza
And Elite Dangerous.

Horizon all of them.
 
I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into this on PS4 later in the week. Once I've got to grips with the mechanics I'm hoping my travels and exploits will serve as decent sci-fi writing springboards. Two birds with one stone!
 

xrnzaaas

Member
Which PS4 edition will be the best one to play Elite casually? Is the standard edition enough or does the Deluxe Edition introduce some really interesting new content?
 

Lagamorph

Member
So I've been trying the SRV stuff lately.

Oh my god, this is possibly the worst thing in gaming ever. Anything more than a 10 degree incline and you're totally fucked. It can't handle terrain even a fucking Lamborghini could tackle without a problem.
Why is there a vertical thrust and not a forward boost that is utterly essential?

I'm now stuck in a crater and trying to recall my ship only recalls it to where I left it, not to the nice flat area at the base of the crater.
I can see no possible way out other than to fly my SRV as high up as I can and smash it to kill myself and respawn somewhere.
Is that realistic/accurate? Probably.
Is it good game design? Fuck no.
 

theWB27

Member
I bought the game a few months ago and my biggest hang up is how much of a chore it is to get into and out of planets. I understand the realism, but geez its crazy.
 
So I've been trying the SRV stuff lately.

Oh my god, this is possibly the worst thing in gaming ever. Anything more than a 10 degree incline and you're totally fucked. It can't handle terrain even a fucking Lamborghini could tackle without a problem.
Why is there a vertical thrust and not a forward boost that is utterly essential?

I'm now stuck in a crater and trying to recall my ship only recalls it to where I left it, not to the nice flat area at the base of the crater.
I can see no possible way out other than to fly my SRV as high up as I can and smash it to kill myself and respawn somewhere.
Is that realistic/accurate? Probably.
Is it good game design? Fuck no.

It depends on gravity. I guess you're on some high gravity super planet if you can't do a shallow incline. I seem to always land on low grav planets which have the opposite problem of leaping 100m into the air or losing it in an epic powerslide when you go over a small bump. I've not found an incline too steep to go up.

IMO Horizons is worth getting, but if you're short on cash or just being thrifty, you can wait for another sale and make do with the base game to start.
Engineers and ship launched fighters are mid-end game content. Planetary landings are useful but a lot of that is tied into engineers too.
Nobody knows how the new Thargoid content will be split between base game and horizons, but I'm sure some of it will be planet based.
 

Lagamorph

Member
It depends on gravity. I guess you're on some high gravity super planet if you can't do a shallow incline. I seem to always land on low grav planets which have the opposite problem of leaping 100m into the air or losing it in an epic powerslide when you go over a small bump. I've not found an incline too steep to go up.
That's just it, low gravity world. SRV just kept wither getting stuck or flipping all over the place smashing up my hull. Eventually I got halfway up a hill, got totally stuck on some relatively flat terrain on an incline I could walk up, then a slight use of the vertical boosters sent me into a spin that killed me. Next thing I know I'm back in my ship and still have all the materials I collected.

Is there no penalty to dieing in the SRV? Or do you just have to buy a new one?
 
Anyone able to advise on the difference between the digital PS4 'Commander Edition' and the physical 'Legendary Edition', please?

They are the same price, but I get a minor Amazon Prime discount for the physical. They both have the base game (duh) and Horizons, but the digital one comes with a 'Commander Pack' (cosmetic items?), while the physical one comes with 1000 Frontier points. The cover of the physical edition says it's got the 'Horizons Season Pass'; not sure if that's just the Horizons expansion or whether it covers some future DLC, too.

Any help greatly appreciated. Ordered the T-Flight HOTAS, too, but awaiting restock from Amazon UK.
 
Elite Dangerous had passed me by for a long time. My PC is reasonably specced for Android Studio coding, device emulation, etc, but it's certainly no gaming PC.

It's only now on the eve of its PS4 release that I'm starting to look forward to it:
Many years ago I spent a long weekend at a friend's house who had a BBC model B and Elite. It was mind-blowing. I got a copy when it came out years later on the ZX Spectrum (any old UK gamers remember that crazy copy prevention system?!) and it's always been a big part of my gaming history.

Definitely hyped for the PS4 release now!
 
wait, so this is finally coming out on PS4? awesome! any good reviews or previews yet? how is the Pro version?

too many damn games. still not even close to done with ME:A or FFXV.. and i want to get into VR stuff too. it's too good to be a gamer right now. too good, believe me.
 
You sure? I thought it was just the base game.

Yeah I just found the preorder page on PSN that lists the items included side by side for both editions:

£19.99 Standard edition:

Elite Dangerous
Gold Sidewinder Paintjob

£39.99 Commander Deluxe Edition:

Elite Dangerous
Gold Sidewinder Paintjob
Commander Pack
Horizons Expansion


Doesn't the Horizons expansion add loads of actual gameplay mechanics, so without it the base game is pretty barebones?
 

iosefe

Member
IMO Horizons is worth getting, but if you're short on cash or just being thrifty, you can wait for another sale and make do with the base game to start.
Engineers and ship launched fighters are mid-end game content. Planetary landings are useful but a lot of that is tied into engineers too.
Nobody knows how the new Thargoid content will be split between base game and horizons, but I'm sure some of it will be planet based.
i think i've been pretty thrifty. sold a lot of steam items and some h1z1 cases and got enough money to buy this, so i would be fine dorpping 20 more for the expansion


*edit* guess who almost got pulled into a Sun


i love that that is something that can happen
 
*edit* guess who almost got pulled into a Sun


i love that that is something that can happen

Until a few patches ago, white dwarves didn't have 'polar jets' and looked like a 'fuel scoopable' white star unless you paid attention to the range meter. Perspective doesn't work well in space and a tiny star close up looks like a big star far away. That caused a few panics.

Crashing into a sun is pretty safe through (maybe not on an E class powerplant since they have terrible heat management). It's more of a danger to your pride than your ship.
 

Kuraudo

Banned
Trying to decide on whether to get the base game digitally or the game + Horizons physically (PS4).

Does anyone know if the physical disc allows access to the Horizons content by itself or is it supplied through a download code in the box? Also have they said how much Horizons will cost by itself on PSN?

Can get physical for £33 but the digital base game would only effectively cost me a tenner as I received cashback from Sony a few months back, so trying to decide which is the best option.
 

vonStirlitz

Unconfirmed Member
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dinoroar

Banned
PS4 owner getting hyped that the time is finally here.

I'm planning on just getting the base game for now and picking up the expansion at a later date. I've never played the thing, so I figure just flying the ships around is ganna keep me satisfied for this month. Horizons can come later.
 

WITHE1982

Member
PS4 owner getting hyped that the time is finally here.

I'm planning on just getting the base game for now and picking up the expansion at a later date. I've never played the thing, so I figure just flying the ships around is ganna keep me satisfied for this month. Horizons can come later.

I'm doing exactly the same. I'm approaching the base game with an open mind having watched a few videos of people taking 20 minutes+ just to leave the first space station... which is pretty awesome.

I've heard the game can be a massive grind but as long as I can switch off and relax while playing then it'll be fine.

Might fire it up at midnight tonight for an hour of "spreadsheet management in space".
 

KaiserBecks

Member
I suppose there's still no update regarding a PSVR version, right? I'd love to get into this, but playing a game like this the "standard" way seems kind of pointless these days.
 

WITHE1982

Member
I suppose there's still no update regarding a PSVR version, right? I'd love to get into this, but playing a game like this the "standard" way seems kind of pointless these days.

I wouldn't hold your breath.

The developers haven't ruled it out but IMO (and the opinion of many I've spoken to) it would be far too taxing for the base PS4 to run. I think at a push there could be a Pro only version but Sony isn't about to start down that road just yet.

Shame as it would be a massive deal for PSVR. Up there with RE7 and Skyrim.
 

Synth

Member
I suppose there's still no update regarding a PSVR version, right? I'd love to get into this, but playing a game like this the "standard" way seems kind of pointless these days.

I wouldn't expect a PSVR version at any point tbh. It's one of the more demanding games to run in VR on PC, and the scope of the game is continuously increasing (and Frontier don't seem incredibly competent in planning ahead).
 

B-Genius

Unconfirmed Member
I imagine I'm not the only one but...very curious about this now it's on PS4.
Especially at that low entry price, it's tempting to just dive in.

Is that a good idea, though?
What kind of itch should I expect the game to scratch that NMS can't?
Please note I'm not trying to be hostile - I picked NMS up in a sale recently and while I was addicted for a month or so, it's now quite low priority on my things to do list. Genuinely curious whether ED offers something fundamentally different, or whether it could replace it outright.

Being able to bum around in space with friends is quite appealing. If a buddy and I picked this up, how quickly could we be doing stuff together (hanging out in space stations, maintaining the same ship, doing on-planet missions, etc.)?
 
How does exploration work on other platforms?
I assume the 'first discovered by' is unique to each platform.
I also assume this means a mad rush for "First!" tagging when the PS4 version goes live.

On PC I'm returning from a visit to the Jellyfish nebula (about 5000 LY from Sol, in the rimward direction, and slightly widdershins*).
Undiscovered objects seem to start at about 1500 LY, entirely undiscovered systems appear at about 2000 LY and become common around 2500 LY. Yellow stars are common, but exotic stars (neutrons, carbons, black holes, etc.) are very rare. Found a few water worlds, several terraformables and my first undiscovered earthlike.
The nebulas themselves are well explored, but the black space between them is quite empty, especially if you go a few 100 LY 'up' or 'down' rather than taking a pure straight line back to the Sol bubble.

I went for an FSD tubocharge from the neutron star that caused the Jellyfish nebula. Jumping 210 LY in one go is pretty sweet. Has me wondering if there are any neutrons stars in the bubble that could be used as jump points.

*I think the galaxy should be described using a Discworld cardinal system
 

dinoroar

Banned
I imagine I'm not the only one but...very curious about this now it's on PS4.
Especially at that low entry price, it's tempting to just dive in.

Is that a good idea, though?
What kind of itch should I expect the game to scratch that NMS can't?
Please note I'm not trying to be hostile - I picked NMS up in a sale recently and while I was addicted for a month or so, it's now quite low priority on my things to do list. Genuinely curious whether ED offers something fundamentally different, or whether it could replace it outright.

Being able to bum around in space with friends is quite appealing. If a buddy and I picked this up, how quickly could we be doing stuff together (hanging out in space stations, maintaining the same ship, doing on-planet missions, etc.)?

Come join us and see!

Is there any sort of company/squadron we could put together for PS4 Elite GAFfers?


Edit: Just pre ordered, apparently it'll unlock tonight at 11PM UK time.
 

Widge

Member
I'm doing exactly the same. I'm approaching the base game with an open mind having watched a few videos of people taking 20 minutes+ just to leave the first space station... which is pretty awesome. .

It's not too bad to just get out there and get going tbh.

Menu -> find take a to b mission -> look on map and lock course -> request permission to leave -> get the hell out of there

It becomes as second nature as your 6 point check when pulling off in a car eventually!

Game also plays really well from controller.
 

WITHE1982

Member
It's not too bad to just get out there and get going tbh.

Menu -> find take a to b mission -> look on map and lock course -> request permission to leave -> get the hell out of there

It becomes as second nature as your 6 point check when pulling off in a car eventually!

Game also plays really well from controller.

Cool.

I'm in no real rush TBH. Gonna take my sweet ass time with it. I'm a stickler for reading every single menu and finding out what every single button does before starting out. If I were to record it and put it on YouTube it would possible be the most boring video ever created.
 

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
How does exploration work on other platforms?
I assume the 'first discovered by' is unique to each platform.
I also assume this means a mad rush for "First!" tagging when the PS4 version goes live.

Nope. Frontier has said that all three platforms play in the same online galaxy, even though players from Xbox/PC/PS4 can never physically meet each other. So the PS4 players are starting out in a galaxy where the bubble is 99% fully tagged, and most of the nebula in the galaxy are fully tagged, and all of system tags by PC and Xbox players will already be in place.

Of course, 99.6% of the galaxy is still unexplored, so PS4 players certainly have plenty to get tags on. They’ll just have to fly a thousand or two light years out from the bubble to start doing so.
 

Widge

Member
Cool.

I'm in no real rush TBH. Gonna take my sweet ass time with it. I'm a stickler for reading every single menu and finding out what every single button does before starting out. If I were to record it and put it on YouTube it would possible be the most boring video ever created.

Ha.

I mean I just wanted to get going asap and flew from a to b a few times as I found understanding what on earth to trade pretty impenetrable (and you'll probably want a video to explain all that - I miss the old days of "High tech? I'll take carrots. Low Tech? Computers!").

I was a bit tentative about getting all combat, so I didn't do any of that. TBH, unless I'm backed up by a load of vipers, I'm not so hot on combat!

But bare bones getting going into space - dead easy. You'll be launching, boosting upwards, flicking away the landing gear and boosting away like a boss within no time. Amusingly, the hardest part of the old elite was getting lined up to the space station. No issues here doing that but I don't half have to faff around lining up with the landing pads now.
 

Peroroncino

Member
Welp, just hit the pre-order button on PSS for the Commander Deluxe, effectively double dipping since I also have it on PC, can't wait to get out there again, hopefully everything will work well on PS4.
 

glaurung

Member
Got a free code for this game, so I might give it a spin on PS4.

Tried it once on PC with a Saitek X-52 Pro, that was fun. But it did not stick with me.
 
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