Elite: Dangerous

[Pinback]

Another news letter yesterday. Following on from our last newsletter’s brief introduction, here is some more detail of the five spectacular star systems centered around the Boötes constellation in which you will be able to trade in Alpha 4: ERANIN is a small independent system orbiting a K3V yellow-orange star, and including an outdoor world Azeban, with an extensive agricultural economy specializing mainly in grain and livestock, with tea and coffee plantations in the equatorial regions. DAHAN is a pretty conventional corporate system belonging to the Federation with industrial-scale extraction of a range of ores and refineries too, producing metallic Tantalum, Titanium, Aluminium and more for nearby manufacturing industries. 'A beautiful shot of Dahan III.'i BOÖTIS is an interesting and unusual quaternary system with a mixed Industrial and Marine economy, and also a member of the Federation. Chango is an outdoor water world and orbits i Boötis A – a G0V white-yellow star similar to Earth’s Sol. Chango is essentially a giant fish farm. People live on giant floating cities that slowly move with the seasonal migration of the fish – mostly species imported from ancient Earth. There is some industry (and fish processing) on Chango itself, but there are also dirtier industrial installations elsewhere in the system, for example on Dustball – a cold airless rocky world orbiting the gas giant Maher, which itself orbits the brown dwarf Maher Prime, which in turn orbits the rare W Ursae Majoris contact binary pair i Boötis B,C of type G2V stars, which co-orbits i Boötis A. Phew!'i Bootis system information' Maher Prime, the brown dwarf of approximately 50 Jupiter masses, is particularly interesting as it was first discovered in the early 21st century. It has an unusual orbit – very nearly perpendicular to the orbital plane of the other bodies in the system at about 10.7 AU from i Boötis B,C – any other orbit at this distance would be unstable because of strong tidal forces from i Boötis A. It was almost certainly captured by i Boötis B,C in a recent close encounter. ASELLUS PRIMUS is an independent corporate-run binary system, with a central white F7V star, and far out a captured planet-less M3V red dwarf – the capture event millions of years earlier doubtless stripped Assellus Primus B of any planets that might have formed with it. Assellus Primus is known for its high-tech manufacturing. LP 98-132 is an anarchic system with a solitary small M2V type dim red star. There isn’t a lot here, though there is some mining of valuable minerals like cobalt, rutile and coltan, and very occasionally of gold in the deep cold of its asteroid belt. It is unusual to find a non-mined-out mineral-rich system so close to Sol (only 40 or so light years away), but it was many centuries before anyone even noticed the asteroid belt was there, so far from the star. Ever since the system has been claimed and counter-claimed by numerous warlords and ne’er-do-wells, and the perpetual state of anarchy that has existed ever since has held down the numbers of ships mining here. The gold is far less plentiful than it was in the early days, but small finds are still made from time to time, and the high price of coltan (a mix of the ores columbite and tantalite, from which tantalum is made, a highly-prized transition metal used in high tech and in tiny quantities in specialist alloys) especially, still makes it worthwhile for some. Piracy is rife here with pirates on the look-out for those high value cargoes. There is a station Freedom City operated by group of locals, and this is the nearest thing to law that exists in the system. You may experience a little tension between the Federation and independent systems… and there are reports that LP 98-132 is rife with piracy… Have they said anything about the star map itself ie is it just static as the screen shot above or can you zoom and rotate as you could do in Frontier ?.

[Vuzz]

Have they said anything about the star map itself ie is it just static as the screen shot above or can you zoom and rotate as you could do in Frontier ?. I hope, because if its not the case, this game goin' take a far way of dev from the originals elite games (also very disapointed by the actual landing restriction on planets :-/ )

[Pyros]

 Have they said anything about the star map itself ie is it just static as the screen shot above or can you zoom and rotate as you could do in Frontier ?. I hope, because if its not the case, this game goin' take a far way of dev from the originals elite games (also very disapointed by the actual landing restriction on planets :-/ ) Not sure about the map on this alpha version, but the final one is supposed to be a "full system simulator" - and one that you can manipulate at will.

[Guest]

 Have they said anything about the star map itself ie is it just static as the screen shot above or can you zoom and rotate as you could do in Frontier ?. I hope, because if its not the case, this game goin' take a far way of dev from the originals elite games (also very disapointed by the actual landing restriction on planets :-/ ) Not sure about the map on this alpha version, but the final one is supposed to be a "full system simulator" - and one that you can manipulate at will. I'm sure they will in time include the landing on planets. I love to see the effect of entry into an atmosphere, also include a few mechanics such as, entry to steep and you will burn up, to fast to shallow you bounce off the atmosphere. Also the need to adjust your speed and angles of entry so your shield or heat shield will not get too overloaded with heat during entry. I think that landing restriction is good idea for populated planets. Don't want just anyone landing on their planet without proper authorisation and procedure. Something like our international rules for airspace for aircraft today.

[Pinback]

Not sure about the map on this alpha version, but the final one is supposed to be a "full system simulator" - and one that you can manipulate at will. Nice but will it be in the game on it's first release or will it be added later on. My first material possession for Elite Dangerous. 

[Pinback]

Dev diary. 

[Guest]

:blink: ..... :blink: ..... :blink: I'm lost for words.

[Shadowma45]

So any idea of when in 2014 the release of Elite dangerous is ?? I will be purchasing it when it comes out, just curious.Thanks in advance for any info. Shadowma

[Pinback]

So any idea of when in 2014 the release of Elite dangerous is ?? I will be purchasing it when it comes out, just curious. Think Sept was mentioned before, just in time for Christmas.

[Shadowma45]

Cool now the wife knows what to get me lol!!Thanks for the info. Shadowma

[Cody]

Think Sept was mentioned before, just in time for Christmas. September is often mentioned on the forum, yes - September 20th being the thirtieth anniversary of the release of BBC Elite. However, FD themselves have announced no dates. I reckon that the Gamma release may well have appeared by then - but who knows when the full retail version will hit the market. I'd agree with Pinback about the Xmas thing though - it would seem ideal.

[Pinback]

They seem to have stepped up a gear as the news letter have started appearing weekly now, Sept/Nov usually the time most companies release games in order to hit the Christmas rush. So unless their are any delays I think it would be a good bet that we will see the digital version around about that time with the disk version coming later. Some new pic from Frontier.

[Guest]

I couldn't wait and decided to spend $150 Premium Beta Access. Shhhhh the wifey doesn't know. :spiteful:

[Guest]

Less than 2 days folks, have fun, and take care ya'll out in space... Can't wait too.... it going to be wild wild west. 

[Shadowma45]

Ok so when does the stantard beta start I have been waiting on SC but would like to play something sooner than later.Don't want to spend $150 but willing to spend $75 plus additonal $50 for expansion pass just wondering when it will come out (stantard beta)?Thanks in advance for any info. Shadowma

[Guest]

They say in the Frontier Forums that Standard Beta Phase will start after Premium Beta Phase has completed which starts today.But they do not say how long Premium Beta Phase is. It has taken 2-3 months to complete Alpha Phase so it only a guess that Premium Phase might just as long or longer.Premium Beta Phase is the first step to introduce Multiplayers which they need to sort out any bugs.

[Pinback]

As most of you will know the premium Beta has started in ED. Premium Beta Phase Starts!The Premium Beta phase starts today with all the major features that have been added through the four Alpha phases. The immediate focus is on testing the systems and servers with a step change in numbers using a re-balanced game based on feedback and information from the recent Alpha 4 build.More than 10,000 additional people, a number which is growing daily, are today able to earn credits to upgrade their ships and weapons by blazing their own trading, piracy and bounty hunting trail though five star systems covering a 200 cubic light year volume of space. There are a range of different economies and governments, ranging from Anarchy to Federal Democracies to Corporate-run systems. Nice vid of the Anaconda  This music use in the vid sounds familiar is a classical track or a film track ?.

[Cody]

I suspect it's in-house music - but I don't know for sure.

[Pinback]

I suspect it's in-house music - but I don't know for sure. Very likely it is but it reminds of some film music, possibly Gladiator.

[nevilclavain]

Just started to play with the multiplayer premium beta. I could play with it, but I get 4 of 5 crashes (I have not been able to exit the game normally, ahem :biggrin: ). Except that, I liked everything I saw. :gamer: this is multiplayer, but I saw very few peoples. Where the hell are you, SSC squadron pilots ?