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In Battlecruiser Gold and after (the last of the AD3000 series), there are several big ships and some with 4 or more fighters attached. The cockpit of the fighters were a bit different, though all the same for the different models. It didn't hurt the gameplay very much and you have access to all command functions including orders sent to your Battlecruiser. I remember the space part was the only thing really playable in this game, the FPS part with seamless transitions to planets are very interesting as a potential, alas unplayable because of an almost 100% hitting rate of enemy troops. Also, I never have found reasonable ground missions, a fact that really astonished me. On the other side, Derek Smart seemed to take the realism to paranoia: it takes 20-30 minutes REAL TIME to make repairs on the stations, no speed up possible, LOL... As for Noctis: This early gem of a space sim has no cockpit, you can walk in your command room and operate different consoles which are projected on a wall. Very nice idea, it gives you the sensation to really *do* something aboard your ship. No other ships, no combat, just exploration on far planets in a gigantic galaxy. I expect Elite Dangerous to take such similar features and make them playable in todays good grafics environment. I wouldn't mind a similarity in the storyline of Frist Encounters, if only a lot of different mission types and procedures are added. After seeing the cockpit pictures above, I'm rather optimistic.Let's see what comes out! Limit Theory: What ?! With such a nice budget gathered on KS, Josh is in trouble? How's that? This project seems very promising, it would be a real pain if it doesn't make it to the release  XenonS

Limit Theory: What ?! With such a nice budget gathered on KS, Josh is in trouble? How's that? This project seems very promising, it would be a real pain if it doesn't make it to the release :(XenonS Think you miss understood Xenons it just means Josh would not spend weeks/months programming some aspect of the game just to make it look a little bit better. The cockpit pictures above are only the first pass at it's design and they will evolve during the games development.

Misunderstood, yes (sorry, I'm not english native). But the better so. Josh's Limit Theory is one of the coolest space sim projects in development IMO.XenonS

News letter 9 has been sent to backer of the game. bit light on content this issue but the most interesting item is the galaxy map One challenge of having a game world as huge as ours is providing players with the right tools to effectively navigate it. For Elite: Dangerous this does not mean simply knowing that Planet-A is called X and Station-B is named Y; it is about providing players with a wealth of information that can help inform their game play, whether they’re looking at an entire sector or a single remote station. With this in mind, the design team summarised their intentions for the galaxy map with the following set of goals:Provide the player with understanding of their current locationProvide useful information to enable the player to make interesting decisionsEncourage the player to visit new locationsEasy to useBe a fun tool for exploring the scope of the galaxyTo be used to ‘print’ the night sky skybox on arrival in a systemTo provide a compelling backdrop for interstellar travelThe image above is the work station of Chris Gregory, the art director for Elite: Dangerous, who is leading the visual design of the galaxy map. There are four map states that players will be able to move seamlessly through, ranging from a view of the entire galaxy down to a single station or orbital body:Galaxy View: view key landmark systems and celestial objects, as well as factional space and other points of interest.Sector View: Displayed in the image above; individual sectors of 10 x 10 x 10 light years in size can be searched for by their coordinates and viewed.Orrery View: Each star system can be viewed as an orrery, clearly displaying every orbital body’s relative position to their star.Single-Mass View: Each singular mass can be viewed individually and will display a wealth of information relevant to the player. This could range from the natural resources present on a planet or moon, to the factional allegiance and available markets of a particular station. The image above represents our current development for the Orrery View, however David keenly noted that the comet trail from Thais is pointing the incorrect way to be scientifically accurate, so there are still some amendments to be made! The map is designed to be as information rich as possible, providing players with a range of various views, filters and search options that can be configured to their own play style. To help illustrate the flexibility that it will give players, the design team came up with the following hypothetical scenarios:I want to plot a hyperspace course: Generate an automatic course to your destination using the 'quickest route' or 'safest route' parameters, or manually plot each stage of your jump coordinates yourself.Search by name for a system, planet or station: Type the target name into the search boxI have a cargo hold full of beans that I need to sell: Activate the trading data filter and set it to highlight non-agricultural systems. If your cargo is small, perhaps select a small/low traffic system where prices are likely to be highest, and plot your course.I am a bounty hunter looking for new targets: Set the filters to highlight high piracy and low security level, and then head to such a system.A lot of development has already gone into making the galaxy map as useful a tool as possible for players, whatever their role. The current design proposal is full of additional information on how the galaxy map will work, so head over to our forum for the full design summary. [url]http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6298[/url] New pic of the F63 condor In previous newsletters we have shared with you the designs for both the Imperial and Federation short-range fighters. Since then the Federation Fighter has undergone a lot of development to take that early concept images and create a fully functional model for the final game. We have also given it a name; the F63 Condor. We have also created the following schematic for the F63 Condor, as well as updating the schematics for the Empire Fighter and Sidewinder. We intend to eventually release these for every ship so look out for them in future newsletters! 

Yeah, the galaxy map... almost a game in itself. One could probably spend hours just toying with it.

Yeah, the galaxy map... almost a game in itself. One could probably spend hours just toying with it. Universe sandbox always reminds me of the Frontier maps  Well maybe I should say without the planet and galaxy crashing bits. :laugh:

E:D Video update 4  Last weeks news letter in full [url]http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=ffe2385d13[/url] you can also look up the old one there as well. 

Newsletter 10 out.[url]http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=eb767c006f[/url] Bit about trading in the game. Trading has always been a massive component of the Elite experience and with the capabilities of our event system at our disposal, as well as online multiplayer, we have the opportunity in Elite: Dangerous to make a trading system that is more dynamic and detailed than ever before.Today we would like to share with you some details on the initial design of trading, which has been revised and refined with the help of our Design Decision Forum members. So let’s get started where the majority of transactions will take place, at Markets.Markets exist in a range of locations, both mobile and static; something we plan to expand further overtime. There are also a variety of different market types available to visit, each type helping to determine what goods may be available to buy:Space Stations: Trades legal commodities and essential ship supplies.Shipyards: Trades limited commodities relating to ships, ship modules, ship supplies and specialist enhancements.Factories: Specialist markets for particular commodities, relating to the factory and generally at a discount.Black Markets: Private markets only accessible based on player reputation. Trades illegal commodities, requires contact to access, and can be a hidden part of a legal market.Pirate Bases: Ignores fines and bounties, trades both legal and illegal commodities, and requires a contact to locate.Smuggler Bases: ignores fines but not bounties, trades legal and illegal commodities, and requires contact for location.We have been experimenting with different trading screens. There is still a lot of discussion taking place in regards to balancing what information players are given so that they can be an effective trader.The supply and demand (and as a result, the prices) of commodities at a specific market will be heavily determined by its location and the events taking place close by. Here are some possible examples of how the properties of a market might be affected by its location:Markets near an agricultural planet will have low demand and a low price for food or other organic produce, but might have a high demand for machinery and fertiliser.If a disaster hit the same planet (perhaps blight hits the planet’s crops), chemicals to produce fungicides as well as food and medical supplies to survive the destroyed harvest might sky-rocket in demand.Politics/laws determine the legality of specific commodities. So a system that prohibits alcohol consumption would be a difficult place to shift Lavian Brandy, but if you could establish black market contacts then you could set yourself up with a lucrative (albeit illegal) trade route.Newly colonised planets might demand a wide range of supplies to begin settlement building. If this planet later became populated by affluent citizens then a range of luxury resources might fetch a high price.Alongside the main trading screen each commodity will have its own data panel, allowing players to make more informed trading decisions. We are still investigating how best this will work, and the data that is most helpful to a trader, while allowing some element of skill to make this work. For example only showing the last known price of a commodity at a given remote market, instead of a fully up to date price list.In Elite: Dangerous information will also be a commodity in itself, with players able to buy and sell data packets to automatically update their galaxy map. These will open up a range of possibilities to the buyer, for general gameplay as well as trading, for example sharing more up to date market information on a distant system. Data packets can contain information on the following things:System locationsMarket locationsResource gathering locationsMission/event locationsThere are many elements to the design of trading in Elite: Dangerous that can be seen in the design summary over on our forums. If you’re interested in some of the finer details of the proposal, such as information on player-to-player trading or commodities that require special equipment to transport, then head over now and check it out. And a bit about introducing a new class of ship to the game.Historically ships in Elite could be separated into one of three categories; combat ships, traders, or more general multi-role vessels. With Elite: Dangerous we will be adding an entirely new range of ships, specifically designed for transporting passengers.The above image represents our current direction for passenger ships, which are meant to evoke the same feeling as a yacht or luxury liner. The two ships above represent the low and middle range passenger ships, named the Dolphin and Orca Class Yachts respectively. As well as these there will also be a third Passenger-Class ship available, which will be the largest in its class and manufactured by the Imperial Gutamaya shipyards.Passenger ships will generally be lightly armed but fast and luxurious, providing players with the lucrative potential to carry wealthy passengers (assuming you can get your passengers to their destination safely!). This could be in cooperation with other players, by them providing you with an escort, or by risking the journey alone for greater reward. We look forward to sharing more with you on Passenger-Class Ships and how they will work in Elite: Dangerous in future updates. Boy racer class might be a better description of the ships above. And planets.In previous newsletters we have shared with you the results of our art team working to procedurally generate planets (for those that missed it click here). This time we’d like to show you a little more of the tool used at Frontier to achieve these results, and the process involved.Much like the examples shared in Newsletter 4, the above planet is a sample of what was created by our in-house planet editor. The editor allows our team to set a wide range of parameters and environmental options in order to create the planetary maps based on conditions on that system (temperature, temperature range, chemical and atmospheric composition, age, history, plate tectonics, erosion, tidal locking, etc). When combined, these maps create a material that can be wrapped around a model to produce a planet with a tremendous amount of detail. Here are some of the maps that are procedurally created in this process:Height Map: used to map out the landscapeLiquid Map (seen in the blue texture above): adds liquid to the landscape by setting variables such as 'sea' level, based on the temperatures and the chemical composition.Colour Map: sets the colour ranges for the planet, and then determines the relationship these colours have with the other maps depending on what classification of planet you’re trying to create and its composition.Liquid Colour: Set the colour and then how this colouration changes depending on the environment (for example darkening in relation to the liquid’s depth, depending on its opacity and temperature - e.g. if the poles are cooler than the equator).Cloud Map: Determines the level of cloud coverage over a planet.Flow Maps: An invisible layer that maps out how the clouds move and at what rate. This is affected by the local height of mountains and by temperature differentials.Impacts: Add craters to the planet’s surface. This is dependent on its age. If for example, if has been recently terraformed, then there may still be craters, but these will be surrounded by vegetation and possible seas or lakes and rivers.Rivers and Lakes: Add water sources to the planet’s surface in areas above sea level and dictates how these systems might modify/erode the landscape.The beauty of this method is that once you find an array of inputs and modifiers that work together to create a convincing planet of a particular classification, you can then generate a countless number of planets of the same classification by just changing the procedural elements. This is how Elite: Dangerous will be able to have billions of unique planets that are not only rich in detail, but also scientifically accurate. 

<dons his curmudgeon's sombrero> I don't think much of the new ships - there seems to be a certain 'style' emerging that is not to my taste. As for the planet - hmm, I've seen many better than that. Overall, a disappointing newsletter (though the faithful lap it up).

I would agree with you Cody the style of the ships that we have seen so far just does not look right, it almost has a console game look if there is such a thing?.Also the size still does not look right to me.

... it almost has a console game look if there is such a thing?.<shudders> Hmm... I described them as 'Jobsian' elsewhere. A cross between 'console' and 'iShips' perhaps?

I had to look "Jobsian" up not heard the term before :lol:I think they have one eye on the console market ie PS4/XBox 1, online games can be short lived and they will need to pull in a lot more player than the current 25000 they have at the moment as not all of them will be playing the online game. So although the PC version will be out first no doubt the console version will came later.

I'm going to say something controversial here - it appears they're spending more time on quantity of those ships than on the quality of their design. They don't seem full around with tiny details, they simply get them done. And you know what? I believe that's exactly what they should be doing. For a game which is meant to drown you in its richness, quantity comes first in my book. At the end of the day, if there are hundreds of them, I'm sure you'll be able to find some you like and although there will be some that you certainly won't, they'll still enrich the impression of a big universe. The X franchise surely has stunning designs, but the people at Egosoft are kinda lunatics - as it was apparent in one of their videos, it's not unusual for them to spend months making a single ship/model. And what's the outcome? X-Rebirth will launch with as many as....1 ship. ONE. A single ship. Yep. Star Citizen won't be releasing with that many ships either. And is it worth it? Btw. the SC community is really starting to get on my nerves. They're probably worse that all religious fanatics I've ever met. Many of them outright beg for money encourage others to do the same. If only they acted like competent investors and separated resources evenly between Elite:Dangerous and Star Citizen as devoting everything to a single project, in any business, is plain idiotic. Nobody can say for sure how they're going to turn out. Besides, the vision that David Braben has painted so far is wonderful and, in my opinion, much superior to that of Chris Roberts who has been focusing on making fancy big cash grabs instead. It's just so unfair that he got away with it, that people took the bait and gave him many times more funds than they gave to Braben.

Very much in the eye of the beholder as to weather you like the design style or not, it's not doing much for me personally but them again again it could be down to my fanboy expectations.I do believe that you will be able to remote pilot other ship in X-Rebirth.It strange that Elite Dangerous has not attracted more backers, they finished the Kickstarter with 25,681 but in the last 8 months they have only added about 5000 more as my backer page now says 30,193 backers.Compare it to Star Citizen which has added god knows how many the last eight months although I would not be surprised if it was in the region of 30+ thousand backers to the their game. Frontier could do with banging the drum a bit more.

Newsletter 6 out and is about updating three classic ships from Elite/Frontier gamesFirst up the EagleWell it looks like a fighter but like the old one it still does not look like a ship that could make a 7 LY jump.This fan made version of the Eagle still looks better than the Frontier redsign I posted that one a long time back when I was in my modelling groove. I've since redesigned the hull so that, while the shape remains the same, the hull panelling is different, and IMO the vessel looks more aggressive.This is an unfinished model but I'd like to see if I can make a shortvanimation with it.

Nice FS3D bulking it out make it look more capable rather than the skinny lite version that Frontier have gone for. Some of the official designs coming out of Frontier seem to be lacking some thing although they still have a year to go so hopefully it will improve.

Nice FS3D bulking it out make it look more capable rather than the skinny lite version that Frontier have gone for.That was what I was going for. Inspiration came from Steve Tyler's Asp re imagining. Some of the official designs coming out of Frontier seem to be lacking some thing although they still have a year to go so hopefully it will improve.I'm sure they'll pull it together. Their Viper looks good, even if it only bears a passing resemblance to the original, but Steve Tyler's looks great.

Welcome to the SSC FS3D. :girlsmile:

At last some decent news from E:D Welcome to the 11th Elite: Dangerous development newsletter! Apart from a few pieces of evocative concept art we have been keeping our thoughts on stations quite close to our chest, and we know many of you are itching to find out more about our plans for these vital trade and communication hubs.Today we’re happy to finally lift the veil and begin sharing with you a few of our ideas. We hope this update will give you a better impression of how stations will look and operate in the final game. So prepare for docking, and cast your eyes over this edition’s bulletin board: Table of Contents (click subject to jump forward):Castles in the Sky: Providing Variation in Station Design The classic Coriolis Station is as iconic to the Elite series as the Cobra MK III, and whilst we’re happy to confirm that it will be making a triumphant return for Elite: Dangerous, a galaxy cannot live on Cuboctahedrons alone!To assure that there is enough variation across inhabited space, Elite: Dangerous will be using procedural algorithms to construct stations out of a range of modular assets. This technique will allow for a wide range of possible station designs, whilst allowing us to make the most of our library of assets.You can see just a few examples of the very early modules that our team have been experimenting with below. These are not for use in the final game but have been created as a sandbox by our artists, to begin exploring a range of basic shapes that could be used for construction.Beyond making it easier to provide variation throughout the galaxy, a modular approach allows for several other advantages. One such benefit is that players will be able to see stations expand over time, or in response to player-driven events.There are various functions that a module can be designed for and all have to be designed so that they look fit for purpose. Below are two examples of modules that are currently being designed. An agricultural module, for stations close enough to a star to sustainably grow crops, and cargo pods for external storage. The assumption is that plants grown in ‘natural light’ would attract a premium price.Beyond designs for more conventional stations, we also plan to have a few specialist station types that fulfill specific roles; each constructed using their own sets of rules and modules. This will help to establish some stylistic differences between the stations, which will make it easier for players to define what the role of one is upon approach. Some examples are below:Whilst we know that stations will be built modularly, and we have the technical framework in place to make this happen, we are still very much in the pre-visualisation stage when it comes to the aesthetic. That said, some important philosophies that are helping to guide the design of stations for Elite: Dangerous have already been established:Scientific Plausibility: a station’s design needs to be structurally feasible, and make sense practically. How people get about, the use of very low gravity for loading/unloading of ships, but higher gravity for living – typically half to one earth-equivalent in strength.Functionality: The function of each element should be considered- where things are stored, where people would want to live, etc. Why it is where it is, and how would people and goods get about.Gravity: Living in gravity is comfortable, so in general, space stations spin. That way eating, sleeping, sneezing, and going to the toilet, are a lot more straightforward. Some things benefit from low gravity, like unloading cargo and manufacturing. Also, lower gravity levels (say 1/3 g) could be very pleasant because, for example, a normal human could strap on wings and fly! Because of this there is no special direction (no ‘up’), so there is no need for stations for example to be coplanar – something that a lot of science fiction designs neglect.One idea that the team are currently exploring further is the concept that a station does not need to be a single structure, but can have multiple satellite components around a central structure, linked only by rapid transport routes. This idea is not only plausible but would offer the Elite stations a unique aesthetic that would be visually striking.As stations are such a huge part of the game, the aesthetic direction that we choose is not a decision that we’re going to rush. We have literally hundreds of ideas at this point for what we want to do with this area of the game, our task now is to choose what we believe will be the best ones for a new Elite. Designing a Docking Cylinder In Elite canon the only artificial gravity that exists is based on centripetal force, or acceleration. Ships are designed to land vertically, and a good way to achieve this is having a cylindrical docking bay. This is large enough to take quite big ships, and rotates such that there is an apparent gravity of around 5-10% of that on Earth. In such a place, a human could lift a tonne unaided, but the cargo would still stay on the ground where it was placed. Everything from servicing ships to awaiting another cargo could be done here in comfort.The design for docking cylinders in Elite: Dangerous has been established for some time and is therefore one of the aspects of stations that has been developed the furthest. The image below is one of the earliest explorations into this design and shows a simple breakdown of the main compartments.An early artistic impression of the inside of the docking cylinder can be seen here. The basic principle is that by rotating the station around a central docking cylinder it is possible to land ships safely in a low-gravity environment around the inside of the cylinder, making full use of its surface area.The current build of the game has a functional (but basic) version of the docking cylinder already, to help with development in other areas, but in its current form it is extremely lifeless. Once a principle design was agreed upon, the next stage is to find ways to bring it to life and add variety for the player.The above image shows one such variation on the standard design, for more luxurious stations. The concept is that a docking cylinder could almost be half-garden, so that you’re landing your ship amongst lush vegetation; like a Park Güell or Garden City in space. This sort of station would of course be particularly extravagant and access would be exclusive.At the other side of the spectrum will be the bustling commercial stations seen below; dirty, busy, and bathed in the glow of neon lights from the advertising holos and billboards plastered on and around any available surface.There are a countless number of directions we could go when it comes to adding variety and detail to the inside of stations and we’d love to hear suggestions from our community as well. If you have any thoughts on our ideas so far, or have any ideas on station interiors of your own, then let us know over at our official forums. 

Constructing Stations through the Event System One exciting feature that we hope to implement is the opportunity for players to be able to view a station in its various stages of construction, such as in the image above. A precursor to a new station would be the arrival of a large ship that would fulfil the role of a temporary station, or colony ship to a specific system. This would then act as the primary hub for trade and missions, until work on an adjacent static station was complete.The construction of a station would be managed by the events system and as such would generate missions and opportunities for the players, allowing you to help or hinder the progress of a station. By helping the station you would advance its construction, opening up a potentially lucrative new trade and mission hub.You would be able to see firstly the framework structure, constructed of metals from local asteroids or brought from afar, and gradually the station would build up from that point. The station would become habitable (and trade could start with it) long before it is fully complete- much like a house development, the extra space would gradually be built as it was needed.Players could also opt to undertake more insidious tasks that would damage the station’s progress for personal profit. If enough players choose this route there is a chance that it will affect the project so negatively that the construction team would cut their losses and move onto the next project, leaving a half-finished station behind. Darken the Skies: Building a Federal Battle Cruiser We have shared earlier steps of the Federal Battle Cruiser’s development with you, from early concept, to modelling and even lighting. The next is to show you how it looks as a fully textured model in the game:The above image was taken straight from our engine. Despite the immense size and firepower of these capital ships they are by no means invulnerable and may sometimes get themselves into perilous situations, where players could be called upon to give them assistance.To accompany this screenshot we also have a schematic for the Federal Battle Cruiser. Just click on the image below for a high resolution version! Gravity Stations will operate as homes and workplaces for many of the galaxy’s citizens and while working through the designs of these stations, the team also had to consider the implications it might have on the game universe.One such consideration came when considering if there were ever situations when a station would not need to rotate. Research shows that a completely zero-gravity environment would be extremely uncomfortable to live in, as water would not be able to settle, so it makes sense to assume that at least a small amount of gravity is always preferable to none at all.In the Elite universe humans have since colonised a wide range of different planets, all of which would have their own levels of gravity. This means that different colonies would have their own preference as to what was a comfortable level of gravity to live in, which may also affect their physical appearance.A low-gravity environment is considered easier on the body, but growing up in this environment may also make you taller, but much more frail. People from this sort of colony might be significantly restricted in where they can safely travel to for health reasons. Likewise, someone born in a high-gravity environment might grow up squatter, but with a stronger heart and more tolerant of strain on their body. Retirement would likely be to a lower gravity location. On 1/3 g and below, flying is possible with strap-on wings. Some manufacturing techniques would work better in zero g- whereas high g worlds might be a good source of certain raw materials.This opens up a lot of exciting possibilities from a fiction perspective, that we are considering exploring further. What other differences might develop between different colonies and could these differences fuel intolerance and discrimination between different groups? If you want to provide any input on this idea, let us know on the