Elite Dangerous FAQ: Difference between revisions

'''''[http://www.elitedangerous.com Elite: Dangerous]''''' is the [http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f9f6f99d01#4 ''4th'' installment of the game], which includes [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Is .22Elite: Dangerous.22 an MMOG.3F|mass-multiplayer]] as an integral part, while still allowing [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#How will single player work.3F Will I need to connect to a server to play.3F|singleplayer.]]

The subtitle "Dangerous" refers to the 3rd best [http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f72c0f91b2#Badge%20of%20Honour Elite Rating] you could achieve during combat in the [http://elite.frontier.co.uk/media ''Elite'' games.] In the new game it has been [http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6279 expanded] to include more than combat.

The origin of the series is ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_%28video_game%29 Elite,]'' the genre defining [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srlJVE50mCI&list=SP9E1E1F7AA6193498&index=1 open world sandbox space / trading / combat simulator] first released in ''1984''.

It spawned two sequels ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynXwvSqsCek Frontier: Elite II]'' in ''[https://frontier.co.uk/games/older/frontier_elite_ii 1993]'' and ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0_WewBEGew Frontier: First Encounters (Elite III)]'' in ''[https://frontier.co.uk/games/older/frontier_first_encounters 1995]'', which already attempted to [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#How big will planets and star systems.C2.A0be.3F|simulate a realistic Milky Way galaxy]] with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK-NMyDaPAg realistic star systems] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc9o_ldmlVs&t=72 seamless freeform interplanetary] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0_WewBEGew#t=53 atmospheric flight] and landing on [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will planets rotate and orbit around stars.3F|moving planets]], with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0_WewBEGew&t=265 realistic day/night cycles].

''Elite'' also [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134644/the_replay_interviews_gary_penn.php inspired the creation of the "Grand Theft Auto (GTA)" series.]

Official Pages:

Community Pages:

The game will be expanded with ambitious features such as [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will it be possible to manually land on planets.3F|seamless freeform (manual pitch/yaw/roll) atmospheric flight and landings]] and [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Can I walk around the ship.2C planets and space stations.3F|walking around and boarding ships, walking in stations and on full 1:1 scale populated living planets and more.]]

More detailed information on a lot of the features of the game can be found in the [http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=25164 Design Discussion Archive.]

[http://elite.frontier.co.uk Elite: Dangerous] is planned to be released for:

: [http://elite.frontier.co.uk Elite: Dangerous] will be available on both [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#On.C2.A0what platforms will .22Elite: Dangerous.22.C2.A0be released.3F|Windows PC and three months later on Apple Macintosh]] computers.

 

: The current Beta builds are available only on Windows. You will be able to download the released game on Windows and/or Macintosh computers once it is available, at no extra charge.

: Development of the game is ongoing, and so recommended specifications are currently only available for the Beta builds.

: Supported Operating Systems:

: For the final game the minimum hardware specifications may be lower as further code optimisations are completed.

===Are there plans for other platforms to be supported?===

: They have confirmed that they are evaluating support for '''next gen console platforms''' [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-14-how-about-elite-dangerous-on-ps4-and-xbox-one XBox One and Playstation 4] and also [http://www.tuxradar.com/content/interview-david-braben-0 Linux desktop], but they plan to complete the initial release for Windows and Mac OS X first.

The differences are predominantly in issues surrounding scale, complexity of background simulations, adherence to recognised science of the universe and release schedule.

''Elite: Dangerous'' is projected for a general [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Where can I buy .22Elite: Dangerous.22.3F| release in Q4 2014.]]

Both ''Elite: Dangerous'' and ''Star Citizen'' will have an on-going [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#I have heard that the .22Elite.22 series have no actual storyline. Is that true.3F|background story]] which will be influenced by the players and augmented with developer injected events.

''Star Citizen'' comes with a [http://starcitizen.wikia.com/wiki/Squadron_42 single-player focused cinematic scripted campaign] and is projected for general episodic releases starting from mid 2015, which will later be updated with [http://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/1zjv88/stupid_question_dont_upvote_has_there_been_any/cfubctr paid DLC expansions.]

In ''Elite: Dangerous'', the [http://i.imgur.com/vXLnJea.png ships] are relatively [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/33305725/Elite/comparison.jpg larger] for [[Ships#Faction Ships|their class]], with capital ships in the [http://elite.frontier.co.uk/images/newsletter_2013_09_06/schematic_flat_FEDCAP.png 2 km range] and atmospheric capable ones are engineered to be [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Why are the ships simpler in design compared to other games.3F|aerodynamically streamlined and symmetrical]], and therefore carry their weapons within a bay. This provides ships with hulls that are able to enter and [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will landing and docking be seamless in .22Elite: Dangerous.22.3F|freeform (manual pitch/yaw/roll)]] fly through 1:1 scale planet atmospheres at hypersonic speeds.

In ''Star Citizen'' the ships are less aerodynamically streamlined and carry their weapons outboard, some are [http://starcitizen.wikia.com/wiki/Scythe asymmetrical.]

Landing on planets in ''Star Citizen'' will use [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIK6g3Ql7rs&t=533s scripted in-game cinematics] and will be limited to several star ports.

==== Methods of Travel ====

''Elite: Dangerous'' has freeform (manual pitch/yaw/roll) [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#How will we travel those vast distances in such a huge glaxy.3F|interplanetary fast travel]] with combat maneuvering. Due to the [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#How big will planets and star systems.C2.A0be.3F|realistic 1:1 scale galaxy]] with proper distances, it necessitates [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#How will we travel those vast distances in such a huge glaxy.3F|faster than light speeds]], up to 2000 times the speed of light (2000C), to make travel times practical with [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will there be detailed ship managment and avionics.3F|very long range sensors and combat interaction]] and you will be able to seamlessly enter [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#How will we travel those vast distances in such a huge glaxy.3F|hyperspace]] to travel from anywhere to another star.

''Star Citizen'''s interplanetary fast travel will allow a speed of up to 20% the speed of light (0.2C), which necessitates [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5M5DXzcMmg&t=1066 scaled down] star systems to compress [http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f9f6f99d01#4 spatial distances] to make travel times practical. It also won't be freeform (Autopilot Only) nor have combat maneuvering in this mode, [http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/12grru/i_am_chris_roberts_creator_of_wing_commander/c6uxa22 so you will not have the ability to specify an exact random location in space. You can navigate to known locations or tag a ship they want to track or ambush.] Also you must fly through [https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/comment/1738871/#Comment_1738871 wormhole-like jump points (which will allow some interactivity) at fixed locations to other star system.]

In ''Elite: Dangerous'' the [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#How big will planets and star systems.C2.A0be.3F|galaxy will be scientifically accurate]] and include around a 100 billion star systems (around 400 billion stars considering most systems contain multiple stars). The ''Elite'' Universe is modelled on current galactic charts. [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will planets rotate and orbit around stars.3F|Planets and moons will rotate and orbit in 1:1 scale real-time]], therefore constantly changing a system's environment.

''Star Citizen'''s galaxy will have [http://starcitizenreview.com/star-citizen-star-systems-review 120 star systems] at launch, with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXqoyZxI_GE&t=1286 time compressed to 2 hours for each day (1:12 scale time)] and a more [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5M5DXzcMmg&t=1066 casual take] on [http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f9f6f99d01#4 spatial size and distance of celestial bodies], meaning [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwTsSkUhQhU&t=482 planets won't be properly scaled] and they might also not orbit. To give an example, ''Elite: Dangerous'' will have [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_known_stars stars] alone that can engulf whole star systems of Star Citizen multiple times. Also see [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEheh1BH34Q this video] to give a sense of scale.

''Elite: Dangerous'' has lightspeed pulse and [[Beam Laser|beam lasers]] on all ships fitted with energy weapons, as opposed to ''Star Citizen'' which has [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE_xZdeakEw&t=873 slow moving beam weapons] only on capital ships. The remainder of the ''Star Citizen'' fleet will have [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE_xZdeakEw&t=883 slow moving laser bolts] like one would see in Star Wars.

''Elite: Dangerous'' will have [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Can I walk around the ship.2C planets and space stations.3F|freeform (go wherever you want) planetary exploration]] on full 1:1 scale planets.

In ''Elite: Dangerous'' there is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4-gyDLRMXg&t=219 no artificial gravity], so [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will landing and docking be seamless in .22Elite: Dangerous.22.3F|space stations]] are [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6AxOoBF7SM&t=34 designed to rotate] as opposed to ''Star Citizen''.

==== Flight and Combat Models ====

There are major differences in how each game handles close combat flight (as you can see from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY5x85F-DKM this video]). There is an [http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showpost.php?p=123326 inherent flaw] with the premise of close combat space flight leading to endless turreting and circle-strafing especially in PVP multiplayer due to the lack of terrain features in mid space.

''Elite: Dangerous'' deals with this by limiting the yaw rate and enforce an optimum corner speed by by way of [http://elite.frontier.co.uk/media/walls/03_Ship_Cobra.jpg thruster placement] and limits in the [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will there be newtonian physics.3F|flight control computer]], forcing to roll and then pitch to get the most efficient turn rate (less efficient, but [https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/144997/urgent-devs-have-fundamentally-misunderstood-yaw-g-forces-and-the-human-body most comfortable] for a human pilot), in addition there is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-LOC G-LOC] system, a preliminary version can be seen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQGRKuOtrPg here.]

In ''Star Citizen'' ships can be pointed more intuitively in a fashion akin to FPS, requiring a strong yaw (most efficient, but [https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/144997/urgent-devs-have-fundamentally-misunderstood-yaw-g-forces-and-the-human-body discomforting] for a human pilot). It deals with turreting by having a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-LOC G-LOC] system [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY5x85F-DKM&t=191 as seen here], but this alone [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY5x85F-DKM doesn't alleviate the problems completely], but it is less critical due to the lack of lightspeed lasers on the smaller ships.

==== Multiplayer ====

Multiplayer is handled with a [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Is .22Elite: Dangerous.22 an MMOG.3F|grouping system]] in ''Elite: Dangerous'' and a [http://starcitizenstuff.wordpress.com/tag/pvp-slider/ PVP-PVE slider] which doesn't completely control engagements in ''Star Citizen''.

==== Additional Links ====

: Due to a lot less network traffic, this allows ''Elite: Dangerous'' to have [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will there be any roleplaying elements.3F|twitch based action instead of classic MMO click 'n' roll]] (where actual world updates are comparitively slow depending on server load and all attacks are caculated on servers using modified D&D system) which is used in '''EVE'''.

===What is the expansion pass?===

<p style="text-align: center;">''[[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Where can I buy .22Elite: Dangerous.22.3F|'''***The Lifetime Expansion Pass will be withdrawn from sale TODAY.'''***]]''</p>

: The '''[https://store.zaonce.net/elite-dangerous-expansion-pass.html Expansion Pass]''' includes automatic access to all major '''Elite: Dangerous''' expansions, such

: as [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will it be possible to manually land on planets.3F|'''seamless freeform''' (manual pitch/yaw/roll) '''atmospheric flight and landings''']] and [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Can I walk around the ship.2C planets and space stations.3F|'''walking''' around and '''boarding''' ships, walking in stations and on '''full 1:1 scale populated living planets''']], with lots of side activities, [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Will I be able to hire crew for my ship.3F|multi-'''player''' crew]] and [[Elite: Dangerous FAQ#Can I own and control capital ships.3F|player executive controlled capital ships]].

 

 

:Keep in mind that the game has been '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM0Gcl7iUM8&t=151 well planned and designed from the start]''' with all these features in mind (it is '''not '''an afterthought) and [http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite:_Dangerous_FAQ#Does_the_.22Elite:_Dangerous.22_developer_Frontier_Developments_have_enough_expertise_to_pull_off_such_an_ambitious_project.3F Frontier Developments already has the technology for this.]