Elite Dangerous: Difference between revisions

'''''Elite Dangerous''''' is a massively multiplayer space epic and the fourth installment in the legendary [[Elite series|''Elite'' series]], the longest running space simulation series in history.<ref>https://twitter.com/gwr/status/611537566299463681?lang=en Guinness World Records, 18 June 2015</ref> It was developed and published by [[Frontier Developments]] with [[David Braben]] as the director. The Windows PC version launched on December 16, 2014. It was partially funded via a [[Kickstarter]] campaign.<ref>[http://www.pcgamer.com/elite-dangerous-crowdfunding-covered-less-than-one-quarter-of-its-total-cost-creator-says/ PC Gamer: Elite: Dangerous creator says crowdfunding covered less than one-quarter of its total cost]</ref> The Mac version was released on May 12, 2015,<ref name=":5" /> but Mac OS support was dropped on December 11, 2018 due to technical barriers.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/important-mac-announcement.424243/ Frontier Forums: Important Mac announcement]</ref> The Xbox One version launched on October 6, 2015,<ref name=":6" /> followed by the PlayStation 4 version on June 27, 2017.<ref name=":7">[https://blog.us.playstation.com/2017/05/16/elite-dangerous-touches-down-on-ps4-june-27/ PlayStation.Blog: Elite: Dangerous Touches Down on PS4 June 27]</ref> The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions can be played on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 respectively via backwards compatibility,<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/ids3nk/ps5_and_xbox_x_support_from_day1_according_to/ reddit: PS5 and Xbox X support from Day1 according to Interview with Joss Herraez]</ref><ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/johmtc/elitedangerous_we_can_confirm_that_elite/ reddit: @EliteDangerous: "We can confirm that Elite Dangerous is backwards compatible with Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5."]</ref> but no new ports optimized specifically for next-generation consoles are currently planned.<ref>[https://twinfinite.net/2020/08/elite-dangerous-odyssey-interview/ Twinfinite: Elite Dangerous Interview: Devs Detail Upcoming Odyssey Expansion]</ref>

''Elite Dangerous'' brings a modern look and new features to the Elite franchise. It is the first game in the series to feature online multiplayer in a vast 1:1 scale simulation of the Milky Way [[galaxy]] based on real scientific principles, recent scientific data and theories. It is groundbreaking in that the galaxy is based on a lot of hard science with all sorts of star surveys that are fixed and merged to, for the first time in gaming history, compose a very consistent model of the Milky Way galaxy and it's rich enough to plot the night sky.<ref name=":8" /> It's also one of the first major titles to offer full virtual reality support with an exceptionally immersive experience in an all-encompassing universe, and every player on every platform affects the same shared galaxy with an interactive overarching narrative via the [[Background Simulation|background simulation]].

Elite Dangerous has a seamless, lobby-less galaxy, with the ability to rendezvous with friends as the player chooses. People can play with up to four players in a [[Wings|Wing]] or join other people's ships via [[Multicrew]]. This was tested since the early betas, and uses a combination of peer-to-peer (to reduce lag) and server connections. Frontier spent a lot of time getting this tech to work, because it's way more complicated than a central server.<ref name=":9" /> The networking system has gradually improved and changed to accommodate new features like Multicrew.

* Groundbreaking in that it's based on a lot of hard science with all sorts of star surveys that are fixed and merged to for the first time in gaming history compose a very consistent model of the Milky Way galaxy and it's rich enough to plot the night sky.<ref name=":8" />

The [[Guardians]] are an alien humanoid species. They became extinct 1 to 2 million years ago.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTtiGxJIFyM PAX East 2017 - Interview with David Braben]</ref> Their [[Ancient Ruins]] were first discovered in the Synuefe XR-H D11-102 system on October 27, 3302.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/59l4hk/cmdr_xdeath_found_the_monolith/ reddit: Cmdr xdeath found the monolith!]</ref> The decrypted data from the ruins, as well as from [[Structures]] discovered the following year, provided significant insights into the history and culture of the Guardians.

Elite Dangerous features a shared narrative which is influenced by players on all platforms. This occurs with community events like [[Salomé]], community goals and [[Powerplay]] activities. All of the meta data for the galaxy is shared between players. It's not traditional storytelling, rather an interactive, overarching narrative. Players have influenced and changed the course of events. The story unfolds in real time, in which players decide the outcomes and can be the stars.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/16/7402069/elite-dangerous-launch-campaign-single-player-story Polygon: Elite: Dangerous actually has a story, here's how to find it]</ref> The latest information on in-game events and stories are reported on [[GalNet]]. See the [[Elite Dangerous Timeline]] for a chronological list of events.

[[Galnet|GalNet]] is the official source with galactic news. [[Tourist Beacon]]s and [[Listening Post]]s have official lore about a wide range of topics.

Braben explained: ''"We're bringing in a story that embraces all the players. People have said that Elite doesn't have a story. It does have a story, it just not a rescue the princess style single-player threaded story. What we have is the story of your life through the game, your progression. What we will have is things that happen to you as you reach certain stages of the game, you'll get invited to join things."''<ref name=":1">[http://www.gamereactor.eu/news/264244/Elite%3A+Dangerous+has+a+story+that+%22embraces+all+the+players Gamereactor: Elite: Dangerous has a story that "embraces all the players"]</ref>

''"But those are stories that work for all the players. You know, if you get invited to join a secret organisation, that can happen to lots of people. And the great thing is, if it doesn't happen to you you'll go ‘oh, why have they not invited me?‘ But then that's exciting, you'll think ‘oh well, ok, I did kill that policeman the other day, maybe I need to get my reputation a bit higher."''<ref name=":1" />

Here's a summary from [[Elite Dangerous Role Playing Game|EDPRG]]: Cheap and faster than light travel has enabled humanity to expand across the stars. This led to the rise of the [[Federation]], [[Empire]] and [[Alliance]]. These major [[factions]] attract [[Power|powerful people]] who scheme to gain more power.<ref name=":2">[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edrpg/elite-dangerous-role-playing-game Kickstarter: Elite Dangerous Role Playing Game]</ref>

The [[Flight Model|flight model]] of Elite Dangerous has Newtonian physics with a fly-by-wire layer applied over the top to make the combat feel visceral and seat-of-the-pants, rather than [[Frontier: Elite II|Frontier]]'s jousting at huge distances.<ref name=":0">[https://www.pcgamesn.com/elite-dangerous-will-have-100-billion-star-systems-plus-thargoids-braben-reveals-whats-next PCGamesN: Elite: Dangerous will have 100 billion star systems, plus Thargoids — Braben reveals what's next]

Whether Elite Dangerous is the most complex project he's worked on in his career, Jim Croft answered: ''"I would say so, yes. It’s a bit like Alice. It’s a small rabbit hole initially but once you’ve started down it, one thing tends to lead to another and before you know it you are lost in labyrinthine complexity."''

Regarding the backer response to the audio, [[Jim Croft]] said: ''"The response to Alpha 1.0 has been overwhelmingly positive. We were really glad to hear that people were in general enjoying our approach, particularly with respect to ship engines. One of our biggest challenges is in attempting to make space flight feel enjoyable, dynamic and non-fatiguing, while adhering to a plausible physical flight model as much as we can. It’s very tough to keep all parties happy; some like a light touch or no sound at all, whereas others want the full ‘Hollywood’ treatment. We want to give players what they want. Our aim is making as much of the audio in the game as customisable as possible in the audio options. So players can pick and choose the elements they prefer to hear and which elements they do not."''<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/11961-Meet-the-Team-12-Jim-Croft-(Head-of-Audio) Frontier Forums: Meet the Team 12 - Jim Croft (Head of Audio)]</ref>

Senior Audio Designer [[Matthew Florianz]] held a presentation giving an in-depth look into the making of the audio for Elite Dangerous with in-game examples. Pertaining the science approach to the way Frontier creates the universe, a question they often get is: ''"Why didn't you go for no sound in space? The game has sound."'' Jim Croft answered that question: ''"In the vast and often empty blackness of space, audio fulfills the crucial role of communicating a compelling sense of speed, acceleration and mass to the player."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiAcsrmyePs Elite: Dangerous - Sound In Space - Control Conference 2015 (5:06)]</ref>''

[[David Braben]] explained the story behind the name: ''"This is Elite 4, but I wanted something that was a fresh start. We looked at the story behind the other names. So Frontier is because the key thing with Frontier versus Elite is the action takes place on the periphery, on the frontier. Because logically from a story perspective if you imagine sort of cowboy semi lawless worlds they will tend to be on the frontier of human space. The core systems will be a lot more secure. You wouldn't get unruly systems so close."''<ref name=":8" />

''"Elite: Dangerous is where you are part of the [[Pilots Federation|Federation of Pilots]] and you're offered to be admitted to it and you'll be able to do this within the game, but you're still at a lesser rank so it's a bit like the British Navy for example where you had the concept of a defaced ensign. Those who may not know British military ships can fly a different flag and people can also fly that privately, but it's defaced to say that this isn't the full military ship. So it's the same sort of principle as that. Anyway that is why this is the title of the game, because it's so key to all the way the multiplayer plugs together."''<ref name=":8">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOYhoFYIWmw My other car's a Cobra MKIII - Nordic Game 2014]</ref>

Dangerous is the third best rank for members of the [[Pilots Federation]] and the galaxy is dangerous. Here's related lore: ''"Relentless, increasingly well organized piracy and the need to maintain their reputation and influence as the best of the best caused the Elite Pilots Federation to start opening its membership to candidates from the Deadly rank who were able to pass a rigorous test and then, as demand continued to soar, to those from the Dangerous rank."''<ref>http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f72c0f91b2#Badge%20of%20Honour Elite: Dangerous Newsletter #22</ref><ref>Elite Dangerous - Digital Art Book</ref>

At the 2011 Game Developers Conference, [[David Braben]] gave the presentation [http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014628/Classic-Game-Postmortem Classic Game Postmortem - ELITE]. During the Q&A, an audience member asked: ''"Is Elite 4 still on the drawing board?"'' Braben answered: ''"Yes, it would be a tragedy for it not to be."''<ref>[http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014628/Classic-Game-Postmortem GDC Vault: Classic Game Postmortem]</ref>

In 2012, space sims were unpopular among publishers so it was difficult to attract funding for such a project. Due to the financial failure of Freelancer in the early 2000's publishers were skeptical of space games in general. Publishers would want to steer the game in a particular direction which was unacceptable for [[David Braben]]. In an interview, he said: ''"Working with publishers is great, but as part of the process, inevitably the publisher will want to steer the game in a particular direction. It happened with ‘[[Elite]]‘ – the game was rejected by Thorne-EMI because it was so different to what had gone before; to what they believed would be successful because those sort of games were successful before. They wanted three lives, a score and a ten minute play time. That was because that was the norm at the time. Today, we would be steered to make a game with cut-scenes that would appeal to an imagined audience. That is not the game I want to make."''<ref>[https://www.pcinvasion.com/credits-cobras-and-crowd-funding-david-braben-tells-us-about-elite-dangerous PC Invasion: Credits, Cobras and Crowd-Funding: David Braben tells us about Elite: Dangerous]</ref>

David Braben said: ''"When we first greenlit Elite: Dangerous, there were no other major space games since Freelancer. Now, there are dozens. So, I think we've succeeded. We've brought the genre back to life. And we've proven there's quite a lot of demand for this sort of game. Yes, it's niche, but it's quite a big niche."''<ref name=":9" />

[[Frontier Developments|Frontier]] had been working on the game as a "skunk-works" background activity for some time prior to its Kickstarter launch. Other projects were prioritized. It ''“...has been worked upon by a small team as a ‘skunk-works’ activity in the background as availability permits”''<ref name=":10" /> Elite Dangerous uses Frontier's own state-of-the-art in-house COBRA Engine tools and technology. COBRA has been carefully planned, developed and evolved since 1988.<ref>http://www.frontier.co.uk/our_technology/</ref>

Braben wrote: ''"We’re using Kickstarter both as a means of test-marketing the concept to verify there is still interest in such a game that extends beyond the individuals who regularly contact me about the game, and raising the funds to do so. There is also the fact that as long as we hit the threshold, it commits us to making the game."''<ref name=":10">[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/06/elite_dangerous_on_kickstarter/ The Register: Classic game 'Elite' returns … on Kickstarter]</ref> By April 2014, £1.7m had been raised.<ref>http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/DAVID-ELKS-thesentinel/story-20992380-detail/story.html</ref> This was a fraction of the total budget for developing the base-game, Elite Dangerous (1.0). At Gamescom 2014, Braben said: ''"The original budget, because we put a lot of our money towards it, was £8m, it's grown by quite a lot."''<ref name=":11">[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-09-11-elite-dangerous-original-budget-was-8m Eurogamer: Elite: Dangerous' original budget was £8m]</ref>

Those who pledged big during the Kickstarter got beta-access. People also bought beta access at £50 a pop. This included the full game. In mid-August 2014, more than 75,000 people were playing the Elite: Dangerous beta, providing ''"more and more money that moves ever closer to the game breaking even in a really good way."''<ref name=":11" />

Frontier had also reacquired the rights to the Elite franchise. Frontier purchased the software and IT consultancy company Professional Practice Automation in a £5.09m deal on Tuesday April 15, 2014. This included the royalty rights to the Elite video game franchise which was held by PPA.<ref>[http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/frontier-acquires-elite-rights-as-braben-readies-share-sale/0131299 MCV/DEVELOP: Frontier acquires Elite rights as Braben readies share sale]</ref>

In December 2013, a playable alpha version of the game was released to Kickstarter backers who pledged pledged £200.<ref>[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-12-12-elite-dangerous-now-playable-if-youre-a-200-alpha-backer Eurogamer: Elite: Dangerous combat now playable if you're a £200 alpha backer]</ref> In May 2014, the game entered the first phase of beta testing. The focus was primarily on testing the systems and servers with a greater number of players. A pre-release "gamma" build was released to backers three weeks before launch to give them a head start.

The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GxJbOMaXa0 Elite Dangerous Premiere] was held in November 2014. There were interviews, videos, speeches, reveals, prize giveaways and a detailed [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQXgcV3JMrY 1:10 scale model] of the Cobra MkIII.<ref>[http://daftworks.co.uk/eliterpg/index.php/Elite_Dangerous_Launch_Event Daftworks: Elite Dangerous Launch Event]</ref>

The Xbox One version launched on October 6, 2015.<ref name=":6">[http://www.gamespot.com/articles/elite-dangerous-xbox-one-release-date-revealed/1100-6430369/ GameSpot: Elite: Dangerous Xbox One Release Date Revealed]</ref> The PlayStation 4 version launched on June 27, 2017.<ref name=":7" />

The Apple Mac version was released on May 12, 2015.<ref name=":5">[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/05/elite-dangerous-now-available-for-macs-both-direct-and-on-steam/ Ars Technica: ''Elite: Dangerous'' now available for Macs, both direct and on Steam]</ref> It doesn't have [[Elite Dangerous: Horizons]] due to the lack of high-performance Compute Shaders in the graphics API's supported by OS X.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=191898 Frontier Forums: Answer From The Devs 15/10/15]</ref> As of the Q4 update of Elite Dangerous: Beyond, the Mac version of Elite Dangerous will no longer be playable due to technical barriers.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/424243-Important-Mac-announcement Frontier Forums: Important Mac announcement]</ref>

On May 26, 2017, the producer for the Elite Dangerous PS4 version Lloyd Morgan-Moore said: ''“The Elite Dangerous team is over a hundred people strong, and while we have a dedicated PS4 team to handle things like PSN infrastructure, everyone is working on content which will appear simultaneously on all platforms. We don’t regard platforms separately when it comes to content."''<ref>[http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331858657533/elite-dangerous-ps4-interview RedBull: The tech behind Elite Dangerous’s PS4 debut]</ref> The team size was confirmed by a few people who visited the Frontier offices during the week of June 9, 2017.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/356790-My-visit-to-Frontier-Developments-and-the-Future-of-the-Game Frontier Forums: My visit to Frontier Developments and the Future of the Game]</ref>

On 1 March 2018, [[Frontier Developments|Frontier]] stated they have continued and unwavering commitment to making Elite Dangerous the most authentic, ambitious, and expansive evolving space game in the world.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/479122-Important-Community-Update-(01-03) Frontier Forums: Important Community Update (01/03)]

During an interview at [[Lavecon]] 2015, Frontier stated to have a clear intention of a 10 year development plan.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/165775-Lavecon-News Frontier Forums: Lavecon News]</ref> It's confirmed by [[David Braben]] during a charity livestream in December 2016.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS33cyq6Z_A&t=21m00s 24 Hour Charity Livestream! Part 1! 2016]</ref> In an interview with the Rolling Stone, Braben said: ''"It's down to fans engaging with it, to be honest. But I would very much like to see it still going in 10-plus years. We might change things but, we'd like to keep the same basic idea."''<ref name=":9">[http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/elite-dangerous-creator-talks-sci-fi-politics-and-whats-next-w492781 Rolling Stone: Elite Dangerous creator talks sci-fi politics and what's next]</ref>

For example, the roadmap is to add these features with major updates (in no particular order): <ref>[http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=1824c0b05a#Lifetime%20Exp Elite Dangerous Newsletter #29]</ref> <ref>[https://www.pcgamesn.com/elite-dangerous/elite-dangerous-standard-beta-begins-next-week-last-chance-grab-lifetime-expansion-pack PCGamesN: Elite: Dangerous standard beta begins next week; last chance to grab lifetime expansion pack]</ref>

By the end of December 2016, this rose to over 2.1 million franchise units.<ref>[http://uk.advfn.com/stock-market/london/frontier-dev-FDEV/share-news/Frontier-Developments-PLC-Trading-Update/73616476 ADVFN: Frontier Developments PLC Trading Update]</ref>

By December 31, 2017, cumulative sales of the game had exceeded 3.25 million franchise units.<ref>[https://www.investegate.co.uk/frontier-dev-plc/rns/interim-results/201802060700029348D/ Investegate: Frontier Dev PLC (FDEV) - 06 February 2018]</ref>

By January 15, 2019, cumulative sales of the game exceeded 4.3 million franchise units. Of these, the base game alone accounted for 3 million units.<ref>[https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/FDEV/13934373.html London Stock Exchange: Frontier Developments PLC - Notice of Results and Trading update]</ref>

By May 31, 2020, the ''Elite Dangerous'' base game had sold over 3.5 million units.<ref name=":3">[https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/FDEV/annual-results/14679378 London Stock Exchange: Frontier's Annual Financial Results for FY20 - Elite Dangerous hit its highest player numbers this year, and 3.5m basegame copies sold]</ref>

In 2019, ''Elite Dangerous'' made more than £100 million ($133m) in revenue. This is a traders quote from the investment firm Liberum in 2019: ''"The company is working on a number of exciting updates for both franchises and our expectation is that we could see a big refresh release of ED in FY20."''<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/aoc8ue/liberum_our_expectation_is_that_we_could_see_a/ reddit: Liberum: "our expectation is that we could see a big refresh release of ED in FY20, five years after launch"]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Br0Ue1-eE Frontier's Financial Position and the Future of Elite Dangerous]</ref> By 2020, ED generated more than £100m ($131) of revenue which first released in December 2014<ref>[https://www.financialdirector.co.uk/2020/10/23/frontier-developments-cfo-on-strength-of-video-games-market/ Financial Director: Frontier Developments CFO on strength of video games market]</ref>

In March 2021, Elite Dangerous had an estimated 500 thousand monthly active players according to stockbroker report by Liberium.<ref name=":4" /> They log into the game on a regular basis and at least once per month, and only count players that are active instead of those who got the game from the Epic Games Store for free. The release of Odyssey seeks to attract 3.5 million inactive players back to the game.<ref name=":4">[https://massivelyop.com/2021/03/24/elite-dangerous-has-an-estimated-500k-monthly-active-players-according-to-stockbroker-report/ Massivelly Overpowered: Elite Dangerous has an estimated 500K monthly active players according to stockbroker report] </ref>

* ''Elite Dangerous'' takes place in a 1:1 scale recreation of the Milky Way. The play space is so vast it will take players more than 30,000 years to chart the entire [[galaxy]].<ref>[[:File:Elite-Dangerous-Trivia.png|https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/File:Elite-Dangerous-Trivia.png]]</ref>