On Foot
Space Legs refers to gameplay where players can walk around with extravehicular activity (EVA). This is a highly anticipated feature. It's unclear when space legs will be added to Elite Dangerous. Horizons was ruled out, so many people hope it will come during season 3. Multicrew and Holo-Me form the foundation for space legs features.
It's always been a core vision of David Braben that the player is a person in a real futuristic setting, not just a ship. Braben confirmed that Frontier is working on walking about features "Yes. We have ongoing work on planets, including atmospheres, planetary life, walking about and lots of other very exciting things for the future."[1]
In the Elite Dangerous Development Plan video, David Braben talks about walking on planets, animals, being a big game hunter. The ships have been designed with interiors in mind. For example walk around in ships, other people's ships, stations and vehicles in the future.[2]
During a Q&A at PAX East 2017, lead designer Sandro Sammarco said Space Legs is way off in the future.
"How will Telepresence and Multicrew work in the future with Space Legs and EVA gameplay? 'Just to set the record straight, Space Legs and EVA gameplay, that's way off in the future. That's a goal. I've talked to David and it's always been part of his core vision for what Elite really is, even from way back in the day, it's always been about you're a person in a real futuristic setting, not just a ship. However, I think it's also fair to say Space Legs is effectively dovetailing a whole new game into Elite. We take steps towards it, it's our end vision, but we're not there yet, we're... it's a long way off. And when it does, by the time, if we get there, if we manage it, I'm sure we'll have the time to sort out any consistencies that need to be sorted out." [68m04s][3]
In the The Commanders Release Livestream, Braben confirmed that space legs is coming and is planned, but it's not imminent.[4]
Roadmap
Frontier has a roadmap with small, free updates in addition to expansions with significant new features and content which they intend to release. It mentions EVA in no particular order:[5]
- Walking around interiors and combative boarding of other ships
- Combat and other interactions with other players and AIs in the internal areas of star ports
References
Gallery
- Flight suit combat sketch
- People inside a station
- People walking in a station
- Elite Dangerous Atmospheric Escape
- Exiting a ship
- Walking in a station
