Development Plans
Elite Dangerous has a truly huge scope and Frontier has ambitious development plans. During an interview at Lavecon 2015, Frontier stated to have a clear intention of a 10 year development plan. [1] This includes small free updates and paid major updates. This page gives a rough overview of planned additions for ED.
The expansions will include significant new features such as seamless freeform (manual pitch/yaw/roll) atmospheric flight and landings and on-foot and out-of-ship activities (such as FPS combat, walking around and boarding ships, walking in stations and walking and driving vehicles on entire 1:1 scale populated living planets), multi-player crew and player executive controlled capital ships.
Frontier intends to release small, free updates after launch. Expansions that include significant new features and content will have to be purchased.
For example, the roadmap is to add these features with major updates (in no particular order): [2] [3]
- Landing / driving / prospecting on airless rocky planets, moons & asteroids - Elite Dangerous: Horizons
- Walking around interiors and combative boarding of other ships. - see the Space Legs page.
- Combat and other interactions with other players and AIs in the internal areas of star ports
- Accessing richly detailed planetary surfaces
- Availability of giant ‘executive control’ ships to players. - see the Capital Ships page.
Reception
PC Gamer's Chris Thursten rated it 86/100 and said "a great game and, with time, potentially a classic. Much rests on Frontier's ability to build on these broad but somewhat shallow foundations."[4] The Koalition rated Elite Dangerous 95% “Shining Bright Like a Supernova.”[5] Edge Magazine gave it an 8/10 “Satisfying handling that sets a new standard for any cockpit-based genre.” The Guardian rated it 4/5 "Vast, Beautiful and Intimidating. The classic space-trading simulation returns with a vast multiplayer universe and a complex interplay of trading, exploring and, of course, fighting."[6]
The scope for Elite is huge, so a sensible strategy is used to add to the game in stages.
Keep in mind that the game has been well planned and designed from the start with all these features in mind (it is not an afterthought) and Frontier Developments already has the technology for this.
- The Future of Elite: Dangerous
- Elite: Dangerous - Development Plan video
- Q&A about Development Plan
- Newsletter about Landing on Planets, Ship interiors and Walking around
- In-depth Yahoo interview with David Braben about the scope of Elite.
- In-depth Edge article with David Braben and Jonny Watts about the scope of Elite.
- Elite - 1984
- Frontier: Elite II - 1993
- Frontier: First Encounters (Elite III) - 1995
- Elite: Dangerous - 2014
References
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/165775-Lavecon-News
- ↑ Elite Dangerous Newsletter #29 http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=1824c0b05a#Lifetime%20Exp
- ↑ https://www.pcgamesn.com/elite-dangerous/elite-dangerous-standard-beta-begins-next-week-last-chance-grab-lifetime-expansion-pack
- ↑ Elite Dangerous Review - PC Gamer
- ↑ Elite Dangerous Review – Shining Bright Like a Supernova
- ↑ Elite: Dangerous review – vast, beautiful and intimidating