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New Elite newsletter features outposts, smuggling, and more
The latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter is here, and it's worth parsing if you're high on Frontier's gorgeous space-sim sandbox. Outposts are coming to Beta 2, which might cause some of you to ask "what's an outpost?" Well, it's the "equivalent of the run-down road-side cafe, the isolated fuel station, the research outpost, the deep-space shack where Joe the Hermit lives." Outposts are generally exposed, zero-G, and unsafe, but they do offer cheap fuel and a place to temporarily lie low. Speaking of lying low, this week's newsletter also features a player-made video illustrating how Elite's stealth mechanics may be used for smuggling. You can view that after the break. [Thanks Cotic!]
Elite's Beta 1 starts today, here's a new trailer
Frontier has released its Beta 1 build of Elite: Dangerous. It "covers a greatly expanded 38,000 cubic light-year volume of Elite: Dangerous' accurately modeled Milky Way galaxy centered around the Boötes constellation." Beta 1 also introduces new features including fuel consumption, player communication, docking computers, mission system functionality, and friend management/matchmaking capability. There's more, including a new trailer, which is embedded along with the official press release after the break. [Source: Frontier press release]
Elite's premium beta starts today
Frontier is adding more than 10,000 players to Elite: Dangerous today via the crowdfunded sci-fi sandbox's premium beta launch. The firm is also featuring three user-generated gameplay videos showing of ED's heat mechanics, super-cruise, and voice control. You can view those, as well as read the full press release, after the cut. [Source: Frontier press release]
Elite newsletter talks alpha progress, to-scale celestial bodies, and more
Frontier has released Issue #18 of its Elite: Dangerous newsletter. It's a good 'un, too, especially if you like development progress updates, videos, and answers to interesting questions. There are bits about the state of the game's 3.0 alpha client, a docking tutorial video, and a look at the redesign of the iconic Coriolis space station from the original Elite title. One of the more interesting fan questions relates to the size of celestial bodies. "Celestial bodies and the distances between them will be correctly scaled wherever possible [and] real astronomical data is being used," Frontier says. "To give you an idea we're currently at 116,000 stars from various catalogues and [that] includes pulsars and black holes as well as main sequence stars. Exo-planets are the other big import which we're about to start working on." We've embedded the alpha progress video after the cut.
Elite's 3.0 alpha is here, as is docking and a new video
Frontier has officially released version 3.0 of the Elite: Dangerous alpha. If you've backed Elite or bought alpha access previously, you can update your client immediately and begin testing the new update. "After successfully proving out the moment-to-moment combat gameplay and multiplayer technology in Alpha phases one and two respectively, phase three starts to move towards building out the game by adding docking, an early version of hyperspace jumps between multiple locations, and ship outfitting within an iconic Coriolis space station," explains the latest Elite press release. The firm has also released a 3.0 trailer, which you can view along with the full press release after the break.
Elite's multiplayer alpha coming next week
Frontier has released its 16th development newsletter for Elite: Dangerous. In it, the company says that phase two of the space sim's alpha is undergoing internal testing right now. Next week, alpha backers will be able to download it, which is sort of a big deal since phase two equals multiplayer! Beta is on the horizon, though there's no firm date just yet. "After next week's alpha 2.0 we still have two major alpha releases to roll out before we reach the premium beta stage: Outfitting, Travel and Trading." We've embedded the latest Elite video dev diary after the break, and you can click through the links below to read the full newsletter.
Elite: Dangerous alpha starts today
If you're an Elite: Dangerous backer, you'll be pleased to know that the space sim title is officially in alpha as of today. Frontier has released an announcement video wherein developer David Braben outlines what players can expect. In a nutshell, the alpha entails single-player combat, including different weapons, loadouts, battles, and more. Frontier says that the aim of its phase one alpha is to "test key aspects of ship control and combat systems. Piloting a Sidewinder with varying weapon configurations, players progress through eight single-player scenarios [that are] initially designed to familiarize players with the controls [while] gradually increasing in difficulty and complexity.
Elite: Dangerous dev diary takes you inside the cockpit (and the art department)
Got seven minutes to spare? Love internet spaceships? Then the latest Elite: Dangerous video dev diary is tailor-made for your viewing pleasure. Art director Chris Gregory does the voice-over honors, and he's got a lot to say about taking game assets from the concept stage to the building stage. He also explains how the dev team added animations to its static designs and came up with the previously released capital ship video, which helped both artists and game designers to get a clearer picture of their concepts in action. Gregory also shows off Elite's virtual cockpit functionality, complete with jostling cockpits and fluid, natural camera movements that suggest those of a real pilot. See for yourself after the cut. [Thanks tipsters!]
Elite: Dangerous newsletter talks weapons, dev diaries, and more
Still haven't signed up for Frontier's Elite: Dangerous newsletter? That's OK, because we have and we're happy to share our perusal of it with you, dear space sim fans. This is issue number 12, and there's a fair bit of ground to cover including last week's dev diary video (which you can see after the break) as well as bits of fiction and bobs relating to both planetary and weapon design. This last one gets a fair amount of virtual ink, as Frontier has plenty to say on customizable rail guns, gimbal-mounted tracking and targeting systems, and more.
Frontier teases Elite: Dangerous scavenger hunt video
Another day, another Elite: Dangerous teaser video. But hey, this is a good thing, right? Yes, yes it is, especially because every little reveal helps build a bit of momentum for Frontier's crowdfunding project that's closing in on crunch time. Today's clip is called Scavenger Hunt, and it's exactly what it sounds like, albeit with a satisfying explosion at the end. Elite has exactly 14 days remaining on its Kickstarter drive and it's coming up on £900,000 (the goal is £1.25 million). Check out the vid after the break and then head to the fundraising site to learn more about the project.
Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter page updated with video, concept art
What is it with super-cool space sim reboots and their gooftastic titles? First it was Star Citizen, and now there's Elite: Dangerous, which, with a name like that, should probably feature a soundtrack by Kenny Loggins. In any event, Frontier's Kickstarter page has updated with some concept images and a new video. This is quite a step up from last Tuesday's announcement that was heavy on nostalgia and light on everything else. The video is mostly David Braben talking, though to be fair, he does chat up some cool stuff including procedural generation and adding do-anything-you-can-imagine multiplayer to Elite's vast universe. Head to the official Elite Kickstarter page for further info, and have a look at Braben's video after the break.
