So I checked out Elite after ditching it for Star Citizen

[Old Duck]

Which ultimately proves that most people have no idea what they are talking about when they claim Odyssey to be "tacked on FPS" . Hashtag #NotAnFPS .

Sorry for the sting @Old Duck , had to be done .

On a serious note, I apparently belong to an esteemed list of people and organizations who "have no idea what we are talking about".

Here’s what Elite Dangerous looks like as a first-person shooter

First look at Elite Dangerous: Odyssey gameplay

www.polygon.com

Preview: the Elite Dangerous Odyssey FPS expansion is best when you're not shooting

Epic space-sim Elite Dangerous is getting an expansion that adds shooting and walking around. After playing the alpha, we prefer the latter.

www.rockpapershotgun.com

At long last, here is Elite Dangerous: Odyssey's first-person gameplay in action

It's time to take the training wheels off.

www.pcgamer.com

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey finally showcases First-Person Shooting

Frontier Developments finally is ready to show and talk about the first-person combat feature of Odyssey. The upcoming major expansion for Elite Dangerous is slated to come out in early 2021 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

www.gamezone.com

https://www.Website Filtered: Unsaf...-turns-into-a-first-person-shooter-a-2021-05/

First Look: Elite Dangerous: Odyssey

'An absolutely game-changing update to an already incredibly expansive game universe'

www.techradar.com

First Person Shooter

This definition explains the meaning of First Person Shooter and why it matters.

www.techopedia.com

Now if you're saying that Odyssey is not just an FPS, you'll get no arguments from me. But it does seem that a huge chunk of the development effort went into the FPS aspects of the game.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

And as many have suggested before, there are a number of things that some players like myself would actually pay money for in the form of DLCs, such as ship interiors for instance. Not everybody wants them

"Not everybody wants them" is the problem with that DLC model, unfortunately.

Odyssey cost them somewhere above £15M to develop, so far as I can tell from the published financials. At £40 full release price, that's 375k sales to break even (or basically everyone), a bit less since there's secondary ARX sales it also enables and the publicity might attract new people to the base game, a bit more since not everyone buys day 1, Steam and Epic take their cuts, etc. That's very much "almost everyone buys it" figures - which Horizons achieved, of course.

Cut down the sales targets because (like Odyssey...) it's not got enough features to appeal to everybody, and the development budget has to be proportionately cut too.
Cut down the development budget and the feature set has to decrease further, so the sales targets might need to be revised down again as well.

I'm pretty sure that if Frontier believed that there was a way to do ship interiors that would generate more money than it cost - rather more reliably than their projections for Odyssey doing that! - then they'd be working on it already. Maybe they are.

Don't forget that Odyssey's minimum requirements listed are for 720p resolution at Low graphics settings, while recommended is for 1080p resolution at High settings. Even then, I don't know what FPS they'd be targeting, 30 or 60.

I have by coincidence almost exactly the recommended spec and it won't consistently do 60 at 1080p High during the Odyssey bits - it'll definitely be 30 FPS as a target, which it does now consistently manage.

 

[Neilski]

Don't forget that Odyssey's minimum requirements listed are for 720p resolution at Low graphics settings, while recommended is for 1080p resolution at High settings. Even then, I don't know what FPS they'd be targeting, 30 or 60.
Since your listed hardware is just barely above the minimum (other than the RAM, which unfortunately matters the least here), if you're looking at 1080p resolution (I assume you are), then barely usable sounds about right.

Where do you see anything about 1080p or 720p?
I'd have hoped that a recommended setting would never translate to less than 60 fps, even if not at High settings.

Anyway, here's what I see for EDO in the Frontier and Steam stores (no mention of resolution or frame rate):

 

[Fizzatron]

I prefer Elite supercruise over quantom beacon rubbish from star citizen.

I want to highlight this one as I think it's quite important. The supercruise aspect of Elite allows for some really cool system wide sightseeing. Overall, it never has gotten old, though of course, if you're trying to get Hutton Orbital or are concentrating on getting somewhere it's a matter of duration, just like a commute to work is in the morning. But to just chill and just check out some cool stellar bodies is very relaxing and enjoyable in itself.

What happend to developing this game ? Where are all the new things that were promised, where is the feature rework that they talked about ?

Frontier have a different model for generating income than CIG, it has resulted in less staggering amounts brought in, but I would suggest that Frontier have done better with what they have, even if it isn't as much as many would have hoped at this point, myself somewhat included - I mean, I'd never say that I wouldn't prefer it if Elite Dangerous was further ahead in its development arc.

I haven't read any replies yet, but I'm sure the Odyssey launch will have been mentioned. Every game rises or falls due to the support of the userbase mostly, so if you wish to see more developed, maybe consider also supporting it a bit more.

They said they are not letting elite die, words are cool but where are actions ?

Again, Frontier aren't CIG, I wish they took maybe a couple of leafs out of their book in regards to hype, but that's evidently not how Frontier want to handle it.

Why was i greeted with Cutscene when i launch the game with moving PNG's like this is some sort of highschool indie project game ?

I'm not sure, I think the main takeaway was that it the engine allows for these types of cutscens to be a feature. The intro could have used more polish, I agree.

Why keep reusing old assets and content ? Where is the new stuff.

Not sure what you mean, if you don't have Odyssey, then you wouldn't have seen all the new settlements and the ship (dare I say it) fidelity overhaul. It's on sale right now, I would recommend getting Odyssey and checking it out, if you haven't got it already. It kinda sounds like you do, but you also may be getting your impressions from videos or something, I'm not sure.

What happened to fixing optimization for ground combat ?
New ships ? Hello ? There are so many role gaps, price gaps on the market ?
What happened to implementing CQC into main game ?
Powerplay open only .. What happened to it ? Powerplay was meant to be pvp addition to the game.
The guild system is barebones and abandoned.
Crew system needed major changes since its released, its still borked and useless. Still can use only 1 npc crew member at once.
Salvaging ?

All things that require development resources.

In general, welcome back, even if for short period, though don't feel like it has to be a binary choice between the two, you mention the cult aspect of Star Citizen, having to choose either one or the other is a of the symptom of that one should be aware of. For full disclosure, I will admit that my initial interest in Star Citizen at the kickstarter stage has waned to the point where I highly doubt I'll ever give it a go, however, Elite isn't the only space game I play, but I will be completely honest and say that it is my favorite and primary one.

o7

 

[marx]

Where do you see anything about 1080p or 720p?
I'd have hoped that a recommended setting would never translate to less than 60 fps, even if not at High settings.

It's listed on a few sites, but here is the original info from FD.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

On a serious note, I apparently belong to an esteemed list of people and organizations who "have no idea what we are talking about".

Here’s what Elite Dangerous looks like as a first-person shooter

First look at Elite Dangerous: Odyssey gameplay

www.polygon.com

Preview: the Elite Dangerous Odyssey FPS expansion is best when you're not shooting

Epic space-sim Elite Dangerous is getting an expansion that adds shooting and walking around. After playing the alpha, we prefer the latter.

www.rockpapershotgun.com

At long last, here is Elite Dangerous: Odyssey's first-person gameplay in action

It's time to take the training wheels off.

www.pcgamer.com

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey finally showcases First-Person Shooting

Frontier Developments finally is ready to show and talk about the first-person combat feature of Odyssey. The upcoming major expansion for Elite Dangerous is slated to come out in early 2021 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

www.gamezone.com

https://www.Website Filtered: Unsaf...-turns-into-a-first-person-shooter-a-2021-05/

First Look: Elite Dangerous: Odyssey

'An absolutely game-changing update to an already incredibly expansive game universe'

www.techradar.com

First Person Shooter

This definition explains the meaning of First Person Shooter and why it matters.

www.techopedia.com

Now if you're saying that Odyssey is not just an FPS, you'll get no arguments from me. But it does seem that a huge chunk of the development effort went into the FPS aspects of the game.

Maybe that just proves that the gaming press has no clue either or like to slap familiar labels on everything . Take your pick .

 

[Old Duck]

Maybe that just proves that the gaming press has no clue either or like to slap familiar labels on everything . Take your pick .

C) Random guy on internet crying "fake news" is the one without a clue

And if I get doxxed for flaming (I'm not), you better get doxxed as well for starting the "who's clueless" contest!

 

[BluStar]

 

[Uiros Ueramos]

Let's simplify this - I don't like the [insert academically correct acronym] gameplay that Odyssey offers, and I'd much rather play one of other aforementioned games instead. Nor am I a fan of Odyssey's new lighting system, UI, planet tech (though it does have its moments), exploration mechanisms, and its contribution to the destruction of planet earth through global warming (ie - its terrible performance). Hence I really have no reason to buy it, especially when I have other games in every category that scratch the same itches, of which Mass Effect is one (well, two), however you wish to identify it.

I understand your take on it. And I understand why FDev's implementation of on-foot activities has been so controversial, being Elite what it is and what was/is its true potential. As usual, FDev were a bit clueless, missing yet another great opportunity and implementing the wrong type of gameplay for on-foot activities.

They copy/pasted some elements of the ship game and copied modes more akin to Online Multiplayer Competitive FPSs, without understanding that it is not an implementation that caters to most of the players of a space adventure simulator game like ED truly is.

I, myself, only just recently bought Odyssey (last Thursday on the Frontier Store Easter discount) because it had some possible activities I would like to do and because it had reached a level of stability and performance that was enough for my PC setup.

I too was never too fond of competitive Deathmatches or Capture the Flag modes in pure conventional FPSs. So, I find it even less logic to shoehorn it in a space adventure simulator like ED. And it certainly does not fit ED in any way. But it is FDev we are talking about...

These repeated stumbles by FDev remind me of a phrase that is attributed to Winston Churchill, about the way Americans go about their endeavors (do not know the veracity of the phrase), in which he said:

"We can always trust our American friends to make the right decision. But only after they have exhausted all the others!"

And for clarity, it's not about what Odyssey does (I was excited as everyone else when I saw the first trailer), but rather how it does it.

Precisely. Well said. I am in total agreement with you on this regard.

Fortunately, for me, I happen to enjoy FPS in general, so the sacrifice will probably be smaller for me than for you. Therefore, my decision to purchase Odyssey now.

But I do still hope for those elusive right decisions to, occasionally, be made by FDev...

 

[Uiros Ueramos]

On a serious note, I apparently belong to an esteemed list of people and organizations who "have no idea what we are talking about".

Now if you're saying that Odyssey is not just an FPS, you'll get no arguments from me. But it does seem that a huge chunk of the development effort went into the FPS aspects of the game.

Yes, unfortunately, I have to agree. Too much for shooting and too little for everything else.

 

[Uiros Ueramos]

Odyssey cost them somewhere above £15M to develop, so far as I can tell from the published financials. At £40 full release price, that's 375k sales to break even (or basically everyone),

Are you telling me that the number of ED copies sold since 2014 is only 375k ?!

That surely can't be true.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

C) Random guy on internet crying "fake news" is the one without a clue

And if I get doxxed for flaming (I'm not), you better get doxxed as well for starting the "who's clueless" contest!

We're all random guys on the internet. Even the "gaming press". And most random guys don't have a clue about anything anyway. The non-random ones, too.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

What's the current drama in SC?

It's a broken game that constantly crashes, wipes your progress and often isn't actually available for service. It's a scam. And people slowly understand they've been lied to for years.

 

[Uiros Ueramos]

It's a broken not-a-game that constantly crashes, wipes your progress and often isn't actually available for service. It's a scam. And people slowly understand they've been lied to for years.

Fixed that for you...

 

[Northpin]

Where do you see anything about 1080p or 720p?
I'd have hoped that a recommended setting would never translate to less than 60 fps, even if not at High settings.

That's the minimum accepted values for performance evaluation from the generic resolutions out there (720p, 1080p, 2k - 1440p, 4k - 2160p)
And their goal is 30fps indeed as it's the minimum fps assuring any sort of fluent and playable experience.

Assuming anything higher than that would be pushing an envelope never claimed by FDev
That's also consistent with the performance levels we do get in the game relative to the hardware requirements


Now, if your standards for performance evaluation are 4k 60fps or 2k 120fps...

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Are you telling me that the number of ED copies sold since 2014 is only 375k ?!

No, a different number used to compare there: total active monthly players. In a market statement Frontier claimed 500k of those just prior to the Epic giveaway, and believed that Odyssey's success would come from selling to almost all of them plus its ability to attract new players. So 375k for break-even would be "most of them".

There are certainly plenty more accounts - and of course who is in those 500k will change over time and the number itself goes up and down a bit [1] - but the chances of selling to someone who e.g. last logged in three years ago and never got out of the Sidewinder is pretty low, so their planning seems to have been around mostly selling to semi-regular players.

[1] Probably more down than up for this specific context, since the console players no longer count for "potential expansion purchases".

That surely can't be true.

Last published figures I know of were 4 million base copies sold, 8 million given away by Epic. That was pre-Odyssey so presumably some more since too as it's been a few years, but they've not said.

Horizons I think sold about 2 million before it was merged in, over about six years.

No published Odyssey sales figures that I know of: from financial statements I'd infer somewhere around 100-150k in pre-orders and early purchases, and probably under 250k total (unless I've significantly underestimated Odyssey's development costs).

 

[Uiros Ueramos]

No, a different number used to compare there: total active monthly players. In a market statement Frontier claimed 500k of those just prior to the Epic giveaway, and believed that Odyssey's success would come from selling to almost all of them plus its ability to attract new players. So 375k for break-even would be "most of them".

There are certainly plenty more accounts - and of course who is in those 500k will change over time and the number itself goes up and down a bit [1] - but the chances of selling to someone who e.g. last logged in three years ago and never got out of the Sidewinder is pretty low, so their planning seems to have been around mostly selling to semi-regular players.

[1] Probably more down than up for this specific context, since the console players no longer count for "potential expansion purchases".

Ahh! I now understand what you meant: total active monthly players.

I remembered that the total number of original ED copies sold was +1.5 million quite a few years ago.

So, yes. Active players would be more probable buyers of the expansion.

Thanks for the explanation.

Last published figures I know of were 4 million base copies sold, 8 million given away by Epic. That was pre-Odyssey so presumably some more since too as it's been a few years, but they've not said.

Horizons I think sold about 2 million before it was merged in, over about six years.

No published Odyssey sales figures that I know of: from financial statements I'd infer somewhere around 100-150k in pre-orders and early purchases, and probably under 250k total (unless I've significantly underestimated Odyssey's development costs).

I figured that the "+1.5 million copies sold" number, that I mentioned before, would be much higher nowadays. Still 4 from ED and 2 from Horizons, isn't bad. Not what FDev would have liked though.

I think that Odyssey sales have probably increased over time, with the increased stability and performance, as well as less bugs (still a long way to go on this last one). Let's hope for that and that such a situation will increase focus on ED to higher levels.

 

[Northpin]

Last published figures I know of were 4 million base copies sold, 8 million given away by Epic.

Yeap
And about 2.5 millions copies for Horizons*

(although this is less relevant now after Horizons folded into the base game, can still show how the interest for the game diminished and/or was not strong enough to entice all buyers to get Horizons too, which could be used as an indication to the potential sales for Odyssey)

 

[Sylveria]

It's logically impossible to compare a game that's been well beyond release to a tech demo that 10 years later still hasn't even managed a single player game loop, let alone a cohesive, functioning multiplayer one. There's good reason why most SC fans secretly play ED while waiting on CIG to "finish" the game, and that's because at the end of the day CIG doesn't have a game.

The only thing they're "developing" is more ways to part you from your cash.

 

[Uiros Ueramos]

I have other games in every category that scratch the same itches, of which Mass Effect is one (well, two), however you wish to identify it.

Or 3. The best one, IMHO, was actually the original Mass Effect (Later known as Mass Effect 1). Epic setup story, some better main missions, awesome citadel elevator dialogs, worse combat.

Have you tried Mass Effect Legendary Edition?

I haven't yet, but I have read that they have replaced the ME1 original combat with the systems used in ME2/ME3 Legendary (improved from the original ME2/ME3).

Might be worth a try...