Elite / Frontier A little good news from a distant star?

[Linwig]

Just came across this while having a evening read on the IGN website:

Talking at Nottingham's Game City event earlier today, Frontier Development's David Braben dropped a handful of tantalising new hints about his latest project, The Outsider. What's more, the co-creator of seminal space-trading sim, Elite, also confirmed that Elite IV is pencilled in for release on current generation gaming hardware, following its announcement in, er, 2001

The full article is here

I won't even bother mentioning how much I have been looking forward to Elite IV, so instead I will say I am really getting ramped up for the Outsider! It's nice to see some new information filtering through

 

[Steve O B Have]

"Elite IV is pencilled in for release on current generation gaming hardware"

Unless I am reading this totally wrong, the implication of this is either "PS3 and XBOX 360" and/or DX10 PC hardware. I really hope that it means the latter - i.e. DX10 PC hardware as I personally would have serious reservations over purchasing E4 on a console. Of course it would be pending how much it impacts on the gameplay and the community but the idea of E4 on a console just feels wrong.

I am open to new ideas and am not prepared to totally write the idea off but here's hoping :/

 

[DraQ]

I don't mind as long as it will run on PC without Vista.

If it requires Vista - I won't buy it as I refuse to instal this bloated turd on my machine.

If it requires a console - I won't buy it as I'm not going to buy a console, especially considering, that console controlers suck.

I don't consider eyecandy all that important, but of course good graphics is welcome in a spacesim.

 

[Steve O B Have]

I don't mind as long as it will run on PC without Vista.

If it requires Vista - I won't buy it as I refuse to install this bloated turd on my machine.

If it requires a console - I won't buy it as I'm not going to buy a console, especially considering, that console controllers suck.

I don't consider eye candy all that important, but of course good graphics is welcome in a spacesim.

heh I'd be willing to be that by the time the game comes out there will be a new version of Windows available and Vista will be nothing but a fading memory. Having said that I have been running Vista on my machine without too much stress for the last 3-4 months and all I have had to do it remove the 'my first computer' user rights setup and kill the auto indexing. It runs pretty sweetly.

Spec:
Core 2 Duo E6750 @ 3.3GHz
2GB of Patriot ram
BFG 8800GTS 640MB OC

I think it helps to have some grunt behind it. My main reasoning is that it gives me access to DX10 in games and I'd be disappointed if the advantages of it were not utilised in this game. Again I think MS have been somewhat victims of their own success as Vista is not quite as horrible as everyone has been making out - just a little bit horrible

 

[Glyndo]

I won't even bother mentioning how much I have been looking forward to Elite IV, so instead I will say I am really getting ramped up for the Outsider! It's nice to see some new information filtering through

I think it's safe to say that there are plenty of people on here that are looking forward to EIV just as much!

I'd never heard of The Outsider until I discovered this forum and from what I have seen it looks like it will be a great game. DB also mentioned that lessons learnt from Outsider will be used in EIV so that's another reason to hope Outsider is a success.

Hopefully there will be some more information regarding schedule and release date for Outsider coming soon!

 

[DraQ]

heh I'd be willing to be that by the time the game comes out there will be a new version of Windows available and Vista will be nothing but a fading memory.

The problem with this new version of windows is that it'll probably force user to drop their pants and bend over even further. I like having control over my own software.

 

[porl]

I hope DB and Frontier make a big pot o cash and collect a great staff team with Outsider, then the UK needs to provide some sort of TAX incentive so it can be worthwhile investing that big pot o cash in a game that will dominate the market.
for now i'd be happy with a Frontier revamp that was multiplayer for about 64 players and totally mod-able, but i know that can't happen.
and on another note windows is just a launch pad for your programs, we all used to get by with a dos promt loaded off a kickstart rom, vista dont make old games sweeter mod's do.

 

[VictorT]

still holding out hope.

hey now, OpenGL 3 is new too. maybe there's still hope for a Linux (and a Mac) version.. As people are discovering, games like ETQW and EVE online on Linux are running pretty good. Can't speak about X3 yet, but it is fun to play the beta under Linux. =), also there's Savage 2 and UT3 on the horizon!

all big name, hardware pushing, next generation games, why not E4? PLENTY of people out there happy to run Ubuntu (for example) instead of Vista to play their AAA title games. =)

Certainly many people into Linux would be Elite fans, and would be more dedicated to spending money on Frontier =)

hopehopehopehope!
*fingers crossed* *wallet poised*

 

[DrBaggy]

Elite 4 next after Outsider

More good news...David Braben interviewed in PC gaming mag that Elite 4 would be the next project after the Outsider was completed. Like a complete idiot I bought the other pc mag in the shop so, sorry, don't have details but I promise this isn't a wind-up! Sure many of you out there will be able to quote the original article in full. I know we've had so many false dawns before but maybe this time..

 

[tobytyke]

Most likely get flame alive for this, but I wouldn't mind EIV on the 360. The machine is pretty much geared for online play. Controllers not too bad (A lot better than the original one). You could maybe have the message kit for extra controls if required. Head set for communication.

Yeah I could imagine wasting hours on that setup, flying between Earth and Bernards star dreaming of making enough money to buy a viper.

 

[DraQ]

Most likely get flame alive for this, but I wouldn't mind EIV on the 360. The machine is pretty much geared for online play. Controllers not too bad (A lot better than the original one). You could maybe have the message kit for extra controls if required. Head set for communication.

Yeah I could imagine wasting hours on that setup, flying between Earth and Bernards star dreaming of making enough money to buy a viper.

Online and stardreamer don't mix.

 

[tobytyke]

Can't see why not, But I understand where your coming from.

I think it proves that if EIV has an online aspect it needs to be well balanced. It should work for highly competative online players, and easy going players who want minimal aggresive contact. This could be achieved by using the police correctly. IE if your in SOL sector and somebody attacks then the police should come and help, in the same way 'earth and beyond' did.

 

[DraQ]

Can't see why not

Sigh. Player A is busy becoming filthy rich on Sol-Barnard's route and is currently flying towards Briminghamworld using maximum stardreamer setting. Player B is currently tanning pirates and other scum in Phekda with his 4MW beam. Quite obviously, his stardreamer is off. If one second is one hour for Player A and one second is one second for Player B, one experiences the world at 3600 faster rate than the other and they simply go out of sync.

 

[tobytyke]

I really do agree with that your saying, but not everybody wants to go out hunting, in the same way not everybody wants to trade.

IMHO the whole fun of Elite (even more so in Frontier) is that you choose what type of game play you use. If you want to hunt/pirate then you do that, if you want to be a trader then so be it.

So what your saying is the game has to either be a trading (slow paced) or hunting (Fast paced) either way you are going to alienate one group. Unless the game is not online. I personally wouldn't mind either (Online/Offline), but if going online would mean forcing players to play one style of gameplay I would prefer to stay offline.

All this could mean that I've gotten the wrong of he stick, if so please educate me how EIV could work online using the two main gameplay styles.

 

[Linwig]

Most likely get flame alive for this, but I wouldn't mind EIV on the 360. The machine is pretty much geared for online play. Controllers not too bad (A lot better than the original one). You could maybe have the message kit for extra controls if required. Head set for communication.

This may be a surprise but I used to play Elite II on a console years and years ago After the slightly clunky frame rates on an Amiga (512) it was revelation to have smooth frame rates even if playing with a joypad was slightly less intuitive than playing with mouse and keyboard. That would not be a problem on a modern console though with USB input support etc. The console was called an Amiga CD32 and I was one of the 32 people who owned it hehe:

 

[tobytyke]

Same here, That's why it would't mind using a console. But just as long as the main game isn't comprised.

 

[Steve]

The console was called an Amiga CD32 and I was one of the 32 people who owned it hehe:

Count me as another of the 32 I actually thought the joypad controls worked very well, especially as the version of FE2 for the machine was modified to accommodate the pad.
I bought my CD32 and a copy of FE2 from a friend for about £10 and it needed a paperclip jammed down the side of the reset button so it wouldn't reset itself during the middle of a game. Also, there was so little memory on the machine that you could only save while docked.
Ah, happy memories

 

[turwhitt]

All this could mean that I've gotten the wrong of he stick, if so please educate me how EIV could work online using the two main gameplay styles.

I think he's saying that it wouldn't work online.

You'd need a jump-gate system like Freelancer or EVE, and that would ruin the realism which the Elite series has been based on.

 

[DraQ]

All this could mean that I've gotten the wrong of he stick, if so please educate me how EIV could work online using the two main gameplay styles.

I think he's saying that it wouldn't work online.

Indeed. For one player there would be, for example, March 3, while the other would experience September 18. One would see planetary bodies, ports and stations where the other would see hard vacuum, due to the orbital movement of said bodies.

You'd need a jump-gate system like Freelancer or EVE, and that would ruin the realism which the Elite series has been based on.

I wouldn't mind gates, as long as they would be limited to multiplayer, while the single player would stay the way it looked in FE2/FFE, only better (if that's even possible). I don't mind adding some tutorials and helpful semiautomatic flight modes to make the game more accessible for beginners, provided that I will be able to turn all the automation off and when I'll reach for my directional thrusters controls, I'll find them ready to push some relativistic plasma in any of the six directions I might want them to.

Ideally I'd see:

Single player mode - exactly as it worked in FE2/FFE, with all the scale, physics and revolving celestial bodies, only prettier and with more features. Main selling point as far as I am concerned. If it isn't in, count me out.

Coop mode - exact same mechanics as in SP, but several players man single ship.

Arena/DM mode - players select an area of space (or planet) where they fight and get frags. Trading/bbs disabled, stardreamer disabled, hyperspace disabled, only one system is simulated. Players spawn about 100 km from each other. Good for quick little dogfight with some friends.

Full blown multiplayer - some additions like jump gates and mechanics alteration to make online play possible. I don't really care, since, in all probability I won't even use this mode. Live and let live, as they say.

 

[Bikky]

current gaming hardware does also still include say amd64 3000 with 512 ram, and gf5200 gfx card.

i'm hoping not DX10, would be nice but considering i'm not planning on upgrading for a while i'll be miffed if after waiting 10 years for E4, to find i can't run it on my pc.