Op- at the risk of opening old wounds, there are excellent reasons why the Cobra IV hasn't been given a general release. I'm genuinely sorry that you don't have access to it, but there's a bit of history to the wee red beastie. See below.
IIRC the MkIV was a perk of being a kickstarter backer. The irony is everyone (well most) think/thought it was a hunk of junk. I believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I bought Horizons and I still want one. Not gunna happen. Went through the five stages of grief a few times.
Again, although you have my sympathy, FD have rock solid reasons for restricting the availability of the model.
Unfortunately, if you did not purchase Horizons before:
- 5th February 2016 on PC
- 30th July 2016 on XBox
You won’t be able to purchase a Cobra MK IV.
Source:
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Cobra_MkIV
If you are a PS4 Commander, then is no way to buy the ship.
We (PS4 community) keep chasing sporadically on this (currently 28 page) thread :
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/314330-Will-PS4-get-the-Cobra-Mk-IV
And have been given various assurances such as:
And latterly
...but it hasn’t arrived yet.
I understand why the PS4 community feel aggrieved, but I also understand why FD have made the decision they did.
There's a great amount of player entitlement on both sides of the debate over whether the C IV should be given a general release. Frontier could have avoided much of the subsequent drama when they first designed the model, but they're learning about the customer base, just as we're learning about the company. They haven't repeated their error since, so clearly they've taken something from the debacle.
History lesson: at a time when the company was buoyant financially, but looking to maintain their momentum, they prepared to release a game expansion. It had many features, the one we're discussing was a loyalty reward. A thing of value was offered to generous customers who had backed the game thus far, if they were willing to make an additional purchase. That thing of value was an exclusive, only available for a limited period.
The thing they chose was an unlock to an entirely unique ship, a one time, never to be repeated event rewarding previous loyalty, current purchase and hopefully, via the goodwill nurtured, future custom.
Such events aren't unusual in the gaming world- I have virtual garages chockablock with unique vehicles and kit that will never be sold again in various other titles. FD weren't doing anything new or novel.
The kick back against the reward was unexpected. Instead of seeing the owner of the C IV as part of the reason new players even have a game to purchase, there was considerable resentment voiced against the owners. That was reciprocated, as owners had their gift from FD tarnished and their character questioned on game boards. The reason they had a C IV to fly was ignored, while anything less than full support for a general release inevitably led to personal slurs and imputations made against their supposed morality and comportment.
FD haven't offered anything similar since. It makes for a quieter life.
If you are a new player to ED, or you only purchased the game when it became available on PS 4, you have my sympathy. It's irksome to have a thing that holds considerable value withheld from you. But as FD are unlikely to change their stance, it's going to have to be up to you how you deal with the situation.
Personally, I'd try and cultivate some gratitude toward the early adopters who allowed the game to be developed in the first place. If they hadn't done the things that earned that ship, FD might have pulled the plug on the whole project. There were numerous potential failure points on the development journey, all traversed with customer funding. Instead of lusting after a thing you can't have, try to appreciate all the things you
do have and the people who made that possible. That includes the budget needed to port the game to Playstation!
