Horizons/Odyssey Compatibility - Further Details

Thanks for the reply riverside
I have decided if I can nearly run it I will keep it and wait for improvement 900hrs in and its addictive.
If its worlds away I will get a refund and since I wasn't actually going to play New games on this machine I will stick with Horizons for now.
 
So, it's all geared around console launch. Can we expect an actual date, or anything more specific than a season for console launch very soon?
 
A legitimate question for sure. Likely why Horizons upgrade has been delayed. I suspect they'll have run tests in house that show the new tech will theoretically run on Horizons hardware and consoles but actually including it in the game is a task and especially tricky while there are still covid restrictions in the UK, that have already delayed Odyssey by several months. (At some point the do need to recoup development money though, so Odyssey / Horizons are getting time on their own)
I suspect refunds etc will depend on the EULA and small print. If all you own is a licence to access the software, the guaranteed minimum period of time you can use it, and expiry conditions of that licence, will be the crux of the matter.
 
After the Console Launch, will Horizons players be forced into the graphical improvements? I won't be able to run the new stuff and am concerned I won't be able to play at all if the improvements to Horizons are not optional.
I generally prefer online games to offline games unless the offline game has really compelling NPCs that make the game world feel alive despite me being the only truly living soul in the game. Elite is such a game, where the online component (both Open play and BGS) makes it interesting to me. However, a big disadvantage of online games is that you're forced to update them whether you want to or not. And when an update actually ends up being a "down"date (like replacing a decent UI with a horrible inefficient clickfest), I start to wish that my online game was an offline game after all...


ps - I'm still running Windows 1909 and plan to for all eternity, because it works just fine. I'm also running an old version of pre-Facebook Oculus.These days updates break more than they fix, and they always tend to push people into buying new hardware. I've got way too many iDevices in mint condition that were rendered useless thanks to iOS updates... Forced updates are just Darth CEO "changing the terms of our agreement", usually at the detriment of the user. /rant
 
It's probably been asked and answered in one of the myriad threads about odyssey but....

Is there any download required for a horizons install?

Too tight on disk space to update for the one account that would have access (that I have no interest in playing) but if I can carry on with my two horizons accounts (for now at least), then I will.

Ta
 
Now reading some post, it made me curiose.
Is Updating Horizon to Odyssey graphics legaly possible? Wouldn't Fdev be forced to allow refunds on both Horizon and Base game, as some players will no longer be able to play the game because of Hardware requirements changes?
No.
 
Greetings Commanders,

Thank you all for your comments and feedback on the recent announcement regarding Odyssey and Horizons compatibility. We understand that the post left some aspects unclear which we'd like to address below. We've also included some additional details.

Instancing and Graphical Improvements​

To clarify the circumstances under which instances may be shared across versions of the game, and when visual changes will be seen, we've made the following tables. The first applies to the time between PC and console launch, and the other to the time following console launch:

From PC Launch to Console Launch​

Hy5VIC4.png


After Console Launch​

Kt4ZiD4.png


Landing on planets with tenuous atmospheres is ONLY available to Odyssey owners.

  • Odyssey's UI changes will only apply to Odyssey players pre-console launch. Post console launch, the UI changes will be available to everyone.

Other Aspects of Horizons and Odyssey​


Galaxy State
  • The galaxy's background simulations (including Powerplay, factions, commodity markets and outfitting) will continue without disruption and be shared between all players (Horizons and Odyssey) across all platforms.
  • Squadrons may be contributed to and administered across both Horizons and Odyssey.
  • Fleet Carriers will function and be manageable across Horizons and Odyssey.
  • Odyssey Settlements will not appear in the system map or navigation panel of Horizons players.
  • All planet ports and settlements on tenuous atmosphere planets will not appear in the system map or navigation panel of Horizons players.
  • First footfall tags will only be displayed to Odyssey players.
  • Missions will not transfer between Horizons and Odyssey, and their timers will count down as if you were not logged into the game when you are on the other version.

Matchmaking & Social
  • The online status of Friends will be visible across Horizons and Odyssey, but locations will be displayed as "ED: Beyond" or "ED: Odyssey" if you are different versions.
  • System text channels will be shared across Horizons and Odyssey.
  • Direct text messages can be sent between friends across Horizons and Odyssey.
  • Players in Horizons will not be able to form wings or crews with players in Odyssey and vice versa.
  • The CQC matchmaker and crew finders will not place Horizons and Odyssey players together.
  • Voice communications will not be available across Horizons and Odyssey.
  • Squadron members playing Odyssey will appear offline to those viewing them from Horizons and vice versa from the Squadron management screen. This is so they cannot be invited to join a wing or crew from here.

Switching From Odyssey to Horizons Mode

Under some circumstances, your Commander location will need to be reset. For example, if you try to load into the game from the main menu in Horizons mode after playing Odyssey and meeting the following conditions:
  • If you were disembarked from your ship or SRV and logged out when on foot in any location.
  • If you logged out in a ship, SRV, or on foot in any location on a tenuous atmosphere planet.
  • If you logged out in a ship docked at an Odyssey settlement on a planet without an atmosphere.
  • If you logged out when on a ship piloted by Apex Interstellar or Frontline Solutions.

In these cases, your Commander will be placed into your most recently used ship and, if necessary, position it in orbit around the stellar body it was landed on, or docked on a settlement on. As with Horizons, the reset option will not available to you if your ship was destroyed at the time you logged out. Instead, a message encouraging you to re-access Elite through the Odyssey client will appear.

In addition, due to the terrain changes in Odyssey, the following will happen when switching over while landed on a planet without an atmosphere:
  • If you logged out in an SRV, then your ship will need recalling from orbit.
  • If you logged out in a ship, then you will load in a short distance above the planet's surface.

Crime
  • When playing ED: Odyssey after playing ED: Horizons:
    • Crimes on players’ ships will be transferred to their commander, superpower bounties will be generated accordingly
  • When playing ED: Horizons after having played ED: Odyssey:
    • Crimes committed in the vessel will stay with the vessel, and superpower bounties for vessels will be regenerated
    • Crimes committed on foot will be transferred on vessel with biggest bounty for specific jurisdiction, or to active vessel if no other way
    • Impounded ships will be released, but the impound cost will be added to the bounty for that vessel

Avatars & Liveries
  • New suit livery items introduced with Odyssey will only be accessible in Odyssey.
  • When playing Horizons after having played Odyssey, Commanders will receive a default avatar and flight suit.
    • When returning to Odyssey after playing Horizons, avatars will be re-equipped with their Odyssey suits.
  • The default 'opaque helmet' avatar image will be displayed when viewing Odyssey players from Horizons in screens like Recently Encountered players, or Squadron Members.
    • Any new ship livery items purchased in Odyssey should still be accessible in Horizons.
  • Odyssey suit and weapon livery items will not be available for purchase through the store in Horizons.
  • Any purchased items will remain in Odyssey for when you next log into it.
  • ARX earned by playing Odyssey can be redeemed in Horizons and vice versa.
Inventory Items
  • The contents of Odyssey players’ backpacks and storage will only be available whilst playing Odyssey. They will not take any inventory capacity away from Horizons.
Codex
  • Any new organics species introduced for ED: Odyssey will only be present in players’ codex whilst playing ED: Odyssey

Local options storage
  • Odyssey uses different files to Horizons in %localappdata%\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous\Options to save configuration options, such as Audio, Graphics and Custom Key Bindings.
  • Odyssey shares some files with Horizons, such as visited star systems.

Thank you for your feedback and patience as we navigate through the huge transition for Elite Dangerous marked by Odyssey. We hope this follow up has gone some way to clarifying the details raised after the initial announcement. If you have any further queries, please leave them in the replies.

o7
Hi, I have installed E: D on Oculus (VR and 2D version on PC), but Oculus in a while will oblige you to have a facebook account to be able to play on the platform (and I don't want to). Can I download the new full version with Odyssey (at the same price and with my current credentials and situation) without going through Oculus and playing directly with the Frontier servers?
Thank you
 
So then in essence FDev have betrayed a huge portion of the community who do not have the money to play the Odyssey expansion.
We are in worldwide recession , money is short, GPUs and Pcs are super expensive. It could be seen as elitist, no pun intended of course.
This just in: so in essence, bakers have betrayed the homeless who don't have money for wedding cakes.

Also don't forget that the travesty that is Elite Dangerous, is a betrayal and a slap in the face to loyal ZX SPECTRUM commanders who have been supporting frontier for over 30 years now. Unbelievable!

</SARCASM>

Now reading some post, it made me curiose.
Is Updating Horizon to Odyssey graphics legaly possible? Wouldn't Fdev be forced to allow refunds on both Horizon and Base game, as some players will no longer be able to play the game because of Hardware requirements changes?
I'm pretty sure EULA is structured in that way that it allows game modifications. Also given the age of horizons and the fact that it's the entertainment product, any reasonable court would drop that in an instant. It's like suing a TV manufacturer that the signal changed from analogue to digital and your grandmother's TV doesn't work anymore.

Computer hardware, like other things in life, is a depreciating asset, and it ages poorly. Luckily there's services like GeForce Now, if someone's so desperate to get their "fix". They even have free tier. You don't have to upgrade it every ten years 😂
 
Last edited:
This just in: so in essence, bakers have betrayed the homeless who don't have money for wedding cakes.

Also don't forget that the travesty that is Elite Dangerous, is a betrayal and a slap in the face to loyal ZX SPECTRUM commanders who have been supporting frontier for over 30 years now. Unbelievable!

</SARCASM>


I'm pretty sure EULA is structured in that way that it allows game modifications. Also given the age of horizons and the fact that it's the entertainment product, any reasonable court would drop that in an instant. It's like suing a TV manufacturer that the signal changed from analogue to digital and your grandmother's TV doesn't work anymore.

Computer hardware, like other things in life, is a depreciating asset, and it ages poorly. Luckily there's services like GeForce Now, if someone's so desperate to get their "fix". They even have free tier. You don't have to upgrade it every ten years 😂
I think a legitimate gripe is the fact that Odyssey was placed on sale as a pre-order with no indication of system requirements beyond what was stated for Horizons. So some people (like me) may have paid for Odyssey months ago only to find that it doesn't play well at all on their PC. I couldn't even play the alpha, it was impossible. My PC is not very old and I can't afford to buy a new one just for Odyssey. But trying to play Odyssey today has been awful; I have all the right specs except I have a GTX 1050 graphics card with lower than recommended VRAM, and it makes for a poor experience. I can see myself getting a new PC in a year or two, but in the meantime I've already paid for a game I just can't fully play.

That being said, it's like being offered a sofa on pre-order, only to find when it is delivered to your home that it won't fit into the building. Usually, at the very least, you'd like to have measurements to make sure you can fit it in through the front door - and it's up to the buyer to know if the sofa is suitable, right?

So, maybe I'm the twit for buying it anyway without having all the information!
 
Yes - what is the current position of FD on refunds? Regards forced migration to a play mode which requires backers with life time passes, to buy better equipment?

I liked the idea to keep Horizons to safe guard us old timer skin-flints, who don’t want to buy new hardware just to play 1 game; and maybe keep our carbon footprint down, because chips are a carbon heavy resource- being in high demand, mined in 3rd world countries and manufactured mainly under MDS conditions (rant over).

My PC is literally 10 years old, and can still run everything on minimum, as I future proofed it, I may be a minority, maybe my PC is old, but I refuse to be lead by my wallet to having to buy a new rig just to play an update which will only provide maybe 3% additional gameplay, and get hardly used as FPS content is not my cup of tea. And now we’re going to be forced to accept updates which potentially may force us out of a game mode because FD want everyone playing Odyssey, not Horizons.

Better optimising is what is needed; I would hope FD would bring all hardware in line with ‘last gen’ consoles, not try and squeeze the last drop of blood out of them.

Yet another obstacle towards wanting to play Odyssey.
 
Last edited:
Yes - what is the current position of FD on refunds? Regards forced migration to a play mode which requires backers with life time passes, to buy better equipment?

My PC is literally 10 years old, and can still run everything on minimum, as I future proofed it, I may be a minority, maybe my PC is old, but I refuse to be lead by my wallet to having to buy a new rig just to play an update which will only provide maybe 3% additional gameplay, and get hardly used as FPS content is not my cup of tea. And now we’re going to be forced to accept updates which potentially may force us out of a game mode because FD want everyone playing Odyssey, not Horizons.

Better optimising is what is needed; I would hope FD would bring all hardware in line with ‘last gen’ consoles, not try and squeeze the last drop of blood out of them.
As for LEP refund, there are threads on the forum on that and IIRC it's really not easy to get one.

There are two sides of the same coin. Why should someone who understands that computer hardware obsoletes with time, and upgraded along the way, be "punished" by not receiving the new planetary tech and improvements which came with Odyssey? Maybe they're as uninterested in the 3% additional gameplay as you, but want to see better planets and stuff? I can take it even further, why I as a PC user, have to be brought in line with sub-par hardware (last gen consoles)? They're cheaper option, they can have cheaper graphics, no? Unfortunately it doesn't work that way (read: it is expensive for it to work in that way).

You could say "just buy Odyssey", right? But it still isn't as simple as you think. For example - I'm not buying Odyssey until a proper VR mode is built in. I don't have a LEP, I can vote with my wallet on this one, despite being really interested in what Odyssey offers. If they don't build a proper VR mode in, I will wait for a large discount to buy it because I refuse to support it in its current form.

As for optimising - there is a point to which you can optimise. Optimising for obsolete DirectX versions for example - some things just won't work, and maintaining different codebases for different configurations is not really fun (and cheap). There is a point when you need to cut it - and that's exactly what happened with the Mac version. When optimising, you're not making new features which will bring new clients in, you're just placating your userbase. And the "die-hards" on prehistoric equipment are usually the ones that are "uninterested in fps pew-pew", despite Odyssey being much more than that. Plus, other developers are cutting out older DX versions, I believe frontier did that already by the way. Whether or not they did a good job on optimising Odyssey is another matter but if you want to really have a say in that, you'd need to buy stocks... and a lot of them :D

Computer hardware needs to be updated every few years. It's called progress and being angry for that is... silly in my opinion. It's a pity you need to upgrade during the pandemic when prices went crazy - but it will pass eventually. There are millions of other games to play in the meantime.
 
Maybe just change the graphics card ?

😷
If decent new graphics cards weren't scarce or prohibitively expensive right now, then I would like to. But my existing GPU is soldered into the motherboard. It will be a while before I can afford an external GPU rig and a good card upgrade. But someday,.... till then I have to stick with Horizons despite having purchased Odyssey. Which is a bit pants.
 
If decent new graphics cards weren't scarce or prohibitively expensive right now, then I would like to. But my existing GPU is soldered into the motherboard. It will be a while before I can afford an external GPU rig and a good card upgrade. But someday,.... till then I have to stick with Horizons despite having purchased Odyssey. Which is a bit pants.
You have a laptop if your GPU is soldered to the motherboard ?

😷
 
If decent new graphics cards weren't scarce or prohibitively expensive right now, then I would like to. But my existing GPU is soldered into the motherboard. It will be a while before I can afford an external GPU rig and a good card upgrade. But someday,.... till then I have to stick with Horizons despite having purchased Odyssey. Which is a bit pants.
In that case you could always refund it and wait till hardware upgrade or a sale?
 
Back
Top Bottom