News ANNOUNCING ELITE DANGEROUS: HORIZONS

[CoDi]

What worries me is the precedent that you create

What I don't understand is how this can be seen as precedent.

Games like World of Warcraft do similar for ages. In addition to the monthly subscription itself, you have to pay "full price" to upgrade your account with every expansion. There's no discount for existing players, while new players can buy into the current expansion, including all previous content, at the same price.

I've played - and payed - WoW for about 8 years. I don't remember any kind of outrage similar to what's happening here right now.

 

[FrodoHobbits]

Just logged on.
Oh dear, Honeymoon is over

 

[NeilF]

FREE COPY OF ELITE DANGEROUS.

...and here's how. Wish I'd thought of this before I bought.

1. Do not pre-order!
2. Wait until Horizon releases.
3 Open a new account
4. Buy Horizon on new account
5. You now have two Elite accounts, one with horizon, one without... for the same price as upgrading.

Only down side is you dont have a cobra mk4.. but was it really worth £30?

Hang on? I thought Horizons was a DLC so required you to already own Elite Dangerous?

ie: Horizons is not a self contained game?

 

[Tuub t Tute]

Hang on? I thought Horizons was a DLC so required you to already own Elite Dangerous?

ie: Horizons is not a self contained game?

The Horizons purchase will entitle you to ED plus "Season 1 content", plus "Season 2 content". Horizons is the name for the Planetary Landings content plus all the associated V2.x patches throught the following year (that are not core game development patches)

 

[Assailer]

What I don't understand is how this can be seen as precedent.

Games like World of Warcraft do similar for ages. In addition to the monthly subscription itself, you have to pay "full price" to upgrade your account with every expansion. There's no discount for existing players, while new players can buy into the current expansion, including all previous content, at the same price.

I've played - and payed - WoW for about 8 years. I don't remember any kind of outrage similar to what's happening here right now.

WoW expansions were basically content upgrades to a fully implemented game.

 

[CoDi]

WoW expansions were basically content upgrades to a fully implemented game.

Well, you can see it that way of course, but given how much they changed the game over the years, I personally wouldn't agree on that.

 

[NeilF]

The Horizons purchase will entitle you to ED plus "Season 1 content", plus "Season 2 content". Horizons is the name for the Planetary Landings content plus all the associated V2.x patches throught the following year (that are not core game development patches)

Confused!

So roll on to say Season 5....

Someone could have bought, as they came out, Season 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5... Each one for say about £30 each? = £150

Meanwhile, someone new to the franchise/game, could simply buy Season 5, and be in basically the same situation as that would give them all those previous Seasons? ie: All for just £30?

Or might it be more selective than that, in that buying Season 5 might inherently give your Season 1 (The core game) but no other Seasons (eg: 2 - Horizons, 3 and 4)?

 

[CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE]

I imagine a quick fade-out and fade-in for now.

Agreed. I can't see any other way of doing it until the "walking around" expansions in seasons 9 and 10 (starting to feel like we're talking about a DVD box set now)

 

[Octanen]

Me too. And yet I am a Premium Beta Backer +, in the kickstarter

Ditto, well except Kickstarter, finished a week or so after i got home

Anyhow, i do understand the controversy and people speculating about the price, too high and what not. In all honesty... sure the game is MASSIVE, sure there should be more ships, mining should be overhauled before thinking of expansions and what not i have read across the board. Honestly, i got my money worth so far (120£), since i have daily fun with friends, pulling off various crazy stuff ingame.

Anyhow, sure the exp price might be a bit steepish for those who purchased the game and now gotta pay another full retail price for what they call a "expansion". I can understand the frustration of some people, if they are either students, unemployed or whatever it might be, or simply that they think the price is to steep. I just hope they keep adding stuff... for me personally, more ships, add more stuff to mining so its actually worth the time and effort.

With that said, i enjoy my self, i don't care about the price... if I personally feel its my moneys worth, then here take em. Hell i was even close to getting the Lifetime Sub, untill i noticed i was a Premium Beta Backer. With that said, i just hope they keep adding more and more expansions, stuff and keep adding more depth.

Confused!

So roll on to say Season 5....

Someone could have bought, as they came out, Season 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5... Each one for say about £30 each? = £150

From our part, as players... consumers. Its all speculation, lets see what the official word is going to be, its almost like FT got so excited about Planetary Landings that they forgot to add Q&A and the "This is how its going to be" bit. I simply think its going to be like in any other FPS / MMORPG well game basicly... don't have the Expansion (and the Expansion holds all season for THAT Expansion) well then you simply don't get the main features for that Expansion i would guess, no?

 

[Vingtetun]

You are paying for season 2 called horizons.

Season 1 - Elite Dangerous
Had
1. Elite Dangerous out of the box.
2. Community goals patch (free to the season pass holder)
3. Wing (free to the season pass holder)
4. PowerPlay (free to the season Pass holder)
5. CQC (free to the season Pass holder)
6. one mysterious extra (free to the season pass holder).


Season 2 - Horizons (an addtional expansion price / full price )
1. Landing on Airless planets, Having access to the scarab, new flight mechanic
2. ???????? oooh mystery (free to the season pass holder)
3. ???????? oooh mystery (free to the season pass holder)
4. ???????? oooh mystery (free to the season pass holder)
5. ???????? oooh mystery (free to the season pass holder)


Season3 - walkies ???????
1. ??????


Now from my understanding. Horizons gives you access to all the rest of the seasons expansions - I'm pretty sure they are going to bake all the planetary updates within this same season.

So we start of simple, and then they add on the layers.

The scarab can fit in even an eagle right so 2 tonne cargo space is required.
And more than likely a new computer module / different thrusters??

But that means an Anaconda and Type 9 have these giant cargo bay doors.
What kind of SRV can they have?

there will be one for mining, prospecting, combat, exploration.

We have more places to land, crashed ships to explore, pirate bases, normal bases......(ObsidianAnt mentioned Caves??)

New flight mechanics, it's a whole NEW game and WHOLE set of vehicles.


THEN comes in the heat shields and comming down to planets with atmospheres, right, and another expansion to the season (like wings/powerplay/CQC)
Probably the gas giants allowing us to fuel scoop.

Then the planets with forests and trees,

Then planets with cities.

You forgot THARGOIDS!

 

[Octanen]

You forgot THARGOIDS!

Haha so true, I personally would be surprised if we don't meet them in PL etc.

 

[Assailer]

Well, you can see it that way of course, but given how much they changed the game over the years, I personally wouldn't agree on that.

Those changes in WoW are core changes. Content update would be a new alien race, special regions of the locked galaxy. Landing on a planet is core feature.

 

[Tuub t Tute]

Confused!

So roll on to say Season 5....

Someone could have bought, as they came out, Season 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5... Each one for say about £30 each? = £150

Meanwhile, someone new to the franchise/game, could simply buy Season 5, and be in basically the same situation as that would give them all those previous Seasons? ie: All for just £30?

Or might it be more selective than that, in that buying Season 5 might inherently give your Season 1 (The core game) but no other Seasons (eg: 2 - Horizons, 3 and 4)?

I can't comment officially. My thought would be that their marketing model is "you pay up front to have the new content for 1 year, after 1 year the price of existing content is reduced and rolled up with the new season's expansion"
-
I played Everquest for years. When they released the Titanium edition it was something like 10 expansions (everything not including the newest release) for the price of the original game more or less. So people who had payed 10 x £30, had 8 years of gameplay, but those coming lately, or returning to the game got to catch up for considerably less.
-
True, EQ had a monthly subscription model, so it was in their best interests to make it easier for people to get back on the payment plan. It is something that has been going on for years, that if you want the content at release time, you know you are paying more than some "johnny come lately" will pay in a year's time

 

[Ryder35]

Confused!

So roll on to say Season 5....

Someone could have bought, as they came out, Season 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5... Each one for say about £30 each? = £150

Meanwhile, someone new to the franchise/game, could simply buy Season 5, and be in basically the same situation as that would give them all those previous Seasons? ie: All for just £30?

Or might it be more selective than that, in that buying Season 5 might inherently give your Season 1 (The core game) but no other Seasons (eg: 2 - Horizons, 3 and 4)?

Yes but if you wait until season 5 you miss out on 5 year's worth of gameplay. Just have to decide if £30/year is worth it to you.

 

[bladebss]

https://youtu.be/EM0Gcl7iUM8

just a reminder... people seem to think they were told planitery landings was day one content...

the video was published in dec 2012.. about a month after kikstarter began I belive...

 

[Th3Cr0w]

I literally was 1 min away from buying ED, just by accident I saw the announcement of the DLC.
Guess I'm not buying this game for a while.
No need to reason, the pricing is offsetting for a (to be) new player.

 

[Kramster]

Yes but if you wait until season 5 you miss out on 5 year's worth of gameplay. Just have to decide if £30/year is worth it to you.

You only perceive to miss out, in reality you have missed nothing merely postponed the years of gameplay.
If ED was a fully fledged MMO with raids and masses of group content then yes you would be at a disadvantage but, as ED is primarily, a single player experience with a chance of meeting someone then it is not an issue as the game can be enjoyed at any chosen point in the future.
I have only seen Game of Thrones season 1&2 and have now decided I will wait for the complete seasons box set, I am sure I will still enjoy it none the less.

I literally was 1 min away from buying ED, just by accident I saw the announcement of the DLC.
Guess I'm not buying this game for a while.
No need to reason, the pricing is offsetting for a (to be) new player.

It does seem an odd business decision to not include instant access to ED core game while waiting for 'Season 2' with the pre-order.
It potentially kills all sales until the DLC goes live

Hang on? I thought Horizons was a DLC so required you to already own Elite Dangerous?

ie: Horizons is not a self contained game?

Nope...
ED December 2014 £40 + Horizons £30 (*inc the discount for a 'limited period') = £70
or for those that do not currently own it ED ships with the Horizons update free so £40 a bargain

*The discount is a limited time offer (no mention of time scale though)
It isn't so much a thanks to existing owners rather a pre order blind or we will make you pay later, at least it seems that way to my old cynical mind

I always assumed (what a fool I am) that the game would be required and dlc would be charged separately at say £20-25 with maybe a discount of 25-50% on the core game to encourage new players. I forgot to factor in the modern 'cash grab' economics of the gaming world...make em pay again and again and again.

 

[Mark Lock]

will we have to pay for all of those updates to get all the different planets or will it all be updated in horizons as time goes on?

I guess we won't have to, those who buy the "walking on" expansion will get all the above, all other expansions will probably have other features not mentioned for now, maybe "building on planet" will be a separate one, I don't know

 

[Mulbin]

Hang on? I thought Horizons was a DLC so required you to already own Elite Dangerous?

ie: Horizons is not a self contained game?

That's the rule for you yes, you're a loyal customer so you have to pay for the game again and wait until it releases. The rule for new customers is they just have to wait and buy "elite dangerous: Horizons" for £40 and they have everything. Fair no?

The point people are making is this.

In December Elite dangerous will include horizons in it's price. Or you can upgrade your game to horizons (still having to wait for December), again paying full price, even though you've paid for the game once already. A bit like a new car costing £10,000... or just a replacement wheel for your existing car (same model) also costing £10,000.

In short, there is no DLC for Elite, you just have to buy the game again full price every "season"... may as well just start a new account every season, at least you'll get all the copies of the game you've paid for, even though some will have DLC some will not.

 

[SNaomiScott]

I'm just going to put this here...

Rome 2: Total War (bought in sale, one year after release): £30
3 Campaign Packs @ £10 each: £30
4 Faction Packs @ £6 each: £24
2 Unit Packs @ £2 each: £4

Total cost = £88, for a product that is now two years old, still contains a fair number of bugs, is no longer getting a fraction of the development it used to get (because of the new game, Attila), produced by a company with fifteen years of continued experience in their chosen field.

I bought it, I loved it (as I did with all of the previous TW games), and yet I still only racked up 64 hours of game time before I got distracted by something else. For the record, my highest game time in any of the TW titles is 113 hours in Empire: Total War, over the six years I've owned it, and for all five of the TW titles I have on Steam my combined game time is just 250-ish hours, for an estimated cost of roughly £200.


Elite: Dangerous, on the other hand? I've racked up 130 hours in the less than four weeks I've owned it (which, coincidently, is the highest individual game time I have recorded for *all* the games I've bought through Steam since signing up with HL2 way back in 2008), have truly enjoyed every moment so far, and as it stands I fully expect to still be playing it for a long time yet. As a result, I really have no problem paying £120 (incl. discount) for the Lifetime Pass, as I'm reasonably confident that I will get more than my money's worth out of this game in the years to come.

I may be wrong, but only time will tell.

Just saying.