Any tips how to return to Elite after some... time?

[ShiMan]

So, the last time I've played Elite extensively was... a few years ago, with occasional returns for doing events for my buddies via GeForce Now, since I didn't have a good laptop to play anymore.
Otherwise, I feel so... estranged from the Elite.

Reasons?

• I don't have access to pretty much every Engineer. Likewise with the Guardian hardware.
• I don't have experience with the AX, which means...
• ...all the trophies and unique awards since the whole Thargoid Mothership affair flown waaay away from me.
• I didn't have touched the Odyssey content.
• And after playing X4 Foundations (btw, just look Frontier, how Egosoft filled in what Elite lacks, especially industry management), I feel that Elite is quite... bland, outside of exploration, mining to some degree, and recently the AX combat.
• Not mentioning being effectively cut off from all those fun stuff for ARX (especially ship kits, COVAS and capital ship customizations and ATC COVAS), because... well, I didn't have luck in my life.
• Also all those pre-engineered stuffs and FSD with SCO (the "Alcubierre Afterburner")... :'(

Just recently got the newer hardware with Ryzen 5 3500U with Vega 8. With FSR, it works. Kinda. But still, much better than the laptop I've used to play Horizons before (i3-5005U + GeForce 920M).
Do you have any tips for return? I don't want to feel overwhelmed by the changes, and pushed away (especially after ARX inflation) by them...

 

[GroG79]

Get in ship. Fly away.. Do stuffs you like!

 

[HappyMoonMonkey]

Well you just wrote yourself a to do list...

But you don't need to go overboard on engineering and guardian stuff. Just start those journeys going for what you want/need.

 

[aRJay]

First thing do tutorials and training from the menus to reacquaint yourself with the controls etc.

 

[Commander Biscuit]

Do you have any tips for return? I don't want to feel overwhelmed by the changes, and pushed away (especially after ARX inflation) by them...

Buy a Sidewinder and pretend you are starting again. This cuts out the feeling of being in the middle of some progress, and unsure what to do next. Your goals (basic missions) are clear and in front of you. The new features and changes will gradually come to you as you re-familiarize yourself.

 

[DYSEQTA]

So, the last time I've played Elite extensively was... a few years ago, with occasional returns for doing events for my buddies via GeForce Now, since I didn't have a good laptop to play anymore.
Otherwise, I feel so... estranged from the Elite.

Reasons?

• I don't have access to pretty much every Engineer. Likewise with the Guardian hardware.
• I don't have experience with the AX, which means...
• ...all the trophies and unique awards since the whole Thargoid Mothership affair flown waaay away from me.
• I didn't have touched the Odyssey content.
• And after playing X4 Foundations (btw, just look Frontier, how Egosoft filled in what Elite lacks, especially industry management), I feel that Elite is quite... bland, outside of exploration, mining to some degree, and recently the AX combat.
• Not mentioning being effectively cut off from all those fun stuff for ARX (especially ship kits, COVAS and capital ship customizations and ATC COVAS), because... well, I didn't have luck in my life.
• Also all those pre-engineered stuffs and FSD with SCO (the "Alcubierre Afterburner")... :'(

Just recently got the newer hardware with Ryzen 5 3500U with Vega 8. With FSR, it works. Kinda. But still, much better than the laptop I've used to play Horizons before (i3-5005U + GeForce 920M).
Do you have any tips for return? I don't want to feel overwhelmed by the changes, and pushed away (especially after ARX inflation) by them...

Based on this post I would say "Don't bother.". The monetization changes alone are likely to trip you up because if you thought it was bad before....those were the good ol' days. To be honest sounds like you should stick to X4.

 

[DjVortex]

I don't have access to pretty much every Engineer. Likewise with the Guardian hardware.

Nah, the only engineer you need is Felicity Farseer.

As for Guardian stuff, you only need the Guardian FSD booster, which is a fun quest to unlock.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

I've been watching ED for years for an opportunity to return. The incentive to play went rather down than up. X4 is a massive game. Takes extraordinary amount of time to get to endgame. Thing is - you don't need to get there, but in ED you have to grind through all the engineer crap to get anywhere.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

In terms of SCO drives, we're all starting again...

Beyond that find what you like doing.
Don't know where you are credits-wise but there's a few good earners out there.

 

[Rulyam Van Houten]

I’m a returning player. Had some 550 hours logged seven years ago. Returned two weeks ago to my Annie which was parked some 40kly from the bubble. Talk about a grindy start.

I was absent so long that even this new way of honking was totally strange to me.

Anyhow, now I’m back in the Bubble flying a brand new stealth DBX as that is the only way I feel comfortable in the open. Did the work for pre-engineered FSD and got it on monday. I guess the rest of my fleet will get the SCO FSD.

I’m totally loving the new content. I feel that I’m almost overwhelmed with all possible things I can do. I guess this is like a second honeymoon as even getting to land on a base is a thrill. I was dumbfouded to find out that newly bought ships have some ’ docking computer and supercruise assist installed. Blew them outta airlock ASAP.

Next I’ll do some Guardian things to get the FSD booster, never visited a Guardian base before.

So, if I could give any advice to a returning player it would be this:

Don’t try to tackle every aspect of the game at once. There are just too many possible routes. Too many things to unlock and grind. Go step by step trying to enjoy all of it.

 

[VR micmacmoc]

Buy a Sidewinder and pretend you are starting again. This cuts out the feeling of being in the middle of some progress, and unsure what to do next. Your goals (basic missions) are clear and in front of you. The new features and changes will gradually come to you as you re-familiarize yourself.

Really good advice! Starting again is great now, theres a starter system and more options.
The sidewinder is a much neglected beauty.

 

[Cmdr Esteban]

The sidewinder is a much neglected beauty.

Never were truer words spoken.
/^_^\

 

[Fnord Velkor]

..., theres a starter system and more options.
....

They broke that ... In LIVE you are not in the newbie zone after the tutorial and don't have the permit for it. It is still operating as before in LEGACY though.

 

[ShiMan]

First, thanks for all the replies. So:

First thing do tutorials and training from the menus to reacquaint yourself with the controls etc.

Yeah, probably I'll try that first indeed.

Based on this post I would say "Don't bother.". The monetization changes alone are likely to trip you up because if you thought it was bad before....those were the good ol' days. To be honest sounds like you should stick to X4.

I've played MechWarrior Online, which used such monetization policies waaay before Frontier did (and yeah, including inflation). And to be honest... Before co-op hits X4, I'll probably stick with Elite, since I have buddies over there.

Buy a Sidewinder and pretend you are starting again. This cuts out the feeling of being in the middle of some progress, and unsure what to do next. Your goals (basic missions) are clear and in front of you. The new features and changes will gradually come to you as you re-familiarize yourself.

Perhaps. Somewhat, I like the Sidey. It's the equivalent of Fiat 126p. Hell, my squadron even have an achievement to actually fly from HR 8444 to Sag A* in max 24 hours (if only SCO could be squeezed in...)
This game sorely needs more ships... (even after Python Mk II; hell, Frontier could unlock Cobra Mk IV with the same scheme).
Otherwise, I also have a fun with ASP Scout.

In terms of SCO drives, we're all starting again...

Beyond that find what you like doing.
Don't know where you are credits-wise but there's a few good earners out there.

Well, I've scored most of my (~250M Cr) cash on doing 50M Mission Runs (Bertrandite and such stuff).

I've been watching ED for years for an opportunity to return. The incentive to play went rather down than up. X4 is a massive game. Takes extraordinary amount of time to get to endgame. Thing is - you don't need to get there, but in ED you have to grind through all the engineer crap to get anywhere.

Yeah. And that's my problem with such grinding in E. In X4, you can be a literal tycoon, by getting enough cash, then building your station (and pay all the needed expenses in ships and materials), to buy a thing for that station, then producing another thing from that thing and then selling the freshly produced another thing. Or use it to construct a brand-new part for your ship. Or even a new ship, entirely.
Ehh, if we could have such facilities, even planet side, even for just the squadrons... It would boost the interest in E.

Nah, the only engineer you need is Felicity Farseer.

As for Guardian stuff, you only need the Guardian FSD booster, which is a fun quest to unlock.

Perhaps that would be a viable goal, but apart from FSD booster, I was also thinking to get a Guardian-enhanced power plants, guns and fighters (I have schematics for all three, but not the rest of the materials for unlocking them, though).

 

[Mrc_NorthEast]

This game sorely needs more ships... (even after Python Mk II; hell, Frontier could unlock Cobra Mk IV with the same scheme).

CM4 was an exclusive, so it's possible but unlikely, in my opinion. However a CM5 which is very close to the CM4 but updated for the Ludicrous Speed Sco drives would be most welcome

 

[Zak Gordon]

Seems a useful thread for returning players, and i'm that also.

Question: On the "Start screen" i see a number of options:

1.Elite Dangerous: Odyssey - Not installed
2.Elite Dangerous: Horizons - Not installed
3.Legacy Elite Dangerous - READY
4.Elite Dangerous: Arena - READY
5.Single Player Combat Training - Not installed

I'm one of the original backers that got the "Digital download Updates forever" version, i forget exactly what that was called now?

So I went ahead and updated the launcher then game (says version 16.01 now) to get to the above selection start screen. I clicked on Elite Odyssey and seemed to be able to download it for free (Part of my kickstarter backer option?). But i cancelled the download as i'm not sure i want/need the Odyssey stuff (I could be wrong on this and am looking for advice).

I had played for a few months a year or so back, then real life got in the way as they say. So i'm super newb with the game in general and am looking for suggestions like the OP, where to start, should i download Odyssey and if so how much extra space do i need for it?

I'm an Elite player for the spaceship stuff, i was there at the start on my friends Acorn Electron and had to wait years to buy and own my own version of the game (no Atari 8bit version being the reason!), that came on my Amiga 1200 and later PC.

I would probably be happy in the Legacy version, i have little interest in the online mp stuff for this game (i guess i am "legacy" myself with my history of Elite), but if Odyssey is considered a game changer to the Elite Dangerous experience I could be pushed into downloading it if i have room and my PC can handle it.

Specs:

Amd Ryzen 5 1600
16 GB Ram
Nvidia GTX 1650 Super 4GB

So where to start? Suggestions and advice all accepted for consideration.

 

[Commander Biscuit]

This game sorely needs more ships... (even after Python Mk II; hell, Frontier could unlock Cobra Mk IV with the same scheme).

That'd be great. Haven't flown the Cobra lV since console days. I doubt it will ever happen, but perhaps they'll release a Cobra V which will become the best small multi-role, which I believe the lV currently is.

 

[ShiMan]

Seems a useful thread for returning players, and i'm that also.

Question: On the "Start screen" i see a number of options:

1.Elite Dangerous: Odyssey - Not installed
2.Elite Dangerous: Horizons - Not installed
3.Legacy Elite Dangerous - READY
4.Elite Dangerous: Arena - READY
5.Single Player Combat Training - Not installed

I'm one of the original backers that got the "Digital download Updates forever" version, i forget exactly what that was called now?

So I went ahead and updated the launcher then game (says version 16.01 now) to get to the above selection start screen. I clicked on Elite Odyssey and seemed to be able to download it for free (Part of my kickstarter backer option?). But i cancelled the download as i'm not sure i want/need the Odyssey stuff (I could be wrong on this and am looking for advice).

I had played for a few months a year or so back, then real life got in the way as they say. So i'm super newb with the game in general and am looking for suggestions like the OP, where to start, should i download Odyssey and if so how much extra space do i need for it?

I'm an Elite player for the spaceship stuff, i was there at the start on my friends Acorn Electron and had to wait years to buy and own my own version of the game (no Atari 8bit version being the reason!), that came on my Amiga 1200 and later PC.

I would probably be happy in the Legacy version, i have little interest in the online mp stuff for this game (i guess i am "legacy" myself with my history of Elite), but if Odyssey is considered a game changer to the Elite Dangerous experience I could be pushed into downloading it if i have room and my PC can handle it.

Specs:

Amd Ryzen 5 1600
16 GB Ram
Nvidia GTX 1650 Super 4GB

So where to start? Suggestions and advice all accepted for consideration.

So, you have installed the Legacy version, which is essentially an unsupported any more dead end (especially for console players).
Your specs should be enough to install the Live versions (which are Odyssey and Horizons), so throw out the Legacy ED, and install Odyssey right away

Anyway, I've started to install the Elite on the newer laptop. And in meantime...
Cheers from ETS2. o7

 

[Fnord Velkor]

Seems a useful thread for returning players, and i'm that also.

Question: On the "Start screen" i see a number of options:

1.Elite Dangerous: Odyssey - Not installed
2.Elite Dangerous: Horizons - Not installed
3.Legacy Elite Dangerous - READY
4.Elite Dangerous: Arena - READY
5.Single Player Combat Training - Not installed

.....

I would probably be happy in the Legacy version, i have little interest in the online mp stuff for this game (i guess i am "legacy" myself with my history of Elite), but if Odyssey is considered a game changer to the Elite Dangerous experience I could be pushed into downloading it if i have room and my PC can handle it.

Specs:

Amd Ryzen 5 1600
16 GB Ram
Nvidia GTX 1650 Super 4GB

So where to start? Suggestions and advice all accepted for consideration.

As @ShiMan says, the Legacy Horizons is not receiving any updates and there is obviously a much smaller number of players "playing it" - so the BGS and markets are not very active (if at all), there are no 3rd party tools to give easy access to data like modules, markets, faction states, etc. For sure you can use the in-game tools and things that you can run on your own computer for much of that (TCE for example). So option 3 on your list is in that state.

Your GFX card is what might give you issues with option2 and definitely with option 1 - I am no expert but 4GB is pushing it even at low quality settings. It is worth giving the Live Horizons (option 2) a try to see if you can get it working acceptably and if so then see how Odyssey copes.

All that being said, console players are still on Legacy (option 3) and there were a good few people on the forum still playing Legacy Horizons. I do play Legacy from time to time but it is a bit sad (station news items have never updated for example) although the fact that I can drive my SRV and actually see meteorites beyond 100m is very nostalgic (they pop up being drawn at 99m in Live for some reason).

 

[Zak Gordon]

@ShiMan
I "think" Legacy Horizons was called just Horizons when i first installed and set things up a few years back? So it seems after the updates I just ran through it kept that game setting? I'm an offline player of ED (in terms of MP and PvP etc), so can i do that in the updated version of Horizons (that is not installed for me currently)? Or is that version of Horizons the same game universe as Odyssey just minus the space legs?

@Fnord Velkor,

Yeah i had to go to the Steam page to pull the specs and Odyssey would seem a bit too much for the 4GB Vram i have? Hmmm ok I think i will try the version of Horizons i have not installed and see how it performs, and keep Legacy for when i just want to dip in and out and not put too much effort in, or if Horizons current version does not run well.

Thanks for the info chaps, very decent of you


Note to FDEV:

It would be nice to have more in-depth descriptions in the "Versions" screen. Also system specs (min and recommended)? As this screen info can be updated on your end easily and kept upto date.