Can it be compared to the X series?

[Rabcor]

I've tried to understand what this game is all about but the info is just... minimal, theres not even a feature list. I saw a video somewhere about how the original game came to be (with some interviews and whatnot) which was pretty educational and makes me understand why people of the generation when Elite was new hype this game so much. And the original does deserve the praise as an important piece in the history of video games.

It looks interesting enough so i want to get into it and i intend to support/pledge/donate to the game tomorrow, but i want to have a bit better idea of what it is before i do so.

So do you people think you can give me a rough idea of what this game is going to be based on me having played X3 Terran Conflict/Albion Prelude since i know X was largely inspired by Elite, and i love X3 it's amazing! but what do X and Elite have in common and where do you think they will differ (apart from the obvious multiplayer)

 

[Flavio]

To answer your title question, yes.
The similarity is that they are both set in space. The differences are numerous, I only played X2 for an hour or so but did not like it and for me that is the biggest difference and the important one.
I suggest you have a go at a previous elite type game like Frontier or Oolite to get a just of the playing style and read what is in Elite Dangerous and then you can decide for yourself but I suggest that you will love it.

 

[Allen Stroud]

I like the X series. I also like Elite.

The Khaak in the X Series are kind of based on the Thargoids in Elite.
The trading element of the X series, including ship upgrades and lots of varied locations in star systems (even monastic orders living on asteroids) are very similar to Frontier and Frontier First Encounters.

The story elements in X are similar to Frontier First Encounters, but its a little more developed in X. Although I do like the news feed tie ins in Frontier First Encounters.

The Trade mogul element of X, where you end up running a fleet and managing a production station are not like Elite or Frontier.

The variety of species in X are not like the Frontier games where the main species you encounter is human. However, the factional nature of ship design is comparable, in that both have very different ship designs for their factions.

The Elite and Frontier ships are somewhat more iconic than the X ones.

I'm sure other people can disagree or think of more things to list.

 

[Belisarius]

Well, the most important difference of course is, that in the X-Series everything takes place in space.

In Elite (Elite: Dangerous via an Expansion pack according to all I read) however, planets aren´t just background objects (that only may interact with you if, after a really long flight you come to near to them and burn up) but are something where you can land on (as well as, at least in earlier Elite-titles, place mines on them to gather precious ores)

 

[Alien]

My next comparison thread was going to be E: D vs X-Rebirth ... but oh well ....

I've played most of the X series (I didn't play Reunion or Albion Prelude or Rebirth) so I'll comment here on comparing the two (as I was going to do it anyway )

X3:TC is a completely different game ... as Flavio says above, they are both set in "space" ... and that, I'm afraid is where the comparison ends. Yes in X3:TC you buy many ships, but in E: D you won't be doing fleet management (You will only fly one ship at a time, with your other ships in storage), you won't be owning stations and there will be (eventually) planet landings.

Rebirth is closer to Elite: Dangerous than X3:TC because that has you flying one ship (you can own others, but not fly them yourself), and walking around your ship and stations (which will come in E: D in a future update). Rebirth has the fast space lanes, but still has gates (E: D won't have gates). Also, the X-series, by design has a limited number of sectors ... Elite, by design (since FE2) has as many systems as are in our own galaxy.

So, I hope that helps you to compare the X-series and Elite: Dangerous a bit. The real truth is though, at this stage, we don't know much about the game itself. If you become a backer, you should get access to the Private Backer's Forum and Design Discussion Archive, which by now has a lot to read, and will help you to understand better what you'll be able to do in Elite: Dangerous.

 

[Tinman]

First of all...it's actually really hard to explain what makes Elite so special and keep it short. Which is also why we haven't seen any video from FD showing this of yet. They simply need to have a lot of the game in place before showing it of properly, because otherwise we miss the scope of it.

If we really oversimplify it I guess we could say that it's like Skyrim, but in space and without a main storyline. There will however be overarching events taking place in the galaxy that FD will be in control over.

Elite is not about building empires or managing fleets. It's rather about you as a pilot having an adventure out in an (almost) infinite galaxy where you can do anything and go anywhere. It will contain more solar-systems than you can ever visit in you lifetime (400 Billion).

In the first expansion after release it will make it possible to land on any planet at any given location. Not through a cutscene, but you will rather seamlessly fly down through the atmosphere/clouds and land without any sort of loading screens. Obvious loading screens in general is something I think they will try to avoid at all cost. In other words. The worlds/planets in this game will be real, with vegetation, cityscapes and life running around (as long as the planet is habitable of course), instead of just a sphere with a nice looking texture on it. The same goes for the stars you see in the sky. If you see a star you can fly to it (if you have the fuel that is).

So the scope of the game is in my view bigger than anything else ever done and then we haven't even talked about what might come around when you in a future expansion will be able to walk around as a character inside your ship, inside the colossal space stations or down on the surface of planets for that matter!

When this point is reached I wouldn't even call it a Space Sim anymore. It will basically be a fully fledged Sci Fi Simulator, with everything that might entail.

(Can you tell that I'm excited about this game? )

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Hi Rabcor,

Let's start with basic information about ED. There's bunch of frequently asked questions to witch we know answers http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite:_Dangerous_FAQ I think it will give you insight how ED or Elite compares to X series.

In nutshell, first X games formulated themselves as spiritual successor of Elite series. However, biggest differences are in depth and scope. Further X series distinguished themselves as trading empire in space games. ED and Elite in nutshell concentrates on experience of the pilot. Systems have real planets and real stars. You either trade, or are you pirate, or are you on military mission -
all what matters is your skills.

 

[Rabcor]

Will i be able to board ships to steal them then sell or keep them stored as any other owned ship? What about stealing cargo or salvaging? I see elite has some similar starting scenario system as X do they basically work the same? Will piracy actually be a legitimate playstyle?

Will there be generated missions like in X3 to earn money? Will there be a faction and reputation system? what about combat/trade ranks?

Will there be wars i can participate in either as a merchant of some sort or as a mercenary?

What roles will primarily be available to the players?

@ Tinman, yeah you're exicted as hell, but i don't mind reading so you don't have to make it short.

 

[Valkyrie]

I've tried to understand what this game is all about but the info is just... minimal, theres not even a feature list.

There's most certainly a list of features, but nothing compiled into a short feature list. If you check the DDF archive you can get some insight into how the game will work at the feature level.

While the X series and Elite are both set in space, X confines you inside an invisible static box in a small region above a planet and the planets are merely backdrops where as in Elite 2 onwards, the backdrops are actual environments that you will most likely be able to go to, visit and even land on in the case of planets, moons, asteroids, etc.

Also in Elite, you wont be managing multiple ships and factories like you do in X. Elite is more focused in you, your ship and the role you play.

These links might be of some use to you;

What is Elite: http://dk.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/1mee0a/what_is_elite/
FAQ: http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite:_Dangerous_FAQ
DDF Archive: http://forums.frontier.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=36

 

[Oss133]

Will i be able to board ships to steal them then sell or keep them stored as any other owned ship? What about stealing cargo or salvaging? I see elite has some similar starting scenario system as X do they basically work the same? Will piracy actually be a legitimate playstyle?

Will there be generated missions like in X3 to earn money? Will there be a faction and reputation system? what about combat/trade ranks?

Will there be wars i can participate in either as a merchant of some sort or as a mercenary?

What roles will primarily be available to the players?

Boarding and hijacking other ships was mentioned in a video, but relates to a future expansion to the initial game.

Pirating is very much a legitimate playstyle.

 

[sharpshifter]

What Allen Stroud said

All I can add from my many hundreds of hours of playing Frontier, X3, TC and AP is that only Frontier gave me a sense of being pretty much alone in space and fending for myself, progressing by whatever means necessary.

Whereas X3 and its sequels made me feel like I was just another number in the environment and while it was fun building up my bank account, reputations, building self-sustainable complexes, kicking backside in massive ships and so on, it all got a bit too samey and eventually I stopped enjoying it.

I just hope that with all the extra content in the world that ED looks to have, that it retains an element of loneliness.

I like being alone..


*turns PC off and continues to sit in a dark corner*

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Will i be able to board ships to steal them then sell or keep them stored as any other owned ship? What about stealing cargo or salvaging? I see elite has some similar starting scenario system as X do they basically work the same? Will piracy actually be a legitimate playstyle?

Boarding ships are planned down the line post-release, in first expansion. Details are still sketchy how stealing of actual ship would happen, but that will be in ED.

Stealing cargo and salvaging will be in Elite Dangerous.

Yes, piracy will be legitimate playstyle.

Will there be generated missions like in X3 to earn money? Will there be a faction and reputation system? what about combat/trade ranks?

You usually earn your money trough your trading/killing/etc. skills. However there will be generated missions (like delivering packages or passengers). Elite has one major rank trough all it's games and that's based on your kill rate. However, ED will introduce additional ranks for other skills, including trading.

Will there be wars i can participate in either as a merchant of some sort or as a mercenary?

Yes, there will be and you will take a part in them as you would like to. It will be also part of big shared galaxy (if you play online), so wars will be ongoing for rather long time.

What roles will primarily be available to the players?

There's no roles, you just do what you want to do. Buy weapons and go hunt pirates, or become pirate yourself, go to find good trading routes, etc. It's all your choice. There will be ton of additional activities too.

 

[Valkyrie]

Will i be able to board ships to steal them then sell or keep them stored as any other owned ship? What about stealing cargo or salvaging? I see elite has some similar starting scenario system as X do they basically work the same? Will piracy actually be a legitimate playstyle?

Will there be generated missions like in X3 to earn money? Will there be a faction and reputation system? what about combat/trade ranks?

Will there be wars i can participate in either as a merchant of some sort or as a mercenary?

What roles will primarily be available to the players?

I believe David has hinted at being able to steal ships by sneaking on them at space stations in a future expansion, once EVA is integrated into the game. Not sure about boarding yet, but I assume that might be on the table at some point.

You will be able to take on missions. You will be able to steal cargo from traders, that will affect your reputation and most likely give you a bounty which will have bounty hunters seeking you out.

You will be able to participate in wars and depending on the players, the outcome will be affected and most likely the state of a system will be affected.

Roles vary; from trader to courier to pirate to bounty hunter to passenger transporter (with specialized transport ships) to explorer that lurks on the fringes of explored space, selling maps and jump points to others.

 

[jabokai]

I believe David has hinted at being able to steal ships by sneaking on them at space stations in a future expansion, once EVA is integrated into the game. .

He did, but I suspect he was letting his imagination run away with itself a little there, rather than thinking about how that would actually translate to gameplay. To make it interesting, challenging, and fun you'd need a whole host of features, not just EVA. I mean if it was as simple as walking onto a ship and crouching behind a box then it would be pathetic. Not to mention that it would be a trivial (and boring) chore for a pilot to simply walk around his ship with a gun once the doors were locked.

 

[Tinman]

Boarding ships are planned down the line post-release, in first expansion. Details are still sketchy how stealing of actual ship would happen, but that will be in ED.

Eventually yes, but not in the first expansion though.

There are of course some updates that we have already announced will be coming. The most notable and anticipated of these is of course seamless planetary landings. Whilst it wouldn’t be sharing anything new with you to confirm this feature post-launch, I can confirm that we hope to implement it within a year of release, if possible:

Sandy: Definitely yes. Hopefully (barring issues) within the first year post-release

Michael: Yes, we’ll be looking to add landings in updates after the game’s intial release. We’ll provide more details nearer the time.

That quote is taken from "Feature Request Update 8", over here:
http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5659

 

[Ian Phillips]

just watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE8B4KptyVI

 

[Oss133]

just watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE8B4KptyVI

Great to watch but in no way is this indicative of gameplay.

 

[W4rSkuLL]

Ive been playing a little X3 Albion Prelude. Its fun, but in the end all the micromangment of ships and stations become frustrating. And its a pretty steep learning curve. But it feels rewarding when you get your first station and begin earning cash to buy new ships/stations. The x universe aint that large and is connected by jumppoints. In Elite Dangerous everything in the universe will be at a different scale. Frontier Developments will use a procedural code technic to form an entire galaxy. This was done in frontier Elite 2, and everything fitted into 1 floppy disk. Pretty amazing if you ask me. And the solar systems will function as a "real solar system". With planetary orbits, moons, differnt types of planets/suns even black holes if I remember right. And this will be around 200 billion to 400 billion starsystems all procedural made with an algorithm. You put different content into a formel and the code will automaticly make random systems based of real physics and mathematic. It sounds pretty amazing. In this way the whole galaxy can be made automaticly. I dont think it would be finished if people are going to make 1 solar system at a time Well, and it is promised planetary landings in an expansion. If they can pull it of and we can actually fly to a system and land on moons, astroids and planets. Which is orbiting and funtioning as a real solarsystem with modern graphics as in Frontier and First Encounters. It would redefine spacesims forever. But first things first I guess. The real difference between the X universe and ED is that you cant buy stations or build fabrics yet in ED. Which I think is one of the cool things about the X universe. And that you can set up waypoints for all your ships in the x universe. And use scripts to control them with "Ai". This alove you to have huge fleets of ships and eventually you can go into an all out war with races. In ED we have PVP, and this is going to be great. Here your alliances and fleets will consist of real human beings and friends. And the benefits of that. The scale of ED is to huge to go detailed into. But all information can be seen on the newsletter section in updates and on Design Desicion Archive. It should be enough to make you a dedicated ED fan and look forward to one of the best space sims ever made. We all hope

 

[Flavio]

Talking of roles, its not like some games like Civilization where you choose what type of character you are at the start and things progress from there and therefore you don't decide at the start that you are going to be a pirate and remain a pirate since your actions may push you in one direction and then you see a contract or opportunity to do something else and therefore your role changes. Nothing is fixed but is very fluid.
Even choosing your faction can change due to circumstances.
To get an idea of what I mean, imagine starting out wanting to being a Federation trader but in doing a run you are attacked by a pirate and you kill him and therefore gain his bounty and decide to go to collect it from a system but due to damages, you end up going to a closer system which treats part of your goods as illegal, and now you have a bounty on your head in the federation so you go to the Empire and on the way are attacked. At the Empire, they regard your two kills with great esteem and therefore offer you a selection of contracts to find other pirates and therefore you have now become an imperial bounty hunter. You can of course decide to become a federation smuggler instead or remain a trader or take on navy jobs etc. No fixed roles but plenty of variation, and ability to change -a bit like life.

 

[bitrogue]

I believe everyone here has supplied some excellent information, but I thought I'd chip in with my own take on some key features which I think will make Elite stand out from the X games and any other space sim for that matter. If not for the OP, then at least I feel better about being able to articulate my thoughts for myself on why I'm excited for this game.

• Atmosphere : Elite has you flying in space, all alone and far from anywhere else. You're going to feel alone, cramped, small and one against the vastness and danger of open space. Fear of the unknown, fear of pirates and other unsavoury types.
• Freedom : You are free to follow your own path, your own career. There is no checkbox you tick to force you into playing one career for the rest of your Elite life. You are also free to travel anywhere, engage in your own activities whether no matter if you're being good or evil.
• Skills based, not stats based : Elite is about your skill at surviving, skill in the cockpit, skill at reading the market, skill at navigating. If you survived a space battle against odds, its because you were really able to outfly your opponents, not because you have a higher ship gunnery skill.
• Scale : Elite is bigger in many ways than much of the competition. The galaxy to explore will really contain 400 billion stars. Every star system will be a fully realised system of suns, planets, moons, asteroids and other cosmic features. Space stations will be huge - with cities inside, capital ships will be big.
• Realism : Apart from some features to make gameplay more enjoyable, Elite is going to include as much realistic physics and science as is plausible. Planets will revolve around the sun, moons around their planets. Space stations will rotate to achieve gravitational effects, distances are realistic, the galaxy will be constructed using a combination of procedural generation and current star maps, which will include most cosmic features such as binary stars, nebula, dwarf and supergiant stars and up to date catalog of exoplanets. So exploring in Elite will be almost like exploring our real home galaxy. And you'll be able to visit good old Earth!
• Living galaxy : There will be a very involved background simulation to Elite making the world around you bigger than what immediately affects you. The Elite world will feature living breathing characters, other pilots that you can interact with and who have their own story. NPCs will get into fights with other NPCs that you can choose to aid, or not. NPCs will have quite advanced AI, not just in piloting but also in general interaction, where you can make friends with them, you can call them for help, they might call you for help, have missions for you etc. And then there are different factions wit htheir own agendas, back stories, wars and conflicts which are constantly changing depending on real life events around the populated parts of teh galaxy. These events are constantly generating missions in real time meaning that you can be a small cog in changing the destinies of various factions and allegiances.
• Emergent Gameplay : Since there are no rules to how you may want to play the game, there are an infinite number of ways of going about life and solving the various missions and problems that the game throws up. Working alone or multiplayer, bounty hunting, trading, salvaging, joining the military or quietly mapping out an unexplored system. Everything has value, anything can be bought, stolen and traded. Its up to you!

Later on, as some have mentioned, the game will be expanded to include planetary landings, landing at cities, or in terraformed domes, flying over the landscape and exploring seas, rivers, forests and planes complete with wildlife.

And finally, in a distant future update (and hopefully not just wishful thinking) Elite will have full EVA/first person mode that gets you walking around your ship, the space station, in cities and possibly all around a planets surface, with hopefully a set of expanded mission parameters that could include boarding and commandeering other's ships, fighting and assisination runs amongst the buildings of cities and inside space stations, or even having to rescue friends from fortresses on barrent rocky worlds.

Lastly, some things that Elite is NOT!

• Empire building RTS: Elite may allow you to own multiple ships, but you can not automate anything. There wont be a space station you can buy where you can start to manufacture and sell goods from, thus having a background trading simulation taking place. All trading must be done by you, physically, on a per transaction basis. And you have to physically fly from trading point buying and selling, if you so choose to do that.
• RPG : See my above point on skills - Elite is not a win by numbers and statistics game. If you are physically bad at flying, you'll have to put in hours to train up your combat skills, or avoid systems where conflict is likely to happen. Likewise in other areas of the game, its up to you to read the hints supplied by newsfeeds and NPC contacts to take advantage of market trends to make a quick buck, or to choose which missions you are likely to succeed in. Nothing will be rolled and given to you based on your current experience level. In this way, a beginner can almost always be on par with a veteran Elite player (except a veteran will likely have been able to buy bigger weapons over time )