Elite Dangerous 2 on Unreal Engine 5

[Chaparral]

FDEV vision seems to be about simulations, proc gen, and twiddling a hundred knobs to manage equilibrium.

Some of the things that were departures from that formula that made ED so special include the engaging flight model, the visuals, and the amazing sound design.

UE5 might be a great tool for visuals and sound design, but how is it at the bread and butter passion of FDEV (sim, proc gen, management)?

Are there examples of UE5 used to develop a flight model?

We'd be better off celebrating the game we have now, than wishing it was retooled with the latest dev kit.

Not that PC gamer is an amazing source, but it does look like access to better PC hardware will improve slowly.

It's probably a tough call - timing when next gen consoles and gaming pcs will be available to a large population so that you time the release of your next big game requiring that higher end hardware. Do you go all in on UE5, or COBRA II for a do over that will release in 5 years? How will Starfield change the landscape of space games? Should the new game be live service? Should the new game be licensed to another shop? Tough choices ahead for FDEV.

 

[Chase Quinnell]

Has Star Citizen made the jump yet?

Don't worry, it will eventually. And the best part is that it'll add another 20 years to development. MORE SHIP SALES!

 

[Cmdr. Numa]

FDEVs are Brits, they do not do as everyone else.

 

[Koben]

FDEVs are Brits, they do not do as everyone else.

They drink beer, don't they... it seems beer has magical powers... persuasion amongst them.

 

[Koben]

Don't worry, it will eventually. And the best part is that it'll add another 20 years to development. MORE SHIP SALES!

Wondering if Frontier has the same view that far ahead... could be a good excuse to milk this cow for a decade more... or squeeze that beer barel... whatever suits them best.

 

[Chase Quinnell]

Wondering if Frontier has the same view that far ahead... could be a good excuse to milk this cow for a decade more... or squeeze that beer barel... whatever suits them best.

I believe the reason virtually everything in this game is half-baked is because Elite: Dangerous lacks a decent competitor.

 

[Koben]

An experiment which has already been done numerous times, I'm sure. Far be it from me, however, to discourage the acquisition of one more data point in the study!

Any further development on the subject would be more than welcome!

 

[Komemiute]

Unreal Engine 5 launched officially today!

With major studios embracing the novelty, how long until Frontier Developments do the same as CDProjectRED and switch their own home-brewed Engine to adopt UE5... additional kudos points if FD goes the extra mile and sign up for development support from Epic during this migration as CDProjectRED did!

I'd even bet that by the end of this year Frontier to announce Elite Dangerous 2 getting its development started on Unreal Engine 5!

Tell me you know nothing about engines without telling you know nothing about engines...
You...bet... You say? Sure, let's bet.
I bet that nothing you said about Frontier and/or Elite happens.

 

[GreySix]

Nobody expected CDProjectRED to do it just after having upgraded their own engine and releasing a major title based upon it... but they did migrated to UE5 anyways!

Nobody ever expects the Spanish Inquisition.

 

[Koben]

Tell me you know nothing about engines without telling you know nothing about engines...
...

Hey, you just did it! No reason to make you repeat yourself...

 

[Koben]

Tools matter more than you think. Also in attracting and retaining developers.

If your tools or your engine is a mess, you end up fixing things instead of developing the game.

Exactly this ^^!! On top of that, Unreal Engine is a matured and main stream engine... this kind of thing speeds up adoption and development. Having support from Epic which created it... far too good of a deal to pass without a serious consideration!

 

[Erei]

Exactly this ^^!! On top of that, Unreal Engine is a matured and main stream engine... this kind of thing speeds up adoption and development. Having support from Epic which created it... far too good of a deal to pass without a serious consideration!

You should really put a /s somewhere
You know someone is going to fall for it again.

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

They're as likely to switch to RPG Maker as to Unreal 5, and it's beyond wishful thinking to believe FDev are gonna start an ED2 any time soon.

 

[Koben]

You should really put a /s somewhere
You know someone is going to fall for it again.

Let'em come... free beer for all until they fall!!

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

Still, nobody was expecting Frontier to cut off consoles just like that...

Really? Anyone who didn't consider it at least a 50:50 chance hasn't been paying attention.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Don't see Frontier giving up on their own code base, however stranger things have happened.

Cdpr did. They got bitten in cyberpunk and frontier with odd. Maybe.

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

Cdpr did. They got bitten in cyberpunk and frontier with odd. Maybe.

I'd say we're past the point of comparing CP2077 with EDO.
One was released as a buggy mess and turned around in a couple of months, the other was released as a buggy mess and a year later it's still a buggy mess and they admitted it was so messed up they'd never get it to work on consoles

 

[Koben]

Really? Anyone who didn't consider it at least a 50:50 chance hasn't been paying attention.

What I meant was not the fact/chances about Frontier cutting off consoles development... but the way they did it... specially how they communicated it in a single paragraph without any further elaboration and no way out for console players (account transfers). It was like they simply got rid of a deadly disease...

 

[Koben]

I'd say we're past the point of comparing CP2077 with EDO.
One was released as a buggy mess and turned around in a couple of months, the other was released as a buggy mess and a year later it's still a buggy mess and they admitted it was so messed up they'd never get it to work on consoles

Maybe because Cobra engine is obsolete beyond repair and preventing Frontier to keep up with new graphics technologies?

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

Maybe because Cobra engine is obsolete beyond repair and preventing Frontier to keep up with new graphics technologies?

I know you think this means that FDev are gonna switch to U5, but this:

What I meant was not the fact/chances about Frontier cutting off consoles development... but the way they did it... specially how they communicated it in a single paragraph without any further elaboration and no way out for console players (account transfers). It was like they simply got rid of a deadly disease...

should tell you that that isn't gonna happen.
If they had plans to rework ED to use U5 you can bet it would have been included as a sweetener for console players -
"Hey, look, we're gonna leave you on Horizons for now, but we're moving to U5 so you'll be able to play again soon, plus we'll have support for next-gen consoles too!"
Not the "Sucks to be you!" that they actually delivered.