Horizons and Base Game 4.0 first impressions

[Ian Doncaster]

They have to minimally support the 3.8 codebase anyway so long as the game is playable on XBox/PS4, so continuing to make it available on PC too probably isn't that much extra effort for them. Mac lasted about three years between the announcement it wasn't getting further development and the announcement it wasn't getting a usable client at all, and I wouldn't be surprised if they're thinking of similar timescales for 3.8. By late 2025, Odyssey's (real!) minimum requirements are going to be pretty widely available - the chance of someone new buying Elite on PC who can't also run 4.0 is pretty small.

Does also depend what their longer-term plans for Elite Dangerous are in terms of type and frequency of release, which I wouldn't expect them to say anything about until they've at least mostly finished the current roadmap anyway.

 

[EdzUp]

I agree. The stickler is that Frontier continues to sell Horizons as 3.8 with its minimum requirements and reviews. If someone buys this version of the game today, only to have it shut down next week and be told "You must upgrade to 4.0", and 4.0 doesn't run well or otherwise disappoints that player (of course there will be more than one), that'll be a pretty big PR nightmare for Frontier.

I'll be very interested to follow how they handle this when the day comes. I'm having a hard time envisioning anything that won't be messy. I suppose they could just stop selling 3.8 now, switching it to 4.0 with fresh requirements and a blank review slate, then give everyone on 3.8 a six month or one year warning before shutting it down. That would prevent the "I just bought 3.8 yesterday!!" backlash at least.

Bigger than the Odyssey PR fiasco, im sure they will think of something to alleviate that one

 

[GJ51]

I have mixed feelings about this, because they should have fixed it before switching it to maintenance mode. I'm talking about the major bugs, glitches, half-baked features, and just bad design paradigms (like the way fleet carriers are displayed in the system map).

On the other hand, assuming they don't touch it ever again, at least I know what I've got and can count on it being what it is. I've learned how to work around many of the annoyances, and I basically just avoid all the half-baked and broken content. That mean's "my" Elite is a small subset of the overall package, but it's a pretty darn good subset - good enough to keep bringing me back when the mood strikes.

No, I think it's much more likely that Frontier just pulls the plug on 3.8 than it is for them to go back and "fix" it. I'm really not sure what I'll do when that day comes. You?

Pretty much

I really just find EDO bugs more annoying than 3.8 bugs.

I'm not a hard core gamer - Free Cell and ED are about it. So even if they can 3.8 I'll probably just continue with EDO and a steady contribution of salt here unless they actually decide to squash the obvious bugs without introducing more.

The challenge is always trying to not let FD annoy you too much so you can actually enjoy the game a bit.

For me ED is more like a hobby than anything else. I've enjoy building my hardware and integrating the software and the supporting 3rd party apps and web sites.

 

[Old Duck]

For me ED is more like a hobby than anything else. I've enjoy building my hardware and integrating the software and the supporting 3rd party apps and web sites.

For me Elite (Horizons 3.8 to be specific) is a game I've finished but still enjoy popping into from time to time, very much like Skyrim for many years. So when they pull the plug, I may just uninstall it, like I eventually did with Skyrim. This is not a promise (and it's definitely not a "threat"), because who knows what Odyssey may become over time. I'm not interested in 4.0 now, but that could easily change someday. I will continue to watch with great interest, just in case!

I just hope Frontier lets us keep 3.8 for the winter, as that's when I play the most. H3.8 is still the best VR game in my library!

 

[khaos526]

I tried 4.0 today. It looks worse than 3.8 on my system, and frankly, there are too many UI changes to relearn (especially the new map, what's down with all that??..). So shelving the game till i miss flying spacehips again, probably in a few months from now.

Yep, I hate the whole UI system. I thought it was fine before, and now it's just a jumbled mess. I also hate the fact that each time these new versions of the game comes out, the less and less my GraphicsConfiguration.xml colors get less and less shown in the game and I am now almost ending up with that stupid horrible bright orange look rather than my cool blue for my ship and other game interfaces which gives me a freaking headache.

I really just don't need to waste time to relearn where all the things are with the new UI, so I'm just going back to playing with the non 4.0 Horizons...

 

[angusmadmac1]

Give it a few months or so to complete the console transfers ( the real reason for EDH 4.0, as they hope people will give it a try and buy EDO) then EDH 3.8 will disappear and EDH 4.0 will be base game and a few months later EDO 4.0 will become the base game . So by this time next year EDO will be the base game and everyone can instance ( only PC being left ) together .

 

[Sakashiro]

Give it a few months or so to complete the console transfers ( the real reason for EDH 4.0, as they hope people will give it a try and buy EDO) then EDH 3.8 will disappear and EDH 4.0 will be base game and a few months later EDO 4.0 will become the base game . So by this time next year EDO will be the base game and everyone can instance ( only PC being left ) together .

EDH 3.8 will not disappear since for many people it's the only version of the game they can run reasonably well.

 

[angusmadmac1]

EDH 3.8 will not disappear since for many people it's the only version of the game they can run reasonably well.

Consoles are no longer a thing ( a third of the player base ?? ).. so numbers don't really count . Fdev want to get the majority onto 4.0 ( EDH or EDO) ,so why support a 3.8? . But of course this is all my own opinion .

 

[Riverside]

Consoles are no longer a thing ( a third of the player base ?? ).. so numbers don't really count . Fdev want to get the majority onto 4.0 ( EDH or EDO) ,so why support a 3.8? . But of course this is all my own opinion .

The first sign will probably be when Console sales stop. If ARX revenue is enough it could potentially keep going for a long time to come though.

 

[angusmadmac1]

The first sign will probably be when Console sales stop. If ARX revenue is enough it could potentially keep going for a long time to come though.

I was going to ask why would anyone buy Elite ( in maint mode 3.8 only )on console and then realised I have over 8 months in game time in Elite ( before EDO) . And then I thought why continue to run 3.8 , and again realised they don't have to do anything to it ,as it's there doing mostly what it should do . But I still think they will cut 3.8 by this time next year ?? As it must give them extra to compile console 3.8 X2, pc 3.8 EDH 4.0 and EDO 4.0 ? But again I could be wrong and just a doom merchant ?? Who knows

 

[Rat Catcher]

But I still think they will cut 3.8 by this time next year ?

Perhaps watching for EDH being dropped from consoles stores would be a reasonable indication. (and allowing a further year of service)

 

[Old Duck]

I went to the CG last night, and it was completely empty in 3.8. Lots of system chat, and when I asked where everyone was, some shill convinced me that everyone had switched to Odyssey and that old Horizons is dead. This caused me to pause in sad reflection, because one of the things that keeps my interest in Elite is the multiplayer aspect of the game. I began to wonder, "Is this it? Is it really dead?" I logged out and played some ESO to get my MMO fix, feeling a bit melancholic about Elite.

Thankfully when I logged into Horizons later to see if anyone was around anywhere (like ShinDez), there were finally some other players at the CG in Open 3.8. Not a lot, but enough for someone to offer a wing-up. I'm planning to get at least a little time in the game over the next two days, so I'll have a better sense of the population when done. I suspect that 3.8 is the new Mobius, in that I may see some random people, but Open will never be the like it was before Odyssey, especially now that H4 is here.

 

[Sakashiro]

I went to the CG last night, and it was completely empty in 3.8. Lots of system chat, and when I asked where everyone was, some shill convinced me that everyone had switched to Odyssey and that old Horizons is dead. This caused me to pause in sad reflection, because one of the things that keeps my interest in Elite is the multiplayer aspect of the game. I began to wonder, "Is this it? Is it really dead?" I logged out and played some ESO to get my MMO fix, feeling a bit melancholic about Elite.

Thankfully when I logged into Horizons later to see if anyone was around anywhere (like ShinDez), there were finally some other players at the CG in Open 3.8. Not a lot, but enough for someone to offer a wing-up. I'm planning to get at least a little time in the game over the next two days, so I'll have a better sense of the population when done. I suspect that 3.8 is the new Mobius, in that I may see some random people, but Open will never be the like it was before Odyssey, especially now that H4 is here.

Maybe the Horizons folks were checking out EDH4.

 

[EdzUp]

For me Elite (Horizons 3.8 to be specific) is a game I've finished but still enjoy popping into from time to time, very much like Skyrim for many years. So when they pull the plug, I may just uninstall it, like I eventually did with Skyrim. This is not a promise (and it's definitely not a "threat"), because who knows what Odyssey may become over time. I'm not interested in 4.0 now, but that could easily change someday. I will continue to watch with great interest, just in case!

I just hope Frontier lets us keep 3.8 for the winter, as that's when I play the most. H3.8 is still the best VR game in my library!

Unfortunately H3.8 is the best way for VR as it was the last great VR experience from fdev, H4.0 just isnt the same thing as the hardware requirements are way to high for a decent VR game and the lacklustre VR in stations switch from one to another is just jarring.

EDH 3.8 will not disappear since for many people it's the only version of the game they can run reasonably well.

I would definitely not bet on that one after all ask the people who ran ED 32bit and the Mac version which one they are playing now . Once there are enough players running H4.0 and only a handful run 3.8 you can bet in a cost cutting move they will remove 3.8 as they can then move the people assigned to its 'upkeep' to the H4.0 codebase and systems, that will finally be the final nail in the old guard's coffin.

I went to the CG last night, and it was completely empty in 3.8. Lots of system chat, and when I asked where everyone was, some shill convinced me that everyone had switched to Odyssey and that old Horizons is dead. This caused me to pause in sad reflection, because one of the things that keeps my interest in Elite is the multiplayer aspect of the game. I began to wonder, "Is this it? Is it really dead?" I logged out and played some ESO to get my MMO fix, feeling a bit melancholic about Elite.

Thankfully when I logged into Horizons later to see if anyone was around anywhere (like ShinDez), there were finally some other players at the CG in Open 3.8. Not a lot, but enough for someone to offer a wing-up. I'm planning to get at least a little time in the game over the next two days, so I'll have a better sense of the population when done. I suspect that 3.8 is the new Mobius, in that I may see some random people, but Open will never be the like it was before Odyssey, especially now that H4 is here.

This will only get worse now that everyone knows its not going to get narrative updates and keeping H3.8 will cause issues with the narrative in some ways after all if the Thargoids are gonna destroy the bubble what is stopping me dropping out of H4.0 to H3.8 and flying somewhere else without Thargoid interference. It would basically be a cheat to get away from narrative gameplay after all, once fdev notice people changing modes when something gets to hairy I can see one of the versions being laid to rest and we all know what one that would be.

 

[Old Duck]

This will only get worse now that everyone knows its not going to get narrative updates [...]

Yep, all my friends (casual Elite friends, not IRL friends) have left for Odyssey:

Spoiler: Friend List

There were a couple of people playing 3.8 at CG, haulers I think. I had nobody to wing up with, so this CG has been a solo affair for me.

Spoiler: All that remains

And like last night, I'm logging out to play ESO and X4 Foundation. Community Goals really don't do anything for me without a community. And FWIW, I know I'm the exception rather than the rule when it comes to not being interested in 4.0. My friend list and a very busy system chat are clear evidence of this. Thankfully I "finished" the game before the great divide, so no hard feelings.

 

[Jack Winter]

Yep, all my friends (casual Elite friends, not IRL friends) have left for Odyssey:

I'm not sure I understand!

You've been gifted 4.0 tech and you still won't try even if you want to play with other people?

Is you computer such a potato that it can't keep up or what?

 

[Red Rocket]

Dropped into Odyssey the other day and landed on 3 moons in a system, all moons were totally flat and looking like a cue ball.
As I got closer it was hard to make out surface features till I close, just boring.
Switching into Horizons the same moons had mountains, valleys, now dropping down I can see features as I first enter the planet.

Odyssey planets can be so uninspiring.

 

[Northpin]

Odyssey planets can be so uninspiring.

yes, some of them are flatter
but some are really nice.

i like to say that Odyssey is more realistic (terrain wise) while Horizons was more dramatic (but also somehow unreal)

However...

 

[Riverside]

Here's a shot from Horizons era (2017), something I considered pic-worthy at the time (still do):

Here's something 'flat' from Odyssey-era that I consider pic-worthy:

Both can look great, both can look a bit generic too but we don't see so many pics of the bland stuff of course

But in Odyssey there is more that determines how pretty a scene is that just the shape of the terrain.


ETA found some flat terrain on an airless world (4.0 equivalent):

 

[galahad2069]

I'm not sure I understand!

You've been gifted 4.0 tech and you still won't try even if you want to play with other people?

Is you computer such a potato that it can't keep up or what?

Since Hor4 ppl cannot instance with ppl in Ody, there is very little point in using Hor4 in the first place. All organic is happening in Ody since that's where ppl are, and all organized PvP is held in Hor 3.8 since it simply looks and performs better.