How often are they going to release expansions?

[Silverflyer]

I am considering upgrading my pledge level, but before that happens I would like to know if there was any OFFICIAL communication regarding frequency of expansions?

Like....Could we expect annual expansion, so once every 12 months?


Thanks!

 

[Patrick_68000]

We really have no precise calendar. We know that there will be a walking around the ship, and the planetary landings. There will be certainly small updated regular, for diverse improvements and addition of features

 

[jabokai]

The only thing I can recall, and find, is this from Feature Request 8 -

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

Although some speculation since then may be that the EVA expansion might come first... Perhaps the timescale could be similar, we don't know.

 

[Silverflyer]

The only thing I can recall, and find, is this from Feature Request 8 -



Although some speculation since then may be that the EVA expansion might come first... Perhaps the timescale could be similar, we don't know.

Thanks Jabokai. I will keep my eyes open - I just have to be very cautions after per-ordering X-Rebirth fiasco and Egosoft was in business like 25 years or so. I am also quite big SC backer, but CR was much more open in terms of communication and expectations to us.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

I am considering upgrading my pledge level, but before that happens I would like to know if there was any OFFICIAL communication regarding frequency of expansions?

Like....Could we expect annual expansion, so once every 12 months?


Thanks!

As anyone else said, there's no calendar, as FD really don't want to promise anything before evaluating process, but they have said they want to do landings within year of initial release. That's all we know.

Said that last video and newsletter showed they have worked with avatars for some time already, so walking is not so far behind. In fact it could be even first.

They are just very careful with promises, that's all. I like it.

 

[Slawkenbergius]

Bear in mind they're massive updates, and the usual caveats apply about how difficult it is to estimate software projects. Frontier are at least being sensible in breaking up the project into pieces, so that each one can receive the attention it deserves.

 

[Silverflyer]

As anyone else said, there's no calendar, as FD really don't want to promise anything before evaluating process, but they have said they want to do landings within year of initial release. That's all we know.

Said that last video and newsletter showed they have worked with avatars for some time already, so walking is not so far behind. In fact it could be even first.

They are just very careful with promises, that's all. I like it.

Hmmmm.... It sounds like there is no point to buy Digital Download Pack for extra $100 now.... That is approx. price of at least 2 expansions.


Thank you for your time!

 

[-o-]

Hmmmm.... It sounds like there is no point to buy Digital Download Pack for extra $100 now.... That is approx. price of at least 2 expansions.

Sounds logical.

Theres a difference in supporting the tier levels before, when compared to now. During the KS, we didn't really know if ED was going to reach the mark and we are all backing it to help it get there.

After the project got funded, this reason is no longer relevant it has served its purpose. However, the tier level options and pricing remained relatively unchanged in the webapp.

The KS backers went that extra few miles, in some cases few hundred miles, to make this all possible.

 

[Sparticus]

That's why I went for the £80 - Digital Download Pack: This includes a single digital download of the game, and any expansions, and all the other rewards above except those requiring physical delivery.

As no unexpected future costs...

 

[TheBetpet]

That's why I went for the £80 - Digital Download Pack: This includes a single digital download of the game, and any expansions, and all the other rewards above except those requiring physical delivery.

As no unexpected future costs...

Exactamundo!

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Hmmmm.... It sounds like there is no point to buy Digital Download Pack for extra $100 now.... That is approx. price of at least 2 expansions.

Well, but there will be *at least* these two expansions, and these are what we know about
Therefore whole reason why I pledged for digital downloads pack, which includes also soundtrack and novel, which could be nice surprise from this pack for lot of people.

 

[huwthomas]

Hmmmm.... It sounds like there is no point to buy Digital Download Pack for extra $100 now.... That is approx. price of at least 2 expansions.


Thank you for your time!

You do get all the other extras from lower tiers. But I agree, if you're not interested in the extra starting choices etc., then the jump to £80 for free expansions could (now that the game is funded) be a large premium for an uncertain overall reward.

 

[MikeSnos]

Don't forget that there will at least be the Safari Tiger Hunting expansion on top of EVA and Planetary landings remember...

* Not all facts quoted on t'internet are necessarily accurate

 

[TheBetpet]

True but ED could become a bit like the Sims where there are quite a few expansions. Alien races expansion(s)? Planetary landing expansion? Secret Missions expansion? Base Expansion? They are just some ideas off the top of my head. Surely the concept alone could be well worth the speculation? Well, it was for me anyway

 

[Associat0r]

During the Kickstarter, Frontier Developments said that they were making a loss on the £80 tier,since the expansions will cost significantly more when buying them separately, so I would recommend everyone who can afford it to get it all now, while you still can.

 

[Rog]

During the Kickstarter, Frontier Developments said that they were making a loss on the £80 tier,since the expansions will cost significantly more when buying them separately, so I would recommend everyone who can afford it to get it all now, while you still can.

What Associat0r said really.

But really when you get to the £80 Digital Download Pack, a paltry extra £10 gets you the ability to start at the Founders' world and the premium boxed edition of the game with T-shirt, etc.

Not long before it'll be simply too late.

 

[Silverflyer]

During the Kickstarter, Frontier Developments said that they were making a loss on the £80 tier,since the expansions will cost significantly more when buying them separately, so I would recommend everyone who can afford it to get it all now, while you still can.

Well £60 extra for me to get Digital Download Pack is ~100US$. That means $50 pre expansion. I really do not see how they are going to price single game expansion for significantly more than $50US.

Plus no matter how much I like Mr. Braben and Elite – I have to be cautious after X: Rebirth fiasco. Egosoft is company doing single player space sims for approx. 25 years and I pre-ordered X:Rebirth.

Cheers!

 

[devastat]

If the digital download of the game costs £25, I don't see any expansions to cost any more than that. They'll probably end up costing less than the price of the original game.

So based on that assumption, with the price of the digital download pack you could buy at least 3 expansion to the game. That probably covers the first year of the development after the official release of the game at least..

Offcourse, who knows maybe they'll be releasing expansions for years and years such as in EVE online. Then it would probably be a very good deal. But then again, if I'm still playing Elite Dangerous after the first year of the release, I don't mind chipping in another £20 every so often for major expansions to the game.

 

[Capt. Hook]

If the digital download of the game costs £25, I don't see any expansions to cost any more than that. They'll probably end up costing less than the price of the original game. So based on that assumption, with the price of the digital download pack you could buy at least 3 expansion to the game and that probably covers at least the first year of the development.

Offcourse, who knows maybe they will be releasing expansions for years and years, such as in EVE online. Then it would probably be a very good deal.

I'd say that the digital download is a special backers price and retail price will be closer to £35 range (x reunion 35£ on Amazon atm). I would imagine expansions might come in at 15 - 25 depending on how far reaching they were. I could quickly see how given a couple of years and several expansions later, the initial backer pledge for lifetime expansions seems good value.

 

[Rog]

Hmmm...

Have just been reading THIS.

Modding tools were another big request that we received for future updates. Giving players the chance to author their own scenarios and missions, or create completely new content would enrich the game even further and create completely new communities around the game. For this reason modding tools are also planned for the future, although not until much further down the line:

Sandy: Yes we would like to but definitely not until a number of updates have gone out. Probably as part of update 5 or later.
Michael: We do want to support modding, but as this requires considerable support this will be some time down the line.

So it looks as though there are AT LEAST five expansions anticipated.

Which is nice.