Please make Epic install live Horizons by default

[JR250]

Hi all,

Per FDev Support, I'm here to suggest the Epic launcher is changed so the live version of the game is downloaded by default instead of the current legacy one. The standalone launcher did this, and so did Steam's. For some reason, Epic remains stuck in the legacy version.

I have been on a mission to alert players they're in a deprecated version of the game and if/when they switch to live, which is freely available to them, they'll have to start their grind all over again. See here for more: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threa...ting-to-horizons-legacy.622607/#post-10302533.

I'm in Matet and Dromi like a lunatic PSAing new users about this. From the dozens of new players I've seen, I've reached only 3 CMDRs so far as responding to chat seems not very popular. I do this because I see new CMDRs posts on Reddit, dismayed at the notion of having to start all over again to participate in current events like CG and content updates. Not a very good first impression to put new players through.

So, PLEASE, change the Epic launcher default to live.

 

[JR250]

Progress (or lack thereof) report on this:

I continue with my alt-account, posted in Dromi, trying to get to as many Epic users as I can. Most have not even acknowledged my "FYI" chats but so far about 10 have made the switch to live. In every one of these cases, they have been appreciative, with some lamenting having just bought new ships, etc after so much work. Now they'll have to do it all over again in live.

Why is this even happening? Why can't FDev make it so Epic users download and install the live version of the game? At the very least, a modal window prompt should be presented to users, warning them about running the deprecated version of the game.

I know I'm being an idiot, wasting my time trying to help these new users, but I care about ED and the first impression users go through. Please, FDev, fix this.

 

[Planewalker]

I know I'm being an idiot, wasting my time trying to help these new users, but I care about ED and the first impression users go through. Please, FDev, fix this.

Helping others is not idiotic.
(as long as they want to be helped ofc x)

While it would be good for the game to do what you suggest, i have no idea if it is something epic needs to program.

Maybe this is something fdev can address, @Paul_Crowther would it maybe be worth a look?

 

[JR250]

Thank you for the shout out to Paul!

I'm more nosy than I lead on lol. I posted on the Epic Games Reddit sub and the mod there assured me it would be up to FDev to set which game gets downloaded by default. I have no way of confirming this, of course, but just taking their word, I opened a ticket with FDev Support. I was expecting to be told FDev has done all they could but those guys at Epic hadn't done their job. However, the (polite) response from FDev Support was to post this as a suggestion to the game.

I might be reading too much into that but what Support told me seem to indicate FDev hadn't even tried to make live the default game for Epic users. It wasn't in their minds at all and posting a suggestion would get it considered. I found this odd, seeing how FDev had changed Steam and standalone launchers to default to live.

Bottom line, tons of new Epic users are showing up in legacy Dromi everyday, and are at risk of an unpleasant first experience when they find out they're playing the old, isolated game and need to start over in live.

 

[Jack Winter]

Maybe asking support for account transfers might peak their interest?

 

[Factabulous]

I might be reading too much into that but what Support told me seem to indicate FDev hadn't even tried to make live the default game for Epic users. It wasn't in their minds at all and posting a suggestion would get it considered. I found this odd, seeing how FDev had changed Steam and standalone launchers to default to live.

They tried to change the default version for all platforms - no mention of an Epic opt-out https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/changes-elite-dangerous-default-download

The launcher update was bad - it took multiple attempts before it worked at all. I think I'm still running an old version as they also broke the update notification feature - which may be why they gave up.

As ever with known issues they're unlikely to reply. Unless someone says they're unlikely to reply

 

[JR250]

Maybe asking support for account transfers might peak their interest?

Hmm... might be worth the try. I know live -> legacy is built-in. I hadn't launched legacy on my alt account but when this issue surfaced, I downloaded it and on first run it copied all my my live game money, ranks, and even ship livery into legacy. I wonder if they have an easy button for the other way around. After all, it works across platforms from consoles legacy to PC live.

It'd be great to hear from Support if it's OK to have legacy PC to live PC transfers being requested.