Thanks everybody for the amazing feedback!
Admittedly, I'm really into this game because of the space explorer in me. I'm not big on smuggling and trade, but I love docking/taking off in a ship, hyperspace jumps, and flying by (or into?) strange new worlds. Dogfights don't hurt either
There are some easily forgivable flaws with ED (ship and dock interiors generally look and sound the same, not a huge arsenal of weaponry, no radio/COMs sound experience) but Elite is by far the best game I've seen as far as space explorer immersion factor goes. A lot of credit goes to the sound team for that as well.
That said, the ability to exit your ship and fly seamlessly into planetary atmospheres really makes this game legendary. I want my experience with the game to have all of that (and I'd be willing to buy that in advance), but if the prices will remain what they are (or balance out via promos) while no advance purchasing options exist, then perhaps I'll wait a while like Mucka and see what new deals and promos become available further down the line.
Thanks again for the amazing feedback guys, it really helped my decision a great deal. I definitely plan to get this game at some point, so I will see all of you in the stars.
(no radio/COMs sound experience) - There actually is, it just isnt working all that well and still in early stages.
More weapons will probably come later in development. Older Elites had more.
Theres more spacestations and ships to come, each look different and behave different. Some 'posh' stations look nicer inside than the scum hole ones, nice parks and stuffs.
The cockpits are all different its just the HUDs that are the same, this could be customizable in the future.
