Elite: Dangerous gets a release date: December 16 - Polidicks

[url]http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/11/elite-dangerous-gets-a-release-date-december-16-2014/[/url] [IMG]http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Elite_Dangerous__3_-pc-games-640x345.png[/IMG] [QUOTE]The latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter was just released, and it leads off with the announcement that the space simulator has an official release date: December 16. That’s just 39 days away, and puts paid to Frontier Developments’ promises that the game would be out by the end of the year. The game can be preordered for $50, and eager would-be pilots can jump into the beta immediately for $75 (though only until November 22). The December 16 release will be for the Windows version of the game; Mac users will have to wait until next year. Customers who buy the game will be able to download both the Windows and Mac versions (when available, obviously), and saved games will work on either platform—Windows users will be able to load their save state on a Mac or vice versa. The fourth sequel to the 30-year old watershed space combat simulator Elite, the game came to the public’s attention in late 2012 when the developers launched a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the game’s completion. A playable alpha was made available to some Kickstarter backers over the summer of 2013—though access to the alpha could also be purchased after the Kickstarter closed. We dipped our toes into the game in June with the $150 "premium beta" (the beta access fee also included a copy of the released version and all future expansions), and have been in love with the game ever since. Although the beta versions have been great fun (especially because of the game’s excellent support of the Oculus Rift), the most remarkable thing about the Elite: Dangerous development process has been the consistency with which Frontier Developments has hit its public milestones. Since the release of the premium beta over the summer, Frontier has rigorously shepherded the game through a number of iterations, and at each step the company has nailed both its estimated release dates and also made good on promises to include new gameplay features. Ars asked Lead Designer and Elite franchise cofounder David Braben how Frontier had managed to stick so well to schedule—something that few other development houses seem to be able to do these days. The trick, it seems, is being able to make decisions on which features to include and which to drop, and then committing to those decisions. "We have been doing this for a long time now, across many different projects," he explained. "It has enabled us to gradually grow our development team over the years, and we have a very talented bunch of people with a great blend of experience and youthful enthusiasm who are putting their heart and soul into development, but all of them are used to our processes, which enables us to stay on time. Over the years we have had a diverse output and developed launch titles for new systems, and I think that experience has also helped us to learn to take a step back when making decisions about games and all the different elements within them, to maximize the chance of them being good ones!" As promised in the Kickstarter campaign, player feedback has played an enormous role in defining the shapes and edges of the Elite: Dangerous gameplay experience. "Developing a game ‘in public’ like this has been a fantastic experience, and the direct communication with our Alpha and Beta backers and their enthusiastic support and constructive feedback has been the highlight," said Braben. An archived catalog of community design activity can be viewed at the official Elite: Dangerous design discussion forum, which contains almost all of the game’s design documentation. Braben is also quick to point out that the release of the game isn’t the end of its development or feature set. The latest newsletter contains a video focusing on "The Future of Elite: Dangerous," and if the video is any indication, the future will include landing on planets, walking around your ship in first-person mode, and a lot of other neat things: "Yes, there will be more to come, and it won't stop with the Gamma," explained Braben, referring to the feature-freeze "gamma" release phase the game is expected to go into prior to release. "Game development isn't going to stop even in the ‘final’ release, so in that sense, features and content will keep going," he said. Speaking of David Braben, he can often be found playing his own game: "Yes, I'm playing as often as I can, and yes I'm Commander Braben, and of course people have killed me," he responded when I asked him if he spends any time in the Elite universe. In fact, he draws his share of fire: "I’ve seen myself die on YouTube several times already!" he elaborated.[/QUOTE] [video=youtube;8yd-m9AR7mY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yd-m9AR7mY[/video] finally a decent space game :yarr:

can't wait.

Star Citizen could learn a thing or two

As a person who has never heard about this game until now, what makes it so great and hype - worthy?

[QUOTE=SpartanXC9;46469189]Star Citizen could learn a thing or two[/QUOTE] Like what? That RSI should lower their bar and invent a time machine to start work on their game sooner?

[QUOTE=Citrus705;46469281]As a person who has never heard about this game until now, what makes it so great and hype - worthy?[/QUOTE] Billions of stars you can explore. Alot of the hype is from loyal fans of this 30 year series the people behind it were real innovators in the first Elite.

I bought a h.o.t.a.s for this game, and LOVE it. All I need is the Oculus now...

Atleast the Elite guys managed to properly finish the game.

Elite's a [I]much[/I] smaller game than Star Citizen and they started working on it at least 6 months earlier than CIG did. No shit it's done first. On topic, E:D is fucking awesome and I'm really looking forward to release.

[QUOTE=RichyZ;46469556]idk make a game with the 60 million or whatever they got in a reasonable amount of time would be a start[/QUOTE] The more time spent developing Star Citizen means a more polished experience when it does come out.

The game looks quite good, but I really think they should've picked a different name. Elite: Dangerous sounds like a generic military shooter.

And this will be only the start of E:D, there's already a lot of stuff in the game and the things they talk about adding only makes me more excited. Can't wait to land on a desert planet and Picard that shit up. [img]http://www.terryburlison.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/nemesis099.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Selek;46469754]The game looks quite good, but I really think they should've picked a different name. Elite: Dangerous sounds like a generic military shooter.[/QUOTE] It's a reference to the hardest difficulty setting in the original Elite IIRC

[QUOTE=smurfy;46470667]It's a reference to the hardest difficulty setting in the original Elite IIRC[/QUOTE] With the art design and title choice, they must be really banking on selling to the original audience with this one.

I'll wait for the oculus rift before I get it.

[QUOTE=Citrus705;46469281]As a person who has never heard about this game until now, what makes it so great and hype - worthy?[/QUOTE] It made a generation Who can code A bubble before proper consoles Who all know That the games you get today Well, they might be very flash But they'll never beat the thrill of getting through JetPac!

Can we stop the Elite v Star Citizen bullshittery, and just be happy we have a FUCKTON of awesome new space games coming out? I personally can't wait to fill my hard drive up with both, No Mans Sky, Enemy Starfighter, Space Engineers and the Homeworld remake. And a shitton of old goldies like Freespace Open, and hopefully Starshatter and pioneers new release again. My body is ENTIRELY ready. I've waited since I was 9 for this to come back to the fore, now I'm nearly 25, it's been too damn long. It feels like the late 90's/Early 2000's all over again and that gives me such a boner you wouldnt believe.

[QUOTE=smurfy;46470667]It's a reference to the hardest difficulty setting in the original Elite IIRC[/QUOTE] Actually it refers to one of the ranks you can get in the Federation of Elite Pilots, the group that all players are members of despite what side they chose or how they decide to earn their cash (trading, bounty hunting, pirating, etc). It goes from 'Harmless' all the way up to 'Elite', with 'Dangerous' being one of the higher ranks you can get.

Never actually played Elite(I played Oolite, which is sort of a clone of it), but I look forward to it being released.

[QUOTE=lazyguy;46471116]It made a generation Who can code A bubble before proper consoles Who all know That the games you get today Well, they might be very flash But they'll never beat the thrill of getting through JetPac![/QUOTE] [video=youtube;Ts96J7HhO28]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts96J7HhO28[/video] Shows you the games of the era vs Elite.

[QUOTE=Mbbird;46470717]With the art design and title choice, they must be really banking on selling to the original audience with this one.[/QUOTE] I have never heard of the original and I'm definitely going to buy it when I get an Occulus.