Elite: Dangerous Discussion

TheDreamlord 2014-05-16 09:46:57 UTC #1

Is anyone planning to buy (or have already bought) the Elite Dangerous Premium Beta?

According to the website, you get :
https://store.zaonce.net/elite-dangerous-cat.html

“Get access to the first Beta stage of the game and help us shape Elite: Dangerous!

• Immediate access to Single Player Combat missions to develop your Sidewinder skills before the first Premium Beta build is released
• Automatic access all the Beta development stages
• Automatic access to all major downloadable expansion packs as they are released
• A download copy of the released game

The full Premium Beta will be available from 30th May, with access to the Single Player Combat build OUT NOW.”

For £100. If you buy the game on release and the DLC pass, the price total is £70. I am seriously thinking of getting this, if only because I want to make use of the Thrustmaster Warthog I bought a few weeks ago, specifically for Elite. The beta should give me enough time to very leisurely learn the game, learn to use the joystick, learn basic fighting manoeuvres, etc.

My questions at the moment:

Has anyone in here participated in the Alpha and if so, what are your experiences?
Is there enough content in the premium beta to justify the extra £30? I am saying extra £30 because this is the actual premium, since the game/DLC already costs £70 (which I treat as pre-ordering – a first for me).
I don’t mind getting this directly from them, but what are the rumours about it being on Steam eventually?

Can you please convince me to / prevent me from getting this?

frightlever 2014-05-16 09:59:55 UTC #2

If you bought the Warthog then Elite Premium is pocket change found down the back of a sofa. Go for it!

But bear in mind you may ruin your experience of the finished game by becoming burned out on the Beta.

Helpful, right?

TheDreamlord 2014-05-16 10:04:38 UTC #3

That’s my biggest fear actually, burning out on the game before actual release. However, my hope is to play this for the next 5 years, but we’ll see.

hariseldon 2014-05-25 18:46:53 UTC #4

Just picked it up, the combat is pretty damn good, looking forward to premium beta kicking off end of May.

Kingmarzo 2014-05-25 22:45:15 UTC #5

Do you have any idea the sort of thing that will be available for the premium beta? I mean its not going to be like a disguised Alpha is it? I just want to have some fun with it now but not sure whether its best to wait.

Thanks

trjp 2014-05-25 23:32:42 UTC #6

There’s nothing like starting with a stupid level of expectation for a game, is there?

Seriously - I’m hoping the next NFS game will come with a Free Porsche and Cooking Mama HD++ will include your own Nigella Lawson and a bath filled with salted caramel…

We’re all going to be disappointed…

TheDreamlord 2014-05-26 02:09:06 UTC #7

There is no need to be an ass, really.

TheDreamlord 2014-05-26 02:19:36 UTC #8

Hey, that’s great! Can you elaborate a bit on how you are finding it? I am still on the fence but still itching for the premium beta!

TechnicalBen 2014-05-26 09:42:12 UTC #9

The comment was on burning out, not on expectations. You comment officially does not compute.
“Burning out” is like “I don’t want to buy chocolate this morning, as I’m worried I’ll eat it al before lunch” kind of caution.

hariseldon 2014-05-26 13:52:43 UTC #10

No idea what the premium beta will be like as that doesn’t kick off til 30th May I believe. What I presently have is the dogfighting, which is more or less world war 2 fighters in space, and is bloody good at it. Controls are pretty good with xbox controller (albeit I think mouse will give better aiming precision, not tested that yet), and the AI is pretty strong. It looks lovely and performance is rock solid on my Core i5 4570K, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA 760GTX (2GB).

As far as I’m aware from youtube videos, the premium beta will have the multiplayer elements, trading, docking, etc. Landing on planets probably not (again as far as I can tell) and beyond that I can’t tell you much as I don’t know much. I do know that I’m enjoying what I’ve got though.

JimDigritz 2014-05-26 14:44:19 UTC #11

Well I caved in and upgraded to Premium Beta a few weeks ago.

I had quite a lot of fun playing the SP ‘missions’ and got a good vibe using my Saitek X52 Pro.

Pros: I’m giggly with excitement for the start of the Beta. The SP early build is playable and builds some more anticipation.

Cons: I actually only got about 2 hours playtime with the SP (Alpha) build. The Alpha SP is just a bunch of progressively difficult combat scenarios - basically a tutorial. It’s a lot of money.

My main feedback is that the feel of Elite Dangerous is just sublime. I’ve never felt so close to the vacuum of space and the ship handles amazingly.

TheDreamlord 2014-05-26 15:48:52 UTC #12

All the comments are making me ready to purchase the premium beta. This might be a stupid question but, the option to buy the premium beta finishes when, exactly? Not 30th of May, right? I presume closer to the actual final beta.

ZakG 2014-05-27 07:39:59 UTC #13

Yeah the 30th of May is just the date when that stage STARTS. So it won’t not be available then. Probably best to head over to the Frontier forums, maybe this thread will have the info in you are after?

I’m content to wait it out until the full finished release. I backed, but just for the full game (+expansions). I sort of don’t enjoy testing a game anymore, preferring to wait for something less buggy and more feature complete. As you mention ‘burn out’ is quite a common problem for Alpha and Beta testers.

Jim_Reaper 2014-05-27 13:24:51 UTC #14

I’m in the Alpha. At the moment we’re dodging NPC pirates who interdict us out of super-cruise (especially if you happen to be carrying valuable, uninsurable cargo), stealing other peoples cargo when they crash their massive Lakons outside the starport, & trying not to fly into planets & stars. All good fun. The Beta will introduce the entire galaxy, so I’m not really having to fend off boredom yet! See you in the black stuff when the Beta hits!

Boosh 2014-05-27 16:23:55 UTC #15

I was in the alpha from quite early, but tend to dip in and out for various reasons, including not wanting to burn-out. It’s probably wise not to get too ‘attached’ to anything in the multiplayer game currently, as resets happen, or the ‘alpha’ just bites you hard. There have already been many tears shed from naive ‘testers’
I will probably play with a bit more intention after beta release as we’ll be closer to a proper stable product. I don’t believe there are any resets after we reach Gamma.

There is a ton of information on the forums already, and it’s worth reading up on some of the design decisions.

So far they’ve done a stunningly good job. I was a huge cynic when that ropey looking kickstarter campaign started, and although FD don’t communicate all that well, they are delivering, and that’s what matters.

alh_p 2014-05-28 12:50:29 UTC #16

I am looking forward to the full release of this but am keen to know more about the single player experience. Maybe it’s too early to tell yet but how does it compare so far to the multi player stuff? Is it as/more satisfying?

Its not that I don’t like multiplayer but I will be moving away from blighty shortly after release (not a connected event!) and don’t expect to have a decent & reliable internet connection.

Jim_Reaper 2014-05-28 19:13:03 UTC #17

As I understand it, it will be a persistent galaxy, but there will be several ways to experience it:

Fully Online: Other players appear in your game & you get a dynamic galaxy influenced by player actions.

Partially Online: Only players you specifically invite will appear in your game & you get the dynamic galaxy.

Barely Online: No other players appear in your game but you still get the dynamic galaxy.

Offline: Does what it says on the tin & you get a not-quite-as-dynamic galaxy driven by the AI. Note that an offline character can never be taken online.

I know that Frontier are planning on letting us have multiple characters per account at some stage, so I presume you could create an online character & a separate offline character. Hope that helps.

alh_p 2014-05-29 09:00:29 UTC #18

Thanks Jim Reaper - this info was (surprisingly) not immediately obvious on the Elite webpage.

hariseldon 2014-05-30 10:48:01 UTC #19

Premium beta kicks off today. I’m at work so not sure if it’s already out, or whether it’s later tonight but I can’t wait!

hariseldon 2014-05-30 15:35:35 UTC #20

I’m reliably informed that it’s out and people I know who are lucky enough not to be at work are enjoying it. I’m jealous obviously. Bastards.