All things Elite Dangerous
 

So... ED was on sale and I got it. Not entirely out of the blue, mind you. I played Frontier and First Encounters for years in the 90's/00's (and had a short lived go at Elite in the 80's) and after learning about player groups like the Fuel Rats, I finally gave in and bought the game.

Currently I play solo exclusively as I learned there are player groups online who dedicate their time to eradicating new players. That is not what ED is to me.

Luckily, apart from solo mode, there is also the option of setting up private sessions by invite but me being this new to the game I haven't looked too much into this as I am still trying to unlearn what Frontier and First Encounter taught me, and with real life demanding its share of my time, well, learning comes slowly.

That being said: Even in solo mode, ED looks like Frontier having studied the X games in many respects. Multiple ships to fly, all sorts of gear to install and swap around. The graphics are stunning and with around 400 billion star systems to explore, I don't think we'll see the game being "won", ever, if exploring everything is winning.

Curently I am taking a well deserved break, and repairs, after an encounter with 4-6 Thargoids (real nasties if you never played the Elite games). Me out to learn absolutely had to investigate a radio signal that was marked as "nonhuman". They almost got me, had my well armoured hull down to 32%, my hyperjump engine (my escape) damaged and worked roughly 40% of the times I attepted to make a jump. My ship was slightly faster than theirs but either they made jumps to gain on me or they have boost tech that put anything I know of to shame. They hunted me well and truly until I was lucky: The jumpdrive kicked in, FINALLY, and I made a hasty retreat to the nearest station for repairs and a stiff drink.

Anyone here playing ED and if so, anyone interested in a private session without the juvenile pests around who want to ruin it for everyone?

Finally, if you have played it, or are still playing it, any stories, tips, ideas to share?

Ha space sims my old friends
 

ill look in to getting this maybe could be a good change of pace back in the day i loved space sims


all the Wing commander series


privateer the darkening with ships computer "Dani Behr"


Star Lancer


Free Lancer


Tachyon: The Fringe


FTL Is very good actually


Faster Then Light


ive got the FTL - Advanced Edition with the endless Space mod on it


ill let you know after ive looked at Elite Dangerous k


as you said tho yes private or solo best way to go


Steel Shark

Apart from Elite II/III, the space games I spent waaaay too much time with were
TIE Fighter (best overall space shooter sim there ever was). I have spotted one new feature in ED that is lifted directly from those SW space sims: Power management.
X Beyond The Frontier
X:Tension
Kerbal Space Program (because guns are not needed all the time in every single game in existence)

An absolutely insane amount of time went into all of these. I wouldn't be surprised if ED will end up in the same club. So many things that reminds me of just how crazy big Braben and Ian Bell managed to make space on an 8 bit computer back in the day and how that size exploded with Elite II.

“Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.” - D. Adams

ED fully manages to give us that enormous game world, and filled with things to discover in ways that aren't as utterly broken as it was in Elite III.

guess what
 

when i first saw your "elite dangerous" post it reminded me of something ive remembered what is was now

last year a best friend of mine died in a motorway crash so after i helped his mum out with sorting his room out & legal stuff


he left no will so was a real mess ect


in the end she left me with his xbox 1 and various other stuff as a thank you for the support & help


ive today remembered that he got elite dangerous so ill make a new account for me & try it out tonight


well that,s my first bit of luck this year


ill let you know how i get on


also im guessing that xbox & pc versions might not talk to each other some times they do


either way a Microsoft account should be transferable to a different machine maybe if not at least i can get some hands on practice to see if i like it ive watch few tube videos its looks very good


a other game i got last year ive remembered was for xbox 1 its called "The Long Journey Home"

its very good space get home exploration & tactical game you might like

Steel Shark

That's a dark story. RIP to your friend.

I have no idea about different platforms communicating. I guess we'll find out then. About accounts: ED requires an account that can be linked to the purchase, if I'm not mistaking. I bought mine on sale but the price on steam isn't as bad as for many other titles. You can also link your Steam account to your ED account. It passes for a purchase check.

wow very nise game
 

very good game like freelancer but with today's graphics and you can land & drive !!!


its also got Holly From RED DWARF as a ai voice choice !!!


"if they have also added a holly hop drive all the better"


also dash board add on,s i couldn't find the "hawaiian hula girl" one i was looking for tho ... ha well


ill look in to cross game compatibility if not ill sort something out ive sent you a friend request


and thank you for the RIP for my mate very appreciated


i really wish that meant


Return If Possible


ill be in touch


Stay safe


Steel Shark

Still hanging out in the beginners' area, I decided to go scouting outside for a bit, and stumbled across something that has me stumped. A space skunk works? Top secret research? Abandoned industry? Whatever it is, whoever built it made damn sure it wouldn't be easy to find. Did a bit of investigating and found that even though the place did seem abandoned, the automatic defence sure worked but had worse aim than storm troopers on a lads night out.

Had to look it up on the internet and found a whooping 2 entries. Both entries were filled up with question marks.

found a joy stick
 

i found a xbox one compatible joy stick so the games much better now

very good find mate ive heard of this game before but was totally unaware of the Solo part so ta.

ill pursue that other thing we talked about on private messages when i can


so good luck mate &

Turn & Burn


Steel Shark

Cutting my teeth on combat in this game and damn they upped the complexity a fair few notches from FE. Not only do you have to choose which ship you want to fight in, there is also the build of that ship. FE had it too but on a much, much simpler and smaller scale.

Choose which weapons but also where you want each as the different hardpoints are located on top, underneath, up front, at the rear, all making a difference in what they can shoot at. You want that large compartent to house the shield generator, or you want the biggest engine you can fit in and go with a smaller shield? Don't forget power distributors for the capacitors, and make sure you prioritise which part gets power when the drain is too great.

Then there is fighting. While not entirely DCS level, it certainly keeps you more busy than in the prequels. Set capacitor recharge rates, look out for bandits, work the throttle for that sweet corner speed going over to closing the gap before back into turning again. It's a real workout at the gym this is.

But seeing the money roll in as pirates and murderers get toasted and roasted makes this exercise something I can live with.

I have 1,500 hours in Elite, and happy to answer any questions if they arise.

For Thargoid combat you need a special build, specific equipment. the NHSS are Thargoids, and their caustic goo is a pain in the rear. AX weapons and decontamination limpets are highly recommended if you're out to hunt the bugs. You just stumbled in to it this time, but if you want to make an activity out of bug hunting you want to tailor your ship to it.

You asked for tips. A this stage you just want to hang around the starter area until you feel proficient, and then get out. It's neat idea, this zone, and you should take advantage. It did not exist when I started several years ago, and by all accounts it's pretty neat. But module availability there is very limited, so once you feel ready, cast those lines and leave the noob zone to open Elite up.


General tips I would offer are


-- Get a ship goal. identify the next ship you want to buy and make it your goal. Goals in Elite are gold.

-- Don't rush the big boats. So many new players set their sights on Cutters and Condas and grind them out and miss so much of what's great about the small ships. I only own one large pad ship, an Orca, which is really a medium at heart. If you like the big ships then go for it. But don't ignore the others. Like I'm mostly a Krait and Courier commander. I used to have a big fleet, but I set a ten-ship fleet limit, sold the rest and four are Kraits!

-- Don't grind. Seriously. So many new players -- and old players too -- fall in to this trap. As soon as you grow bored of what you're doing, do something else. There is lots to do. Don't burn yourself out.

-- Use third party sites. I couldn't have gotten to where I am without them. EDMC, EDSM, Inara, EDDB are the main ones I use. Inara is the single most useful third party site I've ever used for any game.

-- Look in to engineering. It's a bit of a rabbit hole, but the difference between a well-engineered ship and one without is like night and day. All of my ships are fully engineered. It isn't necessary in PvE aside from Combat Zones. But making your ship hit harder, fly faster, jump farther and have better protection is worth the time.

^Thanks a ton for your post, Threadfin!

I did eventually leave the zone after getting my Cobra Mk III, and the other ships I could get in the zone. Learning by doing, learning what each ship can hold in terms of modules. Right now I am getting the money to outfit an Asp Explorer for deep space exploring, and while doing that, unlocking 3 engineers that have contacted me. Money now mainly comes from learning basic exploration, scanning and mapping, using the ship instead of an SRV to get geological data, learning how to minimise fuel consumption, and getting a better understanding on how to scoop fuel safely. Still tons more to learn. At some point I will need to look at the auto repair system and how that works, where to find the necessary resources out there.

One thing though, my skills are sorely lacking is in combat against anything other than harmless and mostly harmess light fighters. I am aware of Flight Assist Off but that's a beast that needs tons of time and practice to get down. Not sure if my X-52 pro and rudder pedals will be enough for that in heavy combat. Looking to upgrade my controls later this year. Virpil looks tempting with both left and right hand sticks but the price of those is rather frightening. Anyway, I wouldn't mind a friendly combat sparring partner to teach me to get better at combat. It would have to be according to rules though, like score a hit on the shields and both pilots disengage and discuss what happened.

Trade is another aspect that requires some study: How to find lucurative trade routes using in-game tools mainly.

No worries mate, happy to help.

I think the X-52 should be plenty of stick. Some play this game with gamepads and some even use KB & M, which is actually great with FA off and fixed weapons. But a better stick is a good idea too if the budget allows. I use a Evenstrain titanium Cougar. I've been using this stick since 2002 lol. I was mostly a Falcon 4 player through the years and it's a great stick for that of course, but it's also great in Elite. For me Track IR is a must too. That, or VR.

Here's a tip that few seem to know of. Shifted commands. A shifted button is one that, when held down, tells the program to use a different command when any button is used, while the shift button is also used. You want to make it a button that is comfortable to reach and hold. Do not assign any command to it. Map your stick as normal, skipping the shift button in the controls section of ED.

Now you are free to assign an entire new set of commands to those same buttons, but when doing so hold the shift button down when assigning the new command in the mapping section. On my stick for example the shift button is S1 (the "pinky" button on the back side and bottom of the stick handle). So a shifted command will show something like Landing Gear = S1 + R2. R2 could therefore be set to toggle nightvision to pick an example, and S1 + R2 is landing gear.

In this way you can nearly double your stick/throttle commands. I say nearly, because you are assigning nothing to the shift button (twice)

I can't know what you're already aware of so forgive me if I'm covering old ground. But as you start to build ships I recommend using one of the third party build sites, like Coriolis or EDSY. These allow you to test build your ships, see what's what, before you go through the process. It can save a lot of trial and error or mistakes. And once you begin engineering (if you have not already) it's even better as you can see the ship before you spend the engineering materials. If you have not seen it, this is the one I use called Coriolis. This is what it looks like, showing my combat Krait II\


Poison Whiskey Krait II -- Combat Sweeper / Scout Sniper


You can swap modules and mods in this app to test your build to give you a plan. Immensely useful.

Something's wrong with that link, first time I've seen that. Perhaps the site is undergoing maintenance at the mo and it should work later.


Since Coriolis is down it seems, how about Inara? This is the site I said was the most useful I've used. It is the sort of thing that Elite should have embedded. What does it do? Lots of things


-- Tracks your fleet and locations
-- Tracks your rank and medal progress
-- Tracks your income and expenditures
-- Tracks all of your materials
-- Has all engineering blueprints, and combined with the point above, shows you if you have enough mats on board to apply that modification. Massive time saver here
-- Tracks your friends
-- Has the full trade network, updated in near real time (all data comes from players and it cannot be up to date at all times, some info lags).

-- Inara is great to find the closest thing you are looking for, whether it be a certain ship or module, a trader, a commodity, whatever. When you have Inara set up right, it tracks your location and a quick search will yield results in ascending proximity. Another massive time saver. These sorts of things make you a much more efficient Elite player. Elite Dangerous Database is also great for this.

And lots more, but I don't want to bore anyone lol. Not sure if it's public, but here's my Inara page


https://inara.cz/cmdr/69080/


If it doesn't show at least it's a link to Inara itself.

I am eyeing these
https://virpil.com/en/blog/163-intro...-50cm-throttle
https://virpil-controls.eu/vpc-control-panel-1.html ideally 2 of these
https://virpil-controls.eu/vpc-mongoost-50cm2-grip.html comes as both left and right hand
And to complete my DCS pleasures
https://forums.eagle.ru/topic/256358...tive-controls/

But price means this is just a mad fantasy at the moment

As for shift states on the stick, I used that extensively in every sim I played the last 20 years. It is a full time job to map everything but the end result is as fantastic as it is confusing after each break from playing :haha:

The x-52 has the option of mapping multiple shift keys, as well as mapping 3 shift states on a 3 step rotary. The shift keys can be momentary or latched. It really is a powerful option this stick if you can handle a myriad of completely different functions to each button, slider or dial. Still, I prefer a cleaner setup with a minimum of shift states as they can be really confusing at times.

OK cool, I didn't know how experienced you were, but you've got the controls handled.

Because my stick has lasted so long I've not needed to use any of the newer stuff. I only know of the Virpil stuff by reputation, which is good of course. I don't think you'd be disappointed.

One other tip I think is important is to learn and use module priorities. This allows you to build ships over the power limit by setting priority shut-down order. For example you can set your FSD or SRV hangar to shut down when hardpoints are deployed to save that power for weapons and other doodads used in combat. This is done in the right panel. Disregard if you're already familiar with this.

Disregard? No, these are good advice and even if I know, my memory is a bit like swizz cheese so do point out any tips, even if it's a reminder, or stressing the importance of something I haven't looked enough at!

Just yesterday did I look up priorities and I can really do with hints and tips for various priority setups for various situations.

Also, just an hour ago did I learn more about heat. Not a lot yet but the concept of stealth is new to me.

EDIT: Oh, and I have had a quick look at trackIR but this being hi tech for my commodore 64 brain, are these kits that come with everything you need, or is it just a camera/software and anything else is for us to piece together?

If you buy a retail kit it includes everything. It's a camera you attach to the top of your monitor (or other appropriate place), and a hat clip or similar reflective device. That's all there is to it aside from installing the software.

I cannot recommend it enough. I don't even like to fly without it. Every now and then I'll fire up Elite but forget to start the TIR. I then climb in the ship with a fixed view and it's just so archaic, like I'm back in 1999 or something haha. One of the best simming investments I've ever made.

You mentioned heat and that's a core part of my builds. Many of my ships are engineered to run cool. Heat in Elite is a function of power draw, and a few other factors like power plant efficiency (higher class are more efficient in dissipating heat). So the less power it needs, the cooler it runs.

My Orca for example is engineered to run very cool, it idles at 14% heat. This makes it a great smuggler avoiding scans, and it's difficult for enemies to resolve it on their sensors. My Diamondback Explorer also runs that cool.

I build my ships to be very fast, run cool and jump far. I'm willing to trade integrity and firepower to achieve this. But with engineering it's a matter of degrees since you can usually cover most deficiencies with modifications.

Looks like Coriolis is back up. Here are a few of my ships


Sunburst Orca -- Interstellar Style Magnet

This ship is very fast and runs very cool. Good jump. Used for sightseeing, bulk transport, VIP transport, rescue missions and criminal smuggling. Unarmed. Fantastic canopy view. One of my favorite ships.

Mad Hops Diamondback Explorer -- Deep Diver / Bubble Runner

DBX used for deep dive exploration, a bubble-runner and anytime I need to go far, quick. Fantastic jump range near 70. Recently took this ship out to Colonia to unlock all the engineers there. DBX is a great little ship.

Poison Whiskey Krait II -- Combat Sweeper / Scout Sniper

One of my many Kraits, this one is mainly used to prowl RES and CNBs to scoop up the valuable mats from combat kills. I also reconfigure it a bit to hunt Thargoids. The Krait II is my favorite ship in Elite.

Anyway, just a few ship builds for you to look over. I love discussing Elite ship building, so if there's anything on your mind fire away.

I probably need to work out how to build my own button box(es). A quick calculation tells me a full virpil setup with dual sticks will cost me more than 2000 euro. Doable but not in one go, that's for sure.

Really appreciate those links! They're gold.

Like I mentioned, I am working up the money for an asp explorer for deep exploration far away from the bubble. I've gathered that "range" is essentially 2-fold: One is the jump range but equally important is endurance, in lack of a better word: The range via multiple jumps before refuelling is necessary. That, I believe, is a function of fuel tank size, fuel consumption in normal flight/supercruise as well as ship mass in fuel calculations for single jump range. I haven't looked at distances near the edge of the galaxy, or what kind of stars I will find there but I think, I believe, that if I trade off some single jump distance for increased endurance, I will get further out to find scoopable stars far out there. The big question is then how should I split capabilities between these 2 different measures of range.

One of my proudest accomplishments in Elite is having never run out of gas! Haha, but plenty do. If you ever find yourself stranded call the Fuel Rats ! It's a group of players dedicated to saving commanders stranded anywhere in the galaxy. Saints among men.

As to the range/endurance issue, it is certainly something to be aware of, and improve if possible. For me though, jump range is the thing. Endurance is also important, but with a fuel scoop and scoopable stars, it really is a minor one for me. There are places you can go where KGBFOAM stars are few and far between, and then it become vitally important! But in general terms endurance is not a big deal, as long as you have a scoop.

If you look at those builds I linked to, you see a few modifications to increase range. Aside from any weight saving modifications, the important ones are FSD engineering and the Guardian FSD Booster.

The FSD has the long range modification with the mass manager experimental. Mass manager reduces the amount of fuel gulped during each jump, which in turn boosts the endurance (or total range on a single tank. Jump range and total jump range are displayed at the top left in Coriolis). The GFSDB is a special module that requires jumping through some hoops to acquire, and adds a flat boost to jump range with the amount depending on module class. Check youtube.

You can mess around in Coriolis and try various modules and engineering to see what effect it has.


AspX is a great ship, it was my third ship, but I've since sold it. But I do have a lot of experience building and using one. I took my first real exploration trip in an AspX, 5000 light years out to unlock one of the engineers.