Game Difficulty and other Questions

[Weffi]

The last time I played a game of this kind was as a child in 1995 on an Amiga 500. The game is called "Frontier: First Encounters" or "Elite 2". Even then I was, like probably most others, fascinated by the sheer scale of the playable world, but even more by a small but, at least for me, very important aspect. The possibility to land seamlessly on a planet without interruption and without loading screen. For me, this is practically a prerequisite for this kind of games. And most of the games like that since then didn't have that possibility. So my first question would be whether this is possible in Elite Dangerous.

Furthermore, I remember that Elite 2 was quite difficult and beginner-unfriendly, especially the problem was to control the speed of the spaceship. Has "ED" improved in this aspect? I'm not a casual gamer, but I still prefer a slow learning curve.

I do have a VR headset and I've heard that "ED" supports it, but honestly, it's actually too cumbersome and uncomfortable for me to use a headset or, say, flightsticks or the like. Or is "Elite Dangerous" twice as good an experience in VR than without it?

And can you play "ED" quite simply from the sofa with gamepad and for special control problems with IR keyboard lying next to you?

Does the game have a story or is it a sandbox?
Is the world generically randomly created or are there also beautiful and varied areas?
Is "Elite Dangerous" online and/or offline? Or if there is story or a campaign, can you enjoy it in peace or are you often interrupted?

Can I play the base game first without additional DLC's, or am I missing important things that are useful at the beginning?
Are there any other DLC's besides "Elite Dangerous: Odyssey"?

[Rasluka]

Furthermore, I remember that Elite 2 was quite difficult and beginner-unfriendly, especially the problem was to control the speed of the spaceship. Has "ED" improved in this aspect? I'm not a casual gamer, but I still prefer a slow learning curve

You get a very very basic tutorial at the start for the absolute basics of the game but you will need to rely on 3rd party guides for the more complex stuff and sometimes for features that are poorly explained or just outright not explained. It is worth the extra effort to learn though.
As for ship controls...

And can you play "ED" quite simply from the sofa with gamepad and for special control problems with IR keyboard lying next to you?

You can very easily do everything with a controller with a few changes to the default. I set my throttle to the left stick axis then use the RB or LB as 'shift' buttons. LB + left stick for directional thrust, RB + X deploy heatsink, etc.

[funkynutz]

Автор сообщения: Weffi

The last time I played a game of this kind was as a child in 1995 on an Amiga 500. The game is called "Frontier: First Encounters" or "Elite 2". Even then I was, like probably most others, fascinated by the sheer scale of the playable world, but even more by a small but, at least for me, very important aspect. The possibility to land seamlessly on a planet without interruption and without loading screen. For me, this is practically a prerequisite for this kind of games. And most of the games like that since then didn't have that possibility. So my first question would be whether this is possible in Elite Dangerous.

Technically there are loading screens when flying down to a plannet... But they're seamless/invisible/interactive loading screens. When you fly down to a planet surface, you pass through orbital cruise and glide modes. You're still in control of the ship, you can still look around etc... There's also the loading screen as you jump between star systems. Controls are locked out during the jump, but you're still sat in the cockpit, able to look around.

Furthermore, I remember that Elite 2 was quite difficult and beginner-unfriendly, especially the problem was to control the speed of the spaceship. Has "ED" improved in this aspect? I'm not a casual gamer, but I still prefer a slow learning curve.

The learning curve is quite steep for newbies. You're not a newbie though, you've already covered a lot of what you'll do in game on that old Amiga.

I do have a VR headset and I've heard that "ED" supports it, but honestly, it's actually too cumbersome and uncomfortable for me to use a headset or, say, flightsticks or the like. Or is "Elite Dangerous" twice as good an experience in VR than without it?

It's one of the main reasons to own a VR headset. You don't really get to appreciate the scale of things on a flat screen. NOTE: Odyssey specific (on foot) gameplay is crap in VR, you play it on a stupid flat screen projected in to your virtual space. The in ship/buggy stuff is excellent though.

And can you play "ED" quite simply from the sofa with gamepad and for special control problems with IR keyboard lying next to you?

Yep. Supports any and all controllers, and combinations of that I've tried so far... Steam can sometimes get in the way, but it's an easy fix.

Does the game have a story or is it a sandbox?
Is the world generically randomly created or are there also beautiful and varied areas?
Is "Elite Dangerous" online and/or offline? Or if there is story or a campaign, can you enjoy it in peace or are you often interrupted?

There is a story, but you're not part of it. Not a protagonist, or a hero... You're a nobody. Gameplay wise, it's a sandbox. There is no campaign as such.

It's mostly generic areas, but that just makes the special spots that little bit more special. And even a lot of the generic areas look good. Windswept icy mountains at sunset, alien forests, panoramic vistas over rocky deserts etc.

It's always online, but you don't have to play with other players (open = chance to meet random players, private groups = only people invited to the group can join, and solo = single player). It should also be pointed out that there's 400 billion star systems in game. Unless you go to (or through) popular high traffic areas, even in open you often won't see another player that often.

Can I play the base game first without additional DLC's, or am I missing important things that are useful at the beginning?
Are there any other DLC's besides "Elite Dangerous: Odyssey"?

Odyssey is only required if you want to walk around, visit settlements, planets with tenuous atmospheres etc... That being said, it does flesh the game out nicely; especially for explorers. Horizons was an optional DLC, but that was given to everyone that owned the base game before Odyssey was released, and has been part of it for new buyers ever since. There's also ARX (a sort of in game currency for purchasing cosmetics) that you can earn in game (400 per week max) or buy for cash.

[Corvax]

Frontier on the amiga was such a huge treat!

Автор сообщения: Weffi

The possibility to land seamlessly on a planet without interruption and without loading screen. For me, this is practically a prerequisite for this kind of games. And most of the games like that since then didn't have that possibility. So my first question would be whether this is possible in Elite Dangerous.

Yes, this is possible, although there are some planets we can not land on.

Автор сообщения: Weffi

Is "Elite Dangerous" online and/or offline? Or if there is story or a campaign, can you enjoy it in peace or are you often interrupted?

It is always online, but there is a solo option, and you would never see another human player if you so wish.

[Veeshan]

Автор сообщения: Weffi

Furthermore, I remember that Elite 2 was quite difficult and beginner-unfriendly, especially the problem was to control the speed of the spaceship. Has "ED" improved in this aspect? I'm not a casual gamer, but I still prefer a slow learning curve.

Hm, this seems at odds with itself. You say you prefer a slow learning curve but also view reducing the difficulty of the basics as "improving" by becoming easier, presumably?

The answer I believe would be no, ED is not easier in this way, it, in my view deliberately, retains a steep learning curve in both general operation and in mechanic knowledge. Can't offer a comparison of difficulty as I didn't game until DOS, though.

[Agony_Aunt]

FFE was technically speaking Elite 3, or perhaps Elite 2.5.

In the modern world, it would have been a DLC/expansion to Frontier.

It also had some horrendous bugs. Still, i played the hell out of it for hundreds or thousands of hours.

[Weffi]

Автор сообщения: Rasluka

You can very easily do everything with a controller with a few changes to the default. I set my throttle to the left stick axis then use the RB or LB as 'shift' buttons. LB + left stick for directional thrust, RB + X deploy heatsink, etc.

This sounds interesting, i will keep that in mind.

Автор сообщения: funkynutz

Odyssey is only required if you want to walk around, visit settlements, planets with tenuous atmospheres etc... That being said, it does flesh the game out nicely; especially for explorers. Horizons was an optional DLC, but that was given to everyone that owned the base game before Odyssey was released, and has been part of it for new buyers ever since. There's also ARX (a sort of in game currency for purchasing cosmetics) that you can earn in game (400 per week max) or buy for cash.

Thanks for your effort and detailed explanations. I just found out that I have the base game on the Epic Games launcher, so I'm going to try it first without Odyssey, even though I'm an explorer.

Автор сообщения: Corvax

Frontier on the amiga was such a huge treat!

It was indeed! I just hope that "The Blue Danube" is also in Elite Dangerous, because I loved it in Elite 2. It fit very well together and was a nice reminiscence of "2001: A Space Odyssey". I hope it is possible to visit the sol system as well.

Автор сообщения: Veeshan

Hm, this seems at odds with itself. You say you prefer a slow learning curve but also view reducing the difficulty of the basics as "improving" by becoming easier, presumably?

The answer I believe would be no, ED is not easier in this way, it, in my view deliberately, retains a steep learning curve in both general operation and in mechanic knowledge. Can't offer a comparison of difficulty as I didn't game until DOS, though.

I guess I didn't make myself clear enough. I have nothing against challenging games, but I want to have fun on the way to mastery and not be overwhelmed, true to the motto: easy to learn, hard to master.

Thank you all for your answers and help

[Weffi]

Автор сообщения: Agony_Aunt

FFE was technically speaking Elite 3, or perhaps Elite 2.5.

In the modern world, it would have been a DLC/expansion to Frontier.

It also had some horrendous bugs. Still, i played the hell out of it for hundreds or thousands of hours.

Oh, I see. Well, I played it a lot too, but on the Amiga 500, can you imagine? I mean, this game is from 1995 and I probably needed a memory upgrade, but it was still jerky as hell when I got near a space station or especially when I tried to land on a landing station on a planet in a crater, with strong winds. Now, I'm not sure if the wind was simulated back then, but I remember it being difficult at 5 fps.

P.S. Sorry my memory has clouded me a bit. I have Frontier: Elite 2 on the Amiga and Frontier: First Encounters on the PC. I just looked at the individual packages again. But I only remember the Amiga Frontier: Elite 2 because maybe Frontier: First Encounters on the PC didn't have enough innovation so I didn't want to play it anymore.
https://imgur.com/a/qbWfyrh
If anyone remembers Damocles and Mercenary III, two more cool games from back in the day....

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

Автор сообщения: Weffi

I just hope that "The Blue Danube" is also in Elite Dangerous, because I loved it in Elite 2. It fit very well together and was a nice reminiscence of "2001: A Space Odyssey".

Install a docking computer and you will see (hear). :)

I hope it is possible to visit the sol system as well.

It is possible. But an access to that star system is locked behind a Federal rank. It's a low rank, though, so you can get it pretty fast.

[Brew]

Автор сообщения: Weffi

Is the world generically randomly created or are there also beautiful and varied areas?

I don't think these are alternatives. It could be random and beautiful, or hand-crafted and generic. Or random and generic or hand-crafted and beautiful.

The game depicts the milky way galaxy, i.e. our real-life galaxy. It is created via a combination of random generation and deliberate placement. One could not hand-create the ~400 billion star systems in the game. So there is a large amount of generation. On the other hand, you can fly to Earth, look up, and see the big dipper. Definitely not random!

[Sighman]

Автор сообщения: Brew

Автор сообщения: Weffi

Is the world generically randomly created or are there also beautiful and varied areas?

I don't think these are alternatives. It could be random and beautiful, or hand-crafted and generic. Or random and generic or hand-crafted and beautiful.

The game depicts the milky way galaxy, i.e. our real-life galaxy. It is created via a combination of random generation and deliberate placement. One could not hand-create the ~400 billion star systems in the game. So there is a large amount of generation. On the other hand, you can fly to Earth, look up, and see the big dipper. Definitely not random!

I was just talking to someone yesterday about this. If every planet was spectacularly colourful, they'll all be drab after a while (see NMS)

What I love about Elite is arriving in a system, seeing a range of planets, and then maybe discovering one of them has the most amazing landscape and atmosphere, or there's a moon right in the rings of a gas giant, or some other unusual finding.

Even the airless worlds in Odyssey can be spectacular, with (for example) a glaring sulphur-yellow surface with lava vents and fumaroles.