Elite sequel on the way

[KarateEd]

(as Paul said!)
It will still be single player, you just have to be connected to the internet when playing it as they want the Universe to be able to evolve around you.

d.

True, there will be single player but this has been so discussed on the forums and by Braben himself. It will be an ever changing landscape, not one of your own creation by exploring at least that's my understanding. I'll stick with the old, happy Beeb version. True, it's small (by today's standards) but there is lots of gameplay there to be had.....

I did a bit of research before making my statement. It's not the being connected to the internet that bothers me (I'm always on), it's the fact my game changes without my input, but by many people's input, even if they aren't visible to me.

That's the problem I have with it, otherwise, it's probably going to be a fine game but we'll see. It will make it through the first couple of weeks and maybe a few years or it will die completely as these huge online games tend to do sometimes.

All in all, I still think it's an interesting topic and will follow how it's doing and perhaps change my mind, but probably not.

Ed......

[fatbob_gb]

I am a bit annoyed as well, I held off subscribing to the Kickstarter campaign until I saw that they would be doing a single player / offline version. Now I find that not only are they not doing an offline version but because I subscribed to the Kickstarter campaign I'm not eligible for a refund.

Oh well, time to go back to the Archimedes version.

[CMcDougall]

just watched this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWfDxEcDxoU
I only like the first 14 seconds

after 1:10, sure my first go on a electron done that anyways......

[danielj]

Sorry Ed, I wasn't meaning to say that your statement was unfounded! Certainly lots of people have reacted to the online only thing thinking that it meant there'd be no single player mode. However, surely it doesn't matter whether the environment evolves because of an algorithm or because of the influence of the actions of players? To all intents and purposes the result is the same

For me the important thing was to be able to play casually without being "griefed" by idiots because I'm crap at flying a cobra - The fact that there'll be a rich environment which is ever-changing massively adds to the game.

d.

[KarateEd]

Sorry Ed, I wasn't meaning to say that your statement was unfounded!

And I certainly wasn't taking any offence at all to your statement Daniel....Just don't like the way this (announcement of the game platform) came down with an offline promise of single player....they've known for a long time they weren't going to manage it....either that, they don't really understand programming.

Certainly lots of people have reacted to the online only thing thinking that it meant there'd be no single player mode.

I'm fortunate in that I decided not to put money into it during the first stage of raising dough.... still irks me though that people may shy away now from this form of raising money....and about single player, you're right, a lot don't understand that it's there, just have to be online....but it won't be around in 30 years like the original, that is almost a perfect guarantee....I would stake the rest of my now shorter (I'm 64) life on that one....

However, surely it doesn't matter whether the environment evolves because of an algorithm or because of the influence of the actions of players? To all intents and purposes the result is the same

To me, it does. I don't want the environment changed from where I was, suddenly bringing me surprises that I hadn't somehow generate but some other player has by maybe playing a different way than I might.....evolve the planets/universe/constellations is all good, I just want to do it my way and I think the orig. Elite did that nicely. I have such an ego....

For me the important thing was to be able to play casually without being "griefed" by idiots because I'm crap at flying a cobra

I absolutely agree with you on this....

The fact that there'll be a rich environment which is ever-changing massively adds to the game. d.

It does if it's my gameplay that allows that to happen...however a caveat here.....To be honest, I don't really know if the environment would change much differently with external players playing while I'm in single play mode or if I was the only player had that option become available.

For me, the jury is out until I see what happens a little further down the road. I do feel a bit bad for those that got so excited about Elite that they, without thinking, just threw their hard earned cash into the bucket with possibly unreasonable expectations of what they would get....except.....Frontier was promising offline single player mode up to only about a month or so ago.

ok, enough of my rant.......

Ed......

[richardtoohey]

^^^ What Ed said!

I'm in the same position, I didn't put any money in.

But I can understand the cheesed off people. Saying that there is a single-player mode (but it is online) doesn't match the original promises. And from what I've read, there are a lot of from-BITD players who wanted a new whizzy Elite to play their way, on their computers, offline, and that's been taken away from them.

Nothing about how great the game is going to be, or how they can (almost) get what they want etc. is the same as delivering on the original promise.

But not really worth getting that excited about, I don't think (easier for me to say with no money "invested" in it!)

There are plenty of offline versions to play between the 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, PC, oolite, etc. versions to play.

[sa_scott]

If there's a small positive to come out of this, it's that cheesed off players may try out the RISC OS version of Elite... you can't be more offline than playing on RISC OS

What are the chances that someone will open up the ARM code and start embellishing it with features from Elite: Dangerous?

[Samwise]

I just got sent the link to download the gamma version. I don't think I'm really going to have the time to play it properly, which is the main reason I'm a bit concerned about the offline mode disappearing. I can well imagine I'm going to put this to one side for a year or five and then be annoyed when I come back and can't play it anymore because the server got switched off ...

Hopefully they'll commit to releasing a version of the server to the game's community, when that happens.

Sam.

[davidb]

The need for a server is something that's a real problem for cultural preservation of online games. Hopefully someone will create an open replacement and hack the game so that you can use that instead of the official one.

The alternative would be to release the source code to the community but I doubt that would happen with this one given that Ian Bell isn't involved this time.

[danielj]

Braben did say that in the event of them closing the servers down, that the archived version would be made available.

d.

[Samwise]

That'd be like the original commitment to create an offline single player game, then?

It's going to be a long while before it becomes an issue. I hope he follows through with it when the time comes, though.

Otherwise, I think we can say for certain that he'll be dragged across the gaming press again ... lol

Sam.

[CHRISJJ]

I initially pledged at founder level and now have a physical copy of the game, novella and a t-shirt to boot.

How many of those three did you actually receive?

[nOmArch]

Rewards don't go out til the game is released.

e2a: The extra concept art I ordered arrived today though.

[CHRISJJ]

Rewards don't go out til the game is released.

Really? I thought they'd go out when available.

[Garrettimus]

Hey, lads, did you watch the release trailer? WOW!!!!!!!

http://youtu.be/I6peGu2yG6o?list=UUd1Xm ... fZUWaWf7EA

[nOmArch]

Rewards don't go out til the game is released.

Really? I thought they'd go out when available.

The reason given was that it saves on shipping if everything is sent out in one go.

[CHRISJJ]

The reason given was that it saves on shipping if everything is sent out in one go.

Sounds like rather poor excuse for shipping the available items now nine months late.

[nOmArch]

Pretty standard for Kickstarter rewards to be sent out in one go.

[CHRISJJ]

Pretty standard for Kickstarter rewards to be sent out in one go.

I thought you reported here that your items didn't go out in one go.

[nOmArch]

Mate, I'm not Frontier. They said items would all be shipped out in one go.

My extra concept art that I ordered has arrived but none of the official rewards. If you want to know why they are doing what they are doing probably best to take it up with them.

[CHRISJJ]

If you want to know why they are doing what they are doing probably best to take it up with them.

No need thanks. The explanation is clear from the thousands of complaints on Frontier's forums from backers and buyers who've received neither the game for which they paid nor any response to demands for refunds. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=58789 .

[nOmArch]

Ahh the forum, I stay away from there like the plague; far too much noise to signal ratio for me.

I'm also very happy with the game, I've played it a bit in Beta & Gamma and once the rift is released commercially next year I'm gonna sit down and play the hell out of it!

For me it's worked out amazingly well as I'm far too busy running around abandoned mines and climbing cranes at the moment to be sat indoors playing computer games.