Hello, Commander,
Welcome to Elite Dangerous Newsletter #96.
This week we're explaining some of the changes to space flight as you make a planetary approach, teasing next week's Elite Dangerous: Horizons livestream, bringing a new Anaconda paint job to the store and catching up with the latest GalNet news.
As always, you can hear the latest news and updates directly from the development team on our Forums, Twitter, Facebook, Community Homepage, and right here in the newsletter every week, and we're always eager to hear your feedback.
Pre-order links:
Elite Dangerous: Horizons
Elite Dangerous: Horizons Beta
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Contents This Week
● Planetary Approach
● First Combat Livestream
● Gold Anaconda Paint Job
● New Community Livestream Series
● Community Goals Update
● Comms Chatter
● GalNet
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Planetary Approach
As part of this week's Dev Update, Executive Producer Michael Brookes explained how the handling of your ship will change as you approach a planetary surface.
In the game currently supercruise ends when you get too close to a planet. If you have Horizons then your ships will automatically be assigned a module that enables the ship to operate at orbital heights down to the surface in what we’re calling Orbital Cruise. With this module you will transition into orbital flight when you reach the appropriate altitude.
The ship handles a little differently in orbital flight. The key difference is that if you fly within orbital parameters (essentially perpendicular to the surface) you will travel faster and this provides a mechanism for moving quickly around the planet. This is also highlighted in the UI by showing the sweet spot on your pitch control. Below orbital cruise you enter into surface flight and the controls change again to reflect the flight model operating within gravity and your thrusters compensating for you flight close to the surface.
As well as handling differences (and high gravity worlds feel different to fly on compared to low gravity worlds) the flight UI has been updated to provide the relevant information you need when flying near the surface like altitude, pitch and so forth. We’ll show more on this in the coming weeks, but for this week I just wanted to establish the different zones that you can be in and how that affects you while playing.
This is especially pertinent in multiplayer and wings, as you can now be operating across very different environments, but you will have a need to support each other between these environments. It’s also key that transitioning between these is a seamless experience.
One of our favourite examples of mixing these is ‘combined arms’ operations. When operating near a planet the ships have different advantages and disadvantages to the SRVs and combining them together can make operations more effective. We’ll be talking about settlements next week, so we’ll see a little more detail on that then, but in essence different types of base defences can be more effective against ships or against SRVs, so combining the forces in an attack can make it much more likely to succeed.
Naturally you can use the same tactics in single player by landing and deploying the SRV as needed. If you drive too far away then you can call your ship to your location, although you do need to make sure that there’s a suitable landing location (so not too rocky for example) and no anti-ship defences nearby!
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First Combat Livestream
On Wednesday's livestream we showed off the handling and controls of the SRV, teasing what's to come as part of Elite Dangerous: Horizons. Earlier today, David Braben leaked another sneak peek at SRV gameplay, with this action-packed sequence showing the beginnings of a base approach.
We've got so much more to show you, so we're continuing the Elite Dangerous: Horizons series of livestreams with "Exploring the Unknown".
Tune in to our official YouTube channel at 7PM GMT on Tuesday October 27, to watch Edward Lewis, Michael Brookes and other guests give you a further look at a live build of Elite Dangerous: Horizons, showing combat on the planet surfaces for the first time.
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Gold Anaconda
The Anaconda has been a firm favourite for wealthy pilots looking to explore the galaxy with style and power. There's one easy way to make you look even more affluent and impressive as you fly the Anaconda, and that's to cover your ship entirely in gold.
The community have asked for Anaconda paint jobs for some time now, so we're thrilled to finally make the Gold Anaconda paint job available today.
Find it on our store here.
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New Community Livestream Series
"Educating Ed" is the new community livestream where Community Manager Edward Lewis becomes the Galactic Intern to spend time with some of the prominent community groups that populate the Elite Dangerous galaxy. Episode 1: The Fuel Rats, will be live on our official YouTube channel on Thursday October 29 at 7PM GMT.
Ed will be joined by one of the community group's representatives to learn the ropes and take part in the activity the group is known for.
As the poster above suggests, in episode one the Galactic Intern will be taken through a refueling drill from start to finish as he spends the evening with the Fuel Rats.
If you've got a community group that would love to get involved, send an email to community@frontier.co.uk with the name of your group, and the in-game activity you'd like to get Ed involved in.
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Community Goals Update
Greetings, Commanders, and welcome to this week’s community goals blog.
The war against Emperor’s Dawn rages on. Senator Denton Patreus, with the full support of the Empire, is seeking to finally crush the insurgents, but Emperors Dawn is showing no signs of backing down. Both sides are still promising to reward independent pilots who help their cause. The outcome of the battle still hangs in the balance, but one thing is for sure – the conflict between the Empire and Emperor’s Dawn is far from over.
Away from the frontlines, the Sirius Corporation issued a system-wide kill order on pirates operating in the Robigo system. The company has set aside a substantial cash fund to reward pilots who help to eliminate the pirates, which are disrupting Sirius Corp mining operations in the region.
On a more positive note, It has been announced that the construction of a new space station in the Pleiades Nebula is to start this week. A spokesperson for the Explorers’ Association, which is overseeing the construction, released the following statement:
“The Explorers’ Association, in conjunction with the Brewer Corporation, and Universal Cartographics, is offering to pay a premium on all high-quality metals brought to Neville Horizons in the Kaushpoos system. Once collected, these materials will be used in the construction of a new ocellus starport that, once complete, will give explorers a home in one of the more colourful areas of space.”
If you are looking for a goal this week, the breakdown below should help:
Kaushpoos, Neville Horizons: Help construct a new station in the Pleiades Nebula, and earn rewards by selling metals to Neville Horizons in the Kaushpoos System.
Robigo, Robigo Mines: Earn rewards by handing in Bounty Vouchers at Robigo Mines.
Namarii, Hughes Hub (Emperor’s Dawn Supporters): Deliver Emperor’s Dawn combat bonds to Hughes Hub, Drake Orbital or Bell Dock.
Namarii, Hughes Hub (Empire Supporters): Deliver Empire combat bonds to Hughes Hub, Rogers Dock, Parkinson Orbital.
Tabaldak, Rogers Dock (Empire Supporters): Deliver Empire combat bonds to Hughes Hub, Rogers Dock, Parkinson Orbital.
Tabaldak, Drake Orbital (Emperor’s Dawn Supporters): Deliver Emperor’s Dawn combat bonds to Hughes Hub, Drake Orbital or Bell Dock.
LTT 874, Bell Dock (Emperor’s Dawn Supporters): Deliver Emperor’s Dawn combat bonds to Hughes Hub, Drake Orbital or Bell Dock.
LTT 874, Parkinson Orbital (Empire Supporters): Deliver Empire combat bonds to Hughes Hub, Rogers Dock, Parkinson Orbital.
Keep flying, and be safe out there Commanders!
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Comms Chatter
FantastiCon 2015 is coming to Hull again on October 24 and 25 at the Country Park Inn, right under the Hull side of the Humber Bridge. Elite Dangerous has a large presence at the science fiction, fantasy, technology, comics, gaming, books and cosplay festival, so if you live in the area, or you're up for the trip, make sure you don't miss out.
Edward Lewis, Zac Antonaci and Michael Brookes from Frontier Developments will be at the convention, so come and say hi if you're around. Mike will also be talking about his book, Elite Legacy, and might even have a copy or two to sign.
The Elite Dangerous subreddit recently held a competition after reaching 50,000 subscribers, now they've declared the winner for each category. That includes best video, real-life contribution, artwork and screenshot, you can see the winning entries here!
CMDR Salad on Reddit shared their screenshot of flying over Leesti. Makes you wonder what’s on the horizon...
FantastiCon 2015 is coming to Hull again on October 24 and 25 at the Country Park Inn, right under the Hull side of the Humber Bridge. Elite Dangerous has a large presence at the science fiction, fantasy, technology, comics, gaming, books and cosplay festival, so if you live in the area, or you're up for the trip, make sure you don't miss out.
Edward Lewis, Zac Antonaci and Michael Brookes from Frontier Developments will be at the convention, so come and say hi if you're around. Mike will also be talking about his book, Elite Legacy, and might even have a copy or two to sign.
And finally, CMDR Chaos Wulf put together this Ultimate Piracy tutorial on YouTube.
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Today, dawn broke above an expectant Capitol as Imperial citizens awaited the coronation of the first female Emperor (the Imperial Senate having determined that 'Emperor' should be used for both male and female rulers). It looked like the entire population had come to witness the procession of Arissa Lavigny-Duval through the city to the Imperial Palace. The crowd's excitement was palpable, but it was undercut by uncertainty over whether the insurgent organisation Emperor's Dawn would succeed in disrupting the coronation ceremony, as they claimed they would. There have been rumours that Emperor-to-be Arissa refused to travel in a closed speeder, despite concerns for her safety, and she looked every part the Emperor as the procession made its way sedately through the city.
More than 220,000 pilots have signed a petition calling for an inquiry into the lack of anti-collision lights on starships and emergency lighting on system-authority ships. Jenson Zanetti, chairman of the Pilots Federation Safety Board, stated: "At some point in their careers, most pilots will be struck by an authority or private vessel they did not see, which can be disastrous for both parties. If our proposals are implemented, we predict a massive decrease in the number of fatal collisions in and around space stations."
To date, the Empire's campaign against the insurgent organisation Emperor's Dawn has fallen largely under the jurisdiction of Senator Denton Patreus, but now that the question of the succession has been answered, the Empire is in a position to give Emperor's Dawn its full attention. Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has issued a frank statement in which she denounces Emperor's Dawn as "an enemy of the Empire", and promises to give Senator Patreus her full support: "Emperor's Dawn has gone to great lengths to present itself as being aligned with the Empire's values and ideals, but make no mistake – this organisation is an enemy of the Empire. Senator Patreus has demonstrated sound judgement in his management of the campaign, and I have every faith in his ability to remove this threat to our civilisation. The operation to destroy Emperor's Dawn will continue under his guidance."
Edmund Mahon has proven last week's naysaying economists wrong. The economic juggernaut that is the Alliance of Independent Systems now exerts influence over more than 1,000 systems – a tremendous milestone for the fledgling superpower, which only recently celebrated 70 years of existence. Arissa Lavigny-Duval's days have been largely consumed by preparations for her coronation ceremony, but she has also made time to direct the efforts of the Shield of Justice. The Emperor-to-be oversaw massive fortifications during the past week, with 50 systems secured against little opposition. Everything appears to be in order for the coronation ceremony this weekend.
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That’s it for Newsletter #96. As always, if there's anything in particular that you’d like to hear more about, or if you'd like to ask a question, then please contact us at elite-newsletter@frontier.co.uk.
Click for the latest Game Manual, Quickstart Guide and Pilot Training Videos. Visit our Support team here and read our previous newsletters here.
Until next time, fly safe and Right On, Commander.
The Frontier Team
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