Elite Dangerous: Horizons |OT| Just scratching the surface

[Cenauru]

I haven't played in a while, started a couple months ago but only got around 60 hours logged. I see there's a new update coming soon, by any chance are they doing anything with the new player experience? I just started losing my motivation to log in one day because how reliant the game seemed on wikis to give you any sort of info, when you're in VR that becomes a royal pain in the ass. There's not much that scratches the space flight itch like Elite Dangerous does. It's just trying to figure out what to do and how to play where I just run into walls of wiki text.

 

[Burny]

Patch notes:

Elite Dangerous: Beyond - Chapter Two 3.1
Greetings Commanders,

The galaxy servers will be taken down tomorrow (28/06) at 8:00 AM (BST) to deploy update 3.1 Elite Dangerous: Beyond - Chapter Two.

The downtime is expected to last for approximately 9 hours. There is a chance that this could run over, so we really appreciate your patience. As usual with these updates we'll keep you as up to date as possible.

The full changelog can be found below:

Content

Missions and Scenarios
Added new wing mining missions
Added new high threat USS's, and missions that can direct players to them


Megaship and Installation Interactions
Added existing megaship interactions to installations
Added Escape Hatch interaction points to damaged megaships


Crime and Punishment
Players can now hand themselves in to security contacts, if they have outstanding bounties, and a zero notoriety rating. Players that hand themselves in will pay off the bounty and be deported to the nearest detention center
Relaxed the friendly fire thresholds against NPC ships, to lower the amount of erroneous crimes being handed out
Notoriety now decays whilst the player is docked
Players current notoriety level displayed in cockpit will no longer be potentially out of date
Relaxed the rules for Multicrew gunners so that they are less prone to accidental assault/reckless weapon discharge crimes


Horizons-only Content

Weapons
New weapons now available at applicable Tech Brokers:
Large Plasma Shock Cannon (Fixed, Gimbal, Turret)
Large Guardian Shard Cannon (Fixed, Turret)
Large Guardian Plasma Launcher (Fixed, Turret)


Modules
The Guardian FSD booster is once again available at the Guardian Tech Broker, now with improved fuel efficiency


Ships
Alliance Challenger - a medium sized ship, based on the Alliance Chieftain, that boasts a generous compliment of hard-points, whilst retaining the Chieftains characteristic agility. It also has stronger armour.
Krait Mk.II - a medium sized, multi-role ship, that trades defensive capability for speed, fire-power and maneuverability. The Krait Mk.II has space for two crew members and is capable of carrying a fighter bay


Narrative
New planetary sites added, with audio logs



Fixes and Improvements

Art
Fixed some missing effects on Guardian Artifacts

Audio
Fixed audio cutting out in supercruise near neutron stars


Background Simulation
Fixed war missions incorrectly offering influence rewards (influence during a war state has no actual effect)
Ensure that faction effects are the same from selling exploration data for pages as well as individual star systems, and balance those faction effects to have roughly the same galactic impact as before this release


Controls & Control Devices
Prevented Flight Assist from automatically re-enabling after exiting Supercruise


Engineers
Fixed an issue with fading text in the Engineers Cost help window


General Fixes & Tweaks
Numerous performance optimisations for hangars
Resolved some minor typos
Fixed some cut off text in material descriptions
Local news top 5 bounty list should ignore breaking characters from ship names
Fixed situations where 'Last main sequence star' info message can appear incorrectly
General stability fix for incorrectly replicated data between players


Holo-Me Creator
Fixed an issue that prevented players from saving their avatar with the Frontier Expo suit equipped


Installations/POIs/USSs
Implemented a maximum scan time multiplier to prevent excessively long scans on large Mega Ships and Installations
Fixed an underground destructible panel at a Guardian Structure


Missions
Removed the timed element from assassination missions, so that targets are no longer limited to spawning within a time window. Players can scan the systems local nav beacon to find the targets location.
Fixed Mentor missions showing incorrect reward choice upon completion
Raised pay-out rate for Elite Rank Mining Missions
Updated Salvage missions so that factions cannot be duplicated as both giver and target
Updated the mission timer for Massacre Thargoid Wing Missions so it matches the non-Wing variant of this mission
Fix wing mission rewards from trade missions to award trade rank to multicrew crew members as well as the helm
Colonia factions have started issuing mission tip offs for the region


NPCs
Ramming a guardian sentinel will no longer give you a bounty


Outfitting
Fixed long description texts for experimental modules not appearing properly under the "Read More" section in Outfitting


PlayStation 4
Fixed an issue that could occur when playing the combat tutorial while background installation is in progress
Fix for an issue where the "Put Your Fighters Up" Trophy was not being awarded when fighter ships were launched from your ship by an AI pilot


Powerplay
Fixed Powerplay crimes incorrectly affecting notoriety


Ships & SRV
General Ship Fixes and Improvements
Fixed cases of Collector Limpets clipping through the top of several ships when returning cargo
Fixed some visual problems with short Ship IDs

Alliance Chieftain
Addressed a specular highlight in the canopy that could flicker in certain lighting conditions
Fixed a small gap in geometry
Fixed some clipping on hardpoints 1 and 2
Shrank the Shipyard schematic icon slightly to prevent clipping
Realigned nameplates
Fixed some clipping on the Ship Kit

Anaconda
Fixed scratches being present on Ship Kit parts when there is no ship wear and tear
The number of internal windows now correctly matches the number of external ones
Fixed an instance of Paint Jobs not rendering over a heat vent door
Smoothed out some overhead cables in the cockpit
Adjusted some internal module target locations
Fixed emissive decals on the Anaconda losing detail if the Fusion Paint Job is applied

Asp Explorer
Fixed a 2D Cannon alignment issue

Diamondback Explorer
Added Ship Kit cameras for outfitting

Dolphin
Fixed a texture issue with the Prestige paintjob

Federal Corvette
Fixed some reflective areas on the Icarus and Prestige paintjobs
Lowered glossiness on Precision Paint Jobs
Fixed some missing textures on Paint Jobs

SRV
Fixed a visual issue that could occur with your commander when colliding in an SRV

Type 9 Heavy
Fixed a missing thruster texture
Fixed some texture and model position issues

Type 10 Defender
Fixed some clipping on certain Ship Kit parts
Fixed some texture and model position issues

Vulture
Fixed misaligned small lights


Stability Fixes
Fixed a crash to desktop that would occur when opening the galaxy map immediately after the game had loaded in a station
Fixed a server error that could occur when trying to apply an experimental effect to a module that was originally modified by another Engineer
Fixed a crash that could occur when using Collector Limpets


User Interface
Fixed an issue in the Systems panel that prevented the module health from updating correctly when repairing a module using a AFMU
Fixed legal salvage incorrectly showing as a loss when sold


Weapons & Modules
The heatsink launcher no longer has an incomprehensible DPS statistic
Human and Guardian Tech Broker blueprint requirements have been reduced


Multicrew
Decreased the discrepancy in jump times between Helm and crew members

 

[schatuk]

Servers are back up now

 

[Anton Sugar]

Kinda sounding like 3.1 is largely a ho-hum update. New ships are fine/fun, a few decent QoL updates, but raiding megaships/installations is still not cost effective (per Obsidian). Curious what the wing mining missions are like.

 

[Slayven]

I brought this game 10 months ago, I really need to start playing it. Thinking of getting Thrustmaster Hotas X for the PC. How is it?

 

[Jedi2016]

I brought this game 10 months ago, I really need to start playing it. Thinking of getting Thrustmaster Hotas X for the PC. How is it?

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Absolutely the best bang for the buck. I actually went back to it from a Saitek that started having problems.

 

[Effect]

I think I can finally sell my Python again and this time for good. I'm going to be replacing it with the Krait. Similar ships but I simply like how the Krait looks a LOT more and I've never cared for how the Python looked. No changes in the color made a difference. It's why I've bought and sold it so much. I like how the Krait flies. It uses all my modules, weapons, etc from my Python so the switch has been very easy.

I kinda wish the Chieftain and Challenger were more different. I assume as you're going up the ranks you'll go from one to the other if you like the design. Similar to how you'd might move from the Scouts to the Explorer versions of the Asp or Diamondback. I like the designs though so I need to decide which one I want to buy and keep to mess around with.

 

[Kaji AF16]

I´m back into Elite: Dangerous after some months. I managed to convince three friends to give Destiny 2 a break and, at least until its Forsaken expansion arrives, we will be trying to play as a wing in ED (playing on Xbox One).

I currently have some 5 million credits saved up. Should I stay with my well equipped Cobra MK III, or should I try a Vulture?

 

[schatuk]

I currently have some 5 million credits saved up. Should I stay with my well equipped Cobra MK III, or should I try a Vulture?

Click to shrink...

Depends what your focus is. If you are looking solely for a combat boat, the Vulture is a great choice. If you're looking to retain some mutirole functionality you're better off in the Cobra and saving towards something like an Asp Explorer

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Yo it's fuckin going down in Decait! PROTECT FELICITY!!!1111

 

[P-MAC]

Just recently got into this game, don't even have Horizons yet, but I'm really loving it. Do many people here still play it? Is there a ResetEra clan in game? The subreddit and the Frontier forums are booming, I find it weird how barely anyone here talks about Elite at all.

Depends what your focus is. If you are looking solely for a combat boat, the Vulture is a great choice. If you're looking to retain some mutirole functionality you're better off in the Cobra and saving towards something like an Asp Explorer

Click to shrink...

I was faced with a similar decision to the person you quoted recently, having a Cobra MKIII and wondering whether to get the Vulture, but the Vulture had one less hardpoint than the cobra (of the same size AFAIK) and had either weaker shields or weaker hull (can't remember which, but the other one was only more by a tiny margin too), and was a significantly higher price. What about it makes it a better combat ship? Maneuverability?

 

[schatuk]

I was faced with a similar decision to the person you quoted recently, having a Cobra MKIII and wondering whether to get the Vulture, but the Vulture had one less hardpoint than the cobra (of the same size AFAIK) and had either weaker shields or weaker hull (can't remember which, but the other one was only more by a tiny margin too), and was a significantly higher price. What about it makes it a better combat ship? Maneuverability?

Click to shrink...

Vulture has 2 large hardpoints which can put down more DPS than the Cobra' s 2 med + 2 small.

 

[P-MAC]

Vulture has 2 large hardpoints which can put down more DPS than the Cobra' s 2 med + 2 small.

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Damn, ok. Thought the Cobra was 2 large + 2 small for some reason. So it's as simple as that? The bigger the gun the better? I think I'm still happy with my choice as it allows me to have two gimballed weapons and still play with torpedoes etc, and was a lot cheaper.

Another question (not necessarily for schatuk, anyone can answer) is there any popular systems where players hangout? I don't think I've even seen a player yet, just tons of NPCs everywhere.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Spent the entire fucking weekend G5'ing 31 thrusters.

The sheer time and organization required...ffs. Gotta farm some mats to finish 3.0 upgrading the rest of the internals that need upgrades (just some lightweight internal mods to some life supports and sensors, then some hull reinforcement package experimental mods (x40+) and some shield booster experimetnal mods (x40+) and all internals for all ships will be base G5'd.

After that, I'll have to deal with upgrading my old weapons. Probably going to take me a week to get the rest of the internals done, as I just won't be in the mood to farm data from settlements or play the RNG USS game for hours anytime soon.

 

[Slayven]

HOTAS is on the way, I am psyched

 

[Kaji AF16]

Depends what your focus is. If you are looking solely for a combat boat, the Vulture is a great choice. If you're looking to retain some mutirole functionality you're better off in the Cobra and saving towards something like an Asp Explorer

Click to shrink...

I was faced with a similar decision to the person you quoted recently, having a Cobra MKIII and wondering whether to get the Vulture, but the Vulture had one less hardpoint than the cobra (of the same size AFAIK) and had either weaker shields or weaker hull (can't remember which, but the other one was only more by a tiny margin too), and was a significantly higher price. What about it makes it a better combat ship? Maneuverability?

Click to shrink...

The several million credits I got from participating in the Fousang community goal led me to purchasing the Vulture. It´s a nice looking, agile, aggresive ship. That said, I wasn´t able to fully equip it and it hasn´t been really satisfactory: it deals much more DPS than my Cobra, but it is incredibly less versatile. What´s more, a few bad decisions (like entering too much into conflict zones and therefore losing millions in unpaid bounties) left me broke, so ultimately I stored my brand new Vulture and now I´m back to space trucking in my good, old, multi-role Cobra MK III.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Challenger boost sound is...grating.

 

[Slayven]

Elite and not picking up my new T master 4, all it gives me is options for keyboard/mouse. Anytips?

 

[Pegasus Actual]

Elite and not picking up my new T master 4, all it gives me is options for keyboard/mouse. Anytips?

Click to shrink...

Does it work in the Windows "Game Controllers" section? If it does you should at least be able to manually map all the controls onto an empty control profile. I forget the details, I know I've lost all my mappings at least once though so if you get it set up you might want to look into backing up the control bindings file.

 

[Slayven]

Does it work in the Windows "Game Controllers" section? If it does you should at least be able to manually map all the controls onto an empty control profile. I forget the details, I know I've lost all my mappings at least once though so if you get it set up you might want to look into backing up the control bindings file.

Click to shrink...

I finally uninstalled and reinstalled, it fixed it. Man does having a joystick change the game, don't know what I was doing with a controller.

 

[Pegasus Actual]

I finally uninstalled and reinstalled, it fixed it. Man does having a joystick change the game, don't know what I was doing with a controller.

Click to shrink...

I do think the controller works pretty well for the SRV stuff, but yeah, a HOTAS is a whole different level for flight. Good to hear that you're enjoying it!

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

I finally uninstalled and reinstalled, it fixed it. Man does having a joystick change the game, don't know what I was doing with a controller.

Click to shrink...

Once you get the muscle memory for it, can never go back. Next step is TrackIR, then you will have become fully assimilated.

I do think the controller works pretty well for the SRV stuff, but yeah, a HOTAS is a whole different level for flight. Good to hear that you're enjoying it!

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I actually have my PS4 controller hooked up for this, works wonders.

 

[Deleted member 12317]

Once you get the muscle memory for it, can never go back. Next step is TrackIR, then you will have become fully assimilated.

Click to shrink...

Or if you don't use an headset and/or don't want to wear a thing on your head you can chose Tobii Eye Tracking (the 4C one can track your head too), I use it since a year and a half in Elite and other games, it's really great.

 

[Slayven]

fun fact they use a Saitek X-52 in Antman and the wasp

 

[Wolfgunblood]

I got the Thrustmaster Hotas for the PS4 and I am super happy with it. This game with that thing is a revelation. I have a cheaper flight stick for PC that I use for Freelancer, but this experience is on another level. I still can't beat the advanced combat training mission, but I am having a blast.

 

[HylianSeven]

I got in on that 1070 Ti deal on Amazon Prime day last week, so now I can use my Oculus with my desktop and don't have to use my work laptop anymore for it.

Only problem is now I have an issue with Elite, and only Elite, where I start the game, there's audio for a few seconds, then the audio just cuts out. Anyone else had this? And how did you fix it?

 

[P-MAC]

This OT is extremely dead for such a great game, the subreddit and official forums are buzzing constantly....doesn't nobody here really play E:D? Would anyone be interested in making a Reset Era fleet?

 

[Anton Sugar]

It's because the game still hasn't had any fundamental changes to its mechanics in a long time. New ships are fun but just a slightly different way to play the same game. Crime and punishment changes don't make piracy or bounty hunting any different or more rewarding. PowerPlay got tweaked a lot but it's still just a grindy meta that feels less like faction wars and more like bar filling.

The impression I've gotten after the latest update, even in reddit, is that the vibe is still the same. Reddit still seems a lot of the same thing it's been the past couple years:

• My new ship!
• Fan art for new ship
• The first screenshot I've taken that I like
• Here is how you fix ED
• THANKS FUEL RATS
• Etc

I AM very excited for the upcoming mining and exploration changes. Personally, I can pin most of the wind lost from my sails with multicrew, which was a cool but ultimately shallow and poorly designed feature.

 

[P-MAC]

It's because the game still hasn't had any fundamental changes to its mechanics in a long time. New ships are fun but just a slightly different way to play the same game. Crime and punishment changes don't make piracy or bounty hunting any different or more rewarding. PowerPlay got tweaked a lot but it's still just a grindy meta that feels less like faction wars and more like bar filling.

The impression I've gotten after the latest update, even in reddit, is that the vibe is still the same. Reddit still seems a lot of the same thing it's been the past couple years:

• My new ship!
• Fan art for new ship
• The first screenshot I've taken that I like
• Here is how you fix ED
• THANKS FUEL RATS
• Etc

I AM very excited for the upcoming mining and exploration changes. Personally, I can pin most of the wind lost from my sails with multicrew, which was a cool but ultimately shallow and poorly designed feature.

Click to shrink...

Yeah makes sense. I've obly had the game about a month so didn't realise it had been so long without a decent update, thanks :).

 

[HylianSeven]

Getting an Oculus really renewed my interest in the game. Playing this one in VR is something else and honestly the VR "killer app".

I honestly wish more VR games used a desktop setup like Elite does rather than making you stand. Granted with Elite it's easier because if you have a HOTAS it is basically like the controls you see in game. The thing is a lot of VR games that are other games adapted for VR don't do it particularly well. Subnautica VR looks cool at first, but then everything else about it is awful, and things like the UI really hurt your eyes with how they float so close to your face. It also sucks that they don't have individual head look.

 

[Anton Sugar]

NP. You're still in that golden phase of the game where enjoyment is highest! My first ~50 hours (if not more) with the game were pretty awe-inspiring. Once you do finally "do everything" though, the seams start to show, unfortunately.

I still love the game. I check the reddit often and follow the updates. It does seem like they are finally understanding that the game needs depth and I'm very encouraged by the attention they've been giving to player groups. Years ago they were very "we don't want players to 'own' parts of space" but now we have player bases, squadrons coming up, etc. It's encouraging but most people here have put 100s of hours in and are basically playing the waiting game now.

For real though, the new player experience is ace--enjoy!

 

[schatuk]

Yeah makes sense. I've obly had the game about a month so didn't realise it had been so long without a decent update, thanks :).

Click to shrink...

All I've been doing recently is expanding my fleet, and grinding mass transit missions in order to fund the above. I'm at a point now where I only need to get the big 3, Beluga and the 3 new ships but I'm miles away on the money front and cba with grinding credits right now (I'm a collector, sue me).

I'll undoubtedly return before the end of year updates drop, but I don't know when right now. I've got to the point in my chosen objective (own every ship, upgraded) where the way forward looks borderline unachievable.

I'd be absolutely interested in era fleet shenanigans but I play on PS4 where I don't think many here are

 

[Anton Sugar]

One of the biggest complaints I have is that your actions in the game don't feel like they have an effect on the immediate world. Unless a specific action is a part of a CG, that is.

I know a big part of this is how the game has to be instanced for multiplayer, but it's sorta demoralizing when you blast 100 enemy ships in a conflict zone or wherever, and they just keep respawning. It just makes you aware that, at best, you're filling a bar for a system, not actually taking out the enemy.

 

[ProstatePuncher]

All I've been doing recently is expanding my fleet, and grinding mass transit missions in order to fund the above. I'm at a point now where I only need to get the big 3, Beluga and the 3 new ships but I'm miles away on the money front and cba with grinding credits right now (I'm a collector, sue me).

I'll undoubtedly return before the end of year updates drop, but I don't know when right now. I've got to the point in my chosen objective (own every ship, upgraded) where the way forward looks borderline unachievable.

I'd be absolutely interested in era fleet shenanigans but I play on PS4 where I don't think many here are

Click to shrink...

You should do the Guardian stuff, scanning the ruins for Ram Tah. You can make 100 million out of it in a couple of days if you use a guide to speedrun it.

 

[Volimar]

 

[HylianSeven]

Click to shrink...

I may have to give it a shot. I had never played any of the previous ones.

 

[SmartBase]

Is there an ERA system? I don't play much if at all but I'd be down for supporting a system we own.

 

[P-MAC]

Is there an ERA system? I don't play much if at all but I'd be down for supporting a system we own.

Click to shrink...

Looks like there isn't, but I'd be up for it too. I'm on PS4 if that's any good.

 

[HylianSeven]

Looks like there isn't, but I'd be up for it too. I'm on PS4 if that's any good.

Click to shrink...

Is there an ERA system? I don't play much if at all but I'd be down for supporting a system we own.

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There was one for the old forum at Apam Napat. The faction was called "Neo Galactic Adventure Force". I don't know if we would be able to get it to changed to something like Empire Ruling Authority (I don't even think Apam Napat is Empire last time I checked, and that was a name I just came up with off the top of my head).

 

[SmartBase]

There was one for the old forum at Apam Napat. The faction was called "Neo Galactic Adventure Force". I don't know if we would be able to get it to changed to something like Empire Ruling Authority (I don't even think Apam Napat is Empire last time I checked, and that was a name I just came up with off the top of my head).

Click to shrink...

I did support that faction for a while but I'd prefer a bit more of a clean break from the old forum and maybe a less popular system where we could actually retain control. I didn't really care otherwise but the most recent newsletter that was sent out had a section on minor factions and thought that might be a decent entry for an ERA faction.

 

[HylianSeven]

I did support that faction for a while but I'd prefer a bit more of a clean break from the old forum and maybe a less popular system where we could actually retain control. I didn't really care otherwise but the most recent newsletter that was sent out had a section on minor factions and thought that might be a decent entry for an ERA faction.

Click to shrink...

I wish we could nominate Gende, but a faction called Sweedish Vikings already has it. Gende has a Hazardous RES less than 1 Ls away from a station. It's extremely convenient.

 

[Jeffrey Guang]

Just bought Elite Dangerous: Commander Deluxe Edition for 30 dollars on Xbox.
I bought it because I thought the price is pretty good and it might be a good game for showcasing the power of Xbox One X.
I bought it digitally from the app and haven't played it yet.
For those with Xbox One X and a 4k TV/Monitor, which video setting do you think is best to play with?

 

[Mengy]

This OT is extremely dead for such a great game, the subreddit and official forums are buzzing constantly....doesn't nobody here really play E:D? Would anyone be interested in making a Reset Era fleet?

Click to shrink...

I haven't really played in about four months now. I try now and then but end up logging off after a half hour or so.

I'm just waiting for the 3.3 update to see what they do for exploration. If it's enough to rekindle my interest in the game I'll play again, if not I'll uninstall for the disk space.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Welp, here's our chance to get a faction added to the game: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/440466-New-Player-Minor-Faction-System

 

[Nerix]

Looks like there isn't, but I'd be up for it too. I'm on PS4 if that's any good.

Click to shrink...

Would be in as well. Could offer my PMF as a home system (Wolf 127, Legion of Prometheus). Station distance from the star just 7ls, LYR controlled -> discount for all modules etc...

My wingmates stopped playing a while ago so happy to fill the faction with other players that are interested (PS4 here as well, but for supporting the faction the platform doesn't matter).

 

[GeeTeeCee]

It's been five months since I last logged in, and I'm currently kicking myself for forgetting just how long it takes to fly to Hutton Orbital. As soon as I saw the mission destination in Alpha Centauri I knew there was something about the place, but I just couldn't remember exactly what it was.

Oh well, at least it's a million credits to put towards a better ship than the Cobra Mk3 and time to catch up on some podcasts...

 

[Anton Sugar]

Chapter 3 is releasing 8/28.

 

[Mengy]

Chapter 3 is releasing 8/28.

Click to shrink...

Yep. Wish we knew anything at all about it.

 

[Jedi2016]

Yep. Wish we knew anything at all about it.

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Yeah, that was my thought, too. The teaser trailer didn't show anything. At this point, the mere announcement of an update isn't enough to get me excited, I need something that addresses what I want to get out of the game.

 

[Burny]

Yeah, that was my thought, too. The teaser trailer didn't show anything. At this point, the mere announcement of an update isn't enough to get me excited, I need something that addresses what I want to get out of the game.

Click to shrink...

Isn't that par for the course as far as teasers are concerned?

Looks to me like they're teasing further Guardian content. Either some form of station or mega ship. Those angles and colors look very much like the rest of their guardian structure design.

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If the thought of hyper jumping through dozens of loading screens and grinding rubbish for hours in Elite Dangerous didn't make me physically uncomfortable by now, I'd probably be looking very much forward to this.


Btw., have they given any indication that they'd be showing off "season 4" at some point around Gamescom maybe? I know that they got a lot of updates planned for the end of the year, but those are free updates. When are they going to release something exciting / monetizable again? "Horizons" soft launched nearly 3 years ago by now.