Elite: Dangerous pulls a 'Powerplay' with new update
As much fun as it is to explore the galaxy, sometimes there's an overwhelming urge to conquer it. Good thing allegiances are now a part of Elite: Dangerous' new Powerplay update.
When it comes to exploring the galaxy, thriving above all others sometimes means siding with the right people in the neverending battle for total conquest. Frontier Developments is now looking to add this modicum of strategy to Elite: Dangerous with the new Powerplay update.
The Powerplay update will allow users to throw their hats in with any one of many galactic Powers, joining their quest for total domination. Players can engage in special objectives for their chosen faction, pushing their effort towards galactic takeover forward. Those that complete these objectives, while also conquering space and defending their territory, will be rewarded with perks, reputation bonuses, and unique equipment.
That's just one addition of the Powerplay update, with players also set to see a number of new features. They include:
- An enhanced mission system with new objectives and new ways to play.
- Three new ships: the Lakon Diamondback Scout, Lakon Diamondback Explorer and the Imperial Courier.
- Drones for cargo collection, fuel trading and prospecting.
- A new illustrated GalNet newsfeed, accessible directly in players’ ship UI.
- High and low intensity mining sites, adding risk to mining and increasing potential rewards.
- New minable commodities.
- An updated bounty system.
- Upgraded UI and animated emblems for ranking up.
- Numerous other improvements to gameplay and performance.
For more on the Powerplay update, check out the trailer below. Elite: Dangerous is available now on PC and Mac, with an Xbox One version set to arrive later this year.
-
Shacknews
replyOzzie Mejia posted a new article, Elite: Dangerous pulls a 'Powerplay' with new update
-
[deleted]
-
I really hope that this is the update that makes this game actually fun. So far I regret the $70 I spent on the beta, because once you learn how to pilot your ship, there's just not much fun to actually be had in the game.
Algorithmicly generated realistic portrayal of our actual galaxy translates in to a giant empty repetitive experience. There is no real fun exploring because every system is just a slightly different configuration of planets (which have nothing to do or discover about them) and stations, which are one of like 4 models.
The atmosphere of the game is cool. The ship controls are super fun and rewarding to learn. But there's just no soul there.
I am really hoping that Powerplay's territory control metagame gives some actual purpose to flying around.-
I agree, for the most part, however I do felt like I did get my money's worth simply by the combat portion of the game. Especially in gas giant rings with all the rocks floating and spinning about. The trading and exploration feels like it was just bolted on just to add some bullet points to the feature list. Docking and undocking can be a little fun as you try to go through the mailslot as fast as you can without hitting anything.
I'm hoping the game has more content and playability beyond combat in a year from now, but honestly, I'm not holding my breath. The devs got their money from it and they're more likely to move on to a different project.-
[deleted]
-
yeah, i only ever did combat and felt like i got my money's worth out of it. never purchased a mining laser, and i think my CMDR has like $8000 of trade and $2000 in black market to his name, not sure about exploration but it's similarly low.
probably something like $20-30 million in combat bucks, though! the sheer experience of maneuver and flight was just so perfect, non-newtonian physics and all -
[deleted]
-
-
Oh man, I completely disagree. This game has tons of soul. I find it succeeds to an absurd degree at capturing the sense of wonder space should evoke, and it does so with as little sci-fi embellishment as it can get away with. Almost every element in the game is dripping with a genuine curiosity and passion for astronomy and hard SF. Exploration has been one of the most memorable experiences I've had in a game. You can't get it anywhere else.
I wanted to see a black hole once, and I saw there was one at the heart of the Pleiades nebula, so I saved up for the equipment I'd need and flew out there. I couldn't afford the best discovery scanner, so when it turned out the black hole wasn't near the entry point, my ship couldn't even gesture in its general direction. I had to improvise a method of finding something that is essentially an invisible object in a black void. To cut a long story short, I ended up eyeballing stars that were visibly moving when I reached ridiculous speeds in frame shift, navigated my way over to them, and then proceeded to terrify myself when I realised that what I thought had been the lights of nearby satellites were actually the lights of distant stars being refracted by the gravitational lensing of the black hole I was hunting.
The entire experience was unlike anything else. I loved it. Weird little stories like this emerge almost every time I play. It's certainly a foundational product at the moment and I'm keen to see them expand upon it, and it's obviously not for everyone, but what's there is already an incredibly confident, fascinating game. I guess it's not 'fun' in a traditional sense, but it turns out games don't need to be fun to be super goddamn compelling.-
Wow, I just don't have that experience. And don't get me wrong, I have the same interests you're talking about when it comes to astronomy and hard SF.
But this game is just so stale once you learn how to fly. Okay so let's say I wanted to go to that black hole. Skipping the part about you having to find it (just for argument here) the actually process of GOING there would be the exact same sequence 50 times. Jumping from system to system to system to system getting fuel in between is a mindbogglingly boring experience with only new things to see every 50 jumps. It's just... not interesting.
And that problem stems from the fact that the galaxy is algorithmicly generated to be realistic. There are so many bits of details tacked on that are completely uninteresting, like who is at war with who and what tiny factions exist. There's no reason.
It's a neat universe. It's neat physics. But the game is bad, outside of the isolated experience of dogfighting. There's nothing engaging to string those dogfights together.-
Haha, calling this game bad is just so dismissive and alien to my experience I don't think we can have a decent discussion. Its systems are beautiful because they are so minimalist and un-video-gamey, because the universe just exists and leaves you to make your own fun rather than bombarding you with bespoke quests and shit.
Tell one of those folks who's documented their journey to the galactic rim that the downtime of system jumping is mind-bogglingly boring. I think we'll just have to agree to disagree.
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
Yeah its an amazing cockpit flight simulator. But the game aspect is pretty weak. I play it in the same kind of way I play Live for Speed. I kind of wish there was no currency at all, and you just choose your loadout before each session. I have no interest in grinding money or playing the game. I just wanna fly around and experience the cool shit.
Its not like theres any NPC's or story in It. The grind is the only driving force, so why make it a 'game' -
Honestly, if you weren't having fun with the game before, this update is highly unlikely to change that.
-
-
[deleted]
-
