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Frontier Developments has announced the release of Beta 1 for Elite: Dangerous. This release features a hugely expanded universe, up to 38,000 cubic light years' worth. The new content takes place in the realistically modeled Milky Way, centering on the Boötes constellation.
Significant Beta 1 additional features include:
55 star systems covering 38,000 cubic light-years
Initial online mission system functionality (to be further developed through Beta)
Player-to-player communication by text and voice
Friends management and matchmaking
Private Group play option
On-line single player option
Overview trade route mapping
The concept of fuel consumption
Docking computers to automate safe star port landings
Additional Viper heavy fighter and Lakon Type 6 medium trader ships
Find out more about Beta 1 on the Elite: Dangerous site.
Comments
Its now 15$ more expensive than actual game.
I might just get it...
By my calculation, if you pre-order it is $50 (no beta entry). If you pay $75 you get entry to beta AND the game at launch. But, that is a $25 difference not $15.
Btw, I am getting the $75 version on Friday.
Let's party like it is 1863!
It is not a Beta when they charge for it, it is a release for the high rollers. Beta is about testing, there is nothing to do with testing when you pay for it.
Consider this game released.
Soon as you fork over money to play, the game is released.
^^Agreed !
The game looks great and I look forward to playing it, but I'll wait until a few months after release on this one. It will probably be 60% cheaper by then, lol
It's not like the galaxy will get overcrowded or anything...
I am pretty disappointed in the whole "Pay for Beta" route the gaming industry has gone.
I realize that games cost a lot more to develop now, but to charge such a huge price just to play an unfinished game seems outrageous. Landmark kinda ticked me off with their use of it, Star Citizen is just outright bullshit.
I would LOVE to play Star Citizen, there is no way I am going to pay all that money just to fly around in beta though.
I don't see it going away unfortunately. Pay for Beta is the new scam, i just hope it leads to more Free to Play games rather than more cash gouging like Battlefield 4 has become.
I don't understand those complaining about the price.
Free alpha&/beta access for a kickstarter project would be silly. What pledge rewards should they have given then?
Without the financial backing through kickstarter, this awesome game would probably never been made.
Drazo +1
Also game is standard price when released so don't see the problem really, if people want to spend money on stuff then whats the problem? smells like jealously to me that some people can't or won't afford to pay the prices. At the end of the day it helps fund and develop the game to the best it can be, it's not like they just ran off with the money or spent it all on crack.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
Elite itself doesn't bother me, nor is the price point an issue for me. What concerns me is the "pay to test" "pay for concept" phenomena that decouples the industry even further from market response.
Ideally you want a product targeted at a certain market to actually satisfy the market it's targeted towards. With the benefit of financial success if one nails it and failure if one does not. Currently the only form of consumer protection in existence in the gaming industry is market response to well/poorly targeted products.
With this new trend with a good PR campaign it's even easier to deliver vapor-ware to the market while setting record level profits. That's called a bubble.
Really? This game is more polished in it's current state than eve was at launch. It's farther along than Star Citizen, they are open with the community and charging what? 15 bucks extra for early access?
Pick yur battles people, this game isn't killing the industry, there's so much more real villainy out there.
Dunno whats with the complaining. If you don't like to pay, then wait for release. Nobody's holding an assault gatling cannon to your head and forcing you to pay.
Without this early access offers/kickstarter thingie, there are alot of games that won't ever be in development and all you get are your big publisher so-called triple "A" regurgitated railroaded titles year after year, is that what you want?
Have a bit of perspective.
"Docking computers..."
That must of caused some complaints on the official ED forums lol
Brenics ~ Just to point out I do believe Chris Roberts is going down as the man who cheated backers and took down crowdfunding for gaming.
For companies that deliver products such as these:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/aliens-colonial-marines
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/x-rebirth
this market space is blood in the water with really no downside for them since those types will get their $ before any type of market response. At least currently such get pretty quick feedback from the market to act as a deterrent, as pre-order peccadilloes will only keep the lights turned on so long.
Expect ALOT of these types of cash grabs in the future.
But who forces yout to pay to test?
I am stoked for elite since it was announced but i just bought the standard beta + expansion pass on the 28th.
Why? Premium beta and alpha were way to overpriced for me. I would've waited until release because i hate progress wipes.
I only bought into the beta because i get my oculus rift DK2 soon and it is supposed to be one of the best experience one can have. Otherwise i'd waited for release.
I really see no problem with pay for beta if it helps funding great games. Nobody forces people at gunpoint to pay money for unfinished games.
Actually the game is launching this winter more or less, standard beta is basically open beta while the gamma test will be the pre-launch period. The game is at most 6 to 7 months away not "at least 12 months" so kindly stop shilling for SC so it can trick more people into buying worthless pixels for a game that won't see the light of day with all its promised features this side of 2020.
But...
Why?
The offline version does not have a dynamic universe or dynamic events (so it is a fixed non-rotating galaxy and nothing spontaneous ever happens).
Bit to high priced for me now, I'll probably pick it up when it comes back down to earth.
Never really understood the need to play a game that's not finished, then be burned out by the time it launches and then shell out another $100 on the next unmade game down the line. Being in an alpha or even a beta used to be special. Now it's just the norm.