And was wondering for the people that bought it, how is it? I saw that they are planning on adding walking around ships as well as vising planets later which seems awesome. But I was wondering how it is now? I been wanting something like this since I couldn't get super into EVE because of how complex it got over the years. So how is the exploration and gameplay?

As someone who's always been very curious about EVE: online but has never been able to get into it because of its complexity, I've found my time in Elite: Dangerous extremely pleasant. It's in no ways a straight-forward or simple game; there are many underlying systems which you will need to read up on outside of the game to fully understand them. But, it's very fun if what you're looking for is a space sim with an abundance of player freedom.

All that said however, I wouldn't even consider touching this game unless you invest in a flight stick. I've had a Saitek X52 for years now, so I haven't really touched the game all that much with anything other than a flight stick, but I can't imagine it to be even remotely the same experience. You won't need to invest in anything fancy, but I do highly recommend getting some kind of flight stick if you intend to play this game.

@captain_felafel: I happen to own a flight stick so that part is covered.

Basically what captain said.

Lits of streams n videos out there though to see what you're goibg to get (since this is a ymmv game)

@kaos_cracker said:

Perfect; then so much as you know what you're getting into, you should definitely give the game a look. If money isn't much of an object for you, I'd also recommend getting a TrackIR 5 if you end up liking the game. The added immersion and functionality by adding head-tracking to the game cannot be overstated. Being able to visually track your target as you circle around them can be the deciding factor in a dogfight. The thing is very pricey, but with the Oculus Rift consumer version still a year or so away, it's your only real reliable head-tracking option out there right now, and the investment is worth it if you find the game to your tastes.

Also, give some of this guys' videos a look. They're less informative tutorial videos and more informative... experiential videos. He demonstrates some higher level techniques but also gives a really excellent idea of the breadth of gameplay variety the game has on offer: https://www.youtube.com/user/Isinona/videos

@captain_felafel: I'm looking at building one of these for head tracking.

http://www.edtracker.org.uk (can't make link on mobile, sorry)

Uses a pro micro n gyroscope to track movement. Parts set me back bout 25 bucks, and I ought to be able to use it next week.

@madman356647: Oh wow!! Hadn't heard of something like that; that's pretty awesome. Can't beat the price either.

So im guessing this can work fine as a single player game?

As much as I think having a flight stick is awesome for this game, sometimes I'm too lazy to get it out and plug it in, and when that happens I've found the keyboard controls are not only really easy, they might also make the game easier than using a stick.

@ripelivejam: I got it at release and saw like 5 people total in Open Play in the first week (well, most likely more but I didn't really ever notice others except when outposts were full and people were waiting for a free landing pad). Switched to the Mobius group because it seemed cool, but yeah, you can space truck in solo mode just fine.

Also, I use Mouse+Keyboard along with TrackIR and it works just fine. I've only hopped back in a few times since then because I'm usually tired and too lazy when I get free time to set up TrackIR, and I can't play without it. Still, space truckin' is fun.

I was looking at Saitek X55 set ups.

This isn't going to end well, I'm gonna bust a bunch of time on this game...and then a straight shot into Oculus Rift Star Citizen...

What is life?

Have you ever played X3: Terran Conflict or X3: Albion Prelude? Those are better games in a lot of ways. They're much deeper in terms of gameplay, and their universe feels much more alive.

That said, Elite: Dangerous is a fine game in its own right. It's the game I'd prefer to play, actually, and for one reason: realism.

The control you have over your ship and its systems, and the pseudo-newtonian flight model (should you choose to use it) are both well beyond what the X games have ever done. The cockpit view with an in-game HUD, shunting power between ship systems depending on need or even powering them down completely to virtually disappear in the cold of space, balancing the weight and power requirements of the various ship components against each other - it's just a lot of fun if you're into that sort of thing.

The biggest reason for me though is the galaxy itself and the way you traverse it. It's a realistic model of the Milky Way, as accurate as our current real-life technology allows it to be as far as I know. 400 billion star systems, each with their own stars, asteroid belts, planets, and moons. You're flying around all of these stellar bodies, they aren't simply a pretty backdrop. You're scooping hydrogen fuel from the corona of stars, or using the mass of a planet to quickly decelerate out of faster-than-light speeds.

Pick a direction and go, you're virtually guaranteed to see something no other player has ever seen before. It's not a simple two dimensional grid with jump gates linking the systems together, it's a fully three dimensional mesh of systems. There's no need to fly from jump gate to jump gate to traverse the galaxy. If your ship has the capability to make the hyperspace jump from one system to another you can just do it - from anywhere you happen to be, as long as there isn't a planet or something in your way! (if there is, just fly around it first)

I think the state of Elite: Dangerous as it is now is a pretty great base to build from. The number of things to do is somewhat limited by your imagination, although I don't think the game is nearly as deep as the X games are. Frontier is going to have to iterate on what they've already done, as well as introduce all new concepts in order to increase the depth of the game if they want to keep bringing in new players and keep old vets around.

Would the game be playable with a gamepad by any chance? I don't have a flightstick and not really in the position to get one living out in the sticks. How is the multiplayer features? I'd like a MP space sim, but what I didn't like about EVE was that it wasn't really skill based at all, and by that I mean player skill.

@junkerman said:

The game is definitely playable with a gamepad, but you'll definitely want a keyboard in front of you at all times, as there are just a few too many commands to all map to a single gamepad.

Think about using VoiceAttack, I only ever have to touch my keyboard when searching for interesting places to go... "Engage Friendship Drive"

I bought this. Works fine with a Xbox 360 controller and keyboard. I understand why people would rather use a TrackIR and joystick, so eventually I plan on using those, but for getting used to how the game works, I'm actually enjoying just using what I have.

I want to buy this game just because of the name, so seems like you should buy it.

Ive been thinking about getting an x52 and i know its the one Drew has in the office, i've been holding off on playing the game until i have a stick, would you recommend it?

@thunderstorm101 said:

Absolutely. It's a very high-quality stick, especially for the price, and mine has lasted me for many years, at least 6 or 7 now. It centers just as well as it used to, and the resistance on all the parts is the same as it's ever been. The X52-Pro is a bit more and comes with slightly higher-quality parts, a different color scheme, and programmable LED light colors, but that's about it. You can grab the X52 off of Amazon right now for, like, $130, which is a heck of a price. I'd definitely recommend it.

worth playing without a joystick, loving it with just my xbox controller and keyboard

I know this makes me part of the problem, but the fact that this isn't on Steam is a huge disincentive for me. Hopefully it'll find its way there at some point.

"Never buy a racing wheel! " is the only thing that is saving me from spending some 200 Euro on this endevour. But when a commercial Oculus comes around ...

Thanks for the info, looks like ill be picking one up. Im in UK though and Amazon are out of stock at the moment but i'll be keeping tabs on it :) Cheers.

Hey guys if you're in the United States and you're looking for a cheap-but-awesome HOTAS, the T.Flight Thrustmaster is in-stock at Walmart.com again. Walmart has the lowest price I've seen for this thing.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Thrustmaster-T.Flight-Hotas-X-Joystick-with-Detachable-Throttle-Control-PS3-PC-PS3/11004207

Just thought I'd mention it since a lot of people in this forum have said that it's hard to find for a good price.