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Elite: Dangerous: Beta 3 Kicks Off

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

The third beta phase for Elite: Dangerous has officially kicked off. In response to tester feedback, the team has refined features and added new ones in preparation for Beta 3. Players will be able to won multiple ships, check out resource gathering by mining, and a long list of content are now included in the game.


  • Player-driven interdiction. Players can now interdict NPC ships, pulling them out of faster-than-light travel back into normal space along with the player.

  • Philanthropy missions added.

  • Fuel scooping from stars added. Keep a close eye on your temperature gauge as you refuel from the blazing surface of stars.

  • Asteroid mining added. Cut metal and rock from asteroids using the mining laser.

  • New ships added: Imperial Clipper and Federal Dropship.

  • Multiple ship ownership. Long requested by the community, players can keep multiple craft docked at starports, allowing for reserve ships dedicated to combat, exploration, trading and more.

  • Additional ship images added to loading screen .

  • Status panel now shows faction reputation.

  • New in-game controls to allow rapid switching between display screens.

  • Outpost landing pads now reflect low gravity environment.

  • Play area expanded to over 2,400 systems and 869,000 cubic light years of playable space.

  • Improved galaxy map, with partial name searching, range display and route finding.

  • Planet visuals overhaul. Planet surface types, liquids and atmospheric colours now reflect their chemical composition.

  • Planets display volcanic features and complex craters can create dust ejecta. Crater frequency is dependent on atmosphere thickness.

  • Ice planets now have fracture features.

  • All planets now have dynamic ice caps and liquid levels.

  • Asteroid belt clusters added.

  • Nebulae added, visible in the sky and the galaxy map.

Pre-order Elite: Dangerous to get involved.

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


Comments

  • itchmonitchmon Member RarePosts: 1,999

    for those of you who might be able to help...

     

    (a) the oculus rift.  is it "necessary" to play?  meaning i know it isnt functionally necessary, but is it so designed with the OR in mind that i shouldnt bother to get the game without having one?

     

    (2) on a slight tangent, how does the OR fit for those of us who wear glasses?  all good?

    RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.

    Currently Playing EVE, ESO

    Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.

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    My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.

    Henry Rollins

  • PrecursorPrecursor Member UncommonPosts: 150
    Rift is not necessary. It's amazing with a regular old monitor.

    TrackIR or similar may be a better investment for the money as the convenience of in game headmovment is added without the downsides of VR strain.
  • sludgebeardsludgebeard Member RarePosts: 788
    I love this game. (I do not own it, just fawn over it)
  • ShadowdawnzShadowdawnz Member UncommonPosts: 201

    It's not necessary to get the Rift to play the game but imo, it does enhance the enjoyment of the game. I do believe they do design the game with it in mind but the majority of players that will own the game, probably won't have the Rift.

     

    Apparently, some people say that you can use the 2nd development kit with glasses but it can scratch the lenses. I don't wear glasses so I can't say if it's a comfortable experience. Sorry!

    image
  • Lena7pddLena7pdd Member Posts: 1
    Thank you very much for your advice, it helps me a lot!
  • McShanusMcShanus Member UncommonPosts: 26
    Originally posted by itchmon

    for those of you who might be able to help...

     

    (a) the oculus rift.  is it "necessary" to play?  meaning i know it isnt functionally necessary, but is it so designed with the OR in mind that i shouldnt bother to get the game without having one?

     

    (2) on a slight tangent, how does the OR fit for those of us who wear glasses?  all good?

     

    (a) Definitely not necessary but holy cow it changes everything O_O It's so beautiful. I thought the Sidewinder [default ship] was a completely different ship

     

    (2) I wear glasses for astigmatism (I need to wear them) but I'm able to use the B lenses and not wear my glasses without problems. Maybe you can use this as a reference point depending on your glasses type/eye problem? Also, it depends on your glasses frame width whether they will fit or not; my frames being 5 1/2" wide and they fit snugly (just checked for you). If you want to use your glasses with the DK2 people recommend getting a lens protector for the DK2's lenses [Reddit] as they apparently scratch easily, even with the supplied microfibre cloth (I use a different cloth and have no problems)

     
  • LobotomistLobotomist Member EpicPosts: 5,965

    How far is this form release version now?

    I mean is it enjoyable as game, or its still pretty much test alpha.

    Would you recommend buying it now or waiting ?



  • bcbullybcbully Member EpicPosts: 11,838
    How do the servers work? Is it like EVE, with thousands of players on one server, or is it like RUST with hundreds of 64 man servers?
    "We see fundamentals and we ape in"
  • CaldrinCaldrin Member UncommonPosts: 4,505
    Originally posted by Lobotomist

    How far is this form release version now?

    I mean is it enjoyable as game, or its still pretty much test alpha.

    Would you recommend buying it now or waiting ?

    Well its basically got everything the origional elite games had already and they are adding more all the time.. but its still beta and still being tested so there will be bugs and issues.

    If you are just looking for a game to have fun in and nothing else I would say stay away until release but if you want to help test then its well worth picking up,.

     
  • CaldrinCaldrin Member UncommonPosts: 4,505
    Originally posted by bcbully
    How do the servers work? Is it like EVE, with thousands of players on one server, or is it like RUST with hundreds of 64 man servers?
     

    http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite:_Dangerous_FAQ#Is_.22Elite:_Dangerous.22_an_MMOG.3F

  • bcbullybcbully Member EpicPosts: 11,838
    Originally posted by Caldrin
    Originally posted by bcbully
    How do the servers work? Is it like EVE, with thousands of players on one server, or is it like RUST with hundreds of 64 man servers?
     

    http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Elite:_Dangerous_FAQ#Is_.22Elite:_Dangerous.22_an_MMOG.3F

    It's complicated. I'm not sure how they are defining groups and instances. 

     

    Can you give me a quick explanation? Something to easily understand?

    "We see fundamentals and we ape in"
  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870
    Do they plan to have an open beta?  Not to sure if I want buy into beta at $75.  It could possibly be worth it, but I'm patient enough to wait if they plan on an open beta as opposed to a paid for one.

    "If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor

  • SkaioverrideSkaioverride Member UncommonPosts: 54

    im guessing its similar to how Guild Wars 1 or 2 worked where the towns were instanced and once it reaches a certain capacity of players a new instance is created seamlessly and you could jump to another instance if you had to meet up with friends, atm i don't see any option to change instance in ED and i don't know if it might be implemented in the future.

    i assume this is the main complaint about multiplayer as it is near impossible to meet up with friends in the game unless you're in a private group (like a private server)

  • rpmcmurphyrpmcmurphy Member EpicPosts: 3,502
    Originally posted by bcbully

    It's complicated. I'm not sure how they are defining groups and instances. 

    Can you give me a quick explanation? Something to easily understand?

    It's open world at it's core with everyone on a single server setup. Players and points of interest basically have a 'bubble'. I forget what dimensions the bubble has.

    You seamlessly move into someone else's bubble or they into yours, the player character cap will be 32 or 64 which excludes NPCs. Seems to work quite well as they get the networking nailed down. The matchups are weighted depending on friend lists / block lists / geo base etc

  • DakirnDakirn Member UncommonPosts: 372
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Do they plan to have an open beta?  Not to sure if I want buy into beta at $75.  It could possibly be worth it, but I'm patient enough to wait if they plan on an open beta as opposed to a paid for one.

    No, and it's not $75 for beta. It's the $50 pre-order and $25 extra for the beta, but you also get the Mercenary Pack (free Eagle as a second ship) and access to Gamme which is essentially early release.

     

    The full price after release will be $59.99. There isn't a monthly fee, it's B2P.

     

    If you're unsure if you want to spend the money, watch some streams on Twitch. There are usually a few going throughout the day/night.

     
  • bcbullybcbully Member EpicPosts: 11,838
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Do they plan to have an open beta?  Not to sure if I want buy into beta at $75.  It could possibly be worth it, but I'm patient enough to wait if they plan on an open beta as opposed to a paid for one.

    This about where I am. I do have to admit that if it was 50$ for the game and beta, I might have already bought in image I'm a little gun shy when it comes to high priced betas. 

     

    "We see fundamentals and we ape in"
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