Cmdr CMDR Hunter Saige gave us some of his ideas for more stuff we may get whilst waiting for 2020 “In last week’s podcast you asked the listeners to weigh in on what features Frontier might add to Elite Dangerous in the coming year. Here’s my two cents worth. [Full disclosure; I’m Elite in exploration but still both Harmless and Penniless, so my preferences are somewhat biased. Also, I’m a middle-aged guy with a wife and family, so I usually only manage to play for about an hour or so a day. Exploration works well for me because I can start and stop at will and play in short sessions as circumstances allow.)”
Gimme some SRV Love:
Others have mentioned this, and it seems like a no-brainer for FDEV to do. How about 2 new SRV models? Reposition the Scarab as the mid-size model. Introduce a smaller motorcycle-style SRV (the Cricket?) that is faster, but weaker and has no cargo storage; and a larger tank-style SRV that is slower but better armoured and has more cargo space. Perhaps style it as a walking “spider” tank (a la Ghost In The Shell (1995)) and call it the Tarantula! Change the SRV hangar mechanics to accommodate the range of sizes with a simple formula of 2 Crickets = 1 Scarab; 2 Scarabs = 1 Tarantula . For example a class-2 hangar could then store either 1 Scarab or 2 Crickets, and a class-4 hangar could store either; 1 Tarantula or; 2 Scarabs or; 2 Crickets + 1 Scarab or; 4 Crickets. A class-6 hangar could be similarly divided. Finally, add a super-lightweight class-1 hangar big enough for a single Cricket, for small ships that want to maximize their jump range yet still collect mats while out in the black.
Rogue Planets:
A rogue planet is a planet that has been cast off by its star and is now floating freely in interstellar space. Astronomers currently estimate there may be over a trillion rogue planets drifting through the Milky Way, ranging from frozen rocky worlds up to massive super-Jovians. We could assume that having a rogue planet too close to your ships course in witchspace will cause an FSD malfunction and drop you back into normal space, with the same ship damage you would get from an emergency drop. Frontier already have all the assets and logic in place for Thargoid hyperdictions; this could be reused for a rogue planet encounter. Rogue planets would never show up on the galaxy map, and need not be generated by stellar forge. Instead they could be a random occurrence rather like a scenario, with a probability of occurring every, say, 1000 jumps (or 0.1% of the time). Why bother? Rogue planets could have an increased probability of containing rare minerals and biologicals, or perhaps even ruins of some kind (Guardian, Thargoid, or something else). They would add an extra element of danger to exploration. It would also put a new twist on the possible location of Raxxla, eh?
Gas Mining:
If Frontier wants to take some baby steps toward atmospheric landings, they could implement gas mining of gas giants. This would give a taste of atmospheric handling without the need to implement the landing part. Perhaps they could introduce a new “gas collector” module that acts like a fuel scoop but instead of filling the fuel tank it directs gasses to the refinery module where they can be purified and stored in 1 ton canisters. Modify the DSS to show “geological” sites on gas giants that contain high concentrations of rare gasses. Pilots would need to dive into the upper atmosphere of the gas giant, compensating for chemical and storm effects upon the aerodynamics (or lack thereof) of their ship. Higher gas concentrations would be found at deeper altitudes, but heat and pressure also increase with depth, so going too deep will damage your ship.
Similarly, all those gas giants with either water-based or ammonia-based life might become a new resource if Frontier made a “bio sampling” module for ships. The DSS could identify “biological” sites on a gas giant with alien life. Alien bacteria and other small life forms could be scooped, packaged, and sold to pharmaceutical or other research firms.
Make black holes scary again:
I am told that, once upon a time, black holes were more dangerous than white dwarfs and neutron stars. Play testers complained about this, seemingly offended that the universe’s most dangerous objects were actually, well, dangerous. Frontier, apparently having left all of their balls on Bento, acquiesced to this request and nerfed black holes into the dark fluffy bunnies they are today. I say the bunny needs some fangs!
FD Account Linked to Multiple Steam Accounts (No idea – just heard about this, can’t find a citation!!!)
Main Discussion
We have five to maybe seven smaller updates until 2020. Speculation on what they could be.
Community Corner
Sarah Cmdr Symyoulater has a plan to raise awareness for Trans issues through participation in iRacing Leagues. This is the most respected Simulation for motorsports and includes drivers such as Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. She needs your donations to help her to bring her story to a wider audience and break some stereotypes along the way.
Your donations will be used to pay the fees to enter these Leagues.
On Sunday 2nd June Cmdr Nick Naylor in a Beluga called “The Community of Elite” protested cheats in Elite Dangerous, and the lack of apparent action by Frontier. By… cheating.
Protest Started about 20:00 BST
~ 21:45 he was pushed out of the mailslot by a determined Commander in an Imperial Cutter
21:49 he did a cheat, insta-high-wake from right next to the mailslot to another system (Nuenets)
At no point did he take offensive action against players.
He has turned on invulnerability and other things and is wedged inside the mailslot of Jameson Memorial in Shinrata Dhezra. He’s getting shot by players AND the station with no effect…
After the protest, he agreed to voice comms with Cmdr Plater
Sounds very humble
Fully accepts the loss of his Cmdr in to which he’s invested > 2000 hrs of game play
For those that didn’t see yesterday CMDR Nick Naylor, a vetran player of 2000+ hours put his account on the line by staging a protest yesterday. CMDR Plater streamed this – he used the hacks to block the mail slot of a station with a Beluga. Frontier has, appropriately, banned him – yet his first action resulted in a permanent where others get 3 days first, 1 month second and then permanent. The inconsistency should infuriate ALL players – WELL DONE TO NICK FOR TAKING THIS STEP!
A two-component damage model was used to estimate the damage partitioning of the newly developed AMCs. It was found that, when configured with AX ammunition, the AMCs deal 100% AX damage. That fact was leveraged to get a handle on the AX resistance of human technology. It was found that human shields have an AX resistance of 95% and human armor plating has a resistance of 90%. By corollary, other facts about about the AMC were confirmed, such as damage per shot and Armor Piercing.
Last week Fozza asked about busted ships to be mailed to info@laveradio.com
Cmdr Myrt (Diamond Frogs)
Here’s my entry, with 7 html/embedded pics, I hope they work properly: This is Apollo 2.
Cmdr Tomacco2k
O7 CMDRs,
I just started listening to Lave Radio about a month ago, a good friend told me about it. What a shame I started just now, exploring the black with my ASP Explorer is so much more fun when being entertained by you guys. Saved me from space madness I guess 😉
Speaking of my trusty ASP: In your last podcast you asked pilots to send in screenshots of their ships with degraded paint. Well, I don’t know when I last renewed the paint job on my ship, must be over 1 year ago I guess. The paint is down to 0% now, I guess that qualifies it, haha.
The ship’s name is “DORA THE EXPLORER” and I guess it is the ship I have used the most in the game. I’ve been to Sag A* with it, on the way back to the bubble I took a detour to Colonia. My jump range must have been around 45 light years at that time and I did not use any neutron boosts on the way because, well, I was too afraid to use them. No joke, I really was 🙂
Besides a lot of exploration (I am at the Zurara right now with that ASP) I also did a lot of bounty hunting with that ship and most of the things I learned about the game I learned while piloting that ASP. I’m still using it today for exploration purposes, although a jumpaconda could give me around 10 light years more per jump.
I will attach some screenshots to this mail where you can see what is left of the paint.
Greetings from Germany where it is cold and raining right now. The terraformers did a bad job over here I guess.
Have a nice week and thanks again for the podcast!
CMDR Tomacco2k on the PS4
CMDR LORD SMURPH
My ship (Pickard’s Pecker) at beagle point at the end of DW2 trip. I’m never fixing it
Cmdr Spike (Colin Wardman)
My dear gentlemen and scholars,
My story is not a long one, but tells a harrowing tale of paint, yes paint. For myself it has been a lifelong dream to gaze upon the vastness of the galaxy and tremble, not that they need tremble, solely so I can take in its greatness in one fell viewing. For my once in a lifetime journey I wished to look my best, which led me to Lave Station. From my time frequenting the Orange Sidewinder and listening to the only radio station my Lakon Spaceways Asp could tune into, Hutton radio, I had heard great things of Eddie and Son, plus his daughters. So I went to see the husband of Eddie Lee Wise, Ken, to sort me out. He had many great recommendations, and he guaranteed me that I would look smashing upon my arrival to Beagle Point. This was very exciting, but all of these great promises came with a catch. Ken needed some rare commodities for such a rare paint job that would last to edge of the galaxy. The first was quite simple, Centuri Mega Gin. You see with his excess of Lavian Brandy, he wanted something a little different, a little stronger. The second on the other hand was more suspect. He needed me to visit his “friend” at a station near Panem. To me this all seemed simple enough. It was easy enough to travel there and meet his friend with rope like hair. The only problem arose on my return when galactic security forces seem more interested than average in my humble ship. Needless to say, I was able to supply Ken with his credits and “extras”. When he applied my paint, he did not disappoint. His and Eddie’s paint turn my drab Asp into an orange masterpiece. I felt that it had been masterfully inspired by that unique place that so often saw my patronage. Ken did assure that is paint would have sufficient integrity to still shine in the glow of the Milky Way. With this I headed out into the great black yonder. I mined in Omega, I saw the abandoned habidomes at the Conflux Settlements, I collected water for Explorer’s Anchorage, and I made the 65,000 some odd light years out to Beagle Point. After shedding a tear for the good boi Zy I prepared to take the dream picture of myself and my shiny orange Asp at the edge of the galaxy. I felt like a boy in primary school the night before Christmas, I trembled with excitement. I prepared the picture limpet for the culminating achievement of my weary life. As my Asp came into focus through my old Rift DV1 scope, I was crestfallen, devastated. The picture I had been imagining in my mind for over 2000 jump was ruined. There sat my Asp at the edge of galaxy with nary a fleck of clear coat left. All but a few square meters of orange looked back at me through the scope. In a moment of anger I cursed Ken and the farse he had sold me. After reaching into my glove box for a pull of conciliatory Centauri Mega Gin, I calmed. Whether or not my asp looked its best I had made. I HAD MADE IT! Even though I felt that Ken, at minimum, owed me a drink, I was happy to have made it. I look forward now to a long flight home. Who knows maybe I will stop at Colonia for an extended vacation on my way back.
Howdy folks! I was sad to learn last week that you don’t get letters sent in, and truly your discussion of future console releases was insightful and pleasant, so here’s my request:
I’d like to hear your collective thoughts on historical snapshots, periodically – maybe an occasional segment with the proverbial ghost of christmas past.
Since everyone’s a dev these days, all vars double in this example: { this month x years ago we got patch y, which brought features z1, z2, and z3, all of which were horrible and spaced babies until patch y.1 fixed the obstetrics airlocks, but added z4: an rng multiplier to all tile-layers' spinal integrity. How features did z* play out? }
The forums are purged but we’ve been through so much game evolution, it would be lovely if you chaps could help keep the history of fdev’s work in perspective while we all fantasize about 2020’s release.
Probably best not to try reading this aloud. <flush sound>, Cmdr Myrt, Diamond Frogs
Paul Wortmeyer – Facebook Simple question , what’s with the DBX that was stolen , was it the one that did a flyby of Hutton and then zoomed off quicker than it should , and is it linked to the secret new hyperdrive tech that Sirius got from buying hyper technology’s?
During Monday’s FD Lunch stream “Hey Ben, thanks for Lave Radio, without it the trip to BP would have not been half as entertaining. o7 from Cmdr Olos Nah”
Ben blew the dust off of iTunes and noticed that whilst we’ve got loads of 5* reviews. They most recent one seems to be from 2017! So if anyone’s using iTunes feel free to let folks over there know that we’re still alive!!!
Lavecon 2019 is 5th – 7th July at the Sedgebrook Hall Hotel, and is sponsored by Spidermind Games!
Update to the scientific installation in the guardian system. You can now steal guardian artifacts from it.
People complaining that they can’t take big ships over there. although they can dock with the megaship, it doesn’t have the same facilities as the outpost,
Do you think they should have revealed the phases (even under spoiler tags)
Cmdr Alec Turner has given us an update on the First Great Planetary Expedition
As we hit day 46 …. of the 72 commanders who originally signed the expedition fleet rosta we have .. 5 flagged as “non participant” (i.e. people who never intended to circumnavigate Kumay, bystanders just joining us for the launch, filming meet-ups, etc) 6 who’ve knowingly dropped out for various reasons 26 missing in action (i.e. who haven’t updated their position since launch) 14 who’ve now successfully completed their circumnavigation of Kumay 21 who’s circumnavigation is (as far as we can tell), still ongoing
Commander Turner went on to say …
“Personally, I’m in the latter group, currently half-way between Zig Zag point and geological site #23, which means I’ve completed something like 84% of the journey. I remain immensely positive about the expedition and, without meaning to sound patronising, am incredibly proud of the group of commanders who’ve taken part. Many of these people were relative novices in the SRV when we started this thing but those who’ve now completed the journey have become genuine experts who can easily maintain a cruising speed of over 100m/s, bound effortlessly across canyons which they would have considered major hurdles at the outset and, above all else, are all members of what I call the “family” of the First Great Planetary Expedition, true explorers, determined and charismatic souls, and above all else … friends.”
Phase 1 was introduction of the factions and the megabus
Phase 2 Community goal for guardian artefacts.
Phase 3 community goal will determine which weapons are unlocked. Fixed class 1,2 multi cannon or dumbfile missiles. The USP is that status effects (such as AX effects) are applied via ammo synth not engineering mod. Bypasses AX weapon limit
Crackers have released patches that allow players to have infinite shields, hull, module damage and more. If you witness players using such things please use the report function
Commanders currently in the vicinity of Beagle Point who want to use this guide home will first need to travel through the Solitude Void and out to the Silentium Region to begin the Voyager Trail. The journey from Beagle Point to Voyager’s Reach itself is no easy task, it is a journey of approximately 22,000 Light Years between the two, and through some of the most remote sectors of the galaxy. Therefore this guide home should only be undertaken by those who are in no rush to return to civilisation and who plan to explore some of the more distant regions of the galaxy before returning home.
Questions
From CMDR Simonghetti
Hi guys,
I have a question relating to elite and was wondering if you had discussed it in a previous podcast. To my knowledge, you haven’t but I apologise if I’m wrong!
I’m an xboxer and was wondering what will happen when the next generation of consoles come out? I imagine this may be before the end of development on elite so was wondering if the game would move to the new consoles? And if so, would old accounts, progress and rankings be transferable?
Again, sorry if frontier have commented on this but I am no good going through the forums. I also thought that I may not be the only CMDR wondering what will happen with console switch overs and you guys are very good at speculating and generating interesting discussion around these issues.
Thanks for your time and keep up the great work with the show! Kind regards, CMDR Simonghetti
TLDR – CMDR Liandrei CMDR Liandrei of the ‘Garingo Maru’ DCD-DW got stranded without enough Jumponium on route to Semotus Beacon.
After scouting by both the Fuel Rats and DW2 Mechanics/Hull Seals, he was found to be stuck, good and well 🙁 No landable planets with Germanium…
Some nice RP and visits by people dropping Weetabix and Relics that emit a nice blue glow in the dark whilst Cmdr Liandrei was circumnavigating the planets in the system he was in, in a desperate search for Jumponium
On Saturday 4th May 3305 the Pilots Federation dispatched an experimental, modified space tug boat from their support wing and hauled my vessel to the system just out of reach.
Canopy strength bug It has been reported that canopy strength has been reduced. https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/1081 However the patch notes also mentioned fixing an issue with the numbers, so it was thought that it could be merely a display fix. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/april-update-patch-notes.509331/ GENERAL SHIP • Corrected the cockpit health disparity displayed between module tab and advanced maintenance In further testing it seems that the canopy strength did indeed get reduced, and multiple players are reporting this. Heat damage, neutron damage, and weapons fire have all been observed to have an increased effect on the canopy. And the amount of difference appears to differ from one ship type to another. Armor type seems to have little if any effect on the integrity. So please be careful out there! If you do happen to break your canopy, call the seals immediately!
Shoutouts
Lavecon 2019 is 4th – 7th July at the Sedgebrook Hall Hotel, and is sponsored by Spidermind Games!
DW 2 – 0.0364% of the galaxy discovered as of 23/04/19
Waypoint 12 Route Map and Itinerary is now available here: https://tinyurl.com/yah9wgkj The departure from WP11 see’s the beginning of DW2 Stage 4 – A journey across the Abyss… and beyond.
There is no specific arrival date for Beagle Point as the fleet is now so spread out, with many latecomers still en-route, several WPs behind. It is expected (as was the case on DW1) that many participants will be arriving at WP12 over a prolonged period of time.
As was the case on DW1, Stage 4 is the longest and loneliest stretch by design, and unlike the earlier part of the journey that encouraged social interaction and meetups along the way, this final part is something we try to encourage commanders to do at their own pace and with no pressure to meet a WP deadline. The expedition officially ends for you, the participant, the moment you reach WP12.
There will be a full route guide home from Beagle Point posted within the next couple of weeks, this is for those who prefer to visit known POIs during their return journey home rather than the free-for-all return trip we used on DW1, but it will not be classed as a continuation of DW2 and there will be no structured schedule or official WP events along the route as the DW2 organisation team will be winding down their roles and responsibility from this weekend onward.
For those who make it all the way to Beagle Point, your successful completion of the journey will eventually be highlighted on the fleet roster, and you will also be eligible for a DW2 decal (this has yet to be officially confirmed by FDev).
In around two weeks time I will post a DW2 ‘Epilogue’ thread, with information on stats & facts, and personal comments and acknowledgements etc, along with the guide home for those that wish to have a more structured journey back to the bubble.
Registering your completion of the DW2 Expedition:
To do this you will need to log in at Beagle Point at least once between April 22nd and June 13th. This is something FDev will use to check that you reached WP12. (Some exceptions can be made for those who cannot make it by June 13th).
You will also need to post your CMDR name and roster number to the arrivals thread. This is the info we will collate and pass on to FDev to check against your WP12 log in. You can find your roster number here: https://tinyurl.com/y43glxmf (Use CTRL+F) to search for your entry.
The arrivals thread will be posted this week and will be announced here.
Please note that the issuing of any rewards that FDev have planned may be something that does not happen right away. On DW1 the decal award for that journey only became available 8 weeks after the end of that expedition, so please be patient.
The organizaton team wishes to thank everyone who attempted DW2, with a special congratulations to those who made it this far!
April update live stream on Thursday 18th April 18:00 GMT
Will, will be showing the new training wheels and starter area
April Update will be on Tuesday 23rd April
In Game Events
DW2
Continuing to WP 11
Operation IDA
Zayn Till wants to say that the reception by the community and their enthusiasm in helping us with the repair cause has been overwhelming. With our friends and allies, groups and independent CMDRs both old and new, the past 2 weeks have been incredible. Repairing 2 stations and hauling 1.2 million tons of cargo in one day alone …it’s a testament to what the community can accomplish when we do it TOGETHER.
1) the O’Donnell Leap, basically using the ramp to jump across the base and land on the crane and
2) “hide and seek” – basically the nominated “seeker” parks in the middle of the base, turns off their sensors, closes their eyes and counts to 100 while everyone else drives off to find a hiding place within the base. The “seeker” then goes looking for them, recruiting other “seekers” as they are found. Last to be found is the winner.
Need to be careful of someone “accidentally” turning the base hostile (as has happened every single other time a few of us have spent much time there) – it will almost certainly be carnage!
Dear All, Due to the ongoing hiatus of the Kickstarter Campaign, Frontier Developments have recently offered to help fund the manufacture of the Battle Cards outside of the Kickstarter platform and we have accepted their kind offer.
The help has been offered as long as we can prove to them that there is a demand for this game and that the community wants to see it made. To get the backing of Frontier means the game can move to manufacturing as soon as the few final elements for the game are completed.
What we will need to do is re-open the pre-order on the www.edbattlecards.com website and collect as many of you backers as we can. If we get enough to transfer across, then Frontier can see that there is a customer base for the game and we can get cracking.
Whilst the game will be offered at retail for £60 / €70 / $80, as original backers, we will be offering you the opportunity to pick up a Season Box for the same price as offered through the Kickstarter Campaign. If you wish to be part of this discount offer, please head over to www.edbattlecards.com and make your pre-order purchase.
We have posted a longer and more detailed explanation for our reasons on the ed battle cards blog but you can keep up to date on the progression of the manufacturing on the blog page at www.edbattlecards.com & social channels https://www.facebook.com/edbattlecards/ or https://twitter.com/edbattlecards
Please help us make this game a reality, Thank you very much, Jon & Oliver (Spidermind Games)
Remind all that as well as the pre-order discount for ED Battle Cards there is also an ongoing 25% off all EDRPG products for the duration of Distant Worlds 2. To benefit from this 25% discount, enter the code DW2-9642-1171-8348 at checkout on the EDRPG website. Expiration date is 13th May 2019, so get it while you can.
Shoutouts
Elite Community Meet is on the 20th April we will be at the Renaissance Hotel in Manchester https://elitemeet.info/
Lavecon 2019 is 4th – 7th July at the Sedgebrook Hall Hotel, and is sponsored by Spidermind Games!
Ben – Did the Paladin Consortium / Operation IDA convoy from Big Pappa’s Base in Andhrimi to HIP 23395 (~ 150 LY in fully laden type 9s and escort ships)
Highlights include Noduran (who was leading the convoy) running out of fuel and calling the fuel rats! And Harry Potter, interdicting ppl and demanding jokes from them!!!
The departure from WP10 see’s the beginning of DW2 Stage 3 – The Galactic Mapping Survey Event. This is a TWO-WEEK journey as we will be covering around 14,500 LYs across the aphelion sectors in order to seek out potential POIs throughout these seldom travelled parts of the galaxy.
For those interested in taking part, details on the Mapping Event can be found here : https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/distant-worlds-2-discovery-submissions.462526/#post-7341685
Arrive at Waypoint 11 the weekend beginning April 19th.
Most people have reached the North Pole with some front runners at the Horseshoe Crater. They are still getting new members sign up and several people have said “this is the best thing they’ve ever done in game” Alec is dead chuffed with how it’s going.
Ventura : Hi all, I think currently, while they work on CG+ they have opened the way for station repairs, fight the thargoids and DW2. In the repairs they have set the required commodities to high demand.
Or as you said Colin there is Mining or power play. Also there work is on the other account on Xbox getting to Colonia. I know you’re looking for content for the show, but ppl are on DW2 and working on stations at the moment. Was going to suggest to Kow that they do a station completion Stat on Thursdays Hutton News. I am currently working on trying to get my 1st Elite in Trade doing the station repairs and playing Wow.
I think at the moment the new content is from the community, rather than F-dev.
Had a thought, if you could create new content what would it be? Either story line or in game function. Also you can discuss the lack of content from F-dev… The negativity meter will be needed for the last one 🙂
Hutton Orbital Truckers are continuing the effort to repair a total of ten Thargoid damaged stations in ten days, if they can. It’s a tall order, but they are aiming to truck 600,000 tonnes of repair goods every day this week.
Shoutouts
Elite Community Meet is on the 20th April we will be at the Renaissance Hotel in Manchester. Fewer than ten tickets left! https://elitemeet.info/
Lavecon 2019 is 4th – 7th July at the Sedgebrook Hall Hotel, and is sponsored by Spidermind Games!
