Elite Dangerous is an open sandbox space game, funded by a Kickstarter campaign and released on 16 December 2014.
It has:
- Space trucking
- Space dogfighting
- Space exploration
- A 1:1 model of the real actual Milky Way galaxy with its 400 billion stars, each of which you can visit
- Really fucking awesome sound effects
- Single player (NPC only) and multiplayer (human players share the same galaxy). Both game modes are always-online.
This list is expected to expand with more features as the devs get to them, including more ships, walking in stations, planets, and aliens (if aliens aren't already in there).
Should I get Elite Dangerous?
Do you like space? If so then you should get this game.
You will best be served by watching other people playing this game and then deciding if it's for you: http://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Elite:%20Dangerous
Or just watch this video of the travel tutorial mission in HD with your sound turned way up!
I can't find Elite Dangerous on Steam
It's not on Steam, you have to buy it directly from the developer's website as a ~4GB download for $60USD:
https://www.elitedangerous.com/
It looks a lot like Star Citizen, should I get that instead?
From some cursory research the two games do appear to be very similar. But Star Citizen is roughly a year away from release.
Should I get a joystick?
The game controls very well with either of a joystick, 360 pad, or kbam.
360 pad users: you may have to turn on your pad before you launch the game, or it will be dumb and not recognise it.
NEW PLAYER GUIDE
How do I fly this damn thing?
The Sidewinder starter ship is a competent ship for trying out the different careers you might be interested in (although I haven't tried mining yet).
Do most of the tutorials to learn how to control your ship: flying, targeting, attacking, rebalancing your engines/weapons/shields power, supercruising, docking, landing and takeoff.
Pay attention to blue things on your HUD: the blue markings next to your speed/throttle indicate your optimal speed for getting a good turning circle (this is important in dogfights). The blue zones on your speed & distance indicators show how slow & how close you need to be to safely exit supercruise - try to keep the ETA counter at about 7 seconds. If you go much faster, you won't be able to decelerate in time, and will overshoot your destination.
The game manual is available from a link in the game launcher.
How do I become a bounty hunter?
For your first bounties, it is probably wisest for you to cruise a couple of Unidentified Signal Sources (USS) to do some basic 1 on 1 fights. Enter supercruise and just fly between planets & stations within any system. As you approach or pass destinations, you will occasionally see 'Unidentified Signal Sources' popping up in your view, or on your navigation menu. Slow your ship down, point towards the signal, and target it. Then you'll be able to exit supercruise at the point of the signal.
You'll probably find a few ships there, they'll be squares and triangles on your radar. Point your ship towards them, then target them (assuming you're close enough). Your ship will start scanning the target, which will take about 5 seconds. If the ship's status is Wanted, deploy your hardpoints and start firing!
Collect your bounty from the Security Office of a nearby station. You can only collect from the office that issues the bounties - check your Transactions tab, and it'll tell you which government to collect from. Look in your System Map to find a local station run by that government.
Once you're comfortable fighting, start patrolling through Resource Extraction Points (REPs). These are located in the rings of most ringed planets - fly close enough and a handful should show up on your HUD. Once you're in the REP, fly around for a minute or so, and pick a fight with Wanted targets that you think you can handle. More ships will show up over the course of the fight, both pirates and security forces!
How do I become an explorer?
Pick a nearby star system from the galaxy map. You don't need to discover previously-undiscovered systems - you'll just be scanning stars and planets on behalf of mining companies for their current status. As you cruise around the system, you'll encounter "new astronomical objects". Target these, get close, and then let the scanner do its work. Once the star/planet is identified, you can sell the data to Universal Cartographics at a station (scroll to the bottom of their data list to find the Sell button).
You may want to buy a fuel scoop for longer voyages, to save yourself buying fuel every few jumps. Circle a star with the scoop deployed, at a distance at which your ship temperature is nearing 130%.
How do I become a space trucker?
Find delivery missions in space stations from the station's bulletin board. Delivery missions have a cylinder and a single arrow in their icon. Beware 'sourcing' missions where you have to buy the cargo yourself - these have two arrows.
You can only accept missions for which you have enough cargo space - the Sidewinder has 4 by default.
How do I become a space pirate?
Fit a Frameshift Drive Interdictor to pull ships out of warp. The interdictor module behaves like a weapon - you need to assign it to a fire group in your ship menu (headlook-right). Try to get within about 20Ls of your target and fire it; then try to stay behind the target until the blue bar is full. If successful, you and your target will fall out of warp - possibly quite suddenly, so watch out for collisions!
More new player guides to come.
COMMANDER LIST
Human players are distinguished from NPCs by the CMDR prefix. Give me your names and I will add them!
marty_0001: minrat
Uriel: jarofmoldymayo
BYToady: BYToady
Falx: Falx1984
Weaver: weavermatic
Farangu: Farangu
monsterror: monsterror
Mysst: Captain Loosen
Lasbrook: Lasbrook
Invectivus: Invectivus
Depressperado: Throb Hardmeat