OS Neutral Elite Dangerous Tips

[Huntn]

I logged into night (solo) after doing the flying tutorials, my ship was still at Boswell Platform, hoofed it over to a RES (high) and was killed so fast my head spun. When I last played RESs were not categorized in this manner (low, med, high, hazardous, and no designation). I was prosecuting another ship and was jumped by unknown assailants and was dead before I knew it. As I recall my Cobra MkIII used to be able to take a beating but whatever hit me almost immediately killed my shields and within it seemed about 15 seconds I was dead. Replacement cost was $62k, fortunately I have over a million credits. But I don't want to repeat this, an unpleasant reintroduction into the game.

So the question is are RESs with the high classification mean many ships, or high level ships or both? I saw one ship with a red dangerous label so I think I know the answer. Next time I'll head for the low, med, or no designation zone.

 

[Huntn]

Oh, I just don't know if I have what it takes for this game. Went out to the low level RES tonight, collected about 100,000 bounty credits, accidentally shot a Federal ship when it got in the way. I did not see the normal wanted message that used to flash (when I played before), and they killed me before I could get away. That glass cracking sound sucks.

 

[whooleytoo]

Yeah, things are certainly more... interesting now.

They've ramped up the AI in recent updates so they're more challenging, better able to use chaff and shield-cell-banks, and counter typical player moves (such as reversing away from the NPC while shooting). They also have some of the newly added Engineered upgrades, so they have greatly improved firepower with side-effects (such as thermal generation, causing heat damage to your ship), improved thrusters and much stronger shields.

If you spend the time collecting the materials to upgrade your own ship, you can reach a point where your ship is ridiculously dangerous.. personally I went for weight reduction mods meaning my ship is really agile and fast and can jump really long distances. It can run from anyone, but isn't built for a long fight.

(And if you think resource extraction sites are bad, you should try some combat zones. Yikes).

 

[quagmire]

Well I went ahead and moved my P3D install to my external HD and reinstalled Elite. Yeah they certainly made the AI guys more challenging after over a year of not playing Elite. My Vulture used to be able to own almost any ship outside of the Anaconda. Now Imperial Clippers and Federal Dropships are a struggle if I go in alone.

 

[Huntn]

Yeah, things are certainly more... interesting now.

They've ramped up the AI in recent updates so they're more challenging, better able to use chaff and shield-cell-banks, and counter typical player moves (such as reversing away from the NPC while shooting). They also have some of the newly added Engineered upgrades, so they have greatly improved firepower with side-effects (such as thermal generation, causing heat damage to your ship), improved thrusters and much stronger shields.

If you spend the time collecting the materials to upgrade your own ship, you can reach a point where your ship is ridiculously dangerous.. personally I went for weight reduction mods meaning my ship is really agile and fast and can jump really long distances. It can run from anyone, but isn't built for a long fight.

(And if you think resource extraction sites are bad, you should try some combat zones. Yikes).

Thanks for the report. My last session really felt like a lonely grind and ended in disaster, so I'm going to call it quits for now. Not enough patience? Don't get me wrong, if the atmosphere is good, I can grind for a heck of a long time.

 

[garnerx]

Looks like people have finally made first contact! Check out this clip (skip straight to the 7'30" point) the audio design in this game is so good. Now to figure out how I can trigger an encounter like this myself...

 

[whooleytoo]

Looks like people have finally made first contact! Check out this clip (skip straight to the 7'30" point) the audio design in this game is so good. Now to figure out how I can trigger an encounter like this myself...

Funny..

Real world: "Aliens have pulled us out of hyperspace and disabled our ships. Run away! Hide!"
ED: "Aliens have pulled us out of hyperspace and disabled our ships.... COOOOOL! How can I get them to attack me too!?!"

 

[garnerx]

Some kind of alien site! I just landed here, it's pretty creepy. I've been playing in the Oculus Rift and this looks the size of the Grand Canyon when you're down there. The bones or whatever they are tower above you. Screenshots can't do it justice but here's one anyway.

 

[gkarris]

Some kind of alien site! I just landed here, it's pretty creepy. I've been playing in the Oculus Rift and this looks the size of the Grand Canyon when you're down there. The bones or whatever they are tower above you. Screenshots can't do it justice but here's one anyway.

View attachment 711273

Is it the same place as this?

 

[garnerx]

Is it the same place as this?

Yes, that's it. Another player told me about it while I was checking out a slightly less impressive alien structure elsewhere. Apparently you can unlock it, get inside and 'do stuff' if you're carrying the right cargo.

I left my ship parked nearby but I'm only carrying a couple of people in escape pods who I rescued from some wreckage on the way there. I'm going to drop them in the middle of the structure as an offering to our future alien overlords.

 

[gkarris]

I left my ship parked nearby but I'm only carrying a couple of people in escape pods who I rescued from some wreckage on the way there. I'm going to drop them in the middle of the structure as an offering to our future alien overlords.

LOL...

Nice...

 

[Flint Ironstag]

Finally had some time to dust this off again. I started on the training mission. Finally figured out the FSD mapping on HOTAS, and jumped to my first star port. The feeling of awe is just... One gets the uncanny feeling that this isn't science fiction at all.

 

[garnerx]

Finally had some time to dust this off again. I started on the training mission. Finally figured out the FSD mapping on HOTAS, and jumped to my first star port. The feeling of awe is just... One gets the uncanny feeling that this isn't science fiction at all.

Are you playing in the Vive? VR has really revitalized this for me. I've been playing on and off since it was in beta but I never appreciated the size of the ships (they're enormous!), the floating elements in the HUD, the dirt on the cockpit canopies... Combat is so much better when you can look over your shoulder to track enemies as they fly past. Doing a barrel roll in the SRV makes my stomach spin. It's just the best thing ever with a hotas and a headset.

 

[Huntn]

Are you playing in the Vive? VR has really revitalized this for me. I've been playing on and off since it was in beta but I never appreciated the size of the ships (they're enormous!), the floating elements in the HUD, the dirt on the cockpit canopies... Combat is so much better when you can look over your shoulder to track enemies as they fly past. Doing a barrel roll in the SRV makes my stomach spin. It's just the best thing ever with a hotas and a headset.

I really really want to like ED, have tried it twice and the routine, head out to the resource zone and fight bandits got old, plus the second time I tried it, I got my butt kicked several times. Trading is just a glorified grind. Plus, I felt like I was isolated in solo player, I see the short comings of instanced space.

 

[Flint Ironstag]

Are you playing in the Vive? VR has really revitalized this for me. I've been playing on and off since it was in beta but I never appreciated the size of the ships (they're enormous!), the floating elements in the HUD, the dirt on the cockpit canopies... Combat is so much better when you can look over your shoulder to track enemies as they fly past. Doing a barrel roll in the SRV makes my stomach spin. It's just the best thing ever with a hotas and a headset.

I sure am. I could never go back to playing it in 2D. Why the MechWarrior Online people haven't ported that to VR yet is beyond me - it would be an instant must-have.

I use a Saitek X56 Rhino HOTAS - just stuck with the default mappings for now, but may move some around.

Also need to install voice attack, and tweak some of the visual settings - sometimes distant elements on the HUD are blurry. Otherwise performance is excellent - just waiting to run it on my Mac.

I can see a massive Star Trek VRMMO in the future...

 

[garnerx]

I really really want to like ED, have tried it twice and the routine, head out to the resource zone and fight bandits got old, plus the second time I tried it, I got my butt kicked several times. Trading is just a glorified grind. Plus, I felt like I was isolated in solo player, I see the short comings of instanced space.

I know I won't convince you but VR really makes this come alive. Just sitting in the pilot's seat is enough to make me feel like Han Solo, but slowly powering this huge ship off the landing pad and out into space... It's so convincing. I just enjoy visiting all these places and blasting the occasional bandit.

I sure am. I could never go back to playing it in 2D. Why the MechWarrior Online people haven't ported that to VR yet is beyond me - it would be an instant must-have.

I use a Saitek X56 Rhino HOTAS - just stuck with the default mappings for now, but may move some around.

Also need to install voice attack, and tweak some of the visual settings - sometimes distant elements on the HUD are blurry. Otherwise performance is excellent - just waiting to run it on my Mac.

I got the CH Products gear with pedals, which are a great addition if you don't already have some. Shame you don't see your feet move in VR though, that's a bit weird.

There are a couple of scaling options that can get rid of some of the blurriness but they have a big effect on the framerate. I kept ramping it up and the menus got sharper and sharper, until I looked around and noticed everything else had turned into a slideshow. Overclocking the graphics card has helped a bit. I get a steady 90 fps in space and on planets, I think most things are set to ultra and scaling is maybe 1.2 or thereabouts. In stations it can't hold 90 with those settings so it does that interpolated 45 fps thing instead, which doesn't look too bad.

Mechwarrior with two joysticks - now that would be something.

 

[Huntn]

I know I won't convince you but VR really makes this come alive. Just sitting in the pilot's seat is enough to make me feel like Han Solo, but slowly powering this huge ship off the landing pad and out into space... It's so convincing. I just enjoy visiting all these places and blasting the occasional bandit.


I got the CH Products gear with pedals, which are a great addition if you don't already have some. Shame you don't see your feet move in VR though, that's a bit weird.

There are a couple of scaling options that can get rid of some of the blurriness but they have a big effect on the framerate. I kept ramping it up and the menus got sharper and sharper, until I looked around and noticed everything else had turned into a slideshow. Overclocking the graphics card has helped a bit. I get a steady 90 fps in space and on planets, I think most things are set to ultra and scaling is maybe 1.2 or thereabouts. In stations it can't hold 90 with those settings so it does that interpolated 45 fps thing instead, which doesn't look too bad.

Mechwarrior with two joysticks - now that would be something.

Which VR are you using?

 

[garnerx]

Which VR are you using?

Oculus Rift. Curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't resist the current sale price. I'd never tried VR before, unless the Nintendo Virtual Boy counts (it doesn't), and I'd always thought it was a gimmick like 3D TVs.

Certainly for Elite, at least, I couldn't go back to seeing it on a normal monitor.

 

[gkarris]

Oculus Rift. Curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't resist the current sale price. I'd never tried VR before, unless the Nintendo Virtual Boy counts (it doesn't), and I'd always thought it was a gimmick like 3D TVs.

Certainly for Elite, at least, I couldn't go back to seeing it on a normal monitor.

No, it doesn't.

VR you look around like you're in the world.

3D viewing is just the picture in front of you in 3D (original Viewmaster, 3D lenticular postcards, Nintendo 3DS).

 

[Flint Ironstag]

I've crowed about Elite: Dangerous plenty, but I'll do it one more time. Vive, Rift, doesn't matter. Get one with all the accessories to experience it fully and be prepared for awe.

If you ever played with space lego, watched space cartoons or sci fi movies, you owe it to yourself.

 

[gkarris]

I've crowed about Elite: Dangerous plenty, but I'll do it one more time. Vive, Rift, doesn't matter. Get one with all the accessories to experience it fully and be prepared for awe.

If you ever played with space lego, watched space cartoons or sci fi movies, you owe it to yourself.

So I hear...

People are eagerly awaiting the PSVR add-on...

 

[Huntn]

I built my current PC box in the fall of 2013, spending $1100, it's almost 4 years old. Since then, I have upgraded the video card (see my signature). I wonder how much faster new boxes are? Most likely I'll wait for my next computer to jump into VR.

Will I build or buy my next computer? Unknown at this time. Last time I checked, Digital Storm was very competitive price and feature wise with my home build.

 

[Huntn]

Anyone currently playing this game using an Oculus Rift or any VR? I'd like to know your setup/controller with the OR or any VR setup. Can it be played with an xbox 360 (wired) or xbox 1 (wireless) controller?
If using VR, how do you interact with the ships's navigational and system side panels?
Thanks!

 

[garnerx]

What I did right at the start, before VR, was print a diagram of my controllers that I found online, print the entire control mappings prefs file and cut it up so I had all the button labels. Then I tacked the labels onto it so I could move them around until I got something comfortable and I had a reference sheet I could look at.

This is all second nature now, so in VR it feels great. I chose the CH throttle because it has a mini joystick for looking around, but now that I use Oculus I have the thrusters mapped to the mini stick, which is even better - ideal for soft landings and VR acrobatics. Now I have an 8-way hat switch that was previously used for thrusters, currently unassigned. Also the headlook reset button is no longer required, so these controllers have far more buttons than Elite actually requires.

To access the panels I hold down on hat 1 on the throttle, which is on the back under my index finger, then press hat 2 with my thumb in the direction of the panel I want to look at. It's very quick, I was using this system before VR. Alternatively, the default setting has the panels pop up when you look in their direction (I didn't like that at all).

Honestly, the CH controllers are so good, I can't recommend them highly enough. Plain, simple, no gimmicks, no flashing lights or breakable parts, more buttons than you'll ever need, and they're the only ones with that mini joystick. I also have the pedals.

Plenty of people use Xbox controllers though, it's perfectly workable in VR.

 

[Huntn]

What I did right at the start, before VR, was print a diagram of my controllers that I found online, print the entire control mappings prefs file and cut it up so I had all the button labels. Then I tacked the labels onto it so I could move them around until I got something comfortable and I had a reference sheet I could look at.

This is all second nature now, so in VR it feels great. I chose the CH throttle because it has a mini joystick for looking around, but now that I use Oculus I have the thrusters mapped to the mini stick, which is even better - ideal for soft landings and VR acrobatics. Now I have an 8-way hat switch that was previously used for thrusters, currently unassigned. Also the headlook reset button is no longer required, so these controllers have far more buttons than Elite actually requires.

To access the panels I hold down on hat 1 on the throttle, which is on the back under my index finger, then press hat 2 with my thumb in the direction of the panel I want to look at. It's very quick, I was using this system before VR. Alternatively, the default setting has the panels pop up when you look in their direction (I didn't like that at all).

Honestly, the CH controllers are so good, I can't recommend them highly enough. Plain, simple, no gimmicks, no flashing lights or breakable parts, more buttons than you'll ever need, and they're the only ones with that mini joystick. I also have the pedals.

Plenty of people use Xbox controllers though, it's perfectly workable in VR.


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Thanks, I'll study this as I have both a CH USB joystick and Trottle too.