ELITE DANGEROUS - Forget Everything You Know About Elite

Frontier has released a new update on the future of Elite Dangerous including paywalled ship access and new pre-built ship options in the store. I have words. I get stumbled over a few of my words, so please forgive me. This video was a challenge.
00:03:28 - PowerPlay 2.0 and Engineering
00:07:01 - Game Store and Pricing
00:09:26 - Ship Variants and Python MK2
00:16:16 - Cosmetic Items
00:18:00 - Pre-Built Ships
00:23:16 - Final Thoughts
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Music By Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
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[@ups-pn3ph]

I’m buying myself the ship of my dreams. This game has given me hours and hours of enjoyment

[@Mortum_Rex]

Me too. I've always dreamt of owning a slightly different looking ship to what I already have. Can't wait.

[@gizmo104drives7]

Hardly dead... I still enjoy it

[@lokibro82]

I’m betting these “premade ships” are G3 engineering grade. And not configurable.

[@danlavirre]

Once u achieve all ur ships and stuff games becomes boring af

[@conduittothecollective2510]

thanks for this, I just started playing 4 days ago, I played the original elite back in the eighties on an Amstrad CPC 464....lol, Im absolutely loving this game...fourty years later from playing Elite, to now playing Elite Dangerous Odyssey...life is good.

[@tiberiusdave252]

My elite experience was first on the Amstrad cpc 464. Happy days!

[@padlnjones]

I played on a Commodore 64

[@mpc6671]

Started Elite on a Atari 520 ST , then Elite Dangerous on a PC (don't remember how many hours and nights spent on it) then forgot about it for 20 years. Then came elite dangerous , more hours, no more nights ( I was supposed to be a responsible adult) . And here I am, playing Odissey for 300 hours in less than 3 months...started a trip to Colonia 4 days ago with a diamondback explorer. 😊 Colecting samples, metals to fuel my sintesis device, screenshooting whatever nice view I run into. I just bought a copy of the game to my son (27) and I hope to meet him sometime soon on a rocky frozen moon surface . This is my definition of a legendary game.

[@kingplayze914]

Me too. Squealing cassette tapes.

[@Mechail]

I purchased ED:H in 2017, played it for about 20 hrs and then didn't play it again until start of this year (got Odyssey on sale in Jan), and now I have close to 240 hrs. I 100% still consider myself a new player, but I also think I've invested enough hours to have opinions that should count for something. Maybe I'm about to just shout into the void here, but these are my said opinions (includes topics from the video, but also some broader ED / new player stuff): - ED is one of the best space sims out there. I have an ultrawide OLED monitor and a X52 HOTAS setup and the immersion is breathtaking. The game became "fun" for me when I simply just focused on having fun playing the game *for what it is* (making credits, etc are a bonus that also unlocks more ways to continue playing the game and having more ways to have fun, etc). - I don't care about getting the 3-months early access ship. (a) I played a lot on Open and never saw another CMDR. Now I just play Solo, so not getting a new ship early isn't a big deal as it doesn't really provide much advantage. (b) Happy for other players to buy it and support the game. (c) Also happy for players to express disappointment with FDev (both on this and other past choices). - I have considered supporting the game with cosmetic store purchases, but both the store's ease-of-access and (what I perceive as) value for money purchases are currently a major barrier. I hope they do a good job on the redesign. - - [ Warning: everything below turned into a bit of a rant. TL;DR: (1) I like that the game doesn't hand-hold you and forces you to learn to get better, but also wish there wasn't such a massive gap between barely helping out and being completely useless (2) I'm not happy with how inaccessible the game is to new players and it's not the so called "grind" that's the problem, but rather it's understanding the overarching gameplay elements, even if it's just at a high level, so I can be thinking about how to utilise them as I play them game and not very very slowly come to understand how they work ] - - - I followed a guide (shout out to Dituri's Elite) on how to get into a maelstrom and do damage to a titan. Happy to say I managed to reach Titan Oya on my very first go (timed the pulses and everything), but once I was in I kind of forgot what I needed to do (obviously I should just review the guide again...actually doing that now lol) and also quickly died even though I built my ship to be all AX-y. It was getting late for me and so I resigned myself to missing another titan kill assist (and missing out on getting any rewards, etc). -> So what's the point of saying all that? I'm glad you asked: I think my inability to do any real damage to the titan (I did take out a few turrets, but yeah) is **good** because it means I need to practice and learn from mistakes in order to achieve an outcome and not have it just handed to me (also the only time I've really done any combat was the tutorial... so forgive me if I didn't know what I was supposed to do). In other words I 100% agree with Exorcist here: ED is not (and can't be) a pay-2-win game and I am glad for that. AT THE SAME TIME, I do really want to help out with the titans, but I feel like I just don't know enough about the game / haven't been around long enough to know what I need to do / how to get better before the event is over. Thus it feels like this whole thing is inaccessible to me atm. I don't know if this is a criticism or not... maybe my next point will solve that question... but I hope I can provide enough damage to at least one titan to have counted for at least one takedown before it's all over (even if it's just the minimum, I don't need to be the biggest AX DPS player in the entire game to feel satisfied). - The game is _very_ inaccessible to new players without using 3rd party websites and/or access to decent communities (like CMDR Exorcist's channel here. o7). As I said earlier, I'm having fun just playing the game and for me there is no "grind" because I'm only doing things that I want to do and having fun doing (it also helps that exploration and xeno-bio have great payouts). HOWEVER, I wish I understood the broader objectives of the game. For example, I am only aware of "engineering" because third party tools drew my attention to it. I recently unlocked Felicity Farseer and I STILL DON'T REALLY GET HOW I SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT OR UTILISING THIS GAME MECHANIC! I get that they help upgrade ship components and I don't care about grinding for the materials... I just want to understand what's going on at a high level and NOTHING IN GAME helps. Can I engineer every ship component in the game? Is it better to get "special" components to engineer? Are there some components that can't be engineered? Can I undo or redo engineering on components? I will probably end up doing some more reading on engineering, but I really don't like that I have to do this outside the game. On that note, how does power play actually work and why would I want to participate in it? Also why isn't it clearer on how to buy/upgrade ship parts without the use of third party tools (again)? I'm sure this has all been said/asked before, but it is still none the less frustrating to deal with. I also play WoW and I feel like if a new player asked me "how does gear work" I could say something like "(1) your class will have one primary armour and weapon type so only equip those, (2) for levelling quests and dungeons will give you appropriate gear upgrades (higher ilvl = better 99% of the time), but don't stress so much until max level (even then it's more or less the same), (3) gems can go into gear with matching colour sockets and can also be replaced, but the original gem will be destroyed when doing so, (4) same with enchants, but sockets not required just the matching enchant gear type, (5) you can also get gear from other players, the AH, or craft them yourself with an appropriate crafting profession and gather the materials with the appropriate gathering profession" and while this may seem long winded to some I think it's a concise and high level enough response that gives them all the info they need to know what games mechanics are confined to gearing. Something like this would be great in ED. Hopefully that was worth someone's time to read. If not the void got a good feed as that turned into a bit of a cathartic rant at the end there. o7 CMDRS!

[@Garryck-1]

Ahhh.. the whole massive gear/upgrades/engineering setup, frankly, is a vastly complicated arrangement that I suspect makes WoW look tame in comparison. Yeah.. I know you hate having to do external reading. Sorry, but that's just how things is.. and all we poor plebs can do is deal with it. But at least the community has stepped into the gap FDev leave, and built something pretty solid there. I can't give you the link, KZbin doesn't allow that, but do a search on "Fandom Elite Dangerous Wiki" and you will have at your fingertips the answer to any of your Elite Dangerous hardware questions, as well as the kind of background info you need to understand Powerplay. It's my first stop for any hardware/engineering/materials/whatever questions that pop into my head. (And this is after years of playing.. there is always something new to learn about this game! A common complaint is that ED is 'a mile wide and an inch deep'. No.. there is depth and detail in this game.. most people just don't go looking for it!)

[@TempoTrack]

I feel this post deeply. I totally get how clueless one feels as a newer player. The game does a terrible job at explaining itself and systems. It forces you to outsource to 3rd party tools and players for info. Think of engineering as a way to specialise your ship for a specific role or task. While not necessary, its highly recommended to engineer your ships to get the most effectiveness. Its a painful grind to max out upgrades (tier 5) but it is viable to stop at tier 3 if the grind gets too much. Most resources can be earned by playing, killing goids, collecting the drops from ships you kill, mining and scanning. You can do some cool stuff with engineering but a lot of it is also arguably useless outside of combat. Powerplay sucks, cool concept poor execution. Hopefully the changes make it worth our time. You pledge to a high power figure who represents a faction. Once pledged you can earn merits which can be used to access poweplay only modules and weapons, as well as using them as a resource to manipulate the BGS. Example, a certain faction power representative is in control of a system? You can choose to do missions and spend merits to either assist them hold control and spread influence to other systems or hinder them and topple their control in a given system or station. This can lead to faction combat zones popping up that you can fight in, similar things can be done with pirate factions. It sounds super cool but is very lackluster as it stands right now. My advice atm would be either focus on exploration, combat, or trading. Alien hunting is an option but to take out anything other than small fey scouts you need guardian gear or a very specifically built ship and great piloting skills. If possible, find someone or a group you can wing with if you want to do goid content.

[@cmdrsaigon6453]

For me, early access is fine and this is not a P2W! We need to change our approach to game funding and for me at this point I think we need to support the Pilot's Federation so they keep their God damn electricity on. That's my 2 cents.

[@redkiwi5980]

Sell me ship interiors. Let me make my ship a base I can decorate. I will pay for that! Let me fill it with bits and bobs I collect around the galaxy. As far as PTW? Don't care. I pay solo and don't PvP so PTW doesnt matter. If it makes them money, go for it.

[@nemesisone8927]

exactly lets be able to walk in a ship and then we might talk :) without that bah who cares.

[@gizmo104drives7]

Whilst I agree being able to walk in a ship... I really find it hard to believe that can be anyone's priority.. of all the things to add or to change to make elite better this won't help much with anything

[@jellowiggler]

Carrier interior customizations are still a HUGE untapped market. Different colours, layouts, jump room designs, concourse designs, etc.... Totally unexploited so far. Even the exterior designs have not been added to since introduction.

[@kevinw.6769]

You probably want to check out Star Citizen then if you want ship interiors.

[@eiojn]

@@gizmo104drives7 Star Citizen

[@stevenswadel]

I'm also looking forward to Powerpoint 2.0 🤣

[@mandiworld]

Frontier needs the cash hence all these gimmics.

[@therealjamespickering]

Yes, they need the cash, and players still want the game to be developed. Think of it as a Patreon that gives you the opportunity to be a supporter.

[@Mortum_Rex]

Their shareholders need the cash. Frontier itself would be fine without the leeches.

[@storm14k]

Kinda hard for me to see it as a gimmick. Seems to me people kept complaining about too much grind. And I remember one creator that ran off to SC saying she couldn't bring friends into the game because it was way to hard to get up to the content where she was (AX). So to me this just gives people that don't want to grind and just want to jump in and play the opportunity. I personally don't like that because to me what's the point of a game if you don't have to play it to get anywhere in it. On the other hand I get some people want that and with my limited play time as an adult with kids maybe I'll end up buying something myself. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@CMDR_Shokwave]

For engineering, i want set cost, no random rolls. Reduction in mats cost, or increase in drops. I would really like to see an engineering wing for the Fleet Carrier that would grant you triple the materials storage than normal (at the cost of some cargo space), and the ability to go to an engineer and hire an apprentice/acolyte/robot to keep on the carrier that can perform the experimental mods. They would require a weekly salary, of course, and may be slightly less efficient mats- wise, or not. That would add further value to the Fleet Carrier.

[@admaneb]

16800 ARX is £9.59 or $12. considering this game needs to stay running, and FDEV need to pay the devs salaries and keep the lights on, whats the problem with chipping them a few quid really?

[@MROD058_]

People wanna live rent free without considering we gotta keep the lights on. Cheapos are the only ones crying

[@bernhardeiling3265]

Elite needs to be profitable

[@lightwoven5326]

​@originalgameronline3457 Correction. What you want.

[@Rainbro359]

​@@originalgameronline3457exactly. I've seen people online acting like this is a free to play game. What happened to the idea of "improve game to attract more customers"?

[@ContraGrain]

On one side of the argument it’s a slippery slope on the other hand the game NEEDS players and NEEDS income to survive. I think this is FDs last shot at reviving the games profitability. So I welcome it somewhat. I still want ship interiors

[@lightwoven5326]

Last shot. How do you know?

[@ContraGrain]

@@lightwoven5326 frontier has not been pushing elite to the forefront of the company whatsoever it really does seem to me that they value rollercoaster game mode

[@neveSykcuL]

@@lightwoven5326 Frontier has seen some layoffs recently. Things haven't been great. No one wants to see Elite die, let them get some extra revenue. Sales from a 10 years old game aren't cutting it anymore.

[@chilliewhk]

I am happy to hear that Frontier is attempting to make engineering better. What makes me upset is the time gate to the new ship. I would have preferred the option of having it available for both credits and Arx at release. People complaining about pay to win are mostly upset by the time gate.

[@mpc6671]

You're absolutely right : this is not pay-to-win because you cannot win ED. With pre-built exploration ship you would go faster, jump longer etc... but no device ( real money paid or not) will make you beat the galaxy . That's the sense and the beauty of this game.

[@lordwhippleton9734]

not to mention none of this is engineered which is the "endgame" None of the prebuilt ships will compete with actually worked on ships and only stand as a quick little: "Hey here is a jump start."

[@GhostGiraffe]

Great video!

[@ericklingenberg4868]

Great video, I've just started playing again and pleased to find a curent video

[@scipher99]

ED is the reason I had to explain to the wife the ungodly amount of money I spent at Virpil for a flight setup.

[@Torrle]

I fully agree that the Pre-Built ships better not have anything exclusive in them. That'd be a bad move. Although I do think that tossing them a couple bucks to get a ship early is more than fair, in concept. As you said, spending arx is supporting the company, and showing the ship off before August is like a badge that says as much.

[@mikewaterfield3599]

Personally I agree. If it’s pay to skip steps I don’t care. Pay to win………. Considering how aggressive Fdev is toward even the suspicion of RWT that would be messed up.

[@lightwoven5326]

I am not paying for alpha testing of an in game product.

[@blackcobra8849]

I agree with you guy 100% . I AM FOR buying a fully engineer ships and mod. I hate to grind for a ship and mod only to be nerf week’s later . Example Python. Decade ago, the python was a fear ship, maneuvering was nerf, speed nerf. So I am for paying. Less ice cream for me. Beside, buying ships is the future. Look at Star citizen, ROLLING IN CASH, I RATHER PAY TO PLAY THAN LOSE ELITE DANGEROUS.

[@mpc6671]

Right you are. My entire experience with the Elite series ( since 1999) has costed me an estimate of 100€ over 30 years. This is 3,33/year. I would gladly Pay to Play this game provided the money goes,mainly, to ED team . I do not believe in cheap stuff and in our world, nothing is free .

[@AI-art-makers]

I remember playing with my Corvette loved it

[@wmgthilgen]

When one only earn's some 400 arc's a week; Being today 75+, 16,250 arc's is going to take longer than I have left on this Earth.

[@FatherBillKessler]

I am very hopeful about all that has been announced and willing to give FDev the benefit of the doubt about what is yet to be announced. Thanks for the video!

[@Shadowmanfan1]

New Gank Target just dropped.

[@CMDRExorcist]

1000%

[@Matty_B0y]

What if I, “a ganker” buys the Python 2 on May 7th, does that still put me as a gank target?

[@Shadowmanfan1]

@@Matty_B0y Yes. so, good news for you I guess.

[@mikewaterfield3599]

Wait a minute, the python 2 is not paywalled, early access is paywalled. After the years I’ve spent in the black I have the arx laying about. Even if I did not well 13 bucks is still less than I spent on horse armor for Elders 4. For all the faults of Fdev or disappointments (in some areas) Elite may have, I literally have four thousand hours in the black at this point. How many games have you bought and gotten fifty or fewer hours of enjoyment? Personally when I hear words like “accessible” I cringe. It usually means lower bars and making things idiot proof.

[@Rainbro359]

Its not early access. Its delayed access for everyone who doesn't pay up.

[@thewaterbear]

I came over to Elite from Mechwarrior Online, and this is totally the norm over there (early access). So maybe I'm just acclimated to it, but it doesn't even phase me, and that's a game that is exclusively PVP. And honestly, once I realized that the Arx for Ship sales come with cosmetics, it felt more like a bonus ship on top of a standard transaction. I too am curious about ships 2, 3, and 4. I wonder if they are going to release them as a package. X amount to early unlock any one ship, or discount if you unlock all three early? But regardless, thanks for the video! Personally I'm still stoked for new Powerplay, new Engineering, new ships, and new [tbd]! 😇

[@57thorns]

Tha Maelstrom thing really hit home, the first day I played it I had no issues getting in, but the next day I was completely off. Last week at Oya was no problems at all handling it. I suppose I do get better with practice.

[@user-tw9gt9bk7w]

i made 150 million within 2 hours of starting the game scanning stratum with an artemis suit and a sidewinder. Thats enough money to get a starter build in pretty much any profession in the game. Being able to pay is not advantageous over other players, it just saves you 1-2 hours of grind at the beginning. its pay to skip, and could reduce the amount of people refunding first 2 hours after being met with straight grind before u can actually play. The only part that’s lame is buying ship variants. That’s what people should be mad about, not the silly “pay to win” myth

[@davidberg8770]

I gring life 40-60 hrs per week, i will not be ashamed to pay for things in-games. And Some of us have to few hours to play in a week to begin a grind. Better play another game instead. That's great news for the popularity and sustainability of Elite. I bet the paid ships will be low engineered G2-G3, just enough to be able to enjoy the game efficiently right away.

[@hyper_plays9547]

How do people expect Frontier to make money? Skins won't pay off. If they want development, they need to make money as well. It's not a paywall, it's early access. I don't think people are buying the ship early because they want to brag about it, the main reason they buy this ship is because they want to fly it.

[@DoctyrEvil]

Offering folks early access to a ship for 12 bucks is kind of silly to me but if people want to do it I don't think it's pay to win, because it's not going to be some magically better ship than what we already have. (16800 Arx is 9.56 pounds sterling on the Frontier Store)

[@garethde-witt6433]

After having a look at the examples of the prebuilt ship kits I’m not worried too much as they suck. So I don’t think too may will even look at them

[@ratstar4102]

Naaah nothing to be disappointed of people buying a ship since Elite Dangerous is based on skills ..... Even if you have the strongest ship a beginner will still suck! Importantly Frontier can get money to upgrade the game consistently! You can't beat pro PVP players by just buying a pre engineered ship. It takes hours to become an ED Ace Pilot!

[@tonybear7071]

The ships also come completely fitted out, ready to fly

[@jordanbrancato7026]

I mainly play for the market and cargo part of the game. and i wish they would add more to it.

[@cmdrnuma7135]

I really want the Python MK II. 6 hardpoints, 6 ultility slots, hell yeah. But I'll buy it in August, and a shipkit. But no pre-unlock.

[@CMDRRustyDog]

Pre-built ship is just a way to fast track newbies for profit. Veterans of the game already have the credits to build A rated big ships. If it includes engineering... yeah, that's a problem.

[@CmdrDjBurp-dr5uy]

LONGEVITY- charging us seems only fair and thats how everything is in console games, since 2013. I refer to the Forza franchises. IE car packs. And thats not pay to win either. These changes are for the better, embrace it and put a few dollars into this much loved game. If not be an obsidian ant and whinge ya a$$ off like everyone owes you something o7 cmdr 😊

[@ericanker9049]

They have to make some money to keep the game running. This way is ok for me. I love the game, have played it for years, so I have no problem with it if they keep it in "this lane".

[@Spitfire-zx7rj]

If they do release anaconda mk2 I would defo name it electric bogaloo

[@slamdunk6161]

Everyone who buys it early, gets to test it early, so the people who wait get a more stable ship 🙂

[@netwarrior1000]

I may well buy the early access to the Python Mk 2, if it includes a ship and not just access. As I'm out in the black and would want one to have transferred to my carrier. I have a lifetime package and am always looking for opportunities to give FDEV some revenue as I've gotten my value out of my lifetime package many times over (I'm assuming the early ship access doesn't count as DLC, but even if it did I'd still want to throw FDEV some revenue).

[@schlirf]

It looks like Frontier changed that cheat on recovery missions too. Still would like to see an "add on" with ship interiors, but that is a long way off.

[@THEDENDIECASTRACING]

Power play may go open. Your going to need a ship , a fast ship with good weapons.

[@CMDRStarshine]

I don't mind Frontier trying to earn more money with ED, if it means the game keeps on running and being improved. But only if that doesn't mean pay-to-win, so you shouldn't only be able to get gameplay-relevant things by spending real money. And getting early access to ships that might be better than others really smells like that, in my opinion. (If you're just paying for a beta, that might be something else, but not in open then, please.) I think I might be ok with paying for Horizon-players, though, as it might encourage them to finally get Odyssey. And I hope those pre-built ships (even if they were to include engineering) don't offer anything that's better than the things you can get normally. I'm totally fine with cosmetics, and wouldn't mind shortcuts to engineering (material packs could be one way), as long as the grind doesn't get worse for anyone who doesn't pay. I really wouldn't enjoy feeling pushed into paying for something at every corner, or running into paywalls, that might even be a reason to quit the game. That being said, at the moment I really like the game (even though I sunk last month's time into BG3), have bought all expansions when they released (well, those weren't that many), and would pay for any new expansion that brings significant new content (base-building?). I wouldn't even mind if they offered a monthly premium for a reasonable price (like 5€) just for quality-of-life features like automatic carrier jumps and refuels. I've been wondering for quite some time why they don't do something like that yet. As for the engineering rebalance: A bit too late for me, at least for now. I finished one of each suit, just to get it done, and then headed out to explore. While ship-engineering is ok (or I have just got used to it), with downtrading from grade 5, if you're accepting relogs as gameplay, the lack of that option really made Odyssey engineering too time-consuming, although strangely more enjoyable at times, after I noticed that the best way to get to some materials seems to be doing missions. And I actually don't mind the silence on new ships. Wasn't ED about finding out things on our own for a long time anyway? When was the last time anyone stumbled over something that hadn't been teased or announced in some way?

[@kempo79]

Nobody said legacy players will get a ship for ARX. It says players that don't own Odyssey - so it's most likely people who play live version of Horizons.

[@tiberiusdave252]

Thanks commander. Really balanced and thoughtful as always- even when you disagree there is no hyperbole/ faux anger/ or end of the game for me rhetoric!! For me, having reflected for the last couple of days, I love the paint jobs; I have no objection to the pre engineered ships to allow new players in particular a quicker ‘foot in the door’ to get people into the action. Regarding the early access to Python mk2: I don’t think this is too much of a problem. I agree that this could now become the new thing for Frontier to make money as players are always crying out for ships. And I suppose Frontier need to make money from a 10 year old game. They could go for monthly subscription to keep it alive. Instead they are doing this… and which do people prefer? 🤷They need the money to keep the game going. So maybe it will help further development 🙏🤞

[@Dzarafata]

It's worth reminding that back in the days, only people with Horizons were able to engineer their ships. They also had more ships available to them. They were able to operate much more powerful ships and it was much worse than it seems to be now but yet it didn't destroy the game. On the other hand I'm worried about fdev getting money from players not wanting to play the game to get the ships. IMHO they should benefit from player enjoying the game and they should focus on creating more ways for more way to enjoy it so it's not a grind for them but a lot of hours of fun leading to getting ship of their dreams. Now, when then benefit from player not wanting to engage with the game, they may lose incentive to improve the game as making it more enjoyable means people will... play the game instead of paying for skip. We can probably only hope that designers will have enough power in the company structures to protect the game against that slippery slope.

[@57thorns]

The problem for FDEV is that us old timers can be quite stingy, we have access to the stuff we want and the arx to get a few cosmetics.

[@Zebediela42]

This. Earning and building up a new ship is THE gameplay loop. It's what makes the game enjoyable overall. Pre-built ships may gather the odd new player, but they WILL leave shortly after because they won't have the experience needed to fly it or even enough rebuys.

[@___Snake___]

Pre built ships is a great idea even with pre enginneered ships, most people haven't got the time to grind a game out like Elite, so giving them the option to pay cash to jump grind and get them into the game if they choose is only good, telling people they have to grind to enjoy the game is just selfish and stinks of well I had to grind so you do and that's the main reason the game has been dying

[@mpc6671]

​@@___Snake___I'm an old player and I sincerely believe that new players should be given the option to skip the grinding. However, I consider that grinding is a good part of the game's philosophy. As I already commented , ED is vast in terms of Space and... Time. Moreover, from my experience, the exploration profile approach of the game is not grinding as we know in many other games, check for players testimonies of earning tens or hundreds of millions credit after a couple of days scanning and getting bio samples. My personal best mark is 34 millions in one single system exploration ( 8 bio samples in the same planet) . So , in about 2 weeks ( 30 hours gameplay) I was able to purchase a brand new hi-specced cobra, Vulture and Diamondback and 184 millions in cash. (I'm saving for a Conda, you see😅) To be fair, the engineering stuff looks a lot more repulsive for new players and I'm not yet interested in.

[@paesuri]

early access is OK, pre-engineered with tech broker or guardian modules and 0 rebuy is a huge advantage > so PTW. I wouldn't mind if they sell a decent unengineered build.

[@Sloganlogo]

If we want Elite to thrive then they need revenue streams. It's not "Pay to Win" as you can get it all in game with out having to pay...Grind yes Pay no.... It's Pay to speed up time. It's not a Pay Wall

[@videogames8353]

I would be willing to pay with arx for bugfixes 😅

[@wmgthilgen]

Frontier's ED is their cash cow. Assuming they utilizsed any and all ED fund's in only ED. And not the other game's they got envolved in. ED wouldn't have the issue's it has. With the advent of adding other game's to their company. Using the fund's from one to finance the envolvment in other's take's away from fund's required for ED.

[@metaparcel]

Pay to play is lucrative. Smart move.

[@steve6290]

Well they have been giving us Arx for blowing up Titan Hearts. May bas well spend them😀

[@kronos48221]

If horizons players are going to buy this ship with arx, we might as well just buy Odyssey. Then we can use in game credits for the purchase.

[@Isuptonogood]

When people do exploits like AFK killing with a T10 and complain about paid content...

[@IncomitatusExcelsior]

The grind in Elite isn't grindy enough for real Pay to Win. Not even close. The pay to win games I'm most familiar with are World of Warships and War Thunder. Those are grindfests, and carefully calibrated to make advancement at higher levels basically impossible without premium paid memberships. Elite just doesn't have a rank or level advancement system harsh enough to justify payong to skip or speed up. UNLESS, that is, they're going to introduce one with PP2.0. We'll find out tomorrow, probably. Until then, everyone should bear in mind that the practical alternative is pay-to-play. No one wants FDev to walk Blizzard's dark path, right?

[@mpc6671]

Fully agree with you. Having jumped only 300 LY with the basic Sidewinder in only 10-12 systems, having collected 6-8 biological samples and, when sold , earned 34 millions credits ( with bonuses) I can tell that' s a very, very low grinding compared to other famous games. So no need for a P2W system. It's not even a P2W, it's a Pay For Impatient folks.

[@cmdrxpression]

No to Pay to Win - I know everyone (gaming houses) does it in free games nowadays especially games you play on smartphones, but hey, ED is a 10 year old game, Doesn't even work well on high end PCs. We already paid a price for the game. I'm happy to pay for DLCs (like Ship Interiors, or on-foot Thargoid hunting, perhaps ELW landings, Base building and so on, the options are endless - Take Truck Simulator and all the DLC Maps you could buy). I'm totally against competing with players that have a fat wallet!!

[@lmo3154]

its not pay to win but pay to have something early. have i had my £100 out of elite over the years with over 5000 hours in game i think i have ten times over. the need to make money to keep the game going. Its a fact of the real world. Everybody can have it you pay for the early access, you have to have the in game credits.

[@khmnc]

nice, i wonder how they are going to fumble all this

[@gouterelo]

el"EVE" dangerous it's now !!

[@walawala-fo7ds]

how much is it going to cost a fully loaded anaconda? that's where this is going with pre-built ship packs.

[@alantonn4174]

power play, not power point.

[@CMDRExorcist]

I also called it sixteen hundred two fifty arx. It was brutal. :D

[@57thorns]

@@CMDRExorcist I think you neeed a good nights sleep.. 🙂

[@sakatababa]

first, how is it fomo if the mk2 isn't going away? it is more akin to an early access. second, a lot of older players have arx stacked up up to their ears. we need something to spend it on. i didn't do that exobiology for science only (i know i did but it would make a mute point now, wouldn't it) third, if engineering is made easier and without the grind, why would it be a bad thing to get a lvl1 or lvl2 engineering upgrade on a module or two for a prebuilt? i would not buy a vulture without a heavily engineered powerplant and distributor because that is just an ugly coffin. i am not running around the bubble and aggroing gankers left and right in a vulnerable vulture. no way, not again. so for a first time player that wants a small, specialized giant killer and doesn't have a dbx or aspx stacked up to nines to fall back on for engineering grind or jump'n'summon, it is a good deal. it gives them a functioning ship they can finish however they like.

[@WarpRulez]

I don't think any previous announcement by Frontier has caused this much of a shitstorm among the fans. And this even though, in the grand scheme of things, the announcement is relatively minor (or, at least, the parts that people are most concerned about are actually relatively minor). Well, if there is anything positive to extract from this event is that people still care (even though some of them would say otherwise, I'm sure.)

[@joshm3484]

If I could buy pre-engineered modules I might start playing again, and I hate that, because they could make the process fun enough that people would _want_ to do it. Or better yet, get rid of engineering as it exists now altogether. It's not a necessary evil, it's an unnecessary and artificial means to pad player hours without having to come up with anything fun.

[@lightwoven5326]

My answer would be player roles. Some people like challenges, you already can be an explorer. Why not a dedicated engineer. Pre-engineered items have been available in other MMO's for years. And in fact the Guardian power plant is sort of that as its equivalent to a Grade 4 overcharged. I personally would love to have such a role, in the same way as an explorer can do their thing, being able to add to the community in game.

[@adrianwilliams6577]

7th of August release date for the new Python is pathetically slow, at this rate we won't see a new and improved Cutter until 2025, or maybe never. I detest pay walling too.

[@Pooter-it4yg]

I hear a lot about how ED is a ten year old game - sure, but so are many others that are still thriving. Story chapters are a better way to generate revenue than in game stores, but that would require FDev waking up, stop being so snobby and accepting that what they have is actually an MMORPG.

[@lolishocks8097]

I think, if it makes them more money, then they should be doing it. If the players all ragequit, then it would be vote with the wallet. I wonder how many people are sitting on enormous amounts of ARGHS. Although, don't they already have a lot? How are new players ever going to catch up to 10-year veterans? Is paying for Odyssey a soft pay2win? Will my Carrier eventually run out of money? Might take a while.

[@TSINIproductions]

Odyssey engineering was poorly implemented from day 1. Ship engineering materials are described, in your ship console, how to find them and where to go. Odyssey materials require you to trawl through thousands of hours of “hey Whatsup KZbin” and pencil and paper and spreadsheets and forums to work out how to find them.

[@Zebediela42]

Remember Gamestop. Don't buy it early. #hold

[@kakabixlis]

Hey Exo mate great video mate as always :D :D !! well the whining and the dooming has commenced and i am tired so tired ,my face is tired of it. People forget another game that is still in godamn alpha and you pay for a certain Apopatus Pack 25000 grand ffs :Das for the python i will wait for it i am a patient man ,i love cosmetics indeed myself!

[@___Snake___]

Pre built ships is a great idea even with pre enginneered ships, most people haven't got the time to grind a game out like Elite, so giving them the option to pay cash to jump grind and get them into the game if they choose is only good, telling people they have to grind to enjoy the game is just selfish and stinks of well I had to grind so you do and that's the main reason the game has been dying......and giving people the option to get new free ship 3 months early by payin £9 to suoport the development of the game if im ok with that is something im more than happy to do

[@Edsel1134]

Anyone who thinks this is "pay to win" is an idiot. 😅 We all want our game to continue, and this is a good opportunity for them to make some revenue and intice new players. SC uses a faaaarrr worse "pay to win" method and makes huge money.

[@welshgamer1864]

spawn rates up to decent values would be great none of this 0.5% more like 20%

[@Gusttafa]

I like engineering. It gives purpose.

[@Keith-to2xu]

only if you didn't have to travel to greet them. Not sure how it is now but I stopped playing once I hit eng. Mainly because I want to play my way and eng forces you to play a certain way. At least when I was playing.

[@YamadaStone]

I don't really like the idea of pre-build ships, this is what free-to-play games do. Good free-to-play games are built on time-money system, where you can either spend a lot of time to get the stuff you want or you can pay for it and get it instantly. However Elite isn't a free-to-play game, it's a full-price game with micro-transactions. For such game to have a ability to spend money to save your time makes no sense at all, it's a solution for a problem that was artificially created with poor game-design choices. If grind for anti-xeno is so bad little people actually complete it, you shouldn't give modules for money, you should give alternative in-game ways to get modules, for example include a anti-xeno quest-line with modules unlocking upon competition, or create a major anti-xeno faction (simmilar to empire and federation) and unlock modules for getting ranks in this faction. However they chose the most bland and uncreative way to solve the problem they created themselves.

[@spacedoutinspace]

Well, i was thinking about going back to elite dangerous, but not now, i cannot and will not encourage this behavior. If they want to make money, sell interesting cosmetics.

[@chryc1]

for the 3 months early is not that new even i was supprise they dont do it during odyssey . before some time when we pre order we had stuff before others but hey is a choise

[@57thorns]

There is a difference between early access such as the paid beta where what happens in Beta stays in Beta, and having exclusive access to content in the main game that might upset the balance of the game.

[@chryc1]

@@57thorns why it will broke the game is a ship . Python mk 2 is a large already he dont have the same value of the first python who is you can do everything with it . And having a ship dont make you powerfull . I always think the corvette suck ass and plya mostly with a anaconda donc mean the corvette is not good for other people

[@kerberosbr]

pay-to-win in python? Start playing today? This is a simple python not a Idris!

[@WarpRulez]

Why don't you recommend buying the ship with ARX? It's no secret that Frontier is not exactly swimming in money. I'm quite certain you know that perfectly well. And if that's the case, why are you discouraging people from investing in the game that they love? Do you want them to keep developing the game for the foreseeable future, or do you want them to stop? I honestly cannot understand why you are discouraging this. People are calling them "greedy" for doing this. That would imply that they are swimming in money and are just exploiting the playerbase in order to get even more (like certain huge game companies notoriously do). Rather obviously that's not the case. This has nothing to do with greed.

[@leoncantwelliii7946]

I'm not sure this will be enough to save the game, but it's a step in the right direction. As somebody who switched from elite dangerous over to Star Citizen I 100% support this change. There is money in selling ships, if it means you can better support the game with things like ship interiors from the money earned by all means do it. I still love this game but I can't bear to play it any longer because of how stagnant it is.

[@davedanter]

Its a good move from Frontier, yet they are not charging enough for these new ships, $60 for the new packages would be easily affordable, if FD need funding, they adopt a more aggressive approach. $13 for a new ship is a waste of effort, this game has become stagnant to many, with little to no sense of direction, they're is no excitment in the game, in its present iteration its tepid and vanilla, offers little to tempt new players, the game needs more developers and more content, and a $13 ship package wont do much to achieve anything.

[@therealjamespickering]

Let's not forget that in Star Citizen, you can buy ships for 2000 USD!

[@Zebediela42]

What you have described is anchoring bias. Just because one game has something like this, doesn't mean it's acceptable.

[@davedanter]

Star Atlas ships can cost: $5000.000 real money

[@therealjamespickering]

@Zebediela42 Why is it not acceptable for Frontier to give people early access to ships for a fee? They are not locking content behind a paywall, nor are they providing players with an unfair advantage by purchasing these ships, because they are unlikely to be substantially over-powdered. I can't afford to devote hundreds of hours to a game, doing tasks I have no interest in, just so that I can prevent myself from being obliterated by some knob in a tricked-out Anaconda whose daddy pays for them to sit around at home. Elite Dangerous is a 10-year-old title that needs a revenue stream that will support further development. The players complain endlessly about the lack of new features and the grindy gameplay and then wave their arms in the air, because people may be able to pay money to avoid it. If this approach means that Frontier might be inclined to add new ships, or overhaul engineering, then so be it.

[@fryaduck]

@CMDRExorcist I spent 7 months (8 hours per day, 7 days a week) maxing Eng mats, I spent 3 months (same as mentioned) maxing ground eng. I spent a lot of time doing 100,000 invasion systems rescues in my unarmed Clipper (passenger modules). Ok, I could buy an FC with the rescues plus 5 years of weekly maintenance. Why are noobs getting cheaply for what I had to through effort? Where is the compensation for my time? If the system didn't change to making it easier there would be no complaints. Why are long term players being treated like 3rd class citizens or red headed stepchildren?

[@mpc6671]

The compensation is in your personal stats. Is in your name written on the first discovered, first stepped system information and above all, the beauty of the journey is the journey itself. I don't care about noobs or young timers paying a pre-built ship because they are too impatient or lazy to understand the vastness of this game, in space and, obviously, in time. I usually play in remote areas of the galaxy so there's no chance to face one of those players (kids in the bubble) , however I would be seriously p..ed-off to get shot by one of them 😅 ..at my age ....

[@Rainbro359]

This (Python Mk2 delay in particular) is a quick-and-easy cash grab. Its not essential or forced, Elite isn't a F2P game. Its not going to revolutionise the game development, the money from this isn't going to dwarf existing revenue streams. Its sacrificing game quality for short-term profit. And I'm shocked how many people, at least on the forums, are lapping it up. How did the game industry convince so many people to not just accept this nonsense but cheer for it?

[@gregbower245]

I won’t be buying, but its not P2W. This is not a competitive PvP FPS. What exactly would someone be winning?

[@Koffiato]

P2W doesn't have to be "an advantage over other players" and instead it could be "paying to skip many hours of unfun gameplay" or more commonly used in the mobile market; "paying to be able to advance." These, along with the dark patterns that usually accompany are branded under the term P2W, even if paying doesn't automatically make you actually "win."

[@s2ee77stu3]

I've came from console but didn't take the free account transfer.. to pc, an oh boy am I regretting it 😂😂😂 Engineering is defo needing a revamp lol.

[@tennodekaizer4470]

As long those pre build ship's are not engineered I have no problem with it otherwise it's definitely pay to win

[@doomkawalera]

I believe that the developers will drive this python and buy it for real money into the grave. Because many people will not like it. Personally, I will wait for its release on August 7. Let the fools buy

[@antyteistapolskix3275]

For me elite dangerous will stay uninstalled till I get real single player experience as it was in elite 2 frontier. Just one option would safe my sanity if developers bring back speed time option. I'm a single player and do not do any multiplying in elite. Wasting time in spacesimulator is ridiculous!!!!! Everspace 2 introduced nice speed up time which is great. I'm a casual player and watching your ship float in space for tens of minutes is a wasteful. It is like watching pain drying process. Really I'm surprised that so many of you guys enjoying wasting time. 😮😮😮😮

[@netwarrior1000]

I don't consider the announcements re ships to be P2W. Pay to skip some gameplay maybe but P2W? No. There is no 'win' with respect to player/ship progression as it is not competitive. Now, if they introduce uber PvP builds that would be different as you then get into the competitive aspects. I have no issue with selling ship variants per se. Key with all of this will be the pricing and that there will remain in-game ways of getting the same ship builds. So long as everything is affordable for all, all will be good. If they go with ridiculous pricing for some ships like CIG has, that will be a very bad move. I don't like the idea of PP potentially going open only, subject to the 'discussion'. But I do understand why some want it open only. For mine, I reckon the new feature will be base building as it's likely the easiest to add. The assets already exist in-game, and they can leverage off their other park/zoo builder experience as those other IP are essentially base builders. Plus it's all in the same game engine. Type 8 was briefly teased right at the end of the stream as the next 'variant', in case you missed it, although I suspect you made this vid before the last stream?

[@naidr0x]

Eh, I wish the pay-to-win-ish stuff wasn't a thing. I've just started playing the game last week and have no idea what to think. It's nice that it seems like engineering is going to be less grindy, but the paid ships just don't sit well with me.

[@RoadrunnerGaming-sc5xg]

Elite and E.V.E have the same pay wall status in library DELETED

[@PaulLacourse]

It just look that they are desperate. They want to find ways to get the money they had when we were a lot of people playing Elite. For the pre buit ship I agree with The Yamicks. It IS pay to win. Because you can experience and get better with a ship build way before another one that would have to grind it from scratch. At the end, the buyer would be good before the grinder. What if they would make prebuilt PvP ships from the store. They say that a prebuilt ship will always be free when destroyed. So, one could become a ganker and never pay any rebuy. That would be the last nail in the "Open" mode of Elite. Look, they are just desperate because they don't know how to make it fun so they try the pay to win route ...

[@ratstar4102]

Im sorry CMDR Exorcist but your wrong when you said Pay to Win?? Even if you buy a pre engineered ship as noob and you battle with CMDR Aswulf with an unengineered ship you still get beaten!!! Elite Dangerous needs to earn money to upgrade their game! And this game will never be a Pay to win game because its a skill based game!

[@CMDRExorcist]

I didn't say it was pay to win. I said that's the term that's being thrown around. I actually mention in the video that skill is essential and you cannot pay to win in Elite. :) o7!

[@bobk4438]

I played Elite on my Commadore 64 back in the day. Getting the auto lander was a game changer. . Pretty cool back then. I find the new game boring.

[@Lunarian300]

Without ship interiors I would never buy ships. Not worth it.

[@heavybattle6650]

The price for getting the new ship 3 months earlier than anyone else is just 10 Pounds - thats the price of the Arx necessary 🤣To be honest, if players don't have that in their pocket, they have no business playing a video game in the first place. Get a freaking job.

[@neonspark707]

this is not paywall. This is p2w. Upgraded ships, early access ships, jez. They went head first in the P2w wagon.

[@CoffeeFiend1]

It is pay 2 win but it's also a bit different in Elites case as the actual multiplayer player vs. player combat within the game is a pretty tiny component. Half of the player base does bounty hunting against bots. Getting bored. Returning for a bit more. Getting bored. On repeat. The other consistent side of things are trade and exploration. It's not going to be as apocalyptic in terms of what people fear with regards to one upping each other as most of it is within a singleplayer sphere anyway. For the few PvP though yes it would suck and is a perfectly valid complaint.

[@Rainbro359]

Its not early access. The ship is good to go. Its delayed access for everyone else.

[@Shadowmanfan1]

Pre built ships is buuuuullllshit! Shenanigans of the highest order! The whole point of this game is that life is pain. If you didn't schlep 5000 tons of bullshit to every jackass mechanic in the galaxy you don't deserve a pre-built ship. Go pay your fkin dues. Don't cut the line.

[@tiago.suares]

This is bullshit, but "the whole point of the game" was silly in the first place in regards to grind = game, therefore + grind = + game

[@therealjamespickering]

Why? I just want to explore, so why do I have to spend hours and hours learning gameplay that I am not interested in just to get an engineered FSD? I would prefer to be able to buy the engineered parts with credits, but if I have to spend a bit of money to get the upgrades to make the game more enjoyable, then I'm fine with that. It's better than paying paint jobs and crap like that.

[@Shadowmanfan1]

@@therealjamespickering Because Frontier are old thatherite nobs that get off on making your life difficult. They hate money. And they love to watch you suffer.

[@Mittzys]

People really think this is Frontier showing they're still invested in the game? This is them taking people's money.