The Outpost #121: Your Elite: Dangerous news recap!
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▲ Note that for Odyssey, an installation could have your name!
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I’m creating a few articles, but it will take some time:

• ✓ Elite, Federation, Empire, Alliance Lore – January
• Update of our guides – End of January
• Highlight of a great ED tool of disabled players: EDTaupeEye – End of January
• How to prepare for Odyssey – February

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Summary:

• Frontier News
  • London Stock Exchange – Frontier PLC
  • Developers & Community
• Lore & Powerplay
• Pictures – In the heart of the action
• Videos – The Unmissables

Frontier News

London Stock Exchange – Frontier PLC

The company continues to climb to record highs in terms of profits and market share.
Here are the details from their latest official news:

• Trading in the current financial year to date is ahead of the Board’s original expectations
• Extended home working has created additional development challenges
• Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is still planned for release on PC in FY21, with PlayStation and Xbox releases now coming in FY22 to ensure the best experience for players on all platforms
  • Aiming for a release of Odyssey on PC BEFORE the 31 of May 2021.
• Frontier Foundry title Lemnis Gate is now planned for release in FY22
• Notwithstanding the decision to move these releases to FY22, the Board continues to expect that revenue for FY21 will be in the range of £90 million to £95 million
  • They had forecast £83M to £95M for FY21 so they are still aiming high. In FY20, they had reported £76.1M of revenues for a profit of £16.6M and this amount has been rising for years. So they will continue to develop many games as publishers/developers but also simply as publishers.

David Braben, Chief Executive, said:

« 2020 was a hard year for a great many people because of the challenges of Covid-19. Despite this, and doubtless helped by lockdown boosting demand for screen-based entertainment around the world, we had a successful year through the hard work and adaptability of our talented teams. Our four great franchises have really long play times and engaging social aspects to them, which make them well-suited to lockdown.

We know that our Elite Dangerous community are looking forward to the arrival of Odyssey this year, and we’re focussed on delivering the high quality experience that they expect and deserve. 2021 is set to be another great year for Frontier. »

With £6.7M in 2016, £12.6M in 2017, £30M in 2018 thanks to Tencent, £35.3M in 2019, £76.1M in 2020 « thanks » to the lockdown… Frontier Developments is targeting £90/95M for 2021 and their analysts forecast £133/153M for 2022; quite excellent figures in only five to six years.

Their existing portfolio, including both base games and PDLC products, continues to sell ahead of their original expectations for FY21, and based on all currently available information the Board’s projections for FY21 remain in-line with the previously guided revenue range of £90 million to £95 million, despite the Elite Dangerous: Odyssey console version and Lemnis Gate launch revenues moving into FY22.

The current range of analysts’ revenue projections for FY22 is £133 million to £153 million. The Elite Dangerous: Odyssey console version and Lemnis Gate launch revenues will now supplement our initial estimates for FY22.  They anticipate the continued strong performance of their existing portfolio in FY22 alongside contributions from an exciting line-up of new games, including two multi-platform releases incorporating major global IP licenses and a number of Frontier Foundry titles.

Their next major internally developed release is Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, which is a major new paid era for Elite Dangerous, allowing Commanders to explore distant worlds on foot for the first time, taking on new missions and engaging in intense tactical combat, seamlessly merging with Elite Dangerous’ iconic cockpit experience. Premiered during The Game Awards on 10 December 2020, reaction to the Elite Dangerous: Odyssey trailer has been positive and encouraging in advance of its release this year.

Elite Dangerous continues to perform well through an engaged and ever growing community of Commanders. During 2020 Elite Dangerous hit its highest ever player numbers shortly after the Fleet Carriers update at Easter, and then again higher still since on multiple occasions, including just before Christmas. There is a great deal of excitement around Elite Dangerous: Odyssey both outside the Company and within. Over its lifetime Elite Dangerous has already generated over £100m in revenues, with over 4 million base game units sold. A successful strategy to seed new players in advance of the launch of Odyssey yielded an additional 8 million base game owners through the launch of Elite Dangerous on the Epic Games Store in November 2020 including a ‘Free Week’. 8. Million. Additional. Base. Game. Owners… WOW!

As always FDev are committed to delivering a high quality experience through the release of Odyssey, to a large and engaged player community with high expectations. Odyssey is coming together well, despite Covid-related challenges with collaborative working on such a large project, which are resulting in some inevitable minor delays.

Having reviewed project timelines to take into account the renewed need to continue with remote working for the near future, as well as our commitment to release only when they are certain that the experience for our players, on all platforms, will be as enjoyable as possible, their launch plans for Odyssey have now been updated.

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is expected to release on PC, the biggest platform for Elite Dangerous, before the end of the financial year (which ends on 31 May 2021), albeit slightly later than our initial target for Q1 2021 (January to March). This will be preceded by an alpha period done in several steps. Their plan for PlayStation and Xbox is to submit console versions for approval as soon as possible after we have released on PC, rather than putting the console developments of Odyssey under additional time pressure by planning for a simultaneous PC/console launch. PlayStation and Xbox console releases will therefore now come in FY22. ~6 months later than PC, before the 31 of November 2021.

Source – London Stock Exchange

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Developers & Community

Read our article EVERYTHING about Odyssey.

A dedicated space about Devs’ messages from the forums and social Medias.

~ Recent communications ~

• [Exploration] Commanders exploring the surfaces of the planets on foot (and selling the data) will get their names for First Landing on the planet, just like the First Discovery and First Mapped is doing now. – Source – Community Team
• [Technical] The actual PC specifications will be similar to the specifications requested for Odyssey – Community Team
  
• [Ships/SRV] We have nothing to announce at the moment about new ships and SRVs but surprises are expected so keep an eye on our announcements! – Community Team
  
• [Dev] We have several things on our list like improvements on PvP (credit gains), work on Powerplay, we also noted your questions on non-lethal weapons and other suggestions. We will answer these questions as soon as we can. – Community Team
  
• [On Foot transition] The transition from ship to on foot mode will be similar to the transition from ship to SRV. – Community Team
  
• [SRV & Multicrew] On Odyssey in Multicrew, you will be able to launch the SRV of your ally flying the ship. – Community Team
  
• [Odyssey] Some elements of Odyssey, in terms of actually walking on planet surfaces, have probably been, at least conceptually, there since the very beginning of the game’s development. However, as for the actual build-up to having a significant amount of developers working on it, the tail-end of 2019 is when we really started ramping it up. The planets are getting a big new refresh. With the new settlements, we’re also having to add a whole pile of new gameplay areas across the universe. Some of those will be deployed onto planets without atmospheres that players are currently able to explore, and others will appear on our new thin atmosphere planets. For the combat on foot, it is a tactical shooter that we’re working on. It’s different in feel to the ship-based combat. Ship combat can be very protracted and drawn out. But we have taken the core elements, such as the idea that the on-foot characters can have shields. And shields use up energy, so players will have to think about when to deploy them. Certain weapons, like lasers, are good against shields, while kinetic weapons are good against armour and damaging the person underneath. The weapon choice you make, on a base level, is very important for the tactics you take into battle. Then you’ve got factors like your range, the proximity to the target. Do you take a close-range weapon like a pistol that you can draw quickly, or do you have a more long-range approach to the problem? So the tactics are varied depending on how you want to approach each combat encounter. And it’s not just about you shooting, it’s how the AI behaves towards you, how accurate they are, what their reaction times are. All weapons will have a different feel, there are different approaches and you have to react to the way the AI behaves towards you, its accuracy, reaction time etc… Your different suits will all be equally important whether it’s for combat, exploration, wrecks/utility salvage. Each one will have its advantages and you will also be able to customize them differently in terms of equipment but also in terms of differentiation from other players with different colors and styles. – Source – Piers Jackson, Game Director
  
• [Gameplay] We had an average of 100 developers working on Odyssey, with a peak at 140, in order to bring this extension to life. It’s a bit like a brand new game, at least in terms of scale. (The game code is fresh as they reworked it) Odyssey will be the foundation on which the future of the game will be built. Just as before, players will be able to play any way they want from combat to support factions, salvage wrecks if they want, continue their exploration of the planets and discover life forms directly on foot for example. There will be settlements on the surface and many different approaches will be possible between frontal attack, rather stealthy, hacking components, luring NPCs … We really want to give the characters different lives and reactions to the players and their approaches – Source (À partir de page 38) – Piers Jackson, Game Director + Gareth Hughes, Lead Designer
  
• [Planets] Whereas previously we had one engine generating rocky surfaces and another for icy surfaces, both powered by our Stellar Forge tool, we now have terrains and materials of different types and scales that are selected and mixed in a determined way according to the properties of this planet, determined by the Stellar Forge. The telluric planets are always classified between rocky, icy, ice-rocky, metallic and metal-rich planets according to what emerges from the Stellar Forge simulation, but their terrains depend more on these simulation values (Pressure, temperature, volcanism, materials, …) than on these classes. Shapes, styles and combinations of terrain are mixed, which means that there is a lot of variation within these classes. As with everything in Elite Dangerous, the planets are life-size, real, so it is a challenge to ensure that the resources we make work at all scales, work with each other, and provide detail all the way down to the surface. I think we’ve done a great job on those scales. On the planets, there is now a large-scale mask that determines different areas of terrain types on the same planet. The mask depends on factors such as the gravitational force of the planet, the thickness of the crust and whether the planet is, or has been, tectonically active for example. These zones mask other sub-zones of terrain and material types, and follow the patterns established by the upper layer, creating a homogeneous landscape over the entire planet. – Source (À partir de page 40) – Kay Ross, Senior Programer
• [NPCs & Settlements] When players eliminate all NPCs on a surface base, the latter will receive air reinforcements to repopulate the area after a certain amount of time. More powerful reinforcements can also be sent to settlements currently under attack. Once again, it will be up to the players to take the approach they want on the missions and actions they take. Note that there will be scenery elements that you can interact with, such as panels to open with your laser cutter, consoles to access, hacking, disabling defenses, explosive barrels, and more. The surface settlements will have various states: Active, abandoned, war, damaged, Online, Online Damaged, Offline, Offline Damaged and Conflict Zone – Source – Community Team
  

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Lore & Powerplay

Powerplay, continues to operate in game and the powers compete on a variety of military, economic and political fronts to gain new territory and expand their influence on the human world.

 

Witch Head Nebula‘s systems are still fully affiliated with the Alliance. Three stations are damaged by Thargoids and three others are being repaired.
California as well. An Independent faction is located in a small nebula under California.
Coalsack is now colonized by the Alliance to study the new Thargoids Barnacles we recently found here. Some stations have been repaired, and only one remains to be repaired.

Galnet.fr proposes the latest news from the galaxy!

• Galnet.fr/en – Galnet News
• GalnetAudioFR – Dubbed Galnet, in French. Let me know if you would like to do this in English! Here are the examples in French.

 

The most important news:

28 December 3306 – Sirius Atmospherics has delivered an update on its experiments to terraform ammonia worlds in the Coalsack Nebula. The subsidiary of Sirius Corporation is working closely with the Alliance to exploit the nebula’s resources and pursue scientific investigation, including terraforming terrestrial planets with ammonia-based atmospheres.

Project director Dr Maximilian North gave this progress report:

“Preliminary efforts at ecosphere conversion have delivered promising results, but our new techniques are not as effective as the simulations based on exploration data suggested. We are still a long way from fully transforming these worlds into habitable environments.”

Independent journalist Flint ‘Firemaker’ Lafosse commented on this via the Rewired network:

“Does anyone really believe Sirius is there for the terraforming? Of course they can’t magically turn ammonia hellholes into paradise planets overnight! I know a cover story when I smell one. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re deliberately trying to provoke the Thargoids for some reason, maybe to capture some specimens. Where there’s xenos, there’s credits.”

The Alliance has corroborated Dr North’s report, but also confirmed an increase in Sirius Corporation personnel and equipment arriving in the Coalsack Nebula.

29 December 3306 – Economic instability has caused the value of shares in Lakon Spaceways to drop to unprecedented lows, placing the company’s future in doubt.

A hostile takeover bid by Federal corporation Core Dynamics has raised concerns in the Alliance over the loss of a major defence contractor. The Independent Commission for Market Equality has also reported irregularities in the recent transfer of share ownership, which may lead to criminal investigations.
As a result, although Lakon Spaceways continues to manufacture and sell ships, its lack of reserves and a loss of confidence among investors may lead to insolvency and dissolution.
Trent Delaney, the newly appointed chairperson of Lakon’s board of directors, announced:

“Financial mismanagement and a litany of poor business decisions have led to this situation. Rest assured that once formal negotiations with our new parent company are complete, Lakon’s stock will rise to new heights.”

According to Federal business analysts, there are indications of displeasure among Core Dynamics senior directors regarding this takeover. An anonymous source from within the corporation told Vox Galactica:

“The Lakon merger is entirely Jupiter Rochester’s project. Frankly, it’s sheer greed. Our income has soared recently with new commissions from the Navy, but Rochester’s grabbing hands are always reaching for something. He runs the departments that are loyal to him like they’re his personal kingdom.”

31 December 3306 – Large numbers of Thargoid vessels are swarming through multiple inhabited systems, leading to urgent calls for assistance.

In what appears to be a coordinated strike, Thargoid scouts and interceptors have appeared throughout the Coalsack and Witch Head Nebulas. Local security ships have engaged them in combat, but report being overwhelmed. The Alliance has a considerable presence in these regions, with four starports recently constructed in the Coalsack Nebula. But the Alliance Defence Force has not been able to mobilise in time to prevent some systems from becoming infested with Thargoids.

Admiral Aden Tanner, chief military liaison for Aegis, made this announcement:

“This is a resurgence of Thargoid activity on a scale that we have not witnessed for a long time. Unfortunately, drastic reductions in funding and resources mean that Aegis is unable to provide adequate defensive measures. We urgently request support from independent pilots and anti-xeno squadrons. It is critical that we prevent the Thargoids from dominating these nebulas and wiping out many thousands of people.”

1 January 3307 – Simguru Pranav Antal, leader of the Utopia commune, has proposed hosting a diplomatic conference for the governments of all three superpowers. The intention is to provide a neutral location to discuss key issues such as the renewed Thargoid attacks, the Marlinist refugee crisis, and hostilities between the Empire and the Federation.
Details have been sent to the Alliance Assembly, Federal Congress and Imperial Senate. Pranav Antal has also broadcast his invitation across all media channels:

“It is not Utopia’s tradition to become involved with politics, but recent events are of great concern to us all. Interstellar war, terrorism, alien incursion and economic collapse are the new four dark horsemen that threaten humanity’s future. We therefore offer to host a Galactic Summit where the Alliance, Empire and Federation may debate these problems peacefully. My sincere hope is that the heads of state grasp this opportunity to resolve their differences and create solutions that benefit their peoples.”

Utopia is an independent society with a focus on using highly advanced technology to increase quality of life. Should this Galactic Summit take place, it would be the first diplomatic meeting of all three superpower governments.

4 January 3307 – The Alliance has entered a period of political campaigning prior to the election of a new prime minister.

The appointment of a head of government takes place every six years, with the forthcoming vote scheduled for the 25th of February 3307.
Unlike the Federation, there are no political parties in the Alliance. The Assembly is comprised of councillors who each represent the ruling faction of a member system. Electoral votes will be cast by these individuals rather than the public, but councillors tend to abide by the majority views of their constituencies.

Edmund Mahon is the current prime minister, having been in office since 3301, and is campaigning for re-election. If successful, he will be the first to serve more than one term.
There are several rivals challenging Mahon, but the greatest support is for Councillor Nakato Kaine of Tionisla. She has become a rallying point for discontent among the Assembly, speaking out against the Alliance’s increasing dependence upon corporations and other superpowers.

At an emergency debate regarding the current wave of Thargoid attacks, Councillor Kaine stated:

“Can we be surprised that the Thargoid race is launching fresh assaults against us, when we brazenly invade their territories? Our obsession with meta-alloys has turned us into the aggressor! This is not the same Alliance that I pledged to serve. It’s time for a new direction.”

7 January 3307 – Starports in the Coalsack and Witch Head Nebulas have been damaged during full-scale Thargoid incursions.

An appeal by Aegis for anti-xeno support led to a concerted response from the galactic community. However, the Thargoid forces proved to be overwhelming and have attacked systems within the nebulas, with the loss of thousands of lives.
Admiral Aden Tanner, chief military liaison of Aegis, broadcast this message:

“Despite the heroic efforts of many pilots, the alien ships have resisted being driven from the Witch Head Nebula. Aegis’s military capability and manpower are both severely limited as a result of curtailed funding from the Empire and the Federation. We have no choice but to rely on independent pilots and anti-xeno squadrons as the first line of defence against the Thargoid threat.”

8 January 3307 – The organisation Aegis has expressed support for Utopia’s offer to host a Galactic Summit for all three superpowers. Aegis was jointly formed by the Alliance, Empire and Federation to study the Thargoids, and develop new methods of monitoring and combating their forces.

Professor Alba Tesreau, head of research at Aegis, gave this statement:

“Humanity’s focus on petty internal conflicts has blinded us to the existential threat of the Thargoids. Their recent horrific attacks should be a wake-up call to the fact that defunding has crippled Aegis’s ability to offer protection. We strongly entreat our founders to come together and channel resources toward Aegis, and particularly into research. There can be no hope of coexistence with this alien species unless we increase our understanding of them.”

No official responses to Utopia’s proposal have been made as yet. However, Prime Minister Edmund Mahon, Princess Aisling Duval and Shadow President Felicia Winters have all signalled broad approval of the idea. There are reports that many congressmen, councillors and senators are pressuring their respective leaders to attend the diplomatic conference.
Simguru Pranav Antal has confirmed that the governments of independent systems will also be welcome to send delegates to the Galactic Summit. However, Utopia’s primary aim is to provide neutral territory for the Alliance, Empire and Federation to debate policies.

14 January 3307 – The newly settled Marlinist Colonies have asked for urgent deliveries of foodstuffs.

Millions of Marlinists have relocated to eight systems colonised for them by the Sirius Corporation, thereby reducing tension between the Empire and the Federation. They have asked Universal Cartographics to delay a census of the systems’ populations, while the refugees lay the infrastructure for their new societies.
The Marlinist factions are holding democratic elections to select their leaders. However, the transitional parliament has declared an emergency due to the shortage of food stocks.

Community spokesperson Dr Jenna Fairfax announced:

“We are grateful to the galactic community and Sirius Corporation for providing homes. However, we need further help to feed our people in the short term, until we can become self-sufficient. The more supplies we can stockpile, the faster our economies will develop. This in turn will allow us to offer greater commodity discounts, to encourage the establishment of regular trade routes.”

Pilots are asked to deliver animal meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, and grain to Stillman Hub in the HIP 22550 system.

As this system’s defence forces are still being formed, the Free Marlinists of Carinae have offered bounties on all wanted ships to secure these initial trade runs to the Marlinist Colonies.

15 January 3307 – The purchase of shipbuilding company Lakon Spaceways by Core Dynamics is in doubt after allegations of illegal business practices.

Irfan Karim reported on the recent developments for The Alliance Tribune:

“The Independent Commission for Market Equality has confirmed that several Lakon shareholders sold their stock to shell companies, which were covertly established by departments within Core Dynamics. Furthermore, two serious accusations of blackmail have been referred to Alliance Interpol. Trent Delaney, Lakon’s newly installed chairperson, has dismissed these claims. But coupled with serious rumblings from the Council of Admirals over losing a military supplier, this hostile takeover now looks less certain.”

In the Federation, the newsfeed Sol Today ran an editorial piece on the situation:

“Acquiring Lakon is another bold triumph for manufacturing colossus Core Dynamics. It’s a shame that it’s being undermined by the petty bureaucrats of the Alliance, who should be gratefully grasping this financial lifeline. It’s also laughable that CEO Jupiter Rochester, one of our titans of industry, is being stabbed in the back by old-fashioned colleagues who are clearly jealous of his success. Perhaps his ‘Jupiter Division’ has finally outgrown the corporation and deserves to forge its own path.”

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Images – At the heart of the action

Feel free to send me your prettiest images and videos via Twitter, Discord or directly in the comments.
Excellent screenshots!

 

A few photos from the Great Expedition 3306, 84k LY! We finished recently.

 

If you have a WearOS, here is some great customization for your watch! Follow the guide / downloading. By WolfInABox.

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Videos – The Unmissables

Enjoy these videos from the community!

A great & fun animation made by The High Wake !

A brutal PvP 1v1 with DepressionChannel !

And finally, Sniperman fighting 20 Interceptors Thargoids, all at once, with a Chieftain.

 

We also note that Drew Wagar, writer on Elite Dangerous, is starting a new character to make her live new adventures. If you wish to live the game as his character « Sassia Bianchi », go there with Retribution!

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