The second Dev Diary for Elite: Dangerous Odyssey is out: Forging Your Path!
Let’s have a look at the video.

Additional information from the official Livestream, October 1 – Review of the Live

• We will be able to negotiate our missions in Odyssey, for example asking the NPC for a higher reward if we think we are worth it *shakes my hair*. If the NPC accepts because he thinks it’s ok thanks to our good reputation, our rank, etc… the negotiation is successful. However if the negotiation does not succeed… well we’ll see but apparently it can go very badly if the NPC feels abused!
• A mission asking us to collect debris on the surface could require us to fetch the object requested by the NPC, not far from the base (scaled in kilometers). On site we could find the object after a few scans on foot or in SRV… but there could also be containers of different sizes. Some could be opened by hand and their contents lotted, but larger ones might require special tools to be opened!
• Odyssey will be designed to play a criminal character as well as a « good » character. Different opportunities will be available for these gameplay.
• The character animations will be very refined and Frontier have combined technologies to give a very precise rendering with Motion Capture and Hand Keyframe. They can’t wait to show us the combat animations.
• Remember that there will be no transition when entering a building… but between us there will surely be one between the ship and the surface or the social hubs.
• There will be a CQC Arena Combat on foot!
• NPCs in social hubs will be different depending on their lives, factions, affiliations and other generated parameters. one of the developers likes to watch them go about their lives and think about what kind of life they have… oh, this one one looks like a criminal… maybe he’s about to steal something ?!
• No social hubs for Fleet Carriers… « for now » but with their smiles it looked like it could be something for after the release of Odyssey.
• There will apparently only be two body types, male and female.
• The perspective on foot will be First person only.
• Surface bases, such as Dave’s Hope, will be enhanced and visitable on foot.

Additional information from an interview with Polygon

• There will be three Social Hubs, each with a unique layout: Small, Medium, Large. It will help players to find their way inside these buildings very easily.
• “Thousands” of new Settlements will be added to the game. They will show up on the surface of existing planets, but also on newly accessible planets with thin atmospheres. And each of them will have one or more factions vying for control. Settlements will be larger than social hubs. Each one will comprise multiple buildings, with each themed to match the nature of the Settlement itself. You could see Industrial, Agricultural, Extractions… and other types of Settlements.
• Each suits will provide statistical bonuses that will apply to those three main styles of gameplay. Players will need to collect new items and resources to upgrade suits, which can be specialized. You might want to own two Combat Suits, setting one up for long-range combat and the other for short-range. High level upgrades will require Engineering, much like high-level ship upgrades. They will somewhat work like spaceships, with power and systems management. If we’re leaving the suit’s shields on, it will drain power that will not be available for other modules.
• NPCs from these colonies, especially in combat, will have different levels depending on their factions and combat ranks.

Recap:

• All new suits will have their favourite playing styles, with strengths & weaknesses. Three suits: Combat, Exploration, Salvaging.
• Players will be able to take missions in Social Hubs at stations in space or on the surface.
• All gameplay in space will be transposed to a gameplay on foot, we could even steal items to resell them on the black market.
• Generated « walking » NPCs will also have faction and a life, and some will speak with the players.
• The audio team has worked on all ambiences « outside the cockpit » which is a whole new experience for the players.
• Apex Interstellar is a new company of « taxis » that will allow the players on foot to move between various places in the galaxy, while remaining on foot. You will be able to go to other places where the service is available, seated in the NPC’s ship much like current Multicrew. There will be a time to travel then.

A few additional details on these images

• We notice multiple companies or areas
  • Apex Interstellar Transport – A kind of taxi that could transport the players on foot to nearby stations on the planet, or even to other systems & stations in a limited range
  • The Lounge – A place to relax and maybe get a few dangerous missions?
  • Pioneer Supplies – General outfitters of weapons, spacesuits, and related consummables.
  • Inter Astra – A shipyard, where players can preview and purchase starships.
  • Frontline Solutions – A mercenary outfit, which will allow players to explore combat scenarios without necessarily aligning with any given faction in the game world.
  • Vista Genomics – An exobiologist, to whom players will be able to sell genetic information from newly discovered life forms encountered while on foot.
  • Dropbox Area – Trading Hub?
  • The black market – While black market contacts already exist in the game, this is where players will be able to fence the new kinds of stolen and illicit goods available in Odyssey.
• Many different outfits for NPCs, although many have leather-colored blazers.
• Note the Missions board
• A blue screen detailing a planet with atmosphere, a scanner maybe
• Santi, Naturally – A new drink, advertisement?
• Very few weapons were seen, always the same two, some sort of blue & white railgun and a gray & white machinegun. We can see a glimpse of two additional pistols, small blue/white/black ones.
• Your servant Remlok will be present to sell our best equipment :p
• Can we see a kind of RIComs (I call it that way), a computer on the wrist of some characters?
• At the very end, the Cobra appears to have flashing lights, indicating directions from the aircraft, but these lights do not appear on the Cobra during the first seconds of the video (the Cobra appears to be generated imo)
• You can see an ashtray in the weapons market; Smoke in the buildings! *kof kof*
• What else… we can see an interface with ARX, it will always be there :p

See you soon on Discord and Twitter!