Elite: Dangerous Update #69

Greetings, Commander,

Welcome to Elite: Dangerous Newsletter #69.

This week, we're one day early. With Easter just around the corner, we're delivering this week's newsletter on a Thursday. Scroll down for the latest on Powerplay and take a look at the new collection drones we'll be adding in Elite: Dangerous' next major content update in this week's Peek.

This week we've also got Mac beta download details, the full Elite: Dangerous soundtrack on iTunes and a visit to last week's EliteMeet in Birmingham, UK.

As always, hit our Forums, Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates from Elite: Dangerous’ galaxy, and stick with us for what’s new this week.

Contents This Week

• Powerplay Update
• Peek Of The Week
• Mac Beta Available Now
• Comms Chatter
• GalNet

Powerplay Update

This week on the Elite: Dangerous forums Executive Producer Mike Brookes revealed the first details about the upcoming Powerplay content update, promising a whole new method of interacting with the galaxy and more information in three weeks' time.

Powerplay is our biggest content update yet, adding a number of game-changing features to Elite: Dangerous and offering you new gameplay options whether you prefer the life of a trader, explorer or combat pilot. Some of the new features will be massive; others will be smaller, but no less meaningful.

"One part of Powerplay involves balancing the different roles further," Brookes says. "Part of this is expanding the drone system. Collection drones will be added and will prove useful for pirates needing to gather cargo in a hurry and also to improve mining efficiency."

And a new fuel drone will let players swap fuel while in flight. "Players can act as buddy tankers for each other," Brookes says. "Larger freight ships can carry additional fuel for their escort fighters and extend the effective range of their wing."

Collection Drones work in two ways. In its primary mode, you'll target a cargo canister or mining chunk and launch the drone, which will scoop the object and return it to your open cargo hatch. The secondary mode has an area effect, scooping everything it can before its power expires. Drones are disposable, consumable items you'll have to replenish at a starport, so there's still reason to learn how to use that cargo scoop.

Drones are just one of the smaller upgrades to Elite: Dangerous we'll be making with the massive Powerplay content update. We'll have more in a few weeks; until then, take an early look at the Collection Drone in this week's Newsletter Peek.

Back to Contents

Newsletter Peek Of The Week

The new cargo drone automates collection of floating cargo for players in a hurry.

Back to Contents

Mac Beta Available Now

We're excited to announce the Mac Beta is now live and available for those who had access to the Alpha or Beta PC phases of Elite: Dangerous.

To download the launcher visit the store and click My Account > My Downloadable Products. Those ineligible to participate in the beta will still be able to download the launcher, but won't have access to the game. For direct access to the Mac installer, click here.

Players participating in the beta test will do so with new saves and reduced-price ships.

This is a true beta and we’re asking for your feedback. If you discover any issues, please report them on the bug forum, here.

We're already aware of some stalls on Nvidia-equipped Macs the first time you encounter some areas of the game – the Galaxy Map, for example – but there's much more you can help us with...

• We'd like to hear about performance in and around various starport types.
• We'd like to know about people’s experiences when exploring a variety of suns, and planet types.
• And we'd love to know if you detect any changes in performance for different ship cockpits.

All of this data will help us test and further optimise the Mac version of the game. When providing feedback, please provide your Mac specs from the menu on your Mac Overview > 'About This Mac' option. We'll need to know your Mac type, processor, memory and graphics to help with testing.

For the purposes of the beta, here's a recommended – but not minimum – spec.

• 27-inch iMac (Purchased in 2014/2015 - Current Line)
• 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
• 8GB memory
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 775M with 2GB video memory / AMD Radeon R9 M290X with 2GB video memory
• Mac OS 10.10.x (10.10.03 recommended)

As with the PC beta there are a number of optimisations planned, so the final minimum spec is expected to be lower than this. We'll have that information for you as soon as it becomes available.

Until then, we appreciate all your support, and we're looking forward to reading all your feedback.

Back to Contents

Comms Chatter

The NVIDIA Geforce Titan Black scavenger hunt is over! Thousands of commanders spent the weekend seeking out the mystery starport, but only 20 were successful. The first five pilots who delivered the Titan Blacks to Godel Ring have been verified and the NVIDIA Titan graphics cards go to:

• CMDR T Shriker
• CMDR HelloMeow
• CMDR Jean Tufao
• CMDR SpaceTexas
• CMDR DarthBlingBling

Congratulations commanders! We’ll be in touch very shortly with more details on claiming your prize.

See the edges of inhabited space in Mike Prosser’s new video. Mike bought Sidewinders at every starport as far out into space as he could venture, beautifully illustrating the boundaries of human-occupied space in the Elite: Dangerous galaxy.

The Elite Dangerous Official Soundtrack is now available on iTunes, as well as direct from the EliteDangerous.com store in both digital and three-disc CD formats.

Twitter users Zebwen, Flibblesan, Brightylad and ZZleeZZ made a celestial snowman using a binary star, three Vultures and some careful positioning of the Wings HUD.

And finally, Community Manager Ed parked his Sidewinder outside the Westley Hotel in Birmingham, UK last weekend, where fifty Elite: Dangerous players gathered for an EliteMeet.

Players hung out and played the amazing Elite Encounters RPG, destroyed each other’s miniatures in PhoenixDFire’s Elite: Dangerous miniatures game, took part in Iain McNeil’s imaginative darts/Elite: Dangerous docking mash-up, and drank a few beers in good company.

You can read a full roundup written by Elite Meet 2015 organiser, and forum user, MikeSnos. Keep an eye on the Community Events forum for future EliteMeets, and maybe organize one of your own. The Elite: Dangerous community is great and growing all the time.

Back to Contents

For the next two weeks, the Alliance of Independent Systems will be collecting exploration data for an exciting new colonisation initiative due to launch later this year. Commanders interested in working with the Alliance should deliver any data regarding potential colony sites to Purple Power Interstellar aboard Ziemkiewicz Ring in Tsu.

Shadow President Hudson held a press conference on Mars to address rumours that he would look to oust President Halsey from office. "President Halsey has proven she is unfit for office. She complains about our youth wasting away in legally sanctioned virtual realities, and then orders the death of thousands of innocent Federal civilians trying to escape a nightmarish reality of her own making," he told press.

After Shadow President Hudson’s scathing attack on President Halsey, Vice President Naylor has sworn support for the Federation's President. "The President has to make hard decisions. Is she always right? If I were in her shoes, having to make decisions based on the same information, I would almost certainly have made the same decisions."

Aisling Duval was in the spotlight again, taking to the streams on the popular Imperial talk show, ‘A Fireside Chat with Serena’. Aisling started the show with some high praise for her ‘Angels’ , who have been working hard to remove all unruly elements on Cemiess. "What they’ve done is just so uplifting, you know," she said. "To know that I, like, inspire people like that. It’s just really great, especially when certain ancient, misguided, possibly evil people think that what you’re doing is stupid. It’s not stupid. It’s slavery that’s stupid. Everyone knows that."

The small system of Themiscrya has found itself embroiled in a row with Imperial Senator Denton Patreus. According to sources close to the situation, last year the Nationals of Themiscrya borrowed heavily from Senator Patreus in order to initiate regime. Now the Senator has called in the debt, and the Nationals find themselves unable to make good on their obligations. Senator Patreus has offered the Nationals of Themiscrya a seven-day grace period in which to come to terms with the Senator’s finance team. If an agreement cannot be reached, Patreus has indicated that he will be sending bailiffs to reclaim his property.

Back to Contents

That’s it for Newsletter #69. As always, if there's anything in particular that you’d like to hear more about, or if you'd like to ask a question, then please contact us at elite-newsletter@frontier.co.uk.

Click for the latest Game Manual, Quickstart Guide and Pilot Training Videos. Visit our Support team here and read all our previous newsletters here.

Until next time, fly safe and Right On, Commander.

The Frontier Team