Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter Launched

So the folks at Frontier Development have launched a Kickstarter for the next game in the Elite line.

Elite: Dangerous.

Sadly, there are no videos or screenshots of the game at the moment, so asking for 1.25 million pounds might be…I dunno…but this paragraph gives me hope:

Elite: Dangerous is the game I have wanted Frontier to make for a very long time. The next game in the Elite series - an amazing space epic with stunning visuals, incredible gameplay and breath-taking scope, but this time you can play with your friends too. I want a game that feels more like the original “Elite” to fly, and with more rapid travel (to allow for the multi-player nature of the game) – so you travel quickly using local ‘hyperspace’ travel rather than by fast-forwarding time – but with the rich galaxy of Frontier – and more, so much more.

So we’ll see! I, of course, am backing it, because I’m slutty like that.

Edit: SO IT’S OUT AND IT’S AWESOME. But it can be overwhelming, so let’s post some links that could be helpful:

The Harmless Guide to the Galaxy
Official Quick Start Guide
Official Game Manual PDF
Elite: Dangerous Pilot’s Guide/Manual/Tutorial/Help
Frontier Forums
Elite: Dangerous Subreddit

More Useful Links:

krazykrok’s guide to landing
conVurt’s guide to exploring
Biggerboat’s guide to starting out in Elite

With an Elite KS I figured you’d kick your own ass if you didn’t back it. Holy grail stuff right here … unless Braben decides the Newtonian flight model from FEE is still a good idea (along with its boring, jousting combat), then no sale.

If it’s more on the Jumpgate side of things, it’ll be fine. As I read it, it sounded like more of the Elite flight model in an expansive Frontier like universe.

That has to be one of the most half-assed KS pitches I’ve ever seen. Not even a video or screenshots, or at least some concept art? I don’t doubt they have a chance to reach their goal simply because Elite is such an influential game, but they sure as hell don’t seem to be making a lot of effort to reach it.

I agree 100%. Except I’m not sure if they’ll hit their goal.

Entry level full version tier is priced a bit high ($32) imo.

Yeah, this one is rubbing me weird too. No screenshots or vids is kinda…arrogant. :-\

yeah that too. if nothing else a pitch video with the guy talking would show a basic level of effort.

This video has some footage of the game, apparently. I’ve not seen it yet:

I’ve never seen anything as amazing as what was in that footage! It’s so next-gen it hurts.

No footage in there unless the tiny bits that can be seen in the background during the interview count.

Yeah, this is probably one of the worst non-amateur Kickstarter attempts I’ve seen. It looks bad compared to Loot Drop’s failed Old-school RPG pitch. It looks ridiculously bad compared to the stuff Chris Roberts et al produced for Star Citizen. Yes, they’ll certainly deliver more content in the 59 days to go, but right now I wouldn’t want to pledge simply because their effort feels so lazy.

I’m surprised they didn’t just call it Old School Space Game.

ouch.

£75 to access a private backer’s discussion forum? £100 to get in the first beta and £200 for alpha?

Doesn’t compare well to the $35 for alpha/beta access that Chris Roberts is doing. I suppose the alpha might be made available earlier in development than the one CR has in mind (a multiplayer dogfighting alpha in 12 months), but still.

I’ve mentioned it twice in their comments so far that they need screenshots and video to get more backers. I hope it helps.

This is stupid. There are more competent spiritual successors out.

Man, someone should hire themselves out as Kickstarter PR consultant to David Braben, because this sucks.

I LOVE Elite, and I think David Braben was a god amongst men back in the day, and if he had done this right, I’d be there the second this was up.

But now? It looks very half-hearted and at first I actually thought it was a Hoax so yeah…not feeling the love here - I do hope they make it, but it will be without my funding.

This smells like the Nexus 2 pitch, how can he put forth something so amateurish…
He should have learned from other kickstarters by now…not to mention his timing is sad panda…

Unless he gets some SERIOUS nostalgia going on, this won’t ever work.

One last thing, I think David doesn’t understand which game he is famous for. A hint…it isn’t Frontier elite…
However he uses the original game’s image…but the game he wants to make is a new frontier elite. A game which I never really liked… It was just big empty and boring…

The Nexus 2 pitch had both screenshots and video. :-\

Eh, he directly addresses this. It’s very clear that he knows Elite was the big one, and that Frontier was a nice technical evolution with combat physics that ended up detracting from the game.