I spent some time exploring the Elite Dangerous world (or worlds–it’s a huge environment). Elite Dangerous comes from a long family of space simulators going back all the way to the ‘80s which have continued to improve with every release.
The Gameplay
This is not the game you want to jump into 30 minutes before bed or work. It’s like the classic space simulator where you might spend 10 minutes just getting to your Nav. point to find out the mission is over or what you were expecting isn’t there any longer. You might want to grab snacks and enter binge watch mode for the best experience.
This game is a great for getting back into Space Sims. It’s been a frustratingly fun experience. Reminding me how space isn’t at all friendly or fair. Elite Dangerous takes you back to when games didn’t hold your hand and lead you on a set path, rather you’re just thrown into this new universe figuring everything out on your own like you just woke up from a coma. I set off each day like it was a new job trying to figure out how the universe works and how to make the most money while staying alive. The default ship leaves a little to be desired as it’s merely an arrowhead flying through space. Upgrades and new ships are available, you just have to earn them.
Getting Under Control
When it comes to Space Sims, your best bet is to get a joystick and throttle. While you can use a mouse and keyboard for screen and map navigation; having all the buttons within easy reach is best. A gamepad works well too, giving you subtle movements with enough buttons for nearly everything. You can also manage power settings for weapons, engines and systems to maximize what you need for a particular fight. It is very reminiscent of the classics like managing power and shield direction back in X-wing.
Space, the Final Frontier
I have gotten close to suns, asteroids and did some general exploration. My travel led me to finding some illegal cargo drifting in space and pirates fighting it out with system defense forces. Luckily I was able to take out the pirates without getting shot at myself, and received a hefty reward for it as well, which was worth more than my original mission.
Traveling Fast
While Supercruise looks cool it can be challenging to speed up then slowdown in time to make your exit. I often overshoot my destination and have to come around. At one point I slingshot around a planet back to the terminal I was heading. It looked and felt pretty cool.
Tips
Go through all the tutorial missions before jumping into the game. For combat tutorials, check out videos on YouTube. It will take you out of the game experience, but once past those, you can spend the next few hours exploring the galaxy. Check out the bulletin board through the station services to get started on missions. While flying through space, watch out for signals. Strong signals indicate more trouble then you could handle initially. Also try to avoid the high conflict areas, as you can get destroyed easily.
Other Star Systems
It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t call out the elephant in the room, and it’s Star Citizen. While Star Citizen’s gameplay videos look amazing, it will be some time before we see it fully released. I feel Elite Dangerous is a great game to play, and allows gamers to warm up to Sims while we wait. Looking for something with a little more instant fun and less function keys? Then check out Rebel Galaxy which has more of a space western feel for those looking for a Firefly experience.
Overall
Elite dangerous is a fun game which commands a lot of patience and has so much to offer to those who wait. It really feels like a throwback to when simulators were king and games gave us vast open spaces to play in.
What do you look for in a space sim? What stories do you have of previous missions and adventures? Let us know in the comments section.
