Hello Commander,



Welcome to Elite: Dangerous Newsletter #37! This week's newsletter takes us off the beaten track to see some upcoming Outposts that you'll soon start to find in far-flung places.



We also take in the mesmerising swirl of of gas giant atmospheres , and experience a tense 10 minutes smuggling stolen liquor in Beta 1.



And speaking of Beta 1, we are also receiving reports from 3300 of a Federation scandal that's causing something of a credit-crunch...







Don’t forget, if you have pre-ordered the finished game but are tempted to start playing sooner, there is an upgrade path which will cost you an additional £15. Interested? Just go to the Last but by no means least, we kick off a new weekly feature of the Elite: Dangerous novels with Lave Revolution by Allen Stroud.Don’t forget, if you have pre-ordered the finished game but are tempted to start playing sooner, there is an upgrade path which will cost you an additional £15. Interested? Just go to the store put the Beta in your basket and the correct discount will be applied when you checkout. Table of Contents (click subject to jump forward):

Newsletter Peek of the Week

Smuggling in Beta 1

Off The Beaten Path - Outposts

Elite: Dangerous Books

Comms Chatter

Mostly Harmless Questions

GalNet News

Newsletter Peek of the Week This mesmerising time-lapse video of our Work-In-Progress gas giant atmosphere simulation shows incredible detail, including a persistent 'red-spot'-like storm.



We'll reveal why (other than the sheer beauty of it) we are going into so much detail in a future edition of the newsletter... Back to Contents Smuggling in Beta 1 Its great to see people finding different ways to play in Beta 1 - so we loved the 'Smuggler' video by Isinona.



It provides some tense moments as liquor is first stolen using cargo scoops and then smuggled under the noses of Federation starport security, making full use of heat management / silent running and minimal thruster burns flying with flight assist off.



Also watch out for the extremely accurate and 'courageous' final docking at 300m / sec! We'd love to see that done in an Anaconda... :) This is another great example of stealth gameplay in Elite: Dangerous - when a ship doesn't appear on your scanners you'll be surprised how hard it is to see.



Occasionally police forces get overwhelmed by smugglers getting through like this and will put out contracts for people to help them - so in the future that may be you out there hunting for Isinona. This will work through our mission structure - but of course the police pay by results, not time spent... Back to Contents Off The Beaten Path - Outposts The giant star ports already in game are the space equivalents of surface cities and towns. Each is a vast, bustling metropolis inhabited by tens of thousands of people or more.



But what about the other end of the spectrum? Places you find in the middle of nowhere that can be a life saver - or something different. “Outposts” are coming to Beta 2 - they are the equivalent of the run-down road-side café, the isolated fuel station, the research outpost, the deep-space shack where Joe the Hermit lives.



Most outposts only have a few landing spots. They’re out in the open, so even on the pad you can see the planet revolving below (or is it above) you. You feel exposed. You are exposed!



Outposts are mostly zero-G too, and ships are held magnetically in place. Outposts are often unsafe. It may have been a cheap refuelling stop last time you visited, but can you be sure it hasn’t been taken over by pirates since? Not all outposts will be able to accommodate all ships. Some of the smaller outposts will only have small landing pads, so to visit them you will need to have one of the smaller ship types.



Also you may find that the pads are all occupied when you arrive, so you cannot stop until someone vacates the pad. Looking on the bright side, in areas without law enforcement there are several ways to encourage people to move on… Back to Contents Elite: Dangerous Books Lave Revolution by Allen Stroud



In our new weekly feature, we will be delving into more details of each of the Elite: Dangerous novels and their authors, with the first one being 'Lave Revolution' by Allen Stroud.



Written by Allen Stroud under official license from the creators of, and based in the vast universe of, the seminal space trading computer game Elite: Dangerous.



AD 3174 – One man’s world.

AD 3265 – Not any more.

Lave.



A single planet, orbiting a dying star. For centuries, spacefarers have visited, docked at the space station and left, with no thought for the people on the planet below.



Bad luck at cards means bad luck all round for Pietro Devander, who journeys half way across human controlled space to this ancient planet, whose name is barely remembered.



What he finds is resistance. What it becomes, is revolution.



*10% of the proceeds of this book will be donated to EDS UK who since 1987 have been helping sufferers of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome cope with the often debilitating symptoms and live full active lives . “Based in the universe created by the Elite games, this is far more than a game tie-in - well paced, the characters are wholesome and rounded, they have a depth to them. Mr Stroud sets up the story arc beautifully in the first half of the book, with the second half building to a climatic race.

Recommended for any sci-fi fan, whether you are aware of the Elite connection or not

A thoroughly enjoyable book.

-M. Kemsley”



“Having been a big fan of the Elite franchise of computer games (including the forthcoming Elite: Dangerous), how could I not want to read about the revolution which freed the citizens of Lave from the dictatorship?

The book is excellent. Written as a historical investigation of events surrounding the revolution. I enjoyed it immensely and thoroughly recommend it!

-Jerry P.”



“Like many gamers from my generation, I remember spending hours in front of my Father's BBC Micro, racking up credits and saving up for a Docking Computer or a better set of lasers on my Cobra Mk III in the vector space trading game Elite. A lifetime later and Allen Stroud takes us back to those halcyon days with this cracking piece of science fiction. Set in the systems neighbouring Lave, Lave: Revolution tells of the cosmo-political transition that Lave takes. From the Lave of my childhood to the Lave of the forthcoming (and long awaited) reboot of the Elite game. Elite - Dangerous. Far form being "just another game tie-in", Lave: Revolution is as gripping as it is cunning. The tale follows a number of characters through a maze of galactic conspiracy, deception and ultimately - planetary revolution. The story is decorated with historical transcripts and technical factoids that add to the world in which Allen is weaving the tale but this only serves to add icing to what is already a well garnished tale.

After reading this in one sitting I am left thirsty for more - I'll have to make do with the Elite - Dangerous beta and wait for Allen to write more.

-B. Sugden.”



About Allen Stroud

Allen Stroud is a Science Fiction and Fantasy writer and lecturer from Bucks New University in High Wycombe, with a Creative Writing Masters degree in world design. He is currently studying a PhD in the same at the University of Winchester and came to the Elite: Dangerous project to use those skills in an iconic universe he loved as a child and still loves now. "David Braben and Michael Brookes graciously gave me the opportunity to get involved, so I jumped in with both feet." Allen helped write guide material for all the authors and then got the chance to write his own book. "Lave was the planet you started on in the original game. It needed a story. With Elite: Lave Revolution, it now has one, which hopefully people will enjoy."



Lave Revolution is available as an Amazon Kindle ebook here Back to Contents Comms Chatter

During Gamescom we met Dr. Bastian Vloet, who sent us images of his home set up for Elite: Dangerous: Thats a triple-screen setup with 3 x 24” screens, 2 x COUGAR MFDs with 2 x 7” USB screens behind them, TrackIR and the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog. His rig sports an Intel Core i7 3770K and a AMD Radeon HD 7970 (XFX Black Edition).



And, also caught on camera at Gamescom, how about this for dedication the Elite: Dangerous cause! Back to Contents Mostly Harmless Questions Mark Bond - Will there be a cloaking device in Elite: Dangerous? I still remember the time I scooped one up after killing a cloaked asp in the original Elite on my Specy 48k.

We think a 100% effective cloaking device would be very frustrating for other players in today's multiplayer game. However, there are many situations where making your ship very hard to see using Elite: Dangerous' heat mechanics is already a great advantage. You can close down many ship systems, even life support for a short time, so that your ship is very cold, which means you do not show on other ship’s scanners (both NPCs and other players) until you are very close. Ships have to be seen visually, which is surprisingly hard unless you are close. In future we will also have equipment that will keep your ship cooler so that stealth with better weapons is also easier.



Commander RazorMouse - Searching the galaxy, might we be so lucky as to come across ancient artifacts -- derelicts, dead stations -- or later with planetary landings -- even abandoned ruins?

Yes - we plan to seed all sorts of things across the galaxy. Their origins will not always be clear...



Fred T.A - What variation can we expect in the size and shape of station interiors and location of the docking portal? As you can see by looking at the Outposts feature elsewhere in the newsletter, there are going to be stations without docking portals. This also extends to when we have surface landings, post-release. There are also other station types yet to be revealed. Other interiors will come too – to indicate the wealth and allegiance of the station. Back to Contents Galnet News GalNet News Transmission 15th August 3300

All information ©3300 Elite Pilots Federation. Copyright violation is a crime in all jurisdictions.



:: Elite Pilots Federation Alert::

The rumours of a financial scandal currently engulfing the Federation government have knocked confidence in federal debt to the point where many now regard it as toxic. This seems to be triggering a Federation-wide credit-crunch that has affected both the stock levels that merchants are willing to hold, and the levels of industrial and consumer demand.



:: GalNet Credit Crunch Special Feature::

The Federation credit crunch is reducing stocks and demand across systems, dramatically altering the market situation and forcing pilots to look for new routes.



These graphs of stock levels illustrate the effect, and make grim reading: Personal Weapons at Beagle 2 Landing Biowaste in Freeport Even Fish stocks in Chango Dock are starting to sink... We can see that as merchants are now unwilling to hold much stock, the normal value of trading is wiping out supplies and leaving the markets with only sporadic trades.



But, all is not lost. Look at these examples of the market for Tea. The first graph is from Azeban City, a previously heavily traded market for Tea:

So far, so familiar.



But, in Dezhurov Gateway where Tea was historically lightly traded, we see a different situation with merchants able to meet market demands: Commanders: the message is clear - the markets are out there, so get in your ships and find them!



GalNet's weekly Trade Aggregation Service Reports contain a regular 'Trade Tips and Hidden Gems' tip feature. ::GalNet Trade Aggregation Service Reports::

:: Market Information::



Ship Sales (by market share)

Zorgon Peterson’s Hauler holds on to it number 1 spot with 26.4% market share. ZP had better give its hungry new marketing team a pay rise to secure their services!



Faulcon deLacy's Cobra Mk III holds second place with an increased market share of 19.4%, the Viper gained even more share to 15.1% and their high-end Anaconda continues it positive momentum increasing to 4.3% market share. That all adds up to an impressive 38.8% combined market share for Faulcon deLacy ships.



Demand for the Core Dynamics Eagle continues to slightly soften this week to 12.7%.



Lakon’s versatile Type 6 trader again put in a dependable 16.1% market share, and the larger Type 9 continued its upward trend to 6.0%.



Most Profit Made From:

Terrain Enrichment Systems

Consumer Technology

Resonating Separators

Indium



Most profitable black market goods: Palladium Battle Weapons Beryllium Performance Enhancers Progenitor Cells

Most goods bought and sold (By cargo units): Fish Terrain Enrichment Systems Advanced Catalysers Consumer Technology Resonating Separators Gold

Top 5 Largest Importers, by Quantity of Good Traded:

Aulin: Aulin Enterprise

Asellus Primus: Beagle 2 Landing

i Boötis: Chango Dock

LHS 3262: Louis de Lacaille Prospect

Dahan: Dahan Gateway



Top Exports, Ranked by Quantity:

i Boötis: Chango Dock: Fish Aulin: Aulin Enterprise: Terrain Enrichment Systems LHS 3262: Louis de Lacaille Prospect: Consumer Technology Asellus Primus: Beagle 2 Landing: Resonating Separators Asellus Primus: Beagle 2 Landing: Advanced Catalysers

Trade Tips & Hidden Gems:

Markets currently trading with good profits:

Pi-fang: Brooks Estate

h Draconis: Brislington

Nang Ta-khian: Hay Point

Naraka: Novitski Oasis

Tilian: Maunder's Hope

Ross 1057: Wang Estate



Detailed market information feeds are available via an upgraded subscription to GalNet services.



Sports Results, Entertainment News and Celebrity Gossip are available via an upgraded subscription.



This GalNet News Transmission is sponsored in part by the Bank of Zaonce. Trust the Bank of Zaonce with your hard-earned credits. Back to Contents That’s it for newsletter #37 - thank you for reading and supporting the development of Elite: Dangerous.



If you are new to the newsletters you can read all our previous newsletters here .



As always if there is anything in particular that you’d like to hear more about, or ask a question, then please contact us at elite-newsletter@frontier.co.uk.



The Frontier Team Frontier are Hiring! Check our current vacancies