Elite: Dangerous 2020: What’s next?

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We wish you a Happy New Year! 🥂

I recently did State of Elite: Dangerous article: The Outpost # 116, and discussed the first Update of 2020, scheduled for January. The Outpost is a summary of news to keep you informed with the game’s news.

For this last article of the year, let’s discuss a bit of Elite: Dangerous and what is to come for 2020.

You can also join the Remlok Community of ~800 players on Twitter and Discord.

These last two years have been quite difficult for the core community of the Elite: Dangerous, while new players discover the game for €5 to €25 depending on the sales, and then post their positive reviews on Steam from the top of their 20 hours of gameplay: “It’s awesome!”. I am not repelled by new players of course, they are a very important element of the game development and they bring fresh air to the community: the fresh blood boosts the game, which is almost stalled for years, in terms of development.

The game is also very regularly on sale at ridiculously low prices in order to keep the boat afloat and collect positive reviews.

Usually, for €5 to €10 euros, you get:

An entire galaxy , scale 1:1, where every stars can be visited except the few permits areas “reserved for later”;

, scale 1:1, where every stars can be visited except the few permits areas “reserved for later”; A game that works on almost every PC and consoles, as it is quite low demanding in resources;

and consoles, as it is quite low demanding in resources; 5 years of content and enhancements: Community Goals, Squadrons, Powerplay, more ships, better Missions and Modules, Quality of Life additions, Planetary Landings without atmospheres & SRV Scarabs, Materials & Engineers with mods, Ship Launched Fighters, Passengers Transport, MultiCrew, HoloMe, Thargoids, Technology Brokers & Materials Traders, Guardians, versions 2.0 of Mining and Exploration, Squadrons as well as the many excellent stories and mysteries of the basic game;

Community Goals, Squadrons, Powerplay, more ships, better Missions and Modules, Quality of Life additions, Planetary Landings without atmospheres & SRV Scarabs, Materials & Engineers with mods, Ship Launched Fighters, Passengers Transport, MultiCrew, HoloMe, Thargoids, Technology Brokers & Materials Traders, Guardians, versions 2.0 of Mining and Exploration, Squadrons as well as the many excellent stories and mysteries of the basic game; A high quality audio ambiance ;

; Thousands of hours of gameplay with dozens of possible activities such as Combat in conflict zones, Bounty Hunting, Powerplay strategies and support for Powers, administration of minor factions, PvP gameplays such as Escorts/Meetings/Tournaments/…, AX Combat against the Thargoids, Assassinations, Mercenary, Piracy, Trading & Transport of goods or passengers, Exploration, an Imperial or Federal navy career, Scientific discoveries and Exploration, Smuggling, Mining and Prospecting for your allies, Recovery, Tourism, Photography, Player Mentoring via news and guides, Roleplay & Journalism, Races, Community Events & Scenarios, management of a group of pilots via the Squadrons…

A breathtaking amount of opened doors when you discover Elite: Dangerous!

There are so many things to discover and learn, like archaeologists in search of ancient contents. One wonders why the game has been widely criticized in recent years?

A few bothering points:



Unpolished ambiances on the planets surfaces . Apart from a different colour and more or less deep/high crevices/mountains, we quickly know them all. // It was originally planned to then add planets with light atmospheres, which could bring more for the ambiances, like wind, condensation, different climates, small villages-colonies…;

. Apart from a different colour and more or less deep/high crevices/mountains, we quickly know them all. // It was originally planned to then add planets with light atmospheres, which could bring more for the ambiances, like wind, condensation, different climates, small villages-colonies…; A lack of gameplay, features and NPCs on the surface . // This is something that could happen in the future, seeing the previous job offers on artificial intelligence for the surface with procedural generation, vehicles, armour and weapons designers…

. // This is something that could happen in the future, seeing the previous job offers on artificial intelligence for the surface with procedural generation, vehicles, armour and weapons designers… A lack of depth in almost every aspect of the game in space , except Mining and Exploration that are now improved, and Trading is slightly better lately. // A true Bounty Hunter gameplay with tracking and radars for players and NPCs , improved piracy with module recovery or boarding of ships with the Space Legs update which will be discussed later in this article.

, except Mining and Exploration that are now improved, and Trading is slightly better lately. // A true Bounty Hunter gameplay with tracking and radars for players and NPCs improved piracy with module recovery or boarding of ships with the Space Legs update which will be discussed later in this article. A Background Simlulation that is very difficult to manage , often poorly known and infamous for its flotilla of bots playing in Solo/Private in order to harm other players groups.

, often poorly known and infamous for its playing in Solo/Private in order to harm other players groups. A static Powerplay , always with the same personalities, no dynamics and a rewarding system to reflesh entirely. // Why no rewards such as a fully-fledged special ship or variants, (truly)useful modules, gains in different reputations, a larger pool of personalities ascending and descending according to their influences…

, always with the same personalities, no dynamics and a rewarding system to reflesh entirely. // Why no rewards such as a fully-fledged special ship or variants, (truly)useful modules, gains in different reputations, a larger pool of personalities ascending and descending according to their influences… A half-cooked Multicrew , with the only really feature being the possibility of launching two fighters played by other commanders. // The impossibility of grouping a Multicrew ship in the Wing is also a big social obstacle. Ships turrets are not good enough and too difficult to use. We can’t launch two player SRVs. We would also need more roles such as a Navigator to support with the navigation processes or an Engineer for power management/modules for example.

, with the only really feature being the possibility of launching two fighters played by other commanders. // The impossibility of grouping a Multicrew ship in the Wing is also a big social obstacle. Ships turrets are not good enough and too difficult to use. We can’t launch two player SRVs. We would also need more roles such as a Navigator to support with the navigation processes or an Engineer for power management/modules for example. Inconsistencies between the three possible playmodes Open, Private, Solo with Private/Solo players influencing online Powerplay and Background Simulation features. By playing this way, the player is “invisible” and untouchable and therefore can’t be countered directly as if he belonged to another universe.

with Private/Solo players influencing online Powerplay and Background Simulation features. By playing this way, the player is “invisible” and untouchable and therefore can’t be countered directly as if he belonged to another universe. A lack of interesting and engaging stories from mid-2017 to early 2020, despite excellent stories and mysteries very well conducted for two and a half years after the original launch. Every new players have no idea what universe they are in. What is the Empire really? What is a Thargoid? A Guardian? What are they good/bad for? // I would very much like to take the story from the start, with the creation of a commander and an early choice of Empire, Federation, Alliance, Colonia, Independent with texts to give context, maybe a story and introduction when you first start your character so that you can understand what is going on, and then start with a Hauler rather than a Sidewinder if you have chosen the Trader background for example. That would be awesome.

from mid-2017 to early 2020, despite excellent stories and mysteries very well conducted for two and a half years after the original launch. Every new players have no idea what universe they are in. What is the Empire really? What is a Thargoid? A Guardian? What are they good/bad for? // I would very much like to take the story from the start, with the creation of a commander and an early choice of Empire, Federation, Alliance, Colonia, Independent with texts to give context, maybe a story and introduction when you first start your character so that you can understand what is going on, and then start with a Hauler rather than a Sidewinder if you have chosen the Trader background for example. That would be awesome. An interesting idea but badly tossed: the Thargoids . Pushing the Thargoids further in the Background Simulation would have been good, in order to make the feature more dynamic by reaching more players. We could have obtained bonuses/maluses depending on whether we are a defender of the Thargoids or on the contrary an AX fighter.

. Pushing the Thargoids further in the Background Simulation would have been good, in order to make the feature more dynamic by reaching more players. We could have obtained bonuses/maluses depending on whether we are a defender of the Thargoids or on the contrary an AX fighter. Another inconsistency in favour of ships accessibility: being an Admiral of the Federation flying an ImperialCutter poses no problem to anyone. It makes very little to no sense.

A Security/Police feature far too weak , despite an improvement depending on the Security levels. // I dream of a security system Eve Online like, where a criminal is quickly apprehended by the local police if he has committed a real crime. In Elite, the police are not powerful enough (They are only after you if you killed 10 players or so… TEN!). You can be fined by sneezing in your ship, and then you are blocked from the station services. Ish.

, despite an improvement depending on the Security levels. // I dream of a security system Eve Online like, where a criminal is quickly apprehended by the local police if he has committed a real crime. In Elite, the police are not powerful enough (They are only after you if you killed 10 players or so… TEN!). You can be fined by sneezing in your ship, and then you are blocked from the station services. Ish. The Combat, Trading, Exploration Ranks have no impact . // We can win every missions, even an Elite one in a Sidewinder as a Harmless player. Who would entrust a beginner with a very important mission? It would help rebalance the players progressions and the credits gains. I would also like rewards, unlockable modules, ships and other bonuses unlockable according to the ranks I acquired. Likewise for the Major Powers ranks. Also: Independent Fighters (no a follower of major powers) bonuses.

. // We can win every missions, even an Elite one in a Sidewinder as a Harmless player. Who would entrust a beginner with a very important mission? It would help rebalance the players progressions and the credits gains. I would also like rewards, unlockable modules, ships and other bonuses unlockable according to the ranks I acquired. Likewise for the Major Powers ranks. Also: Independent Fighters (no a follower of major powers) bonuses. Strange, out of context and low rewards Community Goals , renamed Interstellar Initiatives 100% identical to the previous system. // Not to mention that these CGs (Community Goals) are often overlooked when it comes to transport or work for the Alliance, with recurring bugs. Frontier should have a procedural system to create these events, based on factions states in the systems, and keep the interstellar initiatives for more important campaigns based on a monthly basis… with real and meaningful progression of the history.

, renamed Interstellar Initiatives 100% identical to the previous system. // Not to mention that these CGs (Community Goals) are often overlooked when it comes to transport or work for the Alliance, with recurring bugs. Frontier should have a procedural system to create these events, based on factions states in the systems, and keep the interstellar initiatives for more important campaigns based on a monthly basis… with real and meaningful progression of the history. A lack of Beta Tests for the Updates , often bringing as many bugs as fixes. // But this is something they are reintroducing now.

, often bringing as many bugs as fixes. // But this is something they are reintroducing now. Credits are unbalanced and too easy to earn. // Now, new players get an Anaconda or a Cutter in a few hours, it’s their main objective “to have the biggest ship!”. Okay, they are easily destroyed in combat because they are not yet well equipped and modded… but hey, then they hate on Open Play because they are easily destroyed. Tadam, Solo mode and problem solved. In 2015, seeing a player in Asp Explorer was already impressive and it did NOT take away any pleasure from playing in a Hauler or a Type 6, exploring in an Adder, smuggling in a Cobra, fighting in a Viper because the game was balanced around this progression. And it was awesome. Now everything is obtained way too quickly and I find that it spoils the feeling of progression for our character. I would like a return to this progression, updated with a slight boost and support for players through stories, campaigns and the community that supports itself.

// Now, new players get an Anaconda or a Cutter in a few hours, it’s their main objective “to have the biggest ship!”. Okay, they are easily destroyed in combat because they are not yet well equipped and modded… but hey, then they hate on Open Play because they are easily destroyed. Tadam, Solo mode and problem solved. In 2015, seeing a player in Asp Explorer was already impressive and it did NOT take away any pleasure from playing in a Hauler or a Type 6, exploring in an Adder, smuggling in a Cobra, fighting in a Viper because the game was balanced around this progression. And it was awesome. Now everything is obtained way too quickly and I find that it spoils the feeling of progression for our character. I would like a return to this progression, updated with a slight boost and support for players through stories, campaigns and the community that supports itself. A CQC mode, Close Quarter Combat, totally cut from the original game and also buggy when looking for players to match . // Frontier could open this game mode directly into the game world. Also: Races, they have every tools and assets for this. They love Steam Workshop for their other games, so they could allow players to create their own races and upload them onto the Steam Workshop. The best creations could be directly added into the Live game, in installations and on the surface thanks to Points of Interest.

. // Frontier could open this game mode directly into the game world. Also: Races, they have every tools and assets for this. They love Steam Workshop for their other games, so they could allow players to create their own races and upload them onto the Steam Workshop. The best creations could be directly added into the Live game, in installations and on the surface thanks to Points of Interest. An unstructured exploration of the Galaxy. // Only 0.042% of the galaxy is explored because we have no guild, federation or project at stake offering explorers to unite their libraries and create a big data center. Like the Guardian Monolithic Network, humans could share their knowledge more properly, buy blocks of cartographic data by sectors. It would give explorers a direction and support the mapping project. Universal Cartographics would be a great “federation” for this feature.

2020 is for many players the last chance for the game to redeem itself, the point of no return that many have already passed… as we are all waiting for the “new era” of Elite: Dangerous as they told us in 2018 with the Announcement of Zac Antonaci, Head of Communications.

Several clues suggest that the content will be centered around the FPS mode where we can control our commander: the famous “Space Legs”, which Zac kindly pointed out that it would be the “Next Steps” for the game. He also hopes that we enjoy the” Next Leg of the Journey “. If you know what I mean!

This is a feature that has been widely awaited by the community, opening the door to many new gameplays.

Business side, investors will not be forgotten as it will also allow for many customizations additions to the store: ships interiors, weapons, armours and other customizations.

To conclude:



Early 2020 will offer its first update with fixes for the most critical bugs currently: including stability, AX combat, conflict zones, exploration, mining and its unbalanced mineral prices, and more. A very good first step for the year;

currently: including stability, AX combat, conflict zones, exploration, mining and its unbalanced mineral prices, and more. A very good first step for the year; The Beta Tests will be reintroduced so that the community can test the next additions and provide feedback. This should therefore give cleaner releases;

so that the community can test the next additions and provide feedback. This should therefore give cleaner releases; Enhancements to social features should make their return from mid-2020, particularly with the Fleet Carriers which we will talk about more Live, this January 6 at 12pm UTC. We will learn more about the features, which seemed very limited when it was first presented at the Frontier Expo 2017. Hopefully it will now be more social, possible trading or storage for Squadrons, and more variants of Fleet Carriers per Major Powers.

should make their return from mid-2020, particularly with the which we will talk about more Live, this January 6 at 12pm UTC. We will learn more about the features, which seemed very limited when it was first presented at the Frontier Expo 2017. Hopefully it will now be more social, possible trading or storage for Squadrons, and more variants of Fleet Carriers per Major Powers. More stories from around mid-2020, crossed fingers.

from around mid-2020, crossed fingers. Icy Planets 2.0 to come in 2020, initially presented in June 2018 at Lavecon.

to come in 2020, initially presented in June 2018 at Lavecon. And finally, at the end of the year 2020: the paid Update, a kind of Elite: Dangerous 2.0 which will have benefited from around 5 years of development with as many years of feedback from players, proposals, ideas, more than 100 developers working on the game,… they cannot miss it. They should not miss out the future of Elite: Dangerous.

I’m obviously very critical of the game, with more than 4000 hours on the clock, but it is because I love Elite: Dangerous.

I love this universe, I love this community and in terms of game development, I know that there is a huge potential to develop. I obviously don’t know the technical constraints, but there is work to be done.

I hope that Frontier Developments will surprise us in 2020, with a clean development plan this year.

To all, again I wish you a happy new year! 🍾🎉

Thanks for following my news, see you soon! ❤️

In January, we should offer a new version of the Remlok-Industries.fr website, with a more modern design and features in an enhanced package. It should also be easier to browse the website on mobile. See you next year! Oh oh oh…