Elite Dangerous News

Greetings Commanders,

The Elite Dangerous servers will be offline for all platforms on the 3 October at 07:00 (UTC) to apply the September Update - Patch 2.

We are aware that there is an issue where some Commanders, specifically those on console, are experiencing the "Failed to communicate with server. Unable to get an up to date mission list from server" message when trying to access missions at a starport's mission board and passenger lounge. The team are currently investigating measures to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Update:
The team has investigated the disconnect and mission list communication issue for console players, and we have implemented a change that should reduce the amount of times players encounter this.


However if you have any further problems, please let us know.

Thank you for your patience and vigilance as we address these issues.

Please find the full Patch Notes below:

Crashes/Stability

• Fixed a softlock that could occur when trading materials at a material trader
  
• Fixed a crash that could occur during the new starter experience
  
• Fixed softlock that could occur when hiring crew members
  
• Fixed a crash that could occur after clearing a save and skipping the new starter experience
  
• Fixed a softlock that would occur when attempting to perform a hyperspace jump in an Imperial Clipper that has a Ship Kit applied

COVAS

• When buying a new ship, your selected COVAS will automatically be inherited from your previous ship.
  
• When purchasing SRVs and fighters, they will inherit the COVAS currently selected for your ship.
  
• For new commanders, the applicable localised COVAS will now automatically be selected based on which language is set in the options menu

Diamondback Explorer

• Fixed mismatched Paint Jobs for the Diamondback Explorer

Exploration

• Fixed a case where PlayStation 4 commanders' First Discoveries were not appearing correctly

Interdiction

• Fixed an issue where interdiction wouldn't end after the player submitted

Livery

• Fixed an issue that meant the confirmation popup failed to appear after selecting an item the player owns
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause the sort feature to not sort correctly
  
• Fixed an issue that could prevent the SRV livery options to appear after leaving the Dashboard items category
  
• Updated various Bobblehead preview cameras to give a better view of the item
  
• Removed the 'preview' option on Engine Colours in livery, as it was not intended
  
• Changed message from 'Outfitting Unavailable' to 'Livery Unavailable' when the livery isn't accessible
  
• Updated the 'remove item option' message to 'clear the equipped item'
  
• Renamed 'Back' to 'Exit'

Localisation

• Fixed various translation errors

Multi-Crew

• Fixed an issue that could cause the host's ship to disappear when deploying a fighter

New Starter Experience

• Fixed an issue that could cause visual issues with the star in Matet when the player arrives in the system
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause the weapons to automatically fire after being returned to the training area
  
• Removed the ability to damage ship modules as this can lead to the player becoming stuck during the experience
  
• Removed the ability for players to view and turn off modules during the experience

Outfitting

• Fixed an issue that could cause incorrect weapon mounts to be displayed (fixed weapons showing as gimballed, for example)

Pause Menu

• Combined 'restart training' and 'exit options' into one confirmation screen. Now, when the player selects to either restart or exit they then choose to either:
  
• Restart the checkpoint or the entire Starter Experience/Training
  
• Exit to main menu or desktop
  
• This new restart/exit option UI is also inline with other areas of the game as well. This update fixes text truncation in other languages and unnecessary duplication of options, without increasing the amount of clicks needed to exit or restart

Rendering

• Fixed an issue that caused stars in the night sky to disappear (creating, in some cases, 'hard edges')

Server

• Updated local news articles for faction summaries, engineer progression and megaship itineraries
  
• Fixed many causes of transaction server disconnections (error codes: Scarlet Krait, Magenta Krait, Black Adder, Yellow Adder)

Ship HUD

• Corrected the schematic of a targeted starport to match its actual orientation
  
• Fixed an issue that made ship modules appear twice in the module tab after swapping to a different ship
  
• Fixed the edge case where the ship HUD could be switched off (by the Thargoid shutdown effect) during a jump to Supercruise, causing the HUD to never appear again

Store

• Changed the Store buttons that appear on Port Services menu and main menu to orange and reordered them:
  
• Port Services - Livery > Holo-me > Store
  
• Main Menu - Livery > Buy Expansions > Store > Buy ARX
  
• Fixed an issue on Xbox One that causes the preview camera to pan without any player input
  
• Re-added a missing scroll bar
  
• Packs now display how many items are in it

Weapons

• Fixed Enforcer Canons being unable to be restocked through synthesis

Greetings Commanders,

Over the years, the Elite series of games has grown and evolved, starting all the way from the first Elite (published in 1984) to the Elite Dangerous we have today!

For the 35th anniversary of Elite 1984 we asked you to share your greatest memories of the Elite series of games, and you really did deliver! Our team had a wonderful time reading through each and every one of your comments, but we had to narrow them down to 35!

Congratulations to our 35 winners of the Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Job, you've all been contacted privately and we hope you enjoy your prize.

Thank you to everyone who took part and celebrated with us, and be sure to check out the winning memories below:

Raziel:

Originally posted by Raziel_42;1628538005513287591

Favorite Elite Dangerous memory would be spending almost a month researching HOTAS and looking at tutorials before even starting the game. That first moment where you take off with your sidewinder and come out of the mailslot with the whole galaxy in front of your nervous controls cannot be beat.

Depressed Angel:

Originally posted by Asian;1628538005513466321

My favourite memory is when I tried to land on a high G planet, came in hot, crashed my Krait MKII and died. I then re-bought it, tried to prove to my friend that I'm not inept and tried to land again, killing myself once again. I had lost all my money in the first crash due to rebuy and was left with an outstanding loan and a default Sidewinder as my only ship.

Nelanius:

Originally posted by Nelanius;1628538005513479058

My fondest memory is, when the Thargoids were first introduced and no one knew what to do against the new threat.

Isadorious:

Originally posted by Isadorious;1628538005513784963

The start of Distant Worlds 2, meeting up with other commanders then the mass jump that crashed the servers. Lots of fun!

Dave:

Originally posted by Dave;1628538005513861745

My favorite memory is my first encounter with the Thargoids. I shot them, it did nothing, and I died. But it looked really cool.

Mentift:

Originally posted by ''Haywire'';1628538005514309986

Favorite memory? Leading a friend of mine to Hutton Orbital to let them claim their free ship, then proceed to run off with all the mugs I could carry and try to avoid fire from an angry friend :P

ArmourFox:

Originally posted by ArmourFox;1628538005514335167

My favorite moment in Elite has to be the first time I broke an asteroid. Finding one that was sure to be full of Void Opals, and cracking it open has got to be the most rewarding thing I've done in the game so far!

Delco:

Originally posted by Delco;1628538005514699209

My favorite memory was taking 3 hours to climb a gigantic mountain in an SRV. And I lived. And I made it back down, alive, thanks to a friend's ship which served as an elevator. Fun times. All in VR too!

Getti:

Originally posted by getti;1628538005514851717

My fondest memory is definitely that first time I jumped into a star system, there's many awe-inspiring moments in this game but nothing compares to that first feeling of the massiveness as the star fills up your screen.

Timerider:

Originally posted by Timerider;1628538005514953418

Finding an abandoned base on a planet way out in the middle of nowhere. The sense of scale is insane. It's this tiny little thing that was so easy to miss, the distances are mind-boggling.

Agatheis:

Originally posted by Agatheis;1628538005515710507

Commander Agatheis Here! As humble as it was, my best moment was one of the most terrifying manoeuvres I've ever done... Making into a spaceport without autodock.

{PTV} Tiago

Originally posted by Tiago;1628538005516910143

My favorite Elite Dangerous memory was when I bought my Federal Corvette. A dream came true.

Saxtus:

Originally posted by Saxtus;1628538005517085069

My favorite memory was hearing Blue Danube while playing Elite for endless hours on my Amstrad CPC. Literally the tune was stuck in my head for months and could even hear it in my dreams when sleeping.

JazzyJet:

Originally posted by JazzyJet;1628538005517319099

Coolest memory was fighting pirates and having my screen get cracked and was losing life support. I made it to a station with just seconds to live. I felt like I was actually suffocating. Would almost die again.

Brock:

Originally posted by C-137;1628538005517856186

Favorite moment so far would be my final arrival at Beagle Point during the DW2 journey. Was my first time really getting out there in the depths of space.

Jessie Colt:

Originally posted by Colt;1628538005518602144

Commander Jessie Colt. My favorite memory? Buying the Vulture and kitting it out. Flying it out of the mail slot that first time was a total rush!

Trashdar:

Originally posted by Trashdar;1628538005519760930

"Capital class signature detected", And what followed. Definitely the best I've experienced.

Maelstrom:

Originally posted by Maelstrom;1628538005520530171

My favourite memory was discovering that you Sagittarius A was in the game and actually going there myself. It was long trip but well worth it. There are many nice nebulae and waypoints with awesome sights on the way here and back. A close second was the first hyperdictions, the general atmosphere of those events were mind-blowing, so much so i flew around the Pleiades so much to go get hyperdicted myself.

Sweater Yoda:

Originally posted by Yoda;1628538005521498620

Simply put, through playing this game with dear friends, I realized that in exploring the vast expanses out there, the entire time we were really exploring ourselves.

{KHI}Cerberus:

Originally posted by {KHI}Cerberus;1628538005521888023

My favorite memories are with an old friend of mine, Rob. He unfortunately passed away Feb 17th 2019, and forever on will be docked at hausers reach, where we used to bounty hunt in corvettes every night from sundown, to sunrise while talking about life, sharing stories, and just having a generally great time.

TheLyricalMiracle:

Originally posted by TheLyricalMiracle;1628538005521938548

My favorite memory of Elite is from when I bought my first ship. It was a Viper III, and it handled totally differently to a Sidewinder and that had me hooked. Cheers for 35 years, and for 35 more!

lolPants:

Originally posted by lolPants;1628538005522275717

The first time I saw a capital ship warp in I was in awe. That thing sounds MONSTROUS.

The1AndMany:

Originally posted by The1AndMany;1628538005513351729

There's a few memories I have. From the launch of Sagittarius Eye to the return of the Thargoids. But I think my favorite is building my own VoiceAttack profile from scratch to help me play the game. I don't really use him anymore, but KAI is definitely responsible for a handful of good gameplay experiences. (Especially once he learned from EDDI.) While I'm at it, a close runner up is running ED in VR for the first time. Glorious doesn't even come close.

Megatome:

Originally posted by Megatome;1628538005513449522

Once, I (Commander ScythianSteppes) destroyed a Thargoid Interceptor in a Sidewinder. Enough is said.

Patholio:

Originally posted by Patholio;1628538005513528290

Docking manually for the first time in the original Elite so many years ago, such a feeling of success :)

Laphisto:

Originally posted by Laphisto;1628538005513552676

My best memory in Elite Dangerous would have to have been taking note of the crippling loneliness, looking among the stars and the planets, the asteroid belts and the debris fields and granted it was sad at first but then the over whelming erg to find another person and to explore took hold of me and in no time I was jumping from system to system looking for others. it wasn't until I was near death fighting a pirate that a group of other players came in and helped me out and since then we have been the greatest of friends.

Andyrew:

Originally posted by andyrew;1628538005513953973

Best moment was in E:D, looking around my Asp Explorer for the first time in VR. Exploring space never felt so real.

Kyo Arashikage:

Originally posted by Arashikage;1628538005513977681

Personally, my favorite memory from this epic and stunning game was when I arrived at Artemis Lodge in Celaeno. Arriving and dropping out in front of the station and looking behind me, it almost looked like the ring of asteroids that were around the planet was circling the home star of the system as well, and it was almost convincing. Not to mention the eerie music added to the moment, making me shiver. I didn't think buying and selling cargo could give one shivers like that, but it did for me in this case.

ThatLunchboxGuy

Originally posted by thatlunchboxguy;1628538005514159939

I think my favorite memory of Elite is finding one of my friends randomly when farming for guardian parts. He happened to have the same type of anaconda as me and we started talking, we friended each other and started farming together since. We've been hanging out ever since and have done so many of the events together, if we never met I don't think I'd be as into Elite Dangerous as I have been.

Zamzee:

Originally posted by Zamzee;1628538005514217991

I traveled 10-15 jumps to get to the system, scanned the planet, did a detailed surface scan, and found the site. I was flying in my unarmed Type-6 and I had no idea what to expect. I slowly approached the site and just watched the activities of the little Thargoid rovers for 10-15 minutes. It was late at night and I was terrified to land. I had no idea what they were capable of. I remember hovering there in fascination just looking at everything. I finally found a spot with the barnacles that wasn't too close to the Thargoid rovers and landed. I deployed my SRV and went to two barnacles as fast as I could and got back in my ship. It was such a rush. I took back off and circled the site a few more times, then departed. It was super rewarding when I turned in one of the meta-alloys and unlocked the engineer. I love how Elite Dangerous is a a big sandbox that lets me and other players make their own stories. Looking forward to more adventures. My commander name is Zamzee Owagana (PC).

Maksim:

Originally posted by Maksim;1628538005514236151

Guys, what you do is awesome! I can't remember any game which can give feel of solitude along with picturesque deep space.

Al_Kinnon:

Originally posted by al_kinnon;1628538005514269540

OK, I'll bite (for the cobra mk3 paint job.) I'm an old elite fan. Back in the 80's I remember spending hours watching my older cousin playing the original Elite on his BBC Micro computer. Fast forward to the early 90's and my friends and I would come home from school and play Frontier Elite 2 on an Amiga, sitting on a bench, and pretending we were actually in the ship. I lived and breathed Frontier for years on my own or with friends; but my fondest memory is being passenger or pilot with my mates. As kids back then it was a great game to play with friends round. Now as a 40 something Elite has come a long way and I'm still playing (when the wife lets me!).

Blammo!!!!:

Originally posted by Blammo!!!!;1628538005514420659

My favourite moment of playing Elite was just finishing up on some bounty hunting when all of a sudden I received a message from friend who was out of fuel transporting high value goods from one place to another. As a helping hand I dropped what I was doing and went to the closest station to gear up for a rescue mission and off I went, after a short trip I refuel repaired and they shared some of their cargo with me to hand in as payment. It was a short moment while playing Elite but it stood out to me as a memorable moment to me.

Metl:

Originally posted by metl;1628538005514608758

I vaguely remember playing Elite II or III, but I don't remember which one it was. From what I remember, I enjoyed it, but Ultimately Privateer took over my time as far as space sims for the day. I loved that feel of freedom that those early space sims had, and Elite Dangerous really brings me back home to that completely open world to explore!

Greetings Commanders,

The Elite Dangerous servers will be offline for all platforms today at 13:00 (UTC) for approximately 30 minutes to apply a minor update containing a number of fixes.

Thank you for your patience.


Please find the full patch notes below:

Crashes/Stability

• Fixed a crash that could happen when trying to load the game on PlayStation 4
  

Network

• Fixed issue with players not being able to connect through a VPN
  

Engineering

• Fixed soft lock when engineering an item
  

Communication

• Fixed an Xbox One issue that allowed other users to communicate with a player that they are not friends with, when that player has the 'p=others can communicate with voice, text, or invites' privilege is set to 'Friends'
  

Greetings Commanders,

Over the years, the Elite series of games has grown and evolved, starting all the way from the first Elite (published on this very day in 1984) to the Elite Dangerous we have today!

For the 35th anniversary of Elite 1984, we want to look back and celebrate each and every Commander who has shared this incredible ride with us.

Haven't had the chance to earn your wings in the iconic Elite? Claim your free copy on the Frontier Store for PC and Mac here.

As a gift for every Commander, head over to the in-game store, and you will be able to claim your own Retro Thargoid Bobblehead, available until 27 September (16:00 UTC) for 1 ARX.



But that's not all! Alongside this octagonal interloper, we've got 35 Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Jobs to give away. To be in with the chance to win one of these Paint Jobs, all you need to do is reply to this thread, telling us about your favourite memory playing one of the Elite games. Don't forget to include your Commander Name to be eligible to win!

The competition will run from now until 23 September (11:00 UTC) and winners will be contacted by 25 September (11:00 UTC). With the aid of the Elite Dangerous development team, our top 35 favourite comments will be rewarded with the Paint Job.

You can also get involved over on our Official Forums, Twitter and Facebook! Please find all of the Terms and Conditions below.



Whether you've only just donned your flight suit, or you've been with us over the last 35 years, thank you for all of your passion and support!

Fly safe.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS (FORUM/STEAM)

• Prize: One (1) Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Job. (35 per platform – Frontier Forums, Steam, Facebook and Twitter)
  
• One submission per person (per platform).
  
• You only officially enter the competition when you reply, with your favourite Elite Dangerous memory, to the relevant competition thread/post.
  
• Be sure to include your Commander Name in your reply to be eligible to win.
  
• The competition closes on Monday 23 September (2019) at 11:00 UTC.
  
• The winners will be announced by Wednesday 25 September (2019) and prizes will be credited directly to the winner's account.
  
• The winners will be chosen by a panel of Elite Dangerous developers.
  
• Objectionable or offensive content will be disqualified.
  
• No submission should violate the Elite Dangerous EULA and TOS.
  
• Frontier Developments has the right to remove any entry at their sole discretion
  
• Frontier Developments employees are excluded from participating in the event.
  
• Frontier Developments reserve the right to exchange any prize for a prize of similar value.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS (FACEBOOK/TWITTER)

• Prize: One (1) Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Job. (35 per platform – Frontier Forums, Steam, Facebook and Twitter)
  
• One submission per person (per platform).
  
• You only officially enter the competition when you reply, with your favourite Elite Dangerous memory, to the relevant competition thread/post.
  
• Be sure to include your Commander Name in your reply to be eligible to win.
  
• The winners will be contacted by the Frontier Community Team via Facebook DM, Twitter DM or Forum DM. Please ensure you are following @EliteDangerous on Twitter to allow us to contact you.
  
• The winners have 7 days to respond and claim the prize; if no response has been received after 7 days, you forfeit your prize.
  
• The competition closes on Monday 23 September (2019) at 11:00 UTC.
  
• The winners will be announced by Wednesday 25 September (2019) and prizes will be
• credited directly to the winner's account.
  
• The winners will be chosen by a panel of Elite Dangerous developers.
  
• Objectionable or offensive content will be disqualified.
  
• No submission should violate the Elite Dangerous EULA and TOS.
  
• Frontier Developments has the right to remove any entry at their sole discretion
  
• Frontier Developments employees are excluded from participating in the event.
  
• Frontier Developments reserve the right to exchange any prize for a prize of similar value.

Greetings Commanders,

The September Update is out now! You can read the Patch Notes here.

In the September Update comes the following:


We've introduced a new starting experience meaning that it's easier to pick up Elite Dangerous than ever before!

Under the tutelage of Pilots Federation instructor, Theo Arcosta, new Commanders will be led through a fully-voiced experience before being left to pilot their own starter ship, the Sidewinder! Throughout the experience, Commanders will learn the basics of space flight, scanning and combat as listed below:

• Basic flight controls and scanning.
  
• Supercruise and navigation.
  
• A combat exercise around a megaship.
  
• Completing one's first Hyperspace jump.
  
• Docking at a starport.
  
• All of the training will include voiceover across all of our supported languages.

This new starter experience will also be added to the existing list of training simulations, found on the internal panel of the Commander's cockpit, meaning even the most veteran of pilot can still experience it.

New Livery System

• Revamped the livery UI for applying cosmetic items and Game Extras to your ships.
  
• Commanders will be able to access their ship livery from the main menu, so even if their ship is not docked at a starport, they will be able to change up the ship's appearance on the fly!
  
• The new store will allow for even more detailed previews of available customisation options across all ships, as well as giving Commanders the choice of purchasing individual items, as opposed to being limited to bundles of customisation options.
  
• Please note: some Game Extras (on all platforms) and ARX (on PC) may not yet be available for purchase in the Store, affected items will be rolling out in the coming days.

New Virtual Currency: ARX

• ARX can be purchased, as well as earned by simply playing the game, to acquire Game Extras such as Paint Jobs, Ship Kits, Bobbleheads and more!
  
• Commanders can earn a total of 400 ARX per week, which get added to their account there and then. These can be saved for later or spent right away!
  
• You will no longer be able to purchase Game Extras using current payment methods and instead will require ARX, available in a number of packs (listed here.)
  
• You can view the ARX FAQ here.