Elite Dangerous News

Greetings Commanders,

We will be releasing a new update for Elite Dangerous on Wednesday March 19.

[h2]Release Schedule (All times in UTC)[/h2]

• 9AM - Servers offline for maintenance
  
• 11AM - Servers back

Please be aware these are estimated times and are subject to change.

Features of Note/Journal Additions
A temporary system has been introduced relating to "System Claim Unsuccessful" errors - after one such unsuccessful claim, the system will be marked as invalid and no further claim attempts will be permitted.

• This is a known issue which is caused by the game being unable to locate a suitable position for the initial starport, which can occur for many different reasons. Repeated claim attempts by any player on an affected system will never result in success.
  
• As these positional issues are resolved, affected systems will be removed from the invalid list and will once again be claimable.

The following Journal entries are now actually logged:

• The powerplay data in the event "Location" and "FSDJump" supplied regardless of if the players is pledged to a power or not.
  
• "PowerplayCollect"
  
• "PowerplayDeliver"
  
• "PowerplayMerits"
  
• "PowerplayRank"
  
• "CarrierLocation"
  
• Added a new status flag for the npc crew to indicate if they're active or not.
  
• Added a new status flag SupercruiseOvercharge for overcharge status.
  
• Added a new status flag SupercruiseAssist for whether assist is active.
  
• Ensured that the lightsOn status flag is active when the flashlight is active.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a crash when switching views in the System Map
  
• Fixed an instance of a mission interaction crash
  
• Fixed instances of crashes when scanning a megaship or installation

Server side improvements:

• Renaming of facilities should be now be consistently permitted for the system architect
  
• Planetary ports can now be renamed by the system architect
  
• Inactive system colonisation ships will now be marked as they jump back to the registration origin system
  
• Star system information will now be updated correctly when completing facilities with differing game language settings
  
• Improved stability of game client during system colonisation ship jumps
  
• Significantly improved capacity for server-client information transfer relating to player colonised systems
  
  • This is intended to prevent any further instances of temporarily deactivating the colonisation contact. The team will continue to monitor the situation closely as humanity expands.

If you encounter any further issues please be sure to report them on our Issue Tracker.

Greetings Commanders,

Thank you for your patience following our pause of the Colonisation Contact to allow us time to investigate the issues being reported. We have made some adjustments and are preparing to turn this Colonisation Contact back on.

Please be advised this is part of a load test of the live Beta, and we intend to monitor how the system behaves. We will keep you informed if the situation changes again.

Thank you for your continued feedback, reports and support.

Greetings Commanders,

We are releasing Trailblazers Update 1 on Thursday March 6th. This update will address a number of reported issues.

Release Schedule (All times in UTC)

• 07:00 - Servers offline for maintenance
  
• 11:00 - Servers back online and update available

These times are estimates and are subject to change.

Please note that the pause for System Colonisation will be resolved separately to this update when we are confident the issues have been resolved.



[h2]Features of Note[/h2]
[h3]Journal Additions: The following Journal entries are now logged:[/h3]

• The powerplay data in the event "Location" and "FSDJump" supplied regardlesss of if the Commander is pledged to a power or not.
  
• "PowerplayCollect"
  
• "PowerplayDeliver"
  
• "PowerplayMerits"
  
• "PowerplayRank"
  
• "CarrierLocation"
  
• Added a new status flag for the npc crew to indicate if they're active or not.
  
• Added a new status flag SupercruiseOvercharge for overcharge status.
  
• Added a new status flag SupercruiseAssist for whether assist is active.
  
• Ensured that the lightsOn status flag is active when the flashlight is active.

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• Fixed claimed systems showing as unclaimed for players
  
• Fixed instances of colonisation ships not arriving in claimed systems
  
• Fixed a crash when viewing system maps with fleet carrier stacks
  
• Fixed a crash related to Powerplay ranks
  
• Fixed instances of crashes when completing another Commanders construction effort in a multiplayer instance
  
• Fixed hardlock when navigating through the "Financial Support" screen during the death flow when having a large number of ships
  
• Fixed softlock when navigating facility selection screens
  
• Fixed instances Colonisation ships transfer UI becoming unresponsive with keyboard & mouse
  
• Fixed instances of exposed text strings in purchase flows
  
• Fixed Architect view persisting when switching between Powerplay mode & Architect mode on the Galaxy Map
  
• Fixed Galaxy Map filters resetting
  
• Fixed System Information from going blank when switching between map modes when viewing on the System Map
  
• Fixed instance of Facility Details being blank when navigating the facility selection screens
  
• Fixed issues with backing out of My Colonies screen on controller
  
• Fixed lack of controller functionality on Colonisation tutorial screens
  
• Improved autodock in asteroid bases
  
• Fixed Powerplay helpscreen images being missing
  
• Fixed various typos in Colonisation text
  
• Adjusted flickering landing pad light on newly constructed outposts
  
• Fixed Thargoid Titan debris being misplaced/clumped together

[h3]Server side fixes:[/h3]

• Improving colonisation information digest for client refresh rate and stability;
  
• Allowing players to login if they can't be moved to finished markets by our code;
  
• Ensuring systems can't be claimed by two commanders at once;
  
• Improving failed claim cleanup flow to ensure faster unblocking of colonisable systems;
  

Greetings Commanders,

Thank you so much for your feedback and participation in the live Beta for System Colonisation. The response and engagement we have had has been phenomenal and you have progressed in colonising the galaxy at an incredible rate.

So far you have colonised over 8000 systems and completed over 13,000 facilities! In just a few days that is an astounding achievement!

One of the reasons we launched System Colonisation as a live beta was to test this at scale, which is something very hard to do for us internally. Thanks to your astounding efforts we have received lots of incredibly helpful data and feedback and it has also identified an important issue that needs to be addressed. This issue greatly impacts the ability to claim systems and needs more thorough investigation.

To that end we have made the decision to temporarily disable the Colonisation contact and pause the ability to claim new systems. This will prevent further expansion for the time being but does not impact any of the progress already made. Players that have already claimed systems will still be able to colonise within them.

The development team are working on this as a matter of urgency. As soon as we have more to share we will let you know.

[h2]FAQ[/h2]
Will there be any more changes following this investigation?
During this live Beta we will be continuing to review data and feedback and make changes where necessary. The live Beta is designed to gather data on scale to ensure we can offer the best outcome.

Will my progress be lost?
No! Any efforts made to colonise the galaxy so far will continue to remain in place and you can continue to focus on building and upgrading your systems. This only affects the ability to claim new areas.

I made a claim but it reset when I logged in, what happens now?
Any progress which was made before the pause will have taken effect but may not have been shown on the UI. This is a visual issue and progress will be correctly displayed once our investigations are complete. No progress has been lost.

Will you be rolling back?
There are no current plans for a roll back.

What about the CG Megaships coming to support System Colonisation?
We have temporarily delayed these until next week.

Will my progress be lost?
No! Any efforts made to colonise the galaxy so far, including any System Architect status', will continue to remain in place and you can continue to focus on building and upgrading your systems. This only affects the ability to claim new areas.

My system architect status is missing/I can't continue to work on my systems
This issue is currently being investigated and a solution will be available very soon. Once this solution is in place your system architect status and progress will be displayed correctly.

Elite Dangerous’ new Trailblazers update offers Commanders a whole new way to leave their footprints across one of the 400 billion stars in the galaxy, as System Colonisation puts you at the helm of universal expansion for the very first time.

In this guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to build your own new colony and establish your place in Elite Dangerous’ galactic legacy.

[h3]Did You Know?[/h3]

You can also learn about System Colonisation by speaking to the new System Colonisation Contact, who can be found in the contact section of station services.

[h2]How to Create a New Colony [/h2]

[h3]Select a Star System [/h3]

To start your journey to expand the bubble of human civilisation, begin by accessing the new System Colonisation Contact starport service. You will then be presented with a version of the Galaxy Map to select a nearby unpopulated star system (within a max distance of 16ly) and register your desire to claim it.

After selecting the star system you wish to claim, you must then select the type of initial starport or orbital outpost you would like to build in the system. Available types include:

• Outposts
  
• Coriolis Stations
  
• Ocellus Stations
  
• Orbis Stations
  

The choice of starport and outpost can be further refined with specialisations, such as a Commercial focus which will result in a Colony economy and increased wealth or an Industrial focus which will result in an Industrial economy and an increased tech level.

The cost to successfully register a star system for colonisation requires spending credits, with the specific cost varying depending on the type of station or outpost you have selected. Once you have successfully registered for a System Colonisation attempt, your claim will last for 24 hours, preventing other players from submitting claims.

[h3]Create a System Colony [/h3]

After traveling to your selected star system, you will then deploy a System Colonisation Beacon at a pre-determined location. Once launched via the System Colonisation Suite (a new module which all ships will now contain, similar to the Discovery Scanner), the System Colonisation process initiates and establishes you as the System Architect.

The beacon now transmits a star-system-wide countdown, signalling the arrival of a colossal System Colonisation Ship, which provides a temporary hub for the overview and contribution of construction efforts.

As System Architect you will then have a fixed period of time to supply a combination of mined and purchased commodities in order to ensure completion of the colony.

[h3]Did You Know?[/h3]

If you don’t have the required mined or purchased commodities to complete your colony, a prompt will provide information on how to source them.

When the System Colonisation Effort is successfully completed, the System Colonisation Ship will leave and the completed primary starport will appear nearby.

The newly established colony is now an Uncontrolled Populated star system and is eligible to be expanded into and controlled via Powerplay.

[h3]Build up the System Colony [/h3]

Once a primary starport has been established, it can be improved and upgraded via the continued supply of resources.

As System Architect you can place build instructions for a variety of facilities, located either in orbit of a planet via the system map or on the planet itself by travelling to the surface and identifying the perfect deployment site.

Available facilities include:

• Satellites
  
• Communication Stations
  
• Pirate Bases
  
• Mining Outposts
  
• Planet Ports
  
• Horizon or Odyssey Settlements
  

Once a new facility has been selected a Construction Effort will begin for that facility. Any Commander can now fly to this location, dock with the temporary structure, and use System Colonisation services.

The dashboard will allow any visiting player to see what facility is going to be built at this Construction Effort and the current progress, with larger constructions requiring larger amounts of resources (commodities) to complete.

Once a facility is constructed, you will see the economy of the star system change, with different facilities influencing the population, standard of living, tech level and more. As more construction efforts are completed in the system, you will gain access to larger and more complex structures to construct.

[h3]Rewards of System Colonisation[/h3]

System Architects will receive a tax payment from each system under their direction, which is derived by the number and scale of facilities constructed. Taxes will be issued each week and can be redeemed by vising an administration contact.

As you grow your network of accumulated system colonies and the weekly tax values increase, a galactic tax will be placed upon any credits earned over 5,000,000 in order to support mass infrastructure maintenance throughout the galaxy.

In addition to tax rewards, System Architects will also receive a small discount to ships and outfitting when purchased in one of your systems with 10 or more facilities.

[h2]Trailblazers Update Available Now[/h2]

With System Colonisation, the Trailblazers update for Elite Dangerous introduces a brand-new way to play, interact with other players and leave your mark on the galaxy. For the first time in the game’s history the Bubble is set to grow and it’s you, Commander, that’s in control of the path the galaxy takes.

Trailblazers is just the first step of a packed year for Elite Dangerous, with more new gameplay experiences, ships and refinements to come. We’ll see you on the frontier.