Elite: Giant Dangerous Fleet Carriers will enter a new era of game-testing

Elite: It's dangerous, the epic MMO space shuttle was first introduced in 2014, adding a new star bloom to its journey. These large ships are called Fleet Carriers, and are designed to allow elite players to move their collections of expensive space toys around in a moment. But Fleet Carriers also has other game-changing features, and one dedicated team of players wants to use them to help unlock new gaming connotations for our galaxy.

Elite is unique for many reasons, including the size and size of its game world. Using a powerful digital rocker called Stellar Forge, computer engineers Frontier Development created a virtual model for all 400 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy and left it when people found it. Thousands of players, working together since the launch of the game, have only found out 0.042% of them so far.

That leaves a lot of ground for it to fit in, and gives birth to a small but dedicated group of skilled pilots who want nothing more than to find rare, distant, and excellent parts of this strange galaxy.

Image: Frontier Development

In 2019, I joined those explorers eager for a guided tour from one end of the game to the other, a journey that took me four months of the real world. The biggest danger along the way was running out of fuel or suffering major repairs. Even a dedicated technical team for the game, which calls itself the Hull Seals, couldn't save everyone who got in trouble. Now those exact explorers plan to do something about it, which makes the galaxy a little safer EliteThe category of testers to go through.

The new project, led by the players, is called Deep Space Support Fund (DSSA), will use Fleet Carriers to create safer locations throughout the Milky Way. So far over 100 players sign up to become captains, buy ships and lead the expedition to place and support them over time.

Image: Commander Qohen Leth

“DSSA is preparing to install a carrier support network across the galaxy to assist inspectors in their deep travels, ”said Commander Qohen Leth Elite: It's dangerous forums. "Those Carriers, provided by individuals, groups, groups or passengers, will remain in the public area for at least a year, open to all, at least for repair services, at a reasonable price (other proprietary liberties). a resting-place. ”

Problem is, no one knows yet what it will take to keep the Fleet Carrier operational. Ships use a new type of fuel that must be cut from the asteroid acy belts, allowing them to jump forward and fly faster than any other ship in the game. Adding to the complexity of DSSA, Frontier is still finalizing the construction of the Fleet Carrier. Players had a flying shot at them earlier this month on the PC during the open beta, and a second beta is planned for May in PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. The big ships are scheduled to go live in June 2020.

One thing's for sure, though; it will take more effort than any of the more than 100 Milky Way ships to keep it supplied for the year. The leading DSSA team tells Polygon that players wishing to participate should check out the new listings on Elite Dangerous Star Map and on official French forums. If you were looking for a reason to take it Elite: It's dangerous and start building your art, now is a good time to start. Frontier is planning another pay increase sometime this year.