We wrote about the upcoming semi-private alpha and beta releases of both Chris Roberts' Star Citizen and David Braben's Elite: Dangerous a couple of weeks ago. Star Citizen's dogfighting module missed its scheduled release by a few days but became available on June 4, while Elite: Dangerous' premium beta opened up right on time on May 30, flooding what was previously a small alpha test with about 10,000 new players. Though the current version of the game is only a fraction of what Elite: Dangerous hopes to be at release, what's playable today was more than enough to keep me totally engrossed for days.
Participants in the E:D premium beta are playing essentially the same game that alpha testers had their hands on since mid-May. There are a number of single-player combat scenarios that players can use to familiarize themselves with the game's ship controls, and then a multiplayer area consists of five star systems where the "real" part of the premium beta takes place. Players can fly around and between the five systems, trading goods and shooting NPCs—or each other.
Video: a musical interlude with the Elite: Dangerous premium beta. Soundtrack is "Arrival," by Lee Rosevere. (video link)Greetings, Commander Jameson
1984's original Elite saw players taking on the role of the faceless "Commander Jameson" (though the name could be changed in some versions), docked in orbit around the planet Lave with nothing to your name but a new Cobra Mk. III spacecraft and 100 credits. Although the eventual release of Elite: Dangerous will include a variety of starting ships and positions, the current premium beta version of the game takes a page from the original. Players all start out in the same, small one-man Sidewinder fighter, which can carry a tiny amount of cargo. You get 1,000 credits to start trading and a single laser to start blasting.
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