Holy smokes! I absolutely blitz most npcs with even level 2 engineered multicannons. I used to struggle against even expert craft, but last night, I took out 2 FAS with my Python mk2, one deadly and the other expert, in like less than a minute. And i had upgraded my thrusters to dirty drives and i just flew circles around them.
I knew engineering was strong, but this is wild. Honestly, the only thing that gave me trouble were high ranked snub craft, like the Vulture.
I’ve been feeling the itch for the good ol’ Freelancer experience and I know Elite can deliver on that, but I always find myself having trouble getting into it vs. something like Star Sector or Delta V: Rings of Saturn. I’m curious - do you play with controller, kb+m, flight stick/HOTAS? I’ve heard E:D can be played reasonably comfortably with controller, which has my interest.
Edit: Oh yeah, how’s the landing and planet exploration? I’ve heard mixed things, would you recommend the DLC personally?
I started playing ED on playstation. Then I switched to PC and still use a PS controller. It just flies best with 2 stick imo. You can also additionally use a keyboard. (I use the default controller key binding layout + added only 2 or 3 keyboard buttons myself)
I used to play on my PC, and have used kb+m and HOTAS. I mostly play on the Steam Deck now, and with a few tweaks have been able to get everything up and running pretty much the way I like. All 3 have pluses and minuses.
HOTAS feels pretty great, especially after you get everything set up just right. I found it clunky for on foot, but that may have been more experience than everything else. It felt good enough that I really considered HOSAS, but that’s another expense I wasn’t willing to invest in. HOSAS flying can be truly amazing.
KB+M is pretty flexible, and the conversion from in ship to on foot is seamless. The biggest downside is remembering the dozens of keys you’ve bound to various functions, and the slight differences between in ship, in SRV, and on foot.
The Steam Deck is a little worse than the other two options, but it’s so convenient. It’s supported in game, so hints show your controller binds, which helps a lot. The default graphics leave text a little fuzzy, but switching the anti-alias from the default fixes this (I can find it later if need be). You will need button combos to do everything you need to, but, hints. Your deck will sound like a jet the whole time (so does my computer). I find the dual 2-axis joysticks a better experience than KB+M for flying, but not quite as good as a 3-axis joystick and throttle. I don’t really use the tactile pads for anything but keyboard entry, which could be smoother. I rarely use the touch screen feature as well.
I’m not sure if Elite has controller support, but I think it does. If you have a controller as capable as the Steam Deck, it’s definitely an option.
Get the dlc, not for it’s content, but because the wider community plays on that ‘server’.
If you are playing in Horizons, and someone else is in Odyssey, they would have to close the game and switch to Horizons to play with you
Boooo, just about the worst possible revelation, but 100% the only answer to the question that really matters. Thank you!
It’s on sale right now, and worth the price IMHO.
https://steamdb.info/app/1336350/
I used to play with Hotas, but recently switched to Kb+M, it was odd at first, but its actually easier imo, cuz i typically dont have to remember combinations, as each function has a key available. Flight stick is more immersive and fun tho.
I enjoy the ground stuff, but it certainly suffers from performance issues. I think ground warzones as a whole need a complete rework, its jus a bad halo clone at the moment. Raiding is where its at for me. Sneaking into a settlement and eliminating resistance is super fun, and feels kind of like an ImSim in certain cases.
Gotcha, thanks for the tip! I wonder if I’d find KB+M to be as intuitive; I’m running a Kinesis Advantage 2 so it’s a little less convenient to hit any key with either hand. I’ll have to see how the controls feel on it I guess; I’m no stranger to rebinding in any case. Raiding sounds awesome :D
If you’re itching for Freelancer, there are modern options! There’s a couple of different community patches / mods that attempt to bring it up to date, see: HD edition and Crossfire. There’s also Underspace and Hell Galaxy which have free demos available. Similar gameplay and mechanics but much darker take.
Awwww shit, I saw Underspace when Splattercat covered it a few years ago but it was in early Alpha then. Continued active development is enough to convince me to give it a go, I’ll probably buy it to support the dev. Keeping an eye on Hell Galaxy too. Thanks for the rec!