Life as the explorer in the acclaimed open space/sandbox simulation known as Elite can be described as a series of jumps between star systems. To be precise, we are talking endless jumping. Probably the only break is to scan some planets that could be worth a few credits when I get back home.
There are some who would say that this is an extremely boring way of earning credits and gaining in-game experience. Perhaps I would agree with them, but there are things explorers can do to make the trip worthwhile.
Let me give you five good suggestions to entertain you, but also to make your exploring experience more realistic and, I am sure, amazing.
EDDiscovery Assistant is a small and useful application which will serve as your trusty co-pilot. It features a commander’s log and tool to calculate your income from whatever you scanned during your journey through the Milky Way.
The real perk of having EDDiscovery installed and working while playing Elite: Dangerous is that it will talk to you as a real on-board computer. Farewell lone rider feeling, and welcome useful information about your trip, scanned planets, earnings, distance from your home, etc.
There is one thing, though, which this handy app cannot do: answer your questions. To have decent conversation during your journey, you need to consider Voice Packs – HCS VoicePacks to be precise. With this addition, you will be able to give your ships commands with your voice and also receive answers to all sorts of questions.
HCS VoicePacks are not some sort of AI, so please do not expect answers to all sorts of questions wandering in your head. But what you can have are answers to pre-programmed questions, jokes, and personalized voices of your ship computer recorded by known sci-fi personalities such as Mr. William Shatner aka Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek. You can, for example, ask about the origin of nebulas or black holes.
There is nothing better than the computer listening to you and answering to you in the voice of the legend. This guarantees hours of entertainment so that even a couple thousand jumps to the end of the galaxy will be pleasurable.
No doubt the ship computer adds some reality to exploration in Elite: Dangerous. What about pushing this experience to a completely different level of reality?
Virtual reality without a doubt would be a game changer. Of course, this is not a cheap or commonly accessible option, but from descriptions of those who were lucky enough to use VR devices, Elite: Dangerous in VR provides a completely different perspective and a sense of the vast emptiness of space.
Below is a video from YouTuber ObsidianAnt in which he discusses playing Elite Dangerous with the Oculus Rift.
Watching ObsidianAnt’s YouTube video brings up another suggestion on how to make the most of the long journeys through the Milky Way.
Streaming on Twitch, like these 5 streamers who are certainly worth subscribing to, or recording and posting your gameplay on YouTube can help you to make a lot more out of the trip such. There are few Commanders worth to watch on YouTube.
Personally, I can recommend a different activity, which is my choice of entertainment while travelling in Elite: Dangerous (and also in EVE Online from time to time): photography from space. Not too many people in the world can say that they snapped some pictures from the Cat’s Paw Nebula.
But I did actually. The proof is below:
Elite: Dangerous is perfect game for making pictures from space. Even if there are no big skills engaged, no Photoshop or other editor involved, there is always a chance to catch a very nice view from the cockpit.
Thanks to the developers, the game has a decent camera suite, letting anybody go virtually outside the ship and make a postcard for the family.
For example, from a distant planet:
Or maybe from the vicinity of the black hole:
The possibilities are endless, and the amazing views unlimited.
Flying from star system to star system, anybody can sink into the deep space feeling and relax, which is a nice break from the usual gaming monotony and repetitive tasks found in so many games.
What are your thoughts? Have you found other ways of making the most of your exploration in Elite: Dangerous? Let us know in the comments.
