The video critiques Elite Dangerous for primarily evolving through incremental updates that expand existing core gameplay loops like trading, exploration, and combat, rather than introducing entirely new mechanics. It advocates for innovative features such as strategic management, terraforming, or new resource gathering methods to refresh the game and provide a more engaging, fresh experience for players.
The video discusses the evolution of Elite Dangerous, highlighting that despite numerous updates and expansions over the years, the core gameplay loops—trading, mining, exploration, and combat—have remained largely unchanged since the game’s launch in 2014. These foundational activities continue to define the player experience, with expansions like Horizons adding new features such as planetary landings and surface exploration. However, these additions often build upon existing gameplay rather than introducing fundamentally new mechanics, leading to a sense that the game is evolving incrementally rather than innovating with fresh gameplay concepts.
The presenter reflects on the game’s history, noting how early community goals, wings, and power play expanded the multiplayer experience within the familiar core loops. Horizon’s expansion marked a significant milestone by allowing players to land on planets and explore surfaces, but even these features largely extended existing gameplay patterns like resource gathering and combat, rather than creating entirely new types of gameplay. Similarly, updates like the Thargoid invasions and fleet carriers introduced new content, but the fundamental mechanics remained rooted in the original core activities of exploration, combat, and trading.
A critical point raised is the Odyssey expansion, which attempted to introduce on-foot gameplay through first-person shooter elements. While this was a new experience for Elite Dangerous, the gameplay felt unoriginal because it closely mirrored existing combat and mission loops, simply transposing space mechanics onto ground-based FPS activities. The expansion also lacked new ship-based gameplay, leading to a disjointed feeling where on-foot and ship-based gameplay coexist without fully integrating into a cohesive experience. The presenter suggests that much of Odyssey’s on-foot content was bland and derivative, lacking the innovation needed to truly refresh the game.
The video emphasizes that many of the recent major updates, including the Thargoid invasions and colonization features, still revolve around the same core gameplay loops. Colonization, for instance, introduces new roles and strategic layers, such as managing NPCs or terraforming planets, but these are built on existing trade and exploration mechanics. The presenter sees this as a sign that the game could benefit from entirely new gameplay loops—something beyond just expanding or refining the old ones—to keep players engaged and attract new audiences.
Finally, the presenter advocates for Frontier to introduce innovative gameplay mechanics, such as strategic management roles, terraforming activities, salvaging shipwrecks, or even new forms of resource gathering that differ from current mining. These new features could add depth and variety, making Elite Dangerous feel more like a fresh experience rather than a series of incremental updates. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to share their ideas on what new gameplay elements they would like to see, emphasizing that the game’s potential for growth lies in creating entirely new types of engagement beyond the existing core activities.