Frontier hosted a live stream for Elite Dangerous Odyssey, revealing new information about the upcoming expansion. The stream included a surprise reveal of Developer Diary 3 and an interview with Gareth Hughes, providing insights into the first-person heads-up display, combat mechanics, spacesuit types, and the importance of tactical gameplay.
Yesterday, Frontier hosted a 2020 anniversary live stream for Elite Dangerous Odyssey, where they reviewed the year in Elite Dangerous and revealed new information about the upcoming expansion. The stream included a surprise reveal of Developer Diary 3 titled “Sphere of Combat” and was followed by a pre-recorded interview with Gareth Hughes, the lead designer for Elite Dangerous Odyssey.
The “Sphere of Combat” dev diary gave a brief glimpse into the first person heads up display and showcased new features such as an augmented reality ammo counter and different types of grenades. It also revealed artwork for handheld weapons and a cutting tool suggesting deeper tactical gameplay. The dev diary focused on visuals rather than providing in-depth details.
However, the following interview with Gareth Hughes provided more context and depth to the visuals in the dev diary. It explained that combat in Odyssey will involve starships, ground vehicles, and infantry all in the same space. Combat will primarily take place in settlements, points of interest, and combat zones while social hubs will remain safe zones. The interview also highlighted the importance of player agency and the ability to approach missions with different play styles, including stealth and hacking.
The interview further discussed spacesuit types, such as the Remlock Maverick for scavenging and utility, the Manticore Dominator for combat, and the Supratech Artemis for exploration. It was revealed that ground combat will involve bonuses for players with different suits and weapons, and players will also encounter enemy AI in ships and vehicles. The interview emphasized the importance of ships, settlements, and installations interacting with each other in meaningful ways to create a tactical gameplay experience.
Overall, the new information provided in the interview left viewers excited for the depth and potential of ground combat in Elite Dangerous Odyssey. The interview also mentioned that further forum questions will be addressed in future updates, adding to the anticipation for more details about the expansion.