This could be the space sim I was hoping X-Rebirth was going to be!
Star Citizen won't be here until 2015 so check this out.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous

Most of the videos are of combat, but I found this showing the scale of the stations and the docking sequence.



This is the docking sequence.

I think some gaming journalists played this with the Oculus Rift. It was supposedly the best experience on the Oculus so far. Probably because you'll just be sitting down both in-game as well as in real life. And that does sound like a lot of fun.

The Beta is released this Tuesday 29th July.

http://elite.frontier.co.uk/

Looking great, but at 60 euros is not cheap!
I'm tempted though



EDIT: Beta is available for download, so I've taken the plunge!

WOW! What an amazing game. This is just how I imagined how a 'space sim' should be.
Because it is still in Beta there are a few features yet to come, but single and multi player are available.
I'm learning the ropes in single player to begin. I'm afraid some kid will destroy my ship for fun meaning all the upgrades are lost!
At the moment I'm concentrating on trading, avoiding any conflict if possible.

I will bring an update when I'm more familiar with the game

Here are a couple of useful links for any Elite Commanders out there.

First up is Thrudd's Trading Tool.
This is great for finding the best trading routes, and finding particular commodities for bulletin board jobs.
I tried a few other tools but found this to be the easiest to use.

http://www.elitetradingtool.co.uk/


Secondly is Elite Shipyard.

http://eliteshipyard.nfshost.com/

I spent ages trying to work out the best combination of Drives, weapons, cargo space and jump distance for my ship.
With this tool I managed to squeeze in an extra 28 cargo spaces without loosing shields.
So far the ships included go up to the Type 7 but soon all will be there.

I found some very useful info regarding exploration.
Included are good video tutorials on navigation etc.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=81653

I have loaded out an Asp as an all-rounder so it is hard hitting in combat and is also exploration capable (at the cost of a reduced jump range) With this setup I can also carry 100T of cargo.

For my big bucks earner I have a Type 7 (200T cargo space) sat in the hangar.

Looks like you are really getting into the game.

Quote:

sfscriv wrote:
Looks like you are really getting into the game.

I'm loving it so far. In a way, it can be compared to Euro Truck Sim.

It is basically hauling cargo from A to B for cash to upgrade your ship, with stunning visuals and amazing sound and music.
It is surprisingly relaxing and satisfying as is Truck Sim.

Other than trading cargo you can also make cash by taking on Combat jobs, Exploration, Mining or Piracy.
To do any of these you have to own a ship suitable for the task and outfit it accordingly. Or, you can compromise and set up to do a bit of everything.

Great game. They have nailed it IMO

I can't believe the first post was a year ago!

Anyway, here is the latest patch. This is being implemented at this moment, so I'm hoping to test it out later.

These guys are serious!

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=123776

If anyone is thinking of returning to Elite when the Horizons update arrives check this tool out for trading routes.

As I do a lot of trading I think this looks really cool (and useful)

http://etn.io/#

This is the trading tool I usually use:
http://www.elitetradingtool.co.uk/

These tools are great for planning your ship loadouts etc.(just a reminder)
http://www.edshipyard.com/
http://coriolis.io/