Wander round space stations and settlements in Elite Dangerous' latest Odyssey dev video
Plus NPCS! Space suits! More!
Come the arrival of Elite Dangerous' major Odyssey expansion early next year, Commanders suffering from a severe case of butt-clench will finally be able to clamber out their cockpits and step foot on solid ground; planets we've already had a glimpse at, but now Frontier has offered a more thorough look at the interstellar japes awaiting players as they first-person their way around social hubs such as space stations and settlements as part of its latest developer video.
Players wanting to stretch their legs somewhere a little more lively than the relatively barren wastes of Elite Dangerous' new explorable planets can disembark at the likes of outposts, planetports, spaceports, even dustbowl-like settlements back on terra firms, and here they'll be able to find work, undertake missions, or simply do a bit of socialising with NPCs.
Odyssey will, of course, mark the first time Elite has had fully modelled and animated NPCS in-game (they'll be generated based on Elite's background simulation to reflect the dominant faction in a particular area), and they're able to move around, adding a bit of personality to the world, and giving players the opportunity to speak and interact with them.
One new NPC players might want to consult is the local representative for Apex Interstellar corporation, essentially a travel company selling tickets to and from ports within jump range. The idea here is that players can move about the galaxy even without a ship, for a relatively cheap fee, meaning those that don't want to strap into a cockpit and indulge in extensive space flight can still enjoy Elite's new on-foot gameplay.
And while Frontier isn't quite ready to fully breakdown Odyssey's on-foot action just yet, it reiterates that the primary way players will be able earn credits is by undertaking missions, although other options - such as scanning local flora for sellable data, or, more nefariously, stealing from settlements to sell on the black market - are available. Notably too, players will have access to a range of space suits, each geared toward specific play-styles, whether that be combat, exploration, or even scavenging for useful equipment in wrecks.
And that's pretty much your lot for now; expect plenty more information on Elite Dangerous: Odyssey as the paid expansion's early 2021 release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC draws nearer.