Question for a totally new player

[gregfp66]

Hello,

i am mostly a (newer) player of elite dangerous. And i've heard about oolite and many others such as ffed3d and pioneer.

So my question is what are the main differences between them, except for the obvious point of the graphics. In gameplay??

Thanks for your answer.

[Disembodied]

Hi gregfp66, welcome to the boards! One main difference, obviously, is that Oolite is single-player. Another difference is that it's much, much smaller: only 2048 star systems, all pre-set, with no exploration as such. The star systems are all one-planet systems, and you're not going to find a world that no-one else has seen before. Although saying that: another main difference is that Oolite is customisable, using OXPs (which you can also modify and make yourself).

Oolite is a simple game: it's a remake of the 1984 original Elite, so at it's heart it's really just a 32K, 34-year-old piece of software. Although the essential idea - have ship, earn money, upgrade ship - is pretty much the same across all the Elite games. Personally, I've not played E:D, so I couldn't tell you much about actual differences in game mechanics … A couple of specific examples, though: in Oolite, ship movement is non-Newtonian - no inertia, no gravity. Also, fuel is only used for making interstellar jumps; you can fly around within a star system for as long as you like, and you won't use any fuel.

[another_commander]

another main difference is that Oolite is customisable, using OXPs (which you can also modify and make yourself).

Just wanted to emphasize this, because it is probably the main feature and "selling point", if you wish, of Oolite. Each player can set up their universe the way the feel like and I would be very surprised if there were two identical Oolite installations out there. When we talk customization, we are basically talking about everything: graphics and shaders, sound fx, missions, user interface, HUD layouts, AI, space and planets appearance and even exploration (there is an OXP or two in cicrulation that occlude systems not visited yet) and so on.

in Oolite, ship movement is non-Newtonian - no inertia, no gravity.

Even this one has been part of experimental customization. There has been at least one OXP (proof of concept) which played with thrust to simulate basic inertia. I guess the reason it did not get further was simply lack of interest from the players, but it could be something that could receive further work. Just mentioning it to demonstrate where the expansion capabilities of the game can reach.

One other important difference is that Oolite is completely non-player centric. Entities are spawned once as soon as the player enters a new system and immediately afterwards they are all let loose to carry out whatevert their AIs tell them to do. This happens whether the player is nearby to witness it or not. So you can arrive at asteroid fields where miners are mining, or you can see battles happening far out in the distance and you can join if you so wish. Or you can bump onto trader convoys slowly cruising towards the planet (or sun, if their AI tells them to go refuel before jumping out), bounty hunters and police patroling the system etc., you get the idea. There is also persistence regarding NPCs that are seen to be jumping out of the system. If you enter their wormhole you will find them on the other side of their jump. Sometimes, if you jump out in order to run away from a pirate attack, you may find that the pirates are following you through your own wormhole into the new system.

Finally, you will find that Oolite is a game that reveals itself very slowly. If you stick with it, you will be amazed at the things that you can find out while playing it. It is a slow but rewarding game.

[Cody]

Hi, and welcome.

... what are the main differences between them...

Might be easier to ask what are the similarities: a few ship names, a few planet names, a little history!

[stranger]

ED like almost all space sims is ready-to-consume product. Oolite for experienced gamer with minimal coding skills is construction set for making your game. You can even create your own star maps and systems with real astronomy as background. You can redefine vanilla game rules and make new game based on Oolite engine if you wish. And you can of course customize your own game without any coding skills just selecting your favorite add-ons from 500+ ones available in expansion packs manager.

[Alex]

I think most of the answers are missing the point.
Elite is a commercial game. Play them. And what is next? Buy the new update with new stuff?

Oolite you update yourself. And maybe add to it. It just does not end.
Try some of the missions. They can make you sweat a bit.
Elite you become ELITE
Oolite
get used to "Press Space" Even when you are ELITE.