Elite: Dangerous lead designer Sandro Sammarco spoke with PC Gamer this week about the sci-fi title’s upcoming 1.2 patch. The major feature is of course wings, which will allow four players to patrol Elite’s vastness in a group.
In addition to receiving telemetry data on their wingmates (targets, hull status, etc.), grouped pilots will encounter “larger, more dangerous signal sources where single ships would be at a serious risk,” Sammarco says.
Why the four-player limit? “It prevents a single wing from being able to completely dominate through sheer numbers,” Sammarco explains. “There’s always room in any star system for more players than any single wing can accommodate but at the same time, a wing of four still represents a significant increase of capability over a lone vessel provided players cooperate effectively.” Finally, Sammarco says that in lieu of hard-coded wing commanders, players will be left to their own management devices. “Everyone in a wing has equal status and makes their own decisions. The wing is meant to be flexible and adaptable, always.”
Frontier currently plans to beta test the 1.2 patch in early March.
[Source: PC Gamer; thanks Colin!]
