Saddle up, space cowboys: Phase one of Elite Dangerous’s first-ever Interstellar Initiative has begun. Announced earlier this month, Interstellar Initiatives are “a series of in-game events and narratives that play out over the course of approximately a month,” with each one featuring “several phases that will alter as the story progresses and may end with lasting effects on the galaxy.”
The debut Interstellar Initiative is called Bridging the Gap, and the story behind its first phase seems fairly mundane: In light of “increasing demand for Guardian commodities” — Guardians being an extinct alien civilization whose ruins and constructs are sprinkled throughout the galaxy — Zende Partners has announced its plans to set up a ferry service to shuttle players from the core systems to former Guardian space, which the corporation hopes “will stimulate new innovations in the field of Guardian-human technology,” and it’s inviting the galactic community (i.e., the players) to decide on the location of the ferry’s terminus.
Players can head to the game’s forums to vote on which of the five possible systems they want to become the site of a new outpost and the destination for the new ferry from the Zende system. Community reaction to the announcement has been split: While some players seem excited about the event, others feel that the premiere Interstellar Initiative’s being little more than a forum poll is a bit underwhelming. Perhaps opinions will change as the event progresses after the polls close on May 6th.
