Elite Dangerous promises players many freedoms. However, it seems that the fans are not as free as they thought, as demonstrated by a reconnaissance mission that was recently sabotaged by the developers.
Most fans probably envisioned this differently: A long-planned exploration mission failed because the developers of the space online game intervened.
A thrilling expedition fails
What happened? A group of about 11,000 Elite Dangerous players planned to explore the Cone Sector. This is an unexplored area of space in the game.
The large jump ship Gnosis was supposed to be used for this, with which the players wanted to travel to the Cone Sector. The expedition was preceded by a long and detailed planning process. The event was even approved by the developer studio, as the Cone Sector is actually a zone not accessible to players.
Developers intervene: However, everything turned out differently. Accidentally, the developer studio published an article before the ship’s departure, stating that the Gnosis had been destroyed by an attack from the alien Thargoids.
The expedition team was confused but considered it a mistake and started the mission. But it happened exactly as stated in the article. Already after 12 light-years, the Thargoids appeared. A massive battle ensued, during which the Gnosis was destroyed.
Fans are angry – A big disappointment
Here’s why the players are angry now: Even though it was an unprecedented space battle in Elite Dangerous, the expedition participants are not thrilled.
On one hand, hardly anyone was equipped for the fight, and on the other hand, the players assumed that the developers of the game were in agreement with the expedition. After all, they had previously given their approval. The attack by the Thargoids seemed to suggest that the developer studio was intentionally sabotaging the mission. Furthermore, there were numerous bugs during the space battle.
In the official forum and also via Reddit, the disappointed players are voicing their frustration.
This is how the developers react: Frontier Developments has since commented on this matter. However, the explanation only pours more oil on the fire. Community Manager Will Flanagan explained that the Cone Sector will remain closed due to lore and content. That jump ships being able to reach this area is a mistake in the game.
Players are angry about this statement. Because apparently, it was from the developers’ side never intended for anyone to reach this space sector. Instead of simply canceling the event with a logical reason, they let the players believe that the expedition could succeed and that they would discover something new in the end.
The fact that all the preparations then went up in smoke in a Thargoid attack that didn’t even function properly was a huge disappointment for the fans.
