The massive Update 8 for Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is now available. It is quite extensive, but there are notable additions and improvements to the game.
Performance Optimization
If you have played the title for a while, you will notice that the performance is not that good. This is true even if you are using a high-end PC. The reason is that the developers have not put too much attention toward optimization. But if you updated the game, the performance should be better now.
First, they tweaked how the game prioritizes shadows. This should help improve CPU performance. Second, the devs replaced tiled lighting with clustered lighting lists to improve how graphical elements are lit in certain areas. This includes the skin, glass, particles, and so on.
When it comes to rendering, the items, weapons, and accessories will now fade along with your commander if another commander is present in social spaces. This will lighten the load on the CPU and GPU, thereby increasing performance in areas where many things are happening.
New Engineers
Four new engineers are available in the Colonia Region. They are Baltanos, Eleanor Bresa, Rosa Dayette, and Yi Shen. For those who do not know, engineers can add modifications to your ships so they will exceed their baseline performance.
Each engineer has a unique specialization. For instance, Eleanor can modify your ship’s clip size, which means she can improve reload speed, ammo reserves, and more.
New Missions
New missions can be acquired once you’ve applied Update 8. You will come across certain people that can fulfill some of your mission objectives. Furthermore, there will be Odyssey missions where Bounty Hunters and Assassins come after you, so be prepared for them.
Emote and Marker System
Back then, if you wanted to greet other commanders, you’d have to crouch a couple of times just to let the other person know that you’re saying “Hi.” Of course, that is not a good way to do it. So, you will be stoked to find out that the developers have added some on-foot emotes.
There are eight new emotes available in Update 8. These are:
- Salute
- Wave
- Applaud
- Disagree
- Agree
- Point
- Stop
- Advance/Go
You can go to the settings menu and bind specific keys to each in the On-foot Emotes section. Alternatively, you can use the new Emote Wheel which works similarly to the On-foot Wheel but only with emotes.
If you want to know more about Elite Dangerous: Odyssey Update 8, you can head to the game’s official website.
