Elite: Dangerous will not support promised offline mode

Elite: Dangerous will not support the planned offline mode when it launches next month.

Frontier Developments had plans to offer two modes for Elite: Dangerous. The first was the changing and dynamic online mode, and the other was the single-player offline mode. This is no longer the case however, according to director David Braben.

Braben explained why Frontier reached this decision in the latest newsletter.

"Galaxy, story, missions, have to match, and it does mean the single player has to connect to the server from time to time, but this has the added advantage that everyone can participate in the activities that can happen in the galaxy," he said.

"A fully offline experience would be unacceptably limited and static compared to the dynamic, ever unfolding experience we are delivering.

"Being online lets us constantly both curate and evolve the galaxy, with stories unfolding according to the actions of commanders. Exploration is also a key factor, too, and it is important that what a single player explores matches what other players explore whether single or multiplayer – a complex, coherent world – something we have achieved."

A reaction thread has appeared on the official forums. It currently has close to 400 pages that are mostly negative reactions.

Executive producer Michael Brookes Michael Brookes has taken to thread to try and explain a bit more.

"The problem is that the galaxy mechanics all sit on the online servers," he began.

"The data set and processes are huge and not something that would translate offline without considerable compromise to the vision. Trust me we didn't sit down and think what would annoy people the most! It's a choice we've had to make and so we've taken it."

Elite: Dangerous is out December 16.