Three days into Elite Dangerous: Three days into Odyssey Alpha, the mood around the space sim's next update is a bit testy. Currently, Frontier is addressing the two major problems of early testing, but perhaps not the more fundamental issues of Odyssey.

In early feedback posted on Steam last night, Frontier addressed accusations against the game's cheap cab service, Apex Interstellar. The studio recognizes that the fact that Apex is the only means of transportation, along with the sheer scale of the massive solar system used for testing, exacerbates the problem. But the root of the problem, that it sucks to spend time twiddling one's thumbs while someone else is flying around in space, is what Frontier is trying to solve.

"Currently, the limited interaction options during space travel make the time spent during space travel less attractive than other features of Odyssey," Frontier explains.

In the short term, they hope to move Alpha's starting point to a more central location and clarify when the mission will take the ultra-long-distance journey. However, Frontier also wants to improve the interactivity of the flight itself, and mentions "increased loadout and cosmetic customization" available during the flight.

Of course, I have some ideas of my own. Most of them involve cramming the shuttles with obnoxious tourists. But don't expect the cabs to simply go faster. The developers have made it clear (rightly so) that turning the system into a glorified fast travel is a massively disruptive move.

Frontier also responds to criticism that combat on foot is incredibly punitive. I have noticed that in PVP combat, it seems that offenders are blowing up pilots without the slightest penalty. However, what I have seen is that even Threat 0 missions have absolutely brutal NPCs, and Frontier plans to "re-evaluate" how it communicates mission difficulty up front.

It is encouraging to see the issue being resolved so quickly in Alpha's lifespan. However, Frontier's response does not address the more fundamental issues affecting the "Odyssey". The station is still a lifeless space full of dead-eyed Pixar characters, and the current loop of long flights to undercooked missions is simply miserable to play.

Hopefully, these problems will be alleviated when Odyssey's alpha version is released, giving these features greater context in the wider galaxy of Elite.