Come the arrival of Elite Dangerous' major Odyssey expansion early next year, Commanders suffering from a severe case of butt-clench will finally be able to clamber out their cockpits and step foot on solid ground; planets we've already had a glimpse at, but now Frontier has offered a more thorough look at the interstellar japes awaiting players as they first-person their way around social hubs such as space stations and settlements as part of its latest developer video.

Players wanting to stretch their legs somewhere a little more lively than the relatively barren wastes of Elite Dangerous' new explorable planets can disembark at the likes of outposts, planetports, spaceports, even dustbowl-like settlements back on terra firms, and here they'll be able to find work, undertake missions, or simply do a bit of socialising with NPCs.

Odyssey will, of course, mark the first time Elite has had fully modelled and animated NPCS in-game (they'll be generated based on Elite's background simulation to reflect the dominant faction in a particular area), and they're able to move around, adding a bit of personality to the world, and giving players the opportunity to speak and interact with them.

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey | The Road to Odyssey Part 2 - Forging Your Path Watch on YouTube

One new NPC players might want to consult is the local representative for Apex Interstellar corporation, essentially a travel company selling tickets to and from ports within jump range. The idea here is that players can move about the galaxy even without a ship, for a relatively cheap fee, meaning those that don't want to strap into a cockpit and indulge in extensive space flight can still enjoy Elite's new on-foot gameplay.

One of Elite Dangerous' tasteful new station interiors.

And while Frontier isn't quite ready to fully breakdown Odyssey's on-foot action just yet, it reiterates that the primary way players will be able earn credits is by undertaking missions, although other options - such as scanning local flora for sellable data, or, more nefariously, stealing from settlements to sell on the black market - are available. Notably too, players will have access to a range of space suits, each geared toward specific play-styles, whether that be combat, exploration, or even scavenging for useful equipment in wrecks.

And that's pretty much your lot for now; expect plenty more information on Elite Dangerous: Odyssey as the paid expansion's early 2021 release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC draws nearer.