Elite: Best game of the 80's?

ozpass · 29-11-2002 2:46pm #1

After a quick stumble around Google to reminisce about the mighty Elite, I found this site:

http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/

It's by Ian Bell (co-author of Elite with David Braben) and has lots of info on the various Elite versions and sequels, as well as insider info. on the infamous breakdown of his partnership with Braben.

It's not uncommon to find 1980's game authors banging out quality PS2 titles these days but that doesn't seem to be the case with Ian. Quite a shame really.

Gordon · 29-11-2002 3:00pm

Austin, baby, Elite was definately the best game I played on my BBCB and if I could only get it for my Mac now

I actually read somewhere on the boards that someone was trying to make a new version of it. Have a search if you are interested.

I never actually read the "book" but the game didn't seem to incorporate much storyline into it did it?

Gah what a game! I used to pick on space stations when I got bored and kill all the Copper Vipers! Remember "Which space" with the "Thyroids" was it? If you didn't have a smart bomb you were buggered!

I never made it to Elite in the end I think my highest rank was Deadly.. maybe.

Ahhhhh

Gordon · 29-11-2002 3:03pm

Heh, they made a theme tune for the "musical"
http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/archive/b8060000.mp3

ozpass · 29-11-2002 3:08pm

Aaaaah the mysterious "Thargoids".

PC version which reverse-engineers the original BBC version here:

http://home.clara.net/cjpinder/newkindb.zip

I'm sure there was a mac port (unofficial) at some point..... I'll see if I can track it down.

Gordon · 29-11-2002 3:16pm

Austin, you are the Dude.
I have never got any of these emulators to work and this one does

Now, it has completely arsed up my screen settings but I can live with that now that I have Elite at work

I have never played with the colour version though, interesting.

Thanks baby, yeah.

ozpass · 29-11-2002 3:18pm

Always eager to please. "Right on commander!"

ozpass · 29-11-2002 3:26pm

Here you go Gordster-

A brand spanking new MacOS X Version of Elite available here:

http://homepage.mac.com/hallan/FileSharing1.html

Gordon · 29-11-2002 3:38pm

:eek:
Wooohooo!!

Time to bust some Vipers and buy some Narcotics!!

Thanks Oz, I owe you a Mining Laser!

ozpass · 29-11-2002 3:42pm

I'll call your mining laser and raise you a fuel scoop.

Gordon · 29-11-2002 3:46pm

po0k · 29-11-2002 4:38pm

I see your fuel scoop and raise you a Small Plasma Accelerator

Gordon · 29-11-2002 4:50pm

I match your plasma accelerator and throw a Galactic Hyperdrive into the fray.

steve-hosting36 · 01-12-2002 10:47pm

Did anyone ever reach elite?

After 14 months of consecutive play, over half a million credits, an utter iron-ass, and the ability to go anywhere and kill anything, I never quite reached elite - what the hell did yu have to do to complete that game!?!?!

It was partly to blame for having to repeat that year in school !! Damn apple II computers!!

Gordon · 02-12-2002 1:04pm

Nah, I got to Deadly but I'm going for Elite this time around!

steve-hosting36 · 02-12-2002 1:54pm

He He

ANy cheats ?

ozpass · 02-12-2002 1:59pm

There's one where you climb steeply before (J)umping to hyperspace that enables "witch space".

Not much room for 'easter eggs' in 22Kb though!

Gordon · 02-12-2002 2:01pm

oz baby, I can't get (G)alactic (H)yperdrive to work on the pc version. Is it just g and then h?

ozpass · 02-12-2002 2:04pm

You have to have purchased the Galactic Hyperdrive...

assuming you have, Ctrl + H will do the trick!

Gordon · 02-12-2002 2:07pm

ctr+H I see, the manuals say G and H.

Good stuff matey. (off to get that first mission ship blasted out of the feudal world)

Thorbar · 02-12-2002 2:31pm

A german company brought out a sequel to Elite I think called X:Beyond the frontier, which was utter pants if I remember correctly. Elite was my first experience of gaming when I was about 3 feet off the ground I used to play it on my brother's lap ah the start of a long addiction to space sims

.

Asuka · 02-12-2002 4:57pm

Best game of the 80s? Without a doubt. For me, its pretty close to being the best game ever.

A

LoGiE · 02-12-2002 5:07pm

Originally posted by Thorbar
A german company brought out a sequel to Elite I think called X:Beyond the frontier, which was utter pants if I remember correctly. Elite was my first experience of gaming when I was about 3 feet off the ground I used to play it on my brother's lap ah the start of a long addiction to space sims .

Nope X:BTF has no connection to elite or David Braben bar the fact it's also a space sim.

Elite David Braben Ian Bell
Frontier:Elite David Braben
Frontier: First Encounters David Braben

Earthhorse · 02-12-2002 10:48pm

Yeah, I reached the status of Elite alright. If you were launching attacks on space stations in your spare time you can't have been far off.

I had it on my old 386 and only ever came across two missions (not sure how it worked in other versions). One was to rescue hostages who then became slaves in your cargo, the other was to retrieve a piece of technology which turned out to be an invisibility device. You activated it by presseing 'i', then the screen turned blue and nobody could fire at you. It would overheat quite quickly though.

It came 63rd in Edge's top 100 games of all time and was aptly described as a game that "flatters rather than replaces the participant's imagination".

steve-hosting36 · 03-12-2002 12:49pm

Well, did anything happen when you reached Elite??

My poor old Apply II would crash periodically when the game tried to give me a mission, so that's what probably killed any hope I had

Gordon · 03-12-2002 1:04pm

Jeez I used to make attacks on space stations all the time and still never made Elite on my BeebyB

Asuka · 03-12-2002 4:27pm

Originally posted by Earthhorse
It came 63rd in Edge's top 100 games of all time and was aptly described as a game that "flatters rather than replaces the participant's imagination".

Yeah, Edge are full of shit.

A

ozpass · 03-12-2002 4:38pm

I actually like Edge- it's the only games magazine I actually buy. All the others give me a headace with their OTT layouts and under 14's target demographic.

I think they maybe rated Elite a little too low in this instance, though.

Does anyone know what the top 10 was?

I think I know where you're coming from regarding Edge though Asuka. Some members of the editorial team clearly spend a large portion of the day with photos of prominent Japanese games designers, man-sized tissues and industrial vats of vaseline.:p

Earthhorse · 03-12-2002 9:52pm

Sorry to dissapoint you guys but, much like a real life promotion, the only thing that changes when you reach Elite is your title.

LoGiE · 04-12-2002 1:50am

It was exactly the same in Frontier Elite II, having an elite status didn't really mean anything:(. However it did matter in First encounters for Special missions but AFAIK you only needed a ranking of dangerous in order to accept the military missions (Thargoid stuff/Turner) and competant for assination High risk missions. I Think I'll grab another copy of First encounters. If anyones interested in the next two Elite games take a look here
http://www.eliteclub.co.uk

Asuka · 04-12-2002 11:20am

Originally posted by ozpass
I actually like Edge- it's the only games magazine I actually buy. All the others give me a headace with their OTT layouts and under 14's target demographic.

I find that Edge goes to the other end of the spectrum though, being very elitist in their opinions and controversial for the sake of it. And they have a tendency to waffle Okama Game Sphere style rubbish with the assumption that anyone who doesnt know what theyre talking about is really stupid.

I think I know where you're coming from regarding Edge though Asuka. Some members of the editorial team clearly spend a large portion of the day with photos of prominent Japanese games designers, man-sized tissues and industrial vats of vaseline.:p

Thats not actually where im coming from

I mean, we've all done time with the japanese game designers and man size tissues, right? Guys? Youre all with me on this one, right? :rolleyes:

Seriously though, I just think they take a 'holier than thou' attitude, and when you can say that about somebody who makes their livelihood talking about computer games, you know theyve got a problem

A

BOP · 05-12-2002 4:37pm

I know its off the subject but I bought a copy of GamesTM ,It was its first issue I thinnk. Its well written with a fairly sober layout. Ther'e's an awesome retro section that flooded my head with memories from the 80's(rainbow Island *sniff*). Best of all, 5/10 means its average. Any body see Gamepro, every second game gets 4.5/5 :rolleyes:

Elite: Best game of the 80's?

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