Acornsoft Elite

[Lardo Boffin]

Yikes!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174279326265

I hope whoever wins it is able to make an image of it!

Looks like the HFE archive has only the original model B Elite unless I'm mistaken. Needs Superior Elite as well as the master enhanced Acornsoft and this 6502 co-pro disc!


Cheers
Chris

I have the Master Enhanced and Superior Soft version - both working I think. Happy to test and post them to somebody when the current situation improves.

[scarybeasts]

I hope whoever wins it is able to make an image of it!

Looks like the HFE archive has only the original model B Elite unless I'm mistaken. Needs Superior Elite as well as the master enhanced Acornsoft and this 6502 co-pro disc!


Cheers
Chris

I have the Master Enhanced and Superior Soft version - both working I think. Happy to test and post them to somebody when the current situation improves.

That's a great offer -- but I'm working on a tool that should enable people to archive discs to HFE with good fidelity with only a beeb (no special hardware needed). Would you be willing to see if it is able to archive these two discs?

Few possible issues to get out of the way:
1) Currently the tool requires an 8271 equipped beeb. I intend to add 1770 support once I've purchased a 1770 board.
2) It currently only works on discs that were mastered track-at-a-time and not written since. This does seem to apply to many / most(?) commercial discs -- including my original model B Acornsoft Elite disc.
3) You need a way to get the data off the beeb. Currently it writes data to the "disc" in drive 1 and for me that's a Gotek with a DSD file mapped in.

Do you happen to have an 8271 equipped beeb to try this with?


Cheers
Chris

[Lardo Boffin]

I only have an Opus Challenger 3 - thats 1770 I think.

Sounds like a very useful tool!

[Lardo Boffin]

Having recently got a copy for the Elk here is my Elite collection:

The two Acornsoft on the middle right are cassette and disc.

[trixster]

Good collection! I'm trrying to 'catch' them all - currently 35 different editions.

[Lardo Boffin]

Good collection! I'm trrying to 'catch' them all - currently 35 different editions.

35! Does that include the Tatung Einstein version? Only ever seen one copy of that for sale.

[trixster]

It does! that was quite hard to find

I think there are 39 ‘official’ releases if:

1) you count budget as well as full price, and if you count the Acorn User covedisk release and the Amstrad Action cover tape release,

2) and you don’t count compilations, you count the 5 NES language versions as one, and you don’t count the very late Sam Coupe version by Revelation which apparently had some licensing issues.

I could well be wrong with my estimate

[drfloyd]

ELITE seems to be the CULT game in UK Especially on BBC !

Shame that it was not possible to code the incredible ELITE II FRONTIER on BBC ! (ST, Amiga, PC)

[Naomasa298]

ELITE seems to be the CULT game in UK Especially on BBC !

Shame that it was not possible to code the incredible ELITE II FRONTIER on BBC ! (ST, Amiga, PC)

Elite first came out on the BBC.

I imagine Frontier would need a lot more processing power than the Beeb had. Those machines were 16 bit and had 512kb+.

Mind you, the Archimedes...

[sydney]

1) you count budget as well as full price, and if you count the Acorn User covedisk release and the Amstrad Action cover tape release,

I'm pretty sure one of the C64 magazines had it on the cover tape too. Possibly Commodore Format.

[trixster]

Ah, interesting, I’ll have a search

[drfloyd]

ELITE seems to be the CULT game in UK Especially on BBC !

Shame that it was not possible to code the incredible ELITE II FRONTIER on BBC ! (ST, Amiga, PC)

Elite first came out on the BBC.

I imagine Frontier would need a lot more processing power than the Beeb had. Those machines were 16 bit and had 512kb+.

Mind you, the Archimedes...

Strange that Braben has not published an Archimedes version of Frontier !

[trixster]

I would’ve rather had an Archimedes version of Exile

[drfloyd]

Exile is also the great star

[billcarr2005]

I think there are 39 ‘official’ releases if:

1) you count budget as well as full price, and if you count the Acorn User covedisk release and the Amstrad Action cover tape release,

2) and you don’t count compilations, you count the 5 NES language versions as one, and you don’t count the very late Sam Coupe version by Revelation which apparently had some licensing issues.

I could well be wrong with my estimate

Do you ever play the game?
Or examine the media?
There are possibly 4 different variants of SNG38 with differing protection and different code!

[trixster]

I play the game all the time, when I have the time. I know that scarybeasts is interested in looking at the different variants with differing copy protection

[AJW]

ELITE seems to be the CULT game in UK Especially on BBC !

Shame that it was not possible to code the incredible ELITE II FRONTIER on BBC ! (ST, Amiga, PC)

Elite first came out on the BBC.

I imagine Frontier would need a lot more processing power than the Beeb had. Those machines were 16 bit and had 512kb+.

Mind you, the Archimedes...

Always thought it was possible on the Master at least if only with wireframe graphics. But what else did Elite 2 have? Planet landing, alliances, more missions?

[Naomasa298]

Always thought it was possible on the Master at least if only with wireframe graphics. But what else did Elite 2 have? Planet landing, alliances, more missions?

More ships (and you could change ships), a lot more detail in systems (e.g. Sol had predefined stations and planets), different and varying missions. I don't recall being able to land on planets though.

[Elk2019]

Can anyone confirm if the Electron version of Elite supported analogue or digital joystick? If u pause the game and hit "J" it beeps to confirm.

[sydney]

Always thought it was possible on the Master at least if only with wireframe graphics. But what else did Elite 2 have? Planet landing, alliances, more missions?

More ships (and you could change ships), a lot more detail in systems (e.g. Sol had predefined stations and planets), different and varying missions. I don't recall being able to land on planets though.

Frontier definitely had landing on planets. Why not give Eilte A a try? You can buy other ships and I think there are other changes too but I'm not sure what they are as I've not played it in years. It's bloody hard though, I remember that much!

[drfloyd]

Elite 1 with landing on planets, on city.... my GOD !

David Braben, come back on Acorn BBC, do ELITE REMAKE for BBC MASTER 128 !!!!!!!!!

[Yrrah2]

Can anyone confirm if the Electron version of Elite supported analogue or digital joystick? If u pause the game and hit "J" it beeps to confirm.

I used the analogue joysticks on the Elk version.

[fwibbler]

I think doing it on a Master would be a bit of a tall order.
I was always disappointed that they didn't make an Archimedes version though. It could have been so much better than the ST and Amiga versions.

[drfloyd]

I think doing it on a Master would be a bit of a tall order.
I was always disappointed that they didn't make an Archimedes version though. It could have been so much better than the ST and Amiga versions.

yes, do we know the reason why no Archimedes version in 1993 ???????

[danielj]

yes, do we know the reason why no Archimedes version in 1993 ???????

Market = Tiny.

[drfloyd]

it was strange to see this game on ST and Amiga as the machines (68000 8mhz) where slow and "end-carrier"

[Yrrah2]

I think doing it on a Master would be a bit of a tall order.
I was always disappointed that they didn't make an Archimedes version though. It could have been so much better than the ST and Amiga versions.

You mean an Elite version where you could land? Or any Elite at all?

[drfloyd]

I talk of course about ELITE 2 FRONTIER

[danielj]

I don't think anyone sees that as anything but a PC/Amiga game. It certainly didn't feel "canonical" and the realistic physics were horrible if you'd come from the original.

[trixster]

I agree with that, Daniel. I spent a lot of time trying to get into Frontier, but it was ultimately little fun compared to the original. As a simulation of the galaxy and a feat of coding, i’m sure it was remarkable, but that wasn’t what I was after as a teenager in the 1990s. It also didn’t help that my A500 and then A1200 were too slow to run it smoothly.