Buy British - Elite Dangerous

[Studio25]

For those of you old enough to remember the original Elite by David Braben and Ian Bell that came out on the BBC B microcomputer, then ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 et al, there is a new crowdfunded project by Braben (OBE) that's due to be published in under a week: Elite Dangerous

Elite Dangerous


You'll need at least a quad-core 2GHz CPU, a decent video card, and an always-on internet connection. It's possible to play with just NPCs (i.e. you don't meet any real humans while playing) but the commodities market data is updated live, which is why the connection is needed.

[Studio25]

The original Elite

[Neil]

The two versions look exactly the same. What a jump in 30 years

[Mick]

Used to play the original elite on the Amiga great game

[Guinness]

Originally Posted by Neil

The two versions look exactly the same. What a jump in 30 years

yup....this is just how I remember playing my spectrum 48k wireframe version on a portable tv

[Restless]

Remember having the cassette for the spectrum but not the special glasses that allowed you to unlock the actual game

[Restless]

Thanks for the negative karma and just writing "T" for the above comment I made. "T" really was intuitive and I have learned SO MUCH from your anonymous contribution

I hope it made you feel better. However I would just like to point out that I don't care all that much about karma as you do, you wasted your pathetic energy with your pathetic attempt to bother me.

Lenslok™ is a copy protection mechanism found in some computer games and other software on the 8-bit Atari computers, Commodore 64, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Sinclair QL, MSX and Amstrad CPC. The most famous game to use it was Elite for the ZX Spectrum.

The Lenslok device was essentially a row of prisms arranged vertically in a plastic holder. Before the game started, a two-letter code was displayed on the screen, but it was corrupted by being split into vertical bands which were then rearranged on screen. By viewing these bands through the Lenslok they were restored to their correct order and the code could be read and entered allowing access to the game. The device was small enough when folded flat to fit next to an audio cassette in a standard case.

In order for the Lenslok to work correctly the displayed image has to be the correct size. This meant that before each use the software needed to be calibrated to take account of the size of the display. Users found this setup particularly annoying, at least in part due to the poor instructions that were initially shipped. Additionally, the device could not be calibrated at all for very large and very small televisions, and some games shipped with mismatched Lensloks that prevented the code from being correctly descrambled. The Lenslok system was not used in later releases of Elite.

Software that used the Lenslok system:

Elite, released by Firebird
OCP Art Studio, released by Rainbird
Fighter Pilot, released by Digital Integration
Tomahawk, released by Digital Integration
TT Racer, released by Digital Integration
Jewels of Darkness, released by Level 9 Computing
The Price of Magik, released by Level 9 Computing
Silicon Dreams, released by Level 9 Computing
ACE, released by Cascade Games Ltd
Graphic Adventure Creator, released by Incentive Software
Moon Cresta, released by Incentive Software
Supercharge, released by Digital Precision

[Studio25]

Sunday night I went over to a "conflict zone" where the farmers were fighting the federation over a commodity called "onion head". Unfortunately, I had about ten tonnes of the stuff in my cargo hold, so as soon as I got scanned, the federation opened fire on me. Luckily, I had enough money to pay for the insurance on my ship, so I got a new one and went back. I didn't slow down as I arrived and rammed into the capital ship that was arriving at the same time.

Third time's a charm - I managed to grab a quick vid of the capital ship arriving, then I went off for a fight and managed to bank 51,000 before getting blown up. Again.

It's taken me about four hours in the meantime (on and off) to get my finances back to the point where I can go in and have a scrap or two and still have enough money for insurance if I'm blown up.

[Gremlin]

It sounds a very dangerous and financially disasterous occupation you are involved in.
I'm totally baffled by it all.
I think I will stick to my Meccano.

[Restless]

DUDE! you play Euro Truck Simulator

[Gremlin]

If you are referring to me restless I can assure you I don't play any games or even heard of Euro truck simulator.
I've seen enough of trucks in my lifetime to try to forget them.

[Restless]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

If you are referring to me restless I can assure you
I don't play any games or even heard of Euro truck simulator.
I've seen enough of trucks in my lifetime to try to forget them.

Nah, Referring to studio...I looked at some of the other videos on his channel some of which have Euro Truck Simulator. I am in a gaming clan and couple of the guys also play that game. Personally I am not a major fan of driving games, but this one definitely not Its slightly more interesting than flight simulator. However each to his own...

[Studio25]

Originally Posted by Restless

Nah, Referring to studio...I looked at some of the other videos on his channel some of which have Euro Truck Simulator. I am in a gaming clan and couple of the guys also play that game. Personally I am not a major fan of driving games, but this one definitely not Its slightly more interesting than flight simulator. However each to his own...

Yep - ETS definitely isn't a game you can expect extended play from.

Having said that, I think all learner drivers should play it at least once. It certainly teaches that trucks don't stop or accelerate particularly well, and if you pull out in front of one without looking, it's not going to end well.