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Acorn Arcade forums: Games: Arc elite
 
  Arc elite
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steve Message #112566, posted by coleco at 08:56, 30/12/2009
Member
Posts: 1
Hi guys i have been looking all over for a answer to this, im sure you will know. I just got a A300 to play Elite, not played it since the BBc days, but i hate to use the mouse, so simple question. How can i just use the keys? there must be a way to stop the mouse and then enable the keys.

Cheers

Steve
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Jason Togneri Message #112568, posted by filecore at 10:39, 30/12/2009, in reply to message #112566

Posts: 3867
You'll find there's an icon bar icon that you click on to launch the game; use the menu (middle) button on that, and you'll find options for keyboard/mouse/joystick setup.

ArcElite is the best version ev4r, more so because the mouse+keyboard combo rocks! BBC version was keyboard-only because nobody had mice back then. Why you'd want to go back to keyboard-only is a mystery. Everybody knows keyboard control is only for yaw boosters.

elite
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Blind Moose Message #112572, posted by Acornut at 13:51, 30/12/2009, in reply to message #112566
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
i hate to use the mouse
A common enogh problem, due to the sensitivity. Just let the 'baddies' come up behind you, and let them 'have it' on the rear view, till you get used to using the mouse.
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Jason Togneri Message #112573, posted by filecore at 20:04, 30/12/2009, in reply to message #112572

Posts: 3867
i hate to use the mouse
A common enogh problem, due to the sensitivity.
Sensitivity? Either turn it down a bit or just don't thrash the mouse around like a spastic. I've certainly never had a problem and I've played various Elites with various control systems (including the Palm version on a Dell PDA).

Just let the 'baddies' come up behind you, and let them 'have it' on the rear view, till you get used to using the mouse.
That's a cheap method, but with fewer than three enemies, you'll hardly have a chance to die. Besides, in ArcElite, a Cobra Mk III can outrun most baddies (with the exception of another Cobra), unless they're really very close, when they can magically keep pace with you. But at that range, they're easy to blast into dust.
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Blind Moose Message #112574, posted by Acornut at 20:27, 30/12/2009, in reply to message #112573
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
thrash the mouse around like a spastic.
Tut Tut! Is this politically correct? laugh
I've certainly never had a problem and
Na Nana Na Na! elite I'm such a Hero naughty
That's a cheap method
Yeah! But it works for us 'mostly harmless', old farts!Pukey
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Jason Togneri Message #112580, posted by filecore at 07:01, 31/12/2009, in reply to message #112574

Posts: 3867
thrash the mouse around like a spastic.
Tut Tut! Is this politically correct?
Not in the slightest. <rant>Given how political-correctness is being horribly over- (and ab-)used, I don't really see who it hurts. And yes, the four-year-old son of one of my best friends has Down's Syndrome, so I'm not living in a fantasy world where such things aren't real for me. I just think people are too quick to jump up in outrage and take offence at the tiniest thing.</rant>

As for the game... Do You Have What It Takes To Be One Of The Élite?
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Blind Moose Message #112589, posted by Acornut at 14:32, 31/12/2009, in reply to message #112580
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
Not in the slightest.
Good Boy! The Iron Lord
As for the game... One Of The Élite?
Yup! Afraid so. Both as a fugative Devil and clean.Angel
But that was a lifetime ago,Playpen and I used a marconi trackerball! shock
I think I might have 'smiley-flu'!!!! Pukey piggy
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Jason Togneri Message #112591, posted by filecore at 14:35, 31/12/2009, in reply to message #112589

Posts: 3867
Yup! Afraid so. Both as a fugative and clean.
Did you know: the number of police Vipers you need to kill, starting from a completely clean profile, to reach the vaunted status of fugitive... is nine. On the first kill your status becomes "offender" and stays there until the eighth. When you bag your ninth, it changes to "fugitive". And the number of pirates I then had to kill to bring it back down to "offender"? Two wink
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Jason Togneri Message #112592, posted by filecore at 14:44, 31/12/2009, in reply to message #112591

Posts: 3867
Incidentally, if you've reached Elite and feel like tinkering with the game, here's a handy collection of editors and cheat modules to make things more interesting...

Detailed descriptions:

Cheats
----------
!Elite+ - Commander Editor
!EliteCht - Commander Editor
!EliteEdit - Commander Editor (the best one)
!EliteTrad - believed to be a trading editor
!EliteExt - fluffy dice and back windown sticker!
!EliteHack - Commander Editor
PassHack - as you can probably guess, a password hacker for older versions...
!RevMous - module which allows the mouse to be reversed, it also allows four preset mouse steps and one user definable.

Mods
----------
Elite114+
CheatMod - 1.10 (12-Jul-1994)

"Elite (Acorn User version 1.14)Matt Browne, 20th July 1995"
This version works with the copy of Elite given out by Acorn User on its August 1995 coverdisc.


# 10000 extra credits
# 10 extra light years of fuel
# Nice lasers
# Infinite, instant-kill missiles
# Infinite energy bombs
# No energy loss - invincibility
# Instant hyperspace
# Speed : Dead stop
# Speed : Warp factor 1
# Speed : Warp factor 2

----------

Elite114++
CheatMod - 1.10 (12-Jul-1994)

"Elite v1.14 supplied with Acorn User Keith McKillop"
Plasma Lasers only work on Mining and Pulse lasers!


# Infintate 'Insta-Kill' Missile
# Dead Stop
# Mega Speed!
# Increase Speed
# Decrease Speed
# Add 1000 Light years of Fuel
# Mega Hard Shields
# Small Plasma Accelerator
# Insta Hyper
# Large Plasma Accelerator
# Black lasers all round
# Military Lasers all round
# Insta Dock
# Insta Escape Capsule
# Kool Liquid Helium Lasers
# 100000t Cargo Hold

----------

Elite114+++
CheatMod - 1.10 (12-Jul-1994)

"Élite (v. 1·14) Richard Goodwin (with a bit by Matt Browne), My cheat for 1.02 re-worked for 1.14"

# Dead stop
# Double speed
# Warp factor 8 Mr. Crusher!
# Shields to maximum
# Huge shields, energy etc.
# Wipe clean legal status
# Fuel enough to cross galaxy
# Add a few quid
# Military lasers all round
# Beam lasers all round
# Refit ship (+missiles)
# Add a bit of cargo
# Instant hyperspace
# Mining lasers all round
# Minimal ship
# Laser never heats
# Infinite, instant-kill missiles
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Blind Moose Message #112593, posted by Acornut at 14:58, 31/12/2009, in reply to message #112592
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
Gorsh!! I never see the point of cheats!
Only 1 rule in this game. NEVER let the autopilot land for you, when you have a call of nature. Crybaby
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VinceH Message #112601, posted by VincceH at 21:16, 31/12/2009, in reply to message #112593
VincceH
Lowering the tone since the dawn of time

Posts: 1600
Gorsh!! I never see the point of cheats!
Nor do I when it comes to initially playing the game through - they defeat the object IMO - but Jason did say "if you've reached Elite and feel like tinkering with the game".
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Blind Moose Message #112603, posted by Acornut at 22:29, 31/12/2009, in reply to message #112601
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
reached Elite and feel like tinkering .
Fair enough. Good point. BUT....
Now Steve is in a quandary.
Temptation rears its ugly head! Drool
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Jason Togneri Message #112608, posted by filecore at 23:53, 31/12/2009, in reply to message #112603

Posts: 3867
I also don't cheat until I win - and then I cheat the heck out of them, just for fun, and to see what I can do (notarget followed by multispawning enemies and friendly NPCs in HL2 is a favourite).

Incidentally, docking computer in ArcElite - it works fine unless you manage to shoot the station, in which case it'll point you straight at it and attempt to kill you.
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Blind Moose Message #112619, posted by Acornut at 11:49, 1/1/2010, in reply to message #112608
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
docking computer in ArcElite - to kill you.
I seem to remember, on 1 occasion, trying to be a 'goody-two-shoes', not firing my weapons at all, not carrying anything contraband, and just outrunning, and avoiding conflict. I arrived at a space-station 'safe' zone engaged the 'autopilot' and left to answer the doorbell.(Usual thing a couple of JW's) Upon my return, instead of being safely landed. Game Over.annoying me
On another mission I watched in horror as, it slammed into, not 1 but 2 vessels as they were leaving, with the same result.
So! From then on, I used the pause button.smile
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Jason Togneri Message #112620, posted by filecore at 12:06, 1/1/2010, in reply to message #112619

Posts: 3867
From then on, I used the pause button.smile
Once I'm in the station zone, it takes me half a minute to dock (unless you're unlucky enough to jump to the very outer edge of the zone). Docking manually is easy; the computer is merely a vanity item (and a source of amusement in witchspace with the phantom space station beacons). You needn't match rotation - just a quick flick at the last moment, docking at full throttle. You can also dock at various angles, including upside-down and the technically impossible sideways. I have screenshots to prove it is possible.
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Blind Moose Message #112627, posted by Acornut at 16:50, 1/1/2010, in reply to message #112620
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
technically impossible sideways
Yeah, ended up just flicking it in at full speed.
But we musn't give it all away to Steve.wink
Tried destroying a space-station once. You know, Tab bomb etc. Like poking a wasps nest!
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Jason Togneri Message #112629, posted by filecore at 17:45, 1/1/2010, in reply to message #112627

Posts: 3867
Tried destroying a space-station once. You know, Tab bomb etc. Like poking a wasps nest!
If I recall correctly, a Coriolis space station (grey cube with the corners cut off, poor systems) has 20,000 HP and a Dodecahedral (20-sided, blue, rich systems) has 35,000 HP. Your basic pulse laser (red) lops off 1 HP per shot, while your beam and mining lasers (orange and green) take off 2 HP. Military lasers (white) take off 3 HP per shot. In comparison, a typical Cobra Mk III and Viper both have 7 HP worth of shields. So yes, destroying a space station the long way is possible, but it'll take you a while. I think missiles knock off 10 or perhaps 15 HP per hit, I have a terrible memory though smile
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Blind Moose Message #112631, posted by Acornut at 17:57, 1/1/2010, in reply to message #112629
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
terrible memory though smile
I wish mine was half as good!Crybaby
So how many for a TAB bomb?
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Jason Togneri Message #112633, posted by filecore at 19:24, 1/1/2010, in reply to message #112631

Posts: 3867
So how many for a TAB bomb?
It's called an Energy Bomb; it's merely activated by the Tab key. I don't know if it has a specific value - it will just destroy any ships within scanner range (even those visible only as distant pixels). I spent many years playing, messing with, and generally hacking around ArcElite and could provide a list of fun things for you to try, if you're interested.

Also I'm still collecting screenshots. I once made an attempt at collecting all the ships being towed by Vipers (did you know that Vipers tow ships whose escape pods have been ejected but which haven't been destroyed?). You can see it here.

And finally, if you're as much of an ArcElite anorak as I am, you might enjoy my CSOL (a multiplatform-friendly RTF document).

EDIT: I've laboured over a hot computer for minutes and minutes to hand-code (yes! Hand-code!) this beautifully minimalist HTML table version of the CSOL for your viewing pleasure: http://www.filecore.net/arcelite/files/csol/

[Edited by filecore at 20:58, 1/1/2010]
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Blind Moose Message #112636, posted by Acornut at 23:44, 1/1/2010, in reply to message #112633
Acornut No-eye-deer (No Idea)

Posts: 487
ArcElite anorak
WOW!!!What a truly amazing hive of elite information you are.blush
I don't think I'm quite in your league.indiff Just a boring old fart, that started out on a BBC B tape version, progressed to the A3000, and rpc
Did have a small foray on my old Amiga ( washes mouth out with soap ) I think it was called Frontier. It looked pretty, but IMO had crap game play.Pukey
Now days I'm more into flight-sim-x, yoke, pedals, throttles etc.Flying Piggy
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Jason Togneri Message #112638, posted by filecore at 07:33, 2/1/2010, in reply to message #112636

Posts: 3867
FE2 and FFE (Frontier: Elite 2 and Frontier: First Encounters) were physics-based flight rather than arcade-based, as in the original versions. I found them rather dull, although they have quite an extant fanbase, even today. For me (and many others), ArcElite is and always will be the definitive version, after the BBC versions of course!
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richard cheng Message #112683, posted by richcheng at 13:03, 6/1/2010, in reply to message #112568

Posts: 655
ArcElite is the best version ev4r, more so because the mouse+keyboard combo rocks! BBC version was keyboard-only because nobody had mice back then.
I never managed to successfully do anything in Beeb Elite till I bought a joystick. I never managed to get anywhere in ArcElite because my joystick didn't work with it unhappy.

Afterwards I got up to Deadly before I got bored and the computer got put in the loft.
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Simon Challands Message #112688, posted by SimonC at 17:49, 6/1/2010, in reply to message #112683
Elite
Right on, Commander!

Posts: 398
Never used a joystick for anything much. BBC Elite was fine with the keys, and ArcElite with the mouse. The only problem with the mouse is that it takes a bit of getting used to (this thread isn't the first I've seen about wanting to know how to switch to keys).

One point about the mouse - check that automatic damping is turned on. This makes it much easier to avoid going out of control. It's toggled with CAPS LOCK, and if CAPS LOCK is off (which it usually is on most computers these days) then damping will be off.

The docking computer is fairly simple. It aims you for a point in front of the station, then turns to face the entrance and dock. If it has to fly through the station to get you to that point it will try to do so, and this is when it'll kill you. That's fairly easy to spot (simply don't use it if the station appears in front of the planet instead of to the side). Oh, and it ignores other ships, so might crash you into those too.
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Paul Gibbs Message #115261, posted by Hokum at 10:59, 6/9/2010, in reply to message #112638
Member
Posts: 38
Did Frontier ever make it to the Arc? I loved it on my Amoeba 500 (my parents had a arc which i've just found in their loft!)

[Edited by Hokum at 12:00, 6/9/2010]
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Jason Togneri Message #115263, posted by filecore at 11:06, 6/9/2010, in reply to message #115261

Posts: 3867
Nope, it was on the Amiga and Atari as well as Windows/DOS. Despite an (at the time) very exciting front cover on Acorn User and some short articles about its development, Frontier never made it to RISC OS.
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Trevor Johnson Message #115264, posted by trevj at 11:16, 6/9/2010, in reply to message #115263
Member
Posts: 660
Shareware version of Frontier available to download for free, ported in 80286 assembler by Chris Sawyer, who also ported Virus (Zarch).

[Edited by trevj at 12:26, 6/9/2010]
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Jason Togneri Message #115268, posted by filecore at 12:27, 6/9/2010, in reply to message #115264

Posts: 3867
Yes, but not for the Archimedes.
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Trevor Johnson Message #115269, posted by trevj at 12:49, 6/9/2010, in reply to message #115268
Member
Posts: 660
...ported in 80286 assembler...
Yes, but not for the Archimedes.
Unfortunately not.
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Paul Gibbs Message #115390, posted by Hokum at 09:58, 16/9/2010, in reply to message #115269
Member
Posts: 38
It's a shame that oolite isn't going to be ported either unhappy
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Trevor Johnson Message #115391, posted by trevj at 12:26, 16/9/2010, in reply to message #115390
Member
Posts: 660
Oolite's developer memberlist includes a certain Darren Salt. What are the chances of it being the same one we know in the world of RISC OS?
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Acorn Arcade forums: Games: Arc elite