🚀 go-pugleaf

Angus  <angus@_ANTISPEM_angusm.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Is it me, or is the game rather unforgiving in this respect? I could pay 
>out for a shield but that would remove half the ship's cargo space.
>
>I don't know, I think games have got a lot easier than this over the 
>years and I've grown a lot softer with them.  :) 

Well games have definately gotten easier, but I do recall Frontier: First
Encounters having a reputation for being pretty hardcore even at the time.
You probably wouldn't have as much trouble going back and playing the
original Wing Commander, for example.

					Ross Ridge

-- 
 l/  //	  Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
[oo][oo]  rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
-()-/()/  http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~rridge/ 
 db  //	  

On 3/05/2011 1:23 AM, Angus wrote:
>
> Having finished a couple of pc games I've been playing, I was wondering
> which game to try next, and then I thought I'll finally give Frontier
> First Encounter a go (JJFFE). As an long time Amiga user I was deprived
> the chance to play the game back in the day, so its a game, I've always
> wondered about and part of me has longed to try.
>
> I have the CD version knocking about so a relatively easy install later
> I fired up the game.... well, I used to think I was pretty good at
> Frontier, but blow me down (blow me up would be more accurate) I keep
> finding that the trade route I have set up from Gateway running animal
> skins/robots is too hot for me to handle. As I make my weary way to the
> starport, some ship or other appears and turns me to dust, often before
> I have a chance to respond - I've got to harmless, and so taken out
> several ships, but some just don't seem to be vulnerable to my meagre
> comabt skills.
>
> Is it me, or is the game rather unforgiving in this respect? I could pay
> out for a shield but that would remove half the ship's cargo space.
>
> I don't know, I think games have got a lot easier than this over the
> years and I've grown a lot softer with them.  :)

Congratulations on loading up one of the best space games ever finally! :)

Here's how to handle combat.

First, as soon as that siren goes off pause the stardreamer and pan 
around your ship looking for the bogies. Target your first one.

Second, switch to manual thrusters straight away (turn the engines off 
so that you are purely drifting), get your hands on the enter (fires 
your main engines) and shift key (fires your retro thrusters) and start 
moving (respectively :p).

For example; you've locked your target and rotate so that you can see 
them. At the moment you are on a head on course and he is taking pot 
shots at you. Your best bet in a poorly armoured and shielded ship is to 
not play this game of chicken, start thrusting hard in a direction away 
from him while keeping him on the periphery of your screen. I.e. you're 
moving away from him at an angle. It will make you very hard for him to 
hit but you will still be closing the distance.

Once he has past you by, flip your ship and fire the main engines to 
maintain an easy firing distance for a longer period. It's likely he 
will still range you eventually since he will have a higher relative 
speed so you'll have to perform the jousting manoeuvre again.

Eventually it will become second nature. One of my favourite ships in 
the game (well, tied) was the Eagle Long Range Fighter Mk3 and the 
Osprey X. These small but extremely fast ships could never take much 
pounding but they were so fast you could always get behind someone 
relatively easily but were always vulnerable.

If you go the other direction and get yourself a heavy vessel the same 
approach theory will apply, but instead of trying to avoid him during 
the initial approach you'll be aiming to take him out straight away instead.

Keep at it, seriously the game is without a doubt one of the most 
rewarding I've ever played.

Also make sure you've gotten all the fan made upgrades/updates. Jades 
website has a bunch of them I think, so does Hooplah's. There was an 
excellent upgrade called GLFFE which updates the graphics quite a bit 
and allows for higher resolutions. I thoroughly recommend it.

Last but not least, JJFFE and most of the other fan made versions also 
allow the additional control of allowing you to DIRECTLY fire your 
altitude thrusters. That is you can literally fly your ship up and down 
(great for landing on planets) which becomes a HUGE boost in ship to 
ship combat.

Wow... writing this got me hankering for some more FFE myself! :)

Ceo-

In article <TN6dnRIjF7oOy1zQnZ2dnUVZ_j6dnZ2d@westnet.com.au>, 
askifyou@need.toknow says...
> 
> 
> Congratulations on loading up one of the best space games ever finally! :)
> 


Thanks - and especially for the combat breakdown.

I'm using the FFED3D version which seems to work very well.

I'm happy to admit defeat on being able to cope with hardcore combat at 
this stage so I've been keeping a low profile where possible and doing 
the Medical run to get some cash so I can get the Military Drive (2) for 
the race mission. I got the drive, but they claim to be full at Old 
Curie (no spare docks) so I can't land and start the mission - unless it 
already too late - its eearly February. Any ideas?

On 7/05/2011 6:42 PM, Angus wrote:
> In article<TN6dnRIjF7oOy1zQnZ2dnUVZ_j6dnZ2d@westnet.com.au>,
> askifyou@need.toknow says...
>>
>>
>> Congratulations on loading up one of the best space games ever finally! :)
>>
>
>
> Thanks - and especially for the combat breakdown.
>
> I'm using the FFED3D version which seems to work very well.
>
> I'm happy to admit defeat on being able to cope with hardcore combat at
> this stage so I've been keeping a low profile where possible and doing
> the Medical run to get some cash so I can get the Military Drive (2) for
> the race mission. I got the drive, but they claim to be full at Old
> Curie (no spare docks) so I can't land and start the mission - unless it
> already too late - its eearly February. Any ideas?

The race mission? Do you mean the one where you deliver the dreamware?

I can't think of any other ones except for maybe where you deliver the 
statue within a small time period? But I'm pretty sure Old Curie is in 
your start system right?

If it is that mission you're talking about, then it's just random. Old 
Curie only has 2 landing pads, so you can either hover near the surface 
and hit the stardreamer for a while till one of the ships takes off, or 
just reload before you get to the system so that the seed is different.

Still I'm not sure if we're talking about the same mission, I don't 
recall needing anything other than the default drive in the Saker Mk3 to 
win that race?

Ceo-

In article <ubednaxa-OBaFlvQnZ2dnUVZ_jadnZ2d@westnet.com.au>, 
askifyou@need.toknow says...
> 
> 
> The race mission? Do you mean the one where you deliver the dreamware?
> 

Yup, the Wiccan race.

> I can't think of any other ones except for maybe where you deliver the 
> statue within a small time period? But I'm pretty sure Old Curie is in 
> your start system right?
> 
> If it is that mission you're talking about, then it's just random. Old 
> Curie only has 2 landing pads, so you can either hover near the surface 
> and hit the stardreamer for a while till one of the ships takes off, or 
> just reload before you get to the system so that the seed is different.
> 

Well, I don't think you can hover because its on the planet surface - I 
landed and waited a few days, which seemed a bit daft, not to mention 
counter-productive.



Anyway, I eventually decided to go straight there from the beginning of 
the game. I've now done the stolen artwork one too - I don't know 
though.... as an Amiga Frontier player that felt a bit cheated that we 
never got the promised Amiga FFE, the hand coded missions represented 
the holy grail. But now that I'm playing them, it seems there's a lot of 
messing about to even catch the window of opportunity to do them, and 
then when you do do them, its like "okay, then...."

I appreciate I'm hardly a veteran, but from what I've read they are all 
over fairly quickly and apparently even the big Thargoid type stuff 
lacks a certain satisfaction. 

I actually think I might enjoy it more just playing the game and 
ignoring the hand-coded missions.  :) 

On 10/05/2011 2:52 AM, Angus wrote:
> In article<ubednaxa-OBaFlvQnZ2dnUVZ_jadnZ2d@westnet.com.au>,
> askifyou@need.toknow says...
>>
>>
>> The race mission? Do you mean the one where you deliver the dreamware?
>>
>
> Yup, the Wiccan race.
>
>> I can't think of any other ones except for maybe where you deliver the
>> statue within a small time period? But I'm pretty sure Old Curie is in
>> your start system right?
>>
>> If it is that mission you're talking about, then it's just random. Old
>> Curie only has 2 landing pads, so you can either hover near the surface
>> and hit the stardreamer for a while till one of the ships takes off, or
>> just reload before you get to the system so that the seed is different.
>>
>
> Well, I don't think you can hover because its on the planet surface

Yep, you can hover, but landing near the port works just as well and is 
easier for sure. As for the mission itself, I think you can only do it 
as soon as you start the game. It's just a quick 1000c to get you going, 
the outcome is even mentioned in certain news bulletins.

> Anyway, I eventually decided to go straight there from the beginning of
> the game. I've now done the stolen artwork one too - I don't know
> though.... as an Amiga Frontier player that felt a bit cheated that we
> never got the promised Amiga FFE, the hand coded missions represented
> the holy grail. But now that I'm playing them, it seems there's a lot of
> messing about to even catch the window of opportunity to do them, and
> then when you do do them, its like "okay, then...."

They are not the best feature of the game by a long shot. The Thargoid 
stuff can be a bit buggy too. The best part about the Thargoid stream of 
missions is the ship (Turner's Quest) you can get (I can reveal how if 
you want) and the sense of exploring huge distances. Back when FFE was 
new(ish) there was wonder in this, thinking wow, I'm flying out hundreds 
of lightyears in this super cool, elite and unique ship to find aliens. 
Now, as adults, in a much more jaded time I can't see it being as 
"special" :)

> I appreciate I'm hardly a veteran, but from what I've read they are all
> over fairly quickly and apparently even the big Thargoid type stuff
> lacks a certain satisfaction.
>
> I actually think I might enjoy it more just playing the game and
> ignoring the hand-coded missions.  :)

Maybe, but you miss out on that funky ship I mentioned! :)

Ceo-

In article <Dc6dnare76VlzFfQnZ2dnUVZ_sydnZ2d@westnet.com.au>, 
askifyou@need.toknow says...
> 


> 
> They are not the best feature of the game by a long shot. The Thargoid 
> stuff can be a bit buggy too. The best part about the Thargoid stream of 
> missions is the ship (Turner's Quest) you can get (I can reveal how if 
> you want) and the sense of exploring huge distances. Back when FFE was 
> new(ish) there was wonder in this, thinking wow, I'm flying out hundreds 
> of lightyears in this super cool, elite and unique ship to find aliens. 
> Now, as adults, in a much more jaded time I can't see it being as 
> "special" :)
> 


No, I completely understand that, Ceo. It was exactly the kind of thing 
I wanted to happen when I was playing Frontier, and in a way the whole 
appeal of the Elite games from the start was not knowing what was round 
the corner, and if you were about to stumble into something nobody else 
had come across that would take you to a new threshold of the adventure.


I will always have a great affection for the games, but I found the 
combat more "fun" in Elite, but I had refelxes back then.  :)


I hope Mr Braben presents us with another opportunity for adventure 
soon.