🚀 go-pugleaf

Brian Trosko (btr...@netaxs.com) wrote:
: Misha Verbitsky (ver...@coolidge.harvard.edu) wrote:
: : 	This brings up another question: is Elite available
: : 	in any form for IBM- (or Unix) compatible computer? I have 
: : 	played it on Sinclair a way back, and I'd like to have it
: : 	again, when Sinclairs are no more. Frontier (Elite II) 
: : 	is still not available in the local stores, and they say 
: : 	it's CD-ROM only. Besides, remakes of original games 
: : 	are rarely as interesting.
: : 	
: : 	Misha.

: I bought Elite II for the IBM several months back (on disk, not on 
: CD-ROM), and I was quite impressed, since I had played the original back 
: on my C=64.  Vector graphics only, 'tis true, but very very smooth 
: because of it.  I did return it, however, for two reasons. First, I was 
: VERY annoyed with the copy protection. It was the "What is the 3rd word 
: in the 2nd clause of the 3rd sentence in the 4th subparagraph of the 3rd 
: paragraph of the 17th page of the 2nd chapter?" type of copy protection. 
: Quite nasty, and in my opinion it rendered the game almost unplayable. My 
: second problem was that there was absolutely no objective or plot to the 
: game whatsoever. Your only objective is to make money, so you can buy a 
: bigger ship, put more guns on it, carry more cargo, so you can make more 
: money, so you can buy a bigger ship, etc.  Maybe I've just been spoiled 
: by the Wing Commander series, but I tend to expect a plot in a game that 
: costs me $40+.  However, I've seen a new game on the shelves, lately. I 
: forget the name, but the graphics look EXACTLY the same as in Frontier, 
: its by the same company, the box design is the same, and this time it 
: seems to have a plot. I assume it's Elite III. Or maybe Frontier II. Oh 
: well...maybe I'll buy it and check it out next payday.

One more thought on this.  There were a few other games along the same
line (and story line also).  There was Starglider (c64 and IBM), which
was more of an arcade type game, then Starglider II, which was one of
my favorites, which had the ultimate goal of destroying a space station,
which required you to gather various materials from various planet so
they could build a bomb for you. Although set in one solar system, there
were 10 or so planets, and other ships (even a whale) flying around in
space.  Some of the planets had tunnels you dived into and went into
underground tunnel systems.  Overall I had a blast playing it, but when I
finally got the bomb and flew to the station, I was either too late or the
game had a bug, because the station kept disappearing.  There was
another game, Trakker, I think, which was along the same story line, but it
didn't seem to run right for me. All in all, I had the most fun with the
original Elite for IBM and with Starglider II. 

Philbert