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Elite on the BBC Micro and NES

Compare code for features of enhanced Elite

The following table shows code variations related to the extra features that are found in the enhanced versions of Elite (i.e. the BBC Micro disc, 6502 Second Processor and BBC Master versions).

Click on a name to see all the code differences for that part of the codebase, or click on an individual variation to focus on that particular feature.

NameComments
ANGRY
Tactics
  • In the enhanced versions, attacking an innocent bystander (i.e. a ship that has bit 5 of the NEWB flags set) will annoy the space station.
  • In the enhanced versions, ship hostility is measured separately from aggression, so ships can be very aggressive, but not hostile (though this changes when provoked). This is more subtle than in the cassette version, where there is only a measure of aggression, and a ship is deemed to be hostile if the top bit of its aggression level is set.
cntr
Dashboard
  • When the docking computer takes over the controls in the enhanced versions, keyboard damping is disabled, so it can make finer course corrections during docking.
DEATH
Start and end
  • On death, the cassette version shows your ship explosion along with up to four cargo canisters; in the enhanced versions, it shows up to five items, which can be a mix of cargo canisters and alloy plates.
DK4
Keyboard
DKJ1
Keyboard
  • The docking computer in the enhanced versions doesn't dock instantly like the cassette version, but it literally takes control of the ship and docks it for you, steering the ship into the slot by "pressing" the same keys that the player would if they were flying.
DOKEY
Keyboard
  • The Bitstik configuration option only works if joysticks are configured.
  • The docking computer literally takes the controls in the enhanced versions. The DOKEY routine normally scans the keyboard for the primary flight controls, but if the docking computer is enabled, it calls DOCKIT to ask the docking computer how to move the ship, and then it "presses" the relevant keys instead of scanning the keyboard.
EQSHP
Equipment
ESCAPE
Flight
  • When trying to spawn a Cobra Mk III to display when we use an escape pod, the enhanced versions will first try to spawn a normal Cobra, and if that fails, they will try again with a pirate Cobra.
gnum
Market
  • When buying or selling cargo in the enhanced versions, you can specify an exact amount of cargo for the transaction, or you can press "Y" to buy/sell everything, or "N" to buy/sell nothing. In the cassette version, you have to enter the exact amount you want to buy, and if you want to sell an item, then you have to sell your entire stock of that item, rather than part of it.
KILLSHP
Universe
  • In the enhanced versions, the Constrictor is a special ship, and killing it ends the first mission.
  • In the cassette version, only the escape pod, asteroid and cargo canister are classed as junk. In the enhanced versions, the alloy plate, splinter, Shuttle and Transporter are also junk (and in the advanced versions, rock hermits are also junk). Junk in the vicinity doesn't prevent you from performing an in-system jump - in fact, it gets dragged along for the ride.
  • Ship data blocks have an extra byte in the enhanced versions - the NEWB flags. This gives a total of 37 bytes per ship, compared to 36 bytes in the cassette version.
KYTB / IKNS
Keyboard
LL9 (Part 1 of 12)
Drawing ships
  • The enhanced versions have an extra bit (bit 7 of the NEWB flags) that determines whether a ship has been scooped or has finished docking, at which point they are removed from the screen.
Main flight loop (Part 2 of 16)
Main loop
Main flight loop (Part 3 of 16)
Main loop
  • In the enhanced versions, the main loop scans for "P" being pressed, which disables the docking computer.
  • If "C" is pressed during flight and we have a docking computer, then in the enhanced versions the docking computer takes control of the ship, unlike in the cassette version, which instantly docks when "C" is pressed.
Main flight loop (Part 8 of 16)
Main loop
  • In the enhanced versions, the high nibble of the first byte of each ship blueprint defines whether a ship is scoopable, and the type of item that we get when we scoop it (so scooping Thargons gives alien items, and so on). The cassette version implements this functionality using hard-coded conditional statements, while the enhanced versions support more flexibility by using the ship data block to determine scoopability.
  • In the enhanced version there is a difference between a ship that has been killed and a ship that has docked or been scooped, unlike in the cassette version where they are the same thing.
Main flight loop (Part 11 of 16)
Main loop
  • Ships that have docked or been scooped in the enhanced versions are hidden from the scanner.
  • Only military lasers can harm the Constrictor in mission 1, and then they only inflict a quarter of the damage that military lasers inflict on normal ships.
  • Destroying an asteroid with mining lasers in the enhanced versions will randomly release scoopable splinters, and destroying ships will randomly release not only cargo canisters (as in the cassette version) but also alloy plates.
Main flight loop (Part 12 of 16)
Main loop
Main flight loop (Part 15 of 16)
Main loop
  • The docking computer in the enhanced versions updates its position every 32 iterations round the main loop (on the 15th iteration), at which point it displays "DOCKING COMPUTERS ON" as an in-flight message.
Main game loop (Part 1 of 6)
Main loop
Main game loop (Part 4 of 6)
Main loop
  • In mission 2, after picking up the plans, there's an extra 22% chance that a Thargoid will spawn (this is on top of the normal spawning rate of pirates, bounty hunters and Thargoids).
  • In the enhanced versions, lone bounty hunters can be in a Cobra Mk III (pirate), Asp Mk II, Python (pirate) or Fer-de-lance, while in the cassette version they can be in a Mamba, Python or Cobra Mk III.
  • The Constrictor only spawns in its home system, during the mission 1 endgame, and then it only spawns once... though it can still appear in the ship hangar from time to time.
  • When spawning a pack of pirates in the enhanced versions, the chances of each ship type appearing in the pack are slightly different, with the most likely candidates appearing first in this list: Sidewinder, Mamba, Krait, Adder, Gecko, Cobra Mk I, Worm or Cobra Mk III (pirate).
  • In the enhanced versions, a pack-hunting pirate will fly a Sidewinder, Mamba, Krait, Adder, Gecko, Cobra Mk I, Worm or Cobra Mk III (pirate), while in the cassette version you'll only find them in the cockpit of a Sidewinder or Mamba.
NWSHP
Universe
  • The amount of junk in the enhanced versions is tracked in the JUNK variable.
  • New ships are spawned using the default NEWB flags byte from the E% table, which gives each ship a typical "personality" which is then tailored to the game's needs. The cassette version doesn't have this byte, so ship behaviour is more limited.
NWSPS
Universe
  • Space stations in the enhanced versions are always set to be aggressive if attacked, but they start out friendly; in the cassette version, they have no aggression at all until they are attacked.
PRXS
Equipment
  • The equipment prices table in the enhanced versions contains prices for the two new laser types: military lasers at 6000 Cr each, and mining lasers at 800 Cr each.
QQ18
Text
  • The enhanced versions contain a strange text token 65 that displays your credit balance as "10{cash} CR5{cash} CR" - it isn't used anywhere and doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
  • The enhanced versions encode an extra two-letter token ("RO") in the standard text token table, replacing the author credits, which are moved into the extended token table.
  • There are two new tokens in the text token table for the new laser types in the enhanced versions (token 117 for military lasers and token 118 for mining lasers), and the "ALL" and "LL" tokens that are here in the cassette version move to 124 and 129 respectively.
  • There's a new token in the enhanced versions for showing that the docking computers are currently switched on. It replaces the request for a commander's name, which isn't required as the disc access menu implements that functionality using extended text tokens.
  • The enhanced versions drop token 124 ("DOCK") and replace it with the "ALL" token that was displaced by the new military laser token; instead, "DOCK" is spelled out manually rather than using this token.
  • To make room for the new laser tokens, the enhanced versions drop tokens 147 ("PRESS FIRE OR SPACE,COMMANDER.") and 148 ("(C) ACORNSOFT 1984"), moving them instead to the extended token table.
QUS1
Save and load
RLINE
Text
SFS1
Universe
SHIP_ESCAPE_POD
Drawing ships
SHIP_THARGON
Drawing ships
STATUS
Status
SVE
Save and load
  • The enhanced versions show a disc access menu when the "@" key is pressed, which lets you load and save commanders, catalogue discs and delete files.
  • In the disc and 6502SP versions, the competition number is labelled as such when saving. In the cassette version, it is just displayed as a standalone number, without any clues as to what it is, while the Master doesn't show the number at all.
TACTICS (Part 2 of 7)
Tactics
  • The docking computer in the enhanced versions uses its own turning circle configuration, which is different to the turning circle used by the tactics routine, so the latter switches to its own configuration when it starts (as they share configuration variables).
  • The enhanced versions let the NEWB flags determine whether ships should be heading for the planet (which is applied to traders, ships who are docking, escape pods and so on). The cassette version is a lot simpler and only sends escape pods in the direction of the planet.
  • Space stations in the enhanced versions regularly spawn Transporters and Shuttles that ply their trade between the station and the planet.
TACTICS (Part 3 of 7)
Tactics
  • In the enhanced versions, the NEWB flags are used to determine whether we are dealing with a trader, so traders can fly any ship. In the cassette version, traders only ever fly the Cobra Mk III.
  • In the enhanced versions, AI is are to each ship according to its NEWB flags, which determine whether it is a trader, a bounty hunter, currently docking, a pirate, hostile, an innocent bystander or a cop.
TACTICS (Part 4 of 7)
Tactics
TACTICS (Part 7 of 7)
Tactics
TKN1
Text
TT102
Keyboard
TT17
Keyboard
TT210
Market
  • In the enhanced versions, you can specify how much of each individual commodity you want to sell. In the cassette version, for each commodity you have to choose whether to sell all of your stock, or none.
TT26 / CHPR
Text
  • The standard disc catalogue is just too wide to fit into Elite's special square screen mode, so when printing the catalogue in the enhanced versions, a space is removed from column 17, which is always a blank column in the middle of the catalogue.
TTX66 / TTX66K
Drawing the screen
U% / ZEKTRAN
Keyboard