Oolite Bulletins

So, recently I've been dying to try out the original Elite titles, as I really want to achieve Elite in the way it was meant to be achieved. (IMHO). So I was off in search of emulators and such, until I realized Oolite has a mode that I've never even considered! One click later, I found myself looking at a new Jameson with Strict Mode on.

Unfortunately, I've never played the original Elite titles. (NES, BBC, ArcElite, etc. etc.) I've only played the two sequels. So, is there anywhere with comprehensive documentation on the differences between Strict Mode and non-strict?

I originally thought that Strict mode just turned off the OXPs! It doesn't seem to be very well documented. From playing I'm slowly learning the differences. (No Fuel Injectors, Hardheads, shield boosters, scanner targeting enhancements, contract hauling, cargo bay screen, etc. etc.) but I was hoping for a complete listing or wiki entry.

Does such a thing exist?

Really enjoying Strict Mode. From the emulators I played, it feels much more 'authentic' for lack of a better term. I'm definately going to try to get Elite in this fashion.

OneoftheLost wrote:

is there anywhere with comprehensive documentation on the differences between Strict Mode and non-strict? It doesn't seem to be very well documented.

You'll find not much on "Oolite Strict Mode" - you need to be searching for "Elite". You don't need an emulator. As for the differences, effectively Strict Mode is Elite. Everything that is non-strict mode is Oolite.

OneoftheLost wrote:

I was hoping for a complete listing or wiki entry. Does such a thing exist?

The original manual: www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/manual hosted by some geezer called Ian Bell.

A wiki: wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Main_Page with a vaguely familiar URL (pick "Classic Elite")

And you must read The Dark Wheel. It was included as a short book with the game. Once you read that, everything falls into place and you can imagine living in the Elite universe. That book is an important part of Elite's success; it provided the fluff, the context, the significance, the immersion and the real significance of becoming 'Elite'. For me, the Elite game was an add-on to the book; a way to play at living in that universe.

And fresh from 1986, a crash course: The Micro User Guide To Playing Elite in just 2,800 words!

SandJ wrote:

And you must read The Dark Wheel. It was included as a short book with the game. Once you read that, everything falls into place and you can imagine living in the Elite universe.

[heresy]Forget the novella, it's rubbish![/heresy]

El Viejo wrote:

SandJ wrote:

And you must read The Dark Wheel. It was included as a short book with the game. Once you read that, everything falls into place and you can imagine living in the Elite universe.

[heresy]Forget the novella, it's rubbish![/heresy]

El Viejo wrote:

A confession: I’ve never read Imprint (apart from using it for the ‘password of the day’, in order to play the game)… I’ve never read The Dark Wheel either.

Yep, I was waiting for that, S&J!

SandJ wrote:

You'll find not much on "Oolite Strict Mode" - you need to be searching for "Elite". You don't need an emulator. As for the differences, effectively Strict Mode is Elite.

Although technically it's of course still an emulator.

To be precise, Oolite's strict mode emulates Elite for BBC Micro as closely as possible. (Due to the different hardware, especially the huge differences in available RAM on each computer model, there is no definitive version of 8bit-Elite. All versions were slightly different.)

OneoftheLost wrote:

I originally thought that Strict mode just turned off the OXPs! It doesn't seem to be very well documented. From playing I'm slowly learning the differences. (No Fuel Injectors, Hardheads, shield boosters, scanner targeting enhancements, contract hauling, cargo bay screen, etc. etc.) but I was hoping for a complete listing or wiki entry.

Indeed, strict mode has none of the features that weren't in Elite. Apart from the ones you've already found, there's no shipyard (you couldn't buy another ship in Elite, which is the very reason why the Cobra III is such a good ship to begin with; you had to be able to survive the whole game in one). There are also no navigation beacons (all other ships should be visible in strict mode as well). And, a tiny but crucial difference in game play: there is no coming to a standstill in strict mode. Your ship has always a small forward velocity. Thus it's not a good idea to park in front of a station and go for the pub.

There is also—I believe—one difference between Elite and Oolite's strict mode. Elite was player-centric. This means that when you jumped into a system, there was only the sun, the planet, the station, and you. All NPCs were only created randomly from time to time around you, making it appear like you ran into some pirates or whatever. In Oolite, the whole system is populated as soon as you jump in, and the NPCs start interacting with each other, even if you're not nearby (that's why you see distant laser fire and explosions, which was impossible in Elite). I believe this is also true for strict mode, creating a difference to Elite.

As for The Dark Wheel: You may or may not read it. I've played Elite since 1985, but bought it in some Gold Compilation, and there were no goodies whatsoever included with it. I only read The Dark Wheel in 2006 or 2007, after I had discovered Oolite. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't say that I had been playing Elite in vain for over 20 years because of not knowing it.

Also, while the novel conveys a certain mood, it is not a manual in any sense. Quite the contrary, actually. If you've played Elite and read the novel, it is quite clear that Robert Holdstock didn't know the game when he wrote it. The technical details are all wrong.

Another resource I forgot about: wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite

Commander McLane wrote:

There is also—I believe—one difference between Elite and Oolite's strict mode. Elite was player-centric. ....
In Oolite, the whole system is populated as soon as you jump in....I believe this is also true for strict mode, creating a difference to Elite.

That will be a main difference. With Elite, pirate ships were just added to the system in front of the player, no matter in which direction he flew. In Strick-Oolite, the ships are only in the space lane. And because there are no beacons, the player will (almost) never be able to fly back along the populated spacelane. In Oolite, flying away from the planet will be a lonely voyage.

Commander McLane wrote:

...you couldn't buy another ship in Elite, which is the very reason why the Cobra III is such a good ship to begin with; you had to be able to survive the whole game in one...

At the risk of asking a question that's no doubt been asked before, why doesn't Oolite start new Jamesons in a Cobra Mk 1? Elite couldn't, for the reason given here by Commander McLane, but Oolite could, one presumes, very easily. The many changes and enhancements Oolite has introduced have made the game much, much better, IMO. Starting 'further back' would add yet more fun and provide a greater sense of achievement, surely?

Albee wrote:

Commander McLane wrote:

...you couldn't buy another ship in Elite, which is the very reason why the Cobra III is such a good ship to begin with; you had to be able to survive the whole game in one...

At the risk of asking a question that's no doubt been asked before, why doesn't Oolite start new Jamesons in a Cobra Mk 1? Elite couldn't, for the reason given here by Commander McLane, but Oolite could, one presumes, very easily. The many changes and enhancements Oolite has introduced have made the game much, much better, IMO. Starting 'further back' would add yet more fun and provide a greater sense of achievement, surely?

I am currently exploring this option in the code. I'm not a Dev obviously, but as an enthusiastic 'Ooliter' I have been playing around with a few ideas in the source lately, such as successfully adding an additional 8 galaxies to the game, to explore new ideas for suggestions of future expansions. Check out this thread for more information on mine and others findings.

Albee wrote:

At the risk of asking a question that's no doubt been asked before, why doesn't Oolite start new Jamesons in a Cobra Mk 1? Elite couldn't, for the reason given here by Commander McLane, but Oolite could, one presumes, very easily. The many changes and enhancements Oolite has introduced have made the game much, much better, IMO. Starting 'further back' would add yet more fun and provide a greater sense of achievement, surely?

I guess starting with anything less than a Cobra MkIII and 100 Cr would make the game too tough for Jamesons. I believe the MkIII gets it just right at the start of the game: it is as robust as needed so the player doesn't get spacecommandered way too often but at the same time it creates a sense of being fragile enough to require upgrades as quickly as possible.

Having said that, I know we have people here who deliberately start with an Adder and play Ironman style. This shows that what feels just right to a person may feel completely the opposite to another. For this reason, I think it's also fair that the start is at the trademark Cobra and no other ship instead.

The Ironman game is harsh... very harsh!

another_commander wrote:

I guess starting with anything less than a Cobra MkIII and 100 Cr would make the game too tough for Jamesons. I believe the MkIII gets it just right at the start of the game

You may well be right. I haven't tried either trading or fighting in a Cobra I, so probably I should do both before making this suggestion.

El Viejo wrote:

The Ironman game is harsh... very harsh!

I glanced at it once. Gave me the willies, it did, just reading about it.

Albee wrote:

At the risk of asking a question that's no doubt been asked before, why doesn't Oolite start new Jamesons in a Cobra Mk 1?

Having done so (immediately start off by selling the Cobra Mk III and buying a Mk I) I can tell you it is boring and tedious. It takes forever to make any money and buy back that Cobra Mk III. For a newbie, it would be too slow a start.

Edit: I also have applied an extra personal rule: no OXPs that give extra trading opportunities. Without that rule, you can make silly money with ConStores in no time.

SandJ wrote:

I also have applied an extra personal rule: no OXPs that give extra trading opportunities. Without that rule, you can make silly money with ConStores in no time.

<nods>