Elite - Top 85 Games for the BBC Micro (1)

[@MajorT0m]

There were other spacefairers in the galaxy too, friendly traders in huge cargo ships. I remember shooting at one once and a cluster of smaller ships came off it! I think they were Worm-class landing craft from memory. I also loved the instruction manual - it had a drawing of the cockpit of the Cobra.. a hi-tech panel and yoke with a big spacechair... and a BBC computer in the middle! Happy memories, thanks for all the fun Colin!

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you! Yes, I've definitely accidentally shot at friendlies before 😅 The novella and manual accompanying the game were great, it gave a real sense of immersion - very ahead of its time in so many ways.

[@Shad12Dash]

Thank you for making this series. It has been a real treat to follow. The BBC Micro and it's games we're before my time. I feel like I missed out, but I'm glad to have been able to have this glimpse into the charm and fun it had/has to offer. Looking forward to whatever is next for the channel.

[@ColinHoad]

That's very kind, I'm so glad to have been able to give you a window into the wonderful world of Beeb games! That gives me more inspiration to keep going 😀

[@NiklasRichardson]

Without doubt the best BBC game ever. I lost many many hours of my childhood to Elite. It was and remains an incredible game! Totally agree with you. Excellent video about Elite too!

[@ColinHoad]

Ah, thank you so much! I'm glad you agree with the result, and that you've enjoyed playing Elite - as well as watching the video, of course 😁

[@traffic71]

Played this game for years in the 80s with my mate on his BBC. He then got a disk drive which made it even better. Regarding docking…..which we found out by accident…..line up like you did with the port a way away…..then fly at maximum speed towards the docking port…..spinning your craft at the same speed as the space station…..it’s very easy then.

[@ColinHoad]

Thanks, yes - I've noticed the docking computer also tends to come in fast! 😄

[@wolfeflambe]

Thanks for this series Colin. Great trips down memory lane. No surprise Elite being number one. Definitely my favourite game on the BBC B way back in the day. If I remember correctly Reidquat was a pirate system so no surprise you got ambushed every time.

[@ColinHoad]

Great stuff! I'm glad you enjoyed it :) Yes, top Elite tip, always research your destination before departing 😅

[@MrLondonGo]

08:35 this is one reason i loved this series so much! lol wish i'd been there for the live. awesome series finale!! Thank you

[@BigCar2]

Thanks for doing this wonderful series. It was great to hear of games I wasn't aware of. Maybe a couple of suggestions - "Saloon Sally" and "Danger UXB". I know the developer of the latter game.

[@ColinHoad]

You're very welcome, I'm glad you've enjoyed it! Thanks for the suggestions, I will add them to my "backlog" 😅

[@MikeCh-w3z]

Thanks for producing all 85 videos. I have enjoyed watching all the videos in "The Top 85 Games for The BBC Micro". It is 40 years this year I got a BBC Micro for my 21st birthday. My favourite game is Mr Ee..

[@ColinHoad]

That's great to hear, thank you for watching them! 😀 What an excellent gift to have received for your 21st!

[@upinth3air]

Thanks for the series! Lots of my favourites there. You asked for suggestions for other reviews, so can I offer Qwak? I always enjoyed that as a simple, fast-paced arcade game.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you! Ooh, Qwak isn't one I've heard of before, the screenshots look very Mr Ee in style - definitely have to give that a try 😀

[@VengerVideoGamer]

@@ColinHoad Qwak! was one of the games we played recently in the Stardot HSC. It's more like Bubble Bobble than Mr. Ee in a lot of respects. I did a video on it quite recently of my round-winning run (up to level 16 out of 24). It's a nice game but is very tricky.

[@upinth3air]

@@VengerVideoGamer oh the Qwak HSC must have been fun to do, not that I have ever got close to 16 levels in one go. I've completed every screen, but only by using the passwords.

[@neuralelectric3248]

The intros to the last 3 videos of the countdown have been amazing! But watch out- you've raised the bar for your future videos now! :) Which version of Elite was this, it looks like the flicker-free mod with flicker-free ships and planets? Great video, but your docking skills need some work... You need to approach the tunnel perpendicular to the face of the space station. Some times you were approaching at nearly 45 degrees to it, and I was wincing waiting for the explosion!

[@ColinHoad]

Yes, it's Mark Moxon's flicker free version - a superb mod that really makes the game fly! Thank you for noticing the intros, I actually made all 3 intros together before recording the rest of the footage as I wanted these final 3 to feel a bit more special 😁 Yes, my docking is woeful - BUT! In my defence I am better at it when using a joystick on my real Beeb 😅

[@neuralelectric3248]

Have you seen the scene in the film Galaxy Quest where they try to fly the brand new spaceship out of the space port, and scrape against the sides? Did you learn to dock from that scene? :) Anyway, your skill at Imogen far surpasses your skill in Elite.

[@Zadster]

Superb series, especially for those like me who never had one, but had to rely on sneaky plays on the school's computers. A tip for anyone playing Elite: When you get attacked, don't go full throttle and spin around. Drop to about half throttle. This gives you MUCH more controllability. Yes, you will probably get hit more often, but you will be able to line up your opponent and take them out much more quickly. At max speed, your turning circle is horrendous, and the opponents can circle in behind you and hit you from there. This works exactly the same on the current PC version of Elite: Dangerous by the way. Talking of which, Elite Dangerous has (or at least had) a copy of BBC Micro Elite bundled with an emulator, freely downloadable on their site.

[@ColinHoad]

Good dogfighting tips there, thank you! And I appreciate your kind words, I'm glad you've enjoyed the series 😀 I've still not got around to trying Elite Dangerous, I think I'm too wedded to the original 😅

[@JimbobSonOfRiber]

Blimey, i cant believe we're at the end! It was great stumbling upon this list a couple of years ago, and it's been exciting seeing these big games arriving at the end. I missed out on the BBC version of this, but got the Amstrad version on an Amstrad Action covertape. Even with twice the RAM it still was considered some kind of impossible magical computer wrangling. I've not yet got round to trying Elite Dangerous, but i enjoyed talking with a buddy who played it regularly - when he started talking about an update that hibted at messages from outside of space, I was like AAAAAA THARGOIDS AAAAAA

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you, I'm so glad you found my channel and that you've been enjoying it! Every version of Elite back in those days felt like some kind of computer wizardry, it's still hard to believe they managed it 😄

[@martinvho]

Played it all the way through to Elite in about 5 years of on and off playing, after which there are no longer any missions. The missions pop up halfway through when you get some reputation, and it is how I feel missions should be. Especially killing the 'invisible ship' with a special cloaking system is quite amazing. The main trick was to fund yourself by trading between agricultural and industrial planets, food at the first, luxuries at the second, for fuel and better products, because if money is 0 you can no longer buy fuel, and you're basically dead. To start, sell the Cobra and buy a Viper, and head off to Riedquad to shoot up pirates. The E.C.M. is the most valuable equipment you can ever buy, because enemy missiles suck, and the music for autodocking was always a welcome relief. I still have the box and manuals for the original BCC computer. Playing with that big, almost helicopter like, joystick and that tiny little poker up top really took some getting used to, and special awareness is a must.

[@ColinHoad]

Those are prized commodities, you're very fortunate to still have them! And well done on achieving the fabled "Elite" status, you must have killed thousands of pirates and Thargoids to achieve that 😄

[@MajorT0m]

You can't fly other ships in the Beeb version of Elite.. 🤔

[@andrewduff9178]

Great finale to your series! I've really enjoyed reliving these games, having enjoyed them so much in my formative years. Elite was one of the most impressive, although I mostly remember enjoying it through watching my Dad playing it (as I was rather young at the time) gradually reaching the rank of Elite. It's easy to forget just how far ahead of its time this really was back in the day. Your video really brought back the immediacy of the gameplay, for example as more and more enemies pile into combat. I also remember the seemingly enormous expanse of the game as new galaxies become available and rare missions begin to unlock. I think Elite really was one of the first great truly immersive experiences in video gaming. Thank you so much for your effort in putting together these videos! Your passion for these games really shines through, and your relaxed style in presentation has really made it an absolute pleasure to watch this series!

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you very much, that's really lovely feedback! I'm glad my relaxed commentary style works for you, I know a lot of YT gaming content is pretty intense and frantic but that's never really been my way (I'm a fairly chilled out bloke!) Great memories, your Dad did well to reach the heady heights of Elite status! 😀

[@BenLawrenceWriter]

Thank you Colin. So glad I stumbled on your series of Beeb games. You've done it really well. Elite is a deserved winner. It couldn't really have been anything else, even though there are some fantastic Beeb games. I wasn't very patient with Elite, but a friend progressed with my saved 'commander' so I was able to take advantage of his hard graft. Thanks again!

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you for the kind feedback, I'm so pleased you found the series and enjoyed it! 😀

[@stephenbull2026]

Brought back some memories. Like walking into a childhood house you haven't visited in decades. Playing No man sky in VR is akin to what my brain was telling me playing elite in the 80's 😂

[@ColinHoad]

Glad to have brought back some happy memories! Elite was the VR of its day 😁😁

[@StevesRetroFunzzz]

Thanks Colin this was a blast from the past for me. I loved how you pronounced raore😊

[@ColinHoad]

You're... you-rr-ee... you-arree... yor... welcome! 😄

[@willywalter6366]

Best Game of all times ❤ (so happy that I was born at the dawn of video gaming to experience the wild flourishing and endolding of all the creativity and new games) i was 14 when i played it the first time and it blew my mind - never expected such great and deep gameplay at that time! Astounding and outstanding till today - both in Engineering and gameplay! I can still see it through the eyes of the little boy - and all the hours sitting there with friend mouth open playing It really opened a gate to the universe! ❤ Also, great video and you are more of an embbeded youtuber than a space fighter 🤣🍾🤷🏼‍♂️❤

[@ColinHoad]

Absolutely - I was only a small child when these games were at their height, but I still enjoyed them, long after other more modern ones came along. Some might say I've never really moved on! 😆

[@captain2874]

I enjoyed this so much. Many good memories.

[@ColinHoad]

Thanks so much, that means a lot 😊

[@iandaw1162]

Thank you so much for doing this series. I had a BBC when I was a kid and the memories coming back have been delightful. It was nice to see Palace of Magic chart so high as well 🙂 Out of interest do you remember a side scrolling shooter called Shark? It had an odd name but the gameplay was solid.

[@ColinHoad]

Ah that's really nice to hear, thank you! 😊 Yes, Palace of Magic was very special to me as a child, so it had to come in pretty high 😁 I've not come across Shark before, thanks for the suggestion!

[@willowZzzzzz]

Not for nothing but I wouldn't even let you park a car after watching that 😜 Congrats on a great game series tho. Enjoyed the heck out of it.

[@ColinHoad]

You'd be wise not to, my manoeuvring skills aren't great - poor spatial awareness! Thank you for watching the series, I am glad it has entertained 😊

[@MrKarateEd]

Well Colin, I've watched your countdown with fascination and interest and also knew it was always going to be Elite as number one. How could it not? I never finished Elite but I think I got to dangerous or thereabouts. I didn't lose any battles at that level but perhaps I just didn't hit the right swarm. About docking. As soon as the docking computer crashed me a few times I basically ignored it as I had nearly 100% perfection on docking. I think almost all of your failed docks would have been avoided had your ship been rotating at the same speed as the station. To me that's really the key to docking successfully. You've already figured out the other keys, using planet and station and flying between them and then stopping when you see the station out your right window. It's pretty much fool proof to get you lined up. Just that bit about rotation that will make you an expert docker once you master that. Overall another very polished, informative and frankly wonderful video portraying arguably the best computer game ever developed on the Beeb. Nice work on this review and all your reviews. You've come a long way frankly. Ed...... :-)

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you very much, Ed, that's extremely kind! As for docking, most of my crashes are the result of playing without joystick, I'm not quite so bad at it when playing on my physical Beeb. Making this video certainly forced me to practice it many times over, but I think I'll always prefer the docking computers 😄 Thanks for following the series and providing so many comments and tips over the years, I really appreciate it.

[@MrKarateEd]

@@ColinHoad Yes, I can imagine you had to practice quite a bit to get the landings good. I also only played on the Beeb in the old days but have used the emulator to play as of late (last time about a year ago). I only ever have docked using the keys. What I did when I first started playing the game was leave the station then dock and as you say rinse and repeat. You're right about docking, it's not easy but it is repeatable once you get the hang of it. I seldom crashed when docking, usually only when my attention was diverted to something else temporarily. It is a great game. I have played the 'new' Elite, Horizons and though it's realistic in nature, it's not the ol' Elite on the Beeb and that makes a big difference to me.

[@Tetlee]

Ah yes Elite, it was always going to be number 1 wasn't it? Whilst I've always admired its prowess ,I have to confess I never really got into Elite(the only game back at school I preferred to watch others play than play it myself), not only that but the games that came later that were so clearly influenced by it, I guess no one game is for everybody. Still with that being said there is no way I would argue against its position at the top of the Beeb tree, an incredibly impressive game and so influential! This series has been brilliant Colin, you made such an amazing job of it and I'm kind of sad to reach the end. Ah but I'm sure there are still quite a few I haven't watched yet down the list so it isn't yet over for me. Great work!

[@ColinHoad]

It's definitely a game I've grown into, as a young child it was always a bit daunting - though I loved the open-ended feel to it and the idea of being able to explore a whole universe! 😀 Thanks very much for the kind feedback, it's been a pleasure to make all the videos and I'm so glad you've enjoyed them!

[@boabg]

Thanks for these Colin! You have given me an incredible trip back down memory lane. Loved every minute of the list. Looking forward to whatever you do next.

[@ColinHoad]

Gosh, that's extremely generous of you, thank you! I'm very flattered to hear how much you've enjoyed the series, and can only hope you'll enjoy what I have planned next 😊 Thanks again!

[@MrLondonGo]

Love to see Colin try Special Operations by MC Lothlorien, i only played on C64, but Colin's chat said it was very good on the Beeb too

[@daveangel2991]

Wait... I was sure it was going to be Vegas Jackpot, the fruit machine simulator from Mastertronic! This is an outrage! Seriously though, it could only be Elite. Thank you for the series, which I discovered only relatively recently, but I've been catching up with some of the older entries.

[@ColinHoad]

Haha 😄 Well, we all have our favourites! Thank you very much for watching and enjoying the videos!

[@jann3109]

I couldn't agree more. ELITE is the best game ever 😊❤ Thank you Colin for all the AMAZING videos 😊

[@ColinHoad]

I'm so pleased you agree! Thank you for the kind words 😀

[@aw34565]

Well done for getting to Number 1 Colin, a real tour de force!

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you! It took a few years, but we got there 😄

[@TallBoy-vf3tt]

Loved this game as a kid.

[@ColinHoad]

I think we all did! 😁

[@TallBoy-vf3tt]

I’ve started playing it again….I’m so hooked!!

[@dna9838]

Stunning game, and the best system to play it on, with enough speed to make it responsive and proper keys

[@ColinHoad]

The Beeb keyboard is hard to beat, especially for the era! 😊

[@thenodfather]

That was a BRILLIANT series. Thank you very much Mr. Hoad 🙂👍🏻 Yes, No. 1 WOULD have to have been Elite. It's a phenomenal achievement. It's so vast and there's so much to do. Certainly one to keep you occupied for many an hour. It must the, or if not one of, the earliest examples of an open world game.... (but can it be called "open world" when it's set in space? 🤔 ........ STOP BEING PEDANTIC!). The series for me was Entertaining and Educational, it really showed me what a machine, that I didnt know as much about, could do, and it really was greta eye opener to what people were able to do with such a small amount of memory. It is astounding and a great testament to what the Acorn can do. I'm glad you enjoyed making the series, I really enjoyed watching each episode and liked when I got the alert to say there was a new one up. Ideas 🤔 Maybe a look at favourites from Acorn magazines, or focus on specific genres of games, non-game software: Educational, Business, Art. Congratulations for the series!!! 🥳🍾 Whatever is next all the best with it, and I Iook forward to what you do next. Thank you very much Colin 😀👍🏻

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you, I'm glad you agree with Elite's pole position in the series! I'm also pleased you've enjoyed watching it 😁 Yes, some videos on educational/software for the Beeb would be a good idea, certainly something I'd be interested in pursuing... stay tuned! 😅

[@martinh4982]

Congrats on completing the top 85 Colin! A couple of Elite tips for you: Get a joystick. It's far, far easier (and if using an emulator, use a joypad and map some buttons!). I'm also sure you can press a key in a space station which saves your progress (like a quick save) so when you die you return to that point without having to reload.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you, Martin! Yes, I definitely prefer playing Elite on my Beeb with my analogue joystick, it's a much better experience... I actually did use the 'quick save' tip many times while making the video, I agree it's a lifesaver especially when playing without an emulator and save states!

[@dna9838]

Joystick?!! ! Ewwwww. I remember that being a really uncomfortable experience causing tense claw hand very quickly.

[@martinh4982]

@@dna9838 I expect you were waggling it incorrectly :P

[@dna9838]

@@martinh4982 matron!!

[@jamesfarr7316]

Not going to be much of a shock - a certain popular game is nowhere in the list so far ;-) I have enjoyed browsing through your reviews. Thank you, Jameson.

[@ColinHoad]

😁 😁😁

[@lmlprint]

What memories I have of this, unreal game, doing the missions was great fun too. Think it was hunting down a superior ship and then the thargoids mission. Not sure if there were any more missions 🤔

[@ColinHoad]

I think the missions may have come on expanded versions of Elite, I don't recall having played them but I've certainly heard others speak about them!

[@Rikky2000]

Loved this series - thanks for putting it together - so many memories playing these games as a kid with my brother. There was always only going to be one winner though, and a worthy one too. What they did with 32k and the BBC Micro processor was nothing short of phenomenal - these guys were genius.

[@ColinHoad]

It was going to be a hard sell to put any other game in the top spot, I agree! I'm not one to do things for shock value, though, so I stuck to my principles. I don't think anyone has ever pushed the Beeb as hard as Braben and Bell did, it's a masterpiece of 8-bit coding! Thank you for the kind feedback 😊

[@Colin_Ames]

What an outstanding game! The programmers were geniuses, for sure. I will definitely have to try this, although I don’t know how successful I will be. I can only play using an emulator, with a US keyboard. As for your future, I know that any video you put out will be enjoyable, so keep them coming.

[@ColinHoad]

Ah, thank you! That's very kind, I certainly intend to keep making more videos and look at ever more games for the Beeb - including ones I've never played before myself 😄

[@keyscompany]

Epic review to finish on and a wonderful series overall thank you. And congratulations on making it to 1k subs!

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you very much, I'm glad you've enjoyed it! 1k subscribers, who'd have thought, eh? 😅

[@mjtaylor26]

Hello Colin, Riedquat is the planet where you need to be able to switch to left view, right view and rear view at will and shoot the pirate ships fast as possible! It’s thee place to improve your rank and see “Right On, Commander”, when you have been through series of vicious attacks on your way to the space station. Regardless of where to travel around the galaxy the planets have similar prospects to that vicinity or initial range where you started out at Lave. It was interesting to find out that Ian Bell created a mathematical algorithm to randomly generate all the planet names! That saved on the memory. That’s an example for when you mention about how he and David Braben found ways to squeeze the code into 32k RAM. You’re very good at the dialogue, and that is specifically what viewers need to hear, as well as seeing the gameplay. Helps to build up the channel watch time. I played the black and white Acorn Electron version, so there are extra things in the BBC Micro version in addition to colour, the pentagonal space station, the Military laser and the Suns.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you, providing some dialogue/commentary to Beeb game footage was what got me started on making these originally. I know there's other videos out there of the gaming footage, but a fair number are silent, and I thought it would be nice to make some with commentary - similar to what exists for other platforms, like the Spectrum etc. Some good tips on Riedquat, too, cheers!

[@davidchamberlain2162]

What a brilliant and enjoyable series. I will look forward to reviews of games that did not make the list (Castle Quest?). And the versions of speech available for the Beeb you mentioned.

[@ColinHoad]

Thanks very much, I'm happy to hear you've enjoyed the series! Several people have mentioned Castle Quest, a game I never knew as a child, so I'll have to make sure I review it one day soon 😁

[@marcusambler4205]

Enjoyed watching the series Colin... Well presented trip into some great games

[@ColinHoad]

Thanks very much, I'm glad you've enjoyed it 😀

[@jjermar1]

Thank you for the series! It has been a great source of inspiration for me when discovering the Beeb. Too bad it's already over :-( Looking forward to your future episodes, I am confident they'll be equally enjoyable.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you very much, I'm flattered that the videos have been an inspiration and I hope they helped you discover games you were previously unfamiliar with 😀 There will be plenty more videos and games to come!

[@andrewwatson4314]

Great series Colin! It's been nostalgia overload 😊 It's great that a system over 40 years old is still generating content . Looking forward to whatever you bring next about the Beeb.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you very much, I'm so pleased you've enjoyed the series! Glad you'll be joining me for whatever comes next 😁

[@undividedself1]

Excellent! I've been playing Elite online this weekend although without being able to save commander. Begin by trading between Leesti and Diso, there's a bigger profit margin. Buy computers/machinery/luxuries at Leesti and food/furs/wines at Diso. The price of furs is volatile but profits are regularly over 20 credits per tonne. Manual docking: aim to be on an imaginary line between the space station and the planet. Turn and square up with the station so it looks symmetrical as possible as it rotates. Put a little speed on as you head into the 'letterbox'. This paradoxically seems to reduce crashing.

[@ColinHoad]

Funnily enough I noticed the docking computers seem to speed up as they approach the letterbox - good tips! And thanks for watching 😀

[@SentinelProxima]

Sorry for the late comment. It has been lots of fun following this series and eagerly waiting for the next video to come out and to see which game would be placed next :) I don't have much to say about Elite; I can appreciate it as an amazing technical achievement but it isn't really the kind of game I tend to enjoy. Maybe I'll still try it at some point. As promised, I do have a few suggestions for games that were missed out... Frenzy - Very simple but fun and addictive. Could fit in somewhere around the 30s. Pipeline - Basically the sister game to Ravenskull; similar gameplay but in a sci-fi setting instead of fantasy. This one also has a PC remake with an extra scenario, but unlike Ravenskull, they made the original levels into the *harder* scenario, which gives you some idea of what to expect ;) Space Pilot - This was one of my favourites when I was a kid although now I would put it somewhere in the middle of the ranking. XOR - Mindbending puzzle game, a bit Reptonish but leans even further towards the puzzle side by being entirely turn-based. Easily a top 5 game for me. Bonecruncher, Clogger - Two more puzzle games that scratch a similar itch. A bit gimmicky for my tastes but both definitely belong somewhere in the top half.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you, I'm so glad you've enjoyed the series over the years, and even though Elite isn't your kind of game, hopefully my choices have been broadly to your tastes and expectations! Thank you for the game suggestions, I've not heard of most of those (apart from Bonecruncher, which I remember reading about in the Acorn World In Pixels book). Plenty of good ideas for future videos!

[@jameswestgate416]

My reflexes and dogfighting skills re-surfaced after 40 years and desperately wanted to help you turn, rotate, speed up and shoot more accurately

[@ColinHoad]

Haha if you've watched enough of my videos you'll know I'm generally in need of expert guidance! 🤣

[@therobyouknowtv]

Check out the Mode 7 teletext version of Elite written by Mark Moxon, former Acorn User editor.

[@ColinHoad]

Oh yes, I remember him releasing that version - a true labour of love, if you like teletext content (which I absolutely do!)

[@simontrent2746]

Fantastic series Colin, thak you so much for all the effort you put into this. Really enjoyed this trip down memory lane and especially this absolute gem of a game. I think "Dangerous" was the best rank I ever achieved. And as many have suggested here already, joystick was the only way to fly! One game that I loved that you haven't included is Superior's Elixir where you play a chemist who accidentally shrinks himself and has to navigate a series of shelves and various pills and potion bottles to regain your original size. Also does anyone remember the Impact Game Club? That's where I got most of my games from. And all the posters which I still have! A quick boast as well. I had a Spellbinder T-Shirt which I won as one of the first 50 (or whatever it was) people to finish the game. Stupidly threw it away at some point. Oh well,..great days.

[@ColinHoad]

You're more than welcome, I'm so pleased you've enjoyed the series! I agree, joystick is the way to go - and on my actual Beeb, for preference (but it's hard to record videos that way). Thank you for the suggestion of Elixir, I'll add it to the ever-growing "...but what about" list 😄 Very jealous of that Spellbinder t-shirt, I wonder if any of the other 50 people held on to theirs? 🤔

[@phild789]

Ive really enjoyed watching all these.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you for following the countdown!

[@gavinward1348]

Well done Colin. Very enjoyable 🍻👍

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you! 😀

[@jkmac625]

I never got the hang of this one, I think it was the docking part that I always struggled with. I do remember that the game came with a strip of paper to place until the plastic strip above the F keys on the keyboard with game shortcuts on it. Now that I've seen your demo of the game I must have another go and see if I can get any further.

[@ColinHoad]

I have that very function key strip on my own Beeb, yes! I hope you do give Elite another go, it's well worth it 😊

[@LeShark75]

Thanks Colin, great show.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@luxocrates]

Right on commander!

[@ColinHoad]

Jameson, reporting in 🫡

[@luxocrates]

@@ColinHoad one year at GDC, I asked David Braben what the inspiration for the name Jameson was, thinking it might have been a Cambridge classmate or something. He began, ‘there’s a brand of whiskey…’ If you get a chance to see it, his GDC presentation on the making of the game is well worth seeking out.

[@dw1664]

Ah, so it wasn't 'Sphinx Adventure' after all... 😁 No, of course it really had to be Elite for #1, which I played on an Acorn Electron (couldn't afford a Beeb, BITD), and which happily consumed many dozens of hours of my youth. I'm pretty sure I made it to 'Deadly' status, but I never did reach 'Elite' status. For me, back then, David Braben and Ian Bell had almost God-like status as programmers. Even Acorn's Sophie Wilson seemed astounded by what they had achieved. I'm pretty sure the Acorn Electron version (which lacked several nice features of the Beeb version) didn't have military lasers available to buy (😭), and I wondered back then why not? Does anyone know? Perhaps I would've reached 'Elite' status had they been available! Anyway, thanks Colin for this great & entertaining 'Top 85' series, I believe I've watched every episode with interest. 👍

[@ColinHoad]

It's the pinnacle of gaming prowess on the Beeb, and as you say, it even managed to surprise the big brains who designed the machine! I knew the Elk version lacked certain features, not sure why the military laser was missing - perhaps a scroll through Mark's annotated code might give some hints? So pleased you've enjoyed the series, thank you for watching every episode!

[@MrLondonGo]

i recall there was some animals / critters that had no value and took up space, and you couldn't get rid of them??! only played this on Acorn Electon (and a bit on C-64)

[@ColinHoad]

Hmm, I don't recall those, but I know there were illegal / black market commodities that you couldn't sell at every planet, it depended on the system of government (and how corrupt they were!)

[@j4yb0b]

Trumbles! They were in the C64 version

[@ColinHoad]

​@j4yb0b Haha so, not at all related to the Star Trek tribbles 😅

[@MrLondonGo]

@@j4yb0b thank you!!!, those dratted Trumbles!! and yes I played this on C64 back in the day!!

[@KevPage-Witkicker]

Best games of this era; Elite, then Lords Of Midnight... then maybe something like Thrust or Ghosts N Goblins

[@ColinHoad]

I've seen someone on the Stardot forums is attempting a Lords of Midnight port to the Beeb, would love to see that happen 😀

[@KevPage-Witkicker]

@@ColinHoad Oh as a C64 owner I always imagined Lords Of Midnight got offered on all the systems at the time... we only had Beebs in school (well, one between 300 pupils)

[@thepumpkingking8339]

Think it's always good to see how the other 8Bit's users slummed it Back in the 80's ... 🤣😂🤣😂 compared to Hi Rez / Colour Clash #*$& ... /// of Speccy... Now we knew how to do Hardcore Game-play PS : Cracking,, Channel Colin... This one made me click the Subscribe Button 🙂....

[@ColinHoad]

Ah thanks very much! Appreciate that 😀👍

[@jimmyporter8941]

I always pronounced the home planet la-vey back in the day. But I guess that would have required an accent. Lavé.

[@ColinHoad]

Ooh, I like "Lavé" it sounds very exotic 😄

[@ZuluRomeo]

Ah, Elite. Easily one of the most influential games ever.

[@ColinHoad]

No doubt!

[@karldobson5961]

Had it great game

[@ColinHoad]

It certainly is 😀

[@michaelmitchell8218]

Strange I never liked the game. I bought it when it came out on the C64 and got bored with it quick and never thought the graphics was great. I was more impressed with the star wars game. Just shows you that it didn’t float everyone’s boat. Me and my friend played it a lot but got fed up with it. Impossible mission was a great game. Also sorry to say the BBC micro wasn’t great computer. Had to use them at school, use to hack them and mess up programs on them lol. Good days, but the C64 was the best for gaming, etc.

[@ColinHoad]

The C64 was great for games if you liked various shades of brown and grey 😉 I never had one back in the day so I've not got any real attachment to it, but the Beeb was very versatile, much more than just a games machine 😎

[@michaelmitchell8218]

@@ColinHoad beeps? the C64 did not beep it had the famous SID chip in it and did speech and sampling. This computer was ahead of its time. It had the best sound and graphics for its time. The BBC was part of there project at the BBC to get them into school. Because if the BBC wasn’t molesting our kids they was trying to convince them to buy a BBC micro their parents couldn’t afford. Only if acorn knew at the time what the BBC was like would they still made them the micro ?

[@joelfowler6998]

Fancy disk driver owners and their fancy extra ships...

[@ColinHoad]

Haha I did have a tape drive for my Electron 😅

[@joelfowler6998]

BBC B+ 128K with tape drive, no idea why we ddin't go disc. So much time looking at those lovely loading screens. My family were so middle class...

[@daishi5571]

Docking Computer? ha ha ha ha ha ha never. If those were actual attempts to dock oh dear! On a side note the docking computer on the C64 version is unbelievably unreliable. It can take ages, have multiple aborted attempts and still crash into the station.

[@ColinHoad]

They were docking attempts from my b-roll 😁 I much prefer using the docking computers but I can dock manually if I have to, I just find it an unnecessary faff!

[@daishi5571]

@@ColinHoad I played the BBC version so much that I fly at max speed while docking, so I find the docking computer too slow. When I played the C64 version which was far slower it (Half the speed CPU) I was able to cut several minutes off many of the C64 docking computer to the tune of probably hours of saving over the course of getting to Elite status. Its one of the times the Spectrum absolutely obliterated the C64.

[@VengerVideoGamer]

A fitting finale to a great series, Colin 👏. I managed to call the final 3 (sort of) in a post on Stardot (although in no particular order). I had Elite on the Electron, but it sadly lacked some of the features of the Beeb version (no missions or Thargoids 😞). I remember that docking was a major pain, and ridiculously random at times, so purchasing a docking computer was a must. I have dabbled with Elite Dangerous but I got bored relatively quickly. Some experienced players used to think it was great fun to just wait outside the space station in the starter system, with their superior ships and weaponry, and kill new players. I ended up playing the offline version to avoid this and equipped my ship to be an exploration vessel. I haven't played for years though and don't have any of the expansion packs. To keep "current" you need to play every day and do regular events and that type of daily grind just doesn't appeal to me. Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us next.

[@ColinHoad]

Thank you! Well done for guessing Imogen, I think that was the biggest surprise of the final 3 for most people 😁 I've not tried Elite Dangerous, but I'm also quite antisocial in my gaming habits and don't particularly enjoy multiplayer internet games (partly for the reason you experienced). Thanks for sticking with the series and glad to hear you'll be "staying on" to see what comes next 😀