firebird elite

[Hedge1970]

I like this game and keep turning to it but today I found something out - well 2 things

1) the y key activates the cloaking device if you have it
2) when hyperspace jumping press the pause key (caps shift) and then the F key and you will come out of hyperspace into witch space. not worked out how to get out of witch space so take that one under advisory


cloaking is great though

[Ersh]

2) when hyperspace jumping press the pause key (caps shift) and then the F key and you will come out of hyperspace into witch space. not worked out how to get out of witch space so take that one under advisory

When entering witchspace you're stuck halfway between the system you hyperspaced from and your destination system. If you still got fuel to reach any nearby system just set the destination and initiate a hyperspace jump to get out from there.

[Hedge1970]

Well I didn’t hang around long there where 4 Thargoid motherships shooting at me. I did as you said and activated a hyperspace Jump.

I do now wonder how far witch space goes might just use an energy bomb kill the 4 ships and take a look.

Cheers

[ZXDunny]

I'm fairly certain that witch space is just handled as normal a planetary system, but with the sun/planet missing and the only ships that spawn are thargoids. If you're sufficiently upgraded they can be a huge revenue source.

[toot_toot]

This brings back memories! I remember this being posted as a bug/feature in Sinclair User magazine

Managed to find the very tip on this page here:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 52&page=20

It gives more detail and tips on witch space

[Hedge1970]

Thanks for that - I’ve given up on witch space . I find it funny that it does not appear anywhere that the Y key activates Cloak. I’ve been reading this https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/447 ... -for-elite

Seems aimed to the Commodore 64 version but interesting nonetheless.

[Hedge1970]

Just sticking this here for prosperity

Ive been digging around trying to find info on the available missions in the ZX version of Elite. This site mentions Five missions, and states spectrum version only has the last three listed below. I hope there might be others... so was saddened to see this might be it

https://8bs.nerdoftheherd.com/8BS53-1/content/2-elite/


I have done all these missions:

Mission Three Rescue some refugees from a system that is going Supernova.
It will start as you enter a system, when the message "Fuel Leak" will
flash up and the screen will turn RED. First you should go to the sun and
scoop some fuel because you cannot buy any at the space station. Next go
to the space station and select SELL CARGO. A message will now pop up on
screen. Offering you a mission to save some refugees.

Note from me: When you dock your asked if you want to save people. If you accept when you drop them at the new space station you get a cargo full of Gem Stones.

Mission Four You will be attacked by about three Asps who are escorting an
INVISIBLE Adder. If you shoot the Adder(if you can see it!!) then a cargo
canister will drop out of it. If you pick this up then "CLOAKING DEVICE"
will flash up on screen. This means that you can now become invisible
when you push the "Y" key but beware as it uses up your energy.

Note from me: This is the infamous "Y" key cloak

Mission Five The Thargoid invasion fleet. A message will come up
telling you that a particular planet has been invaded. If you got to this
planet, they you will find it totally populated with Thargoids. You must
destroy the space station. If you do this then you will be given an ECM
jammer and the glorius title of "Arkangel Florence" (the authors idea of a
macho title!!).

Note from me see - picture. I remember some issue completing this mission. I think in the end I fired a rocket at the space station. - Cant recall.

[Firefox]

Mission Four You will be attacked by about three Asps who are escorting an
INVISIBLE Adder. If you shoot the Adder(if you can see it!!) then a cargo
canister will drop out of it. If you pick this up then "CLOAKING DEVICE"
will flash up on screen. This means that you can now become invisible
when you push the "Y" key but beware as it uses up your energy.

It's been some decades, but I definitely remember the cloaked ship as being an Asp...

[Hedge1970]

Mission Four You will be attacked by about three Asps who are escorting an
INVISIBLE Adder. If you shoot the Adder(if you can see it!!) then a cargo
canister will drop out of it. If you pick this up then "CLOAKING DEVICE"
will flash up on screen. This means that you can now become invisible
when you push the "Y" key but beware as it uses up your energy.

It's been some decades, but I definitely remember the cloaked ship as being an Asp...

It was way too much of a blur for me to ID the ship. When I first encountered the mission, it was not announced, just these ships coming at me, one or two of which seemed to be flickering on and off. This was only last year so my first thought was this is a bug and Googled . My next thought was this is something to do with how I play - Multiface snapshot to Microdrive, so I did a proper save onto tape then loaded from my original Elite tape and tried again - same result. Then finally I found the magic Google term and found out i was mid mission. lots of concentration and luck - I mean seriously its hard enough to hit ships when you can see them let alone when they are flickering in and out of sight!

So sorry can't remember what it was just rememeber after getting the kill there where a lot of canisters floating around and I was desperate not to lose the one with the Cloak off the screen.

Elite is def a grind, but in that grind it throws some really nice surprises at you, you can go through an hour of simple shooting then its like a light switch and the game suddenly hits level 10 and your fighting for survival almost every encounter.