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** The second rank is ''H2G2/MostlyHarmless''
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** The second rank is ''H2G2/MostlyHarmless''"Literature/MostlyHarmless".
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** The tribbles from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' appear after a bad deal and proceed to [[InterfaceScrew physically infect the cockpit]].[[spoiler: The only way to be rid of Trumbles is to sun-skim and keep the cabin temperature in the red for a minute or two. While this is going on, the poor harmless, helpless creature, which can only eat, sleep, reproduce and shuffle slowly about, will emit the only vocalisation it is capable of - a soft trilling purr very much like the creature that is their inspiration - which you [[CompleteMonster hard-heartedly ignore as it dies of heat-stroke. Murderer.]] ]]
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** The tribbles from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' appear after a bad deal and proceed to [[InterfaceScrew physically infect the cockpit]].[[spoiler: The only way to be rid of Trumbles is to sun-skim and keep the cabin temperature in the red for a minute or two. While this is going on, the poor harmless, helpless creature, which can only eat, sleep, reproduce and shuffle slowly about, will emit the only vocalisation it is capable of - a soft trilling purr very much like the creature that is their inspiration - which you [[CompleteMonster hard-heartedly ignore as it dies of heat-stroke. Murderer.]] ]]
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** The tribbles from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' appear after a bad deal and proceed to [[InterfaceScrew physically infect the cockpit]].
to:
** The tribbles from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' appear after a bad deal and proceed to [[InterfaceScrew physically infect the cockpit]].[[spoiler: The only way to be rid of Trumbles is to sun-skim and keep the cabin temperature in the red for a minute or two. While this is going on, the poor harmless, helpless creature, which can only eat, sleep, reproduce and shuffle slowly about, will emit the only vocalisation it is capable of - a soft trilling purr very much like the creature that is their inspiration - which you [[CompleteMonster hard-heartedly ignore as it dies of heat-stroke. Murderer.]] ]]
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* PressStartToGameOver: Elite was a very complex game for its time with unheard intrincated features and a step learning curve even after studying the manual (in an era where five stock lines in the back cover of the game where the norm)
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* PressStartToGameOver: Elite was a very complex game for its time with unheard intrincated features and a step steep learning curve even after studying the manual (in an era where five stock lines in the back cover of the game where the norm)
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** Engaging pirates --or simply jump to a dangerous system- before being upgraded with advanced weapons, armor, scanners, or fuel injectors also tends to lead to disastrous results
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** Engaging pirates --or simply jump jumping to a dangerous system- before being upgraded with advanced weapons, armor, scanners, or fuel injectors also tends to lead to disastrous results
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* DogFightingFurballs: All three games of the series, you are a pilot of a small starship. All combat in ''Elite 1'' and most combat in ''Elite 2: Frontier'' and ''Elite 3: Frontier First Encounters'' is either a dogfight (if you are attacked by a single enemy ship) or a furball (if there are several attackers). The game's title is a rank you achieve if you win a certain number of dogfights and furballs.
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* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo[=/=]SequelTheOriginalTitle: ''[[SequelTheOriginalTitle Frontier: Elite II]]'', whose sequel dropped "elite" completely and was named ''Frontier: First Encounters''. And then there's the upcoming ''Elite: Dangerous''.
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''Elite: Dangerous'' has been [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/20667/classic-space-trading-game-sees-kickstarter-sequel-in-elite-dangerous announced]] by creator Braben as a {{Kickstarter}} title, due if funded March 2014. Its pledge site can be found [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous here]]
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''Elite: Dangerous'' has been [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/20667/classic-space-trading-game-sees-kickstarter-sequel-in-elite-dangerous announced]] by creator Braben as a {{Kickstarter}} title, due if funded that will be released March 2014.2014 if schedules hold. The fundraiser surpassed its goal of 1,25 million pounds and reached over 1,5 million, securing Mac port and 10 extra ship models into the game. Its pledge site can be found [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous here]]
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''Elite: Dangerous'' has been [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/20667/classic-space-trading-game-sees-kickstarter-sequel-in-elite-dangerous announced]] by creator Braben as a {{Kickstarter}} title, due if funded March 2014. It's pledge site can be found [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous here]]
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''Elite: Dangerous'' has been [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/20667/classic-space-trading-game-sees-kickstarter-sequel-in-elite-dangerous announced]] by creator Braben as a {{Kickstarter}} title, due if funded March 2014. It's Its pledge site can be found [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous here]]
* AnarchyIsChaos: Anarchic systems are the most dangerous and unstable worlds, infested with space pirates.
* FeudalFuture: A number of planets are under a feudal rule, a type of government only one step above anarchy.
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* ProceduralGeneration: Used to generate not only worlds, but names, descriptions, and even prices of commodities, among many other innovations, by using the Fibonacci sequence.
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* ProceduralGeneration: Used to generate not only worlds, but names, descriptions, and even prices of commodities, among many other innovations, by using the Fibonacci sequence.sequence, all wrapped under 22k of memory in the original release.
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* RandomlyGeneratedLevels
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* RandomlyGeneratedLevelsRandomlyGeneratedLevels: Pseudorandomly, the huge amount of data is procedurally generated and is the same every game.
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kickstarter page, finishing in a few days.
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''Elite: Dangerous'' has been [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/20667/classic-space-trading-game-sees-kickstarter-sequel-in-elite-dangerous announced]] by creator Braben as a {{Kickstarter}} title, due if funded March 2014.
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''Elite: Dangerous'' has been [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/20667/classic-space-trading-game-sees-kickstarter-sequel-in-elite-dangerous announced]] by creator Braben as a {{Kickstarter}} title, due if funded March 2014. \n It's pledge site can be found [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous here]]
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* WithThisHerring: You begin with a ship just a step above an escape shuttle and some pocket change and are expected to become rich somehow.
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* GangUpOnTheHuman: Early versions of the original game had this problem due to the way spawning was handled - the player was literally the center of the universe, and their presence and behavior determined whether or not ships were spawned, where, and how many. This meant that the only ships you would see were merchants or were actively attacking you. As computer hardware got more advanced, this crutch was dropped and later versions of the game no longer have this issue.
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* NoWarpingZone: It may be the TropeCodifier of "mass-locked" warp drives.
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* NoWarpingZone: It may be the TropeCodifier of "mass-locked" warp drives. They were originally in the game because of coding limitations[[hottip:*: (In order for the game to run on its extremely limited hardware, the developers made the player stationary and simply had the rest of the world move around them, spawning ships and objects in and out at the edge of sensor range.)]], but have stuck around in sequels, remakes, and spiritual successors of the original game ever since, even though they're no longer necessary from a programming standpoint.
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** With ''Elite II'' and ''First Encounters'', this even extends to one of the widest sandboxes ever. You could even travel to the other side of the galaxy, asserting that you have a) a fuel scoop (no civilization equals no gas stations), b) good flying skills (considering that you have to sling around gas giants in order to scoop fuel and ocassionally fight off pirates), c) MUCH luck (you should hope that neither your drive nor other ship components break down) and d) even more time to traverse those 20k light years.
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* AllThereInTheManual: You will never actually get to see those Marlin fish of the Ross 154 system, experience Epsilon Eridani's wide offer of amusement districts nor face the Emperor yourself. But anyway, David Massey and his colleagues wrote a nice traveler's guide that came along with ''Elite II'', so why not enjoy those imanginary trips?
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* ExcusePlot: To some point in ''Elite II''. Your grandpa has passed away and decided to inherit you a spacecraft, intending to allow you "a way of life that is very different to the dull planet bound existence you have probably led up to now", as the manual puts it. Huh.
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''Elite: Dangerous'' has been [[http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/20667/classic-space-trading-game-sees-kickstarter-sequel-in-elite-dangerous announced]] by creator Braben as a {{Kickstarter}} title, due if funded March 2014.
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* GuideDangIt: Considering the fact that Elite can still be pretty confusing and complicated to first time players, imagine how hard it was to play in 1984, when things like WideOpenSandbox and complex economic system weren't existed in video gaming before.
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Elite is a famous, popular (it eventually sold one copy of the BBC Micro version for every BBC Micro in the world at the time) and historically significant [[SimulationGame game]], one of the earliest in the WideOpenSandbox genre. It was written by David Braben and Ian Bell, and first released in 1984 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. In the game you start on Lave Station with 100 credits and a lightly armed trading ship, a Cobra Mark III. From here you seek fame, fortune and money via one of the many, many, different options open to you. You can:
to:
Elite is a famous, popular (it eventually sold one copy of the BBC Micro version for every BBC Micro in the world at the time) time[[hottip:*: which is remarkable, considering that a large percentage of these devices were owned by ''schools'' and, in theory, were only supposed to run educational or edutainment software]]) and historically significant [[SimulationGame game]], one of the earliest in the WideOpenSandbox genre. It was written by David Braben and Ian Bell, and first released in 1984 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. In the game you start on Lave Station with 100 credits and a lightly armed trading ship, a Cobra Mark III. From here you seek fame, fortune and money via one of the many, many, different options open to you. You can:
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* SpaceColdWar: in Frontier and FFE, between TheFederation and TheEmpire.
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-->''Right On, Commander''
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-->''Right On, Commander''
Commander!''
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* CopyProtection: The fine [{{{Feelies}} novella]] attached doubled as copy protection.
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* CopyProtection: The fine [{{{Feelies}} [[{{Feelies}} novella]] attached doubled as copy protection.
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* FasterThanLightTravel: Range limited and fuel consuming hyperspace jumps. There is also a purchasable galactic-hyperspace that allows jumping to a new galaxy before it's depleted.
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* FasterThanLightTravel: Range limited and fuel consuming hyperspace jumps. There is also a purchasable galactic-hyperspace galactic-hyperdrive that allows jumping to a new galaxy before it's depleted.
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* FasterThanLightTravel: Range limited and fuel consuming hyperspace jumps. There is also a purchasable galactic-hyperspace that allows jumping to a new galaxy before it's depleted.
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namespaces
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It has been cited as inspiration for EveOnline, {{Freelancer}}, {{Jumpgate}}, InfinityTheQuestForEarth, VideoGame/WingCommander: Privateer, the EscapeVelocity series and the ''{{Videogame/X}}-Universe'' series of space combat and trading games, freeware {{Vegastrike}} (there's also "Elite Strike" mod, but its development seems to fall into dormancy). There is now also a free, open-source remake, {{Oolite}} (so named because it uses object-oriented programming), which has a fairly dedicated [[GameMod modding]] community.
to:
It has been cited as inspiration for EveOnline, {{Freelancer}}, {{Jumpgate}}, VideoGame/EveOnline, VideoGame/{{Freelancer}}, Jumpgate, InfinityTheQuestForEarth, VideoGame/WingCommander: Privateer, the EscapeVelocity series and the ''{{Videogame/X}}-Universe'' ''Videogame/{{X}}-Universe'' series of space combat and trading games, freeware {{Vegastrike}} (there's also games, open-source VideoGame/{{Vegastrike}} (it got "Elite Strike" mod, but its development currently seems to fall into dormancy). be frozen). There is now also a free, open-source remake, {{Oolite}} Videogame/{{Oolite}} (so named because it uses object-oriented programming), which has a fairly dedicated [[GameMod modding]] community.
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It has been cited as inspiration for EveOnline, {{Freelancer}}, {{Jumpgate}}, InfinityTheQuestForEarth, VideoGame/WingCommander: Privateer, the EscapeVelocity series and the X series of space trading games, freeware {{Vegastrike}} (there's also "Elite Strike" mod, but its development seems to fall into dormancy). There is now also a free, open-source remake, {{Oolite}} (so named because it uses object-oriented programming), which has a fairly dedicated [[GameMod modding]] community.
to:
It has been cited as inspiration for EveOnline, {{Freelancer}}, {{Jumpgate}}, InfinityTheQuestForEarth, VideoGame/WingCommander: Privateer, the EscapeVelocity series and the X ''{{Videogame/X}}-Universe'' series of space combat and trading games, freeware {{Vegastrike}} (there's also "Elite Strike" mod, but its development seems to fall into dormancy). There is now also a free, open-source remake, {{Oolite}} (so named because it uses object-oriented programming), which has a fairly dedicated [[GameMod modding]] community.
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* AcePilot: The eponymous Elite rankings (Harmless, Dangerous, Elite, etc.) are a metric to measure how much of one the player is.
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** The tribbles from ''StarTrekTOS'' appear after a bad deal and proceed to [[InterfaceScrew phisically infect the cockpit]].
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** The tribbles from ''StarTrekTOS'' ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' appear after a bad deal and proceed to [[InterfaceScrew phisically physically infect the cockpit]].
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* ChasingYourTail: OldSchoolDogfighting in the original game.
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* InvisibilityCloak: In Elite, pirate ships with one start to pop up after the player reachs "competent" and can be retrieved once the enemy is destroyed. It drags the shields but it's very powerful, vital item in many versions, it allows to sucesfully fight against odds of Thargoids and swarms of pirates.
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* InvisibilityCloak: In Elite, pirate ships with one start to pop up after the player reachs "competent" and "competent" . It can be retrieved once the enemy is destroyed. It drags drains the shields but it's a very powerful, powerful vital item in many versions, it allows to sucesfully fight against odds of Thargoids and swarms of pirates.
* NonstandardGameOver: Docking in compromised stations is usually followed by this message "Ship boarded by pirates (or thargoids). They show no mercy"
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* OldSchoolDogfighting: Especially in the first game; the sequels tried to have slightly more realistic physics.
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* OldSchoolDogfighting: Especially in [[ChasingYourTail the first game; game]]; the sequels tried to have slightly more realistic physics.
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* PressStartToGameOver: Elite was a very complex game for its time with unheard complex features and a step learning curve even after a study of the manual (in an era where five stock lines in the back cover of the game where the norm)
to:
* PressStartToGameOver: Elite was a very complex game for its time with unheard complex intrincated features and a step learning curve even after a study of studying the manual (in an era where five stock lines in the back cover of the game where the norm)
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* Averted, to say the least. The point of a merchant-oriented game is to buy low and find a planet to sell high.
* In the original game depending on the version, in the local planetary market buy prices are higher or equal than sell ones.
* In the original game depending on the version, in the local planetary market buy prices are higher or equal than sell ones.
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Elite is a famous, popular (it eventually sold one copy of the BBC Micro version for every BBC Micro in the world at the time) and historically significant game, one of the earliest in the WideOpenSandbox genre. It was written by David Braben and Ian Bell, and first released in 1984 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. In the game you start on Lave Station with 100 credits and a lightly armed trading ship, a Cobra Mark III. From here you seek fame, fortune and money via one of the many, many, different options open to you. You can:
to:
-->''Right On, Commander''
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/EliteSaga_7602.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Load New Commander (Y/N)?]]
Elite is a famous, popular (it eventually sold one copy of the BBC Micro version for every BBC Micro in the world at the time) and historically significantgame, [[SimulationGame game]], one of the earliest in the WideOpenSandbox genre. It was written by David Braben and Ian Bell, and first released in 1984 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. In the game you start on Lave Station with 100 credits and a lightly armed trading ship, a Cobra Mark III. From here you seek fame, fortune and money via one of the many, many, different options open to you. You can:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/EliteSaga_7602.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Load New Commander (Y/N)?]]
Elite is a famous, popular (it eventually sold one copy of the BBC Micro version for every BBC Micro in the world at the time) and historically significant
* ChasingYourTail: OldSchoolDogfighting in the original game.
* CopyProtection: The fine [{{{Feelies}} novella]] attached doubled as copy protection.
* CriticalExistenceFailure: Averted, heavy enemy fire can destroy cargo and [[SubsystemDamage subsystems]].
* CopyProtection: The fine [{{{Feelies}} novella]] attached doubled as copy protection.
* CriticalExistenceFailure: Averted, heavy enemy fire can destroy cargo and [[SubsystemDamage subsystems]].
* EasyLogistics: Averted, fuel and missiles have to be replenished.
* KarlMarxHatesYourGuts:
* Averted, to say the least. The point of a merchant-oriented game is to buy low and find a planet to sell high.
* In the original game depending on the version, in the local planetary market buy prices are higher or equal than sell ones.
* Averted, to say the least. The point of a merchant-oriented game is to buy low and find a planet to sell high.
* In the original game depending on the version, in the local planetary market buy prices are higher or equal than sell ones.
* InvisibilityCloak: In Elite, pirate ships with one start to pop up after the player reachs "competent" and can be retrieved once the enemy is destroyed. It drags the shields but it's very powerful, vital item in many versions, it allows to sucesfully fight against odds of Thargoids and swarms of pirates.
* PressStartToGameOver: Elite was a very complex game for its time with unheard complex features and a step learning curve even after a study of the manual (in an era where five stock lines in the back cover of the game where the norm)
** Beginning players must dock with space stations manually until they can afford to buy a docking computer for their ship. The catch is that all orbital space stations rotate, making said docking a hair-raising experience at best the first time it is attempted and causing a number of new pilots to plow into the station instead of flying into the docking bay.
** Engaging pirates --or simply jump to a dangerous system- before being upgraded with advanced weapons, armor, scanners, or fuel injectors also tends to lead to disastrous results
** Many a novice player applied arcade logic and shot the first thing in sight... the Coriolis space station that releases Viper Police like there is no tomorrow... RealityEnsues.
** The ship does not change course nor enters the hyperspace after launch?, head-on planetary collision after a short while.
** Beginning players must dock with space stations manually until they can afford to buy a docking computer for their ship. The catch is that all orbital space stations rotate, making said docking a hair-raising experience at best the first time it is attempted and causing a number of new pilots to plow into the station instead of flying into the docking bay.
** Engaging pirates --or simply jump to a dangerous system- before being upgraded with advanced weapons, armor, scanners, or fuel injectors also tends to lead to disastrous results
** Many a novice player applied arcade logic and shot the first thing in sight... the Coriolis space station that releases Viper Police like there is no tomorrow... RealityEnsues.
** The ship does not change course nor enters the hyperspace after launch?, head-on planetary collision after a short while.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: Only against small to medium ships, in exchange for dented shields.
* ShoutOut
** A big {{Homage}} to ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' ; ''The Blue Danube'' as the soundtrack and rotational docking stations.
** The second rank is ''H2G2/MostlyHarmless''
** The tribbles from ''StarTrekTOS'' appear after a bad deal and proceed to [[InterfaceScrew phisically infect the cockpit]].
* ShoutOut
** A big {{Homage}} to ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' ; ''The Blue Danube'' as the soundtrack and rotational docking stations.
** The second rank is ''H2G2/MostlyHarmless''
** The tribbles from ''StarTrekTOS'' appear after a bad deal and proceed to [[InterfaceScrew phisically infect the cockpit]].
* SpacePolice: Viper spacecrafts in Elite.
* UpdatedReRelease: Elite Plus for PC, with added features and improved graphics. Coded by Chris Sawyer of ''TransportTycoon'' and ''RollerCoasterTycoon'' fame
* VaporWare: ''Elite IV'' has been a classic poster child of this trope [[DevelopmentHell for years]].
* VaporWare: ''Elite IV'' has been a classic poster child of this trope [[DevelopmentHell for years]].
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* WideOpenSandbox
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* WideOpenSandboxWideOpenSandbox: The Ur-example
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* AnimalThemeNaming: Almost all ship types in ''Elite'' are named after snakes. ''Frontier'' adds big cat names (Lion, Tiger, and Panther) to the mix.
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* AnimalThemeNaming: Almost all ship types in ''Elite'' are named after snakes. ''Frontier'' adds lines of spaceships named after birds of prey (Falcon, Hawk, Eagle) and big cat names cats (Lion, Tiger, and Panther) to the mix.Panther).
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* AmateurPhotographer: ''Elite II'' has a class of military missions that involve taking pictures of an enemy installation on some uninhabited planet several light-years away.
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* FirstPersonSnapshooter: ''Elite II'' has a class of military missions that involve taking pictures of an enemy installation on some uninhabited planet several light-years away.
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Elite is a famous, popular (it eventually sold one copy of the BBC Micro version for every BBC Micro in the world at the time) and historically significant game, one of the earliest in the WideOpenSandbox genre. It was written by David Braben and Ian Bell, and first released in 1984 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. In the game you start on Lave Station with 100 credits and a lightly armed trading ship, a Cobra Mark III. From here you seek fame, fortune and money via one of the many, many, different options open to you. You can:
* Collect bounties, which is dangerous.
* Become a pirate, which is more dangerous.
* Trade, the different planets have different economy types and tech levels that make this surprisingly complex.
* Perform military missions, when they come up and if you like death.
* Mine asteroids, if you like comas.
The name derives from the exalted highest combat ranking a pilot can have. Many aspects of the game make it rather hard, there are no lives, save perhaps the painfully expensive escape pods, not all of the systems are friendly (some are run by pirates, what a pity they tend to have nice stuff to buy), while you can upgrade it a lot you can never sell your Cobra Mark III and a warship it ain't and then there is [[NintendoHard docking at space stations...]]
The game uses very realistic physics for the time, [[SpaceIsAnOcean Space Is Most Certainly NOT An Ocean]] and really pushed the capabilities of the computers it was released on (which eventually became most of them). Many first time players made the error of treating it like a ShootEmUp, resulting in death (especially seeing as the first big shootable thing is the space station you just left, and the police tend to object to that).
One of the most amazing things is the sheer size of the game for an 8-bit computer. By using [[RandomlyGeneratedLevels procedural generation]] the game manages to have 2048 different, predetermined and constant systems to visit across eight galaxies. (This did lead to a few issues, several planets can only be reached by inter-galactic hyperspace because they are too far from the other planets in the galaxy to jump to normally and intergalactic jumps are not cheap. Also the designers had to tweak the algorithm several times when a planet got a profane name via the generation method.)
Elite was one of the first home computer games to use wireframe 3D graphics with hidden line removal (also making it among the first ever true 3D games to be released). Another novelty was the inclusion of The Dark Wheel, a novella by Robert Holdstock which influenced new players with insight into the moral and legal codes which they might aspire to.
''Frontier: Elite II'' and ''Frontier: First Encounters'' are later PC sequels by David Braben alone (the original authors having had a serious falling-out), with textured 3D graphics. Sadly, while ''First Encounters'' has good Newtonian physics (it was even possible to place a ship into proper orbit), it was an ObviousBeta. Various indie developers have hacked and modified the code to make it playable on modern systems, even going so far as to port the graphics engine to OpenGL. One ambitious project, [=FFE-D3D=], aims to rewrite the entire game with greatly improved graphics.
It has been cited as inspiration for EveOnline, {{Freelancer}}, {{Jumpgate}}, InfinityTheQuestForEarth, VideoGame/WingCommander: Privateer, the EscapeVelocity series and the X series of space trading games, freeware {{Vegastrike}} (there's also "Elite Strike" mod, but its development seems to fall into dormancy). There is now also a free, open-source remake, {{Oolite}} (so named because it uses object-oriented programming), which has a fairly dedicated [[GameMod modding]] community.
----
!!Tropes featured include:
* AlliterativeFamily: The Duval dynasty from the sequels all have names starting with H.
* AmateurPhotographer: ''Elite II'' has a class of military missions that involve taking pictures of an enemy installation on some uninhabited planet several light-years away.
* AnimalThemeNaming: Almost all ship types in ''Elite'' are named after snakes. ''Frontier'' adds big cat names (Lion, Tiger, and Panther) to the mix.
* AsteroidMiners
* CasualInterstellarTravel
* DeflectorShields: A necessity. Generators are stackable, not segmented.
* DogFightingFurballs: All three games of the series, you are a pilot of a small starship. All combat in ''Elite 1'' and most combat in ''Elite 2: Frontier'' and ''Elite 3: Frontier First Encounters'' is either a dogfight (if you are attacked by a single enemy ship) or a furball (if there are several attackers). The game's title is a rank you achieve if you win a certain number of dogfights and furballs.
* AnEntrepreneurIsYou: Commodity trading.
* FanRemake: ''{{Oolite}}''.
* GenerationShips: According to the manual, you can occasionally run across these. However, that's the ''only'' place they exist in the game.
* GenrePopularizer: It paved the way for all 3D space simulators, and particularly space trading and open sandbox games.
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: A trip into hyperspace (or witch-space, as the game calls it) puts you at risk from ambush from Thargoids, who have a technology which allows them to lurk there. In some versions of the game you can force a hyperdrive failure by holding full pitch and roll while jumping, but you'd have to be either suicidal or very well armed to attempt it.
* LightspeedLeapfrog: the manual for the first ''Elite'' says you can encounter an ancient GenerationShip still flying to its destination in your {{Casual Interstellar Travel}}s. You can't.
* IntrepidMerchant: The player character is one of these, when not a BountyHunter or {{Pirate}}.
* MilitaryMashupMachine: The Moray Star Boat.
* NoWarpingZone: It may be the TropeCodifier of "mass-locked" warp drives.
* NoWomansLand: the Imperial Palace from Frontier and FFE. The Imperial House Duval even reproduces without women, utilizing some sort of artificial uteruses.
* ObviousBeta: The third game was released behind the developers' backs, with several ugly bugs still present.
* OldSchoolDogfighting: Especially in the first game; the sequels tried to have slightly more realistic physics.
* OneNationUnderCopyright: Some of the planets you can visit take this form.
* ProceduralGeneration: Used to generate not only worlds, but names, descriptions, and even prices of commodities, among many other innovations, by using the Fibonacci sequence.
* PublicDomainSoundtrack: The original game uses "On The Beautiful Blue Danube" as docking music, in homage to ''2001''. The sequel adds in some other classical themes, including "Ride of the Valkyries".
* {{Ramscoop}}: A purchasable option for your ship.
* RandomlyGeneratedLevels
* SinkTheLifeboats: The game inadvertently ''encourages'' players to blow up ships' escape pods. You can't use your jump drive when the pod is within detection range, which means a long and tedious wait while you leave the area using thrusters. You can pick up the pod and sell the occupant as a slave, but that will leave you with a criminal record. So the convenient and consequence-free options are to shoot the pod or "accidentally" crash into it.
* SpaceFighter: The player is cast in the role of a SpaceFighter pilot.
* SpaceFriction: In earlier versions of the game, before the physics was improved.
* SpaceMines: The sequel games allow you to deploy them.
* SpacePirates: There are pirates who attack you between hyperspace jump-points and your destination. Or you can become a pirate yourself.
* SuperPersistentMissile: The higher-end missiles in the sequel games can't be stopped by any kind of ECM.
* ToBeAMaster: The game's unstated goal is to achieve the eponymous "Elite" rating. Nothing particularly compels you to spend the relevant time LevelGrinding to achieve this, but legitimately doing so earns some bragging rights.
* UnwinnableByMistake: There's one star-system, Oresrati in Galaxy 8, which is over 7 light-years from any other; hence, it is only reachable by Galactic Hyperspace (or the "unlimited hyperspace range" hack). It's of insufficient tech level to sell you another Galactic Hyperspace. If you're not using the "unlimited hyperspace range" hack and don't have a recent saved position, then you're basically screwed.
* UrbanLegendOfZelda: One of the all-time classics is the Mirage ship in ''Frontier: Elite II''. They wound up chucking it into a secrets guide (complete with made-up specifications) and added a Mirage II into ''Elite III: Frontier II: First Encounters''.
* VendorTrash: The basis of the merchant and pirate occupations.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: The game lets you blow up friendly ships and even steal their cargo from the wreckage. However, such acts of piracy earn you a legal status of "Fugitive", which means that every police ship and bounty hunter in the game will attack you on sight. And attacking a SpaceStation is near suicidal, as you will quickly find yourself facing the planet's [[BolivianArmyEnding entire fleet of police vessels]].
** You could also scoop up escape pods and sell the occupants as slaves.
* WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture
* WideOpenSandbox
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Some worlds have rather unusual notions of waste. One, Cemeiss, pays traders a small sum to remove gemstones and a rather larger one to remove precious metals from their worlds. Woe betide anyone who brings any such materials into the Cemeiss system... they're promptly fined for smuggling waste.
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* Collect bounties, which is dangerous.
* Become a pirate, which is more dangerous.
* Trade, the different planets have different economy types and tech levels that make this surprisingly complex.
* Perform military missions, when they come up and if you like death.
* Mine asteroids, if you like comas.
The name derives from the exalted highest combat ranking a pilot can have. Many aspects of the game make it rather hard, there are no lives, save perhaps the painfully expensive escape pods, not all of the systems are friendly (some are run by pirates, what a pity they tend to have nice stuff to buy), while you can upgrade it a lot you can never sell your Cobra Mark III and a warship it ain't and then there is [[NintendoHard docking at space stations...]]
The game uses very realistic physics for the time, [[SpaceIsAnOcean Space Is Most Certainly NOT An Ocean]] and really pushed the capabilities of the computers it was released on (which eventually became most of them). Many first time players made the error of treating it like a ShootEmUp, resulting in death (especially seeing as the first big shootable thing is the space station you just left, and the police tend to object to that).
One of the most amazing things is the sheer size of the game for an 8-bit computer. By using [[RandomlyGeneratedLevels procedural generation]] the game manages to have 2048 different, predetermined and constant systems to visit across eight galaxies. (This did lead to a few issues, several planets can only be reached by inter-galactic hyperspace because they are too far from the other planets in the galaxy to jump to normally and intergalactic jumps are not cheap. Also the designers had to tweak the algorithm several times when a planet got a profane name via the generation method.)
Elite was one of the first home computer games to use wireframe 3D graphics with hidden line removal (also making it among the first ever true 3D games to be released). Another novelty was the inclusion of The Dark Wheel, a novella by Robert Holdstock which influenced new players with insight into the moral and legal codes which they might aspire to.
''Frontier: Elite II'' and ''Frontier: First Encounters'' are later PC sequels by David Braben alone (the original authors having had a serious falling-out), with textured 3D graphics. Sadly, while ''First Encounters'' has good Newtonian physics (it was even possible to place a ship into proper orbit), it was an ObviousBeta. Various indie developers have hacked and modified the code to make it playable on modern systems, even going so far as to port the graphics engine to OpenGL. One ambitious project, [=FFE-D3D=], aims to rewrite the entire game with greatly improved graphics.
It has been cited as inspiration for EveOnline, {{Freelancer}}, {{Jumpgate}}, InfinityTheQuestForEarth, VideoGame/WingCommander: Privateer, the EscapeVelocity series and the X series of space trading games, freeware {{Vegastrike}} (there's also "Elite Strike" mod, but its development seems to fall into dormancy). There is now also a free, open-source remake, {{Oolite}} (so named because it uses object-oriented programming), which has a fairly dedicated [[GameMod modding]] community.
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!!Tropes featured include:
* AlliterativeFamily: The Duval dynasty from the sequels all have names starting with H.
* AmateurPhotographer: ''Elite II'' has a class of military missions that involve taking pictures of an enemy installation on some uninhabited planet several light-years away.
* AnimalThemeNaming: Almost all ship types in ''Elite'' are named after snakes. ''Frontier'' adds big cat names (Lion, Tiger, and Panther) to the mix.
* AsteroidMiners
* CasualInterstellarTravel
* DeflectorShields: A necessity. Generators are stackable, not segmented.
* DogFightingFurballs: All three games of the series, you are a pilot of a small starship. All combat in ''Elite 1'' and most combat in ''Elite 2: Frontier'' and ''Elite 3: Frontier First Encounters'' is either a dogfight (if you are attacked by a single enemy ship) or a furball (if there are several attackers). The game's title is a rank you achieve if you win a certain number of dogfights and furballs.
* AnEntrepreneurIsYou: Commodity trading.
* FanRemake: ''{{Oolite}}''.
* GenerationShips: According to the manual, you can occasionally run across these. However, that's the ''only'' place they exist in the game.
* GenrePopularizer: It paved the way for all 3D space simulators, and particularly space trading and open sandbox games.
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: A trip into hyperspace (or witch-space, as the game calls it) puts you at risk from ambush from Thargoids, who have a technology which allows them to lurk there. In some versions of the game you can force a hyperdrive failure by holding full pitch and roll while jumping, but you'd have to be either suicidal or very well armed to attempt it.
* LightspeedLeapfrog: the manual for the first ''Elite'' says you can encounter an ancient GenerationShip still flying to its destination in your {{Casual Interstellar Travel}}s. You can't.
* IntrepidMerchant: The player character is one of these, when not a BountyHunter or {{Pirate}}.
* MilitaryMashupMachine: The Moray Star Boat.
* NoWarpingZone: It may be the TropeCodifier of "mass-locked" warp drives.
* NoWomansLand: the Imperial Palace from Frontier and FFE. The Imperial House Duval even reproduces without women, utilizing some sort of artificial uteruses.
* ObviousBeta: The third game was released behind the developers' backs, with several ugly bugs still present.
* OldSchoolDogfighting: Especially in the first game; the sequels tried to have slightly more realistic physics.
* OneNationUnderCopyright: Some of the planets you can visit take this form.
* ProceduralGeneration: Used to generate not only worlds, but names, descriptions, and even prices of commodities, among many other innovations, by using the Fibonacci sequence.
* PublicDomainSoundtrack: The original game uses "On The Beautiful Blue Danube" as docking music, in homage to ''2001''. The sequel adds in some other classical themes, including "Ride of the Valkyries".
* {{Ramscoop}}: A purchasable option for your ship.
* RandomlyGeneratedLevels
* SinkTheLifeboats: The game inadvertently ''encourages'' players to blow up ships' escape pods. You can't use your jump drive when the pod is within detection range, which means a long and tedious wait while you leave the area using thrusters. You can pick up the pod and sell the occupant as a slave, but that will leave you with a criminal record. So the convenient and consequence-free options are to shoot the pod or "accidentally" crash into it.
* SpaceFighter: The player is cast in the role of a SpaceFighter pilot.
* SpaceFriction: In earlier versions of the game, before the physics was improved.
* SpaceMines: The sequel games allow you to deploy them.
* SpacePirates: There are pirates who attack you between hyperspace jump-points and your destination. Or you can become a pirate yourself.
* SuperPersistentMissile: The higher-end missiles in the sequel games can't be stopped by any kind of ECM.
* ToBeAMaster: The game's unstated goal is to achieve the eponymous "Elite" rating. Nothing particularly compels you to spend the relevant time LevelGrinding to achieve this, but legitimately doing so earns some bragging rights.
* UnwinnableByMistake: There's one star-system, Oresrati in Galaxy 8, which is over 7 light-years from any other; hence, it is only reachable by Galactic Hyperspace (or the "unlimited hyperspace range" hack). It's of insufficient tech level to sell you another Galactic Hyperspace. If you're not using the "unlimited hyperspace range" hack and don't have a recent saved position, then you're basically screwed.
* UrbanLegendOfZelda: One of the all-time classics is the Mirage ship in ''Frontier: Elite II''. They wound up chucking it into a secrets guide (complete with made-up specifications) and added a Mirage II into ''Elite III: Frontier II: First Encounters''.
* VendorTrash: The basis of the merchant and pirate occupations.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: The game lets you blow up friendly ships and even steal their cargo from the wreckage. However, such acts of piracy earn you a legal status of "Fugitive", which means that every police ship and bounty hunter in the game will attack you on sight. And attacking a SpaceStation is near suicidal, as you will quickly find yourself facing the planet's [[BolivianArmyEnding entire fleet of police vessels]].
** You could also scoop up escape pods and sell the occupants as slaves.
* WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture
* WideOpenSandbox
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Some worlds have rather unusual notions of waste. One, Cemeiss, pays traders a small sum to remove gemstones and a rather larger one to remove precious metals from their worlds. Woe betide anyone who brings any such materials into the Cemeiss system... they're promptly fined for smuggling waste.
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