Compare code for features of Acorn Electron Elite

The following table shows code variations that are unique to the Electron version.

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

Name	Comments
DEATH Start and end	The Electron version doesn't hide the dashboard when you die. This effect is implemented in the BBC versions by programming the 6845 CRTC, which isn't present on the Electron. See the code variation for this feature In the Electron version, the cargo canisters we see when we die always spawn at an x-coordinate of magnitude 32, so canisters appear on either side of the view but never in the centre. It's much more random in the other versions. See the code variation for this feature
DELAY Utility routines	In the BBC versions, delays are implemented by waiting for a specified number of vertical syncs. The Electron's video system is different, so it has its own dedicated delay routine that isn't based around the screen refresh, but instead wastes time using a convoluted loop-within-loop structure. See the code variation for this feature
DIALS (Part 3 of 4) Dashboard	Dashboard indicators in the Electron version don't change colour, as the dashboard is monochrome. See the code variation for this feature
DIALS (Part 4 of 4) Dashboard	The Electron version doesn't include suns, so although there is a cabin temperature indicator in the dashboard, it never registers any temperature increases as the relevant code is missing. See the code variation for this feature
DILX Dashboard	As the dashboard in the Electron version is monochrome, the dashboard indicators do not change colour when reaching their threshold. See the code variation for this feature
DOEXP Drawing ships	The Master and Electron versions have half the number of explosion particles per vertex compared to the other versions. See the code variation for this feature
DOKEY Keyboard	The Electron version doesn't read joystick values from the ADC channel in the main DOKEY routine, so although you can switch to a joystick using the "K" configuration option, it doesn't mean you can use it to fly your ship. See the code variation for this feature
ESCAPE Flight	When you launch an escape pod in the Electron version, you don't see an animation of your Cobra Mk III drifting away, but jump straight into the station. See the code variation for this feature
FLIP Stardust	The Electron version only shows 10 stardust particles at once, compared to 20 in the Master version or 18 in the other versions. See the code variation for this feature
Ghy Flight	The wW routine is not called in the original Acornsoft release, so the length of the first tick of the galactic hyperspace countdown will depend on the current value of QQ22, which could be any value. See the code variation for this feature Galactic hyperspace does not work in the original Acornsoft variant, but if it did, the hyperspace counter would count down from 5, rather than 15 (this was changed to 15 in the fixed version to bring it in line with the other original versions). See the code variation for this feature Galactic hyperspace does not work in the original Acornsoft variant, but if it did, it would drop you at a randomly generated point in the new galaxy, rather than the closest system to galactic coordinates (96, 96), which is how all the other versions work. See the code variation for this feature
HLOIN Drawing lines	The Electron doesn't have a dedicated routine for drawing horizontal lines, unlike the other versions; instead, it just uses the normal line-drawing routine, and sets the y-coordinates to be the same. See the code variation for this feature
hyp Flight	Galactic hyperspace does not work in the original Acornsoft release as the game checks for a CAPS-LOCK-H keypress instead of CTRL-H, and this combination does not work properly. See the code variation for this feature
Main flight loop (Part 1 of 16) Main loop	Because the Electron only has two sound channels (one noise and one tone), each sound is allocated a minimum duration, during which time it can only be stopped by a higher priority sound coming along. See the code variation for this feature
Main flight loop (Part 14 of 16) Main loop	As the Electron version doesn't have witchspace, we always need to do the main loop check for possibly arriving in the station's safe zone. See the code variation for this feature As the Electron version doesn't have suns, we don't need to remove it from the screen when we enter the station's safe zone. See the code variation for this feature
Main flight loop (Part 15 of 16) Main loop	As there are no suns in the Electron version, we don't need to set the cabin temperature based on the altitude from the sun. See the code variation for this feature As there are no suns in the Electron version, we don't need to implement fuel scooping. See the code variation for this feature
Main flight loop (Part 16 of 16) Main loop	In the Electron version, the E.C.M. timer counts down twice as fast as in the other versions to cater for the slower iterations round the main loop. See the code variation for this feature
Main game loop (Part 2 of 6) Main loop	As the Electron doesn't support witchspace, we always process ship spawning (the other versions skip the ship spawning logic when in witchspace, as the Thargoids are enough trouble without humans joining the fight). See the code variation for this feature
MSBAR Dashboard	The monochrome dashboard can't use colour to indicate the status of the missiles, so instead the Electron version uses four different bitmaps - black (no missile), white box (disarmed), black box in white square (armed), and black "T" in white square (armed and locked). See the code variation for this feature
MV40 Moving	As the Electron only has planets and no suns, the MV40 routine only moves the planet by our pitch and roll, and does nothing if asked to move the sun. See the code variation for this feature
MVEIT (Part 6 of 9) Moving	As the Electron has no suns, we don't need to check whether we are trying to rotate the sun, unlike in the other versions. See the code variation for this feature
NO3 Sound	Because the Electron only has two sound channels (one noise and one tone), each sound is allocated a priority and a minimum duration, so higher priority sounds take predence over lower priority sounds, but only for their minimum duration. See the code variation for this feature
nWq Stardust	The Electron version has no witchspace, so the number of stardust particles shown is always the same, so the value is hard-coded rather than needing to use a location (which the other versions need so they can vary the number of particles when in witchspace). See the code variation for this feature
PIXEL Drawing pixels	Dots in the Electron version, such as those shown for stardust particles, are always two pixels wide, while the cassette and disc versions also support one-pixel dots in their monochrome space views. See the code variation for this feature
PLANET Drawing planets	In the Electron version, the PLANET routine only draws planets and will terminate if asked to draw a sun. See the code variation for this feature Planets in the Electron version are simple circles, so the code to draw meridians and craters is omitted, and the simple CIRCLE routine is used instead. See the code variation for this feature
QQ18 Text	The Electron doesn't support fuel scooping (as there are no suns), so the text token for "FUEL SCOOPS ON" isn't included. See the code variation for this feature In the Electron version you can buy an "Escape Capsule", while all the other versions call it an "Escape Pod". See the code variation for this feature
RES2 Start and end	The Electron version has a hard-coded number of stardust particles on-screen, so there is no need to reset it after launch from the station. See the code variation for this feature
SCAN Dashboard	The dashboard in the Electron version might be monochrome, but it has a higher resolution than the colour versions, so the code to draw ships on the scanner varies accordingly. See the code variation for this feature
SFX Sound	The sound effects on the Electron are noticeably different to the other versions, as it has different sound hardware that only supports one sound channel rather than three. See the code variation for this feature In the Electron version, each of the game's sounds is allocated a priority and a minimum duration. See the code variation for this feature
SOLAR Universe	As there is no sun in the Electron version, there is no need to set up its position and distance on arrival in a new system. See the code variation for this feature
STARS1 Stardust	The Electron version has no witchspace, so the number of stardust particles shown is always the same, so the value is hard-coded rather than needing to use a location (which the other versions need so they can vary the number of particles when in witchspace). See the code variation for this feature
STARS2 Stardust	The Electron version has no witchspace, so the number of stardust particles shown is always the same, so the value is hard-coded rather than needing to use a location (which the other versions need so they can vary the number of particles when in witchspace). See the code variation for this feature
STARS6 Stardust	The Electron version has no witchspace, so the number of stardust particles shown is always the same, so the value is hard-coded rather than needing to use a location (which the other versions need so they can vary the number of particles when in witchspace). See the code variation for this feature
STATUS Status	The Electron version shows the escape pod by name in the Status Mode screen (where it is shown as "Escape Capsule") but it doesn't show the large cargo bay; the Master version is similar (though it shows it as "Escape Pod"), while the other versions show the large cargo bay but don't show the escape pod at all. See the code variation for this feature
TACTICS (Part 2 of 7) Tactics	The cops that the space station spawns to defend itself are slightly less aggressive in the Electron version than in the other versions. See the code variation for this feature
TACTICS (Part 5 of 7) Tactics	The Electron version has no Thargoids, which also means no ships can launch Thargons. See the code variation for this feature
TITLE Start and end	As joysticks are not supported in the Electron version, it doesn't check for the joystick fire button being pressed during the "Press Fire Or Space,Commander." stage of the title screen. See the code variation for this feature
TT16 Charts	The Electron has its own unique video system that is controlled by the custom ULA, so unlike the other versions, we don't wait for the vertical sync to prevent flicker. See the code variation for this feature
TT17 Keyboard	Despite never reading the joystick values from the ADC channels, the Electron version still lets the joystick control the crosshairs on the chart views, if joysticks are configured. The result is an uncontrollable crosshair that moves of its own accord, so presumably this is a bug. See the code variation for this feature
TT18 Flight	The Electron version doesn't support witchspace, so the code for triggering a manual mis-jump is missing. See the code variation for this feature
TT23 Charts	In the non-Electron versions, the same code is used to draw both the sun and the systems on the Short-range Chart. The Electron version doesn't include suns, so systems on the chart are drawn as dots rather than filled circles. See the code variation for this feature
WARP Flight	The Electron version doesn't have witchspace, so there's no need to disable in-system jumping there. See the code variation for this feature