Bringing all the best Elite hacks together in one feature-packed disc
The Elite Compendium is a collection of the very best of Acornsoft Elite, updated with as many hacks and enhancements as I've been able to fit in. If you're looking to play 8-bit Elite, then this is a pretty good place to start.
The Compendium is available for the BBC Master, BBC Micro with 16K of sideways RAM, and Acorn Electron with 16K of sideways RAM. This is what you get:
| Disc menu | Contents |
|---|---|
 |
BBC Master 128
|
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BBC Micro B/B+ with 16K of sideways RAM
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Acorn Electron with 16K of sideways RAM
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Main enhancements in the Compendium versions of Elite
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All the extra features and enhancements in the Compendium versions of Elite have been backported from other versions of the game, so everything is part of the official Elite canon. These are the most important enhancements in the Compendium:
| Feature | Details | Taken from |
|---|---|---|
| Flicker-free | I've added flicker-free ships and planets using the algorithm from the Apple II (read more about flicker-free Elite) | Apple II |
| Music | I've added the music from the Commodore 64 version, with two different tunes and options to swap tunes, disable music and change the volume (read more about musical Elite) | Commodore 64 |
| Volume | I've added volume control for all sound effects (pause the game and use "<" and ">" to change the volume of music and sound effects) | BBC Master |
| Trumbles | I've backported the non-sprite version of the Trumbles mission from the NES version (read more about the Trumbles mission) | NES |
| Docking | I've backported a couple of docking computer improvements from the NES version, to make auto-docking a bit more enjoyable:
| NES |
| Fuel scoops | Fuel scoops will only work when you are moving, which makes a lot more sense | NES |
| Joysticks | When joysticks are enabled, the "fire laser" key on the keyboard is no longer disabled, so you can have one hand on the stick and one on the keyboard | BBC Master |
| Delta 14B | Taking inspiration from Angus Duggan's Elite-A, I've added full support for the Voltmace Delta 14B joystick, so if you are lucky enough to own one of these and the accompanying 14B/1 adaptor box, you can now fly your Cobra Mk III without relying on the keyboard | Elite-A |
All of the Compendium versions of Elite contain all of the above enhancements, with the following exceptions:
- The Compendium version of BBC Micro cassette Elite doesn't include the Trumbles mission, as this version doesn't include any missions at all.
- The Compendium version of Acorn Electron Elite doesn't include volume control or Delta 14B support, as the hardware can't support either of these features.
These are the main features of the Compendium, but there's more, so let's look at exactly what you get in each Compendium version.
More details about the enhanced Compendium versions of Elite
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There are quite a few other features in the Compendium versions of Elite, so here's a complete breakdown of every single enhancement:
| Version | Extra enhancements in the Compendium version of Elite |
|---|---|
| BBC Master 128 Elite |
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| 6502 Second Processor Elite |
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| BBC Micro disc Elite |
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| BBC Micro cassette Elite |
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| Acorn Electron Elite |
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| Teletext Elite |
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Because of the extra memory required by all these Elite hacks, the Compendium versions of Elite need a BBC Master 128, a BBC Micro with 16K of sideways RAM, or an Acorn Electron with 16K of sideways RAM. You will also need a 6502 co-processor if you want to play the 6502 Second Processor version of Elite.
The following also come with the Elite Compendium. They aren't specially enhanced Compendium versions, but they're still worth a look:
| Version | Details |
|---|---|
| Elite Universe Editor |
|
| Flicker-free Acorn Electron cassette Elite |
|
Apart from the Elite Universe Editor and the use of teletext in Teletext Elite, all of the hacks included in the Compendium are 100% canon - they are all taken from official versions of 6502 Elite, as noted above. This means they were all written by Elite's authors, Ian Bell and David Braben (with Aidan Bell and Julie Dunn composing the music). So the flicker-free drawing algorithm is from Apple II Elite, the music comes from the Commodore 64 version, the docking computer enhancements are from the NES version, red enemy lasers are from the 6502 Second Processor version, and so on.
So the Compendium is effectively a Greatest Hits of the original Elite, and in terms of gameplay, nothing new has been added; it's all original Bell and Braben brilliance, just backported to work on the BBC Master and BBC Micro.
What else is on the disc?
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The Compendium also contains three commander files on drive 0, which you can load into any version of Elite via the save and load menu (press "Y" on the title screen or press "@" when docked):
- MISS1 is for those who want to play the Constrictor mission; load it, launch from the station, dock once again (you have a docking computer) and the mission will start.
- MISS2 is for those who want to play the Thargoid Plans mission, and you can trigger it in the same way.
- MAX is a maxed-out commander to let you hit the ground running.
All of these commanders will also trigger the Trumbles mission when you dock:
If you load MISS1 or MISS2, then the Trumble mission will be offered on your second docking, as the first docking will trigger the missions shown above; if you load MAX, then the Trumbles will be offered on your first docking. Remember that the Compendium implements instant docking with the docking computer, so the quickest way to trigger a mission is to load the relevant commander file, then press f0 to launch, "C" to activate the docking computer, "J" to insta-dock, and then you will be offered the mission.
The BBC versions of the Compendium also contain a full collection of universe files on drive 2, which you can load into the Elite Universe Editor. See the Universe Editor instructions for details.