Information on the smoothest version of BBC Elite
The BBC Master version of Elite looks and feels pretty similar to the 6502 Second Processor version, and although it lacks that version's unique features, it instead has quite a few of its own.
While it doesn't enjoy the same speed increase over the BBC Micro as the 6502 Second Processor version, it does have an improved ship-drawing routine that noticeably reduces flicker. Also, the Master version was developed after the authors had finished converting the BBC Micro version for release on the Commodore 64 and Apple II. As these systems are based around the same 6502 CPU as the BBC range, the Master version was developed from these converted versions, rather than being a direct descendent of the BBC Micro version, and as such it inherited a bunch of code from these newer versions.
Most noticeably, the number of kill points awarded varies depending on the type of ship destroyed, and kill points can be fractional, a step up from the "one-kill-per-ship" approach of the original. Other notable changes include the laser sights changing colour with different laser types, and the lightning storm effect when setting off the energy bomb. Although there is a bunch of Trumble code still present in the Master version, it is never activated as the Trumble mission is missing, but on the plus side there are updated sound effects and a volume control, which is an absolute godsend when playing on real hardware.
Here are some suggestions for exploring this version of Elite:
- Play BBC Master Elite in your browser.
- Download a disc image of this version from the downloads page, which you can load into an emulator or real machine.
- Find out how this version works under the hood with over 100 deep dive articles covering every aspect of the game.
- Navigate the codebase using the map of the source code, A-Z index and source code cross-references.
- See the code statistics for this version.
- See exactly how this version compares to the others in the feature comparison table.
- Examine the code variations between the different versions by comparing the code for features of BBC Master Elite.
- See comprehensive details of all the different variants of this version.
- Download the game disc from Ian Bell's site as a disc image.
- Build this version from the source code with the accompanying GitHub repository.
- See this game in the BBC Micro Games Archive.