ELECTRON USER GUIDE TO ELITE
Don't cheat, beat Elite!The first trade run
The object of the game is to stay alive and eventually join the ranks of the Elite. This invariably involves writing off several Cobra Mk III spaceships, but you can afford it. In staying alive, several things will happen: You earn credits, your combat rating improves and your legal status may vary. It is impossible to improve any of these without improving the others at the same time.
At the start you will have read the manual and practised departing and docking at Lave. All you have is 100 credits, plus any extra you may have earned by atomising asteroids - always worth 0.5 credits.
Buy wine at Lave, set the controls for Leesti and take off. Remember you are trying to stay alive, so at this stage spare the heroics and get into hyperspace straight away. You are at great risk in space and this can only be minimised by spending as little time in flight as possible.
On arrival at Leesti sell the wine and buy computers. Refuel, re-arm and return to Lave to sell the computers. Repeat this trading run for as long as you can stand it.
If you can find a run between poor agricultural and poor industrial systems of safe political persuasion, use it. The best legal profits are to be had in computers - industrial to agricultural - and furs - agricultural to industrial.
You cannot hope to trade effectively until you have enough credits to equip your ship for combat. The essential items are:
Large cargo bay - 400 Credits
ECM system - 600 Credits
Front beam laser - 1000 Credits
Extra energy unit - 1500 CreditsWhen you have earned about 1,200 credits consider buying the large cargo bay, which will boost your carrying capacity from a tiny 20 tonnes to a more useful 35 tonnes, thus increasing your potential profit.
There isn't any point in carrying around large amounts of spare cash which could be cargo. The galaxy is not overblessed with building societies, so you must fill your hold to the brim.
You should be able to make around 500 credits or more per journey, and so afford the beam laser and ECM within four to five runs. As a rule of thumb, don't buy extra equipment before buying fuel, missiles and cargo. There is no point in being well equipped but unable to buy cargo - and with not enough fuel to fly anywhere to sell it in any case.
The ECM system is essential. It is the only reliable way to stop missiles dead, and every one destroyed counts as a kill towards your next status rating.
The difference between the standard pulse laser and the mighty beam laser is roughly analogous to the difference between the little one that is used in your CD player and the steel cutting beast that nearly split James Bond in two in Goldfinger. Get one before one gets you.
The true cost of a new laser includes a refund on any that it replaces. So when uprating a front pulse laser to a beam laser you should subtract the cost of a pulse laser from that of the new weapon.
The disadvantage of the beam laser and ECM is their heavy energy consumption. You have the kit, but not the power. An EEU comes into its own by increasing your energy replenishment rate.
Tips from spaceRegard your own missiles as purely defensive weapons. Don't target asteroids, as missiles are too expensive to waste - use lasers instead. If the E symbol appears on the screen after firing a missile don't fire again unless you are right on top of your target. The symbol means that your enemy is equipped with an ECM, which largely renders your missiles useless. The only hope you have is to get a missile into him before he can prime his ECM.
Bear in mind that there can be a considerable delay between firing and contact with the target. Are your ship's defences up to scratch?
Without an ECM you will only survive the impact of an enemy missile if your shields are fully charged and you have adequate energy to sustain the blow. The best defence is to hyperspace to another star system, but this is rarely practical.
Your remaining alternative is to accelerate to full speed and duck and weave until you can start shooting at it. If successful you will earn a kill point towards your next status promotion.
Insurance
To avoid starting at the very beginning each time you are destroyed, save your position to tape every time you dock. This also saves your position in ram and answering N to the "Load new commander?" prompt returns you to the last space station.
As you progress, you can buy an escape capsule for 1,000 credits. By pressing Escape before your ship explodes you will be transported to the space station in the current system. Once there, you will receive a new Cobra Mk III, identical to the one you had before.
How to surviveApart from political organisation, planets are also classified by their economic system and wealth. The best traders head for the very rich and the very poor as very few advantageous opportunities exist among the Average classes who are not Feudal.
However, try to avoid Anarchy and Feudal planet systems until you are Competent with credits to spare. The pirates in these systems are quite adept at knocking out ECMs, EEUs and docking computers, as well as any cargo you may be carrying.
It is good practice to cover your back by setting the hyperdrive for somewhere safe immediately on entering a dangerous system. If you are hurrying to leave, then looking at an information page rather than the starscape will speed up the countdown.
Learn to interpret the various flight patterns of the different craft from their appearance on the flight grid scanner. The sooner you spot potential trouble, the better. It is easy to detect the presence of pirates and react appropriately - get them in your crosshairs, prime a missile and start lasering.
They show little skill, but work mob handed. When you fly through the pack they scatter and are easy to pick off. Until then they can cause considerable harm and may need a missile or two.
Vipers are invariably police craft, so avoid engaging them until you become skilled at combat, have a beam laser and fancy becoming a fugitive.
When heading for a planet set the crosshairs for the centre. Should unidentified company appear, roll the ship so that the enemy is ahead and above, but keep the planet straight ahead. If it attacks and you want to retaliate, lose speed, climb until the target is dead ahead and engage in battle. Have a missile targeted ready for use if necessary, but don't wait too long if he keeps hitting while you are missing.
If you find yourself suddenly under attack, but you can't see the enemy, see which shield - front or rear - is diminishing. Stop and dive, accelerate and roll. The attacker should now be showing on the radar.
Get into the habit of disarming the missiles when there is no immediate use for them, especially when approaching a space station. It is foolish to inadvertently target and fire on a space station at which you wish to dock. Firstly, they won't let you in, and secondly, the police come out and attack.
If you pick a fight within range of a space station and you intend to dock, use your docking computer without delay. Of course, if you want to pick a fight, just shoot at a space station and blast the police as they come out.
Unfortunately, it occasionally happens that villains start to attack you in a space station controlled area. If this occurs you won't get any help from the police (you can never find a policeman when you want one). If you haven't got a docking computer it is best to chase the enemy out of the area, keeping the station behind you and then destroy him.
After a battle your ship's defenses will be weakened. The only way they can be recharged is to fly at full throttle, straight and level. If you use the jump key you will attract pirates and other undesirables capable of making mincemeat out of a weakened Cobra Mk III.
Always keep an eye on your energy level and shield strength. Shields are especially crucial, because they can diminish to the point where energy is taken directly from the energy banks, and this is fatal.
Finally, the most important tip is that you never know enough not to re-read the training manual!
This article appeared in the February 1990 edition of the "Electron User", published by Database Publications.
Scanned in by dllm@usa.net
http://www.stairwaytohell.com