Celebrating 35 years of Elite!

[Enderdxg]

Cmdr. Enderdxg o7

Without a doubt, the best memory I have in Elite Dangerous is the Distant Worlds 2 launch. I participated in the EU and NA server launch and it was the most amazing experience I've ever had in gaming. I had my Vive VR setup, my HOTAS, and I was tuned into the official Distant Worlds 2 radio station. I felt like I was in space, with all these other commanders that had the same aspirations and goals. At each waypoint, you'd find dozens of commanders, driving SRV's, doing flyby's, and posing for pictures. The chat was overflowing with positivity and shared experiences. It was a community experience I will never forget and always love.

In a game where you're normally left to your own devices - scanning remote systems; traversing dead, ancient ruins; trucking hundreds of tons of goods; fighting nameless NPC's - seeing even ONE other commander can be a thrill. The liveliness of DW2 was exhilarating, to say the absolute least. It brought into perspective just how many commanders are really out there, and how many really have your back.

It's been an absolute privilege to fly with you all. Godspeed, commanders o7

 

[CMDR Sinclair Research]

Breathing a sigh of relief when the Spectrum version loaded up and getting past the LensLok protection system then I was set for the evening or weekend - Buy, Lauch, Jump, Kill (when attacked) Dock sell.. Repeat..
Never got tired back then and still do it now and more!

CMDR Sinclair Research o7

 

[matarun]

Hi all

For now, my best experience in Elite Dangerous has been to discover my first complete solar system. Luckily, the star was a white / blue and included in all about fifty planets and moons (including 1 aquatic, many metallic and sparkling) that I scanned and that brought me over 5 million. I would like to discover others every day! What a wonderful game !!! Thank you Frontier

matarun

 

[SosoDeSamurai]

Playing Elite on a Monitor and then put on my oculus rift, while flying through an asteroid belt... breath taking

 

[MadRon]

CMDR MadRon (Mike Alpha Delta to flight control). During long passenger missions I found look for volcanic sites. This was the we used to find them "We make discoveryies (money) the old fashion way... we find (earn) them" manually. I was flying through a canyon truned a corner and there one was. It was a iron magma site. Very nicely laid out on the canyon floor and walls. It was very satisfying. Now it is exreamly easy to find them, less of an accomplishment but still good.

 

[Parapsych]

Elite was a massive part of my journey to adulthood and was partly responsible for my terrible GCSE results (the other part being my general lack of interest and intelligence) in that I spent all my time trying to save enough credits for military lasers on my Atari ST version than I did revising. I got 17% in my maths exam but hell I knew how to take down a Thargoid! After many dark years of an Elite vacuum, I learned of a game called Elite Dangerous being released on console and PC...wait what? Elite what??? Is that like the elite I played as a teenager in the 80s??? With graphics like that? Daaamn this is insane!!! The excitement to get my hands on this iteration was literally insane and the days dragged until it’s release. Installing took decades, loading took forever but oh my god, when that first screen of me sat in a sidewinder pixelated its way onto my screen I nearly had a coronary and the memories of flunking GCSEs to get military lasers flooded back....such good gaming memories. Now, age 46, Elite Dangerous has me flunking wives, family, friends and jobs trying to save for a fleet carrier! Good times are back!
Thanks Frontier, thanks ED, thanks to all the team and staff for controlling pretty much my entire life with space farring adventures. Love it!
Happy Birthday! Get drunk, fall over.
Cmdr parapsych
o7

On PS4 btw....not sure if you needed that bit...

 

[Zyrg]

Greetings Commanders,

Over the years, the Elite series of games has grown and evolved, starting all the way from the first Elite (published on this very day in 1984) to the Elite Dangerous we have today!

For the 35th anniversary of Elite 1984, we want to look back and celebrate each and every Commander who has shared this incredible ride with us.

Haven't had the chance to earn your wings in the iconic Elite? Claim your free copy on the Frontier Store for PC and Mac here.

As a gift for every Commander, head over to the in-game store, and you will be able to claim your own Retro Thargoid Bobblehead, available until 23 September (16:00 UTC) for 1 ARX.

View attachment 143682

​

But that's not all! Alongside this octagonal interloper, we've got 35 Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Jobs to give away. To be in with the chance to win one of these Paint Jobs, all you need to do is reply to this thread, telling us about your favourite memory playing one of the Elite games. Don't forget to include your Commander Name to be eligible to win!

The competition will run from now until 23 September (11:00 UTC) and winners will be contacted by 25 September (11:00 UTC). With the aid of the Elite Dangerous development team, our top 35 favourite comments will be rewarded with the Paint Job.

You can also get involved over on Steam, Twitter and Facebook! Please find all of the Terms and Conditions below.

View attachment 143684

​

Whether you've only just donned your flight suit, or you've been with us over the last 35 years, thank you for all of your passion and support!

Fly safe.



TERMS AND CONDITIONS (FORUM/STEAM)

• Prize: One (1) Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Job. (35 per platform – Frontier Forums, Steam, Facebook and Twitter)
• One submission per person (per platform).
• You only officially enter the competition when you reply, with your favourite Elite Dangerous memory, to the relevant competition thread/post.
• Be sure to include your Commander Name in your reply to be eligible to win.
• The competition closes on Monday 23 September (2019) at 11:00 UTC.
• The winners will be announced by Wednesday 25 September (2019) and prizes will be credited directly to the winner's account.
• The winners will be chosen by a panel of Elite Dangerous developers.
• Objectionable or offensive content will be disqualified.
• No submission should violate the Elite Dangerous EULA and TOS.
• Frontier Developments has the right to remove any entry at their sole discretion
• Frontier Developments employees are excluded from participating in the event.
• Frontier Developments reserve the right to exchange any prize for a prize of similar value.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS (FACEBOOK/TWITTER)

• Prize: One (1) Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Job. (35 per platform – Frontier Forums, Steam, Facebook and Twitter)
• One submission per person (per platform).
• You only officially enter the competition when you reply, with your favourite Elite Dangerous memory, to the relevant competition thread/post.
• Be sure to include your Commander Name in your reply to be eligible to win.
• The winners will be contacted by the Frontier Community Team via Facebook DM, Twitter DM or Forum DM. Please ensure you are following @EliteDangerous on Twitter to allow us to contact you.
• The winners have 7 days to respond and claim the prize; if no response has been received after 7 days, you forfeit your prize.
• The competition closes on Monday 23 September (2019) at 11:00 UTC.
• The winners will be announced by Wednesday 25 September (2019) and prizes will be credited directly to the winner's account.
• The winners will be chosen by a panel of Elite Dangerous developers.
• Objectionable or offensive content will be disqualified.
• No submission should violate the Elite Dangerous EULA and TOS.
• Frontier Developments has the right to remove any entry at their sole discretion
• Frontier Developments employees are excluded from participating in the event.
• Frontier Developments reserve the right to exchange any prize for a prize of similar value.

One of my favourite memories of playing ED was when I had fought a really hard assasination mission with my Corvette and was on 10% hull but the enemy was at 6%. I decided to be reckless and rammed him, I won that day with only 1% left. Commander Zyrg, o7

 

[Ijaa]

My favourite memory...

When I started Elite : Dangerous, a friend brought me around in his Type-10 Defender. Lasers blazing around, fighters dancing around, it was amazing. So I went and worked my way to my own Type-10.

Its baptismal flight from Maljenni made me cross the road of a white dwarf. All mighty as you can think you are flying such a tank, I tried to overcharge my FSD to gain a few light years on my next jump. What you think would happend to a new commander on a new ship happened and I ended up caught in the White Dwarf, ship rocking around, red lights flashing and the COVAS voice warnings ringing in my ears.
Today I still don't know if it was luck, fate or both, I managed to charge the FSD between two power failures and the rocking of the ship turned me at the same time toward the next system of my route and I got out of there. Most of the modules were heavily damaged, the canopy was broken, the ship was barely holding in one piece but I managed to land it in a station of the next system using only the compass and the shards of the broken canopy. I'm still proud of surviving that certain death and I still fly the same Type-10 around. But never too close of a White Dwarf !

Fly safe !

CMDR Ijaa Aden

 

[Mythox]

Elite Dangerous is a succession of adventures that does not end, but the one that marked me was well the day I had a mission of tourism for Sagittarius A !!! This was THE MISSION for me , an adventure with my old ASPX and a motor that can jump around 40 Ly !!! for 2 weeks the adventure was sooooo total for me creating own route with no more then 10 leaps , with the discovery of new systems and planets that will have on my name forever ,the total dazzle of being in the center , the problems of the long return with the FSD that breaks down and then the huge pleasure to arrive home in once piece and all the rewards that comes with !!! thank you Elite Dangerous

 

[Wolf Lochart]

Wow 35 years? Played on my ZX Spectrum I think, then the Amiga. Blimey. Only bought this latest version yesterday or day before. Hoping this one will be as much fun as the early ones. Certainly looks pretty and sounds great too. As for good memories, at my age I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast let alone 35 years ago. Anyway... nurse? Nurse? Is it time for my bed bath?

 

[Poy]

Hard to pick,
Hunting down Elite condas in my plasmacc/laser/cannons Cobra back in the day ? (the thrill of the fight)
Having my super closeup sun pic featured in Newsletter #52 !
Kicking butt and taking names in an Ed Lewis livestreamed CQC match !

Honestly can't pick one, and I know I've had many more ! Please keep doing what you've been doing, get your customer trust back by fixing the current mess and I can already see myself enjoying this game as far as you'll take it !

CMDR poy

 

[lengro]

CMDR Lengro

This image from the original manual has never left my mind. It was nicely designed so I easily could imagine my teen bedroom, Commodore 64 and CRT-screen as a full blown Cobra Mk.III, hurtling through a vast, dangerous space. This was the first time I was completely immersed in a game.

 

[CMDR Firecrotch]

My favourite memory is playing the original game on the BBC Model B (cassette tape version). I had been in hospital as a child, and come out with my leg in plaster, so my options for play time were rather limited. Elite filled that hole, and I endeavoured to play through to Elite status. What I hadn't realised was that the cassette version was limited to Dangerous (for Deadly or Elite, you needed the disk version), but I was happy enough grinding through thargoids, vipers and the like with my Cobra Mk III.

Those were the days...

EDIT: Also reading The Dark Wheel.

 

[Chrismasterski]

Well Im relatively new to the elite games, only played elite dangerous but I'd have to say my favorite memory was my trip out to beagle point. I discovered countless new earth-like and ammonia worlds and discovered several interesting things, including a water world with a water world moon as well as an ice planet with a gas giant moon. That was my first major exploration trip and ever since then I've been making regular excursions out into the black.
CMDR Chrismasterski

 

[JamZam]

Congratulations on 35 wonderful years! Let's hope for (atleast) 35 more to come

As for my favorite Elite moment...

It has to be back during the Distant Worlds 2 expedition, I had a blast flying with my fellow commanders to the center of the galaxy and helping in the construction of the new starport, Explorer's Anchorage. After the community goals there I decided to fly ahead, "blaze my own trail" as it were.

I flew ahead all the way out to Beagle Point, exploring all kinds of interesting locations along the way. When I got to Beagle Point, I decided to explore the Abyss region of space. It was rough, I had my Anaconda, the "Rocinante", stripped to it's bare bones to get a 77LY jump range, but even that wasn't enough to get around the sparse stars in the abyss - luckily I had my raw materials stocked up for FSD synthesis though, and after a week of exploring this region I found it - something new. Something mysterious. Hidden in an unknown stellar phenomena, there was some strange, tube-like biological... things? Creatures? I still don't know. But the fact that I found it all the way out there still inspires me to look for whatever else might be hidden out in the dark void.

Thank you Frontier for this and many others unforgettable experiences this game has brought me and many others.

/CMDR MCJamZam (PC)

 

[Liftliker]

I fondly remember fooling around in the 8 galaxies of the original game. I particularly recall the enormous wave of satisfaction when the Lenslok worked on my old Spectrum!

 

[jellowiggler]

Although I was alive and able to play games in 1984 I wasn't able to grasp the complexity of Elite on the C64 era of computers.
At the age of 6 I was far more into Space Invaders and Yar's Revenge on the Atari 2600 console.

When my Dad got the family a DOS computer in 1987 it changed my life though.
I was gaming and trying to write little programs, and play with the machine. I still have that Tandy 1000 EX in the basement!

My first modern PC was a 386DX, and I got a SoundBlaster for Christmas one year, and Wing Commander II with the Speech pack. WOW! That was it, game over. Got a joystick and loved the space combat and story. But there was nothing after that. The story was over and that was it. What made that place tick? Where are all the people and what is society doing with all this space and how were they getting out there? How did they learn, and earn?

That was where Elite came in. I've been playing ever since.

I'm so glad that in the era of mega graphics cards and huge amounts of storage and bandwidth that Elite has grown with our ability to express the original idea from the BBC micro of so many years ago.

In 2019 I have rekindled my love of space exploration and trading. I got a copy of Elite Dangerous and Horizons and instantly fell in love again. I loved it so much I had to pick up a HOTAS system. (Gravis, Logitech and Thrustmaster better be sending you a birthday cake because your games have driven a LOT of controller sales from my wallet alone!)

It is amazing how much the game has grown and fleshed out the original vision in accordance with what our CPU, GPUs and broadband connections can achieve. The changes within Elite Dangerous since launch a few years ago seem small, but if you step back and look at how much just the current incarnation of Elite has changed since release it is remarkable. This is truly a live and evolving game and takes much time and effort to develop. In turn the players are willing to spend countless hours uncovering its mysteries.

I would like to thank all the folks who have worked and continue to work on Elite. It truly is an amazing game that is actually delivering on the promise of a simulated space in a future time. The exploration, trade and combat are all amazing. The depth and quality of game has encouraged an amazing community willing to put thousands of hours into exploring the worlds and game systems. The forethought of developers to allow tools to be developed by players has increased engagement and user interaction with that world. New experiences and user engagement are happening every day because of the willingness to let users build on what has been created. I meet new players to Elite constantly, in 2019, 3 years after release and 35 years after creation of the original. The community in this game is unmatched anywhere else. There is a camaraderie and willingness to assist those who are reaching out and venturing to the stars in Elite. I hope that in another 30 years we are still playing together in an evolving game of such depth and quality.

Happy Birthday Elite!

/CMDR jellowiggler

 

[Miggymod]

My very first memory of Elite was as an 11 years old school boy. Elite had been released for around 6 months and the school had BBC Micros and a BBC B computer with the game on it. I used to help clean the science lab after school and the teacher would let me play an hour of Elite before I went home , once per week. I loved the game even though I was terrible at docking. Lol.
Cmdr Miggymod

 

[Sacman]

Game is dead … after 6 years i can't play it anymore because of a connection issue after the 'September Update'… all other games on my PC are ok ... why celebrate?!?
Please explain!

 

[Turtleguy123r]

Greetings Commanders,

Over the years, the Elite series of games has grown and evolved, starting all the way from the first Elite (published on this very day in 1984) to the Elite Dangerous we have today!

For the 35th anniversary of Elite 1984, we want to look back and celebrate each and every Commander who has shared this incredible ride with us.

Haven't had the chance to earn your wings in the iconic Elite? Claim your free copy on the Frontier Store for PC and Mac here.

As a gift for every Commander, head over to the in-game store, and you will be able to claim your own Retro Thargoid Bobblehead, available until 23 September (16:00 UTC) for 1 ARX.

View attachment 143682

​

But that's not all! Alongside this octagonal interloper, we've got 35 Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Jobs to give away. To be in with the chance to win one of these Paint Jobs, all you need to do is reply to this thread, telling us about your favourite memory playing one of the Elite games. Don't forget to include your Commander Name to be eligible to win!

The competition will run from now until 23 September (11:00 UTC) and winners will be contacted by 25 September (11:00 UTC). With the aid of the Elite Dangerous development team, our top 35 favourite comments will be rewarded with the Paint Job.

You can also get involved over on Steam, Twitter and Facebook! Please find all of the Terms and Conditions below.

View attachment 143684

​

Whether you've only just donned your flight suit, or you've been with us over the last 35 years, thank you for all of your passion and support!

Fly safe.



TERMS AND CONDITIONS (FORUM/STEAM)

• Prize: One (1) Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Job. (35 per platform – Frontier Forums, Steam, Facebook and Twitter)
• One submission per person (per platform).
• You only officially enter the competition when you reply, with your favourite Elite Dangerous memory, to the relevant competition thread/post.
• Be sure to include your Commander Name in your reply to be eligible to win.
• The competition closes on Monday 23 September (2019) at 11:00 UTC.
• The winners will be announced by Wednesday 25 September (2019) and prizes will be credited directly to the winner's account.
• The winners will be chosen by a panel of Elite Dangerous developers.
• Objectionable or offensive content will be disqualified.
• No submission should violate the Elite Dangerous EULA and TOS.
• Frontier Developments has the right to remove any entry at their sole discretion
• Frontier Developments employees are excluded from participating in the event.
• Frontier Developments reserve the right to exchange any prize for a prize of similar value.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS (FACEBOOK/TWITTER)

• Prize: One (1) Cobra MK III Classic Wireframe Paint Job. (35 per platform – Frontier Forums, Steam, Facebook and Twitter)
• One submission per person (per platform).
• You only officially enter the competition when you reply, with your favourite Elite Dangerous memory, to the relevant competition thread/post.
• Be sure to include your Commander Name in your reply to be eligible to win.
• The winners will be contacted by the Frontier Community Team via Facebook DM, Twitter DM or Forum DM. Please ensure you are following @EliteDangerous on Twitter to allow us to contact you.
• The winners have 7 days to respond and claim the prize; if no response has been received after 7 days, you forfeit your prize.
• The competition closes on Monday 23 September (2019) at 11:00 UTC.
• The winners will be announced by Wednesday 25 September (2019) and prizes will be credited directly to the winner's account.
• The winners will be chosen by a panel of Elite Dangerous developers.
• Objectionable or offensive content will be disqualified.
• No submission should violate the Elite Dangerous EULA and TOS.
• Frontier Developments has the right to remove any entry at their sole discretion
• Frontier Developments employees are excluded from participating in the event.
• Frontier Developments reserve the right to exchange any prize for a prize of similar value.

Ps4- turtleguy123r

Elite: The final frontier brought to the palms of our hands.

Captains log:
September 3305, 20

A journey through time.

This is captain turtleguy123r. I have received a transmission about a contest, for which I am interested. Seeing as I have literal days while traveling through the bubble on my patrols of planetary rings protecting the miners and merchants from pirates looking to pick off the few whom decide to venture away from their stations unprotected.
While I have many grand memories from my time as a protector of the people. This story I shall tell has been passed down through many generations and undergone just as many changes, but lucky I have managed to track the real story down, and I feel It is nin time I share it.
We start in a time when the Thargoid
Weren't know of, and I was just a wee little lad that once lived upon a small UK back water world in the outer reaches of the bubble. There was a man that went by the name Jopshoah Jones, A true innovator of his time, Jopshoah was a merchant. Of course he wasn't a normal merchant, infact his wares weren't the normal liquors, furs, or maybe even illegal firearms you would usually see. Instead he was a slaver. That's right one of the worst type scum bags around. He made an entire slave empire starting off in the farther off regions, and slowly crawling toward the core worlds. Though many bounties had been given out Jopshoah would just pay them off, and maybe even hire a few that were just in it for the money.
On one faithful day the Empire had finally had enough of his demonic ways. They decided it was high time someone sent a strike force against Jopshoah. They gathered an elite group of some of the best fighter pilots and prepared to strike. When the time was right, and word had spread of a large shipment that was being headed by Jopshoah himself the strike set up their ambush. It is said that those 32 strike force members managed to take out 70 of Jopshoah's fighters while only losing 4 of their own.
Now as for the truthfulness of this story I can't for sure say, but all I know is when I was told this story as a child I knew that I would follow in the vapor trail of thosebrave elite fighters.
P.S
Sorry if this was too long. The story may seem a little far fetched, but it based off how I would only trade slaves, and role played myself as a leader of a massive slaver faction.

 

[RELSPI]

CMDR RELSPI
My favourite Elite memory is acquiring a Packhound T10.
I don't care what you say, I have beaten the game.