Celebrating 35 years of Elite!

[LEAMMO]

I've had a few epic moments on Elite. Mainly in the last year, which was when I invested more time and unlocked the full potential of Elite.

One that jumps out is the moment where I finally understood how to make money. I had spent perhaps 500h in the game just making cargo and trading missions until I got into my head I wanted to participate in DW2. My most expensive ship at that moment was a Krait MK II, and I had never had more than 100m credits in the bank, and my only, slightly and poorly, engineered ship was the starter Sidewinder.

With the help of some of my discord friends I learned about passenger missions in Robigo, I grinded those missions for 2 weeks, and went from a cheap build Krait to a Beluga and later an Anaconda, which I used to participate in Distant Worlds - The Stargazer. I arrived at Colonia and had a total of 400m in exploration data to deliver. In the end of the expedition I rounded up to 1 billion credits. Right now only 99m are left but I can say I've truly enjoyed a little bit of what the game has to offer, and most of all I've loved every minute I've spent in game (which is saying a lote since my Steam profile stopped counting at 1197h, when I moved to the Frontier external launcher).

Also: Cobra and Krait are the best ships! Thank you for making this game what it is today and for managing this incredible community, the best in the gaming industry!

 

[gonffgint]

Hello everyone, its Commander Gonff Gint here.

Possibly my most memorable Experience was when I one of the early voyagers to the center of the galaxy. I started the trip shortly after the first "Great Expedition" as a solo trip on 18 Apr 3302 and reached my goal at the center on 18-jun-3302 00:11Z 3 months after my start with dedicated daily traveling.

Back in those days we didn't have no fancy Neutron Highway, Field Repair, Guadian boosters, SVR buggies, or the ability to synthesize from raw resources. Hell, we didn't even have the ability to filter jumps for refulable stars. You had to use your brains to work that out back then or you would die. Some might also say a bit of luck was important too. I worked my way up to an Asp Explorer, fully equipped it, and started the journey without realizing just how really really big space was. The jump ranges were small then compared to modern jump ranges and I was scanning as I went. I brought a couple of heat-syncs "just in case", and used them all before returning. I had lots of really close calls which were mostly errors of fatigue falling half asleep while jumping and scooping, accidentally jumping to a black hole system, or much more dangerously jumping into a neutron System. Those Neutrons were small and sneaky, worse than the Black Holes for sure. I nearly made a few bad jumps where I almost couldn't refuel and ended up going way-way out into a refulable binary twin to survive. Experience was a good teacher, and I got pretty good by the time I made it to Sagittarius A, so on the way back I gave myself a personal "side-quest" to deliberately seek out the Black Hole and Neutron Stars for the return trip home. It was stupidly dangerous back then, one bad move and all the exploration data I worked so hard for would be sacrificed, but I wanted to grant myself the title of "Ace of Holes", so the minimum goal was to be to become the discoverer of at least 100 Black Holes and Neutron Ace would also be 100 Neutron Stars. I crushed this original goal with over 100 Holes and over 500 Neutrons. I saw a lot of pretty strange stuff out there too. I have seen Earth-like planets in direct orbit of Neutron Stars, which I wouldnt have though possible, but I have seen it a few times. I returned to the bubble with cracked cockpit glass on 07 Aug 3302 worried that I might be blown away by pirates at the last minute before cashing in. I became an Elite Explorer before ranking in combat or trade. I mostly fly an Imperial Cutter these days, but I still have that good old Asp that didn't let me down, and I still take it out for exploration spins when I am feeling nostalgic.

I also included a nice Stereoscopic shot of what Sagittarius A was like back then. If you cross your eyes right, its just like being there. Don't do it wrong or you'll get space madness.

 

[Murphy1135]

"Get your iron ARX over to Errius"
CMDR Leafmint

 

[cleonymus]

CMDR Cleonymus reporting. Best memory - Entering my first Tourist station. The bright lights, green spaces and the staues! Awesome!

 

[Odan Brota]

CMDR Odan Brota
Platform: PC

I have many great memories of this game, but I think my favorite would have to be how the learning curve of the game gave me something to do, and helped me keep my mind off my home situation. My wife and I had just gotten married the previous year, but she had to move 4 hours away for her Masters program. Being newlyweds, this wasn't really ideal. To top if off, I worked graveyard shift and was losing contact with all my friends who worked and lived normal daylight hours. Every weekend was spent making the drive up on Saturday morning, and making the drive back down Monday morning before my shift began at 11:00pm. I was getting really bummed out, and my friend suggested I try out this Elite Dangerous thing, as they were doing the Freegle promotion.

I spent time learning to fly, and how the game worked. Having always been interested in space, this game blew my mind. The possibilities were endless, and the universe was massive. I found that I could really dive into this world, and forget (for a little while) my stresses and troubles while I sent applications out into the ether trying to get a job up where my wife was (also the rabbit hole was deep and I discovered the wide world of VR and HOTAS setups, RIP wallet). Best of all, there was (and still is) ample media available outside of the game. Podcasts (Lave Radio), radio drama (Escape Velocity), and the audiobooks were all invaluable during my weekly drives.

Ultimately, I don't have a single favorite memory of this game. I have a year's worth of memories of this game, all of which helped me out in what was probably the most difficult time of my life.

Also I rammed a sidewinder to death with an Imperial Cutter once. That was pretty boss.

 

[Ascendingbike42]

Cmdr name: AscendingBike42
My favourite memory of elite dangerous was playing in vr for the first time. Leaving the station, just looking around in awe at the scale of everything, then running straight into a beluga coming in the slot. I deserved that rebuy.

 

[Bellybee]

I've played the elite games for a loooong time. My fondest memories are kind of related and involve playing with friends, even before it was truly multiplayer...

I started playing Elite on a friends BBC model B, when we were about 12 years old. We'd both take turns to be the pilot, and the other be co-pilot and would man the ecm, and missile launcher, and any other keys that the pilot couldn't reach..

I then remember playing Elite:First Encounters on a friends PC at uni, taking turns in flying missons and trying to win the race and get in the galatic news. I play Elite Dangerous with the same uni friends as i did now.

Even now i'm re-living the days of my youth with my 7 year old son. He acts as my co pilot (and generally getting me into trouble with the space authorities).
Elite for me has always been about playing it with friends, so thank you for making such a fantastic and interesting universe that me and my buddies want to explore!

o7
Cmdr Bellybee (PC)

 

[cheesythecheese]

my favourite memory of playing elite was accidentaly going into a high intensity conflict zone in the starter sidewinder and attacking both sides. CMDR cheesythecheese (xbox one edition)

 

[CMDR Zintikar]

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.

It isn't necessarily my favorite moment or even a single one, but when I was a teenager I used to play the original Elite on my Commodore 128. I remember that I would often survive pirates and thargoids, but immediately after I would succumb to the spinning entry way of the station when trying to enter! I blame the simplistic joysticks of the time for my troubles!

CMDR Zintikar

 

[Emil_]

My best moment in Elite... Hmm. The first time I took part in an expedtion. I truly got involved with the community, got a lot of new friends, experience and I wanted to do it again.
I've done many expeditions ever since, and I absolutely love it!
CMDR Emil_

 

[Star Raiders 2]

CMDR Macavahu (PS4)

14 years old
Sitting on uncomfortable old dining chairs in my friends bedroom huddled around a 14 inch black and white portable TV.
Taking turns to be pilot or co-pilot on C64 Elite, one flying, the other taking notes on the prices of various goods as we jumped around.
Then....
The absolute (virtual) fear of being attacked when we'd filled the cargo hold with something we thought was profitable, heading back to the station noted in our book to glean a reasonable profit.

Again and again and again. And we loved it.

Elite Dangerous arrives -

Glynn, if you're out there, I need a good co-pilot buddy, lets go......

 

[Spartan181]

Im not a very new CMDR but i have had alot of fun with the recent incarnation of elite dangerous. i have had lots of fun moments with myself and freinds (my first takeoff and landing jump to mind....it was interesting). one that stands out for me though was the moment that proved to me most pirates under go manadatory lobotomy upon joining a clan. once while mining (in an anaconda) minding my own buisness not scanning or looking to engage anyone just carying on with my own gathering. jus as i was getting in the groove and relaxing a bit i hear Holly (i have the Leo COVAS) blare out "Under Attack!" and i wheel around to engage my agressor thinking it would be something that could cause me problems..... locking onto th only hostile target in the system and rady my guns to engage. after a moment of scanning the data was in, i was being engaged by a daring pirate performing diving runs in a truley formidable craft. this entrepid bandits vehicle of choice?....a side winder.....a ing side winder. i admit i was nervous for a half second thinking that he would beat me to death with his giant brass balls....this however faded quickley and i proceeed to train my lasers and auto cannons on him and scater him to the cosmic winds. i cannot remember his name but i forever hold him up as an object example of knowing your limits and pick your engagements carefuly.

thats it my story. probably not the most interesting but it certanly sticks in my mind.

 

[Rochester]

Cmdr Rochester De-Vassey

My fondest memory is one day in the 80s finding this huge black box in the only computer store for miles around, I'd cycle 35 miles to get there just to search for 'Elite' every weekend .

I had to wait all day until I could get back home to play it on my ZX Spectrum +; I remember pouring over that manual, those drawings, the detail, that keyboard overlay.

So many keys. I memorised ever binding. Elite filled my dreams every night for years after. It gave me purpose and kept me out of trouble at a pivotal point in my youth. Elite got me into sci-fi, reading and cinema. It opened my imagination at a time that was dull and flat.

Today I still fly in ED with keyboard and mouse.

Waiting through the age-long Spectrum loading...loading...loading screen was no hardship as I would re-read the manual, pour over the wall poster of the ships that came with the game or sketch wire-frame Cobras and technical ship layouts.

Back then I made it to Dangerous bounty hunting and smuggling, roll over some 30 odd years and I made Dangerous again within ED only last week.

Fondest memory, there are many. But I will never forget the original. It was part of my youth. Getting trapped in witch-space or saving refugees from a supernova!

I've played ED leasurely, role playing the same Cmdr since launch, when not trying to stay on the right side of the law I'm out exploring.

I still fly the Cobra and I love this old bird, it creeks and groans when making a turn, it feels real and as if it might fall apart at any moment.

I've hit my objective, Im happy with Dangerous but; a wire frame Cobra skin would put the icing on the cake and whenever I do hit Elite I'll still be rocking the Cobra mkii.

 

[TalonK]

CMDR TALONK - Favourite memory...

Listening to a cassette tape, squeak and scream as the BBC Micro loaded up this 8bit, 3Desque, wire-frame (I had no idea that was what it was called back then, heck I was only 12!) space game. Seeing this screen where you had to navigate the menus by pressing the function numbered keys that corresponded to a printed out sheet you laid above them for each relevant menu. Buying my first load of cargo, picking a destination. Leaving the station and hyperspacing to the new location. Jumping to the station and then heading towards the ever-growing station and the entrance slot...

Only to explode, as I hadn't got the angle of rotation right and slammed into the station.

Being back at the start and thinking "WOW, I want to do that again."

35 Years Later, I still think "WOW, I want to do that again." minus the exploding bit on docking.

P.S I never did get the docking right, at least the updated versions had station auto-docking and ship docking computers added.

 

[HushedShade]

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.

 

[Gra'Nite]

CMDR DeWinter

The year was 1984, and in the town I grew up there was one, and only one, place you could buy video games. Tucked away down a side alley was a dark and dingy computer games shop. The shop was small and its shelves were lined with row upon row of cassette tapes. I spent what must have been hours in that shop, reading and rereading the covers of those cassettes, trying to decide on what games to spend my limited pocket money on. I had a ZX81 with a RAM pack, which took its memory up from 1k to the heady heights of 16k. The choice of games was limited on the ZX81 and I looked longingly at games like Manic Miner, on the ZX Spectrum, or Pitfall, on the Atari 2600.

The owner of the shop was overweight, surly and sarcastic. With space at a premium in the shop the presence of a quite young boy with next to no spending power was barely tolerated. But every Saturday morning, I’d be there looking through the games.

Now, for those of you who weren’t around in the 80’s, you need a little more context. At the time games were all text adventures, single screen platformers or arcade game remakes (Pacman, Space Invaders or Defender). So, one particular Saturday is etched into my memory.

I walked into the shop to see the owner sat behind the counter, back to the door, playing something on the screen. I edged around to the side of him to get a better look at what he was playing. That was the first time I saw Elite.

My mind was blown. The white circle of a planet, with a second circle tracing its way slowly across the surface, filled the top of the screen The orange dashboard and radar covered the bottom of the screen.

The owner pulled back on his joystick and the view flipped over, bringing the Coriolis station into view. With the ship aligned he proceeded to dock.
From that point on, I knew I had to own Elite!

I drove my poor dad mad with my constant requests for him to buy me Elite. But you see there was a problem! There was no way a ZX81 was going to run Elite (even with the RAM pack). To play Elite I had to convince my dad to buy me a BBC B!

He eventually agreed, probably just to get some peace, though I do think my demonstration of all the great educational software available for the BBC B may have swayed him.
So, I set off from Lave on my adventures and my dad got some peace and quiet; right up until the point where I realised that there was a version of Elite that had military lasers, but to play that version I’d need a disk drive!

I’ve still got that BBC B, I’ve still got that copy of Elite and do you know what, I’ve still got the disk drive I convinced dad to buy.

My eldest son is now about the same age I was back in October 1984.

I’ve just bought him a copy of Elite Dangerous. And, guess what, I’ve also had to buy him a PC to play it on!

 

[Viscera]

Commander Viscera.

I was on the silly ships 1st expedition. I had taken a stripped back Fer-de-Lance (pre engineering with a cracking jump range of about 22ly).

I was coming in to land and join up for some fun on a meet up at the rendevous point. Somehow, I managed to lose momentum, and plummeted to my doom.

BOOOM!

I was in a state of shock for a moment.

I decided I would not let this ruin my adventure, so beat a path to back to the rendevous.

It took me two solid hours to do the 1000ly but i got back just as the evening was finishing.

The great memory happened as I landed and saw some of the SRV's still playing footy with the wreckage of my ship.

Apparently they had been having a blast using my wreckage as a plaything .

 

[Zieman]

P.S I never did get the docking right, at least the updated versions had station auto-docking and ship docking computers added.

Docking in ELITE was easy

Spoiler

and is still easy

Spoiler

 

[Merlic]

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.

My favorite memory in Elite Dangerous is the first time leaving the station in my brand new Corvette. The size of the ship and looking out across it's bow was just awesome.

 

[Angry-Gandalf]

CMDR AngryGandalf
Fondest memory of Elite was back in ‘85, a couple of school mates a me had an sponsored “Eliteathon” to raise money for children in need. Solid 24hrs on the BBC micro (disk) version in Le Mans style shifts. The trick was not to mess it up when it was your turn behind the controls. Seem to remember we did it with only a couple of reloads and raised about £120 in real money (but probably a lot more credits).

Congratulations on 35 years ... certainly inspired me into a career in software engineering ... although it does make me feel a little old!