Elite Inspiration
- Thread starter Good Whiskey
- Start date
The hell did I just read? When "death by beating with a Dune tome" should be a thing...
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I've been searching for an hour any Enki Bilal pinterest to get that protrait of the blue woman in spacesuit I had a poster of when I was a kid. I cant find that anywhere online. Just so you know, Internet is totally incomplete without that.
These were from the 70s or before because they were in an art book (which is hard to find) from Stewart Cowley. Terran Trade Authority Handbooks. I managed to find the one titled Spacecraft 2000-2100 AD. The others are hideously expensive.
The reason I say 70s or before is because I found the book in the 70s. I don't know the publishing date as the book is not on the shelf here at home. I have it on my work shelf.
The term they have decided on to call that is greebling or nurning.
Slightly off topic...
Highly recommend having a look at this. Artwork and text for a lot of popular SF aliens.
Some of his ideas didn't fit with how I imagined the subjects, a great deal did though (Puppeteer being a good example).
Highly recommend having a look at this. Artwork and text for a lot of popular SF aliens.
Some of his ideas didn't fit with how I imagined the subjects, a great deal did though (Puppeteer being a good example).
I can definately see an Imp Clipper on the left.
I can definately see an Imp Clipper on the left.
Thats one hell of a livestream going on there. Plus, is she holding a Dolphin?
I am pretty sure the original Elite and also its prequels where all inspired my various sources. If you look at Traveller, a pen and paper roleplaying game released first 1977 (and still pretty awesome), the Third Imperium background has a lot of similarities with Elite. It's all much bigger, but jump-tech is similar, the idea of worlds being united under a superpower while still maintaining their own government, religions and culture and some other things.Oceans of Venus by Peter Elson - Alliance Chieftain, Challenger and Crusader
Large Merchant Ship with Launch by Chris Foss - Federal Corvette
Martian Queen by Bob Layzell - Imperial Clipper
Spaceship by Dean Ellis - Ocellus Station
Return to Earth by David Hardy - Cobra MkIII/IV
To the best of my knowledge, all of these completed prior to 1984. Most of them are from the 70s. Some folks were sharing images that made them connect with this game in another thread, and I happen to have a small collection of science fiction bits that I swear have served as inspiration for some of this game, whether consciously or unconsciously.
If you have some of this stuff, please share.
Yup. Also, space legs.
Elite was very heavily Traveller inspired in my opinion; I used to GM Traveller a lot, and as soon as the original Elite came out, I could see the references
Planetary types, government types, jump technology(*), etc. Even Commander Jameson, who featured prominently in the original Traveller material as the example character - Merchant Captain Alexander Lascelles Jameson.(*) Though Traveller Jump Tech is a lot slower than Elite jump tech. You might find that trip to Colonia from the Bubble taking a while longer than a few hours of concerted jumping
Traveller still is indeed awesome, as I'm sure @Ralph Vargr will agree
I certainly agree. I actually gamemastered a Traveller campaign set in the Elite universe long before ED's time. Apart from the world setting and ship types I didn't have to change much actually. I used Mongoose Traveller back then, not classic. Actually still using it.Elite was very heavily Traveller inspired in my opinion; I used to GM Traveller a lot, and as soon as the original Elite came out, I could see the references
(*) Though Traveller Jump Tech is a lot slower than Elite jump tech. You might find that trip to Colonia from the Bubble taking a while longer than a few hours of concerted jumping
Traveller still is indeed awesome, as I'm sure @Ralph Vargr will agree
Also, the jump tech from Elite 2: Frontier and First Encounters, was much slower. Travelling from one system to another took days sometimes. Not actually a whole week per parsec, but still. The instant travel ED was necessary because you can't have a button for speeding up time in an online game.
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Try the Zhodani Core Expeditions. 90 years, one way.Elite was very heavily Traveller inspired in my opinion; I used to GM Traveller a lot, and as soon as the original Elite came out, I could see the references
(*) Though Traveller Jump Tech is a lot slower than Elite jump tech. You might find that trip to Colonia from the Bubble taking a while longer than a few hours of concerted jumping
Traveller still is indeed awesome, as I'm sure @Ralph Vargr will agree
Galactica.That is indeed the picture I was thinking of. Away with you, witch!
I think that was in Great Space Battles which also has one of my fav pics - double page (I think) spread of a jetpack space-chap escaping from loads of zombie hands. Oh, and that hospital ship (I think. Edit: Wrong!) that’s got a front end a bit like the Imperial ships.
Edit: the monitor ship around Mars -
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Space Cowboy for the win!I also happen to like alien worlds with mahoosive ships that hang in the sky in much the same way that bricks do
Source: https://youtu.be/vAnVlDeFYNs?t=4
(that was a very fine piece of TV)
Now that's totally my jam! Struts, panels, greeble, greeble everywhere! Stuff like 2001's Discovery, Silent Running's Valley Forge, Space 1999's Eagle shuttles...so many good child memories...
Also, do anyone here remember of this gem?
Campiness galore, but boy some of those models were good for the time.
Sadly I had to jettison those when the college began massive layoffs. My department went from sixty to seventeen.
I miss the Kieth Brothers.
I have that book, too.Slightly off topic...
Highly recommend having a look at this. Artwork and text for a lot of popular SF aliens.
Some of his ideas didn't fit with how I imagined the subjects, a great deal did though (Puppeteer being a good example).