Elite / Frontier Rediscovered FFE and loving it - Thanks to open GL mod

[I_am_Jon]

I loved the original elite on my amiga and bought the buggy Frontier the day it came out, got their before the shop opened because I was so impatient. Discovered FFE several years later and was compelled to play the thargoid missions despite the already dated graphics.

I was drawn back to FFE after completing that other classic Civilisation (4) due to the drought of good games out at the moment, it's still far more playable than many of the latest releases (Just Cause, Oblivion and all those sports games). I can count the resent(ish) games I’ve enjoyed on one hand Fear, HL2, FarCry & NFS Most Wanted, and most of them are virtually the same game.

I’m having so much fun flying around in my Cobra MkI. Only now am I able to appreciate the native widescreen (16:10) aspect ratio on my monitor, how ahead of it's time was that. Using procedural generation to create the whole galaxy is simply brilliant, David Braben is a genius. The game play seems better than ever, probably thanks in part to modders tweaks. Combat feels much better than I remembered it in frontier (more like the classic elite). And I’m loving the classic ship designs, still looking good today (mostly), who needs thousands of polygons.

All that would be needed to release Elite 4 to a new generation is some updated graphics nothing else needs to change, but I’m sure David has greater plans

Many thanks to David for giving us this brilliant game and thanks to all the modders for keeping it alive.

Looking forward to Elite 4 - But no hurry FFE will keep me going until it comes.

 

[Steve]

Very much agree with all the above. I think JJFFE was a major achievement and glFFE is the icing on the cake. Playing at the original resolution now is like taking my contacts out

 

[Marcus_UK]

Very much agree with all the above. I think JJFFE was a major achievement and glFFE is the icing on the cake. Playing at the original resolution now is like taking my contacts out

Any one have the links ? and does the sound work ?

 

[I_am_Jon]

Yes the sound works, but recommend downloading the enhanced sound files.
Steve's excelent site should get you started http://www.frontierastro.co.uk/Hires/hires.html

 

[scowie]

Yes the sound works, but recommend downloading the enhanced sound files.
Steve's excelent site should get you started http://www.frontierastro.co.uk/Hires/hires.html

I recently started reliving First Encounters through the glFFE mod. I'm using proper mp3 versions of the classical tunes used in the game, like Ride of the Valkyries and The Blue Danube. F:FE looks and sounds great now.

I havent heard anyhing about any enhanced sound files though. Where can I get these from? Google came up with nothing.

 

[Steve O B Have]

I've never been a huge fan of FFE, it was always Frontier that pushed my buttons. Maybe I never gave it enough time... been playing Oolite a bit tho.

 

[Steve]

I've never been a huge fan of FFE, it was always Frontier that pushed my buttons. Maybe I never gave it enough time... been playing Oolite a bit tho.

FFE is the best ever, as far as I'm concerned. FE2 a distant second.
I've tried Oolite, but tired of it the same way I did the original Elite

 

[Steve O B Have]

FFE is the best ever, as far as I'm concerned. FE2 a distant second.
I've tried Oolite, but tired of it the same way I did the original Elite

So what was it that I was missing in FFE? I just couldn't get past the redesign, and the bizarre ship design.

 

[I_am_Jon]

So what was it that I was missing in FFE? I just couldn't get past the redesign, and the bizarre ship design.

Ok some of the new ships are pretty ugly, but all the old ones are still there. I always trade the Saker for a Cobra at the earliest opportunity. I'm not a big fan of the psychedelic texture maps either (can these be turned off? I’ve never played around with the detail setting, always assumed max was best). On the whole I guess the graphics are still an improvement over FE2 anyhow.

I think the scripted missions realy add to the storyline, it's good the see the thargoids again. I also find the combat is a lot more fun in FFE than I remember it in FE2 and the procedural missions seem to work better. FFE also cured a lot of the original bugs in FE2? Although it did add a few new ones too. Also there are more mod's available for FFE (JJFFE, glFFE & Aniso's mods).

BTW I found the enhanced sound FX here.

 

[DaMaGe007]

I always get confused about the release order, from what I can gather from reading this thread it was Elite then FE2 then FFE.

Up until now I thought it was Elite then FFE then FE2.

Did I get it right (Elite, FE2, FFE) ?

 

[Steve O B Have]

I always get confused about the release order, from what I can gather from reading this thread it was Elite then FE2 then FFE.

Up until now I thought it was Elite then FFE then FE2.

Did I get it right (Elite, FE2, FFE) ?

Yeah - Elite, Frontier Elite 2, Frontier First Encounters.

The thing about the design in FFE was that it felt too alien, too far removed from the cool industrial design of Elite and FE2.

 

[djbully]

yES glFFE does rock! Still trying to get my hi-res cockpit working properly tho...

 

[Bounder]

Yes, FE2 was the dog's. Cleaner, crisper and higher res than FFE. The controls and layout were much more intuitive, the ship designs were better, and the whole thing just had this depth, this transcendent elegance and beauty, and, and... excuse me i think i've got something in my eye... <sniff>

 

[Steve]

Higher-res?

 

[scowie]

FE2 might have looked crisper because no textures looks better than crappy low-res textures, but im sure it wasnt higher res.

Nothing was taken out of Frontier when they made First Encounters, as far as im aware. They just added stuff (including some bugs, but they were taken away in a patch). FE2 certainly didnt have "more depth", since there were no scripted missions. I think some people here are just being overly nostalgic!

 

[Steve O B Have]

FE2 might have looked crisper because no textures looks better than crappy low-res textures, but im sure it wasnt higher res.

Nothing was taken out of Frontier when they made First Encounters, as far as im aware. They just added stuff (including some bugs, but they were taken away in a patch). FE2 certainly didnt have "more depth", since there were no scripted missions. I think some people here are just being overly nostalgic!

You're probably right but there was certainly something about the clean feeling of FE2, in hindsight it kind of reminded me of Cell Shaded games that made an appearance over the last couple of years... was a very cool kind of imagery.

 

[Vikinger]

Ive also re-discoverd first encounters and using glffe.

After all this years that have passed since it was released its still a very good game that have long playability.

I have even keept my old amiga 500 just so i could play frontier now and then
Thats a helluva machine whit an amazing memory of 1 meg.

Frontier was the game that got me hooked to games and computers and now, after all this years, at my age of 42,(Think me and Mr.Braben are at same age) iam still waiting for a sequel.
During the years i have visited Frontiers site to check for any info regarding a sequel. And i still hope Mr. Braben will come to his sence and give us what we want.

In fact i think he ows us that. He ruined my life by getting me into computers and gaming hehe. And look, here iam, 15 years later and still hoping.
I just hope i will be alive when the sequel comes.

 

[cdp181]

You're probably right but there was certainly something about the clean feeling of FE2, in hindsight it kind of reminded me of Cell Shaded games that made an appearance over the last couple of years... was a very cool kind of imagery.

Maybe a stupid question but is this a Screenshot of E2 or FFE?

 

[Steve O B Have]

Maybe a stupid question but is this a Screenshot of E2 or FFE?

Frontier Elite 2.

Frontier First Encounters looked like this: The planets looked very cool but I was never a fan of the console or the ship design.

 

[cdp181]

Playing FFE now on an old laptop. I think I must have the original manuals (hard copy) to Elite 2 : Frontier. Was wondering why the buttons didn't tie up. lol. I wonder if I can find the 3.5" floppys anywhere.

I have a strange feeling I bought it on Amiga but my box says IBM PC 3.5".

And yeah my question was going to be how do i get my console to look like that in FFE but ofc its a different game, which explains a lot.