Elite fans - some input?

[CmdrJameson]

Hello!
I'm looking at buying this game, but twenty quid is a little bit steep for something I'm not sure I'll like.
I was a massive Elite fan back in the day; that game consumed my childhood! But I haven't found anything that even comes close to generating the same feeling Elite did (except maybe Oolite). EM has clearly been influenced by it a lot, so for you Elite fans - How does it compare? Does it have the same magic?

Cheers!

[Marcellus]

Welcome Cmdr. Jameson, this game is probably close to Frontier Elite 2 with planet landings, inertial combat and similar trading, but also has many hidden goodies for the explorer. Multiplayer brings it all together to make it the best experience.

[SeeJay]

Hi and welcome.

Download the game and try the demo. It is a demo (full download) until you pay to unlock it.
You have 90 min there, but you can reinstall as many times that you like for another 90 min.

Have fun!

[BLEVE]

I found this game by Googling Elite type space game. I also was a huge Elite/Frontier fan. You'll not be disappointed.

[MiaZ]

I am massive Elite fan from back in the day too.
I love both games.

To me when I first played Evochron Legends, an earlier Evochron game,
I thought it reminded me a lot of Elite.
There are many things really. Even the civilian rating going up to "legend" reminded me of my Elite playing days.
There is a kind of simplicity of gameplay too that focuses on the fun of combat I feel is similar or at least gave me that same kind of fun feeling I had back then. "Oh the good ol' days but with better graphics", kind of feeling.

[Munshine]

This is more close to its sequel Frontier Elite 2 or First Frontier Encounter than Elite or Oolite . Frontier is a more realistic game than Elite.
But Evochron is less frustrating than Frontier.


You can download and try the demo (actually the full game) to make your own idea.



[Edited on 2-22-2012 by Munshine]

[deMangler]

I also have been playing Elite on various platforms since I bought the original for the BBC. I still play it on an emulator.
My response is that there is still nothing I have found that satisfies my desire for an 'Elite fix' apart from Elite istelf. I think this is just for personal psychological nostalgic reasons mostly.
However, Evochron Mercenary is a very enjoyable game once I start enjoying it for what it is. It is enjoyable for lots of the same reasons Elite was enjoyable, but it is different in it's similarity in key areas.

Space Combat - different in style perhaps but very similar in challenge.

Ship Development - the curve to get equipment is very different. The stages of Ship development are not so involving as Elite (But probably are for PVP). There is not the Elite style of Manual Docking --> Docking computer --> Cargo Bay --> Laser Upgrade --> Shields --> Energy Unit.... progression kind of thing. Although of course there is Evochron's version of that, my point is that trying to find the same Elite style enjoyment from that aspect of the game will probably be dissapointing.

Space trading - A lot of my enjoyment from trading in Elite came from what was not provided by the game. It was very basic and left a lot to the imagination. So much, in fact that you were pretty much free to imagine what you wanted in terms of what was 'going on in the universe'. A problem when games start to provide a bit more detail or information is that this self-provided immersion is broken. This sort of happened with Frontier, and for me Evochron Mercenary suffers from it to. However - if I stop comparing it to Elite I can enjoy it very much on it's own terms.

Missions - Very different. Much more Frontier style than Elite.

I could go on - a lot...

Bottom line is that I still play Elite on an emulator. Why not? Nothing else comes close still but that is just because it is a classic in lots of ways by itself.
I also play Evochron Mercenary and enjoy it a lot, but it is not sucking me into the world in the same way.

For Comparison:
I looked for an Elite Fix from Frontier and was a bit dissapointed.
I looked for an Elite Fix from Privateer and was quite dissapointed.
I looked for an Elite Fix from Nomad and it was close, but the game is not open-ended.
I looked for an Elite Fix from BC3000 and actually enjoyed it a lot even though it was nothing like Elite and severely flawed in other ways. Something to do with the whole ship and crew thing I think.
I looked for an Elite Fix from Vega Strike and was fairly dissapointed.
I looked for an Elite Fix from Eve and decided I was just barking up the wrong tree.
I looked for an Elite Fix from the X games (X-2, X-3 and so on) and was horribly disappointed by what is really a 2d board game with spacey graphics but not really.
I looked for an Elite Fix from Oolite and loved it, but for some reason I enjoy Elite itself more.

I looked for an Elite Fix from Evochron Mercenary and was pleasantly surprised once I had got past the stage of actually getting into the game. It is probably the closest yet. But I still play Elite.

Hmmm - I think I may have thought about this over the years......

[sundalo]

I agree on this being similar to Frontier Elite 2 and First Encounters, but the combat in this game is much more dynamic and requires skill especially in pvp but aside from that very much like Elite in some form or another but maintains its own charm with the community.

[mikeuk]

Hi CmdrJameson I am an old Elite player you will love EM

[Maarschalk]

Hi CmdrJameson, welcome to the game and forum!.....Hope to see you out there some time if you do decide to get the game!.....

Old Elite fan here too, and I love this game!

[MarrsAttax]

Just spend the twenty quid. You won't regret it.

[Bobofet]

This......is...the....new....Elite
Seriously tho, I never thought I was gona find a replacment to David B\'s master stroke....but here I deffinatly have. Pretty much the same path, minus or plus a few different games, to deMangler.
Buy this game if your an old Elite addict.....and then salavate wating for the expansion.