Posted by: @cody

Is it really 40 years? Nurse, nurse - where's my medication?

I thought it was longer. 😀 

Never used them myself apart from playing around with them in Boots, but I do remember them being very expensive to buy and it is said that for every BBC sold it had a copy of Elite sold as well.

Posted by: @pinback

I do remember them being very expensive to buy

Yep - in today's money, about £900 for the Model-A and about £1300 for the Model-B

Only the rich kids had these. I was happy enough with my wee Speccy tho. 😊 

Then...............the Amiga came out.......... 😍 

Posted by: @geraldine

Only the rich kids had these.

Ain't that the truth! I was neither rich nor a kid. In 1981 I was 27 and working, but still couldn't afford one. A few years later, I got my hands on a second-hand Beeb - and something called Elite. The rest is history!

@cody I still play Elite TNK from time to time. Still a damn fine version of Elite that was based on the BEEB edition, even if it shouldn't exist at all,.....I saved a copy. 😉

Often, in years long past, it was mentioned that such "remakes" simply put Braben off creating a new game. I always begged to differ tho as I think they kept Elite going through the drought years. Ensuring that, when Braben finally brought a new Elite game out, it would already have in place a fanbase, even if it was a bit ragtag and ageing by then! 😆 Still, it was enough though to build up a solid following that continues to this day. The "non official Elites" will have their well earned place in Elite's gaming history. 🙂

Posted by: @cody

Yep - in today's money, about £900 for the Model-A and about £1300 for the Model-B

Incidentally, an A4000, the basic, model would cost over £5500 in todays money and an A500 nearly £1000. These too were expensive machines in their day. Worth it though!

Posted by: @geraldine

I still play Elite TNK from time to time. Still a damn fine version of Elite that was based on the BEEB edition, even if it shouldn't exist

Elite TNK, eh? See here, amiga!

@cody Yes, that is how it is now Cody but, it was not always so. David Braben was none too happy about TNK when it first came out claiming it used his and Ian's original code for their first BEEB version. I guess David is not bothered about it anymore. I never knew what Ian's take was on it but with it being on his site, I suppose that says it all. Anyways, I am glad it is still out there as, for me at least, it was what the very first Elite should have been with all the real improvements it brought along with it. A similar thing was done in the case of the Amiga version with Elite Advanced too. That's another fine version.

Posted by: @geraldine

David Braben was none too happy about TNK when it first came out

I thought there was a financial element involved somewhere, which would certainly have upset DB - but perhaps my memory is playing tricks, as I can find no mention of that anywhere. Mind you, history is mutable!

Are you still without a working PC, Geraldine? Or has that been sorted out?

It was all rumour. David never publicly came out and confirmed that to my knowledge but that is what the scuttlebutt was saying back then.

I do have a working PC, if you can call it that, but it can only run old titles. Oolite can run as log as I don't go mad with OXPs and turn down the graphics a bit. It's a bit slow though. The card I am using is over 10 years old but it will have to do while these crazy prices persist in the hardware market.

Posted by: @geraldine

 

Incidentally, an A4000, the basic, model would cost over £5500 in todays money and an A500 nearly £1000. These too were expensive machines in their day. Worth it though!

Just been looking through the Amiga stuff on Flea Bay and some of the prices being asked for are truly ridiculous.   

@pinback 
Sadly that is true of much of the retro hardware market. My Cyberstorm Mk 3 060 card with the Cybervision PPC card is actually worth far more than I paid for it back in the late 90s! Crazy.