From: psun@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Peter C. Sun)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
Subject: Re: Elite II
Date: 12 Sep 92 05:04:59 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network

>	Any elite sequel must MUST have:
>
>	multiple ship types
>	multiplayer ability over modem or nullmodem
>
>	Any elite sequel SHOULD have:
>
>	planet landings
>	more roleplaying stuff (but not stultifying like wing commander can
>	 be)
>	Ability to purchase crew members to man other guns and do stuff
>	many more options for power, cargo, weapons
>	ability to buy multiple ships and form corporations
>
>What I theorise is a combination of the best of Elite (flexibility of roles:
>you can be a trader, pirate, bounty hunter, it's openended), Wing Commander
>(some computer interaction via characters), Tradewars 2000 (multiships,
>multiplayers, corporations), and Scorched Earth (a shitload of weapon types)..
>
>in other words, I want it to take up megs and megs of space on my HD with
>quality, diverse gaming opportunities, and I want it to last for a long time.
>Of course, if supplements were well written, I would gladly purchase them too.
>
>please feel free to forward this letter to anyone who can get to the designers
>of the sequel, so they can know what one PC using fan would suggest as the
>PERFECT space game

Sounds good but I would like to add a few more oppinions of my own.

The following are things an Elite sequal shouldn't have.
    It shouldn't resort to bitmap graphics like the Wing Commander series.
    It shouldn't become another adventure game like Mega Traveller.
    It shouldn't run like a turtle and require a 486-33 like Ultima VII.
    Battles shouldn't become so complex that it becomes cumbersome to
    manage your ship. I don't want to have to talk to everybody(ie robot,
    copilot, enemy - like in wing commander II) I like plain shoot and destroy
    figting.  Leave any role playing to planet and spacestation stuff.

Some design trade offs that I would not like to see.
    I don't wan't to see VGA if it compromizes smooth scaling.
    I don't wan't to see game characters with complex personalities if
	it slows down the game.
    
However I don't mind it taking up lotsa disk space.
If it used EMS instead of reading and writing to disk often that would be great.
I like to see smooth ship movement and smooth fighting.

	Wing Commander flight simulation was just TOO CHOPPY for me.

I think it should be able to run at good speed on a 286-20.

2 player capability over modem or null modem would be a great additional bonus;
Perhaps Extra Gunner (ie. Tail gunner), Co-pilot, or Wingman.

It should still retain a large number of worlds, large number of enemy ship
types, and a large number of ship improvements and upgrades.

Landing on planets is awesome. I look forward to that.
However I still like landing on spacestations, but I think I'd like to see
the interior of the space station as I enter and dock.
Docking/Landing on other ships would be cool too (ie. Battleships or boarding
enemy ships).

I think if they're haveing an open ended role you should be allowed the
option to join some kind of guild based on the role you prefer or stay
freelance.  Like if you want to be a pirate hunter you could join the space
patrol guild which starts you off with better weapons and gives more bounty
money on kills. Or if you like to trade you could join a merchants guild
that makes trading more profitable.

Its probably too late to make any recomendations for Elite II software writers
but some of these personal preferences go for just about any space fighting
simulation game. 

Pete


email:	psun@ecn.purdue.edu	or	psun@mentor.cc.purdue.edu

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My opinion on Origin's belief: The most technically advanced games need
to be played on the most technically advanced hardware is B.S.
For a case in point just look at the console video game machines and what
they have in terms of hardware and then look at what programmers can put out on
those things.  Makes you wonder... well it make me wonder at least.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games