I'm not a huge gaming fan. Even back in the days of Amigas which were pretty much regarded as a gaming machine, very few grabbed my attention - until I started playing Frontier Elite 2. I was utterly hooked, and the idea of a game/simulation where it's possible to explore the vastness of our own galaxy, where there are planets, real and imagined, has hooked me ever since.

There are a number of Elite style clones out there now for a variety of platforms. Personally I prefer the more sophisticated mouse interface of Elite II, and it remains my favourite version of the game to date (Even though I have been clocking up a few serious hours in First Encounters. ) Can't wait to get an Imperial Explorer...

About the Game

What is Frontier. Frontier was the sequel to the popular game Elite, available on early computers. The premise of Elite was you were a rookie in the galaxy looking to trade or make your way to riches, fame and fortune, whilst avoiding death and destruction from pirates and the like. Elite also had the alien menace known as the Thargoids. On the way, your ability to survive by blasting your enemies to slivers was measure by your Elite rating. Only the toughest and the best became Elite! 

Enter Frontier-Elite 2. The Thargoids have gone - but the universe carries on! Commerce, mercenary missions or the military of two empires, continued to provide a means to advance yourself and your hardware to Elite status. The new version of the game featured an improved interface and 3d graphics rendered in real time. The game was completely open ended

First Encounters was the last installment of the game, set 50 years after Frontier. It featured an evolving plotline you could participate in, which answered the question of what happened to the Thargoids. Unfortunately, it was so buggy that it was almost impossible to play. Despite that, luscious graphics (well they were at the time!!) added to the feeling of the vast open-ended universe that Frontier had started. You could go anywhere; be and do almost anything. 

None of these games are commercially available any more. Frontier and First Encounters are available for downloading as shareware by their original designer. See the links at the bottom of the page. Elite is also available as shareware, as well as a large number of Elite-style clones for every computer hardware/software platform ever made! :-)

The Images

The small preview images are screenshots fromt the game. The links take you to raytaced images of the scene as I imagine them. 

	Descent. A Mk3 Cobra powers down as it approaches a coastal settlement. A trio of Viper Defence Craft patrol nearby.
	Imperial Courier. One of the mainstays of the Imperial fleets, the Courier and the 3 engined  Trader are seen everywhere in the Empire
	Far Patrol. Dreadnoughts of the Imperial fleet patrol the Frontier. The maintenance of a far-flung Empire requires capital ships capable of sustained endurance. These ships are designed to be the centre of operations for a fleet of ancilliary craft. (This ship is non-canon, but I felt that it was a necessary addition to the Frontier universe. I was inspired mostly by the ironclads and dreadnoughts of the early 20th C for this one. Plus most of the ships and images have been from the Federation, so time for a change.)
	The Wild Blue Yonder - As simple as the graphics were, you were able to cruise through great banks of fluffy cumulous clouds. Just one of those little touches that made the chunky computer generated worlds in Frontier that little more imaginative.
	Epsilon Eridanii. A freighter rests at Masseyville Starport.
	Privateer. A Boa Freighter floats next to the wreckage of another ship, looking for salvage.
	Galileo Station - In orbit around the Moon, Galileo Station is on the doorstep of Earth
	Deep Space Depot. I've been wanting to use the small Coriolas Staion for a while and so began experimenting with making a nebula background. Overall I like the effect. :-)
	Plan and Elevations of the Puma and an Oblique view as well.
	The Puma Shuttle. Although in the game sometimes referred to as a Puma Clipper. large enough to get a decent sized hyperdrive in there and room for lasers, hull auto-repair systems, shield generators, scanners, etc, etc. The scene I've rendered here is a Puma unloading at the Martian city of Quenisset. Early morning winds have stirred up the sands and dust that still exists on Mars in spite of the 900 years since terraforming finished.
	Eagle Mk 1 long range fighterThe Eagle fighter. The ship most people started with in Frontier.
	Departure from Sirocco Station.Sirocco Station is located on the world of Merlin in the Ross 154 system. This picture shows a lone pilot leaving the starport at dawn in their Mk 1 Eagle long range fighter.

This site last revised April 2011