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I am astounded at how advanced a game Elite was on the BBC Micro. This video does a great exploration of the mechanics of it, how it was written, the history around it, and its influences to this day. He also gave a big shout out to others who have thoroughly documented the game as well. #RetroComputing #RetroGaming #ComputerHistory

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in reply to Hank G ☑️

When I see al this interest around retrogaming, retrostuff but also other old-fashioned technologies like the Gemini protocol, I can't avoid to think that all of this is a natural reaction against today technologies that became overly complicated, and accessible to pros and engineer only... 🤔
in reply to freezr

@freezr I'm sure there is some of that. Some of it is interest in history and historical preservation. There is also some nostalgia kick stuff too. The retrostyle games and protocols, like Gemini, are mostly definitely a lot about counter-reaction to overly stimulating, busy, and in your face with ads/AI/crap that we see as much of the UX of modern games/internet/etc.
in reply to Hank G ☑️

Totally agreed, but I still feel that old technology was unavoidable closer to us and more accessible because basically simpler than current technology although the PI boards allowed a lot of kids doing amazing stuff...
in reply to Hank G ☑️

@freezr - Re. interest in retro as response to overly complicated tech - That's been a motivation for me. It's partly nostalgia, but also, I came to realize years ago that I didn't know very much about the system level, and that mattered to me. I'm using retro tech to simplify the environment, so it's less intimidating. I'm not trying to create new products with it. I'm using it as a learning environment for myself, and if I happen to produce something interesting/useful/fun, that's gravy. :)
in reply to Hank G ☑️

I used to play it a lot when I was a kid. Have you seen Oolite, which is an updated version for modern computers? It's extensible and so good.
in reply to Hank G ☑️

Re. Elite - I heard about it being published for other computers; the Commodore 64, Amiga, Apple II, and PC-compatibles. It didn't come out for the Atari 8-bit, even though it had the capability to handle it.

Elite came out in 1984, which is the year after Atari collapsed. So, the 8-bit's future was in the tank, until the XE Game System came out.

I have seen video lately of a homebrew effort for the Atari.

It came out for the Atari ST, though (along with its sequel, "Frontier: Elite II").