Elite revolutionary in games thanks to three -dimensional graphics, a huge world and a balanced combination of space trade and hostilities, transforming the life of young programmers Jan Bell and David Braben.

The game gave rise to the first group of active Internet users in history, making Braben and Bella heroes for the next generation of programmers. And also brought them early fame – they fell into national news, and the amount of money, huge in those times. The history of the project began in a modest setting: the tiny hostel of the college of Christ in Cambridge.

“We wrote the code during the summer holidays when we studied at the university,” says David. – I was 19 years old, and Jan 20. As far as I remember, I always wanted to create a three -dimensional space game, and I had a computer for this – Acorn Atom. The prototype made at home – he recreated a three -dimensional star space with several space ships there ". Although Braben and Bell quarreled because of the rights to Elite, he speaks warmly about his colleague and talks about their friendship: “Yang studied mathematics, and I physics. When I saw him BBC Micro, he was amazed. We were very passionate about programming, and at that time, he already wrote a game called Freefall ".

Bella’s memories are somewhat different: “David can say that he has already worked on a three -dimensional space game on his Acorn Atom, but, in fact, Peter Irwin, who wrote Starship Command, and then Exile for BBC Micro, threw the idea of ​​creating a space simulator. We picked her up ". After long discussions and the first prototypes, a three -dimensional space fighting game appeared. She will be called The Elite. Revolutionary vector graphics, huge research spaces and military operations, however, students from Cambridge considered the project “raw”. “It was very empty there,” says Yang. – Playing it seemed meaningless. To have fun, I needed motivation. That’s why we added trading mechanics ". David and Jan for a long time doubted the option: “We were afraid that this would be boring. But, on the other hand, there will be a contrast between a tense battle and a calm trade ".

The project was renamed simply in Elite, and it took persistence to create an extensive and unique universe. “This is another example of coding in the bedroom,” recalls David. “We programmed the code both separately and together: we made amendments, corrected and set up”. Work in tandem accelerated the process, but there was a need to carefully copy the key code. “We were very scrupulous in accounting for what we changed,” he continues.

The program used BBC Micro resources at the limit, so compressing all data up to 22 KB – has become a headache. Nevertheless, Bell already understood that the project had his own feature: “This was the first time I tested the procedures of movement and rotation, along with the tactics code, and really saw how some“ vipers ”(Vipers) moved to 3D – it was amazing”. Braben always considered Elite hobby, not a business. Unfortunately, long nights behind the keyboard affected his studies at Cambridge. “I sent the master disk a week before the exams,” he recalls.

Everyone knows about the success of Elite. According to Bell, about 600 thousand copies were sold. The game was released in 1984 and it cost 15 pounds – quite expensive at that time, and the circulation amounted to 50 thousand copies (before that only 30 thousand were sold). The media could not ignore this – both authors even had to hire agents for themselves. However, the early code was rejected by some major publishers of the early 80s. “First I sent Elite to Thorn Emi in London. He even retained the letter: they wrote that they would not publish a project, – recalls David. – I then thought: my God, they can be right ".

The space game with the economy www.spins-heaven-casino.com/ did not fit into the line of projects of that time. Clones PAC-Man and Defender ruled the video game industry of the 80s. Who is interested in entertainment, where there is no goal and score of glasses? “The publisher brought these reasons in a letter, and this was true,” Braben admits. – But, by irony, fate, the shortcomings turned out to be the strength of the project. ". They attributed the duration to the complaints about the game – the conservation system was required, and vector graphics – it was not considered enough "colorful".

Not frightened by criticism, the creators remained true to their ideas. They studied in the afternoon, and programmed at night. We also turned to several publishers before Elite finally caused sighs and exclamations, so common among gamers who first piloted Cobra Mk.3. “We went to Acornsoft and launched the game on their BBC Micro. A crowd immediately gathered around. It took only two minutes to show. There was no doubt – we found the publisher for the project!", – recalls David. However, the publisher had claims to design. Incredibly, in 1983, the project was even larger. Eight galaxies entered the final version, although initially there were two in the 48th degree, that is, literally billions. “Just an incredible number of galaxies,” Braben thinks. Speaking about the decision to reduce the universe, he remains a philosopher. “I liked the idea that you are in the universe, like Douglas Adams – a slight point in the universe – but in reality, such a scale was unnecessary.”.

Weapons and drug trafficking also raised questions – Thorn EMI clearly highlighted the mechanics in the letter with refusal. As a result, after long persuasion, Acorn made concessions. Even now, the inclusion of such elements is almost impossible, but the game can be protected: the player is offered to make a moral choice. “Yes, the transportation of drugs made huge profits,” David argues, “but there is the reverse side – problems with the law”.

A more colorful version of 1988 for Amiga

A more colorful version of 1988 for Amiga

A more colorful version of 1988 for Amiga

A more colorful version of 1988 for Amiga

Publisher Acornsoft deserves praise for promoting the game. A competition was launched based on the concept of a project – to become the best, that is, to get an “elite” rating, as in the game. The competition was held at the end of each month for six months after its release. The results were published in the most popular gaming magazines. The playoffs between the six winners went to the Acorn User Show Grand Final. This was not only the first video game competition, but also one of the first measures to combat piracy. Looking back, David is amazed at how the competition helped to prevent loss of income due to pirates. “It was very interesting to communicate with the players who came to the competition. I asked: you bought a game? – Damn, no – players answered bashfully. But realizing that they have a chance – they purchased a copy and returned to get a pass to the event ".

CHANNEL 4 News seized this news. Suddenly, entertainment became a nationwide sensation: teachers and children who had access to BBC Micro played it. There is a legend that the Itn News editor went into the news room and found that almost every journalist launched Elite at his terminal. In a conversation with us, David reproduced the moment: “What the hell is happening here?! – asks the editor. – Yes, we just play the game. – You didn’t understand me why everyone plays the same game? Let this plot in the news!"

The program went at rush hour, and Braben recognizes the excitement that he experienced: “We looked ridiculous in our“ student ”clothing, but I remembered several quotes from an interview. Peter Warlock, then the editor of PCN magazine, said: this is the best entertainment since then, hell, this is the best game in the world! It was nice to hear that. He could not imagine what effect had on us ".

When David is asked about the “premium” received for one of the most influential video games, he remains careful: “We were shallow, and only dreamed of potentially big money. Many do not suspect that the money followed much later ". Braben and Bell took a rather bold and insightful step, firmly grabbing the Elite brand. This turned out to be a visionary business solution. “We transferred Acorn rights only for the BBC Micro platform,” David recalls. – I refused the rights not only to other platforms, but also to the film adaptation. ".

Sudden attention of the media and a change of lifestyle – demanded some adaptation. “Everyone saw programs about the lucky ones who won the lottery and how they cannot cope with changes in life,” David argues. – And this is true. Elite success is similar to a jackpot: although we worked a lot, it remained a hobby. We did not play a game to earn. And this led to the split of our friendship ".

The fame that came after Elite still remains behind the coders. Jan devoted a site to the game, where he is happy to answer questions from fans. David does not mind such attention, but sometimes it interferes: “Two weeks ago I went to a party. Someone asked me an autograph. Then two more came up. This is a great honor, but I came here to have fun. ".

Even now fans continue to bother programmers to discuss the intricacies of the game. Too many people and for too many hours played it at an age that forms a person, so that the project simply took and dissolves into obscurity. At a certain stage, Elite affected the incredibly huge part of the population. As David admits: “They often come to me and say: because of you I failed the exam. But others: I got into the game thanks to you ".

You can replenish your knowledge base about the "elite" on the Elite Games website (although fans about him already know).