AFE FAQ9

99) Miscellaneous

99.1) How do the rankings go?

99.2) What's with this Right On Commander stuff?

99.3) Acknowledgements

99.4) Disclaimer

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99.1) How do the rankings go?

Elite ratings are as follows:

  RANK:               KILLS:   KILLS FOR ARCELITE:
  Harmless               0               0
  Mostly Harmless        2              50
  Poor                   8             400
  Average               24            1000
  Above Average         44            1500
  Competent            130            2500
  Dangerous            512            4500
  Deadly              2560            6000
  Very Deadly   (ArcElite only)       8000
  Elite               6400            9600

Why 6400? Ian needed to think of a number and &1900 (which equals 6400) was the value of PAGE on the BBC when assembling the source. So there you go!

The actual number of kills required is the same in all editions, with the exception of ArcElite which is considerably harder, and some 16 bit versions which utilise points.

In BBC Elite all crafts were worth 1 kill, but on points versions, although the thresholds were the same, "a third ("fractional") byte was added to the kill tally and each ship had a kill rating varying from 0.06 for an Asteroid to 8.0 for a Thargoid (Police Vipers were a measly 0.21 because they were so easy to kill while launching)" - Ian Bell.

This fractional kills system is what I have referred to as "points" in the above game descriptions. The Amiga version bases ranking on "score" which is similar to the points system but utilises different values:

  Adder                      100 pts
  Anaconda                    90 pts
  Asp Mk II                  110 pts
  Boa Class Cruiser           60 pts
  Cobra Mk I                  60 pts
  Cobra Mk III                80 pts
  Fer-De-Lance               100 pts
  Gecko                       80 pts
  Krait                      100 pts
  Mamba                       60 pts
  Python                      40 pts
  Orbit Shuttle                3 pts
  Sidewinder                  80 pts
  Thargoid                   150 pts
  Thargon                     20 pts
  Transporter                 10 pts
  Viper                       50 pts
  Wolf Mk II                 150 pts
  Worm/Escape Capsule         80 pts

In the Amiga version, Right On Commanders are still awarded by number of kills.

99.2) What's with this Right On Commander stuff?

In classical Elite, you got a message saying "RIGHT ON COMMANDER!" every 256 kills, as a bit of encouragement from the Elite Federation. The first corresponded with being about halfway through competent, and getting the Constrictor mission.

In ArcElite, the messages are as follows:

 "GOOD SHOOTING, COMMANDER!" - Every 50 kills. The first one corresponds with the promotion from Harmless to Mostly Harmless (cf 8 kills in BBC Disk Elite)
 "RIGHT ON, COMMANDER!" - 1 kill before every fifth "GOOD SHOOTING, COMMANDER!", ie every 250 kills, beginning from kill 249.

99.3) Acknowledgements

So far, thanks to me (Robert Pfeifer) for writing all this, David Braben and Ian Bell for writing the original game, Ian Bell again for kill figures and making so many versions freely available, Warren Burch and Clive Gringras for writing ArcElite, Andrew Clover for writing the best Elite add-on ever (swinging fluffy dice and a rear window sticker saying "My other ship is a thargoid"), the following readers of this FAQ for corrections and contributions both quoted and silently incorporated:

* Ali Bharmal
* Daniel Brown
* Simon Challands
* Steve Critchlow
* Jonathan Day
* Roger Earl
* Matthew Garrett
* George Hooper
* Chris John Jordan
* Brad Kerr
* Tim Lambert
* Tony Lorusso
* Patrik Radman
* Christian Schmadalla
* Colin Stott
* Graham Thurlwell
* Mark Tysoe
* Mark Williamson
* Michael - no last name given
* John - ditto
* Ian

Anyone else whose name I accidentally deleted while compiling a list of changes - once again, the delete key ravaged the mailbox before the credits were compiled. Sorry. Feel free to remind me. Sheppy's Cider in Taunton, Somerset, UK for producing the best medium still cider in the world, my student's union bar for having once sold bitter at 50p a can, and KLF, Sisters of Mercy and Ash for writing good music to kill to. 10,000 kills and I've put away my guns. In ArcElite. Now I'm putting notches in my Elite A belt.

99.4) Disclaimer:

I hereby disclaim responsibility for any faulty information in this FAQ, and if any the effects of this information, this FAQ and any inferences you may draw from it on you, your computer, your brother, sister, dog, gerbil, or in fact anyone or anything anywhere and anywhen. It's for you to use entirely at your own risk. Have fun and don't eat it. Except maybe in hardcopy.