The Menus
When you execute the "elite640.exe" file of the "Demo V1.3"-Package there will appear a menu in text mode first. In this menu you may select the "difficulty level". Your choice will influence the flying skills of the computer opponents. In the complete game the difficulty level will only depend upon your rating (the more ships you have destroyed, the better your enemies get).
Then a galaxy chart will appear. Here you can choose the star system you want explore. The government in this system will influence the number and sort of space ships that you will encounter (Of course a "Corporate State"-system is more secure than an "Anarchy"-system...).
Now you can choose what kind of Free Flight demo you'd like to play: With or without other ships, start on a Space Station or somewhere in the system. See below for a description of these demos.
Note that the arcade demo has been removed for technical reasons. You should keep a copy of demo V1.2, if you'd like to play the arcade demo in future.
When you selected demo mode 0 or 1 without pressing the shift-key, you will be located on a space station in the system you selected. Otherwise (or if there is no station) you will be located somewhere else in the system.
Description the free flight modes
FREE FLIGHT (no other ships)
In this mode you are located either on a space station in the orbit of a planet or somewhere else in the selected system. When you press [F1] or click on the 'Launch' button you will launch into space. There will be no other ships in the system, but Police ships will appear if you dare to attack the space station.
If you haven't played other Elite versions yet, you should choose this mode to become familiar with the controls of a Cobra Mk.III.
You will notice that you are not allowed to use the Jumpdrive while you are flying in the orbit of a planet. Later (when the game is completed) this is not a problem as you will hyperjump into another star system once you left the Space Station. In this demo you should use the "Retro Rockets" (press [R]) twice to catapult your Cobra out of the orbit of a planet. Remember that you will fly backwards when engaging Retro Rockets! So your Cobra should face the planet when you press [R].
FREE FLIGHT
As above but with some random ship encounters.
However you won't encounter too many hostile ships in the area around a Space Station. So I recommend that you use your "Retro Rockets" (see above) to get into the action :-)
Description of the Status Screen
The Status Screen provides a lot of information about the player's situation. In the upper half of the screen displays show the current location in the galaxy, the selected hyperspace destination, the player's combat rating, legal status, etc.
In the lower half of the screen the player's equipment is shown. You can get information about each item by clicking on the text left and right of the images.
To view the Status Screen you can press [F9] or click on the 'Status' button.
Description of the Equipment Screen
Here you can buy (and sell) equipment for your Cobra Mk.III. Which items are available depends on the star system's tech level. Any item you buy will be displayed on the right. You can get information about each item by clicking on the 'i' button in the item's line.
When it is not possible to buy or sell a particular item the corresponding 'Buy' or 'Sell' button will be hidden. It is, for example, not allowed to install more than one type of missiles at a time. So if you buy one torpedo, the 'Buy' buttons for the standard and naval missile will be removed until you sell all of your torpedoes.
To view the Equipment Screen you can press [F4] or click on the 'Equip' button. This screen is not available when flying!
Description of the Galaxy Screen
On this screen a chart of the current galaxy is shown. Here you can search for systems or choose your hyperspace destination and see if you have enough Quirium Fuel for the jump. You are also given information about a system's government and economy (Further details will be available at the 'Local Screen' later). To view the Galaxy Screen you can press [F5] or click on the 'Galaxy' button.
Cockpit description
Radar description
The radar display is to be read just like in all other Elite versions. The colour of a radar contact provides information about the class of the corresponding object:
Grey targets are the most common radar contacts. These can be traders as well as pirates, headhunters or mining craft.
Pink targets indicate any sort of minor objects such as escape capsules, cargo canisters, boulders and debris. These objects will not prevent you from using the jumpdrive.
Light pink targets are major asteroids. You cannot use the jumpdrive when an asteroid is around.
Orange targets are Thargoid space ships, red targets are Thargoid drones (Thargons).
Green targets are Space Stations. The brightness of the contact allows you to distinguish between Coriolis and Dodec Stations.
Blue targets indicate police ships, grey-blue targets are military ships.
Keyboard Functions