Elite space game iOS Port in progress

[UnknownGameDev]

Hi,
I've been working on an iOS clone of the classic space game Elite. I grew up playing Elite and have been waiting for a decent (and authentic) clone to show up on the iPhone but after years of checking and waiting I decided to just do it myself. I've looked at number of clones/remakes as a basis for the clone as well as studying the manual. Here's a screen shot:



I'm not a game developer by profession and a bit unsure how to progress with this, so I just wanted to see if anyone else out there is interested in playing this?

Happy to answer any questions.. If I mistakenly posted this in the wrong forum I apologize before hand (I did not see anything in rules against showing a game in progress here)..

--UnknownGameDev

[magihiro]

Yes!

[swiftest]

About time somebody did this! As one of my all-time favorites and inspirations for our own upcoming game, I'd love to see this in the store. I clocked many hours on the C64 version of Elite.

Also, I tried the DOS version on the iDOS emulator for iOS, but the keyboard controls were a bit clunky which made getting into the game difficult. Hopefully you can update it for iOS and add some touch/swipe controls to the mix.

I wonder about the legal state of the code/art/sound and if you can re-use it in a commercial product. Supposedly, David Braben, one of the original developers has said he's going to make Elite 4 for multiple platforms, so hopefully he's not the litigious type (though history might say otherwise).

[UnknownGameDev]

Hi swiftest,

I wonder about the legal state of the code/art/sound and if you can re-use it in a commercial product. Supposedly, David Braben, one of the original developers has said he's going to make Elite 4 for multiple platforms, so hopefully he's not the litigious type (though history might say otherwise).

Yeah, I'm aware of Braben's stance on Elite clones. Bell released his part of the source code so the universe generation and planet descriptions are readily available. The "arcade" portion of the game is rewritten from scratch to be true to the original but obviously the controls are optimized for touch. Releasing the game under another name than Elite will be required to solve some of the copyright problems. The rest of the materials such as sound and graphics are not really an issue: the graphics is really minimal, and the objects are made up out of a few points and polygons. The ranking system and ship names might be needed to change for the release version.

--UnknownGameDev

[swiftest]

Just to be safe, I'd suggest using different names for the ships. Otherwise, it sounds like you have your bases covered, so keep us posted on the development and release date.

What control methods are you making available? Also, any additional features like missions?

[UnknownGameDev]

Originally Posted by swiftest

What control methods are you making available? Also, any additional features like missions?

As it works now the touching the screen anywhere gives you control over roll and pitch, double tapping and dragging up and down controls speed. All other controls (firing, missiles, ECM etc) are accessed by the on screen icons.

Simple missions are in there, but not tested yet. I'm still figuring out how to launch a beta test.
--UnknownGameDev

[Doches]

Originally Posted by UnknownGameDev

...I'm still figuring out how to launch a beta test.

I cannot recommend TestFlight highly enough for running public betas. We're using it right now for Distant Star, and it's so much easier than gathering all the device info and generating .ipas by hand .

[Doches]

I think Blizzard said it best a few years ago: hell, it's about time.

I'd absolutely love to play this when it's ready. Hell, I'd love to play this before it's ready -- hit me up if you wanted some testing and early feedback. I've played more than my share of Elite-style games, and it's been a pretty significant influence in the kinds of games I develop.

[UnknownGameDev]

Originally Posted by Doches

I think Blizzard said it best a few years ago: hell, it's about time.

I'd absolutely love to play this when it's ready. Hell, I'd love to play this before it's ready -- hit me up if you wanted some testing and early feedback. I've played more than my share of Elite-style games, and it's been a pretty significant influence in the kinds of games I develop.

Sure, when it goes into testing I'll let you know. I'm also considering teaming up with another dev to finish this off.

--UnknownGameDev