TRADER
You can still fly around the systems, buying and selling the various cargo supplies that are in demand. TAXI SERVICE
Buy a larger ship, fit her with some passenger cabins, and ferry people around the galaxy. WE WANT YOU!
If you like really short haircuts and have a hankering for some serious discipline, then join either of the 3 Military Forces.
(Or join all three!) You can choose from either the FEDERAL MILITARY, IMPERIAL NAVY, or the CORPORATE PRIVATE GUARD. If you
make a big enough impression in your military carrer, you may even have the rare opportunity to join the ranks of INRA (although
such an honor is reserved for "The best of the best..") MINER
Drop an MB4 or MB5 Mining Machine on a remote planetiod, crack a few lagers, and sit back while your mining devices rape the planet of (hopefully) rare and precious
minerals! Or, get yourself a Mining Laser and find a system rich with asteroids, so you can not only get rich quick and easy, but get some target
practice in as well. (Be warned : This is a risky profession as the chances of being 'claim-jumped' are high, especially since you usually have to
travel to the frontier sytems to do your mining, since most of the core sytems are either depleted or under strict local control!) PIRATE
Get on the galaxy's 'Most Wanted' list by hijacking innocent cargo ships and stealing their cargos. Watch out though - become too infamous or hijack the wrong guy, and you may
find a nice little price tag on your head, so bounty hunters from everywhere will try to get a peice of you! MERCINARY/ASSASIN
Become a 'killer for hire' by checking the bulletin boards for those nasty jobs that usually involve 'knocking off' someones business rival, or the revenge
of a digruntled ex-employee or ex-lover. EXPLORER
Buy yourself a SYSTEM SCANNER and fly to the edge of explored space and beyond, trying to find that elusive 'earth-type' planet or 'mineral-rich' system.
You can even christen the planets within if you are the first human there! Return to civilaztion and log your findings, and pick up a nice bonus from the
GMC (Galaxy Mapping Corporation) and the CCG (Colonolization Conglomeration Group) if you found a habitable, untouched planet!
EQUIPMENT
ELITE IV:The Next Encounter
1 MW PULSE LASER
The most basic of ship weaponry. Fires a 1 Megawatt energy discharge in pulses. Enhance it with a PULSE ACCELERATER. 1 MW BEAM LASER (new)
Slightly better than the 1 MW PULSE LASER as it fires a continious stream of enery. 5 MW PULSE LASER
These pulse lasers are ok for the smaller, attack ships, but it would take a long time to penetrate the
hull of a PANTHA, especially with sheilding. 4 MW BEAM LASER (n/a)
No longer available. It was upgraded it to 5MW, as some parts from the 5MW PULSE laser are more compatible, thus its cheaper to maintain. 5 MW BEAM LASER
(Replaces the old 4 MW BEAM LASER.) A petite little weapon, but overheats with extended use. Get a LASER COOLING BOOSTER to suppliment it. 5 MW MILITARY LASER (new)
Has a faster firing rate than a 5 MW PULSE LASER with a PULSE ACCELERATOR. 20 MW PULSE LASER (new)
This little baby can do some extreme damage, especaiily if supplimented with a LASER COOLING BOOSTER, PULSE ACCELERATOR and a RANGE EXTENDER. 20 MW BEAM LASER
The best mid-strength weapon on the market! Increase the carnage by adding a RANGE EXTENDER to it! 20 MW NAVAL LASER (new)
Hoo-ah! The Military Techs have produced this Pulse/Beam Hybrid that seriously rocks! A rapid-fire pulse weapon. (Conventional upgrades non-compatible). 30 MW MINING LASER
Uses a different spectral frequency so that asteroids 'shatter' rather than explode, releasing the minerals. Works ok on other ships, but only in emergencies. 100 MW PULSE LASER (new)
The king of pulse lasers! Imagine hitting an ant with a hammer several times repeatedly! 100 MW BEAM LASER
More than enough fire-power to take out an unsuspecting GRIFFIN, even with sheilding! 100 MW NAVAL LASER (new)
Unless you want to upgrade the the massive 1000 and 2000 MW BEAM LASER and destroy a small moon, this weapon is the ULTIMATE! 1000 MW BEAM LASER (new)
Since the SMALL PLASMA ACCELERATOR was banned, this less powerful weapon is considered the legal equivelent. 2000 MW BEAM LASER (new)
The legal, but much less powerful equivilent of the banned LARGE PLASMA ACCELERATOR. The pen-ultimate weapon! SMALL PLASMA ACCELERATOR (n/a)
These weapons of mass destruction are now outlawed, after a series of 'incidents' that resulted in the destruction of several colonies! LASER COOLING BOOSTER
This little peice of machinery will keep your Laser's energy coils cooler, so they don't overheat so fast. PULSE ACCELERATOR (new)
This device almost doubles the fire/recharge rate of the energy cells, giving an almost 'rapid fire' result. (although not as fast as the NAVAL PULSE LASERS). RANGE EXTENDER (new)
A 2-3 kilometer range too close? Get one of these to almost double the range of your existing LASER, and get the edge in battle! AUTO REFUELER (inbuilt)
Unlike the ships a couple of hundred years ago, this piece of equipment now comes standard as an integral part of every ship. LOW-FUEL WARNING INDICATOR (inbuilt)
This warning light is built into the console to let you know when you are down to your last 2 tonnes of fuel. ATMOSPHERIC SHEILDING (inbuilt)
Thankfully, some Shipbuilding company made this an integral part of their ships, and it proved so popular that all the other companies followed. METAPHASIC SHEILDING (new)
ATMOSPHERIC SHEILDING is fine for planetary atmospheres, but to skim the Gas Giants and Suns for hydrogen fuel, you`ll need this if you dont want to melt! NAVAGATION COMPUTER (inbuilt)
Now an intergral part of your ship, this device allows you to select a Starport easily after Hyperspace without having to do it from the SYSTEM INFO window. SCANNER (inbuilt)
If you have a ship with no windows, you`ll be glad of this peice of hardware that comes standard on every ship. SCANNER RANGE EXTENDER (new)
Gives a x2 scan option, increasing the range of your SCANNER. SYSTEM SCANNER (new)
Scans and displays an 'UNEXPLORED SYSTEM' as normal once you enter it. E.C.M. UNIT
Scrambles the detonater of lower-class missiles, causing them to instantly explode. NAVAL E.C.M. UNIT
Scrambles the detonater of almost all missiles, causing them to instantly explode. ENERGY BOMB
Emmits a high-powered scrambler signal that sends any ship within a 30km radius crazy, causing them to (hopefully) explode. ENERGY BOMB NULLIFIER (new)
Protects your systems by sheilding them against the signals from an ENERGY BOMB. RADAR MAPPER (inbuilt)
Now that this comes standard on all ships, you know who is out there immediately. That way, you won't kill as many innocent traders. AUTOMATIC PILOT (inbuilt)
Back in the old days, you had to buy this as an extra piece of equipment. Pretty rediculas, as its probably the most valiable part of your ship! EXTRA PASSENGER CABIN
They can't sit on your lap! You`ll need at least one of these if you are going to take on passengers. HYPERSPACE CLOUD ANALYSER
On an Assasination Mission? On a Bounty Hunt? Find out where the prey went using this on their Hyperspace Cloud Remnant. HYPERSPACE JAMMER (new)
Using this device will inhibit any ship within a 100 kilometer radius from going into Hyperspace. Great for stopping would-be runaways.... HYPERSPACE UN-JAMMER (new)
....unless they have one of these. Counteracts the HYPERSPACE JAMMER. TITANIUM HULL PLATING (new)
The standard hull plating on ships. DURANIUM HULL PLATING (new)
Much stronger than TITANIUM, but uses a little more space. ADAMANTIUM HULL PLATING (new)
The maximum protection hull! Uses slightly more space than the DURANIUM plating. SHEILD GENERATOR
Gives your ship a protective sheild. The more generators, the stronger the sheild. (Tonnage varies depending on the size of your ship.) TRACTOR BEAM CARGO SCOOP
This 2-part machine allowes access to your Cargo Bay from space using robotic automation, and employs a TRACTOR BEAM. Needed for cargo/mineral salvage. ENERGY BOOSTER UNIT
Halves the recharge rate of all energy-draining ship systems, including weapons and sheilds. AFTERBURNER (new)
Allows a short, powerfull burst of your main engine. Very fuel-intensive though, and needs to recharge after use. RETRO ROCKETS (new)
Like an AFTERBURNER, but it kicks you into high reverse sending you out of a battlezone, even if you are flying forward (under 100kmh) AUTO HULL REPAIR SYSTEM
Happy little robots that joyfully repair your ship while you sit back and suck down a cup of Naval Blend. ESCAPE CAPSULE
A one-man, sublight mini-vessel that ejects from the main ship just prior to its destruction. The Insurance will cover you for a replacement [STARTING SHIP] STOWMASTER FIGHTER
Any large ship over 200 tonnes can have this. It is basically a hyperspace-capable ESCAPE POD with weaponry. INTERPLANETARY DRIVE (n/a)
??? Whats the point? JUMP ENGINE (standard)
Since the STARDREAMER was found to have caused long-term side-effects, this is how we travel quickly between planets now. CLASS 1 HYPERDRIVE
gets you from A to B. CLASS 2 HYPERDRIVE
gets you from A to B. CLASS 3 HYPERDRIVE
gets you from A to B. CLASS 4 HYPERDRIVE
gets you from A to B. CLASS 5 HYPERDRIVE
gets you from A to B. CLASS 6 HYPERDRIVE
gets you from A to B. CLASS 8 HYPERDRIVE
gets you from A to B. CLASS 1 MILITARY DRIVE
gets you from A to B, but much faster. CLASS 2 MILITARY DRIVE
gets you from A to B, but much faster. CLASS 3 MILITARY DRIVE
gets you from A to B, but much faster. CLASS 4 MILITARY DRIVE
Although not as efficient as was hoped, this baby will still give you one hell of a range if you can afford it!
A BRIEF OVERVIEW
ELITE IV:The Next Encounter
NO MORE STARDREAMER?
Thats right. It was eventually discovered that long-term use of the 'time acceleration' technique used to travel the vast distances between
planets caused severe mental psychosis.
Thanfully, NEW ROSSYNTH SHIPYARDS development team made a breakthrough in 'LOCAL WARP' propulsion. Now, instead of taking days or weeks to
travel to a planet after you have jumped into a system, you need only to accelerate to top speed, then engage the JUMP DRIVE, and you will be
propelled at an enourmous speed to your destination. The stars will seem to 'warp' by. A safety mechanism built into the drive ensures that if
any object is detected within a certain radius, the drive shuts down. That means that if there is a nearby ship, asteroid or cargo cannister,
you will be unable to use the jump drive until such items are out of the 'safety range' of the Jump Drive. You can exit the JUMP at any time manualy. THE NEED FOR SPEED!
Nowdays, your speed is registered not by onscreen ACTUAL/DESTINATION speeds in kms, but by a marked linear bar on the console. (It is very
similar to the system used in the original ELITE.) I guess Pilots didnt care of they knew the exact speed in kms they were doing at 1/4 speed. STROKE MY FER!
Thanks to years of intense petitioning (and maybe a bit of selective assasinating), the once outlawed FER DELANCE Ship is now available to the public again! SHIP A BRICK!
The introduction of some new (and old) ship designs will spice up the game a little! We will see ships like the FER DELANCE, MAMBA and WOLF making a comeback,
while new ships like the KOMODO, CONDOR, ADDER Mk2, KRAIT Mk2 (to name a few) and even maybe the rumoured COBRA MkIV will add the the variety! You may even come
across the rare COLONY SHIPS in the outer systems, that were launched from Earth before the discovery of Hyperspace! (Note - Leave `em alone!) Also keep your eyes
out for strange ships reportedly seen in the frontier systems around the -133,-1 to -133,-20 area of the galaxy. THAR SHE GOES!
The Thargoids will play a minor role so far, although you may encounter them around the [INSERT SYSTEM CO-ORDS HERE] systems where they now reside. Be warned: If
you enter resticted Thargoid space, you will be destroyed on sight. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!
The new menace is a race of beings who's ships are based on crustacean shapes like the squid and the crab. Logically, these aliens (Whom I haven't named yet) would
also be of a marine-like appearance. (Wher the Thargoids were more insect-like). I will base these new Aliens towards the centre of the galaxy direction on the borders
of our EXPLORED space, at around x:-133, y:-0to-20 co-ordinates. There will be several different ship desings, and possibly (towards the 'end' of the game) a homeworld
with a massive orbiter. IN THE NAVY!
In addition the the usual FEDERAL MILITARY and IMPERIAL NAVY, there is another organisation controlled by the CORPORATIONS which protects them and, more often than not, does
their dirty laundry. This is the CORPORATE GUARD, which is very much like the other 2 military organisations.
Then there is INRA, but you can only join them once you have achieved a profficient rank/rating. GET IT INRA!
Once you have recieved a descent rank in any of the 3 military organisations as well as a high combat rating, you will be approached by INRA to work for them. Then begins the
missions that will lead you to the new Alien Race, which INRA have known about (but kept secret) for some time! GRAB YOUR BOARD!
The usual stuff will be available on the bulletin board. Parcel deliveries, people ferrying, missing person info, goods bought and sold, donations etc. In addition there are some different
options, like