Just released: 6 brand new deep dives into The Sentinel on the #BBCMicro and #C64 This is where it gets interesting! Generating 10,000 3D landscapes; tile data and shapes; enemies and trees; secret codes thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives#latest Batch #4 coming soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing

This is pretty cool. It's a visualisation of the internals of The Sentinel on the #BBCMicro. This is it generating the game landscape for the first level from 256 pseudo-random numbers. Next week I'll be releasing a deep dive into exactly how this works. #retrocomputing #retrogaming #c64 #8bit

I'm (slowly!) releasing 50+ deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game Batch #2 is now ready: 7 new articles about maths, geometry, trigonometry… and Revs thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #3 (landscape) coming soon Enjoy! #retrocomputing #retrogaming #c64 #8bit

I'm releasing over 50 deep dives into The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game. Batch #1 is now ready: 6 new articles about memory maps, program flow and interrupts, all at thesentinel.bbcelite.com/deep_dives Batch #2 (maths!) coming soon. Enjoy! #retrocomputing #retrogaming #c64 #8bit

I've started writing a series of deep dives into Geoff Crammond's epic #BBCMicro game The Sentinel. Here's the to-do list. I will post a link here whenever I add a new one to thesentinel.bbcelite.com It's going to take a while! But it should be worth it... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #c64 #8bit

You didn't know you needed this in your life, but you do. Marine Beaufils is a French artist who creates beautiful embroideries of... The Sentinel (amongst others). It's inspired and quite beautiful. Enjoy! www.marine.st/en/pages/sen... #bbcmicro #zxspectrum #c64 #retrogaming #retrocomputing

Have you ever wondered how big the full landscape is in The Sentinel? It's 1856 pixels high and 2048 pixels wide. Here's the first level. The initial 192x160 screen is in red. Panning jumps the view to different grid points. It's a big old world! #retrocomputing #retrogaming #bbcmicro #c64 #8bit

I've just released fully documented source code for The Sentinel as an easy-to-browse website. It's a lot more fun to explore than the GitHub repository, with cross-references, popups, indexes, statistics and more. Enjoy! thesentinel.bbcelite.com #retrocomputing #retrogaming #bbcmicro #c64 #8bit

I am delighted to announce the release of my latest project: Fully documented source code for The Sentinel, Geoff Crammond’s 1986 masterpiece. Here’s the repository; deep dives coming soon. See thread for details. 1/9 github.com/markmoxon/th... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #bbcmicro #c64 #8bit

I'm hoping to release my latest ultra-comprehensive gold-standard 6502 disassembly in the next few days. It's been four months in the making and is almost complete. Elite, Aviator, Revs, Lander… and now this. Let the countdown begin: 🤖🪨🌲 #retrocomputing #retrogaming #bbcmicro #commodore64 #8bit

Oh wow! Well that’s made my day. 😀 Thanks for letting me know. And thanks to @frontierastro.bsky.social for catching Mr Braben’s eye. It’s nice to be noticed! 🫡 More about flicker-free #Elite on my site: elite.bbcelite.com/hacks/flicke... #commodore64 #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcmicro #8bit

Some projects just take a long time to work through. I mean, I’ve got to make sure it can stand alongside the others. It should be worth the wait, though. #8bit #bbcmicro #disassembly

I've finally finished pimping my David Braben-signed BBC Micro B+, and it can now run more variants of Bell & Braben Elite than any other contemporary machine ever. The #BBCMicro B+ is officially the Commander-in-Chief of #8bit #Elite. 🫡 See thread for details. (1/8) #retrogaming #retrocomputing

I've just released the Elite Compendium Addendum for the BBC Micro B+. It contains two bonus versions of Elite for lucky owners of the B+, including musical BBC Master Elite for the B+128. See elite.bbcelite.com/hacks/elite_... for details. #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcmicro #8bit #elite

I'm pleased to announce the #Elite Compendium for the #Acorn #Electron, containing three amazing hacked versions of Elite on one disc. It includes a brand new version: musical Elite. On the Electron! Lots of details here: elite.bbcelite.com/hacks/elite_... #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcmicro

The incomparable @negativecharge.bsky.social recently converted the Commodore 64 Elite music to the Electron. I've finally found time to add it to Electron Elite. Here's the docking computer in all its one-channel glory. Turn your sound on! #retrocomputing #retrogaming #electron #bbcmicro #8bit

Look at this little beauty! It's my new BBC Micro B+, signed by David Braben himself, and it’s the inspiration for my latest project: "BBC Master Elite, backported to run on the unexpanded B+, and with lots of extra features" Links in thread. #retrocomputing #retrogaming #bbcmicro #8bit #elite

My new project is a version of BBC Master Elite, but with a twist. Sure, it’s pretty niche, but this has never been done before, which is always fun. Can you tell what it is yet? The clue's in the clip... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #bbcmicro #8bit #elite

It's done! I have just released the Compendium version of #Elite for the #Acorn #Electron. This massively enhanced version of the original game contains pretty much every feature of #BBCMicro Elite, but on the Electron. Just add 16K of sideways RAM. Links in thread. #retrocomputing #retrogaming

Today's addition to #Acorn #Electron #Elite is the energy bomb animation from the Apple II, BBC Master and NES. In the original Electron version, the energy bomb did little more than beep gently. Now it rages with lightning bolts! That's much better. #retrogaming #retrocomputing #8bit #bbcmicro

The Compendium version of #Acorn #Electron #Elite now has missions - three of them, in fact. Here's the briefing for the Constrictor mission, backported from the #BBCMicro; I've also ported the Thargoid plans mission, and the Trumbles from the #C64 and #NES. 🫡 #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit

My new version of #Acorn #Electron #Elite is feature-complete! Now for some testing. Here's the feature list. It’s big! Big enough that this is effectively a Compendium version of Electron Elite; to sit proudly alongside the #BBCMicro Compendia. 🫡 Not long now! #retrogaming #retrocomputing #8bit

The enhanced version of #Acorn #Electron #Elite continues to grow. I've now added the ship hangar, which gets shown when you dock. This feature was only in the BBC and NES versions, and not the Commodore 64 or Apple II, so that's a one-up for the Elk. 🫡 #retrogaming #retrocomputing #8bit

It's #Thargoids Thursday in the enhanced version of #Acorn #Electron #Elite. Here's me misjumping into witchspace and being ambushed by Thargoid motherships and their Thargon drones. Electron commanders can now join in the bug-hunt - at last! #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcmicro #8bit

Enhanced #Elite on the #Acorn #Electron now has 31 different ship types (compared to just 11 in the original). Here's a little clip showing an encounter with a Krait and a Mamba on the way to the sun. Coming soon... Thargoids! #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcmicro #8bit

Enhanced #Elite on the #Acorn #Electron now has proper docking computers. Good to see they're as nail-bitingly dodgy as all the other versions! Next on the list is to add 21 additional ship designs with spawning and tactic logic. That might take a while... #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcmicro

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire! (In enhanced #Acorn #Electron #Elite, that is.) The speed isn't bad, considering the sun is probably the most screen-memory-intensive (i.e. slow) feature of #BBCMicro Elite. More clips in thread. (1/3) #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit

On the left: original #Acorn #Electron #Elite. On the right: Electron Elite using the #BBCMicro sun code to show variable sized stars on the system chart. Now I just have to hook this up to the solar system, so Electron Elite can finally have suns and fuel scooping... #retrogaming #retrocomputing

#Elite on the #Acorn #Electron is slow - way slower than on the #Commodore64, for example. But how does the enhanced 16K SRAM version cope? Turns out enhanced Electron Elite is faster than the #C64! Sure, it can't compare on colour or music. But... result! 🚀 #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcelite

Latest features in enhanced #Acorn #Electron #Elite: * Proper disk access menu * Military lasers * Extended system descriptions (edible poets!) * System search * Planetary details (meridians/equators and craters) * Fast, flicker-free graphics Looking good! #retrogaming #retrocomputing #bbcmicro

Ha, wow! This is pretty amazing stuff from @negativecharge.bsky.social (the genius who already backported the Elite music from the #C64 to the #BBCMicro). Having the Blue Danube and the title music in #Electron #Elite would be absolutely brilliant. Let’s make this happen! 😀

I am working on speeding up #Elite on the #Acorn #Electron. It's going well. On the left is the original; on the right is my enhanced version. It's all down to sideways RAM and backporting faster code from the #BBCMicro and #C64 versions. More details in thread. (1/4) #retrocomputing #retrogaming

My new project is an all-singing, all-dancing version of #Elite on the #Acorn #Electron. It's early days, but I'm really enjoying it. So here’s a thread about the wonderful community hardware and software I'm using to port #BBCMicro Elite to the Elk. (1/7) #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit

I have added flicker-free planets to the #Apple II version of #Elite. Flicker-free on the left, original version on the right. That's every 6502 version done now. No-one left behind! Info and downloads: elite.bbcelite.com/hacks/flicke... #bbcmicro #c64 #apple2 #retrogaming #retrocomputing #8bit

Guest speaker alert! Rob Napier, author of ‘Networking with the BBC Microcomputer’, joins us at Econet LAN Party 2025. Rob led Acorn Computers for Barson in Australia in the 80s and brings a unique perspective on early computing adoption. Don’t miss it! www.tnmoc.org/events/econe...

Look at this thing of utter beauty! A whole classroom full of networked #BBCMicro, #BBCMaster and #Archimedes machines, all running #Elite over #Econet. If 14-year-old me had been able to see this, he’d have exploded with excitement. 🚀 Come see the real thing at the TNMoC LAN Party in a month!

I recently hacked #Elite on the #Acorn #Archimedes to send scores to a live scoreboard across an #Econet network. I've just published a short article that explains how I did this. I hope you like it! elite.bbcelite.com/hacks/elite_... #retrocompting #retrogaming #riscos

I've just released !EliteNet, my first #RISCOS application in 30 years. It allows #Archimedes #Elite to transmit to an #Econet multiplayer scoreboard (see Yoda’s score). I’ve loved every minute of this little side project! Here's the repo: github.com/markmoxon/el... #retrogaming #retrocomputing

Sometimes it's the small projects that are the most enjoyable. Case in point: this month I'm building !EliteNet, which connects the #Archimedes version of #Elite to the Econet multiplayer scoreboard, so ArcElite players can compete against #BBCMicro players. #retrogaming #retrocomputing #riscos

Anyone fancy playing a bit of networked Elite? This looks like it might be a bit of fun for anyone around the SF area in August. Right on, Commanders! #bbcmicro #elite #retrogaming #retrocomputing #econet #8bit

In anticipation of June's Econet LAN Party at @tnmoc.bsky.social, I've updated #Elite over #Econet. It now supports flicker-free graphics, up to 100 players in multiplayer, better server support and more. Game on! Details: elite.bbcelite.com/hacks/elite_... #bbcmicro #retrocomputing #retrogaming

New deep dive: Drawing pixels in Apple II #Elite For my final Apple II Elite deep dive, I look at the Apple's high-resolution graphics screen mode and how Elite copes with its... interesting approach to screen memory. elite.bbcelite.com/deep_dives/d... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #apple

#Elite on the Apple II contains code by Ian Bell and David Braben. No surprises there. But did you know it also contains code by Steve Wozniak, Randy Wigginton and Rob Northen? Find out why in my latest deep dive. elite.bbcelite.com/deep_dives/f... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #apple

Another new deep dive: Making the Apple II's keyboard work in #Elite Read about how the Apple II's keyboard fits into the codebase in Elite, and how different it makes the game feel compared to the other 6502 versions. elite.bbcelite.com/deep_dives/w... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #apple

New deep dive: How the Apple II version of #Elite was developed on a #BBCMicro In which I pick through the clues on the source disk, and try to piece together the original 1986 development pipeline for Apple II Elite. elite.bbcelite.com/deep_dives/d... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #apple

Oops. In compiling the #Elite source code family tree, I omitted Elite-A, arguably the poster child for a forking history of Elite. So I've added it to the tree and updated my article. That's better! elite.bbcelite.com/deep_dives/t... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #bbcmicro #c64 #apple #nes

New deep dive: Sound effects in Apple II Elite Find out how Bell and Braben coaxed the sound of lasers and hyperdrives from nothing more than a single loudspeaker click. This is bare-metal coding at its most elemental! elite.bbcelite.com/deep_dives/s... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #apple

Last year, Ian Bell released the source disk for Elite on the Apple II. My latest guide shows how you can assemble the source in your browser and see exactly what Bell and Braben's build process looked like back in 1985. elite.bbcelite.com/deep_dives/b... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #apple

New: I've analysed the source code for all 9 versions of Elite on the 6502, and I've put together a family tree showing the decade-long forking history of the source. Software archaeology in action! 😀 elite.bbcelite.com/deep_dives/t... #retrocomputing #retrogaming #8bit #bbcmicro #c64 #apple #nes

Here’s a fun video review of Elite 3D - the anaglyph version of BBC Micro Elite. Unfortunately the 3D effect wasn’t too obvious for Yawning Angel, but it’s an excellent introduction to the whole anaglyph setup and a good look at what’s involved.