The Downloads Page

While the main focus of this site is Frontier: First Encounters, I have downloads for other versions of the game. I have added icons to indicate which version of the Elite series each download is intended for.

Textfiles

FAQs

Amiga Frontier: Elite 2 FAQ (118K)
Although this is mainly aimed at Amiga FE2 pilots, a lot of the info in here is very useful for pilots in FFE, particularly those who like exploring. In addition, there is a lengthy examination of the 'Wormholes' so you can get info on one of the more complex and little known aspects of Frontier. Please note that wormholes do not function on FFE!

Misc Textfiles

The Handcoded Mission Text! (46K)
If you use an editor to read the FIRSTENC.EXE file, you'll be surprised to find that, in-amongst the gibberish which makes up the actual program, the actual in-game text for the 'hand-coded' missions is there in blatant plain text!! This file contains that text, so you can see what's in the game. Note that, apart from the obvious difference that the program code's been removed, this is exactly what's lurking in that .EXE file!! Remember to turn 'wordwrap' on...

FFE Information (22K)
An archive containing several informative files about FFE, including one containing the stats of all the ships in an easy to read table, allowing comparisons. Compiled by George Hooper.

Combat Ratings Comparison File (3K)
Ever wonder why it seems to be taking you a while to rise in combat rating? Wondering perhaps which game was the hardest to become Elite on? Now your questions have answers! This file contains all of the thresholds for the ratings on all the versions of Elite.

Running FFE on Windows 95 Systems (BETA VERSION) (24K)
This file contains all the information you'll need to know in order to run FFE on Windows 95 (and, as far as I know, Windows 98) systems. This is a beta version, and I'd appreciate your comments. The file is a Word for Windows 6.0 format document. Using JJFFE instead is much less hassle, and reportedly works on XP. See the FFE FAQ for some more info.

Extracts from the CIX Frontier Conference (45K)
An interesting text file containing extracts from CIX's Frontier Conference (a kind of newsgroup), which covers events leading up to and following the release of FFE. Thanks to Chris John Jordan for providing this file.

Frontier Textfiles (82K)
Some interesting textfiles relating to FE2, on various topics.

Elite Documentation (32K)
The Elite Manual and keys. You should use Notepad or your favourite text editor to load these files. A much nicer HTML version of the manual can be found at Ian Bell's website.

Utilities

HMP2MID (10K)
Written by Markus Hein, this very useful little utility allows you to convert the FFE music from it's native .HMP format to the much more universal MIDI format, so you can now listen to your favourite themes while working! Note:- you should use a backup of the original music files and ensure that the ones in the FFE directory stay as .HMP otherwise the game may not work. This program runs in DOS.

FFE Mod (687K)
This severely cunning file, written by George Hooper, does a number of things to your copy of FFE. One of the best features is it adds the special equipment to the normal shipyards. Invaluable for the creation of custom ships! Remember to read the Readme .txt file...

FFE Hacking Suite (53K)
A complete set of documents detailing how to hack the game, including a little hex editor. Another great compilation from George Hooper.

FFE 'Startup' Ships (410K)
Another set of files from George Hooper, this archive contains a number of specially edited ships all in the default startup position (i.e. Old Blackelk in Gateway, 3250). Since these ships have been hacked, they appear here rather than in the commanders section.

ForeCol (5K)
A utility to change the colour of space from blue to black. Note: This utility may cause minor display problems.

Frontier Patch (11K)
A patch to fix a bug in PC Frontier where the game can crash if you leave an MB4 in a system.

GRF2BMP (11K)
A program by Steve Critchlow, which converts the .GRF files generated by pressing Print Screen in FE2 into .BMP files.

Brisk Font (20k)
A key part of the new look of my site is the new font I'm using, Brisk, which bears a resemblance to the font used in FFE (or at least it's the closest I could get to it). It's a True Type font, which you should be able to install on your machine. If you've got it installed already, then you'll already know about the font change ;-)

Commander Files

FFE Ships

Ever wanted to have a test fly of a ship before you blow a fortune on it?? Perhaps you want to see if my reviews are right! Now Jades Dynamics (Retail) are prepared to make you this amazing offer:- own any one of the ships in FFE, fully equipped, for absolutely nothing!!! Just click on the ship name in the table and the file will download. Once it's on your hard drive, copy the commander file into your commandr directory and away you go!

FFE Special Missions

Misc Stuff

FFE Trade Database (?K)
This is the most recent version of the database I use for trading in FFE, and for updating the trade page. It is in Psion Series 3c .dbf format, so you can copy it across to your Psion and use it while playing!