[Al-Rik]

While looking for Oolite I noticed there is a improved version of Frontier First Encounters. There is a thread in the official forum of Frontier Games.
The original version and the improved versions are both shareware, if you play it longer than 30 days you should pay a small amount of money to Frontier Games.

While the game isn't really beautiful, it's highly addictive. Flight model is Newtonian.
You can switch with TAB through the modes of the Autopilot:
Off = Front, Main & directional Thrusters are controlled directly by the pilot. That's the mode for dogfighting
SET = the pilot sets a velocity and control the direction of the ship, the autopilot controls the thrusters. That's the mode for atmospheric flight.
Auto = the autopilot controls everything, and that's the mode for long distance travel. And it only works if you have selected a target for the autopilot.

Joysticks are supported, but only with one button, so you have to map the needed keys with Joy2Key or an other 3rd party Software.
Pro Tip: Map your directional thrusters on the coolie hat, it makes evading much easier.

Here some screen shots:
Ship Info Screen


You can buy different ships:


Commander Info Screen


Flying low over a city


Various newspapers bring information and propaganda


Speaking of Propaganda


Use the Star Map to set your course through hyperspace:


The System Info shows were to go after the jump:


The Orbit Map can used to set course for the autopilot.


View after leaving a space station


Sirocco Station on Merlin, a moon of the Gas Giant Aster in the Ross 154 System


A Space port on a more friendly world:


On this website is the download link:
http://www.eliteforever.co.uk/games.html

And there is the thread to give feedback:
http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1084&page=110

[Nuke]

is this newer than the opengl version?

[Phantom Hoover]

don't give money to frontier! david braben is an egotistical dick with a disproportionately large jaw

[Nemesis6]

Which version is the best one, though? Also can I use the version with the videos with the other one, and then gain the video sequences from the first one?

[Al-Rik]

is this newer than the opengl version?

It's much newer than the open GL version, the Build from AndyJ is from April 2013.

AFAIK the open GL version has had no new models, FFE 3D has a lot of new models and textures.

Which version is the best one, though? Also can I use the version with the videos with the other one, and then gain the video sequences from the first one?

IMHO the build from AndyJ. Izzys build doesn't work on my PC.
It's possible to copy the video sequences from the first on, but they are... special

don't give money to frontier! david braben is an egotistical dick with a disproportionately large jaw

Well, there is no DRM or something to ensure that you have to pay,...

[Phantom Hoover]

i don't want to give him the INTELLECTUAL VINDICATION of enjoying his game

[karajorma]

When calling out the creator of the entire space trading genre on a board dedicated to space combat games, you're going to have to give us more than "he has a large jaw"

[Phantom Hoover]

i said he was an egotistical dick as well!

[Flipside]

Whilst I don't agree with the way he treated Bell, an ego seems to play a very big role in being willing to create new genre's and ideas. History is replete with egotistical dickheads who changed the world to greater or lesser extremes.

[karajorma]

i said he was an egotistical dick as well!

Without examples, you're only going to convince people who value your opinion highly. I won't hazard to guess what percentage of HLP users that is, but I doubt it's 100%.

So if you really don't want people to give him money, perhaps more than just an opinion is required.

[Phantom Hoover]

giving him money will increase the reproductive fitness of him and any children he may have, which will increase the probability that his massive jaw will be propagated down through future generations

q.e.z.

also i generally strongly dislike the way he paints himself as this Innovative Leader Of The British Computing Industry when his career can basically be summed up by decade as "elite, frontier, rollercoaster tycoon 3, disneyland kinect adventures"

[Nuke]

the graphics are somewhat better. but i only flew from one planet to another. ive never gotten very far in the game, and this aint the first time ive given it a shot.

[karajorma]

giving him money will increase the reproductive fitness of him and any children he may have, which will increase the probability that his massive jaw will be propagated down through future generations

q.e.z.

also i generally strongly dislike the way he paints himself as this Innovative Leader Of The British Computing Industry when his career can basically be summed up by decade as "elite, frontier, rollercoaster tycoon 3, disneyland kinect adventures"

That's it? **** I'm buying this game tomorrow then. If we stopped buying games for that reason, we might as well stop buying games completely.

[StarSlayer]

giving him money will increase the reproductive fitness of him and any children he may have, which will increase the probability that his massive jaw will be propagated down through future generations