Editing Frontier: Elite II (section)

=== Comparisons with ''Elite'' ===
''Frontier'' has more advanced graphics than ''[[Elite (video game)|Elite]]'', but this is mostly due to the differences in the underlying computer platforms, as the [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]] and [[IBM PC]] offered much more power than the [[BBC Micro]] and [[Commodore 64]]. The graphics engine was advanced for its time, featuring curved Bézier surfaces, and [[texture mapping]] in the PC version.

''Frontier'' operates on a very large scale compared to previous games, and most games since. It is, for example, possible to do realistic [[gravitational slingshot]]s around [[supermassive star]]s and large planets, and in the same engine fly close enough to the ground to read the (accurate) time from the face of a clock.

''Frontier'' built on ''[[Elite (video game)|Elite]]'' differs in other aspects as well. It is possible to freeform seamlessly land on planets, something not possible in the first ''[[Elite (video game)|Elite]]''. Most stars also have a system of planets around them, while in the previous game there would only be a single planet and space station in every system. In addition to this some real stars had been placed in the ''Frontier'' universe, mostly near [[Sun|Sol]], such as [[Alpha Centauri]] and [[Sirius]]. Other brighter stars such as [[Altair]], [[Antares]], [[Betelgeuse]] and [[Polaris]], which are much further out, are also included. All planets and most major moons in the Sol system can also be visited. On zooming out, other galaxies are visible, although these other galaxies are simply duplicates of the first, and not accessible in any version of the game.

Similarly to the original ''Elite'', ''Frontier'' offers dozens of ships, from small but fast fighters like the Eagle, multi-role traders like the Cobra to huge cruisers such as the Anaconda or the Panther. Players may own only one ship at a time, so when a new ship is purchased, the old ship is part exchanged (i.e. traded in with most of its trade value deducted from the new ship's price).