Mark Moxon
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markmoxon.bsky.social
Mark Moxon
@markmoxon.bsky.social
Writer, walker, software archaeologist. Back in the day: Editor of Acorn User, Editor of h2g2.

I love analysing old code, and my aim is to create the best code disassemblies you have ever seen.

Purveyor of Elite/Lander/Revs hacks.

www.markmoxon.com
Here’s an example - the iconic box art from the BBC Micro version, brought to life in-game.

And there’s a Commodore 64 version too. You can even swap files between the two, so you can create a scene on a Beeb, save it and play it on a C64.

I really enjoyed building this one, I have to say!
November 5, 2025 at 9:13 PM
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
August 13, 2025 at 1:08 PM
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
July 25, 2025 at 1:34 PM
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
July 6, 2025 at 1:01 PM
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
July 5, 2025 at 12:26 PM
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
July 4, 2025 at 2:06 PM
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
July 3, 2025 at 11:10 AM
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
July 2, 2025 at 1:56 PM
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
June 11, 2025 at 2:48 PM
I've also implemented fuel scooping, so those fuel scoops can finally be used for... well, scooping fuel, and not just cargo canisters.

Don't leave home without them! (3/3)
June 6, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Approaching the sun through a minor asteroid belt.

I've always loved flying towards the sun in BBC Micro Elite, so it's good to see it on the Electron. That ball of flickering fire hanging in the blackness of space always has such a feeling of remoteness and grandeur. (2/3)
June 6, 2025 at 3:04 PM
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
June 6, 2025 at 3:04 PM
#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
June 4, 2025 at 11:42 AM
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
June 3, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Overall the speed improvements aren’t too bad.

They don’t quite reach the speed of the #BBCMicro shown here, as screen memory and zero page are still accessed at 1MHz, so there's a limit to what's possible.

But hopefully it’s enough to support Thargoids, suns, planetary details and more! (4/4)
May 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM
The second speed-up is to replace the loop-based multiplication and division routines of the original with the log-based routines from the #C64 and 6502 co-pro versions.

You can see the speed increase here: loop normal routines on left, log-based routines on right. (3/4)
May 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM