Frontier Elite II - Information from a Tester

[pubzombie]

If my memory serves me correct -
I seem to remember having new updated versions of Frontier sent in the post to me after I contacted the publisher after one of my disks got damaged. I should still have them all, when I unpack my retro stuff I will have a check

[Steve]

Originally Posted by antonvaltaz

- the first release of Frontier (or at least the earliest that SPS have) is release 1960, with the date 6.10.93. The passenger bug is still present in this one (allowing you to cheat, heh-heh!)

- SPS releases 0123 and 2269, despite having an earlier date recorded (2.9.92) are in fact later releases, with the passenger bug fixed. I don't know if they are different to each other, i.e. if one fixed some bugs, and the other fixed some more.

Ok. I finally have some definitive answers after much investigation!

You were right! 1960 is definitely the first release of Frontier. The final release (on floppy disk) appears to be 0123 (release 5).

I found this out by searching the main file for the string 'release' and it gives you the version number as well as the release number!

Check it out:

Frontier 1960 = (Release 1) v1.00
Frontier 0505 = (Release 2G) v1.01 (German Version)
Frontier 2745 = (Release 2F) v1.02 (French Version)
Frontier 2269 = (Release 4) v1.05
Frontier 0123 = (Release 5) v1.06

Frontier CD32 = (CD32 Release 1) v1.10

This seems to indicate that there are still a couple of missing English versions from the SPS website. It looks like releases 2E and 3 (v1.03 and v1.04) are still to be found. Maybe these versions weren't released in English?

I think its time for all you guys with an original copy to start checking your main Frontier file with an editor!

[antonvaltaz]

Excellent! Should we let SPS know so that they can update their database?

[Steve]

Originally Posted by antonvaltaz

Excellent! Should we let SPS know so that they can update their database?

I have already sent IFW a private message asking him to view this thread. Just waiting to hear back from him now.

I've been doing some more research and have got my hands on Polish and Czech versions of Frontier. I'll check their version numbers later. There was probably Spanish and Italian versions too!

EDIT: Both Polish and Czech versions are Release 1.

http://www.frontierastro.co.uk/Files/foreign.html

[Jope]

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

It's not the KS, but the WB that gives the default date :

If the computer doesn't have an RTC chip, the OS will initialize the clock based on the time when the boot volume was formatted.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Jope

If the computer doesn't have an RTC chip, the OS will initialize the clock based on the time when the boot volume was formatted.

Which is the WB disk in this case Thanks for the info.

[rhester72]

Jope, are you sure? I thought it was the last update time of the newest file in the root directory (my memory may be ridiculously dim here).

Rodney