This game is intended to be less-grindy and slow re-imagining of the old Elite, suited more for an evening of fun rather than a week of space-trucking. If you're wondering how to play, I've written a Game Manual
Before you play: Holding down the (X) button and pressing Left or Right is how you navigate menus. Double-tap (X) to select a menu option.
I should mention this out of the gate: This isn't a faithful port of the original Elite. This is just my own idea of what makes a fun game. If you want a completely faithful port, see Jamesedge's Picolite.
About Worlds: Trade will affect the prices of certain commodities, as well as the Tech Level of the systems traded with. Additionally, Bounty Hunting and Pirating will affect the Piracy level of a system.
About Trade Items: Every trade item now grants a good amount of profit, if you know where to buy and sell. Missiles are also doubly useful as a trade item and a way to re-arm your ship cheaply.
About Ship Stats: I tried to make each ship's characteristics match the original game's as much as possible, but it isn't perfect as the stats aren't 1-to-1. Ships now have shield, pitch, roll, and yaw values as well as their base energy, speed, and weapon stats. Most ships can't yaw anymore, so dogfights are more interesting IMO.
About Encounters: There is not one, not three, but two special encounters in the game. These are slightly different from other Elite versions as they both use mechanics unique to this game. There are also about 7 minor special encounters, such as Rock Hermits and Ace Pirates.
About NPC AI: As with all of my games, it seems I overcomplicate my NPCs. There are a significant number of variations an NPC pilot can have. The same type of ship might fight differently depending on the pilot's stats.
About Secrets: There are a few unique and bizarre things found in the game. There are no hidden quests or special things you need to do in these cases. Pico8 just doesn't have space, sorry!
About Post-Game:
1.2
added four new ships: Iguana, Chameleon, Ophidian, and Constrictor.
12% Performance increase due to adding a few “local”s
removed a few unnecessary sqrt() calls for another 2% boost
altered stardust fx
made map trades now reset when save is wiped.
buying ships now unlocks at 100 kills.