Frontier: First Encounters

Frontier: First Encounters (1995)

by Frontier Developments, GameTek, Inc.
Genres:Strategy, Simulator
Themes:Open world, Action, Science fiction
Game modes:Single player
Story:The third title in the Elite series of space strategic combat games, Frontier was notoriously marred by several bugs which spoiled an otherwise enjoyable game.
user avatarAdded by @mirage2000
Vote to bring this game to GOG and help preserve it.
1 466
Trailers and screenshots
Screenshot
Stories about this game (2)
What’s your memory of Frontier: First Encounters?Share your favorite moments and see what others remember about this game.
user avatar@placeholder

Make sure to follow our Guidelines when adding new Stories.

If not sure what to write:
  • What made this game unforgettable?
  • Who did you play this game with?
  • What made it fun or challenging?
  • Why do you want this game on GOG?
I don't know what to write about this game. It's not as well-known as its ancestor Elite-1/Elite-plus, nor has their magic 8-bit/old/classic feeling. But as soon as I moved from playing Elite on friend's C64 (I had Atari 800xl, no Elite for me :sadface:), to PCs, I felt a real loss of that lost-in-space feeling.. I couldn't find Elite2:Frontier (what a gem!) on PC at that time. And other PC games simply didn't have it. Then one day I got this my hands on this FF:E, and I was lost in space again. It's not that Privateerish-style flat system map and trade routes etc. Space that feels like space. A 3D map that has the systems and galaxies in actual 3D, it's not easy to find a conteporary game that has this. And total freedom of where to fly and what to do, as long as you can afford the fuel or equipment (though to be honest, list of to-do options is a bit limited - track and hunt, mine, deliver, explore, trade, etc, typical contracts/missions.. no base building, no exiting the ship and walking on foot like in 3000ad's Battlecruiser, nothing truly groundbreaking, just right enough to not get bored and to not have to make a PhD learning the rules and mechanics of everything). While I can't say anything about story or plot, I really don't remember if there's any, it has some well-hidden flavors/easter eggs, and just like Elite2:Frontier - it's really not easy to find them on your own, better find a spoiler.
I played this game a lot on my Amiga, it was amazing for it's time. I was hyped when Elite Dangerous came to kickstarter, it's one of the few games i backed. Today still playing Elite Dangerous, which i very much enjoy.
Those games also need your vote!
The Sims 4: Legacy Edition
The Sims 4: Legacy EditionUnleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that's an expression of you! Explore and customize every detail from Sims to homes, and much more with The Sims 4. Life, and Sims, are yours to control. Customize your unique Sims, design their homes & take them on wild adventures through celebdom, romance, holidays and more. The Sims 4: Legacy Edition provides long-term support for computers that rely on older technologies. It is available only to players who run The Sims 4 on non-Metal Macs or on 32-bit PCs.
Fantasy
Comedy
Sandbox
Romance
Fantasy
Comedy
Sandbox
Romance
280
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires: Definitive EditionAge of Empires, the pivotal RTS that launched a 20-year legacy returns in definitive form for Windows 10 PCs. Bringing together all of the officially released content with modernized gameplay, all-new visuals and a host of other new features, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is the complete RTS package. Engage in over 40 hours of updated campaign content with new narration and pacing, jump online in up to 8-player battles with new competitive features and modes, experience 4K HD visuals with overhauled animations, get creative with the scenario builder and share your creations with easy mod support. There’s never been a better time to jump in to Age of Empires. Welcome back to history.
Action
Historical
Warfare
Action
Historical
Warfare
664
1
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
Jurassic Park: Operation GenesisJurassic Park: Operation Genesis is a construction and management simulation video game for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 based on the Jurassic Park series. The main point of the game is to recreate Jurassic Park - building a five-star theme park with dinosaurs, and turning John Hammond's dream into reality. In the park, the player builds paths, amenities for visitors such as food, restrooms, enclosures, and attractions. One must also keep the park safe and secure. The park can be populated with up to sixty dinosaurs, with twenty-five different species available from the three Jurassic Park films. The player can also add attractions similar to those seen in the films, such as the safari seen in the Jurassic Park film, and additional attractions such as a balloon tour and several varieties of viewing platform. While the PlayStation 2 version is fairly common, the PC and Xbox versions of the game are considerably rare, with the Xbox version considered one of the rarest and most expensive titles for the system, with copies of the game often selling on eBay for upwards of $100. GAMEPLAY: The player's main objective is to create a theme park/zoo featuring dinosaurs, make it popular, and make it safe with a 5-star rating. Gameplay functions are very similar to the SimCity and Tycoon game models. It is necessary to build feeding stations where herbivores can get bales of plant feed, while carnivores are fed live cows or goats. However, herbivores become unhappy if they don't have enough trees around them or enough nearby dinosaurs to socialize with. Likewise, carnivores have an innate desire to hunt other dinosaurs, so even a constant stream of livestock will not keep them happy. To create a dinosaur, fifty percent (50%) of the particular dinosaur's DNA is needed. The higher the percentage of DNA, the longer that dinosaur will live, unless it dies by means other than natural causes, such as malnutrition or being attacked by another dinosaur. To obtain a dinosaur's DNA, the player must extract it through fossils or amber. Higher quality specimens will yield more DNA. To obtain fossils and amber, the player must send a fossil-hunting team to dig in one of nine dig sites around the world. Additional dig teams can be purchased later in the game. Each dig site contains fossils from three particular dinosaurs. Fossils of some dinosaurs, such as Brachiosaurus, can be found in more than one dig site. The chance of finding fossils depends on the quality of the site. There are 6 classifications on the quality of a dig site, ranging from "excellent" to "exhausted." It is still possible to find fossils and amber at sites that have been exhausted, although they are often of low quality with little DNA to provide. Valuable items such as silver, gold, or opal are also discovered infrequently by the dig team(s), and can be sold for profit. Attractions help make the park popular, and increase its rating power and income when correctly configured. Attractions must be researched before they can be constructed, and include the Balloon Tour, Safari Adventure and Viewing Dome. Viewing Vents and Viewing Platforms do not need to be researched. The Safari Tour and Balloon Tour attractions allow for the player to "take over" the ride for the purpose of park exploration and photography, but only when a visitor in the game is using it. The player may also observe the dinosaurs from the Viewing Dome, Viewing Vent, and Viewing Platform by selecting the "View" option after clicking on the building. Amenities such as restrooms and restaurants are needed for visitors. Additional buildings such as a gift shop and a resting area must be researched before the player can add them into the park. Vaccines for diseases–such as tick infestation, gastric poisoning, rabies, and the fictional Dino Flu–must be researched before a sick dinosaur can be treated for a particular illness. DINOSAURS: There are a total of 25 dinosaurs featured in the game, some of which were featured in the films. They are divided into four main sub-groups. Small Herbivores such as Gallimimus and Pachycephalosaurus are easy to care for and do not take up much space, but are not as popular with guests. Large Herbivores such as Brachiosaurus and Triceratops are very popular with visitors and do not require expensive fences, but need large spacious exhibits. Small Carnivores such as Dilophosaurus and Velociraptor do not generally need vigorous security as their larger counterparts, but can still harm guests if they escape. Large Carnivores such as Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus are the most popular dinosaurs in the game, but require large exhibits with high security fences and are prone to rampaging when stressed. MISSIONS: The game has 10 missions the player can complete. In some websites like IGN and GameSpot, early previews indicated that there were originally to be 12 missions. There are about three or four general types of missions, including taking photographs of dinosaurs to try to rack up a certain amount of points from the photos in a safari mission and dinosaur control missions where the player has to retire the carnivores (preferably large ones) to protect the herbivores. SITE B: After all the missions are completed, the "Site B" mode is unlocked, which allows the player to create an island without any fences or buildings for people, similar to Isla Sorna in The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III. Visitors are not allowed on the island. The player can place up to eight hatcheries and create up to sixty dinosaurs, which live on the island without diseases or the possibility of becoming stressed. As long as they have food, water and living space, the player can simply watch the dinosaurs interact and live out their lives. FAN MODIFICATIONS: Because of the PC version's modular file structure, the game is very easy to modify with nothing more than a regular text editor. It is possible to create almost completely new missions, exercises, dinosaurs, dinosaur designs, new visitor appearances, and play options. The Indominus rex, a genetic hybrid dinosaur from Jurassic World, was made available in June 2015. Thanks to the open ended design, a small community of fans have come together to improve realism, unlock unreleased features, and design new features to be included. A group of people have formed the Community Expansion Project and the Genesis Expansion Project, which takes previous modifications and designs new ones for release in a patch for the overall community. The team's main aim is to recreate the dinosaurs to be as realistic as possible, mainly expanding and creating new behavior. Two other modification sets, the Film-Canon Mod (FCM) and Novel-Canon Mod (NCM), are from Jurassic Park fansite, JPLegacy.org. The NCM includes dinosaur designs and islands based on the Jurassic Park novels. The FCM includes film-based dinosaur designs, music, sounds, and islands. Since the release of the first expansions, many others have appeared, with increased sophistication to make the game more realistic.
Action
Science fiction
Sandbox
Educational
Action
Science fiction
Sandbox
Educational
6 286
23
Digimon World
Digimon WorldDigimon world is a game that allows a player to raise their own Digimon and teach it to battle.
Our Pick
Top
Fantasy
Science fiction
Our Pick
Top
Fantasy
Science fiction
47 137
1212
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary EditionThis new package includes the base game, all updates made to Age of Empires IV since launch, including the Anniversary Update, and the two new civilizations — the Ottomans and Malians — in one package.
Historical
Historical
319
1
Age of Empires IV
Age of Empires IVOne of the most beloved real-time strategy games returns to glory with Age of Empires IV, putting you at the center of epic historical battles that shaped the world. Featuring both familiar and innovative new ways to expand your empire in vast landscapes with stunning 4K visual fidelity, Age of Empires IV brings an evolved real-time strategy game to a new generation.
Historical
Warfare
Historical
Warfare
470
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires II: Definitive EditionAge of Empires II: Definitive Edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular strategy games ever with stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics, a new and fully remastered soundtrack, and brand-new content, “The Last Khans” with 3 new campaigns and 4 new civilizations.
Historical
Warfare
Historical
Warfare
3 925
3
Last Heroes 4
Last Heroes 4Enjoy another classic 16-bit RPG from Warfare Studios of Vagrant Hearts, Ashes of Immortality and Valiant fame, with the epic finale of the Last Heroes saga!
3
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires III: Definitive EditionAge of Empires III: Definitive Edition completes the celebration of one of the most beloved real-time strategy franchises with remastered graphics and music, all previously released expansions and brand-new content to enjoy for the very first time.
Historical
Warfare
Historical
Warfare
543
Age of Empires
Age of EmpiresAge of Empires (AoE) is a history-based real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. The game uses the Genie, a 2D sprite-based game engine. The game allows the user to act as the leader of an ancient civilization by advancing it through four ages (the Stone, Tool, Bronze, and Iron Ages), gaining access to new and improved units with each advance.
Top
Historical
Warfare
Top
Historical
Warfare
42 951
19