Star Trek (BASIC)
1971 · Strategy · BASIC / SDS Sigma 7
Overview
Star Trek (1971) is Mike Mayfield's text strategy game, in which the Enterprise hunts Klingons across an 8×8 galaxy before time runs out.
Deep Dive
The galaxy is a grid of 8×8 quadrants, each split into 8×8 sectors. Moving, fighting and shields all drain energy, which is restored at starbases. Phasers weaken with distance, while photon torpedoes destroy a Klingon in one hit but must be aimed by angle. The game ends when the Enterprise is destroyed, every Klingon is gone, or time runs out.
Developer Story
Mayfield wrote it in BASIC in his last year of high school on an SDS Sigma 7 mainframe, then ported it to the HP 2000C in 1972. Versions for many other computers followed.
Did You Know?
- David Ahl included a version in 101 BASIC Computer Games (1973).
- Bob Leedom's expanded Super Star Trek appeared in BASIC Computer Games (1978), the first computer book to sell a million copies.
Sources & further reading
- Star Trek (1971 video game) — Wikipedia
