(This is part three of the chronicle of my Retrochallenge 2016/01 submission, which is to port some classic Star Trek text games to the Mattel Aquarius. To jump to the beginning, go here.)

Mind Melding

In porting the 1972 version of STTR1 from HP Time-Shared BASIC to the Mattel Aquarius, I had to learn more about the code than I originally thought would be required. I imagined merely dealing with syntax differences which I could search and replace with ignorant bliss. However, the implementation of string variables differ so much between the two systems, I inevitably had to time-travel, get into the head of the high school student who authored STTR1, understand the program’s logic to a sufficient degree, and re-code some critical sections.

Is it spaghetti code? Of course it is. This is early BASIC and therefore a design requirement. Even so, some very clever algorithms exist throughout. (I’m especially impressed by the code that calculates course and torpedo trajectory.) However, the 1 or 2 character limit for variable names makes for a dizzying experience.

So before I move on and allow the weeds to germinate, I’d like to at least catalog the more interesting variables found in the original STTR1 listing along with my understanding of each one’s purpose.

Noteworthy Variables Found in Original STTR1

In case you’re inclined to follow along, here is the original BASIC listing for STTR1.

Arrays/Matrices

230  REM *****  PROGRAM STARTS HERE *****
240  Z$="                                                                      "
250  GOSUB 5460
260  DIM G[8,8],C[9,2],K[3,3],N[3],Z[8,8]
...
420  C[2,1]=C[3,1]=C[4,1]=C[4,2]=C[5,2]=C[6,2]=-1
430  C[1,1]=C[3,2]=C[5,1]=C[7,2]=C[9,1]=0
440  C[1,2]=C[2,2]=C[6,1]=C[7,1]=C[8,1]=C[8,2]=C[9,2]=1
...
1885  C2=INT(C1)
1890  X1=C[C2,1]+(C[C2+1,1]-C[C2,1])*(C1-C2)
1900  X2=C[C2,2]+(C[C2+1,2]-C[C2,2])*(C1-C2)
...
2700  H=(X/K3/FND(0))*(2*RND(1))
2710  K[I,3]=K[I,3]-H
2720  PRINT  USING 2730;H,K[I,1],K[I,2],K[I,3]
2730  IMAGE  4D," UNIT HIT ON KLINGON AT SECTOR ",D,",",D,"   (",3D," LEFT)"
...
3400  G[Q1,Q2]=K3*100+B3*10+S3

Variable Name	Data Type	Description
G	8×8 Matrix	Galaxy; Elements contain 3-digit values to store number of Klingons, Starbases, and Stars in each of the 64 Quadrants
C	2×9 Matrix	Lookup of Δrow, Δcol for a given course, where 1≤course<9
K	3×3 Matrix	Klingon attributes; row, col, and hit-points remaining for up to 3 enemies found in current Quadrant

Strings

270  DIM C$[6],D$[72],E$[24],A$[3],Q$[72],R$[72],S$[48]
280  DIM Z$[72]
...
460  D$="WARP ENGINESS.R. SENSORSL.R. SENSORSPHASER CNTRL"
470  D$[49]="PHOTON TUBESDAMAGE CNTRL"
480  E$="SHIELD CNTRLCOMPUTER"
...
950  Q$=Z$
960  R$=Z$
970  S$=Z$[1,48]
...
3790  IF C$ <> "DOCKED" THEN 3820
3800  PRINT "STAR BASE SHIELDS PROTECT THE ENTERPRISE"
3810  RETURN

Variable Name	Data Type	Description
C$	6 char String	Condition of the Enterprise – GREEN, RED, YELLOW, or DOCKED
D$	72 char String	First 6 labels for Damage Report – 72 char string treated as array of (6) 12-char strings
E$	24 char String	2 more labels for Damage Report – 24 char string treated as array of (2) 12-char strings
A$	3 char String	Symbol definition for Stars (‘ * ‘), Klingons (‘+++’), or the Enterprise (‘<*>’)
Q$, R$, S$	total 192 char String	Buffer used to display current Quadrant. 8×8 cells where each 3-char cell contains a copy of A$ or empty space
Z$	72 char String	Zeroed String – 72 spaces used to clear Q$, R$, and S$

Enterprise Attributes

4250  C$="DOCKED"
4260  E=3000
4270  P=10
4280  PRINT "SHIELDS DROPPED FOR DOCKING PURPOSES"
4290  S=0

Variable Name	Description
E	Energy available to the Enterprise. Values 0-3000+
S	Energy diverted to the Enterprise’s Shields
P	Number of Photon Torpedoes remaining. Values 0-10
Q1,Q2	Quadrant; row, col of Enterprise’s location within the Galaxy. Values 1-8 each
S1,S2	Sector; row, col for Enterprise’s location within a Quadrant. Values 1-8 each

Galaxy Attributes

3690  PRINT  USING 3700;K[I,1],K[I,2]
3700  IMAGE  "KLINGON AT SECTOR ",D,",",D," DESTROYED ****"
3710  K3=K3-1
3720  K9=K9-1
3730  A$="   "
3740  Z1=K[I,1]
3750  Z2=K[I,2]
3760  GOSUB 5510
3770  G[Q1,Q2]=K3*100+B3*10+S3
3780  RETURN

Variable Name	Description
K9	Total Number of Klingons remaining in the Galaxy. Set at start. Decremented as enemies are destroyed
K7	Total Number of Klingons at start of game. Used to calculate efficiency rating for successful games
B9	Total Number of Starbases remaining in the Galaxy. Set at start. Decremented if any are destroyed
S9	Total Number of Stars in the Galaxy. Set at start to 200

Quadrant Attributes

Variable Name	Description
K3	Number of Klingons in current Quadrant (0-3)
B3	Number of Starbases in current Quadrant (0-3)
S3	Number of Stars in current Quadrant (1-8)

Time Attributes

4080  PRINT "YOUR EFFICIENCY RATING ="((K7/(T-T0))*1000)
4090  T1=TIM(0)+TIM(1)*60
4100  PRINT "YOUR ACTUAL TIME OF MISSION ="INT((((T1-T7)*.4)-T7)*100)" MINUTES"

Variable Name	Description
T	Current Stardate. Values like 2403
T0	Initial Stardate when game started
T1	Time at End of Game; Obtained from Real-time Clock
T7	Time at Start of Game; Obtained from Real-time Clock
T9	Time Limit; Number of Stardates you have to complete the game. Set to 30 at start

Set Course

1410  PRINT "COURSE (1-9):";
1420  INPUT C1
1430  IF C1=0 THEN 1270
1440  IF C1= 9 THEN 1410
1450  PRINT "WARP FACTOR (0-8):";
1460  INPUT W1
1470  IF W18 THEN 1410
1480  IF D[1] >= 0 OR W1 <= .2 THEN 1510
1490  PRINT "WARP ENGINES ARE DAMAGED, MAXIMUM SPEED = WARP .2"
1500  GOTO 1410

Variable Name	Description
C1	Course
W1	Warp Factor

Up Next

Hopefully a demonstration of STTR1 for the Aquarius

---