ProcTech SOL & Trek80

From: Bob Stek <bobstek_at_ix7.ix.netcom.com>
Date: Sun Aug 16 19:11:34 1998

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Wood [mailto:altair8800_at_hotmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, August 16, 1998 9:30 AM
> To: classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu
> Cc: bobstek_at_ix.netcom.com
> Subject: Re: ProcTech SOL & Trek80 - yo, Bob Wood!
>
>
>
> Thanks, Bob. Looks like you may be getting me aboard the
> Starship Enterprise after all. I will give it my best shot.
> I have the SOL docs somewhere in this nightmarishly cluttered
> and disorganized museum I live in. May have TARGET too.
>
> I will take your advice and copy the Trek 80 cassette.
> I am curious about one thing. Is the Trek 80 among the
> very earliest examples of game software for microcomputers?
>
> Bob Wood

In my recollection, Trek80 was one of the earliest "arcade" style games -
certainly the earliest "real time" version of Star Trek of which I am aware.
(BTW, the copyright dates on Trek80 and Target are both 1977.) I remember a
BASIC implementation of Star Trek available on time sharing computers
several years earlier. And IIRC, David Ahl's book "101 BASIC Computer
Games" had a listing of it, and that must have been published around 1975 or
1976. But these BASIC versions all gave you as much time as you wanted to
make your move. Trek80 and Target may have been among the earliest "real
time" games programmed in assembler for the speed you needed for decent
response from a 2 MHz 8080, and even then were specific to the memory-mapped
VDM display. Perhaps other members of this list are aware of earlier arcade
style games. There could not have been too many earlier attempts given the
speed of output devices at the time. It wasn't until Microsoft came out
with their BASIC compiler (19??) that I recall seeing games like PacMan and
Ladders for serial terminals.

And, Bob, if you start falling in love with the SOL, a friend is compiling
an audio CD-ROM of all available PT cassette software - just substitute a
portable CD player in place of the cassette recorder, and your SOL will be
among the first vintage computers with a CD interface (sort of)! When he
has the final version ready, I'll post how to get in touch with him.

Bob Stek
bobstek_at_ix.netcom.com
Received on Sun Aug 16 1998 - 19:11:34 BST