Claim set · data/claims/star-trader.yaml

Star Trader (People's Computer Company's 1974 listing)

Game: Star Trader.

PCC Games (1974) prints Star Trader's BASIC listing in two modules, a main module of 6,819 words and a set-up module of 3,290 words, each headed with a pointer back to the January 1974 newsletter. star-trader/listing-1974

PublisherPCC Games · p. 25See Jan. '74 issue PCC Vol. 2, No. 3, pages 4,5.PCC Games · p. 25Length: 6819 words.PCC Games · p. 29Length: 3290 words.Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read the text layer of the pinned scan, PDF pp. 26–32

The set-up module (TRADER) asks the questions and builds the star map, then CHAINs to the main module (TRADE*), which runs the game. Printed p. 31 gives the procedure for loading the two paper tapes onto an HP 2000F. The book prints only "1974", with no month.

Cited by: Star Trader

What to Do After You Hit Return (1975) reprints the two modules on pp. 143–149 in a revised version, with two pages of ideas and an explanation of the bargaining and the economic model. star-trader/reprint-1975

PublisherWhat to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 143(set-up module)What to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 145(main module)What to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 97HOW LOCAL MERCHANTS BARGAINWhat to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 145, lines 406–428IS ENROUTE TOWhat to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 147, line 2162IF GO#5 AND GO#10 AND GO#15 THEN 2220Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read the text layer of the pinned scan, PDF pp. 98–99 and 143–149; a scout read the revised lines on the page images

A scout's reading of the page images found these changes from 1974: new lines 406–428 (which print "IS ENROUTE TO" and "IS ABOUT TO LEAVE") and 434; MAP and REPORT commands at lines 2820–2848; lines 2160–2162 rewritten (1974: 2160 IF S[7,S1]/5#INT(S[7,S1]/5) THEN 2220); lines 4080–4082 also print the ship's cash; set-up line 930 chains to "TRADES" (1974: "*TRADE*"). The buying loop also gains a check on mistyped bids. The claims on this page quote the 1974 text.

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader's set-up module sets its defaults in code: ships travel 2/7 of a light-year a day, stars stand at least 15 light-years apart, the delay constant Q, which a comment calls the probability of a delay, is 0.1, merchants make up to 3 bids, a ship carries 30 tons, the profit-margin constant X9 is 36, and development grows in steps of 1.25. star-trader/defaults

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

Value

{
 "speed": 0.2857,
 "minDistance": 15,
 "delayProbability": 0.1,
 "bids": 3,
 "cargo": 30,
 "x9": 36,
 "growthStep": 1.25
}

PublisherPCC Games · p. 29, set-up module lines 130–260200 LET R9=2/7 210 LET D9=15 220 LET Q=.1 230 LET K9=3 240 LET W=30 250 LET X9=36 260 LET G9=1.25PCC Games · p. 29, set-up module lines 130–190130 REM R9 IS THE SPEED OF A SHIP IN LIGHT-YEARS PER DAY … 150 REM Q IS THE PROBABILITY OF A DELAY 160 REM K9 IS THE MAX NUMBER OF BIDDING ROUNDS 170 REM W IS THE MAX WEIGHT OF A TRADING SHIP 180 REM X9 CONTROLS THE PROFIT MARGIN; HIGH X9 LIMITS THE % 190 REM G9 IS THE STELLAR DEVELOPMENT INCREMENT 1<=G9<=5Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read set-up module lines 10–300 in the scan's text layer (PDF p. 30)

Cited by: Star Trader

When any player hasn't played before, Star Trader skips the setup questions and starts a game for 2 to 4 players with two ships each, three stars per player plus one, lasting 5 years. star-trader/quick-game

About: Star Trader Day limit

Value

{
 "players": "2-4",
 "shipsPerPlayer": 2,
 "stars": "3P+1",
 "years": 5
}

PublisherPCC Games · p. 29, set-up module lines 590–740590 PRINT "HAVE ALL PLAYERS PLAYED BEFORE"; … 690 PRINT "2,3, OR 4 CAN PLAY" 700 GOTO 660 710 T9=2*P9 720 S9=3*P9+1 730 Y9=Y1+5Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read set-up module lines 590–740 (PDF p. 30); 610–620 send a "no" straight to 660, the player count

Cited by: Star Trader

A custom game of Star Trader takes 2 to 12 players with at most 12 ships in all, 4 to 13 stars, any whole number of years, a cargo limit of at least 25 tons, a minimum star spacing of 10 to 25 light-years, at least one bid, and a profit-margin setting that the prompt asks to be 1 to 5 and the code caps at 5, with no lower bound. star-trader/custom-game

About: Star Trader Day limit

PublisherPCC Games · p. 29, set-up module lines 960–970970 PRINT "2,3,4, ... ,12 CAN PLAY"PCC Games · p. 30, set-up module lines 1030–13301030 IF T9 <= 12 THEN 1070 1040 PRINT "I CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF MORE THAN 12 SHIPS;" … 1100 PRINT "FROM 4 TO 13 STARS" … 1120 PRINT "ENTER THE LENGTH OF GAME IN YEARS"; … 1140 IF X >= 1 AND INT(X)=X THEN 1170 … 1200 IF W<25 THEN 1180 … 1240 PRINT "MIN SPACING 10, MAX 25" … 1280 IF K9<1 THEN 1260What to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 96Pick any length game (a million years?)Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read set-up module lines 940–1330 (PDF pp. 30–31)

The book's guide suggests a 50-year game played in two-hour sessions over a school year, saving to paper tape between them (p. 96).

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader's profit-margin setting $n$ , asked for as 1 to 5 and usually 2, sets X9 to $18 n$ , so the default X9 is 36; the prompt says a higher number gives a lower profit. star-trader/profit-margin

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

Value: 18 × setting

PublisherPCC Games · p. 30, set-up module lines 1290–13301290 PRINT "SET THE PROFIT MARGIN(1,2,3,4 OR 5)...THE HIGHER" 1300 PRINT "THE NUMBER, THE LOWER THE PROFIT % ... USUALLY SET TO 2" … 1330 X9=18*(ABS(X9) MIN 5)Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read set-up module lines 1260–1330 (PDF p. 31); the book's OCR of line 1330 reads "X9=18%(ABS(X9) MIN ⑤"

The code caps the setting at 5 but sets no lower bound, so an entry of 0 makes X9 zero.

Cited by: Star Trader

Every Star Trader ship starts at Sol with 5,000 in cash and 15 units of heavy equipment, 10 of medicine, and 10 of software, a net weight of 25 tons because software is weightless. star-trader/ship-start

About: Star Trader Inventory capacity

PublisherPCC Games · p. 25, line 450450 PRINT "ALL SHIPS START AT SOL"PCC Games · p. 30, set-up module lines 1700–1760 (block1700 T[1,T1]=T[2,T1]=T[6,T1]=0 1710 T[3,T1]=15 1720 T[4,T1]=T[5,T1]=10 1730 T[7,T1]=25 … 1760 T[11,T1]=5000Star Trader · p. 5$ ON BOARD UR MET HE MED SOFT GEMS NET WTChecked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read set-up block

The goods are numbered UR, MET, HE, MED, SOFT, GEMS; T[7] is the cargo weight and T[11] the cash aboard. The 25 tons are the 15 heavy equipment and 10 medicine.

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader has six goods, each with a fixed price: uranium 5,000, metals 3,500, heavy equipment 4,000, medicine 4,500, computer software 3,000, and star gems 3,000. star-trader/base-prices

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

Value

{
 "uranium": 5000,
 "metals": 3500,
 "heavyEquipment": 4000,
 "medicine": 4500,
 "software": 3000,
 "gems": 3000
}

PublisherPCC Games · p. 25, lines 200–280200 REM P CONTAINS THE FAIR PRICES ON THE LOCAL PLANET 210 REM Q HAS THE FIXED PRICES … 270 DATA 5000,3500,4000,4500,3000,3000PCC Games · p. 25, line 280N$="UR … MET … HE … MED … SOFT GEMS"Star Trader · p. 5UR URANIUM … MET METALS … HE HEAVY EQUIPMENT … MED MEDICINE … SOFT COMPUTER SOFTWARE … GEMS STAR GEMSChecked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 200–280 (PDF p. 26), where the OCR prints the DATA as "5999.3500.4900.4590.3999.3900", reading 0 as 9 as it does in the line numbers; the 1975 reprint's line reads the same

The prices are per unit; the listing gives no currency sign, and the session prints "$ ON BOARD".

Cited by: Star Trader

Each Star Trader system makes or needs each good at a monthly rate $G = (1 + L / 15) (M L + C)$ , where $L$ is the system's development level and $M$ and $C$ come from DATA statements for its development bracket; a positive rate means it produces the good, a negative one that it consumes it. star-trader/production

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

PublisherPCC Games · p. 29, set-up module lines 90–9690 REM M AND C DETERMINE A STAR'S PRODUCTIVITY/MONTH 92 REM PROD/MO. = S(7,J) * M(I,R1) + C(I,R1) 94 REM WHERE J IS THE STAR ID #,I THE MERCHANDISE #, 96 REM AND R1 IS THE DEVELOPMENT CLASS OF THE STARPCC Games · p. 27, lines 3870–39003870 R1=1+(S[7,S1] >= 5)+(S[7,S1] >= 10) … 3900 G[I]=(1+S[7,S1]/15)*(M[I,R1]*S[7,S1]+C[I,R1])What to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 97Star Systems have surpluses of Uranium, Raw Metals and Gems but need alot of Heavy Equipment, Medicine and ComputerChecked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read set-up lines 90–96 (PDF p. 30) and main-module lines 3860–4000 (PDF p. 28)

The program's REM gives the rate without the factor $1 + L / 15$ , which line 3900 adds. The DATA tables are in econometric-data. The 1975 guide says young systems have surpluses of uranium, metals, and gems and need heavy equipment, medicine, and software, and that cosmopolitan and developed systems are the reverse (p. 97).

Cited by: Star Trader

Computed from Star Trader's DATA tables: a frontier system, at development level 0, makes 1 uranium, 0.75 metals, and 0.5 gems a month and consumes 0.75 heavy equipment, 0.5 medicine, and 1 software; Sol, at level 15, makes 1.5 heavy equipment, 1 medicine, and 2 software and consumes 2 uranium, 1.5 metals, and 1 gems. star-trader/econometric-data

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

Value

{
 "frontier": {
  "uranium": 1,
  "metals": 0.75,
  "heavyEquipment": -0.75,
  "medicine": -0.5,
  "software": -1,
  "gems": 0.5
 },
 "sol": {
  "uranium": -2,
  "metals": -1.5,
  "heavyEquipment": 1.5,
  "medicine": 1,
  "software": 2,
  "gems": -1
 }
}

PublisherPCC Games · p. 31, set-up module lines 2410–24402410 REM MODEL #1 2420 DATA -.1,-.2,-.1,0,-.1,-.1,0,.1,.1,-.1,.1,0,.1,.2,.1,.1,-.1,0 2430 DATA 1,1.5,.5,.75,.75,.75,-.75,-.75,-.75,-.5,-1.5,.5,-1,-1.5 2440 DATA -.5,.5,1.5,-.5PCC Games · p. 29, set-up module lines 304–306304 RESTORE 2410 306 MAT READ M,CPCC Games · p. 27, lines 3870–39003870 R1=1+(S[7,S1] >= 5)+(S[7,S1] >= 10) … 3900 G[I]=(1+S[7,S1]/15)*(M[I,R1]*S[7,S1]+C[I,R1])Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — computed from a scout's page-image reading of lines 2410–2440 (the OCR is illegible there): M and C are 6×3 (COM M[6,3],C[6,3]) and MAT READ fills them row by row, one row per good, one column per bracket R1; frontier G = C[I,1], Sol G = 2·(15·M[I,3] + C[I,3])

M by good (brackets 1, 2, 3): UR −.1, −.2, −.1; MET 0, −.1, −.1; HE 0, .1, .1; MED −.1, .1, 0; SOFT .1, .2, .1; GEMS .1, −.1, 0. C: UR 1, 1.5, .5; MET .75, .75, .75; HE −.75, −.75, −.75; MED −.5, −1.5, .5; SOFT −1, −1.5, −.5; GEMS .5, 1.5, −.5. A smudge sits between the last two values of line 2430; the count of 36 values supports "-1,-1.5". The results match the instructions' advice that Sol and the Class II stars produce heavy equipment, medicine, and software, and the poorer stars the raw goods (lines 470–510).

Cited by: Star Trader

On each visit Star Trader adds the months since the system's last update times its rate $G$ to the system's stock of each good, then caps the stock at 12 months of the rate and gives it the sign of $G$ . star-trader/stock

About: Star Trader Price fluctuation

Value: 12 months

PublisherPCC Games · p. 27, lines 3880 and 39403880 D2=12*(Y1-S[10,S1])+(D1-S[9,S1])/30 … 3940 S[I,S1]=SGN(G[I])*(ABS(G[I]*12) MIN ABS(S[I,S1]+D2*G[I]))What to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 148, line 3940MIN ABS(S(I,S1)+D2*G(I)))Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 3860–4000 (PDF p. 28); lines 3980–3990 store the visit's date as the system's last update

A positive stock is a surplus the merchants sell ("UP TO n UNITS"); a negative one is a need they buy against ("WE NEED n UNITS", lines 1180–1190 and 1550–1560). The program also runs this update for every system when it prints the yearly price chart (line 3510).

Cited by: Star Trader

Computed from line 3940: because the update gives the stock the sign of the rate, a surplus the player sold into a system that needs a good is booked at the next update as a need of the same size, less the consumption since. star-trader/glut-becomes-need

About: Star Trader Price fluctuation

PublisherPCC Games · p. 27, line 39403940 S[I,S1]=SGN(G[I])*(ABS(G[I]*12) MIN ABS(S[I,S1]+D2*G[I]))PCC Games · p. 26, lines 1270–1290 and 14701270 IF X <= 2*-INT(S[I1,S1]) THEN 1300 1280 X=2*-INT(S[I1,S1]) 1290 PRINT TAB(5);"WE'LL BID ON ";X;" UNITS." … 1470 S[I1,S1]=S[I1,S1]+XChecked by claude, 2026-10-22 — traced a sale of 2N units into a need of N: line 1470 leaves the stock at +N, and line 3940 turns S + D2·G (G negative) into a negative stock of size |N + D2·G|

Not observed in play; worked from the listing.

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader sets a system's fair price for a good from its fixed price $Q$ , its stock $S$ , its rate $G$ , and the profit-margin constant $X_{9}$ : $P = Q (1 - sgn (S) | S / (G X_{9}) |)$ , rounded to the nearest 100, so a surplus lowers the price and a need raises it. star-trader/fair-price

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

PublisherPCC Games · p. 27, lines 3910–39603910 IF ABS(G[I])>.01 THEN 3940 3920 P[I]=0 … 3950 P[I]=Q[I]*(1-SGN(S[I,S1])*ABS(S[I,S1]/(G[I]*X9))) 3960 P[I]=100*INT(P[I]/100+.5)PCC Games · p. 25, line 380380 REM X9 CONTROLS THE PROFIT MARGIN; HIGH X9 LIMITS THE %Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 3860–4000 (PDF p. 28), and the yearly chart's loop (lines 3500–3600), which prints each price signed by its stock, '+' for selling and '-' for buying

A good whose rate is under 0.01 a month in either direction gets no price (line 3920).

Cited by: Star Trader

Computed from lines 3940–3950: since the stock never exceeds 12 months of the rate, a fair price stays within $Q (1 \pm 12 / X_{9})$ , which is ±⅓ of the fixed price at the default margin of 2, ±⅔ at 1, and ±2/15 at 5. star-trader/price-range

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

Value: 0.333

PublisherPCC Games · p. 27, lines 3940–39503940 S[I,S1]=SGN(G[I])*(ABS(G[I]*12) MIN ABS(S[I,S1]+D2*G[I])) 3950 P[I]=Q[I]*(1-SGN(S[I,S1])*ABS(S[I,S1]/(G[I]*X9)))PCC Games · p. 30, set-up module line 13301330 X9=18*(ABS(X9) MIN 5)Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — computed: |S/G| ≤ 12 and X9 = 18n give |S/(G·X9)| ≤ 2/(3n); uranium at 5,000 then ranges from 3,300 to 6,700 at n = 2, after rounding to 100

Cited by: Star Trader

When a Star Trader player offers merchants more of a good than they need, they bid on at most twice their need. star-trader/bid-cap

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

Value: 2 × need

PublisherPCC Games · p. 26, lines 1270–12901270 IF X <= 2*-INT(S[I1,S1]) THEN 1300 1280 X=2*-INT(S[I1,S1]) 1290 PRINT TAB(5);"WE'LL BID ON ";X;" UNITS."Star Trader · p. 5MED WE NEED 4 UNITS.HOW MANY ARE YOU SELLING?13 … WE'LL BID ON 8 UNITS.Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 1180–1290 (PDF pp. 26–27) and the sample session, where a need of 4 caps an offer of 13 at 8

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader's merchants open each round at 90% of the fair value of the units when buying from the player and 110% when selling to the player, rounded to the nearest 100. star-trader/opening-offers

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

Value

{
 "buy": 0.9,
 "sell": 1.1
}

PublisherPCC Games · p. 26, line 13501350 PRINT 100*INT(.009*P[I1]*X+.5);" WHAT DO YOU BID";PCC Games · p. 26, line 17501750 PRINT 100*INT(.011*P[I1]*X+.5);Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read the buying loop (lines 1300–1490) and the selling loop (1700–1950), PDF p. 27; every merchant figure in the newsletter's session ends in 00 once the OCR's 9-for-0 is undone

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader's merchants haggle over each good for at most K9 rounds, 3 by default; when K9 is 2 or more, they announce the last round as their final offer. star-trader/bidding-rounds

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

Value: 3 rounds

PublisherPCC Games · p. 25, line 360360 REM K9 IS THE MAX NUMBER OF BIDDING ROUNDSPCC Games · p. 26, lines 1700–17201700 FOR K1=1 TO K9 1710 IF K1#K9 MAX 2 THEN 1740 1720 PRINT TAB(5);"OUR FINAL OFFER:";Star Trader · p. 5OUR FINAL OFFERChecked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 1300–1410 and 1700–1820 (PDF p. 27); a scout read the comparison in 1310 and 1710 on the page image as "#" (not equal), so the final-offer line prints on round K9 MAX 2, which a loop of one round never reaches; with the default 3 rounds the session shows two "WE WANT ABOUT" offers, then "OUR FINAL OFFER"

Cited by: Star Trader

When Star Trader's merchants buy $X$ units at fair price $P$ , a player's bid $Y$ at or under $P X$ sells, one over $(1 + z) P X$ ends the deal, and one between moves the price to $0.8 P + 0.2 Y / X$ for another round; when they sell, an offer at or over $P X$ buys, one under $(1 - z) P X$ ends the deal, and one between moves the price the same way. star-trader/haggle-rule

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

PublisherPCC Games · p. 26, lines 1370–13901370 IF Y <= P[I1]*X THEN 1430 1380 IF Y>(1+FNZ(X))*P[I1]*X THEN 1410 1390 P[I1]=.8*P[I1]+.2*Y/XPCC Games · p. 26, lines 1780–18001780 IF Y >= P[I1]*X THEN 1840 1790 IF Y<(1-FNZ(X))*P[I1]*X THEN 1820 1800 P[I1]=.8*P[I1]+.2*Y/XWhat to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 97But if you're within their Price Window, they will adjust and continue bargaining!Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read the buying loop (1300–1490) and selling loop (1700–1950), PDF p. 27; 1410 prints "WE'LL PASS THIS ONE", 1820 "THAT'S TOO LOW", 1430 "WE'LL BUY!", 1910 "SOLD!"

The deal closes at the player's figure, not the merchants'. The price change lasts only for the visit: the next visit recomputes the price from the stock (line 1130 calls the price routine).

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader's price window $z$ is $0.5 / k$ in round $k$ when the player trades at least the merchants' whole need or supply $| S |$ , and $X / (2 | S | k)$ for a smaller lot of $X$ units, so it narrows each round and is widest for a full lot. star-trader/price-window

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

PublisherPCC Games · p. 25, lines 290–320290 REM FNZ COMPUTES THE PRICE WINDOW THROUGH WHICH A BID IS 300 REM ACCEPTABLE FOR FURTHER HAGGLING 310 DEF FNZ(X)=(FNY(X)*.5+(NOT FNY(X))*X/(2*ABS(S[I1,S1])))/K1 320 DEF FNY(X)=X >= ABS(S[I1,S1])What to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 97Beware - the Price Window gets narrower each round of bidding.What to Do After You Hit Return, or P.C.C.'s First Book of Computer Games · p. 97The Price Window is widest when the number of units you're bargaining for satisfies the local merchants.Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 290–320 (PDF p. 26), where the OCR of 310 is garbled ("(FNY(X) .... 5+ ( NOT FNY(X) >*XI (2 ... ABS (S C11. S I J» ~i!KI"); K1 is the round counter of the FOR loops at 1300 and 1700

The reading of line 310 needs a check on the page image.

Cited by: Star Trader

In a Star Trader system with a bank, a player whose accepted offer exceeds the cash aboard may draw on the bank to pay; elsewhere, or if the bank can't cover it, the offer fails as too low. star-trader/bank-shortfall

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

PublisherPCC Games · p. 26, lines 1840–19001840 IF Y <= T[11,T1] THEN 1910 1850 PRINT TAB(5);"YOU BID $";Y;" BUT YOU HAVE ONLY $";T[11,T1] 1860 GOSUB 4310 1870 IF S[7,S1]<10 OR T[11,T1]+B[1,B1]<Y THEN 1820Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 1840–1950 (PDF p. 27); 1890 calls the bank routine and 1900 retries the check

Cited by: Star Trader

A Star Trader ship carries at most W tons, 30 by default, and gems and software don't count toward it. star-trader/cargo

About: Star Trader Inventory capacity

Value: 30 tons

PublisherPCC Games · p. 26, line 16001600 IF I1>4 OR X+T[7,T1] <= W THEN 1660PCC Games · p. 27, lines 3400–34203400 PRINT TAB(5);"EACH TRADING SHIP CAN CARRY MAX ";W;" TONS CARGO." 3410 PRINT "STAR GEMS AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE, WHICH AREN'T SOLD BY THE" 3420 PRINT "TON, DON'T COUNT."PCC Games · p. 29, set-up module line 240240 LET W=30Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read the selling loop's weight check (1600–1650) and the weight updates at 1450 and 1930, which add X*(I1<5) tons (PDF p. 27)

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader's calendar has twelve 30-day months in a 360-day year and starts on January 1, 2070. star-trader/calendar

About: Star Trader Calendar

Value: 360 days a year

PublisherPCC Games · p. 29, set-up module lines 270–300270 REM D1 IS THE DAY OF THIS YEAR (1<=D1<=360) 280 REM Y1 IS THIS YEAR 290 LET D1=1 300 LET Y1=2070PCC Games · p. 27, lines 3040–30703040 IF T[9,T1] <= 360 THEN 3070 3050 T[9,T1]=T[9,T1]-360 3060 T[10,T1]=T[10,T1]+1 3070 M=INT((T[9,T1]-1)/30)Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read set-up lines 270–300 (PDF p. 30) and main-module 3030–3090 (PDF p. 28); line 140 holds the month names "JANFEBMAR…"

Cited by: Star Trader

A Star Trader voyage takes the straight-line distance divided by the ship's speed, R9 light-years a day (2/7 by default, 2 a week), rounded down to whole days, on a map 100 light-years square. star-trader/travel-time

About: Star Trader Calendar

Value: 0.2857 light-years a day

PublisherPCC Games · p. 27, lines 2910–29202910 D2=SQR((S[11,S1]-S[11,I])^2+(S[12,S1]-S[12,I])^2)/R9 2920 D2=INT(D2)PCC Games · p. 29, line 5470THE MAP IS 100 LIGHT-YEARS BY 100 LIGHT-YEARS.Star Trader · p. 4YOUR SHIPS CAN TRAVEL ABOUT TWO LIGHTYEARS IN A WEEK AND CAN CARRY UP TO 30 TONS OF CARGO.Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 2870–3090 (PDF p. 28) and 5460–5500 (PDF p. 30)

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader moves its ships one at a time in order of arrival, always taking the ship whose arrival date is earliest and breaking a tie with a coin flip, so the date jumps to that arrival. star-trader/turn-order

PublisherPCC Games · p. 25, lines 660–770690 FOR I=2 TO T9 700 IF T[10,I]<Y THEN 740 710 IF T[10,I]>Y THEN 770 720 IF T[9,I]>D THEN 770 730 IF T[9,I]=D AND RND(0)>.5 THEN 770Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read block 16 (lines 650–900, PDF p. 26); T[9] and T[10] are a ship's arrival day and year, and line 900 sets the date to the chosen ship's

A ship's turn is its landing: trading, the bank, then the next port of call. The newsletter says "a star colony may not have a ship land for 6 or 7 months" (p. 4).

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader can delay a voyage twice: before departure, with probability $Q / 2$ (0.05 by default), it announces a delay of 1 to 3 weeks for an inspection, a crew's vacation, or a local holiday; after printing the arrival date, with probability $1 - Q / 2$ (0.95 by default), it adds a further 1 to 3 weeks that the ship reports on landing as a computer mistake, getting lost, or pirates. star-trader/delays

About: Star Trader Random events

PublisherPCC Games · p. 27, lines 2930–30202960 PRINT "SHIP DOES NOT PASS INSPECTION"; … 2980 PRINT "CREWMEN DEMAND A VACATION"; … 3000 PRINT "LOCAL HOLIDAY SOON" 3010 PRINT " - ";I;" WEEK DELAY."PCC Games · p. 27, line 31003100 REM UPDATE ETA PLUS RANOM DELAY FACTOR (0,1,2 OR 3 WEEKS) 3110 I=(INT(RND(0)*3)+1)*(RND(0)>Q/2)PCC Games · p. 27, line 29302930 IF RND(0)>Q/2 THEN 3030PCC Games · p. 25, lines 1020–10601020 PRINT "3 WEEKS LATE - PIRATES ATTACKED MIDVOYAGE" … 1040 PRINT "2 WEEKS LATE - 'WE GOT LOST.SORRY'" … 1060 PRINT "1 WEEK LATE - 'OUR COMPUTER MADE A MISTAKE'"Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 2930–3170 (PDF p. 28) and 1010–1060 (PDF p. 26); a scout confirmed lines 2930 and 3110 on the page image; the newsletter's session shows a landing "1 WEEK LATE"

"RANOM" is the listing's own spelling. Line 2930 skips the announced delay when RND(0)>Q/2, but line 3110 adds the hidden delay when RND(0)>Q/2, so the comment's "probability of a delay" holds only for the announced one. Both landings in the printed sessions are late. The 1975 reprint prints both comparisons as RND(0)>(Q/2).

Cited by: Star Trader

A Star Trader game lasts a set number of years and ends when the next arrival falls in its last year, Y9, after the January 1 report for that year and before the landing. star-trader/game-length

About: Star Trader Day limit

PublisherPCC Games · p. 25, lines 780–870826 PRINT "THE LAST YEAR OF THIS GAME IS ";Y9;" BUT IF YOU" 828 PRINT "WANT TO QUIT BEFORE THEN, YOU CAN TYPE 'SAVE' AS" 829 PRINT "YOUR NEXT PORT OF CALL - THIS WILL PUNCH A TAPE" … 840 IF Y1<Y9 THEN 900PCC Games · p. 29, set-up module line 730730 Y9=Y1+5Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read block 16 (lines 650–900, PDF p. 26); 780–820 print the yearly report when the next arrival falls in a new year, and 850–890 end the game and offer a new one

Cited by: Star Trader

Each year Star Trader prints every system's prices and each player's cash aboard ships, bank balance, and cargo valued at the fixed prices, with their total. star-trader/yearly-report

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

PublisherPCC Games · p. 27, lines 3680–38203680 PRINT "NUMBER $ ON SHIPS $ IN BANK CARGOES TOTALS" … 3780 M2=M2+T[K,P9*U+P1]*Q[K] … 3810 M3=M2+M1+B[1,P1]PCC Games · p. 27, line 36203620 PRINT "('+' MEANS SELLING AND '-' MEANS BUYING)"Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read the report routine (lines 3180–3850, PDF p. 28)

The listing names no winner; the report's totals are the only score.

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader's banks are only in Class I and II systems, and each player has one account that every one of their ships can use. star-trader/banks

About: Star Trader Compound interest

PublisherPCC Games · p. 26, line 20002000 IF S[7,S1]<10 OR T[11,T1]+B[1,B1]=0 THEN 2040Star Trader · p. 4ONLY CLASS I AND CLASS II STAR SYSTEMS HAVE BANKS ON THEM. THEY PAY 5% INTEREST AND ANY MONEY YOU DEPOSIT ON ONE PLANET IS AVAILABLE ON ANOTHERChecked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read lines 1990–2040 (PDF p. 27) and the account lookup at 4310–4360 (PDF p. 29), which maps a ship to its player's account

A development level of 10 or more is Class II or I (the class routine at 4580 divides the level by 5).

Cited by: Star Trader

Star Trader's bank multiplies a balance by $1 + 0.05 t$ , where $t$ is the time in years since the account's last update, with no rounding; it updates a player's account on each bank visit and every account in each yearly report, so interest compounds at least once a year. star-trader/bank-interest

About: Star Trader Compound interest

Value: 0.05 a year

PublisherPCC Games · p. 28, lines 4370–44004370 REM ***<BANK UPDATE> GOSUB 4380 B[1,B1]=B[1,B1]*(1+.05*(Y1-B[3,B1]+(D1-B[2,B1])/360)) 4390 B[2,B1]=D1 4400 B[3,B1]=Y1PCC Games · p. 27, lines 3690–37103690 FOR B1=1 TO P9 3700 GOSUB 4380 3710 NEXT B1PCC Games · p. 28, line 40704070 GOSUB 4380Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read the bank routines (lines 4010–4410, PDF p. 29) and the report loop (3690–3710, PDF p. 28)

Between updates the interest is simple. A player who visits a bank more often compounds a little more often. A withdrawal ends the visit; only a visit with no withdrawal offers a deposit (lines 4090–4190).

Cited by: Star Trader

After a ship's visit, Star Trader raises the system's development level by G9 (1.25 by default) if no need left there exceeds one month's consumption and at most one good is still needed; it announces a new class at each multiple of 5, and once the average level reaches 10, a new Class IV system appears, up to 15 systems. star-trader/development

About: Star Trader Commodity trading

PublisherPCC Games · p. 26, lines 2090–21302090 IF S[I,S1] >= 0 THEN 2120 2100 IF S[I,S1]<G[I] THEN 660 2110 J=J+1 2120 NEXT I 2130 IF J>1 THEN 660PCC Games · p. 26, lines 2150–21902150 S[7,S1]=S[7,S1]+G9 … 2190 PRINT "STAR SYSTEM ";S$[S[8,S1],S[8,S1]+3];" IS NOW A CLASS";PCC Games · p. 26, lines 2220–2270 and 23802220 IF S9=15 THEN 660 … 2270 IF J/S9<10 THEN 660 … 2380 PRINT "A NEW STAR SYSTEM HAS BEEN DISCOVERED! IT IS A CLASS IV"Star Trader · p. 4As the years progress, the star systems will slowly develop, and those on the brisker trading routes will grow faster.Checked by claude, 2026-10-22 — read blocks 10.1–10.3 (lines 2060–2410, PDF p. 27); a scout read line 2130 on the page image as "J>1", digit one

A need is a negative stock, and G is negative for a consumed good, so line 2100 exits when the need is larger than one month's consumption; line 2130 exits when two or more goods are still needed. Sol starts at level 15, Class I (set-up line 1360).

Cited by: Star Trader