What to Do After You Hit Return

Cite as: What to Do After You Hit Return
Original: https://archive.org/details/Whattodoafteryouhitreturn
sha256: c4d77e7b1c606dfafa2106d74dcb1c25c02ff488d47650b22252f945b80beae5
Archived: https://archive.org/download/Whattodoafteryouhitreturn/1974%20What%20to%20Do.pdf
Accessed: 2026-10-22
Licence: © 1975 People's Computer Company; scan from the Internet Archive
Credit: Star Trader by Dave Kaufman. Published by People's Computer Company; printed by Novells Publications.
Notes: Read the Internet Archive scan (159 PDF pages). The copyright page prints "Copyright © 1975 by People's Computer Company, Menlo Park, California" and "Printed by Novells Publications, 840 Roble Ave., Menlo Park, Calif. 94025". The Star Trader listing is on printed pp. 143–149: the set-up module is headed "STAR TRADER (set-up module)" on p. 143 and the main module "STAR TRADER (main module)" on p. 145. In this range the PDF page equals the printed page.

Cited on

Star Trader

Claims (6)

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.	`p. 143p. 145p. 97p. 145, lines 406–428p. 147, line 2162`	Publisher
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.	`p. 96`	Publisher
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.	`p. 97`	Publisher
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 $G$ .	`p. 148, line 3940`	Publisher
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.	`p. 97`	Publisher
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.	`p. 97p. 97`	Publisher