Welcome to The Trekma Wiki!
| Trekma | |
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| Developer(s) | Jinsoo Kang |
| Publisher(s) | Jinsoo Kang |
| Designer(s) | Jinsoo Kang |
| Engine | Trekma Engine |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release date(s) | 1995 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Rating(s) | Unrated |
| Media | 3.5" floppy disks |
| Input methods | Keyboard |
Trekma is a science-fiction computer role-playing game conceived and created by Jinsoo Kang, a.k.a. 강진수. Jinsoo also created several other games and interactive entertainment programs, such as Sickboy '99. But, Trekma was the first game ever of his to have a tile-based graphics system and a progressive storyline that incorporated objective-based interactions, commonly found today in most software titles of the adventure game/RPG genre.
The game has been called "the most revolutionary […] since Kung-Fu Heroes", but by whom it is unknown, as the only remaining evidence of the promo material is this excerpt from the embedded Trekma Quotes.
Contents
Plot[edit]
Lieutenant Kuan[1][2], a Starfleet officer, encounters a distress signal from a vessel in sector 4077[3] while he is at command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. As a result of a convenient nebula interfering with the hailing sensors, he is ultimately forced to engage the vessel. Upon arrival, Lieutenant Data reports that the ship is the Kobayashi Otaku[4], a Federation science vessel on a very happy, peaceful mission. As Kuan initiates a rescue, Lieutenant Worf notices some "small debris" within the vicinity, which is quickly identified as a Borg cube. Fearing that the Borg will hijack the Enterprise and acquire access to Kuan's unlimited source of Lo Mein, the Enterprise initiates first attack. After a series of ineffective attacks on the Borg ship, the Enterprise receives a devastating attack from the Borg, resulting in the deaths of all personnel on the bridge, except for Kuan. After a brief state of panic, Captain Picard enters, and instructs the now deceased crewmen to stop acting, and it is revealed that the Borg attack was just a training exercise designed to test Kuan's ability to command a starship. Frustrated by the no-win scenario of the test, Kuan embarks on a quest to prove himself worthy of commanding a Federation starship.
Gameplay[edit]
While Trekma utilizes a similar tile-based 2D graphics system seen in the earlier versions of the Ultima series, there are a couple of key differences. Director and lead programmer Jinsoo Kang, opted to include alternate angles of gameplay visualization to give the game a more dynamic look for certain portions, such as the combat sequence of Trek Fighter II and the snowboarding Holodeck simulation.
Visuals[edit]
Old-school VGA.
Characters[edit]
Main article: List of Trekma characters
History & Development[edit]
Created using QBasic on the MS-DOS platform, a structured programming language that supported subroutines and while loops, the developer was able to more easily incorporate conditional outcomes into the storyline. It was one of the first major entertainment title directly targeted for a micro-audience of close family members, specifically those with PC systems equipped with VGA graphics and a Sound Blaster-compatible audio card. The game heavily utilized the Sound Blaster card for playing voice samples (VOC files), which were not yet common in home-made games when it was released.
On Sunday, November 12th, 1995, the following e-mail was received from PandaInn@aol.com:
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The Trekma engine was also used for the game, Sickboy '99.
See also: Trekma credits
Cheats & Tricks[edit]
To skip the intro, type "trekma power" instead of "trekma" to start the game from DOS.
Press the tab key to QuickTricord (must posses the Tricorder)
Iolo's cheat menu: type "xme" (revealed in runic graffiti[5])
No clipping mode: type "xxx"
Invisibility: type "xin"
Display location coordinates: type "xzx"
Tatsu maki sen puu kyaku (which is the same animation for a celebratory twirl): type "xza"
Shake the screen: type "xss"
Get all items: type "xie" (Leu xiao; does not get batt'leth[sic])
Become Captain Picard: type "xpi"
Become Commander Riker: type "xri"
Become Data: type "xda"
Become Worf: type "xwo"
Become Geordi: type "xla"
Become Counselor Troi: type "xtr"
Become Dr. Crusher: type "xcr"
Become Scotty: type "xsc"
Become Q: type "xqq"
Become a shuttlecraft: type "x00"
Almost 25 years later in a Twitch playthrough, MC J realized the lack of a code for returning to the Kuan skin, was able to restore it only temporarily by transporting into space, then to have it back after the "Kobayashi Maru" storyline progressed with the Geordi sequence.
Rumors & Speculation[edit]
There is a cheat code that will give you "access" to Counselor Troi in the holodeck simulation.
If you reach the ending of Trekma in less than 10 minutes, Chris will give you all of his G.I.Joes.
The "Ultima" portion of the game has so little to do with the main "Star Trek" storyline, and its look and keyboard commands changed that the suggestion has been made it was separately developed altogether, maybe even as a trial run of the basic gameplay elements, then later tacked on to extend Kuan's adventures. (See above rumor; perhaps Chris was not quite so willing to part with his collection.) Either that, or the mysterious dream sequence-like scenario is as intended, and the fleeting narrative only serves to demonstrate that there is no happily ever after for Kuan or for any of us …only after.
See also: The missing holodeck program
Related Media[edit]
While no longer available in the original packaging (bi-fold brochure with taped on dot matrix printouts/decals housing two clear plastic pockets that each contained a 3.5" diskette)[6], Trekma can be downloaded directly from http://jay.xavieryun.com/files/Trekma.zip
DOSBox, an x86 emulator with DOS and Sound Blaster emulation, can here downloaded from http://www.dosbox.com
It has been confirmed that Trekma is also playable on Android tablets via DosBox Turbo (https://sites.google.com/site/dosboxturbo/), but the gameplay experience may vary depending on whether you have an external keyboard connected, as Trekma is strictly a keyboard-only game that relies on alphanumeric and directional keys.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Kuan" is a misspelling of Daniel Kwan, but will be spared from anal use of the [sic] tag to respect the scarcity of wiki-like resources during the time of his creation. Unless of course, there was no obsession with the first—and last, as he dies quite horribly in his only appearance—Asian, albeit half-Napean, crew member of the Enterprise-D and it is instead a deliberate reference to legendary Hong Kong martial arts actor Chen Kuan Tai, star of such classics as Executioners from Shaolin and Crippled Avengers (aka Mortal Combat).
- ↑ In a remarkable recent admission, Kuan's creator claimed that the character was based on one of the same name (and spelling) from 1993's Fist from Shaolin portrayed by Tam Chiu, which might explain the bare feet. Then again, weren't the Napeans one of those Federation races who were allowed to forgo the boots as part of their Starfleet uniforms?
- ↑ The number 4077 was probably taken from the surgical unit setting of the Korean War comedy-drama series M*A*S*H. Most of the actors cast as Koreans on the show were not Korean at all, were frequently seen again playing Chinese on Kung Fu and Japanese on Hawaii Five-O, and often spoke gibberish in their parts, contributing to a generation of Korean-Americans with a poor grasp of their native language.
- ↑ The Kobayashi Maru figures in Star Trek II, and the otaku subculture, well, everywhere now. In turn of the century North Kingstown, RI, it most likely came by way of video.
- ↑ Of course, back in the mid-90's, resources like this one weren't just a Google search away. We had to have remembered that shit from obsessively reading the manuals and seeking hints in the border artwork.
- ↑ In an e-mail dated December 8th, 1995, there is mention that "Trekma does come with comprehensive 200-page manual with historical background and music CD (for a limited time)", but alas, no copy of that edition is known to exist.
