EGA Trek Overview
EGA Trek is a shareware DOS title that adapts the structure of an earlier mainframe game, with necessary alterations to names due to licensing. The player commands a starship tasked with eliminating all hostile forces across a galaxy divided into sectors.
Each sector is represented as an 8x8 grid containing various objects, including planets, starbases, and celestial bodies. Navigation occurs on two levels: impulse engines for movement within a sector and warp engines for travel between sectors. The ship is equipped with defensive weapons and sensor systems to identify threats.
Two primary adversaries oppose the player. The more commonly encountered are the Mongols, who field battle cruisers of differing strengths. The Vandals pose a different challenge, operating a single type of vessel that can cloak itself from sensors.
Victory requires the total eradication of both enemy fleets. The mission is considered challenging, as ship systems can fail progressively due to damage, potentially leading to a loss of power and life support. Success yields bonuses for accomplishments like discoveries and rescues, while failure results from the crew's demise.
A distinctive feature among similar games is its inclusion of a graphical viewscreen, which offers a basic visual representation of nearby objects. Gameplay also involves visiting starbases for repairs and supplies, and optionally beaming down to explore planetary surfaces.
