FAQ/Walkthrough for
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Echoes from the Past
For Genesis
By Monetary Dragon
Version 0.1 (first release) (6-10-2000)
Email: Treylane47@aol.com
Any Email should have ‘Echoes from the Past’ in the title. I get a
lot of ‘join my ST RPG’ stuff, and could easily mistake your mail for
requests to get involved in simming, which I delete.
--Introduction--
OK folks. There are three things I want to say before you delve
into this. First: this is the hardest and most-FAQ-requested game.
Getting the #8 slot for most requested info is very impressive for a
Genesis game. Second: I have not beaten the game yet. That means you
will not be able to use the guide as it is in front of you to beat the
game. I will beat the game as I write the FAQ. Third: I understand how
this game works, and I will work to make this walkthrough as
hand-holding as possible. That means you’ll be able to look here, then
know EXACTLY what to do to progress the game.
--Little recommendation--
I cannot emphasize enough the importance that you emulate this
game. You will need to use save state in order to ‘force’ this game. But
if you are looking here, I assume that you already know this. The ROM is
not easy to find, but does exist on the net. If you have spent over
about 4 hours trying to find it, Email me, and I’ll see what I can do to
track it down for you, or even consider Emailing you the ROM.
---PART ONE: BRIDGE CONTROLS---
1. Communications
Here’s where you talk to people while on the Enterprise. When the
blue ball above the viewscreen is flashing and there’s a little beeping
noise, you’re being hailed by someone. (Refer to the specifics of the
walkthrough to find out if it’s a good thing or not, and whether or not
you should answer the hail). Talking in a hail is simple. When someone
is talking to you, read what they say and then continue. When you are
talking to them, press right or left to switch between choices you have
of what to say. Saying the right thing can often save you the trouble of
getting into a battle. Ships (and also possibly planets) can be hailed
even if the blue thing isn’t flashing, but don’t always expect a
response.
2. CONN
Here’s where you steer the Enterprise through space. Indicate what
star cluster you want, then press A. Keep going through the menus until
you see what you want. Once you’ve selected your destination, press C to
get the warp menu. Then press left or right to alter your speed (and
time spent cruising through space. Remember, like all windows in this
game, you can usually press up or down when at the top or bottom of the
list of selections to get more choices. A note about speed: going really
fast will wear down your warp engines, while going really slow is just
begging for trouble with the Romulans. Go fast, and repair your engines
when you get there.
3. Sensors
Here’s where you can look at what’s in the viewscreen and get
pointless numbers and little hints to what’s about to happen. It’s
useless, but I’ll tell you in the walkthrough whenever it tells you
something interesting. You’ll be able to read the interesting stuff
here, so there’s no point for it in the game itself, except to slow you
down when you try to quickly get from the viewscreen to tactical :(
4. Computer
Here’s where you save your game (unless, of course, you’re
emulating it. Then you use save state.) The only useful options here are
‘Record Mission Log’ and ‘Review Mission Log’. ‘Record’ saves the game,
while ‘Review’ loads it. Using the words ‘Save’ and ‘Load’ would have
been a lot simpler, but the game’s designers persist with their
Trekkieness wherever they can even if it means some poor gamer loses
their file ‘cause the options look so similar. The game also
automatically starts you at the beginning, so you have to take caution
to not overwrite your real game while trying to load it. Another note:
When your ‘Computer’ system has been overly damaged, you will not be
able to save or load. That means you’ve gotta wait for the enemy ship to
kill you in order to start over :(
There’s also an incredible amount of obscure star trek information
in here. It has no bearing on the game, so read it while you’re waiting
for me to update this FAQ.
5. Tactical
You really needn’t concern yourself with this place until you get
to a required battle. If you run into Romulan trouble, get to warp. You
should only fight when you absolutely have to, in which case I will walk
you through it in the walkthrough.
6. Engineering
Here’s where you repair stuff. This is probably the most important
part of the Bridge. When a system is damaged, there will be a red bar to
the right of it. The length of the bar is the amount of damage. Select
the system you want to delegate resources to, and press right or left to
add or subtract resources working to repair it. A heavily damaged system
will not work properly, as I have made an example of with the ‘save’
function of the ship’s computer. You can leave resources working on a
system before it is damaged, which is nice. If you’re smart, you’ll put
men working on your weapons, shields, warp engines, and Hull all the
time, so you can be repairing in battle. Remember to come back here
after you zip to someplace to repair your warp engines.
7. Transporter
Here’s where you form and send down your away teams. When this
place becomes an issue, I’ll deal with it specifically in the FAQ.
8. Ready Room
Here Picard tells you a little bit of advice to help you get back
on the right track if, say, you got lost on your way to an important
location, or you just spent 15 hours reading what the ship’s computer
has to offer while waiting for me to update this FAQ.
---PART 2: THE WALKTHROUGH---
(any paragraph that starts with ‘*’ is non-essential information
that can be skipped.)
1. Vulcan in Distress
The game’s intro is as follows:
* Captain’s Log
It has been two days since Starfleet stopped our shore leave
on Hobson Delta II. The Crew is covering their disappointment well as we
return, once again, to the edge of the Neutral Zone which the Romulans
have been threatening to cross.
Romulan High Command claimed that a research team
disappeared over a month ago. As a gesture of goodwill, Starfleet
offered to assist their search, but the Romulans declined, citing
security reasons. Three days ago, they asked permission to search for
their team in Federation space. Needless to say, Starfleet refused.
Given the sensitive nature of the region, the Enterprise has
been sent to monitor their search. We are currently in orbit around the
star Oriens Delta, using its unusually high magnetic field to hide the
Enterprise from Romulan scanners.
While the crew is unaware of our orders, most are quite
capable of reading a star chart. They know where we are.
You start out being hailed. Answer it.
* Distress signal
Broadcast all frequencies:
I am Dr. T’Laris, archeologist of the United Federation of
Planets. I am working at ruins on Codis Nu VI. I have just detected a
Romulan ship in orbit around the planet. Repeat. Romulans detected at
Codis Nu VI. I am in need of assistance.
Set course for Codis Nu VI, warp 9.20. If you encounter any
Romulan vessels on your way, ignore then and immediately reset your
course to Codis Nu VI.
After arriving, repair your warp engines. Then make an away team
(it really doesn’t matter who you use, but you might want Worf to be the
main man) and beam down. There are 5 Romulans to kill here. Hold B, then
press right or left to switch what item to use. You’ll want the Phaser.
Good luck.
When the Romulans have been defeated, flip the switch to get to
Dr. T’Laris. What you say to her does not matter (remember, you can pick
what you say by pressing ‘left’ or ‘right’. After talking with her, you
are beamed back to the bridge. Task done.
2. Plague Rages/Derelict Vessel
After returning from the surface of Codis Nu VI, there is no
obvious task for you. So, for no reason, go to Starbase 220 at Pintor
Alpha VIII. There you will be hailed. Answer it, and you’ll have your
ship instantly repaired, your torpedoes restocked to 275 (even though
you should have that amount already anyway) and, most importantly, your
wounded away team members will be healed. Immediately you will be hailed
again. It’s Admiral Baldwin again, the guy who just healed you up.
It doesn’t really matter what you say, but you’ll get the most
information from him if you answer as follows:
‘We are the closest’
‘These space merchants never stop’
‘A quick question’
‘Since our last report’
‘Certainly, has the Romulan High Command been contacted?’
Now set course for Oriens Alpha IV, maximum speed. As usual,
ignore and warp past any Romulan ships you may encounter.
You will encounter an unknown ship on the way, that does not hail
you or respond to hail.
* Your ship’s sensors read the vessel as:
Unknown damaged spacecraft
Name, Class, Association, Registry, Lifeforms, Technology,
shields, Hull: all unknown.
Damage ( % efficiency ): Shields 6% Hull 42 %
Unknown lifeforms are detected inside the ship. They are not
moving. Ship is trapped in a decaying orbit and functioning on emergency
power only.
* In the Ready Room, Picard has the following to say:
Captain’s Log
En route to Oriens Alpha IV to deliver medical supplies, the
Enterprise has encountered an alien vessel trapped in a decaying orbit
around the planet. Life signs on the vessel are low and fading.
Although the inhabitants of Oriens Alpha IV urgently need
our help, the immediate peril of this craft compels me to make a
difficult decision: should I send an away team and see if we can rescue
the vessel and its crew before its orbit decays completely; or should I
risk delivering the medical supplies first, in the hope that the alien
vessel can sustain its orbit long enough for us to return to its aid?
The alien vessel will be there and in the same situation, but
you’ll get yelled at if you delay the medical suppies. Go to Oriens
Alpha IV and drop off the supples, then come back to the vessel (which
is in orbit around Oriens Alpha IV).
Include Data in your away team. As soon as you arrive on the ship,
make him your party leader. He has the ability to (kinda) see in the
dark. The Tricorder reads this room as ‘Engineering’.
Go north and open the two cabinets. One of them contains a Power
Transfer Conduit. Take it and head west, until you find two more
cabinets. There’s another Conduit in here. Take it too. Now go to the
center of the room where you see... two slots with missing conduits.
Select each Conduit in your inventory and press A while facing each
slot. Lights will turn on, and most doors will be openable. There are
two Optical Circuit tiles just a little bit to the left of you. Take the
one on the right, then the one on the left.
Now head through the south door. The Tricorder reads this room as
‘Shuttle Bay’. There will be a robot creator and possibly a few attack
robots directly to the west of you. First shoot the creation panel, then
kill the robots. A little to the west of that are two more Optical
Circuits. Again, take the one on the right first. That’s all you have to
do here. Now head back to Engineering.
Now take the east exit from Engineering. The Tricorder reads this
room as ‘Cargo Hold’. There is a little maze here, but its no problem.
Go north whenever possible, be sure to explore everywhere, and you will
be fine. The first place of inrest you should have come to has two
cabinets, but they are empty. Ignore them and head east. In the next
‘room’, you will find (and take) a Pressurization Pump. This place has
two more Optical Circuits. Take the one on the right first, then the one
on the left. Now continue east, where you’ll find and take a tank of
Liquid Storium. Now go back to Engineering.
Now take the west exit from Engineering. The Tricorder reads this
room as ‘Medical Laboratory’. There are two empty cabinets immeditely
north of you. Ignore them and head south, then west. Be ready to kill
robots, then quickly head north and destroy the robot-creator. Just to
the east of the robot-creator are two more Optical Circuits. Take the
one on the right, then the one on the left. Take the two tanks
(Dinitrous Coolant and Ionic Vifium), then head east back to
Engineering, ignoring cabinets on the way.
Now, resist the urge to place any storage tanks in their hookups
and instead take the north exit from Engineering. The Tricorder reads
this room as ‘Computer Room’. The first thing you will notice is the
panel in which to put Optical Circuits. Don’t do anything with it yet.
Head west until you see and destroy a robot-creator. Then turn around,
and start going east, keeping your right side to the wall at all times.
You will enter what your Tricorder calls ‘Crew Quarters’. The first
‘room’ you will enter has nothing; keep following the right wall. The
second room has two more Optical Cicuits (take the right one, then the
left one). The next ‘room’ has a robot creator, a Pressurization Pump
(that can’t be taken), and an exit to a north room. The north door leads
to ‘Hibernation Area’, but there’s noting to do there, ignore it and
keep following the right wall. You will come to one more set of Optical
Cicuits before you get back to the Computer Room. Take the one on the
right first. Once you get back to the Computer Room, keep following the
right wall. You will come to a north door that leads to the bridge, but
there’s nothing for you to do there except get shot at by robots, so
ignore it and keep following the right wall of the Computer Room. This
will lead west into another ‘Crew Quarters’ area.
The first ‘room’ has two cabinets that are empty, keep going. When
you see a pipe hookup, set your Pressurization Pump under it. You will
now be able to go through the north door. This door leads to a
‘Hibernation Area’ that has two more Optical Circuits. Again, take the
one on the right first. Then go back to the Crew Quarters and keep
following the right wall. You’ll come to two more Optical Circuits.
Again, take the one on the right first. The wall will now bend to the
south and you come to one last robot-creator before your job here is
done. Now, go back to the main Optical Circuit panel. If you have
collected the circuits in the order in this FAQ, put your #14 circuit in
the leftmost slot, then your #5 circuit in the next slot, then your #10
circuit in the next slot, then your #3 circuit in the next, then your
#12 circuit in the next, then finally your #5 circuit in the last slot.
The ship’s main computer should now be on.
Head south back to Engineering. Of the two canister slots, put
Liquid Storium in the north one, and Ionic Vifium in the south one. Now
flip the switch just to the left, and you will automatically be beamed
back to the Enterprise. Task done.
The alien vessel will now be hailing you. Respond. Depending on
what you say, you will get various information from the aliens. Most
importantly, you are given a ‘Tavad’ fron the Eunacians. Its purpose is
to let you get involved in a ‘test’ to see which race gets the IFD- a
powerful weapon that must not fall into the wrong hands.
To be continued...
---PART 3: OTHER STUFF---
Special thanks:
P D Tari. He is writing the guide for the SNES version, and his
work convinced me to get down to business about beating this game.
Donavon Cawley. He’s got a good color printer and is willing to
print out all the screen pics of the mines that I’ll be sending him,
when the time comes to map the mines. You probably know what I’m talking
about.
To ANYONE who can help me with this guide in any way. Anything,
people, and you’ll get your name here.
Copyright stuff:
I have written this guide so that the many beleaguered Star Trek
RPG fans can finally put this game to rest. That’s it. I don’t care what
you do with this document, I just hope that you spread its information
to as many people who have played this game as possible. Just don’t use
it for profitable reasons without first having my consent.
This document is Copyright (c) 2000 Nathan May.