Star Trek: The Next Generation: Future's Past

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Future's Past
Also known as: Shin Star Trek: The Next Generation: Ooinaru Isan IFD no Nazo o Oe (JP) Developers: Spectrum HoloByte, Realtime Associates (sound engine), Axes Art Amuse (Japanese localization) Publishers: Spectrum HoloByte (US/EU), Tokuma Shoten (JP) Platform: SNES Released in JP: November 17, 1995 Released in US: March 1994 Released in EU: 1994 This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused text. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select.

To do: Given the massive amount of unused text data, there are almost certainly unused graphics and code. There is most likely unused text in the compressed Computer and Sensor text data also.

Picard and crew must solve a bunch of minor petty struggles and dogfight with random Romulans to the point of near-destruction on a daily basis to solve a millenia-old mystery.

Unused Text

A large amount of unused text exists as plaintext in the ROM for a variety of purposes.

At 80CC8F in the ROM is this placeholder text for event conversations:

 THIS CONVERSATION IS NOT DONE YET 

At 82DD58 in the ROM:

THERE IS A GOOD REASON FOR NOT BEAMING DOWN

In the final game, a more eloquent "Picard"-style message is given for trying to beam down to an unsuitable object.

At 82F630 in the ROM at the very end of the list of star designations:

RHO

The largest star cluster in the game, Codis, only goes up to Pi (16 systems).

At 82F6C0:

XIII XIV XV XVI

Most systems don't go over 11 (XI) planets. Tytris Zeta and Codis Theta have 12 (XII).

At 82F6F8:

G H

All planets of any particular system share the same moon count, probably because lazy programming. The most moons any system has is Corax Alpha, which has six moons per planet going up to "F".

At 82FDC3:

THIS IS A STAR  
STAR SIZE=''
STAR TYPE=''

Unknown where this would have been used; this text is located after the Conn text data but before Engineering text data. The Sensors display an entirely different setup and the actual Sensor text data appears to be encrypted/compressed (much like the Computer bank text data). It may be a placeholder.

At 87F05A:

TAKE TWO DRINKS AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING

No idea. Located after Transporter text data.

At 87F159:

THIS IS A SHORT TEST.
01 BLAH BLAH.
02 BL BLAH BLAH.
03 BLAH BLAH.
04 BL BLAH BLAH.
05 BLAH BLAH.
06 BL BLAH BLAH.
07
08 BLAH BLAH.
09 BL BLAH BLAH.
10
11 BLAH BLAH.
12 BL BLAH BLAH.
13 BLAH BLAH.
14 BL BLAH BLAH.
15
16
17 BLAH BLAH.
18
19
20 BLAH BLAH.
21 BL BLAH BLAH.
22
23 BLAH BLAH.
24 BLAH BLAH.
25
26
27 BLAH BLAH.
29
30 BLAH BLAH.
31 BLAH BLAH.
32
33
34 BLAH BLAH.
35 BL BLAH BLAH.
36
37 BLAH BLAH.

A very short test.

At 87F30E:

Y MODE

Unknown. Located immediately after the BLAH BLAH text.

At 88C68C:

PICARD TO ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT.
RIKER TO ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT.
WORF TO ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT.
DATA TO ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT.
LA FORGE TO ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT.
BEVERLY TO ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT.
DEANNA TO ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT.
ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT.
ENTERPRISE, MISSION COMPLETE, READY TO BEAM OUT. 

Mission Complete messages when beaming out. These are not used because the game automatically returns to the Enterprise after an away mission is completed following a cutscene.

At 88C9F4:

PICARD HERE, BEAM ME UP, AND HAVE A CUP OF EARL GREY TEA READY.
RIKER TO ENTERPRISE, JUST SET THE WIN FLAG AND GET ME OUT OF HERE.
WORF TO ENTERPRISE, HELP.
DATA TO ENTERPRISE, MY POSITRONIC BRAIN CAN NOT COPE, I AM CHEATING.
GEORDI HERE, MY TRICORDER BATTERIES WENT DEAD, SO I AM CHEATING.
BEV TO ENTERPRISE, BEAM ME UP I HAVE A HEADACHE.
COUNCILLER TROI TO ENTERPRISE, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!
EXPENDABLE RED SHIRT TO ENTERPRISE, GET ME OUTTA HERE. I WANT TO GO HOME!

Apparently Debug automatic win messages, some quite amusing. Use Pro Action Replay (PAR) code 82B15503 to see them when pressing Y + X to beam up. It's not yet clear if any of the debug programming still exists.

At 88CF84:

BLANK: I AM IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION.

and at 88D241:

BLANK: I AM UNDER ATTACK.

A strange just-in-case/catch-all situation where a blank character slot would be under attack.

At 88D270:

MISSION COMPLETED. WE HAVE FOUND THE DOCTOR. READY TO BEAM UP.
MISSION COMPLETED. WE FIXED THE PROBLEMS WITH THE DERELICT SHIP. READY TO BEAM UP.
MISSION COMPLETED. WE HAVE RESCUED THE TRAPPED MINERS. READY TO BEAM UP.
MISSION COMPLETED. WE CAN TRADE RADNY THE MINING COLONY LOCATION FOR HIS ROMULAN CODES. BEAM US UP.
MISSION COMPLETED. WE HAVE RESCUED THE NAKATOMI CREW. READY TO BEAM UP.
MISSION COMPLETED. WE HAVE ENOUGH PELLENTIUM AND RAVARIUM TO FUEL THE TAVAD. READY TO BEAM UP. 
MISSION COMPLETED. WE HAVE AQUIRED THE SHARDS REPRESENTING WISDOM. READY TO BEAM UP.
MISSION COMPLETED. WE HAVE AQUIRED THE SHARDS OF STRENGTH AND COMPASSION. READY TO BEAM UP.
MISSION COMPLETE, BEAM US UP.

More Mission Success messages, this time mission-specific. Again, these aren't used because all away missions automatically end with a cutscene and then an immediate transition to the bridge when you finish them.

At 88E064:

BUG ALERT!!:
. IS DEAD. THE GAME IS NOW OVER.
THIS MESSAGE SHOULD NOT APPEAR.
YOU ARE DREAMING THIS BUG.
BUG ALERT!!:
. WAS SEVERELY INJURED DURING THE MOST MISSION.
THREE DUDES DIED, SO THIS MEANS GAME OVER.
THIS MESSAGE SHOULD NOT APPEAR.
BUG ALERT!!:
. SHOULD NOT GET A SCREEN OF THEIR OWN, BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT A HIGHLY PAID ACTOR OR ACTRERSS.
THIS MESSAGE SHOULD NOT APPEAR.

A plethora of silly debugging text involving the "character is in Sick Bay" screen.

At 88EBCC:

 PICARD IS SAD BECAUSE HE LOST. HE'S REAL SAD. HE'S EVEN MORE SAD THAN THAT. 

Picard is real, real sad, guys. The programming that loads the pointer to this text is located right before it, but no calls to the subroutine were found.

At 8AEE20:

YOU ARE IN AN ARENA.
DOOR.
PILLAR.
TRANSPORTER PAD.
SHARD RECEPTACLE.
LAVA. 

Arena planet Tricorder text data. This is normally unused because the only character that can be present here in normal circumstances is Picard, who doesn't have a tricorder, but this text will display if you hack one into his inventory with 7E047004. This data also applies to the IFD planet (another location only the Tricorder-less Picard can visit).

At 8BA2F7:

MINE LEVEL 2
MINE LEVEL 3
HIHACK SHIP LEVEL 2
3 MOON LEVEL 1
3 MOON LEVEL 2
3 MOON LEVEL 3
SOUND TEST

Even the Level Select has unused text data! These seem to correspond to specific sublevels of certain levels, and the unused/removed Sound Test.

At 89C5E1:

 ACID V1.7S (C) 1992 DAVID WARHOLALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

A credit for another one of David Warhol's sound drivers, no doubt.

RAM

At 7ED744 in RAM:

STAR: CORAX ALPHA

It's unknown why this text data is stored or what it is used for, if in unlikelihood it is actually used. It always displays the last location visited before your current location, which is Corax Alpha in a new game. This text is modular and will display different things depending on the location you visited last, such as PLANET: CODIS MU V I. It is the only plaintext stored in RAM.

Oddities

• There are two copies of the text data for Fizaal's Happy Haven in the code; since you only really go there once, one of the sets is presumably unused.

Region Lockout

This screen can be easily triggered by booting the ROM in an incorrect region mode. There is a typo, the programmers misspelled Captain as "Captian."

Level Select

Wait for the title screen, then press Y, Y, X, X, A, A, B, B and listen for a sound. Start the game, proceed past the Captain's Log, pause, and press Y for the level select. The code sets the RAM address 7E8435 to 01.

(Source: matt91486)

Sound Test

The entry point to a sound test is located in the above level select, but not accessible. Memory address 7E0789 holds a value between 0x00 and 0x09 when moving the cursor up/down, but the sound test requires a value of 0x10. While in the level select, activate Pro Action Replay (PAR) code 8BA1E680 and then press A to select a mission.

Note that the messsage HOLD ON A SEC... quickly flashes on-screen while the sound test is loading, which is why it may look like there's a glitch during the screen change.