The Final Frontier

The Final Frontier
	◄Eamon adventure #133►
	Adventure splash screen. (See animated version)
Author	Bob Slemon
Released	January 1987
Revised	29 July 1990
EAG number	133
EDX number	15-12
EDX set	Classic Eamon Adventures, Vol. 3
Native format	Apple DOS 3.3
File	Eamon 133 - The Final Frontier.dsk

The Final Frontier, also known as Eamon Trek, is a Star Trek-inspired Eamon adventure written by Bob Slemon around 1986 and released by the NEUC in January 1987. The adventure is notable for its animated splash screen and for granting players the ability to navigate a starship freely through a three-dimensional volume of space.

Background

Bob Slemon created the adventure for the AAA Eamon Adventure Contest, a 1986 competition run by Ron Maleika of the Apple Avocation Alliance. The adventure took place and was added to the NEUC's library in January 1987.

Tom Zuchowski, reviewing the adventure in the December 1992 newsletter, notes that Slemon titled the adventure as Eamon Trek both in the splash screen and the introduction, and speculates that Maleika may have changed the name in order not to "step on toes".

Premise

From the introduction:

Hokas Tokas turns off his future-vision machine and says Eamon Trek is not your ordinary adventure as it is set in the Galaxy Eamon with each space room set as a sector. Each sector is 10 parsecs cubed. Sector (7,0,20) would be 7 north, 0 east and 20 up from the main Galactic Barrier Reference Point.
He continues, "Co-ordinates go from 0 to 20 so simple mathematics tells you there are over 9000 space rooms! But some sectors have stars with habitable planets or space stations. But beware of the Nebuleans. The United Federation of Eamon occupies space from 0 to 8 up. The Neutral Zone is 9 to 10 up and Nebulean space is from 11 to 20 up. Of course, some commands have changed over the centuries and new ones have been added. Your assignment is to rescue a scientist, Dr D. Brown, who has been captured by the Nebuleans. You must complete your quest by star date 3750."
Hokas ushers you into a clear tube and retreats behind a panel, twists some dials and waves as you feel a strange tingling sensation.
Hit any key to teleport to 23rd century.

Walkthrough

The Final Frontier consists of 13 separate areas representing a variety of worlds, stations, and ships scattered across a wide expanse of space. The path through these areas is mostly linear, with each one offering some message or clue about the next location to visit.

Knowing how to navigate your starship is vital: it can only be done from the bridge by using the helm command. The navigator at the helm will ask first for a "course heading" which can be any of the standard six directions: north, south, east, west, up, or down. They will then ask for the number of sectors to travel in that direction. Since the ship can only travel straight and not diagonally, getting from point to point usually requires three helm commands: one to move north/south, one east/west, and one up/down. For example, to travel from (8,3,12) to (5,5,3) one would go south 3, east 2, and down 9.

Intrepid and Earth

You begin in the transporter room of the Federation starship Intrepid in the company of your alien science officer Mr. Spark.

Step north into the ship's recreational hall. Check the exits leading up and east:
- Up leads to the armory where you can collect a couple of phaser weapons.
- East leads to the captain's quarters; look around and you'll find a navigational computer that can give you the coordinates of any of 10 known destinations.
Go west to reach the ship's bridge. Check the north and south exits:
- North is the sickbay where you'll meet Sawbones, the ship's doctor. The sickbay is the only place in the game you can heal yourself; it takes one solar day per hit point restored.
- South is the engineering section occupied by chief engineer Scotty and the ship's massive warp engines.
On the bridge is a hyperspace transmission tube; open it to reveal the following message:
"Urgent you return to Earth (Sol 3). New developments in the Brown kidnapping. Make best speed. Ends. Admiral Church."
The Intrepid begins at coordinates (0,0,0), so use the helm to navigate to Earth: North 2, East 4, Up 3.
Beam down, go east to Federation Headquarters, then south into Admiral Church's office.
Pick up the light and look to locate a sonic key.
Open the vault and go inside. It's dark, so light the trimagnesium light and you'll see a message container. The message inside reads:
"Star Base Alpha has been attacked by Nebulean plasma weapon probably developed by Brown. You are the only starship available to assist. God speed. Plasma weapon plans imperative you retrieve and return here."
Return to the transporter room and beam back to the Intreprid.

Star Bases and Betelgeuse

Navigate to Star Base Alpha: North 15, East 4, Up 3.
Beam to the ransacked base and ascend to the main level where you'll find two Nebulean invaders. Dispatch them, then look to find a Federation message:
"Dilithium crystal power source - Betelgeuse. Star Bases - Alpha and Beta."
Return to the ship.
Navigate to Betelgeuse: South 1, East 11, Up 1.
Beam down and go west twice to collect some dilithium crystals.
Return to the ship.
Navigate to Star Base Beta: South 8, West 4, Down 5.
Beam to the station and descend to the main control area, then look to uncover another message:
"Freighter Uri Gagarin reports Nebulean ship seen in uncharted Sirius sector. Star Fleet Command requests available starships to engage. Permission granted to enter Neutral Zone. Assume state of war now exists. Ends. Church."
Return to the ship.

Sirius

Take the Intrepid to the Sirius sector: North 3, West 11, Up 8. Upon arrival sensors will pick up a distant Nebulean cruiser and a landing party on a nearby planetoid.
Beam down. As you arrive you're enveloped by a strange force and you hear a voice speak: "We the Narns do not wish a battle in our space. You will be teleported to fight the other alien commander. We will destroy the enemy of the winner. Your tools remain here, but the planetoid will provide you with weapons." You and the Nebulean commander, Eklp, have been diverted to a desolate and mountainous part of the planetoid.
Unarmed you'll have a tough time defeating Eklp, so flee from him. Whichever direction you wind up, explore and collect every item you find. (You may need to return to Eklp and flee multiple times to explore in different directions.) The items you'll collect are bamboo, rope, potassium nitrate, sulphur, polished metal, and diamonds.
Assemble all the pieces to create a crude gunpowder cannon.
Return to Eklp and attack him — the cannon will dispatch him with a single blow.
The Narns teleport you back to the landing area of the planetoid where you can collect your original weapons and equipment. They speak a final message: "Congratulations! Your enemy's ship and crew have been destroyed. But others are on their way to the Deneb Sector."
Beam back to the ship.

Deneb and the Quasar

Navigate the Intrepid to Deneb: North 8, Down 2. If you get a report that the ship's power levels are low (<250), go south from the bridge to the engineering room and put into the warp drive engines the dilithium crystals you gathered on Betelgeuse. Adding dilithium raises the ship's power by 900 units.
Beam down to Deneb. A flashing screen reads, "Urgent - Nebulean ship at sector (17,5,9)"
Beam back to the Intrepid and move to intercept the enemy ship: South 2, East 1, Up 1.
Bam! Crash! You battle the enemy, and despite losing 150 units of the ship's energy (and ending up in sick bay) you defeat the Nebulean ship which is now ready to be boarded.
Head to the transporter room and beam over to the disabled Nebulean cruiser Quasar.
Defeat the guard and make your way north, fighting any Nebuleans you encounter as you go: first to the bridge and then on to the weapons room.
Go east to the engineering section where you can grab some more dilithium.
Finally go east once more to the ship commander's office. Defeat the commander and his guard, then read the message: "Orders: Pick up corbomite from Rigel and bariumite from Antares for plasma weapons. Deliver to cruiser Andromeda. Directions on pick-up." [Note: contrary to the message, the corbomite is actually located on Antares and the bariumite on Rigel.]
Return to the Intrepid.

Antares and Rigel

Travel to Antares: South 12, East 7, Up 8.
Beam down and fight your way through the mines — north, east, north, and east — until you reach the final room with the Antares commander. Search the room to find a crate of corbomite.
Return to the Intrepid.
Travel to Rigel: North 2, East 3, Down 4
Beam down, fight south, east, up, and east to reach the end of the mines. Search and discover a crate of bariumite.
Return to the Intrepid.
When you reach the bridge you'll find a note that must have gotten stuck on your shoe while you were in the mines: "When loaded send Quasar crew to rendezvous with Andromeda at (14,16,15). Re-fueling of plasma weapon is priority 1 - Ends - Brown."

Andromeda and Canopus

Make for the rendezvous point indicated on the note: North 7, East 1, Up 2.
The Intrepid and the Andromeda battle and you again emerge victorious with the enemy craft disabled. (The battle consumes 250 units of the Intrepid's energy.)
Beam to the Andromeda.
Go east to the bridge, fighting Nebulean guards along the way.
Climb up into the Andromeda's weapons room and collect the infamous plasma weapon.
Return to the bridge and climb down to the engineering room.
Go east into the commander's quarters, slay him, and read the message: "When materials received proceed immediately to Death Star location at Canopus. Death Star weaponry you bring will assure defeat of Eamon. Ends. Brown."
Return to your ship.

Canopus and Arcturus

Before moving on, gather the plasma weapon, bariumite, and corbomite together in the Intrepid's weapons room and assemble the weapon.
Next visit engineering and put into the engine the Nebulean dilithium crystals you collected on the Quasar.
Return to the bridge and navigate to Canopus: South 6, West 5, Up 1.
Upon arrival you fight a space battle that consumes 500 units of the ship's energy, but the Intrepid emerges victorious.
Make your way to the transporter room and beam down; you'll find you're not on a planet but on the Death Star, the Nebuleans' massive spaceborne weapon!
Fight your way west to the bridge, north to engineering, north again to the weapons room, east to the guardroom, and finally south into the empty quarters of the commander, Dr. Brown. Through a window you see an escape pod heading away from the ship and toward Arcturus.
Search the room to reveal a secret shortcut leading south to the transporter room.
Return to the Intrepid.
Travel to Arcturus: North 1, East 4, Down 7.
Beam down. Battle east to the guard room, north to comms, and east to the weapons room, killing the Nebulean guards along the way.
Go east once more and you'll finally encounter the traitorous Doctor Brown. A safe door leads north to his private vault where you'll find the object of your quest: the plasma weapon plans. Grab them and return to the transporter room.
Return to the ship.

Victory

Navigate from Arcturus back to Earth: South 7, West 11, Down 6.
With the weapon plans in hand, beam down and you'll be greeted by Admiral Church who'll congratulate you on completing the mission.

Locations

Within "the Galaxy Eamon" (the Milky Way Galaxy) space is divided into sectors, each one consisting of a volume of "ten parsecs cubed", or a thousand cubic parsecs, equivalent to about 34,696 cubic lightyears. Each sector is identified by coordinates north (x), east (y), and up (z) from the "galactic barrier reference point" at (0,0,0). The adventure takes place in the coordinate range 0 to 20 which contains 9,261 sectors, most of which are empty but some of which contain ships, stations, or habitable worlds.

The United Federation of Eamon controls the space from z-coordinate 0 to 8. The Neutral Zone is from 9 to 10, and Nebulean-controlled space extends from 11 to 20.

Key locations within this volume:

Name	x	y	z	Region
Sol 3	2	4	3	Federation
Star Base Alpha	17	8	6	Federation
Star Base Beta	8	15	2	Federation
Betelgeuse	16	19	7	Federation
Sirius	11	4	10	Neutral
Antares	5	12	17	Nebulean
Rigel	7	15	13	Nebulean
Deneb	19	4	8	Federation
Arcturus	9	15	9	Neutral
Canopus	8	11	16	Nebulean

Trivia

Pat Hurst's adventure Buccaneer!, released later in 1987, uses a navigational interface similar to Slemon's, with the adventurer able to navigate freely across a sea and reach specific coordinates by entering a direction and distance.
The stardate given in the introduction — 3750 — is in the range used during the second season of the original Star Trek television series, first aired 1967–1968, and corresponds to the late 2260s.
The starship USS Intrepid features in the Star Trek episode "The Immunity Syndrome" (1968).
The section of the adventure set on the Sirius planetoid was inspired by the Star Trek episode "Arena" (1967) in which an advanced race known as the Metrons force Captain Kirk to fight an alien captain in a desolate wasteland. Kirk ultimately triumphs by building a makeshift gunpowder cannon from scavenged natural materials.
If Spark is mortally wounded, he'll put his hand against your head before he dies and say, "Remember", a reference to Spock transferring his katra in Star Trek II (1982).
Corbomite is an imaginary material mentioned in the Star Trek episode "The Corbomite Maneuver" (1966).
The adventure's villain, Dr. D. Brown, is a reference to Eamon creator Donald Brown.
This is the second time the adventurer visits a massive "Death Star" space station; the first is in Brown's adventure The Death Star.
Following the path shown in the map by Huw Williams, the Intrepid travels a distance of about 1,263 parsecs, or 4,119 light years.

External links