Sewers in 2300AD

[V_Translanka]

If the bridges were down it would have been relatively easy for anyone to visit Belthasar, really...I assume that if he was visiting one of the other domes that he would have had them down (though he might have put them back up after he came back)...And we know that they weren't always up because of those ever so helpful frogs...

[Chrono'99]

2) Not sure on this one, but probably months already considering the time it took him to build the dome.

The idea of him building the dome never once entered my mind. I always assumed he settled there because it was abandoned, and maybe spruced it up a bit to fit his purpose.

http://www.chronocompendium.com/Term/Translation_Differences.html#Belthasar_Revelation

[leena_zeal]

2) Not sure on this one, but probably months already considering the time it took him to build the dome.

The idea of him building the dome never once entered my mind. I always assumed he settled there because it was abandoned, and maybe spruced it up a bit to fit his purpose.

http://www.chronocompendium.com/Term/Translation_Differences.html#Belthasar_Revelation

Oh, that explains it. Damn translation errors.
Gonna have to go through the Retranslation yet again (yay, an excuse to play CT once more while I wait for CE to be released )

[Thought]

Meh, its an understandable mistake (and translation error). After all, there was a dome in the general location when Lavos surfaced in 1999 (maybe), the dome that Belthasar constructed looks exactly like the dilapidated domes everywhere else, and one would normally expect Belthasar to construct something a bit more... Zealean.

[V_Translanka]

It's still possible though the new translation that he could have rebuilt a heavily damaged dome or some such...but w/e. And perhaps he didn't want it to stick out too much (seeing how he knows what Lavos did with the last Zealian structures )...and then there's the doorways which are pretty Zealian...

[Zephira]

Maybe Square just didn't have the time to sprite a radically different/Zealian dome for Belthasar.
Although, he was already pretty old before the Ocean Palace incident (unless that's another case of lazy spriting). Perhaps he just didn't have the energy and resources to build a polished, complete dome. He would have needed to use damaged parts scavenged from other domes. The place would look very shoddy, at best.

[V_Translanka]

Probably put most of his effort into the seals, the Nu, the Poyozos &...y'know...that little time machine thing...

[ZaichikArky]

Oh dang, of all the times I have played through CT, I never tried to visit Keeper dome before I went to 12,000 BC. I want to talk to Belthasar!

[Mr Bekkler]

Wow this got big while I was gone. Question answered though, he was there in the snes version. I guess I never went all the way there, or else I just flat deemed it unimportant and forgot. It definitely adds to the story though, like fusion said. You basically witness the last moments of his life. Or, you're the last human contact he has in his life. He seems obsessed with Schala, even at this point. Before you see her in-game and before the idea for Cross even came up in the minds of the creators. That's pretty intense.

You have to wonder though, if he was in the other domes, why didn't he try to help any of those people, or try to get them to help him, for that matter? Perhaps the domes just have some kind of communication link or radio signal or something leftover.

[V_Translanka]

I think he was focused on saving the world by creating the time machine for "them" (the heroes he somehow knew would come) to find and thus save everyone with...Plus he's insane.

[Mr Bekkler]

...Plus he's insane.

 

[Acacia Sgt]

And I doubt that, if there is a communication link, that the people used it.

When the trio cross the ruins to the dome the first time, the people of Arris Dome were surprised to knew there were survivors other than themselves.

...Plus he's insane.

 

That would be by the time you first meet him, but certainly he wasn't at first. At first.

[Chrono'99]

The people were kind of safe in the domes; it's just that there was barely any food. So how could Belthasar help them? He didn't seem to have much more food than them either.

[Mr Bekkler]

The people were kind of safe in the domes; it's just that there was barely any food. So how could Belthasar help them? He didn't seem to have much more food than them either.

Going with the "He crossed the labs and visited the domes" theory, we'd have to assume he'd be able to hold his own in battles, so he could have very well gotten the seed for Doan way before Crono&co get there. The fact that he didn't makes me think he was never in those domes. He stayed wherever he ended up after the OPI and built his dome right there. Which makes me think the only way the others could know there was a crackpot in that dome, or even that there was a dome, would be some form of radio or phone or telecommunicator or whatever. It would only take one short conversation to confirm, yes, he's there and yes, he's nuts.

Belthasar-"Hello, out there? I found this device, I believe it's for communication."
Young Doan-"Yes, oh god, yes. There's someone here! There are people here! Tell me, who are you?"
B-"Oh, I'm Belthasar! Thank you for asking! Have you heard of me?"
D-"What? No! Are you hurt, sir?"
B-"No, no, I'm just fine. Here with my Nu. How are you doing on your end?"
D-"Dude, we're fucking starving! Do you have any food?!"
B-"Nope. Just my Nu. Have you ever met a Nu?"
D-"This guy's fuckin crazy. How do I turn this phone off? Yeah, fine, just pull out the cable, we do not want to talk to this guy again!"

[Dark Serge]

Actually in that one flashback where you see the Guru's disappearing in the black gates, you see Belthasar ending up in a dome. So either he ended up in one of the other domes and crossed the ruins, or he didn't build Keeper's Dome and ended up there immediately.

I don't know how Belthasar is in battle, but I think he crossed the ruins, arrived at Arris Dome, asked around about Zeal, and obviously everyone thought he was crazy. He then realized he was in the future and found out about Lavos. As for why he didn't get the seed; I'd think plotting to save history, so future is also saved, was more important to him. He's not as cheerful as Chrono & co who just try it for the hell of it, and he probably thought those people would be saved anyway if history is changed.