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Version: 1.09 - April 28th 2005 - species specific sections [incomplete]
Version: 1.02 - April 26th 2005 - more descriptive of the 'plankton again...
Version: 1.01 - April 25th 2005 - more readable & slightly more descriptive
Version: 1.00 - April 23rd 2005 - which probably showed...
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This FAQ may not be reproduced, redistributed or repurposed via any means for
any reason other than personal use. Use of this guide for public display is
strictly prohibited. Permission to host and provide unrestricted access to
this FAQ is granted to gamefaqs.com
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This FAQ is NOT AN OFFICIAL GUIDE to Electroplankton, it has not been
authorized by Toshio Iwai or Nintendo of Japan.
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> Question Index <
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> What is Electroplankton?
> How would you describe Electroplankton?
> Why is it NOT A GAME?
> Where can I get a 'proper' music maker game for my NDS?
> Is it a musical instrument?
> Is it a portable sampler?
> Is it a sequencer?
> Will it let me compose music?
> Can I save my work?
> Will it produce music on it's own?
> Does it just produce random noises and sounds?
> What's the point of Electroplankton?
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> Should I get it?
> Where can I find out more about it?
> Should I buy the Japanese version, or hope it comes out in my region?
> Is it 'import friendly'?
> Where can I get it from & how much will it cost?
> Is it legal to import Electroplankton?
> Is it really worth it?
> How long does it 'last'?
> Does it have multiplayer?
> Does it come in a nice shiny box with a set of headphones?
> What's the sound quality like & what are the headphones like?
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> How do I interact with Electroplankton?
> What's the difference between 'Performance' and 'Audience' modes?
> What options does it have?
> What are the controls?
> What happens in sleep mode?
> How do I hook my NDS up to a hi-fi or a computer to record from it?
> What else can I do with it?
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> What are the different species of Electroplankton?
> How do I play with them?
> What are Tracy?
> What are Hanenbow?
> What are Luminaria?
> What are Sun-Animalcule?
> What are Rec-Rec?
> What are Nanocarp?
> What are the commands described on pages 38 & 39 of the manual?
> What are Lumiloop?
> What are Marine-Snow?
> What are Beatnes?
> What are Volvoice?
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> Who made Electroplankton?
> Is this the same guy that did Sim Tunes?
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> I've got a question that isn't in the FAQ... what do I do?
> What are the credits for this FAQ?
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> What is Electroplankton?
That's a bigger question than you might think! I'll break it down below:
> How would you describe Electroplankton?
Electroplankton is described as 'touchable media art'. Unfortunately, whilst
accurate, that isn't a very *useful* classification.
Electroplankton could subjectively be described as a 'toy'; I like to think of
them as a themed set of interactive music boxes. But again, these descriptions
don't really help as they lack sufficient context, and could also be
interpreted as negative criticism.
It's more useful to describe what Electroplankton is not, for those who haven't
yet played with it.
Electroplankton is NOT A MUSIC GAME. Electroplankton is NOT A GAME at all.
> Why is it NOT A GAME?
I'm not about to define the term 'game' here! But every game I've ever
played has had a measurable objective. Electroplankton has no measurable
objective; you can't 'complete', 'finish', 'win' or 'succeed' at playing it.
Therefore, it's not a game. But that doesn't mean you can't play with it...
> Where can I get a 'proper' music maker game for my NDS?
Take a look into Daigasso! Band Brothers...
> Is it a musical instrument?
Electroplankton could be considered a musical instrument - but not without,
perhaps unreasonably, stretching the definition of the term. It's extremely
limited in terms of the variety of sounds it can produce in comparison to a
software synth' which can be tweaked, tuned or de-tuned to your ear's desire.
However, this shouldn't be read as meaning the ways in which you can play with
your 'plankton are limited; the possibilities for each species are endless
(see below).
> Is it a portable sampler?
2 species of Electroplankton can 'sample' sounds; 'Rec-Rec' and 'Volvoice'.
However, these are very limited in comparison to dedicated samplers or PC-based
sampling software.
Again, this shouldn't be read as meaning the scope for playing with these
species of Electroplankton are limited; their output is pretty much dictated
only by the sounds you can find or make to 'put in' them.
> Is it a sequencer?
Electroplankton can't be directly controlled in the same way that a step-
sequencer can be, but some 'plankton will allow you to create sequences with
them. 'Beatnes' creates nothing but sequences... but never for very long!
> Will it let me compose music?
Electroplankton could be described as a composition tool in that it can be
used to create specific melodies, but not in any traditional sense.
You can't *directly* transcribe music into it, and you can't compose without
playing it. There's no *explicit* guide to playing a given note or chord, nor
for timing when these should occur in the sequences you create.
For some 'plankton, you don't directly cause sounds to occur. Instead, you
interact with an environment that allows you to exert an influence over the
continuous creation of the sounds they make.
Electroplankton is more likely to inspire composition than it is to provide a
facility to compose; view it as a performance instrument in this context (but
see above).
> Can I save my work?
There is no 'save' feature in Electroplankton. You don't create a composition,
then hit 'play'; your ongoing interaction with them creates sound. If you
recreated exactly the same performance you'd get exactly the same result
(Nanocarp excepted), but more often than not, you'll either be experimenting or
creating unique performances every time you play.
There's no way to record your performance as a sequence of inputs or as audio
within the NDS cart to 'play back' at a later date.
However, you can 'sleep' and / or pause the current state of your 'plankton at
any point in time, and you can record your performances with them externally
(see below).
> Will it produce music on it's own?
Electroplankton has a mode that demonstrates interactions with each of the
Electroplankton; you can select this mode & simply listen to them. However,
the various 'plankton do not play out 'songs' in this mode & you are likely to
tire of hearing them played with in this manner relatively quickly.
In addition, this mode cannot be fixed on any one species of Electroplankton;
all species are auditioned in sequence with each demonstration lasting only
a few minutes.
Outside of this mode, Nanocarp are the only Electroplankton that will create
sounds without requiring any interaction from you; the effect of their
'wandering around' is very like a wind chime and is, subjectively, soothing.
All other Electroplankton require you to interact with them or their
environment to produce sounds or music. You should want to do this, to get the
most out of them!
> Does it just produce random noises and sounds?
Only Nanocarp produce sound randomly (see above). Perhaps not coincidentally,
a 'carp is featured 'centre stage' in all Electroplankton artwork.
All other 'plankton create sound strictly as a function of your input and the
math that describes them and their environment. However, the result of this
can often appear to sound very random!
> What's the point of Electroplankton?
Play with them for your entertainment pleasure! Figuring out how to play them,
in a way that pleases you, seems to me to be about the only thing that can be
described as 'the point' of Electroplankton, without getting into a
philosophical debate...
Although you can't explicitly compose within it, playing with Electroplankton
will allow you to create sounds and music. They're also, subjectively, very
pleasing to look at. And whilst you can't 'win' at it, you could become a
virtuoso player!
Electroplankton is NOT A GAME, and this should be key in your decision on
whether to purchase it. If you are expecting it to be a game, you *will* be
disappointed.
You should definitely *consider* getting Electroplankton if you have an interest
in media art, experimental or computer-based music. Even if you don't know what
those terms mean, the fact you're still reading suggests you're curious, which
is definitely the right frame of mind to approach 'plankton with...
Electroplankton are not for everyone; not everyone will appreciate them and you
may well be one of those people. There's nothing wrong with that; appreciation
of any form or instance of an artistic endeavour is always subjective.
The 1st print of Electroplankton may also become collectable (see below),
although that's not really a *good* reason to buy it. They all deserve to be
played with!
> Where can I find out more about it?
Visit electroplankton.com where you can sample the kind of output the various
'plankton have to offer in video form. The website is in Japanese, but you
don't need to read it; click on the first bubble on the left hand side (after
the intro) to access the sampler video.
Videos of Electroplankton performances & songs made by players are also
becoming available through forums and gaming sites; these are very useful for
getting a flavour of what's on offer.
> Should I buy the Japanese version, or hope it comes out in my region?
It's widely expected that Electroplankton may never be sold outside of Japan.
However, this is a marketing decision & they're always subject to change!
> Is it 'import friendly'?
There's no reason not to buy the JPN version, although Nintendo does not
permit its sale outside of Japan. There's no language barrier as such for
much of the title, although some of the manual is hard to comprehend without
translation...
You won't have any problem navigating the interface; it's *very* simple and
contains english words like 'performance', 'audience' and 'intermission'
together with 'plankton species names like 'Tracy' & 'Hanenbow'.
It is possible to import games from other regions, and at the time of writing,
I believe all NDS games from any region are playable on any region of NDS.
> Where can I get it from & how much will it cost?
I'm not about to tell you how to do this here, nor how much it'll cost you.
Google is your friend! ;)
> Is it legal to import Electroplankton?
I'm not going to give a straight "yes or no" answer to this question, and you
should bear in mind that I'm not a lawyer & THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE.
Nintendo does not permit the sale or use of Electroplankton outside Japan.
They state as much - in english - on the back of the box. It's important to
note the first restriction is placed on *selling* it, not on buying it.
Nintendo have penalized vendors (i.e. sellers) of 'import' games for doing
just that. I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted or penalized for having
purchased an import game.
To my knowledge, no one has ever been prosecuted or penalized for *using* a
video game outside of it's designated territory. The fact there's nothing that
restricts you from using JPN Electroplankton in your US / EU region DS suggests
this isn't an issue.
It's certainly not illegal to *own* a copy, as you could have bought it in
Japan, or a friend could have bought it there and sent it to you as a gift.
> Is it really worth it?
That's an impossible question to answer. Art is worth whatever someone will
pay in order to appreciate it. The more you appreciate it, the more value
you'll have obtained for whatever you paid for it. If you don't appreciate it
at all, it's not worth anything, to you.
Only you will be able to answer this question, after you've played with it.
With luck, you should have some idea of whether you *might* appreciate it, from
reading this far...
> How long does it 'last'?
That's very much dependant on how much you appreciate it. From one perspective,
you could see and hear pretty much everything Electroplankton has to offer
within about 30 minutes. There are no 'unlockables', no 'bonus modes', no
rewards granted in software for duration played, because Electroplankton isn't
a game.
However, you could play with only one of these species for a lifetime and still
not hear everything those Electroplankton are capable of producing... and there
are 10 species!
Although Electroplankton is not strictly a musical instrument (see above) in
this sense it's analagous to one. If you bought a piano you could hear every
note it can make within minutes, but you could spend a lifetime playing and
never hear every song that it could play.
> Does it have multiplayer?
None, unless you count the ability to make music with someone else playing an
instrument or another NDS with Electroplankton. You'll need to become *very*
familiar with playing 'plankton first too!
> Does it come in a nice shiny box with a set of headphones?
It's widely expected that only the 1st print of Electroplankton will come
in a box set with blue in-ear headphones. However, this is a marketing
decision & they're always subject to change... ;)
At the time of writing, it is believed new copies of the 1st print of
Electroplankton are still freely available to order.
> What's the sound quality like & what are the headphones like?
The NDS's sound quality is best discussed in an NDS FAQ. Electroplankton's
sound quality is, subjectively, good.
The quality of the headphones is, again subjectively, reasonable for in-ear
buds. Bass reproduction is seriously lacking, as is the case with most
'miniature' headphones, and some have also found their volume lacking too.
These are the same headphones that came bundled in a similar (but less shiny!)
boxed set with the 1st print of Daigasso! Band Brothers.
In summary, the boxed headphones are useful, but fail to do justice to the
range of sound Electroplankton and their environment can create.
That's another big question! I'll break it down below:
> What's the difference between 'Performance' and 'Audience' modes?
The Audience mode demonstrates a number of interactions with every species of
'plankton available. It's useful when you're trying to get a grip on what's
going on & it can show the title off to the uninitiated. You can also interact
with the 'plankton whilst the pre-recorded stimulus takes place. Think of it as
a training / demo mode.
The Performance mode allows you to interact with the Electroplankton without
any pre-recorded stimulus. They're all yours, to play with as you will!
You have to choose one or the other, from the title screen. You then get to
choose one of the species of Electroplankton you want to play with...
> What options does it have?
Only one, and it's on the title screen too. You can set the 'Sound' to
Speakers or Headphones. Each is a subtly different mix designed for the two
outputs.
> What are the controls?
Some controls are static; they always do the same thing. Other controls vary
in function, dependant on the species of 'plankton being played with.
Static Controls:
L + R (Shoulder Triggers) - Cycle back & forward through species
[Audience mode only; they appear to have no function in Performance mode]
B - Exit mode (Return to species selection / Return to title screen)
START - Pause ('Intermission')
Close NDS - Initiate sleep mode (see below)
X & Y - Zoom in or out the top screen view of the area or 'plankton 'in focus'
The focus point is shown by a white circle outline on the touchscreen
Variable Controls:
Touchscreen - Touch your 'plankton! Change their environment!
Microphone - Talk to your 'plankton! Clap at them, blow on them, sing to them!
If they're listening, expose them to any sounds you can make or find!
D-Pad, A, SELECT - Vary, depending on the Electroplankton 'in play'
Try them all... Experiment! Not all of them are used for each species
See below for limited information on species-specific effects
> What happens in sleep mode?
Nothing - the Electroplankton 'freeze' in their current state. You can also
pause your session by pressing Start, which triggers an 'Intermission'.
Sadly, this means you can't fold up the NDS and listen to Nanocarp wander
about when you're on the move, unless you've figured out a way to prevent
sleep mode from triggering.
But, joyfully, this means if you've created a sequence you're especially
happy with, you can sleep the NDS until you are in a position to record it.
> How do I hook my NDS up to a hi-fi or a computer to record from it?
You can record sounds from Electroplankton by plugging the audio output from
your NDS into a recording device. Do this using an audio cable with a 3.5mm
stereo jack on one end (plugged into your DS's headphone socket), and whatever
jack or adapter you need on the other end to plug it into your hi-fi or
soundcard. Audio cables and adapters can be obtained relatively cheaply at
electronics stores.
Some of the Electroplankton can be used to create sequences and these can be
easily recorded. However, others are purely performance based - expect to need
a mixer / monitoring device with no latency if you want to record your
interaction with them. You can use your hi-fi to monitor & record, but
computers struggle to do this without significant latency.
If at this point you're asking what latency is, you need an audio FAQ! ;)
> What else can I do with it?
An interesting question... and the manual has some interesting suggestions:
You could hook your NDS up to an amplifier & speakers and perform... Hook it up
to a PA and invite the neighbourhood round!
If you got together with a friend with Electroplankton you could make a
quadraphonic Lumiloop orchestra! To paraphrase from the manual:
"Ah, happiness... a session of Lumiloops on a couple of DSs.
The sound becomes your whole body and it's a good feeling!"
> What are the different species of Electroplankton?
There are 10 species of Electroplankton, you can only play with one species at
a time. They are: Tracy, Hanenbow, Luminaria, Sun-Animalcule, Rec-Rec,
Nanocarp, Lumiloop, Marine-Snow, Beatnes and Volvoice.
Each species of 'plankton is listed below, with basic descriptions that might
allow you to identify them.
> How do I play with them?
Each species of 'plankton could deserve a FAQ in itself when it comes to being
played. Also, sounds are not best described in text; they're best heard.
If you've got Electroplankton you also have the excellent manual, which does a
great job of communicating pictorially the various kinds of interaction each
'plankton supports. Study the pictures and play! Experiment!!
Most of the interactions described in the manual are listed below with the
descriptions of each species.
> What are Tracy?
Tracy are triangular, with white fanning fins made of three teardrops on two
points. They travel in the direction of the 'head' point! They're either
yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, purple or red. They live in dark water
with a blue 'light'.
Up to 6 of them will travel along the lines you draw, the others will 'rest'
on screen until needed. When a Tracy hits a triangle, sound is made. The sound
made is different depending on which colour Tracy is making it, and where the
triangle is on the screen.
The lines themselves are composed of up to 64ish blue triangles. Drawing lines
is sensitive to the speed with which you draw; draw slowly & you'll end up with
short triangles, draw quickly and you'll end up with long triangles. You can
pause during (or at the start, or end of) drawing lines, the Tracy will 'rest'
there too. There appear to be limits on how long the line can be, in terms of
both notes & time.
The lines you draw move gently up and down the screen at independant speeds
adding a subtle low frequency oscillation to sequence each Tracy creates.
Interactions:
- Select a Tracy by touching it; draw a line & the Tracy will move along it
- Tap the coloured dots at either end of a line to erase it
- 'Hold' Tracy at any point during a line to have them take a rest there
- Use the D-Pad to change the speed with which all the Tracy move
D-Pad Left: Slower
D-Pad Right: Faster
- Press the A button to have all the Tracy move at their default speed
- Use Select to stop all moving Tracy
> What are Hanenbow?
Hanenbow are small with pink circular bodies and wiggling yellow green tails.
They jump into green lands from a pod, and can be directed to bounce off the
leaves of the four different kinds of plant that can be found there. Each plant
has a different arrangement of leaves, but there are never more or less than 6
leaves. Ultimately, Hanenbow will fall into the blue waters the plants stand in,
causing ripples on the water's surface & making emitting a sound.
When leaves are bounced on by Hanenbow they emit sound too. Leaves can become
'excited' by being bounced on, if it happens repeatedly within a short space of
time. 'Excitement' is visible in the colouring of the leaf which changes from
green (unexcited) through yellow, to red (maximum excitement!).
The sound made is different depending on which point of the leaf relative to
where it joins with the stalk the Hanenbow has struck it, and the colour of the
leaf. Hanenbow can also bounce off the walls of these lands; they have their
own sound too, which is different depending on how high up the wall the
collision has occurred. Up to 20ish Hanenbow can be on screen at a time.
Interactions:
- Change the angle of the pod that shoots the Hanenbow
- Change the angles of the leaves Hanenbow bounce on
- Press A to toggle viewing all current angles of pod & leaves
- Use the D-Pad to change the rate at which Hanenbow emerge
D-Pad Left: reduce the rate of Hanenbow production
D-Pad Right: increase the rate of Hanenbow production
D-Pad Up: manually trigger Hanenbow production (up to 3 at a time)
D-Pad Down: reset Hanenbow production rate to default
- Use Select to choose a different tree to play with
> What are Luminaria?
Luminaria are pulsating square and diamond shaped creatures of four different
colours: red, yellow green or blue. They travel from arrow to arrow at
different speeds, depending on their colour. Red is fastest, then yellow,
then green, with blue being the slowest.
They live in dark water with a blue light; the arrows they move on are white.
You have no direct control over the Luminaria, but you can change the direction
of the arrows. Arrows can point in one of 8 directions.
When a Luminaria hits an arrow it pulses & produces sound. The exact sound made
depends on which colour of Luminaria hit it, and where the arrow is on the
screen.
Once you've set them going, there's no way to stop them unless you 'reset'
the grid (see below). However, you can 'trap' them where you want them!
Interactions.
- Tap the Luminaria to start them moving
- Tap the arrows to change their direction, moving one step clockwise
- Touch and hold an arrow to have it move mulitple steps quickly
- Touch and hold an arrow for 7 moves to set it spinning
- Use the D-Pad to change the direction of many arrows at a time
D-Pad Left: Rotate all arrows one step clockwise
D-Pad Right: Rotate all arrows one step counter-clockwise
D-Pad Up: Cycle forwards through a selection of 9 preset arrow patterns
D-Pad Down: Cycle backwards through the selection of preset arrow patterns
- NB: D-Pad changes will not affect spinning arrows
- Use Select to choose a different starting grid & stop the Luminaria
> What are Sun-Animalcule?
Sun-Animalcule are swelling white suns and moons that 'shine'. They live in
water that changes colour with the time of day or night. Suns can only be born
in the day, and moons at night, naturally! The longer they remain, the bigger
they grow and the more dramatic their'shining' is.
All Sun-Animalcule have a limited lifespan of approximately one half day. Up to
30 of them can appear wherever you want.
Sun-Animalcule 'shine' repeatedly & emit sounds when they do so for however
long they remain. The sound they make is depends on their type (sun or moon),
their size, and their position on-screen.
Interactions:
- Tap the screen to create Sun-Animalcule
- Touch & hold Sun-Animalcule, you can drag them to different locations
- Tap Sun-Animalcule to make them disappear
- Use the D-Pad to change the time of day
D-Pad Left: Accelerate time
D-Pad Right: Reverse time
- Use Select to 'disappear' all the Sun-Animalcule
> What are Rec-Rec?
Rec-Rec are translucent 'fish' with rotating tails made of three teardrops and
flapping head fins. They're either pink, orange, blue or green, but appear red
when they're ready to eat sound. Only one Rec-Rec can eat sound at a time,
and each can only eat approximately 2 seconds of it. Rec-Rec open their mouths
to eat of course!
Their bodies contain the sound, and they vibrate when emitting it. The 4 of
them will emit the sounds they've eaten repeatedly as they 'loop' around the
screen. Rec-Rec begin eating at the start of a loop, and stop when they reach
the end. They live in red and blue water, which vibrates to the sound of the
percussion that can accompany them; otherwise it remains still.
Interactions:
- Tap a Rec-Rec to have it eat sound on it's next 'pass'
- Expose 'hungry' Rec-Rec to sounds!
- Use the D-Pad to change the speed of the Rec-Rec & accompanying percussion
D-Pad Left: Speed up
D-Pad Right: Slow Down
D-Pad Up: Cycle forwards through the 7 available beats & no beat
D-Pad Down: Cycle backwards through the available beats (no beat first)
- Press the A button to have all the Rec-Rec move at their default speed
- Use Select to have all the Rec-Rec regurgitate what they've heard
> What are Nanocarp?
Description:
- Small swimming white pearl-drop creatures with flapping wings and ears
- 16 of them wander about, unless they're called to attention!
- They live in blue water which fades to black
Interactions:
- Tap the water, the resulting ripples will affect nearby Nanocarp
- Use the D-Pad to create pulses that will affect all Nanocarp
D-Pad direction: The pulse travels in the direction pressed
- You can just let them wander around... or you can 'command' them!
> What are the commands described on pages 38 & 39 of the manual?
These are commands you can make to have your Nanocarp to assume formations.
Please note I haven't managed to make all these happen myself, they're based
on jmholloway's translations:
-- Clap your hands! --
Clap once: They form a circle
Repeat: They become different kinds of circles, in different locations
Clap twice: They form a 'striaght' line
Repeat: The line rotates
Clap three times: They form a diagonal line
Repeat: The diagonal line rotates
Clap four times: They form a line at the bottom
Repeat: They form a line at each edge of the screen
Clap five times: They form a line on the left and right edges of the screen
Repeat: They switch positions
-- Clap your hands faster! --
Clap two times quickly: They form a large circle
Repeat: The circle rotates
Clap three times fast: They form two circles, one inside of the other
Repeat: The two circles rotate
Clap four times fast: They line up left and right facing each other
Repeat: They switch positions
Clap five times fast: They form a 'mountain' shape
Repeat: They switch between 'V' shape and 'mountain' shape
-- Clap in rhythm! --
Ta, XX, Ta, Ta: They form two circles next two each other
Repeat: They switch places
Ta, Ta, XX, Ta: They form a triangle
Repeat: The triangle gets bigger, inverts, and gets smaller
Ta, XX, Ta, Ta, Ta: They line up vertically and horizontally
Repeat: It switches between getting smaller and larger
Ta, XX, Ta, XX, Ta, Ta, Ta: They form a wave shape
Repeat: The wave changes direction
Ta, Ta, XX, Ta, XX, Ta, Ta, XX, Ta:
They form the shape of a person with right hand raised
Repeat: It switches between left and right hand
-- Lets blow on them! --
Blow once (fu): They form an 'X'
Repeat: The 'X' rotates
Blow twice: They form a square
Repeat: The square rotates
Blow three times: They line up so they produce the melody of a shining star
Repeat: They change the musical interval
Blow four times: They line up in the shape of a house
Blow for one second: They line up in the shape of a heart
The size of the heart changes
Blow for two seconds: They line up in a moon shape
Blow for five seconds: They form a question mark shape
-- Lets sing to them! --
Do, Re, Mi: They line up in the shape of a muscal note
Mi, Re, Do: They line up in the shape of a fish
Do, Mi, So: They line up in the shape of a bird
Raise the pitch of your voice by one octave:
They line up in the shape of an apple
Repeat: The apple grows a leaf
Lower the pitch of your voice by one octave:
They line up in the shape of a horse
Repeat: The horse begins to run
Gradually raise your voice: They line up in a snow man shape
Gradually lower your voice: The line up in the shape of a three
> What are Lumiloop?
Description:
- Pulsating 'doughnuts' which emit 'halos'
- Transparent at rest, or one of two unique colours
- 5 of them go round and round and round...
- They live in dark, white and colourful waters
Interactions:
- Spin the Lumiloop by drawing circles on them; try both directions
- Stop the Lumiloop by holding the stylus on them
- Use Select to change their environment
> What are Marine-Snow?
Description:
- Pulsating white 'snowflakes' of different sizes
- 35 of them swap places, then gradually return 'home'
- They group together in 4 different arrangements
- They live in blue water which fades to white
Interactions:
- Touch them!
- Use Select to choose their initial configuration
> What are Beatnes?
Description:
- Swaying 'spiny' creatures with diamond tails and different shaped heads
- Their heads are either a triangle, cross, circle, square or a hexagon
- The 5 of them remember where you've touched them, for a while
- They live 4 different colours of two-toned waters
Interaction:
- Tap the Beatnes; tap their heads, their tails & their spines
- Use the D-Pad to change their speed of everything happening
- Use Select to choose their background music & voices
- Use Start to pause; this can allow you to 'sync' two DSs playing Beatnes
> What are Volvoice?
Volvoice are a translucent white and have a thin antenna with a circular bulb.
They absorb sound and change size depending on how much they've absorbed. They
glow red whilst absorbing sound.
There is only 1 Volvoice, it can assume one of 16 different shapes. Each shape
changes the colour of the Volvoice's environment, which is itself sensitive to
sound. Volvoice repeatedly say the sounds they've absorbed, the sound that's
generated depends on the sound that's been absorbed and the shape of the
Volvoice at the time it's talking.
Interactions:
- Tap the Volvoice (or press A) to make it start absorbing...
- Tap it again (or press A) to have it stop
- Expose the 'listening' Volvoice to sounds!
- Select a shape to change the way the Volvoice says what it has absorbed
- You can change the way the Volvoice says things whilst it is talking!
- Tap the Volvoice's antenna bulb to make it expel the sound
The man principally responsible for Electroplankton is Toshio Iwai, a highly
productive and well-established media artist. Google him to find out more.
Electroplankton is published by Nintendo. Full credits for production and
development are available in the manual. You should read them; about 15
people made this title happen!
> Is this the same guy that did Sim Tunes?
Yes, Toshio Iwai also created Sim Tunes for PCs. Google is your friend!
> I've got a question that isn't in the FAQ... what do I do?
Post it on the Electroplankton boards in gamefaqs.com. Or google for it.
If I've got a FAQ thread active on the boards, post your question there.
> What are the credits for this FAQ?
jmholloway provided translation work on text from the Electroplankton manual;
this was used to fill in missing detail on species-specific interactions,
especially the Nanocarp 'commmands'... many thanks! :)
Contact me if you feel you should be credited here too.
You should note that all trademarks and copyrights contained in this document
are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.
'Daigasso! Band Brothers', NDS ('Nintendo DS') copyright Nintendo.
My thanks to:
Toshio Iwai, Nintendo and all involved in bringing Electroplankton to life
All who have asked me questions or engaged in discussion about Electroplankton
The happy mob of music makers on the gamefaqs.com Electroplankton board
*You* for taking the time to read this far!
