Puyo Pop Fever DS
Character Attack Power and Score Mechanics Guide
written by Mike Turley aka adilor15/adilor18
=================
Table of Contents
=================
1. Table of Contents (you're looking at it)
2. Introduction
3. Version History
4. Scoring and Garbage Mechanics
5. Character Powers
a. Normal Power
b. Fever Power (Complete!!!)
c. Combined Power Table of Averages
d. Power by Dropset
e. Notes on Powers
6. Legal Information
7. Credits/Special Thanks/Contact Info/Other Miscellaneous Items
===============
2. Introduction
===============
Hi there. First off, I must note that this is NOT a normal Character FAQ. That
can be found on the same page that led to this. This guide is meant more as an
advanced look at each character, as well has how the game figures scoring and
garbage production. This guide will also not go through basic game functions,
such as controls or game modes, or how to set up chains. That info can also be
reached from the same page. Now, that being said, let's get going, but don't
read too fast. You'll need to slow down and understand each part before moving
on, or you'll likely get confused later on.
==================
3. Version History
==================
6/8/05: 0.1-Guide started. Basic skeleton laid down.
6/10/05: 0.4-Mechanics section written, Fever values inputted.
6/11/05: 0.7-All sections written, all current Normal Values inputted.
Guide submitted.
8/16/05: 0.8-Added some info concering Single and Classic Modes.
8/28/05: 0.82-Added a few Chain Values, also a note concerning difficulties and
their affects on the Chain Values.
8/29/05: 0.821-Updated the note concerning difficulties, and fixed an idiotic
typo.
8/30/05: 0.83-Rider's CVs up to 15 entered. See special thanks section for
explanation.
8/31/05: 0.87-Updated Normal Chain Values further after combing through a huge
stack of replays.
9/8/05: 0.88-More values, including Arle's 15th. Plugged in what I could into
new Section 5c. Old 5c is 5d.
9/9/05: 0.9-Replay backlog is clear, so all current values are in. Finished
Section 5c with what values I do have. All characters up to at
least 10th Chain (with one teeny exception).
9/12/05: 0.92-Nailed down the missing Fever values, completing the Fever Power
section. :) Then I later realized I had 3 replays...so even
though it was after midnight, I just had to get the values in...
then I apparently forgot I was tired and cleaned up a few things,
like obsolete notes and such. I'm just so devoted...;P
9/13/05: 0.93-After getting Onion's missing 9th, decided to average Normal
power up to the 10th Chain. In doing so, I realized that my
ranking had a couple very critical mistakes in it...so that's
fixed as well.
9/24/05: 0.96-Section 5d is in. Old 5d renamed to 5e.
12/5/05: 0.961-Yeah, it's been a while. Really minor update though, just a few
values.
12/28/05: 0.962-Happy Holidays! Got Carby's 12th Normal CV, so the Average is
now up to 11.
1/13/06: 0.963-Realized I hadn't updated the Average table in the previous
version, so that's fixed. Nothing else really. Maybe this time
I'll actually submit the update. :P
1/29/06: 1.0-Guide is now considered "complete". A friend provided me with a
very good source of information for the game which included all
the Chain Values, so I jumped on the opportunity. After this I'll
be starting work on the conversion to Fever 2. If all goes as
planned, I'll simply resubmit this guide under a new name after
making the necessary changes.
================================
4. Scoring and Garbage Mechanics
================================
Alright, let's get to it. Scoring for this game is actually a relatively simple
system. Everything is set, there is no randomizing whatsoever. The scoring also
ties directly into garbage production, but I'll get to that in a bit. Now, many
of you may have noticed that during a chain, the score display changes to show
the value of each link, like 40x2-->40x7-->40x13. There is a simple formula to
determine exactly what the score is at each link, and it looks like this:
Score = 40+(10*P) x C+P
Where C is the base Chain Value, and P is the number of extra Puyo in that
link. Extra Puyo are anything beyond the minimum of 4. So if we take the above
example of score progression, and add 1 Puyo to each link, it becomes
50x3-->50x8-->50x14. For every extra Puyo, the first number increases by 10,
and the second number increases by 1. The exception to this is when there's
more than 1 color group in the link. Then, the game calculates each group
separately, then smashes them together. So, if Yu pops a 5-group and a 6-group
as a 1-Chain, the score is 50x3 + 60x4, for a total of 110x7.
Now, you're probably thinking "What's a base Chain Value?" Well, each character
has 2 sets of values, 1 for Normal (not Fever), and 1 for Fever. These values
are essentially what determines how powerful a character is, as they directly
factor in to how many points are earned in each chain link, and thus how much
garbage is produced. Unfortunately, there is not a set pattern as to how these
values increase, so they have to be manually extracted from the game, and this
is done by accomplishing the chains themselves, and paying attention to the
score display.
Now, for garbage. The amount of garbage thrown is calculated at each chain
link, which makes it relatively easy to calculate. The formula:
Garbage = Score/Rate
Bingo. That easy. All you do is take the points for each chain link and divide
it by the Rate (which starts at 120 by default), then total the chain up and
that's it. The rounding's a bit tricky though, and almost seems to deviate in
both directions, so calculations may be off by a few Puyo. I'll clear this up
once I have the chance to test it further. Also, keep in mind the rate does go
down as the match drags on, due to the effect of the margin timer. From what I
understand, the rate is divided by 1.5 every loop of the timer, which by
default is 96 seconds. So in theory, this makes it possible to still calculate
garbage accurately even when a match has gone for several minutes. I'm unsure
as to what the rate minimizes at though...it needs testing, and it'll be tough
to do...but you can be sure that I'll at least try.
And lastly, if you wanted to pitch in and send me some values, here's how you'd
go about calculating them. Note: this is a theoretical set of numbers, not an
actual chain.
Take this example 5-Chain:
40x2-50x7-40x15-60x24-100x50
The first one's easy. It's already at 40x, so the value is 2.
The second chain shows the effect of having 1 extra Puyo in it, as it's 50x.
So, subtract 10x1, and it gives us 40x6.
The third one's right there as well. 15.
The fourth has 2 extra Puyo in it, so we'll subtract 20x2, leaving 40x22.
The fifth one's tricky though. This one had 2 5-groups in it. For these type,
you also need to know how many groups there were. To get these values, first
multiply the number of groups by 40. So here, it's 2x40=80. Then, subtract 10x1
from the score until the first number equals the target number, which is 80 in
this case. So here, we end up subtracting 20x2, leaving 80x48. Now, divide this
result by the number of groups, 2 in this case. This results in 40x24, and we
have our 5th and final value.
Now, before I get into the Chain Values, I should note that these are
calculated for Multiplayer, or the "Everybody Puyo Pop" mode. "Single Puyo Pop"
has different values that are greater. See the notes after the Fever powers for
more information concering Single Mode.
And another note (I just love making them!). The values between the DS version
and the PC version are exactly the same. I'm not sure about any other versions,
having never played them...but it does appear that the arcade version uses a
different set of values, and possibly a different scoring system...at least
that's what it appears to be, given the tournament video footage...I might take
a closer look at that someday...
===================
5. Character Powers
===================
The Chain Values. Arranged by character, separated by dashes. Simple enough,
eh? It's also arranged so that the highest power is at the top, and there are
averages for any value set that's up to the 15th Chain. Just a bit of extra
niftiness.
Oh, and one more thing. The characters themselves are arranged into 5 Types,
given their in-game "descriptions". I've also arranged the data tables using
3-letter abbreviations, so the captial letters in the Type groups represent
these. In general, Type 1 has highest Normal Power, and Type 5 has highest
Fever power, with 1 noted exception in Fever.
Type 1: Big Chains
ACCord
RAFfine
KLUg
RIDer
Type 2: Constant Pressure
TARutaru
DONguri gaeru
frankenSTEins (FRA just looks odd to me...)
Type 3: Well Balanced
AMItie
ARLe
CARbuncle
Type 4: Build to Fever
OSHare bones
prince of OCEan (as does PRI...)
Type 5: Constant Fever
POPoi
HOHow bird
YU
ONIon pixy
----------------
5a. Normal Power
----------------
For Normal Power, ranking is thus:
KLU>ACC=RAF>RID>CAR=ARL>YU>AMI>OCE=OSH=ONI>TAR=DON>POP=HOH>STE
Chain:1-2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7 - 8 - 9 - 10- 11- 12- 13- 14- 15- 16---15 Ch. Average
1:KLU:2-7-16-23-37-77-131-201-274-349-446-545-661-699-699-699---277.8
1:ACC:2-7-16-23-35-74-125-191-259-330-419-512-617-699-699-699---267.2
1:RAF:2-7-16-23-35-74-125-191-259-330-419-512-617-699-699-699---267.2
1:RID:2-9-18-24-37-74-123-184-246-307-384-461-538-615-692-699---247.6
3:CAR:2-8-16-23-34-70-118-177-238-299-376-453-534-613-692-699---243.5
3:ARL:2-8-16-23-34-70-118-177-238-299-376-453-534-613-692-699---243.5
5:YU :2-7-16-21-32-67-113-171-231-291-367-445-529-610-692-699---239.6
3:AMI:2-8-16-22-33-67-111-167-223-279-349-419-489-559-629-699---224.9
4:OCE:2-7-15-20-31-63-107-160-216-271-341-411-485-557-629-699---221.0
4:OSH:2-7-15-21-31-63-107-161-216-271-341-411-485-557-629-699---221.0
5:ONI:2-7-15-20-31-63-107-160-216-271-341-411-485-557-629-699---221.0
2:TAR:2-9-17-23-34-67-110-164-216-268-332-394-450-509-566-622---210.7
2:DON:2-9-17-23-34-67-110-164-216-268-332-394-450-509-566-622---210.7
5:POP:2-7-15-20-30-60-100-151-201-252-314-377-440-503-566-629---202.5
5:HOH:2-7-15-20-30-60-100-151-201-251-314-377-440-503-566-629---202.5
2:STE:2-9-17-22-32-63-104-154-202-249-306-361-406-456-503-549---192.4
Well, it appears I was indeed wrong about Rider. It was inconclusive after all,
so I'm not surprised. Now it appears that Klug is highest...which makes sense,
I guess...Even though I have the 16th Chain values, I'm averaging to the 15th
to make it easier to do the averaged table. It also appears that 699 is the max
value for any character.
---------------
5b. Fever Power
---------------
For Fever Power, ranking is thus:
OCE>POP=HOH>OSH>YU>ONI>AMI>CAR=RAF>ACC=TAR=DON=ARL>KLU>STE>RID
Chain:1-2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8 - 9 - 10- 11- 12- 13- 14- 15---15-Chain Average
4:OCE:2-7-13-16-23-38-65- 99-133-203-240-248-299-355-395---142.4
5:POP:2-8-15-18-26-40-67-100-134-201-235-242-287-336-369---138.7
5:HOH:3-8-15-18-26-40-67-100-134-201-235-242-287-336-369---138.7
4:OSH:2-7-14-17-23-38-64- 97-130-196-230-237-283-333-368---135.9
5:YU :2-7-13-16-22-37-62- 93-126-191-225-233-280-330-366---133.5
5:ONI:3-8-13-17-23-37-60- 91-119-177-205-210-247-285-310---120.4
3:AMI:2-7-12-15-21-33-56- 84-112-168-196-201-239-280-308---115.6
3:CAR:2-6-11-14-19-32-53- 80-107-163-191-197-235-277-306---112.9
1:RAF:2-6-11-14-19-32-53- 80-107-163-191-197-235-277-306---112.9
3:ARL:2-7-12-14-20-32-53- 79-105-156-181-186-219-254-278---106.5
2:TAR:2-7-12-14-20-32-53- 79-105-156-181-186-219-254-278---106.5
2:DON:2-7-12-14-20-32-53- 79-105-156-181-186-219-254-278---106.5
1:ACC:2-7-12-14-20-32-53- 79-105-156-181-186-219-254-278---106.5
1:KLU:2-6-11-14-18-30-50- 75-100-151-176-181-215-252-277---103.5
2:STE:2-7-13-15-20-32-52- 77-101-149-171-175-203-232-251---100.0
1:RID:2-5- 9-12-16-26-44- 67- 89-134-156-161-191-221-246--- 91.9
Yeah, that's right. Ocean, a Type 4, has the highest power. That's our
exception. And once again, I'm not bothering with values above 15 as far as the
averaging goes, but I'll include them if I get them.
------------------------------------
5c. Combined Power Table of Averages
------------------------------------
I said I'd do it. Hopefully you didn't doubt me...but either way, here it is.
I've compiled here an averaged set of values up to the 15th Chain, taking each
chain link for both Normal and Fever for each character and averaging them.
This provides us with an overall look at how strong each character is (ignoring
dropsets, of course. After all, dropsets really can't gauge power effectively,
it mostly depends on how one plays their chosen character). So here we go. And
keep in mind that this part took the most time to put together, so if there's
anything about this guide you shouldn't bash on, it's this. :P
For Overall Power, ranking is thus:
KLU>RAF>ACC>YU>OCE>OSH>CAR>ARL>ONI>POP=HOH>AMI>RID>TAR=DON>STE
#:Name: N / F = Avg---N/F Ratio
1:KLU:277.8/103.5=190.7---2.68
1:RAF:267.2/112.9=190.1---2.37
1:ACC:267.2/106.5=186.9---2.51
5:YU :239.6/133.5=186.6---1.79
4:OCE:221.0/142.4=181.7---1.55
4:OSH:221.0/135.9=178.5---1.63
3:CAR:243.5/112.9=178.2---2.16
3:ARL:243.5/106.5=175.0---2.29
5:ONI:221.0/120.4=170.7---1.84
5:POP:202.5/138.7=170.6---1.46
5:HOH:202.5/138.7=170.6---1.46
3:AMI:224.9/115.6=170.3---1.95
1:RID:247.6/ 91.9=169.8---2.69
2:TAR:210.7/106.5=158.6---1.98
2:DON:210.7/106.5=158.6---1.98
2:STE:192.4/100.0=146.2---1.92
A little unexpectedly, Klug takes the cake, but not by a huge difference. I've
abandoned the table because there were so many values that were off, and I
really didn't want to have to comb through the whole thing and fix it.
--------------------
5d. Power by Dropset
--------------------
Given the fact that Tomatzu and I are always arguing comparisons via AIM, and
he likes to include dropsets into his, I decided to make a section for it.
This right here is probably the most opinionated part of the guide...but I'm
honestly not trying to make it that way. I'm doing it as statistically as
possible, at least in my eyes. I swear, every section I add in makes this thing
more like a Character Guide than anything...
Arranged from least Puyo to most Puyo. B stands for the big 4-sets that can
change color, 4 stands for the split color 4-sets. TP is total Puyo per 16
drops.
Type list 1: Chain type: Length, Power, or Speed
Type list 2: Chain use: Offensive, Defensive or Neutral
Name:----------Dropset-------------: 2/3/4/B-TP-1/2
ARL:2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2:16/0/0/0-32-L/N
ONI:2-2-2-2-2-B-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-4:13/1/1/1-37-L/D
OSH:2-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-B-2-2-2-2-2-4:13/1/1/1-37-L/D
HOH:2-2-2-3-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-4:12/3/1/0-37-P/D
AMI:2-2-2-3-2-2-2-B-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-4:12/2/1/1-38-L/N
RAF:2-2-3-2-2-B-2-2-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-4:11/3/1/1-39-P/O
DON:2-2-2-3-2-2-2-4-2-2-2-B-2-2-2-4:11/1/2/1-39-S/D
RID:2-2-2-3-2-2-B-2-2-3-2-2-B-2-2-4:11/2/1/2-40-L/O
TAR:2-2-3-2-2-B-2-3-2-2-B-2-2-3-2-4:10/3/1/2-41-S/N
POP:2-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-B-2-B-2-4:10/3/1/2-41-P/D
STE:2-2-3-2-2-3-2-B-2-3-2-3-2-3-2-4: 9/5/1/1-41-S/O
KLU:2-2-3-2-3-2-B-2-3-2-B-2-3-2-2-4: 9/4/1/2-42-P/O
OCE:2-2-2-3-2-2-3-B-2-2-3-B-2-2-3-4: 9/4/1/2-42-P/D
ACC:2-3-2-3-2-3-2-B-2-3-2-3-2-3-2-4: 8/6/1/1-42-P/O
YU :2-3-2-B-2-3-2-B-2-3-2-4-2-2-2-4: 9/3/2/2-43-S/D
CAR:2-3-B-2-4-3-2-B-2-3-4-2-B-3-2-4: 6/4/3/3-48-S/N
Obviously Carby takes the cake on most Puyo. Arle's the classic freak, exactly
opposite of Carby. Now, by no means are either Arle or Carby the best to use.
As I've mentioned before, people tend to differ in their chosen styles of
playing their chosen character. This is therefore a general guide as to how a
character might be best played. Note that in these I am also keeping in mind
the Chain Values and how they dictate how characters should be played.
And like I said, those type listings are very opinionated. That's simply how I
view the character. And in case any of you are confused, Power chaining refers
to taking a relatively short chain and greatly amplifying the power of it by
adding a lot of extra Puyo to it, especially in the last link, and often with
multiple color groups. But this allows for a different perspective on this...
and I've realized that there's almost a triangular comparison aspect to it
that's remarkably similar to Rock-Paper-Scissors. Power beats Speed, Speed
beats Length, Length beats Power. At least that's how I view it. I'd be more
than happy to entertain other opinions on this.
-------------------
5e. Notes on Powers
-------------------
Now, there are rumors running around that certain characters, namely Taru and
the 'Steins, have the ability to send more garbage than normal. I have seen no
evidence of this. If it is possible, then it doesn't reflect in the score.
Personally, I don't believe it is possible, because it would be odd that this
is the only random factor in scoring/garbage production, and it only applies
to a select few characters. Although, it would almost make sense, as they
suffer so much in the overall ranking...but I still doubt it highly.
And concerning Single Mode...as I mentioned earlier, the values are not the
same as in Multi. However, there appears to be a set ratio comparing the two
sets. To approximately convert a value from Multi to Single, multiply it by
1.43. All current tested value sets average out to this ratio, so it's as close
as it gets without extracting every value manually.
Yet another note...this time about Classic Mode. CM has its own set of values,
of which I have this much:
1-8-16-32-64-96-128
Yeah, I suck, I know. Hey, if you're better than me, feel free to contribute
some values to me. And keep in mind that Classic Mode also appears to follow a
different garbage formula, which I'm still looking into. The scoring is the
same, with a slight modification. For any chains (excluding the 1st) that have
more than 4 Puyo in them, the formula changes slightly:
30+(10x(P+1) X C+P+1
Other than that, it's identical.
The Note King strikes again! Hahahahahaha!. Individual difficulty affects the
Chain Values. No, not the game difficulty, that has absolutely no affect on the
values. It's the difficulty you choose before the match begins that affects it.
Setting it easier increases the values, while setting it harder lowers them.
I'll study it further and see if there's a set ratio to it...and that's about
all I have to say! Hope you enjoyed much!
====================
6. Legal Information
====================
This guide is Copyright 2005 by Mike Turley. This means that you may not alter,
redistribute, copy, or do anything else to the guide besides read it without my
permission. I guess if you want you can print it out as a referrence, but don't
go selling it to your friends.
As for the game itself, Puyo Pop Fever and all related characters, logos, etc.
are registered trademarks of either Atlus or Sega/Sonic Team or both. Thus,
they do not belong to me.
Currently, the only sites allowed to host this guide are:
http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://www.pp-museum.org/PPM/home.html
If you see this anywhere else, please contact me so I can resolve the problem.
================================================================
7. Credits/Special Thanks/Contact Info/Other Miscellaneous Items
================================================================
-Me (I wrote this thing, after all *head asplodes from ego overinflation*)
-Ceej (for accepting this guide, and taking care of an awesome site!)
-Erikku (webmaster of the PuyoPuyo Museum site) for offering to host my guide
there as well
-the long-since-dead company Compile (for starting the concept)
-Atlus and Sega (for keeping it alive)
-You (for hopefully reading the entire thing)
-PPMB user Tyunk" (for providing the link to the Arle and Amitie 19-Chain
videos)
-the freakishly skilled people on the Online Puyo Servers (for providing much
valuable data in the form of recorded replays of spectacular matches)
-PPMB user KirbytheChef (for submitting some much needed Chain Values and
providing the links to the very useful Puyo calculators)
-PPMB user Tomatzu (for helping out with some random useful tidbits of info)
Have something to add? See something I messed up on? Contact me about it!
Email:
[email protected]
AIM: adilor18
YIM: adilor18
No Spam/Hatemail! Put Puyo in the subject line to make sure it passes the
filters. Any help will be credited, especially if you're kind enough to
generate some Chain Values for me. I'd also appreciate some ASCII art to go at
the top of the guide. It's not necessary...but it'll make it way cool-looking.
Help keep the online Puyo community bustling with activity! Visit the
PuyoPuyo Museum message board at:
http://s3.invisionfree.com/The_Puyopuyo_Museum/index.php
END DOCUMENT
