PuyoPuyo~n (PuyoPuyo 4) (Sega/Compile, Puzzle Game, DCast)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
V1.0 7/7/99
Written by: Richard Uyeyama (ru e ama best.com)*
* Instances of the letter "y" and the "at" symbol have been removed
(replaced with spaces) from the above e-mail address in order to prevent
unscrupulous UCE (unsolicited commercial e-mail) bot processes from
adding to the amount of e-mail I already get...
The latest version of this file can be found at:
DAKARA, watashi wa Santa de wa NAI!!!
http://www.best.com/~ruyeyama/puyopuyo/dwwsdwn.html
Document formatting, organization, and wording Copyright 1999 by Richard
Uyeyama.
Permission granted by author to duplicate (unaltered) this document in its
entirety for non-profit purposes only. All other rights reserved. Author
reserves the right to rescind specific or general permission, if he sees a
reason (such as loophole abuse) to do so.
PuyoPuyo~n is Copyright 1999 by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. Cooperated by
Compile. All rights reserved.
"Ojama-puyo ga... jama o suru~!"
-- Arle Nadja
(PuyoPuyo CD (PCE))
Table of Contents:
0. Document History
I. Basic Stuff
1. What is this document?
2. What is PuyoPuyo?
3. What's new/different in Puyo4 (compared to Puyo3)?
4. Terminology and notation?
II. General Stuff
1. So... what's this about Super Attacks?
2. Could you list what each character's Super does?
3. What does Zen-keshi do in Puyo4?
4. How hot do you like your curry?
III. Codes and Stuff
1. Are there any hidden characters?
A. Doppelganger Arle
B. Carbuncle
2. Is Another Dimension Stage selectable in 2P Mode?
3. Are there more than five handicap levels in 2P Mode?
4. I heard there's a 108-chain demo in Tokoton Mode. Is that true?
5. Is there a way to view the pause screen more clearly?
IV. Hitori de PuyoPuyo (1P Mode) Stuff
1. Can Arle use her Super in Story Mode?
2. What are the rule variations for each opponent?
3. Would you have any tips on improving my high scores?
V. Futari de PuyoPuyo (2P Mode) Stuff
1. What are the rule variations for each stage?
2. Could you help me out with the Edit rules?
3. Out of curiosity, whose background is used on each of the 2P stages?
VI. Tokoton PuyoPuyo Stuff
1. Hey! How come the game won't record my high scores?
2. Do you know of any cute Carbuncle tricks?
VII. Tokoton NazoPuyo Stuff
1. Are the TokoNazo conditions in each course always the same?
2. Help! Do you have any tips for the Extra Hot course?
VIII. Options Menu Stuff
1. How do you earn stuff in the Demo Viewer?
IX. Miscellany
1. Is there a soft reset command?
2. Is there an auto-save process?
3. Is the VMU screen used for anything interesting?
4. Momomo, Lagnus, Minotauros, Incubus, and HoneyBee are in the manual,
but do they appear anywhere in the game?
5. Are there any CD tracks on the game CD?
6. Is there anything else neat on the game CD?
7. Would you happen to have a complete cast list?
X. Thanks and Stuff
-------------------
0. Document History
-------------------
V1.0: 7/7/99
Launch version
(3/4/99: DCast PuyoPuyo~n now on sale)
--------------
I. Basic Stuff
--------------
I.1 What is this document?
This document is an English language informational resource for
PuyoPuyo~n (which I shall hereafter refer to as Puyo4, for brevity's
sake), a puzzle game (available in Japan) by Compile. Puyo4 belongs to
the "falling pieces" genre of puzzle game, probably best defined by,
ummm... Compile's PuyoPuyo series of puzzle games. ^^;
In this document, I'll be covering codes, secrets, details,
clarifications, and other such information which may be of interest to
Puyo4 fans. This document is not a strategy guide, btw, so I won't
necessarily be including game strategies, or chain setup patterns, or
anything like that in this document...
This document was written for the DCast version of Puyo4 (currently
the only home version of the game; the PSX and N64 versions are expected
later this year), but some (though obviously not all) of the information
contained herein may apply to other versions of the game as well...
PuyoPuyo~n basic info:
1 Disc (HDR-0014)
1-4 Players
Works with: Arcade stick, VMU (6 blocks), PuruPuru Pack, VGA Box
I.2 What is PuyoPuyo?
PuyoPuyo is an amazingly successful puzzle game that was created by
Compile around the early 90's (1991, I think). It was so popular in
Japan, that it basically defined its own genre of games (how many games
can you say that about? =) ). Indeed, one could argue that most "falling
pieces" puzzle games today owe their very existence (some more obviously
than others) to PuyoPuyo! ^^;
PuyoPuyo has come a long way since its first appearance. But the
PuyoPuyo series still ranks among the best (imho) puzzle games on the
market...
I.3 What's new/different in Puyo4 (compared to Puyo3)?
Super Attacks! Each character now has a unique Super; see the Super
Attacks section for more details...
Each location has slightly different game rules.
Only Arle is playable in Story Mode.
Sun-puyos (Puyo3) are gone, but Tokuten-puyos (Puyo2) and Kata-puyos
(Puyo2) are back (for certain locations); there are even different values
of tokuten-puyos and stronger varieties of kata-puyos...
Characters can now be reselected after every taisen battle (yay!).
None of the 1P Modes (Hitori de PuyoPuyo, Tokoton PuyoPuyo, and
Tokoton NazoPuyo) can be played from the P2 side/controller (hmph!).
New mode: Minna de PuyoPuyo (3P and 4P taisen!); requires three or
four controllers to play (CPU can't play in Minna mode).
Tokoton PuyoPuyo now has four different modes, with four different
puyo sizes (and board sizes). The Ookii puyos are pretty cute. ^^ And
the Super-chibi puyos don't have faces, but it is possible to get over a
100-chain with them! ^^; Oh, there's also a limited time tokoton (hmmm,
oxymoron? =) ) option now for each mode, where you strive to get the
highest score possible in a limited amount of time...
Tokoton NazoPuyo is now limited (finite number of levels in all
modes), timed (high scores are based on how quickly you finish), and has 5
different difficulties. The hardest has only 5 levels, but they're all
pretty hard!
There are some other new things as well, but those are the major
differences...
I.4 Terminology and notation?
Yep. Just so there's no confusion about things, here are definitions
of terms and stuff I'll be using in this document:
puyo: All pieces below.
color puyo: A piece that disappears when at least a certain
number (4 is standard) of the same color are clumped
together (vertical or horizontal adjacency; diagonals
don't count). Color puyos come in: red, blue, green,
yellow, purple.
jama-puyo: A piece that doesn't disappear, no matter how many are
adjacent. Jama-puyos "get in the way". =)
ojama-puyo: The standard jama-puyo. Ojama-puyos will
disappear if a color puyo next to it (diagonals
don't count) disappears.
tokuten-puyo: These are basically ojama-puyos that give you a
score bonus when they're made to disappear (i.e.
"point-puyos" or "score-puyos"). Tokuten-puyos
come in various point values, including 50, 100,
300, 1,000 (1K), 10,000 (10K), and 500,000
(500K) points. Note that tokuten-puyos can add
to your chain points, and thus lead to jama-puyo
bonuses (the jama-puyo bonus for a tokuten-500K,
for example, is quite substantial...).
kata-puyo: These are basically ojama-puyos that require more
than one adjacent disappearance before they
disappear ("strong" ojama-puyos). Kata-puyos range
in strength from kata9-puyos to kata1-puyos. An
adjacent color puyo disappearing will turn a
kata9-puyo into a kata8-puyo, a kata8-puyo into a
kata7-puyo, etc. A kata1-puyo (unmarked by a
number, btw) would be turned into an ojama-puyo,
which can then be gotten rid of normally. Note:
The kata-puyo number will go down by 1 for *each*
side adjacent to a color puyo that disappears, so
it's actually theoretically possible to reduce a
kata-puyo number by up to 4, just from a single
reaction! (though to reduce by 4, you'd need at
least a 2-chain; reducing by 2 or 3 with 1-chains
is probably more efficient...)
disappear: A piece which is made to disappear can have certain
other effects on the game. For example, a color puyo
which disappears can cause an ojama-puyo it's next to to
disappear.
removed: Some Supers will remove pieces from the playing field.
Removed pieces have no direct effect on the game (this
includes triggering a zen-keshi), aside from the fact that
the spaces they were occupying are now free to be occupied
by other pieces...
attached: All adjacent puyos of the same color are considered to be
attached to each other.
unattached: A color puyo which is unattached is one which is not
adjacent to another puyo of the same color.
rows: Rows will be numbered from bottom to top, starting with row
1. The standard screen has 12 rows.
columns: Columns will be numered from left to right, starting with
column 1. The standard screen has 6 columns.
puyo coordinates: (x,y) coordinate notation refers to a specific
spot on your playing field, where x is the column
number, and y is the row number.
damage: At times, I may use the word "damage" in reference to the
amount of jama-puyos sent over to one's opponent...
And for instances where I'm transcribing pieces on a board, I'll be
using the following notation:
r, g, b, y, p = red, green, blue, yellow, purple (puyo)
0, 1, 2, 3... = ojama-puyo, kata1-puyo, kata2-puyo, kata3-puyo...
T = tokuten-puyo (value will be noted below)
-----------------
II. General Stuff
-----------------
II.1 So... what's this about Super Attacks?
Each character in the game has a unique Super Attack (tokugi).
Actually, "special technique" might be a better way of translating that,
but since the game calls them Super Attacks, I'll probably just call them
Supers. Most of the Supers are defensively oriented, though some can
generate offense as well...
Your character will start each round with one Super, and can build up
more (up to a maximum of 3 at any single time) by making puyos disappear.
The rate at which a Super will build up depends upon the character; in
general (this is not true in all cases), it looks like the better a Super
is, the slower it will build up. Also, for each Super you use, it becomes
more difficult to build up another to replace it... It looks like the
minimal build rate is 0.001/puyo, which all characters reach after 5
Supers have been used (exceptions: Skeleton-T reaches 0.001 after only 4
Supers; Doppel-Arle in 1P Mode actually falls to a 0.000 (!) build rate
after 4 Supers).
To use a Super, press the Y button (or the X button, if you've
changed your Super button config in the Options Menu) on the standard
controller, or the C button on the arcade stick. Your currently falling
piece will be used up (removed from the board) in activating your Super.
Some general notes on Supers:
Your field only - Supers will only affect the user's playing
field; opponents' fields will not be directly affected.
Pieces on-screen - For most (all?) of the characters, there has
to be something on-screen for you to be able to use their
Super.
Pieces off-screen - Anything off the top of the screen (i.e.
above row 12 (i.e. anything on row 13)) is discounted for
consideration in Supers.
"Highest" priority - If there is a tie for the highest piece or
column, columns 1 through 6 are given priority, as follows
("1" is highest priority, "6" is lowest): 6 4 1 2 3 5.
"Most numerous" priority - If there is a tie for the most
numerous color on your board, puyo colors are given priority,
as follows (decreasing order of priority): red, green, blue,
yellow, purple.
Chains from Supers - If any chains result from the use of a
Super, the Super itself will count as the first part
(1-rensa) of the chain...!
II.2 Could you list what each character's Super does?
Um, sure. Here you go:
(Notes: I haven't double-checked all of the build rate numbers, so if
you find any inaccuracies in any of those, do let me know... Also, the
time data (i.e. how long the Super takes) is *approximate*, and so are not
necessarily completely accurate...)
(Key:
Tokugi Name (approx. time) - Tokugi description and explanation.
Per puyo increase to Super meter for: 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 Supers used,
for 1P and 2P modes.)
Arle Nadja:
Ruipanko (~4.1 seconds) - A jama-puyo shield. Delays jama-puyos from
falling, giving you more time to build up a suitable counterattack.
Lasts for 15 seconds (a countdown will be displayed).
1P: 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.005 0.003
2P: (same)
Skeleton-T:
Super Dynamic Ocha Bomber (~5.0 seconds) - This Super gives you a
damage multiplier which starts at x1.0, and can be raised to as much as
x4.0, so long as you do not rotate any of your falling pieces (if you
rotate any piece, your damage multiplier immediately goes away, and
you'll have to use another Super (and start over at x1.0) to get it
back). After you use this Super, the first piece you drop (without
rotating it, of course) will raise your multiplier to x1.1. Thereafter,
every two pieces you drop will raise it by 0.1, until 4.0 is reached,
or a piece is rotated.
1P: 0.01 0.008 0.005 0.002 0.001
2P: (same)
Archan:
Homing Shoot (~3.5 seconds) - Randomly removes 12 (or less, if there
are fewer than 12 puyos on-screen) puyos from your playing field.
1P: 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.02
2P: (same)
Kiki Mora:
Osouji Dai-sakusen (~4.2 seconds) - Removes all jama-puyos.
1P: 0.04 0.025 0.015 0.007 0.004
2P: (same)
Panotty:
Itazura Shichau Zo (~3.6 seconds) - Removes all unattached (color)
puyos.
1P: 0.08 0.05 0.03 0.015 0.008
2P: 0.15 0.075 0.05 0.025 0.01
Draco Centauros:
Draco Burning (~3.7 seconds) - All puyos of the same type (red, green,
blue, yellow, purple, or jama) as the highest puyo on your screen will
be removed. Note: if a jama-puyo is highest, all jama-puyos will be
removed!
1P: 0.04 0.025 0.015 0.007 0.004
2P: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Nohoho:
Nohoho~n Slot (~8.5 seconds) - Each column of your playing field will
rotate like a slot machine (i.e. if the top piece and bottom piece of a
column are considered to be adjacent, every piece in the column is
always between (and adjacent to) the same two pieces, in the same
order), eventually stopping upon what will probably be a new
configuration. Note: I'm not sure if the end result is completely
random, or if it actually tries to line up 4-puyo clumps between
adjacent columns...
1P: 0.08 0.05 0.03 0.02 0.01
2P: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Seriri:
Minna, Nakayoku Shite Ne (~4.6 seconds) - All unattached (color) puyos
will turn into the most numerous color on your playing field.
1P: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
2P: (same)
Suketoudara:
Finish (~3.5 seconds) - All (color) puyos of the most numerous color
will turn into the second-most numerous color.
1P: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
2P: (same)
Harpy:
Kawaru Wa Yo~ (~4.0 seconds) - All jama-puyos turn into color puyos
(randomly). The number of colors is the same as for Harpy on that
stage.
1P: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
2P: (same)
Witch:
Falling Thunder (~3.7 seconds) - All puyos in the highest column, and
any attached puyos (attached to a puyo in that column), are removed.
1P: 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.02
2P: 0.20 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01
Dragon:
(Gogagogogo-!) (~3.6 seconds) - All puyos in the highest column, and
any attached puyos (attached to a puyo in that column), turn into the
most numerous color on your playing field.
1P: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
2P: (same)
Chico:
Gaia Cube (~3.6 seconds) - All puyos in rows 4 and 8, and any attached
puyos (attached to a puyo in row 4 or 8), turn into the most numerous
color on your playing field.
1P: 0.08 0.05 0.03 0.015 0.008
2P: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Schezo Wegey:
Areia-do Special (~4.1 seconds) - All puyos along the X that spans the
bottom half of the screen (from (1,1) to (6,6), and from (1,6) to
(6,1), and all attached puyos (attached to one of the puyos along that
X), are removed.
1P: 0.30 0.20 0.15 0.075 0.03
2P: 0.20 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01
(Note: I'm not quite sure about the spelling of the first word of
Schezo's attack, so I'm leaving it as a direct romanization...)
Rulue:
Shin Jo-oh Ranbu (~7.0 seconds) - Your playing field is turned
upside-down (i.e. top becomes bottom, and vice versa), and all
jama-puyos are removed.
1P: 0.06 0.04 0.02 0.01 0.006
2P: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Satan-sama:
Satan-sama Cross (~4.7 seconds) - All puyos in columns 3-4, and rows
6-9 are removed.
1P: 0.10 0.07 0.04 0.02 0.01
2P: 0.10 0.07 0.04 0.02 0.005
Doppelganger Arle (D.Arle, Doppel-Arle):
Void Hole (~4.1 seconds) - A jama-puyo shield (see Arle's Super).
Lasts twice as long (30 seconds!) as Arle's Super. However, in 1P
Mode, Doppel-Arle's build rate seems to drop to 0 (!) after only four
uses of her Super... and in 2P Mode, Doppel-Arle's Super does take
longer than Arle's Super to build up, so...
1P: 0.06 0.05 0.02 0.01 0.000
2P: 0.02 0.015 0.008 0.004 0.002
Carbuncle:
(Guggugu-!) (~4.1 seconds) - Every puyo on your playing field will
randomly turn into a color puyo (one of three colors).
1P: 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.005 0.003 (same as Arle)
2P: (same)
And if anybody's interested, here are build rate charts for 1P and 2P
Modes, listing build rates from lowest to highest: (note: the following is
not necessarily indicative of how effective a character's Super is (well,
with Skeleton-T at the top, that should be pretty obvious, but... =) ))
Character 1P Mode build rate (for Super)
--------- ------------------------------
Skeleton-T 0.01 0.008 0.005 0.002 0.001
Arle Nadja 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.005 0.003
Carbuncle 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.005 0.003
Kiki Mora 0.04 0.025 0.015 0.007 0.004
Draco Centauros 0.04 0.025 0.015 0.007 0.004
Seriri 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Suketoudara 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Harpy 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Dragon 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Rulue 0.06 0.04 0.02 0.01 0.006
Doppelganger Arle 0.06 0.05 0.02 0.01 0.000
Panotty 0.08 0.05 0.03 0.015 0.008
Chico 0.08 0.05 0.03 0.015 0.008
Nohoho 0.08 0.05 0.03 0.02 0.01
Satan-sama 0.10 0.07 0.04 0.02 0.01
Archan 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.02
Witch 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.02
Schezo 0.30 0.20 0.15 0.075 0.03
Character 2P Mode build rate (for Super)
--------- ------------------------------
Skeleton-T 0.01 0.008 0.005 0.002 0.001
Doppelganger Arle 0.02 0.015 0.008 0.004 0.002
Arle Nadja 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.005 0.003
Carbuncle 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.005 0.003
Kiki Mora 0.04 0.025 0.015 0.007 0.004
Draco Centauros 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Nohoho 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Seriri 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Suketoudara 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Harpy 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Dragon 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Chico 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Rulue 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Satan-sama 0.10 0.07 0.04 0.02 0.005
Panotty 0.15 0.075 0.05 0.025 0.01
Witch 0.20 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01
Schezo Wegey 0.20 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01
Archan 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.02
II.3 What does Zen-keshi do in Puyo4?
Similar to Puyo2, Zen-keshi (making disappear *all* pieces (including
jama-puyos) from your playing field) in Puyo4 will give you a jama-puyo
bonus on your next chain. Oh, you also get a score bonus for having
accomplished a Zen-keshi...
II.4 How hot do you like your curry?
If you hadn't already known, you've probably surmised by now that
Arle and Carbuncle like curry. Which I suppose is as good a reason as any
for pretty much all the difficulty select menus in Puyo4 having been done
according to curry strength... ^^; Basically, the hotter the curry, the
more challenging the game...
Anyhow, here's a quick little listing:
Super Mild Super Easy
Extra Mild Very Easy
Mild Easy
Medium Normal
Hot Hard
Extra Hot Very Hard
Super Hot Super Hard
--------------------
III. Codes and Stuff
--------------------
III.1 Are there any hidden characters?
Yep. Doppelganger Arle and Carbuncle are releasable as playable
characters in 1P Free Taisen, and 2-4P modes.
A. Doppelganger Arle - Simply finish 1P Story Mode (continues don't
matter), and Doppelganger Arle will become available at the
(invisible) spot to the left of Satan-sama on the character select
screen. Alternatively, on the character select screen (I think
you can do this anywhere on the character select screen), you can
simply press the Y button while holding the L trigger about
halfway, in order to release Doppel-Arle as a playable character.
This can be done on any controller (P1-P4), I believe. This code
cannot be done with the arcade stick, however, as it has neither
L nor R trigger...
B. Carbuncle - Simply finish 1P Story Mode, and Carbuncle will become
available at the (invisible) spot to the right of Schezo on the
character select screen. Alternatively: hold R trigger about
halfway, and press the Y button, while on the character select
screen.
Note: If you have trouble with the L/R "halfway" point in the codes
above, you can simply pull the trigger completely, then slowly release it
while hitting the Y button a lot, and you'll probably hit the right point
somewhere along the way...
Note2: The above codes (half-trigger+Y) are *temporary* codes, and
will release the hidden characters only for the duration of that gaming
session. They cannot be saved to your memory card, so once you turn off
or reset your system, they'll be gone. If you want Doppel-Arle and
Carbuncle permanently available, you'll just have to finish 1P Story
Mode...
III.2 Is Another Dimension Stage selectable in 2P Mode?
Not initially. But once you've finished 1P Story Mode, Another
Dimension (I-jigen Stage) will become available for use in 2P Mode.
III.3 Are there more than five handicap levels in 2P Mode?
There are seven. To get Super Mild, press and hold up (for a couple
seconds) on the d-pad at Extra Mild. To get Super Hot, press and hold
down (for a couple seconds) on the d-pad at Extra Hot.
III.4 I heard there's a 108-chain demo in Tokoton Mode. Is that true?
Indeed it is. After selecting Super-Chibi Puyo mode, put the level
select on Medium, then hold X and Y, and press A. The screen will be
completely filled, except for the final piece, which you get to drop.
Note: The 108-chain demo takes a little over 2 minutes to complete...
after which time your score will be over 388 trillion(!). If you want,
you can keep playing from there, but after a 108-chain, things'll probably
be a bit anticlimactic... ^^;
III.5 Is there a way to view the pause screen more clearly?
Yep. After pausing your game, hold down the X and Y buttons, and
you'll be able to get a clear view of the background and mini-characters.
(This works in all modes of the game, btw, including TokoPuyo and
TokoNazo...)
--------------------------------------
IV. Hitori de PuyoPuyo (1P Mode) Stuff
--------------------------------------
IV.1 Can Arle use her Super in Story Mode?
Arle can use her Super in Renshuu (Practice) Mode and Free Taisen
Mode, but not in Story Mode. During the course of the Story, however,
Arle will gain companions (Draco (after Stage 5), Seriri (after Stage 7),
Witch (after Stage 10), and Chico (after Stage 12)). Before a battle
begins, a companion can be chosen as a support character, which allows
Arle the use of that companion's Super for that battle.
Note: the build rate for your Super in Story Mode will be the build
rate for the support character, and not Arle's build rate...
Draco: 0.04 0.025 0.015 0.007 0.004
Seriri: 0.05 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005
Witch: 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.02
Chico: 0.08 0.05 0.03 0.015 0.008
IV.2 What are the rule variations for each opponent?
Here's an organized summary (note: for detailed information on rule
variations (6 at a time, slow fall, multipliers, transparent walls...),
see the 2P section of this document...):
[Key: (common rules)
Stage # Opponent # of puyo colors other notes
(note: characters who will join your party marked by: *)]
Circus Stage: (standard rules)
1 Skeleton-T 3 colors
2 Archan 3 colors
3 Kiki 4 colors
Volcano Stage: (up to 6 jama-puyos (1 row) at a time)
4 Panotty 3 colors
5 *Draco 4 colors
Aqua Stage: (slow fall...)
6 Nohoho 3 colors tokuten-50 jama-puyos
7 *Seriri 4 colors
Floating Stage: (multipliers)
8 Suketoudara 4 colors
9 Harpy 3 colors
10 *Witch 4 colors
Ruin Stage: (initial jama-puyos)
11 Dragon 3 colors (regular ojama-puyos)
0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1
T T T T T T
(T=300)
12 *Chico 4 colors kata1 jama-puyos
1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2
T T T T T T
(T=1K)
13 Schezo 4 colors kata1 jama-puyos
2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 4 4 3 3
3 4 T T 4 3
(T=10K)
Outside Circus: (Rulue Stage: multipliers, 6 jama-puyos at a time)
14 Rulue 4 colors
Another Dimension: (multipliers, transparent walls)
15 Satan-sama 5 colors
16 Doppel-Arle 4 colors slow drop, kata4 jama-puyos
8 0 0 0 0 8
9 8 0 0 8 9
T 9 8 8 9 T
(T=500K)
And here are the rules for Arle's and Carbuncle's stages (1P Free
Taisen mode):
(Standard rules)
** Arle 4 colors
** Carbuncle 3 colors tokuten-100 jama-puyos
IV.3 Would you have any tips on improving my high scores?
Um, yeah. Abuse the bonuses. More specifically, abuse the Slot
Bonus. Here's a quick summary of the bonus screen, fyi:
Time Bonus - based on how quickly you defeat your opponent.
Ojama-puyo Bonus - based on how many jama-puyos are still waiting
to fall, when you've defeated your opponent.
Slot Bonus - based on how few pieces (including jama-puyos) are
left on your board when you win.
Rensa Bonus - based on maximum chain for that round.
Total - total bonus points (all of the above added up); this is
not a separate bonus. ^^
If, when you win, you have *no* pieces on your board, you'll get a
slot bonus of 1,000,000 (1 million!) points. This is by far the largest
bonus I've seen in the game, and probably the easiest way to earn a
million points (I suppose that for a 19-chain or something, there might be
a comparably large (or maybe larger) bonus, but imho, the million point
Slot Bonus is easier to get, so...).
Note on support character: Remember to use your support character's
Super to minimize the number of leftover pieces, when you're about to win.
I usually use Draco as a support character (she's pretty useful
defensively, and she can clear the Ruin Stage clutter right from the
beginning), though Seriri's Super could be useful at the endgame, I
suppose... as could Witch's, I guess...
Oh, in case anybody's interested, here's a chart listing all the
possible Slot Bonuses: (listings from 0 to 72 pieces left on your board)
0 - 1,000,000
1 - 500,000 19 - 8,000 37 - 3,500 55 - 1,700
2 - 200,000 20 - 7,000 38 - 3,400 56 - 1,600
3 - 105,000 21 - 6,000 39 - 3,300 57 - 1,500
4 - 95,000 22 - 5,000 40 - 3,200 58 - 1,400
5 - 85,000 23 - 4,900 41 - 3,100 59 - 1,300
6 - 75,000 24 - 4,800 42 - 3,000 60 - 1,200
7 - 65,000 25 - 4,700 43 - 2,900 61 - 1,100
8 - 55,000 26 - 4,600 44 - 2,800 62 - 1,000
9 - 45,000 27 - 4,500 45 - 2,700 63 - 900
10 - 35,000 28 - 4,400 46 - 2,600 64 - 800
11 - 25,000 29 - 4,300 47 - 2,500 65 - 700
12 - 15,000 30 - 4,200 48 - 2,400 66 - 600
13 - 14,000 31 - 4,100 49 - 2,300 67 - 500
14 - 13,000 32 - 4,000 50 - 2,200 68 - 400
15 - 12,000 33 - 3,900 51 - 2,100 69 - 300
16 - 11,000 34 - 3,800 52 - 2,000 70 - 200
17 - 10,000 35 - 3,700 53 - 1,900 71 - 24,244
18 - 9,000 36 - 3,600 54 - 1,800 72 - 0
Side note: Note that for 71 pieces (i.e. one free space on your
board), instead of the expected 100 points, you actually get a bonus of
24244 points! (btw, for those of you who aren't familiar with Japanese
numeric word representations, "24" can interpreted as "puyo"... =) ) fyi,
the 24244 point bonus also occurs for max rensa = 1 (making it worth more
than an 8-chain rensa bonus!). And 24244 also appears as the default 2nd
place high score for 1P Story Mode...
-------------------------------------
V. Futari de PuyoPuyo (2P Mode) Stuff
-------------------------------------
V.1 What are the rule variations for each stage?
Here's a summary and explanations of the 2P stage rule variations:
Circus Stage: Standard rules.
Volcano Stage: Jama-puyos will fall up to only 1 row (6 jama-puyos)
at a time (note: standard is 5 rows).
Aqua Stage: Puyos will fall more slowly when separated, and during
chains (and other falling effects such as may be caused by
some Supers).
Floating Stage: The amount of points you get for each (color?) puyo
you make disappear will be multiplied according to what row
it's on, as follows:
rows 1-4 x1
rows 5-6 x2
rows 7-8 x3
row 9 x4
row 10 x5
row 11 x6
row 12 x7
Note that these multiplicatives will add to your chain points,
and thus can lead to jama-puyo bonuses...
Ruin Stage: Jama-puyos will fall (up to 5 rows at a time, as usual,
btw) as kata2-puyos (note: you'll get 1 kata2-puyo for every 3
ojama-puyos you'd get normally). Also, the initial screen
will have tokuten-puyos and jama-puyos, as follows (note: this
is the same as the Chico stage initial setup in 1P Mode...):
1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2
T T T T T T
(T = 1000 pts)
Another Dimension: Neither player may use Supers (!). Also, the
walls are "transparent", such that for color puyo adjacency
purposes, columns 1 and 6 are considered to be adjacent.
Note, however, that this does *not* apply to making jama-puyos
disappear (or weaker)... so, for example, a color puyo at
(1,1) disappearing will *not* (alas) affect a jama-puyo at
(6,1)...
Edit: Customizable rules.
V.2 Could you help me out with the Edit rules?
Sure. Here are the Edit mode stats, defaults, and options:
Margin time 96 sec. (0, 32, 64, 96, 128, 160, 192, none)
Rensa shibari none (none, 2-20-chain)
Ojama-puyo normal (normal, tokuten-puyo A-C,
kata-puyo A-C)
Kieru suu 4 (2-36)
Kihon rate 120 (10-1000, by 10s)
Ojama limit 5 rows (1-5 rows, none)
Chigire rakka normal (slow, normal, fast)
Puyo kihon ten fixed (fixed, A, B, C)
Puyo shoki haichi none (none, A, B, C)
And here are some more detailed descriptions of the Edit mode stats:
Margin time - After this amount of time has passed, attacks will
start doing more damage...
Rensa shibari - Minimum chain. No jama-puyos will be generated
from any attack, unless its chain number equals or exceeds
this number.
Ojama-puyo - Defines what type of jama-puyo will be generated by
attacks. Tokuten-puyo A, B, and C are 50-, 200-, and
800-point tokuten-puyos, respectively. Kata-puyo A, B, and C
are kata1-, kata2-, and kata7-puyos, respectively. Hmmm,
kata4-puyos (Doppel-Arle Stage) don't appear to be an option
here...
Kieru suu - Disappearance number. The minimum number of puyos of
the same color that have to be attached, in order for them to
disappear.
Kihon rate - This number determines the point-based jama-puyo
bonus. The smaller this number, the larger the jama-puyo
bonuses...
Ojama limit - This is how many rows of jama-puyos can fall at a
time, maximum.
Chigire rakka - Falling speed. This sets how quickly or slowly
puyos will fall when separated, and during chains (and other
falling effects).
Puyo kihon ten - Multiplicatives. The amount of points you get
for each (color?) puyo you make disappear is multiplied
according to its row number, as follows (numbers are
multiplicatives, listed for rows 1-12, in order):
A: 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3
B: 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
C: 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 6 0 8
Hmmm, the standard Floating Stage multiplicatives (1 1 1 1 2 2
3 3 4 5 6 7) don't appear to be an option here... =/
Puyo shoki haichi - Initial jama-puyos. This sets the initial
jama-puyo patterns, as follows:
A: same as Dragon stage (Stage 11, 1P Story Mode)
B: same as Chico stage (Stage 12)
C: same as Schezo stage (Stage 13)
Hmm, the initial jama-puyo setup from Doppel-Arle's stage
(Stage 16) doesn't seem to be an option... =/
Well, hope all that helps!
V.3 Out of curiosity, whose background is used on each of the 2P stages?
Here's a quick listing:
Circus Stage Stage 1 background (Skeleton-T)
Volcano Stage Stage 5 background (Draco)
Aqua Stage Stage 7 background (Seriri)
Floating Stage Stage 10 background (Witch)
Ruin Stage Stage 12 background (Chico)
Another Dimension Stage 15 background (Satan-sama)
Edit mode stage Stage 14 background (Rulue)
Another Dimension, btw, also uses the BGM from Satan-sama's stage...
--------------------------
VI. Tokoton PuyoPuyo Stuff
--------------------------
VI.1 Hey! How come the game won't record my high scores?
In each mode of TokoPuyo, there are actually four, and not just three
options. The cleverly hidden fourth option (it's not grouped with the
other three, and so may not be immediately apparent) is Time Attack, which
is basically a limited time version of the "Medium" (4 puyo colors)
course. High scores are recorded only from Time Attack.
Here's some more info on each TokoPuyo course, including the time
limits for Time Attack mode...
Mode dimensions danger column time limit
Ookii PuyoPuyo 4x7 2 5 minutes
Futsuu no PuyoPuyo 6x12 3 10 minutes
Chiisai PuyoPuyo 10x16 5 20 minutes
Super-Chibi Puyo 16x26 8 30 minutes
VI.2 Do you know of any cute Carbuncle tricks?
Just one. If you pause and exit your TokoPuyo game while Carbuncle
is spinning (a 3-chain should do the trick), then reselect a TokoPuyo
mode, the first thing Carbuncle will do after falling onto the screen is
start spinning again! If you refrain from selecting a difficulty, I think
he'll just keep on spinning, indefinitely... ^^;
---------------------------
VII. Tokoton NazoPuyo Stuff
---------------------------
VII.1 Are the TokoNazo conditions in each course always the same?
Yep. They're presented in a random order, however. Here's a quick
summary of the conditions used for each course:
Very Mild: (5)
1-2: Draco
3-5: Skeleton-T
1-chain 5 at once
2-chain 5 at once
2-chain
Mild: (10)
1-2: Seriri
3-4: Suketoudara
5-6: Momomo
7-8: Archan
9-10: Lagnus
2-chain 3-chain
2-chain 5 at once
2-chain 6 at once
3-chain 6 at once
3-chain 2 colors at same time
Normal: (20)
1-4: Chico
5-7: Panotty
8-10: Kiki
11-13: Dragon
14-16: Minotauros
17-20: Rulue
2-chain 4-chain 6 at once
2-chain 4-chain 7 at once
3-chain 4-chain 7 at once
3-chain 5-chain 8 at once
3-chain 5-chain 2 colors at same time
3-chain 5 at once 2 colors at same time
4-chain 6 at once
Hot: (30)
1-5: Witch
6-10: Incubus
11-14: Harpy
15-19: Nohoho
20-24: HoneyBee
25-30: Schezo
3-chain 5-chain 6 at once
3-chain 5-chain 7 at once
3-chain 6-chain 7 at once
4-chain 6-chain 9 at once
4-chain 6-chain 10 at once
4-chain 6-chain 12 at once
4-chain 7-chain 2 colors at same time
5-chain 7-chain 2 colors at same time
5-chain 8-chain 2 colors at same time
5-chain 5 at once 2 colors at same time
Extra Hot: (5)
1-2: Satan-sama
3-4: Doppel-Arle
5: Carbuncle
10-chain
12-chain
18 at once
24 at once
4 colors at same time
Remember, the conditions given are *minimal* conditions, so if the
game says to do a 2-chain, that actually means "do a 2-chain or higher"
(i.e. you don't necessarily have to do *exactly* a 2-chain)...
VII.2 Help! Do you have any tips for the Extra Hot course?
Umm, sure. Here are some setup patterns you can use as general
guidelines...
10-chain: (see 12-chain)
Note: It's probably quickest if you use whatever setup pattern you
normally use for a 10-chain. But if that gives you trouble,
you could always try a shorter version of the 12-chain
pattern, below...
12-chain: (trigger with g)
b
y
g
g
g r g b y y
y b r g b r
y b r g b y
y b r g b y
b g b r g y
g b r g y r
g b r g y r
g b r g y r
Note1: The above will actually give you a 13-chain. Of course, if
you're lucky enough to get a y-b piece (or whatever the
equivalent color pair is in your pattern) at the 12-chain
mark, then you can set it off as a 12-chain...
Note2: I usually like starting with the 12-chain condition
(remember, conditions are presented in a random order, so by
quitting and restarting, you can eventually get whichever of
the 5 conditions you want first), since it takes up the most
setup room of the 5, so starting with a clean board can be
useful...
18 at once: (trigger with b)
y g r
y g r
y g r
b b b
y g r
y g r
y g r
24 at once: (trigger with b)
y g r g
y g r g
y g r g
b b b b
y g b r g
y g b r g
y g b r g
4 colors at same time: (trigger with r)
. r
. g
. y
. b r r r
. r g g g
. r y y y
. r b b b
Note: Remember to keep the column to the left of your setup empty
(or at least, with no more than 2 pieces in it), so that you
have room for the r (or whatever equivalent color you're
using) piece you need to set the whole thing off...
------------------------
VIII. Options Menu Stuff
------------------------
VIII.1 How do you earn stuff in the Demo Viewer?
The Demo Viewer initially starts out with the Rules Demo (runs about
1:45) and Skeleton-T. Additional demos are earned as you encounter them
in 1P Story Mode (note: even if Demo Mode is OFF, you'll still get the
appropriate demos in the demo viewer). "Ending" and "All" are earned upon
completing Story Mode. "All" basically runs all demos from Skeleton-T to
Ending (this takes about 27:30 to complete).
Here's the complete list of demos, if anybody's interested:
Rules Demo, Skeleton-T, Archan, Kiki Mora, Panotty, Draco, Nohoho,
Seriri, Suketoudara, Harpy, Witch, Dragon, Chico, Schezo, Rulue,
Satan-sama, Doppel-Arle, Ending, All.
--------------
IX. Miscellany
--------------
IX.1 Is there a soft reset command?
Yep. Hold A+B+X+Y and press START to reset Puyo4 back to the main
title screen. From there, if you enter the reset command again, you'll
exit the game and go to the main Dreamcast menu.
IX.2 Is there an auto-save process?
There is. If you watch the upper left corner of your VMU screen,
you'll be able to spot the auto-save points (the game appears to save
every time you exit the Options Menu, for example, as well as after every
game you play; there may be some other auto-save points, but those are
(imho) the most obvious...). If you're unsure whether you've passed an
auto-save point, you can always save manually from the Options Menu...
IX.3 Is the VMU screen used for anything interesting?
During a battle, Carbuncle will dance (and do various other things)
on your VMU screen, starting with the "Ready... start!" demo we remember
from Puyo3, Puyo2, and even Puyo1... and ending with a Win or Lose
message.
I'm not sure how many different things Carbuncle can do during the
course of a battle, but if you're interested, note that the VMU Carbuncle
is unaffected by a paused game, so you can simply pause, then watch him
all you want...
IX.4 Momomo, Lagnus, Minotauros, Incubus, and HoneyBee are in the manual,
but do they appear anywhere in the game?
Yes. They're in Tokoton NazoPuyo mode. =)
IX.5 Are there any CD tracks on the game CD?
Yes, but they don't seem to be playable on a normal CD player. Alas,
it looks like you'll have to play them on the Dreamcast system CD Player
(which is a fairly minimal CD player (lacking even scan buttons, for
example...)). On a normal CD player, you'll probably only be able to read
the first two tracks, the first of which is a DATA track, and the second
of which is the warning track. Speaking of which...
** WARNING - Do not play CD ROM data tracks on regular CD players!
You risk damage to your system, your speakers, and your hearing! **
Playing CD tracks from a game CD via the CD Player on your game system is
generally safe, though, since it's programmed to filter the data tracks
out, so it won't send them to the audio output...
Okay, now that that's out of the way... Here follow track listings
and basic descriptions for the CD tracks on the Puyo4 game disc (note that
not all of the time data has been double-checked, so some may not be
completely accurate...):
track time description
*1 00:08 ** DATA **
2 00:15 Warning track (Arle)
*3 ?? ** DATA **
4 1:51 Title screen
5 2:14 Select menus
6 1:44 Story prologue (voice and BGM)
7 2:33 Story demo 1 (3a,5a,7a,9,10a,12a,13a,14a)
8 2:10 Story demo 2 (1,2,3b,4,5b,6,7b,8,10b,11,12b,13b,
14b); Renshuu ending
9 2:49 Satan-sama conversation (demo 15)
10 3:59 Doppel-Arle conversation (demo 16a)
11 2:24 Ending BGM (demo 16b)
12 4:52 End credits
13 2:28 High scores; choose support character
14 2:45 Rules demo; 1P Renshuu BGM
15 3:32 Circus Stage
16 2:44 Volcano Stage
17 2:55 Aqua Stage
18 3:56 Floating Stage
19 2:48 Ruin Stage
20 3:05 Rulue Stage (Outside Circus)
21 2:27 Satan-sama Stage (Another Dimension)
22 3:05 Doppelganger Arle Stage (Another Dimension II)
23 2:36 Arle Stage; Edit Mode Stage
24 3:10 Carbuncle Stage; Tokoton PuyoPuyo BGM
25 3:04 Tokoton NazoPuyo BGM
26 2:05 ??
*27 ?? ** DATA **
total: 27 tracks, 122:04
total playable: 24 tracks, 65:31
IX.6 Is there anything else neat on the game CD?
Yep. If you put your game CD in your computer's CD ROM drive, you
should find (on the root directory) a file called Omake.bmp. This is a
bitmap file (510x425), basically a Puyo4 picture featuring Arle (and
Carbuncle).
IX.7 Would you happen to have a complete cast list?
Well, it's not complete (D.Arle, some of the Puyo3 characters, and
the prologue narrator are missing), but... Here you go:
Arle Nadja Motoi Emi
Skeleton-T Ogata Kenichi
Archan Gotou Yuuko
Kiki Mora Hikita Yumi
Panotty Mizuta Wasabi
Draco Centauros Miura Tomoko
Nohoho Ogata Kenichi
Seriri Kawasaki Eriko
Suketoudara Nagashima Yuuichi
Harpy Kohrogi Satomi
Witch Mizutani Yuuko
Dragon Hoshino Chizuko
Chico Minami Kyouko
Schezo Wegey Matsumoto Yasunori
Rulue Hoshino Chizuko
Satan-sama Ono Kenichi
Carbuncle Mamiya Kurumi
Momomo Masano Sakiko
-------------------
X. Thanks and Stuff
-------------------
Thanks to:
Compile's Dreamcast PuyoPuyo~n webpages
(
http://www.compile.co.jp/game/history/dc/puyo4/index.html), for the
hidden character info, the taisen Another Dimension stage info, the
"super hot" and "super mild" handicap levels, and the 108-chain
tokoton demo code... as well as for basic text descriptions of
almost every (everyone except Satan-sama) character's Super...
Dreamcast Fan magazine
(issue 1999, No. 6, 3/12), for basic text and visual explanations of
most (everyone except Satan-sama, Doppel-Arle, and Carbuncle) of the
characters' Supers...
Hitoshi Doi
(
http://www.win.ne.jp/~doi/), for the Puyo4 cast (seiyuu) info...
Joe Monson
(
http://www.enol.com/~nihon/), among other things, for purchasing a
copy of Puyo4 for me! =)
(eof)
