Tales of Phantasia Combo Command FAQ version 1.0 by Kabouterterror

CURRENT PROGRESS: NORMAL TECHS    : COMPLETE!
                 COMBO TECHS     : 17 OF 18 TECHS FOUND
                 TOTAL PROGRESS  : 34 OF 35 TECHS FOUND

Contents:

1. About the Combo Command
       a. What is the Combo Command?
       b. Where can I get the Combo Command?
       c. How do I use it?
       d. Things you should know before using the Combo Command

2. List of Combos
       a. Normal techs
       b. Combo techs

3. How to create your own combolist

4. Email policy

5. Credits


NOTE: The only tech still missing is Soul Strike. If you got it, please
email it to me! I'll give you full credit in the FAQ!



Introduction:

Hello and welcome to my first FAQ! I always wanted to write one but
I didn't want to write about something other people already wrote
about. Besides, writing a whole walkthrough takes way too much time.
I noticed at gamefaqs that there where no FAQS about the Combo
Command so I decided to make one of my own. I hope this will be of
any use to anybody. Have fun!

If you know about Combo Command combinations that aren't mentioned
in the FAQ, feel free to email me! It's only a minute's work, and
you would help a lot of people with it! Look in section 3 for info
about contacting me.

This FAQ is based on the English translation of Tales of Phantasia
by DEJAP. Don't ask me questions about the Japanese version since
I don't know Japanese. I am using the SNES version of the game for
the FAQ so don't send me info about the Playstation version.


Version History:

0.1     5 april 2002: Created the FAQ. Added all the combinations I
       know about. This list is far from complete, but more combos
       will hopefully follow soon.

0.7     8 april 2002: Forgot to add Psion Bolt in first release. I also
       forgot Lionheart even though it was already mentioned in the
       FAQ (oops). I also added some new combo techs: Flare Talon and
       Thor's Wrath. Lots of other techs added, thanks to
       Anothergamer! (see the end of this file for the full list) Also
       added a progress counter (to see how many techs are left to
       find). Added an additional note about spells interrupting
       techs. Some other minor changes. (this version was never
       posted)

0.9     9 april 2002: I figured out Bolt Crash and Earth's Rage, so
       they were added to the FAQ. Which means there is only one tech
       left to find! (I finished this about half a week ago, but I
       forgot to post it so don't blame Gamefaqs)

1.0     2 october 2004: After years of being too lazy to update the faq,
       I finally decided to make some changes. The link to the combo
       file is removed, because it no longer works (and hasn't for a
       long time; sorry for not updating). Instead, I have added a
       section how to create one of your own. This will probably be
       final version, as I haven't played the game for some time and
       I'm not really interested in playing it soon. You can still
       email me about the faq, but I do not have internet access on
       weekdays, so don't expect an answer soon.

And now, on to the real FAQ!


1. About the Combo Command


a. What is the Combo Command?

The Combo Command is a nifty item that allows Cless to use any tech
in the game. These techs are executed by pressing certain key
combinations, like in a fighting game. The more powerful the tech,
the longer it's combination (so techs like Teleport are really
long).


b. Where can I get the Combo Command?

You can buy the Combo Command at Aegis' Workshop in the future (if
you can't find it, it's on a small island at the northeast of Ary
and south-southwest of Olive village, so you can only get there
after you get the Airbirds).

Talk to the little boy at the counter to buy the CC. However, it costs
5000000 (yes five million) gold pieces so you'll have to save up
quite a lot of money. You probably won't be able to buy it until
you've got the Eternal Sword (unless you fight a lot). I think this
is done on purpose, so you can't use the Combo Command to execute
techs Cless hasn't learned yet, but I don't know this for sure.


c. How do I use it?

After you bought one, simply go to the equip screen and equip it
on one of Cless' accessoiry slots. It also raises slice and stab
power a little (10 points). Unfortunately, this means you can only
have one other accessoiry equipped so you can't use many of the
amulets that prevent status effects together with a Jade Ring
combined with this. Still, I think the CC is worth trying since
you'll have a lot more techs at your disposal, making Cless a lot
more versatile (Lionheart works really well in the Tournament
since it is cheap, and it deals non-elemental damage (I think) so
you can keep Excalibur equipped against enemies immune to Dark).


d. Things you should know before using the Combo Command

As I mentioned before, the CC works with key combinations like
those in fighting games. This doesn't mean you have to be an expert
at fighting games (the combinations in ToP are quite easy) but it
is useful if you can press key combinations fast. This is because
you must enter the whole combination without being hit, or you'll
have to start again. The only exception is when you receive 0
damage or absorb the attack, because this doesn't interrupt the
combination (blocking an attack DOES interrupt a combo).

NOTE: I noticed that the combo is also interrupted when somebody casts
a spell (that means one of your party members or the enemy)(this was
also confirmed by Anothergamer).

Some of the people you meet in the game will tell you they know a
"secret" and then list a lot of directions. These are, of course,
key combinations for the CC. Sometimes they will say "Attack!" at
the end. Keep in mind they always mean the B button with this, not
the A button. (You obviously don't need those directions since you have
this FAQ ;)

It is fun to kill all your enemies with a lot of techs, but keep in
mind that they still cost TP, so you can't use the CC endlessly. If
a combo doesn't work, check if Cless has run out of TP.

Another important thing to remember is that the direction Cless is
facing doesn't have an effect on key combinations. In most fighting
games, you have to press something like forward or backward, which
could be left or right depending on the location of the enemy. In
key combinations in ToP, left is always left and right is always
right, regardless of the location of the enemy.

An example:

Cless fights a Bugbear and uses the Psion Bolt tech. Cless stands
on the left side of the battle screen, while the monster is on the
right. You press the combination, which is down, downright,
right, B. In a fighting game, when the monster was to the left of
Cless the combination would be reversed, namely down, downleft,
left, B. However, in ToP this is not the case. When the monster
is to the left of Cless, you still have to press down, downright,
right, B.

Finally, I have not listed the techs by range, since it doesn't
matter when you use the CC. All techs can be used at any range, you
just have to pick a target. I did however, split up the normal and
combo techs (those learned from books which can be bought at
trainers) since 1. they are harder to execute and 2. it would make
the list very long and messy.


2. List of Combos

All techs are sorted alphabetically, not by the order in which you
learn them. Note that all techs in the FAQ have been verified by me, so
they should work.

a. Normal techs

Most of these are quite easy except Soul Edge, Soul Wave and Teleport.

BLADE STORM     :   UPRIGHT, RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT, B

DUAL KICK       :   DOWN, DOWNLEFT, LEFT, B

EIR'S LOVE      :   DOWNLEFT, DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, UP, B

FIREBRAND       :   DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, RIGHT, UPRIGHT, B

FOCUS           :   UP, UP, B

FOCUS MORE      :   DOWN, DOWN, B

FURY SLASH      :   UP, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, B

GALE SHIELD     :   DOWNRIGHT, DOWN, DOWNLEFT, UP, B

LIGHTNING BOLT  :   UPRIGHT, LEFT, DOWNLEFT, DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, B

LIONHEART       :   UPLEFT, DOWNRIGHT, UPLEFT, RIGHT, B

MAGMA RIFT      :   RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B

PHOENIX         :   LEFT, RIGHT, UPRIGHT, DOWNLEFT, B

PSION BOLT      :   DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, RIGHT

SOUL EDGE       :   RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT, DOWN, DOWNLEFT, LEFT, RIGHT,
                   DOWN, UP, B

SOUL WAVE       :   RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT, DOWN, DOWNLEFT, LEFT, RIGHT, UP,
                   DOWN, B

TELEPORT        :   RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT, DOWN, DOWNLEFT, LEFT, RIGHT,
                   LEFT, RIGHT, B

TIGER TEETH     :   RIGHT, DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, B


b. Combo techs

These are harder to execute so practice the normal ones first. You
first have to press the combination of one tech, then the other and
then B, but this is not always the case (one or two buttons may be
different). I'm still looking for Soul Strike but that is one of the
hardest combinations to find :(

BOLT CRASH      :   UPRIGHT, LEFT, DOWNLEFT, DOWN, DOWN, DOWNLEFT,
                   LEFT, B

BURNING SOUL    :   LEFT, RIGHT, UPRIGHT, DOWNLEFT, UP, UPRIGHT, RIGHT,
                   DOWNRIGHT, B

CINDER HAWK     :   LEFT, RIGHT, UPRIGHT, DOWNLEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT,
                   B

EARTH'S RAGE    :   UPRIGHT, LEFT, DOWNLEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT,
                   B

FLARE TALON     :   LEFT, RIGHT, UPRIGHT, DOWNLEFT, DOWN, DOWNLEFT,
                   LEFT, B

LION CLAWS      :   UPLEFT, DOWNRIGHT, UPLEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, UPRIGHT,
                   RIGHT, DOWNLEFT, B

LION FLARE      :   UPLEFT, DOWNRIGHT, UPLEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT,
                   LEFT, RIGHT, B

LION LUNGE      :   UPLEFT, DOWNRIGHT, UPLEFT, RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT, DOWN,
                   DOWNLEFT, LEFT, B

LION TEETH      :   UPLEFT, DOWNRIGHT, UPLEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT,
                   DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, B

MAGMA BOLT      :   DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B

MECHA BLADE     :   DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, DOWN,
                   DOWNRIGHT, B

ODIN'S WRATH    :   LEFT, RIGHT, UPRIGHT, DOWNLEFT, RIGHT, DOWN,
                   DOWNRIGHT, B

PSION KICK      :   DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT, DOWN, DOWNLEFT,
                   LEFT, B

PSION STORM     :   DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, RIGHT, LEFT, UPRIGHT, RIGHT,
                   DOWNRIGHT, B

SOUL FORGE      :   RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT, DOWN, DOWNLEFT, LEFT, RIGHT,
(really hard)       DOWN, UP, RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT, DOWN, DOWNLEFT, LEFT,
                   RIGHT, UP, DOWN, B

TEMPEST         :   UPRIGHT, LEFT, DOWNLEFT, DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, UPRIGHT,
                   RIGHT, DOWNRIGHT

THOR'S WRATH    :   UPRIGHT, LEFT, DOWNLEFT, DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, RIGHT,
                   DOWN, DOWNRIGHT, B


3. How to create your own combolist

Somebody requested this ages ago, but I admit I was too forgetful or
lazy to put it in here. Anyway, if you want to create combos, you'll
probably have to use ZSNES, since I do not know any other way or
program to create combos.

For starters, a combolist allows you to stick a certain combination
of keyboard commands to a single key, so you could for example
execute 'Soul Strike' by pressing the letter 's'.

To create a combolist, start ZSNES, then click on 'MISC' in the upper
right of the screen. Choose 'KEY COMB.' This will open a big window
with confusing symbols, but the good news is I'm going to explain
everything. The first thing you probably want to do is to mark the
box 'GAME SPECIFIC', because you don't want to use these keys in
other games. Now, it's time for creating the list. First, I will
explain the window.

The black box at the top show a list of combos you already created.
It should be empty, since you probably never created a combo before
(otherwise, why do you read this?). The four keys on the right of the
box allow you to clear the entire list, add a combo, replace a combo
or delete one. The 'DESCRIPTION' box allows you to type a description
of the combo you're creating. The 'KEY' box the right of this is for
inputting the key for the combo (so for example, if you want the combo
'Soul Strike' to execute by pressing the letter 's' on your keyboard,
click on the box and press 's'. To the right of 'KEY' are several
switches. 'P#' lets you assign the combos to player 1, 2, 3 or 4. The
'> = LAST </>' makes you switch left and right to whatever you used
last. This is not needed for this game, so leave it off. The lower
black box is for creating a combo. Symbols show up when you click on
them below this box, telling you what the combokey actually does.

The symbols are actually easy to understand. There are three rows,
each with a list of all keys a SNES controller has. If you click on
one, it will show up in the black box above it. In this way, you for
example click 'A', so ZSNES knows that if you press the assigned key
for this combo on your keyboard, it pretends you pressed 'A'. If you
want diagonals, use them after each other without delays (more about
delays below). But why are there three different versions? To the
left of them, you see 'PRESS+REL', 'PRESS ONLY', 'and REL ONLY'.
'PRESS+REL' tells ZSNES that the key in the combo is pressed and
then released. 'PRESS ONLY' tells it to press the key and keep it
pressed. 'REL ONLY' tells it to only release a key (so it does
nothing if you didn't use 'PRESS ONLY' before for that key). For
these combos, you'll only use the first option, press and release.

Just entering the buttons in the order of the combo you want is not
enough. You'll need to use the list below the symbols for buttons.
They are frame delay and second delay. These are used between two
SNES buttons to tell ZSNES how long to wait before pressing the next
key. The amount of time to wait varies from game to game. You'll
have to use trial and error to find the right balance. But you
should not use second delay, they are too long and you do not need
them for this game. Frame delays are much shorter. The best one to
start with is usually 2. So, for example, if you want to create a
combokey for 'Psion Bolt', you use DOWN, frame delay 2, DOWN, RIGHT,
frame delay 2, RIGHT.

If you finished inputting the combo, make sure you gave it a
description and a key, then click 'ADD' to add it to the list. Now,
if you press the assigned key while playing the game, it will
execute the combo!

Finally, remember that shorter, easier combos have more chance to
work than long ones. If it doesn't work, try adjusting the delays
between keys. Long combos do not always work well. While you press
the combo key, make sure you are not pressing any other keys at the
same time, they disrupt the combo.

I hope this is information is enough to help you create your own
combo lists. Enjoy!


4. Email policy

If you want to contact me about the FAQ, email me at
[email protected]. If you want to submit a combination,
please use the name of the combination as subject of the email, so
I can see immediately which one you got (if you got multiple techs,
just use something like "Mecha Blade and more" as the subject). If
you want to send me your praises, they are much appreciated! If you
want to criticize me, go ahead, but in a useful way, like "I like
your FAQ but I would change this" or "I don't like your FAQ because
your layout is bad, so I think you should..." or something like that.
Don't send me emails like "I think your FAQ sucks and you should
delete this garbage" because nobody would be helped with that. If
you're going to criticize, do it in a constructive way, so I know
what's wrong and what could be done better. Finally, DON'T SEND ME
EMAILS ASKING FOR COMBOS!!! ALL COMBOS I KNOW ARE IN THE FAQ!
I'm just a human being and I'm not a mighty wizard or a ROM hacker
who can find all of the combos in a glance. If you want more, go look
for them and submit them, or wait for an update!

If you have any other question about the Combo Command, feel free to
ask me but first check the FAQ to make sure the answer isn't already
in there. I will not answer questions like "How do I use the CC"
because it's mentioned clearly in the FAQ. I will also not answer any
questions which do not have anything to do with the Combo Command.


5. Credits

The DEJAP team for translating ToP to English in the first place!

Crowmeister, Bertulosius, Mastah2k1, Luke Tacz and anyone else who
helped translating ToP to Dutch. Thanks a lot guys!

Densetsufreak for his help on getting this Dutch translation to work
on my rom!

All the folks on the DEJAP forum!

Anothergamer for the Firebrand, Lightning Bolt, Lion Claws, Lion Flare,
Lion Lunge, Lion Teeth, Magma Bolt, Mecha Blade, Odin's Wrath, Psion
Storm and Tempest combinations, and the CMB file. Thanks!

If you think you should deserve credit for something which has to do
with this FAQ and your name isn't mentioned here, email me and I'll
put your name on the list.


Copyright 2004 Kabouterterror.

This file cannot be posted on your site without my written
permission. You cannot sell this FAQ, or make profit out of it in
any way. You cannot post this FAQ partially or completely as your
own work. This copyright notice and the FAQ in total must remain
intact at all times.

The latest version of this FAQ can always be found at
www.gamefaqs.com. If you got it from any other site, email me
IMMEDIATELY and tell me what site you got it from.

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