Samba de Amigo (Sega (Sonic Team), Music/Rhythm Action, DCast)
Secrets FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
V1.0 10/20/00
Written by: Richard Uyeyama (ru e ama best com)*
* Instances of the letter "y", the "at" symbol, and all periods 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:
Everybody SAMBA!
...de Amigo!
http://www.best.com/~ruyeyama/dcast/esda.html
Document formatting, organization, and wording Copyright 2000 by Richard
Uyeyama.
Permission granted by author to duplicate (unaltered) this document in its
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Samba de Amigo is Copyright 1999, 2000 by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. All
rights reserved.
"Oh Lucy, you're so dizzy, don't you have a clue?
Well here's to you, Lucy!
Let's Babalu, Lucy, too, Lucy... everybody SAMBA!"
-- "Ricky", by Weird Al Yankovic
(slightly altered quote)
Table of Contents:
0. Document History
I. Basic Stuff
1. What is this document?
2. What is Samba de Amigo?
3. Terminology, notation, and stuff
4. A few general notes
A. P1 vs. P2 side
B. Got maracas?
C. Setting your height
D. Hitting the zones
E. Shake timing
F. Poses
G. High scores
II. Codes and Stuff
1. Super Hard Mode
2. Random Mode
3. All Music Mode (Arcade Mode only)
III. Songs and Stuff
1. Hidden Songs
2. Special Stage
3. Download Songs
4. Complete Song List
IV. Miscellany
1. Challenge Mode
2. More Maraca sounds (Voice option)
3. Amigo Number and Amigo Bonus
4. Auto-save process
5. .bmp files on game disc!
6. Pose Show in game booklet (flip book)
7. Reset command
8. Screensaver function
V. Thanks and Stuff
-------------------
0. Document History
-------------------
V1.0: 10/20/00
Launch version
(4/27/00: Samba de Amigo now on sale)
--------------
I. Basic Stuff
--------------
I.1 What is this document?
This document is an English language informational resource for Samba
de Amigo, a Music/Rhythm Action game by Sega.
In this document, I'll be covering codes, secrets, details,
clarifications, and other such information which may be of interest to
Samba de Amigo fans. This is a Secrets FAQ (side note: I'm using "faq"
herein with its more colloquial definition of "document of organized
information", rather than its more traditional definition, which implies
organizational headings in the form of questions...), and not a general
FAQ, btw, so I won't be including detailed gameplay information, tactics,
score strategies, or anything like that in this document...
This document was written for the J version of Samba de Amigo, but it
is probable that at least some (i.e. probably not all) of the information
contained herein may apply to other versions of the game as well.
Samba de Amigo (DCast, J) basic info:
1 Disc (HDR-0063)
1-2 Players
Works with: Maracas Controller, Arcade stick, VMU (6 blocks),
VGA Box, DCast Modem.
I.2 What is Samba de Amigo?
Samba de Amigo is a maraca-based Music/Rhythm game, where you hold a
pair of maracas (one in each hand), and shake them to the music, according
to location and timing information on the screen.
The basic game mechanics are similar to other music rhythm games
(i.e. do the proper command when the timing markers hit the command
markers), except that instead of timing markers drifting down from the top
of the screen (as in Pop'n Music), or up from the bottom (Dance Dance
Revolution), they start from the center of a circle, and move outward.
There are six zones indicated by the command markers: High, Mid, and Low,
for both the left and right side.
There are three basic command types: Shake, Free Shake, and Pose.
Shake - Shake a maraca once in the proper location when the timing
marker gets to the location marker. Timing markers are blue.
Free Shake - Timing markers are red, and closely clustered. During
the indicated period of time (the red timing marker span), shake
a maraca in the proper location as much as you want. A certain
minimum number of shakes must be done, or you will fail the Free
Shake section.
Pose - As indicated by a stick-figure-like character, pose with
your maracas in the specified zones. The maracas must be held
there for a little bit (a third of a second or so, I think)
before the Pose will register. You're given a limited amount of
time to complete the Pose.
Your status meter starts out at C Rank. Proper Shake timing, or
successful completion of a Pose or Free Shake section will increase your
status meter. Improper timing, and Pose or Free Shake failures will
decrease your status meter. You must have a C Rank or better in order to
clear a song. Falling below E Rank will immediately end your game (except
in Easy Mode).
I.3 Terminology, notation, and stuff
SdA vs. SDA: Just so there's no confusion, when referring to the game
title, I shall leave "de" uncapitalized ("Samba de Amigo"), and when
referring to the song title, I shall Capitalize each word ("Samba De
Amigo").
When referring to maraca zones/locations, I shall use the following
notation:
LH or LHigh - High zone on the left side
LM or LMid - Mid zone on the left side
LL or LLow - Low zone on the left side
RH or RHigh - High zone on the right side
RM or RMid - Mid zone on the right side
RL or RLow - Low zone on the right side
Here's a visual chart:
LH RH
LM RM
LL RL
If it's necessary to indicate which maraca should be in a specific
location, I'll denote that with a lowercase l (left), r (right), or b
(both) preceding the location notation (for example: rLH = use right
maraca to hit Left High zone).
And here follow some of the other standards of notation I may use in
this document:
+ and
/ or
x(y) press y while holding x
>= greater/better than or equal to
<= less/worse than or equal to
I.4 A few general notes
P1 vs. P2 side - The command patterns on the P1 and P2 sides are
actually somewhat different.
Got maracas? - For the most part, it will be assumed in this document
that you are playing Samba de Amigo with the Maracas Controller. If you
do not have a Maracas Controller, I would *highly* recommend that you get
one (if you're a fan of this game); the game is a *lot* more fun (as well
as more challenging) when playing with the Maracas. =) Truth to tell,
playing Samba de Amigo on the standard DCast pad is just not the same...
Setting your height - In general, I'd probably recommend setting your
height to a height setting that's actually *taller* than you are. I've
found (as have some other people I know) that setting the height setting
one notch higher seems to make the Low maraca zones easier to hit (i.e.
without having to bend one's knees and/or back), while still keeping the
High zones within easy reach.
The height settings are, of course, in centimeters (cm). In order to
convert cms to inches (or vice versa), all you have to do is remember this
simple formula: 1 inch = 2.54 cm. =)
For easy reference, however, here follow the height options (cms),
and their approximate (i.e. rounded to the nearest inch) US equivalents:
>= 190 cm 6'3" or taller
>= 170 cm 5'7" or taller
>= 150 cm 4'11" or taller
>= 130 cm 4'3" or taller
>= 110 cm 3'7" or taller
If you're taller than the highest setting, and you're finding the Low
zones difficult to hit, just elevate the sensor bar from floor level, by
setting it atop something else (the Maracas Controller box, for example,
can supply about an extra 5 or 7 inches).
Hitting the zones - Here are a few tips (some of which are more
obvious than others), if you're having trouble hitting the maraca zones
properly:
1) Make sure the sensors on the sensor bar are unobstructed.
2) Make sure the little broadcast device (or whatever it is) on the
cord beneath each maraca is in front of the cord (i.e. screen-side, as
opposed to player-side), as you hold the maracas. (This makes it easier
for it to communicate location information to the sensor bar.)
3) Stand where you're supposed to (as indicated by the feet on the
floor mat... even if you don't use the floor mat), and try to keep the
Shake commands more or less above (as opposed to too far in front, in
back, or to the side of) the sensor bar.
4) For the Mid zones, in spite of what the instructional pictures in
attract mode seem to indicate, do *not* shake outward (to the side), but
shake forward (towards the screen) instead. After all, if you're playing
a 2-player game, and you shake outward, you're a lot more likely to hit
the person playing next to you. =)
5) If you're having trouble with the Low zones, you could try setting
the height setting higher (see height notes, above).
6) Learn where the zones are. Your maraca locations will be marked
on screen as dotted white circles around the location markers. Move the
maracas around and see exactly how high each maraca has to be to hit a
High zone, how low it has to be to hit a Low zone, etc. Training Mode is
a good place to practice learning zone locations (even if your status
meter bottoms out, the song won't end, so select a song and just ignore
it). The "Pose & Pose" Mini-game is also a good place to practice, being that
there won't be as many distracting visuals (timing markers, background
stuff, etc.) as in Training Mode.
Shake timing - Normally, when you hit a note properly, you'll get
"YEAH!" printed in orange and red. If your timing is *really* good on
that note, however, the "YEAH!" message will be printed completely in red
instead (and you'll get more points for that note).
Similarly, the message for Amigo Bonuses (see the Amigo Bonus section
of this document) is normally orange, but will be red instead (plus you'll
get even more points), if your timing is really good.
Poses - All that matters for poses is the location(s) of your two
maracas. Which maraca goes in which spot doesn't matter. So don't waste
your time trying to match your hands, feet, and body position to the Pose
stick figure... unless you're trying to amuse your audience, or something,
that is. =)
Tips on Poses: A useful general tactic, I've found, is to hold your
maracas both at Mid (i.e. left maraca at LMid, and right maraca at RMid)
while waiting for the Pose to show up. Then, when the Pose appears,
adjust accordingly (for example, if one of the Pose spots is at Mid, leave
that maraca there, and just move the other one to the appropriate spot).
By starting from Mid-Mid, it's guaranteed that for at least one maraca,
the *most* you will have to move it is one zone (either upward or
downward).
Practicing Poses: The "Pose & Pose" Mini-game is one possible place to
practice Poses. Of course, since it doesn't give you any "setup" time, if
you want to practice the "wait at Mid-Mid" tactic (or any similar tactic)
mentioned above, perhaps Training Mode would be a better place to
practice. Open Your Heart, iirc, has a number of consecutive Poses (four
or five, I think) at the end of the song, so it might be a good song to
practice with.
High scores - Note that high scores are only recorded for completed
games (i.e. you have to have gotten to the end of the game) in Arcade and
Original Modes. Since Special Stage (see Special Stage section of this
document) is basically a bonus (extra) stage, even if you Fail that stage,
your score will still be considered for the high score list...
For each difficulty mode (yes, including Super Hard and Random Modes
(see the Super Hard Mode and Random Mode sections of this document), once
you've played them), there are separate high score lists for 1-stage,
2-stage, and 3-stage games (you can set the number of stages in Option
Mode (Game options, Stage setting)).
Finally, note that Maracas Controller games and standard DCast
controller games were *not* given separate high score lists (though it is
marked for each score in the (shared) high score list whether you used the
Maracas Controller or the standard DCast controller). Thus, because it's
so much easier (imho) to get significantly higher scores by using the
DCast controller, if you don't want your high score list to become overrun
with DCast controller scores (thus making it harder to see what your level
of achievement with the Maracas Controller is), you probably shouldn't
save any high scores to your VMU that were made with the standard DCast
controller. =/
-------------------
II. Codes and Stuff
-------------------
II.1 Super Hard Mode
At the difficulty select menu, move the select cursor to "Hard", then
shake the Left maraca 6 or more times (or, with the standard DCast
controller, just hold the d-pad up for a couple seconds, with the select
cursor on "Hard"). A "Super Hard" selection should appear (and be
selected), and you should hear the announcer say "Super Hard Mode!".
Super Hard Mode is a song difficulty that's more difficult than Hard.
It's, uh, super hard. ^^;
The number of stages in a Super Hard Mode game will be the same as
for a Hard Mode game.
II.2 Random Mode
At the difficulty select menu, move the select cursor to "Easy", then
shake the Left maraca 6 or more times (or, with the standard DCast
controller, just hold the d-pad down for a couple seconds, with the select
cursor on "Easy"). A "Random" selection should appear (and be selected),
and you should hear the announcer say "Random Mode!".
Random Mode is based on the Normal Mode note patterns... except that
the locations will be selected at random! This is actually harder than it
probably sounds! ^^;
The number of stages in a Random Mode game will be the same as for a
Hard Mode game.
II.3 All Music Mode (Arcade Mode only)
After The Theme Of Inoki has been made playable (see Download Songs
and Challenge Mode sections of this document), the All Music Mode code
will become active in Arcade Mode: At the height select menu, move the
select cursor to the highest setting (>=190cm), then shake the Left maraca
6 or more times (or, with the standard DCast controller, just hold the
d-pad up for a couple seconds, with the select cursor on the highest
setting). You should hear the announcer say "All Music!". Now select
your height as normal, and during your game, instead of 3 songs to choose
from for each stage, you'll be able to choose from all 13 Arcade Mode
songs (note: any song you clear will be removed from the list for the rest
of your game, btw, so technically, you'll only have a choice of 12 songs
for Stage 2, 11 songs for Stage 3...).
Do note, however, that the amount of time you're given to select your
song will still be only 20 seconds, so make sure not to take too much time
deciding! Also note that, unlike in the normal song select menus,
scrolling up will actually scroll the music list (as opposed to the select
cursor) upward, and scrolling down will scroll the music list downward...
Here is the complete list of songs available in All Music Mode:
The Theme Of Inoki (in Arcade Mode, playable only via All Music!)
Samba De Janeiro
Tubthumping
El Ritmo Tropical
Mambo Beat
Macarena
Mas Que Nada
Take On Me
La Bamba
El Mambo
Tequila
Love Lease
Soul Bossa Nova
--------------------
III. Songs and Stuff
--------------------
III.1 Hidden Songs
In Arcade Mode, the songs are grouped into sets of three, as follows:
Stage 1 (Carnival): El Ritmo Tropical, Samba De Janeiro, Tubthumping
Stage 2 (TV studio): Mas Que Nada, Mambo Beat, Macarena
Stage 3 (Concert): El Mambo, Take On Me, La Bamba
Special Stage (Maracas World): Tequila, Soul Bossa Nova, Love Lease
The Theme Of Inoki is playable in Arcade Mode, but only in All Music
Mode (see All Music Mode section of this document for more information).
In 2-stage Arcade Mode games (you can set the number of stages in
Option Mode (Game options, Stage setting), btw), if you clear Stage 1 with
an A Rank, then during Stage 2, you'll be able to choose from the Stage 3
songs in addition to the Stage 2 ones (scroll to the left to switch
between the select screens). (side note: Continuing (if you have the
Continue option set to On) or Restarting (Pause the game to Abort
(automatically fail) the song, then select the Restart option) the song
will not negate this effect (though it will reset your score to 0), btw.)
See the Special Stage section of this document for information on how
to get to Special Stage.
Original, Training, Battle, and LoveLove Modes start out initially
with only 6 songs: Samba De Janeiro, Tubthumping, El Ritmo Tropical, Mambo
Beat, Macarena, Mas Que Nada. To release Take On Me, La Bamba, and El
Mambo, simply play each song at least once (you don't necessarily have to
clear the song) in Arcade Mode. The Download songs will become available
when unlocked via a download resource file (see Download Songs section for
more information).
See the Challenge Mode section (and/or the Download Songs section) of
this document for information on how to unlock the Special Stage songs
(Tequila, Love Lease, Soul Bossa Nova), Samba De Amigo, and The Theme Of
Inoki.
III.2 Special Stage
In Arcade and Original Modes, on any difficulty besides Easy, and any
game length besides 1 Stage: Clear every Stage with an A Rank *and* a
rating of 98% or higher, and after the final Stage, you'll get a "Welcome
to Special Stage!!" message, and get to play an additional Stage. In
Arcade Mode, your song selection for Special Stage will be the Special
Stage songs: Tequila, Love Lease, Soul Bossa Nova. For Original Mode,
your song selection will be the same as your normal selection (i.e. all
playable songs, minus the songs you've already cleared during that game).
Note: Continues (if the Continue option is On) and Restarts (Pause
the game to Abort (automatically fail) the song, and select the Restart
option to start the song over) don't matter for getting to Special Stage
(though they do reset your score to 0), btw.
III.3 Download Songs
Some songs can be unlocked by downloading unlock resource files from
the Samba de Amigo webpage:
http://samba.dricas.ne.jp/
From the main menu in Samba de Amigo, select "Internet", then click
on the direct link to the Samba Dricas page to connect to your ISP (if
you've set up any previous version of Dream Passport 1 or 2, the
information should be stored in your system's internal memory; if you
haven't, you'll have to take care of that first (consult a DP1 or DP2
FAQ)). Once you're logged in and have gotten to the Samba page, click
"Download" on the left sidebar, and click on any of the download options,
then you'll be on a page where you can download all of the songs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The download page *does* check to make sure you're
running the Samba browser (i.e. the Samba de Amigo version of Dream
Passport 2), so if you're using some other browser, you will *not* be able
to access the files.
[side notes: If you need help configuring Dream Passport for your
ISP, consult a Dream Passport FAQ. If you need further assistance, e-mail
the author of that FAQ. Do not e-mail me with any such queries/requests,
because in all likelihood, unless you're a close personal friend, I
probably won't have the time to even respond to your e-mail, let alone
actually help you out. ^^; ]
There are 12 unlock resource files. Each file is 2 blocks in size.
However, being that they're "unlock resource" files, after you've used
them to unlock the songs (just load the game, with both your Samba de
Amigo save file and the unlock resource file(s) on your VMU), and have
saved the unlocked status for those songs to your VMU (just pass an
auto-save point (enter, then exit Option Mode, for example)), you won't
need the resource files anymore, and can simply delete them.
Starting on 4/27/00 (the day Samba de Amigo was released), one unlock
resource file was made available per week, as follows:
Date File Song(s) unlocked Source
4/27/00 D01 Open Your Heart Sonic Adventure
5/2/00 D09 Rent A Hero No.1 Rent A Hero No.1
5/11/00 D03 Super Sonic Racing Sonic R
5/18/00 D12 Samba De Amigo (DC-SdA original song)
5/25/00 D06 After Burner After Burner
6/1/00 D04 Burning Hearts Burning Ranger
6/8/00 D08 Opa-Opa! Fantasy Zone
6/15/00 D13 The Theme Of Inoki (Arcade, All Music)
6/22/00 D07 Magical Sound Shower Out Run
6/29/00 D02 Sonic - You Can Do Anything Sonic CD
7/6/00 D05 Dreams Dreams Nights
7/13/00 D10 Tequila (Special Stage songs)
Soul Bossa Nova
Love Lease
Samba De Amigo, The Theme Of Inoki, and the Special Stage songs
(Tequila, Soul Bossa Nova, Love Lease) can also be unlocked via Challenge
Mode (see the Challenge Mode section of this document). However, the
other nine songs can *only* be unlocked via the download unlock resource
files.
All Music Mode note: Unlock resource file D13 (The Theme Of Inoki) is
all that's necessary to enable the All Music Mode code (see the All Music
Mode section of this document) in Arcade Mode.
III.4 Complete Song List
For reference purposes, here's a complete list of songs, along with
the number of "notes" in Easy, Normal/Random, Hard, and Super Hard Mode
versions of each song, as well as the stage background ("1" = Stage 1
(Carnival), "2" = Stage 2 (TV studio), "3" = Stage 3 (Concert), "S" =
Special Stage (Maracas World)) used for each:
(Songs marked with a * are songs that were not in the arcade version
of Samba de Amigo)
Song Easy N/R Hard Super Stage
Samba De Janeiro 180 178 276 247 1
Tubthumping 272 294 376 424 1
*El Ritmo Tropical 307 307 335 391 S
Mambo Beat 212 188 252 272 2
Macarena 212 200 236 370 2
Mas Que Nada 264 240 299 327 2
Take On Me 232 222 302 341 3
La Bamba 214 218 291 387 3
*El Mambo 287 323 339 347 S
Tequila 181 220 271 381 S
Love Lease 296 324 420 434 S
Soul Bossa Nova 179 185 300 470 S
*Samba De Amigo 255 293 397 397 S
The Theme Of Inoki 258 268 338 358 S
*Open Your Heart 232 230 280 358 3
*Sonic - You Can Do Anything 199 271 287 301 2
*Super Sonic Racing 298 326 386 438 3
*Burning Hearts 229 249 247 283 3
*Dreams Dreams 222 248 260 266 1
*Magical Sound Shower 221 258 282 294 S
*After Burner 195 223 240 334 S
*Opa-Opa! 225 205 249 269 S
*Rent A Hero No.1 198 239 272 284 S
Ricky Martin note: For those of you who have played the arcade
version of Samba de Amigo, and were wondering why The Cup of Life and
Livin' La Vida Loca don't seem to be in the home version, apparently Sega
was not able to acquire the home version rights for those two songs (both
by Ricky Martin) in time for the home version release of Samba de Amigo.
Thus, the spot in Stage 1 that The Cup of Life held was filled by El Ritmo
Tropical, and the spot in Stage 3 that Livin' La Vida Loca held was filled
by El Mambo. Do note, however, that it has been officially announced that
the rights to those two songs *have* actually been acquired (!) for the
upcoming home version of Samba de Amigo Ver.2000, currently scheduled for
Dec/14/2000 release (in Japan).
(side note: For more information on Samba de Amigo Ver.2000, see the
Samba Ver.2000 homepage at:
http://samba.dricas.ne.jp/2000hp/top.html)
--------------
IV. Miscellany
--------------
IV.1 Challenge Mode
There are five Challenge courses in Challenge Mode. Here's what you
get for completing (successfully complete each challenge in the course at
least once) each course:
Course 1: Unlocks Special Stage songs (Tequila, Love Lease,
Soul Bossa Nova).
Course 2: Unlocks Samba De Amigo.
Course 3: Unlocks The Theme Of Inoki. (side note: This also enables
the All Music Mode code in Arcade Mode)
Course 4: (nothing)
Course 5: Game credits
Completing the final challenge in Course 5 won't release anything
special, but after completing it (the first, as well as all subsequent
times), you will get to watch a special end credits sequence, with Amigo
dancing to Samba De Janeiro. I think this is the only place in the game
you can get the end credits (the game credits in attract mode are a lot
shorter), so if you want to see the complete game credits, it looks like
you'll have to finish Challenge Mode.
Tips on completing Challenge Mode: Things are a *lot* easier (imho)
using the standard DCast controller, as opposed to the Maracas Controller
(for example, I've actually been able to get a Perfect on the final
challenge, using the standard DCast controller), so if you're having
trouble finishing any of the challenges, try using the standard DCast
controller instead. Note that there are two controller options (in Option
Mode) for the DCast controller. One allows you to get Amigo Bonuses (see
the Amigo Bonus section of this document), and one doesn't. But since
score isn't really an issue (well, it is on two of the challenges, but not
in any extreme way that would absolutely require the use of Amigo
Bonuses), just choose whichever seems easier to you.
Here's a list of all of the challenges in Challenge Mode, so you'll
know what to expect:
Course 1 Clear Type Condition(s)
Challenge No.1 Samba De Janeiro Normal >= C Rank
Challenge No.2 Mambo Beat Normal >= B Rank
Challenge No.3 Take On Me Normal A Rank
Course 2 Clear Type Condition(s)
Challenge No.1 Tubthumping Normal A Rank
Challenge No.2 Macarena Normal A Rank
Challenge No.3 Mini-games Total Check score >= 80
Challenge No.4 Samba De Janeiro Normal A Rank, >= 98%
Course 3 Clear Type Condition(s)
Challenge No.1 Tubthumping Hard >= C Rank
Challenge No.2 Mas Que Nada Normal Perfect
Challenge No.3 La Bamba Hard >= 400,000 pts.
Challenge No.4 Mambo Beat Normal Perfect
Challenge No.5 Take On Me Hard A Rank
Course 4 Clear Type Condition(s)
Challenge No.1 Love Lease Normal Perfect
Challenge No.2 La Bamba Hard A Rank
Challenge No.3 Mini-games Total Check score >= 90
Challenge No.4 Tequila Hard A Rank, >= 98%
Challenge No.5 Tubthumping Hard Perfect
Course 5 Clear Type Condition(s)
Challenge No.1 Samba De Janeiro Random >= 430,000 pts.
Challenge No.2 Macarena Super Hard >= C Rank
Challenge No.3 The Theme of Inoki Hard Perfect
Challenge No.4 Mas Que Nada Super Hard >= B Rank
Challenge No.5 Soul Bossa Nova Super Hard A Rank
IV.2 More Maraca sounds (Voice option)
In Option Mode, there's an option called "Voice". This basically
assigns game-produced sounds for maraca Shakes. The Voice option starts
with: None (default) and Maracas. You can earn more sounds (there are 20
total, including the initial two) by playing Total Check Mode in the
Mini-games section of Party Mode. New sound sets (Voices) are earned
three at a time, upon completion of Total Check Mode with a certain
minimum Total Check score, as follows:
1st set of 3: score >= 75
2nd set of 3: score >= 85
3rd set of 3: score >= 88
4th set of 3: score >= 91
5th set of 3: score >= 93
6th set of 3: score >= 95
Each "Voice" has up to three sounds (High, Mid, Low). In general, I
find it's somewhat distracting to play with one of the Voices on... but
then again, I suppose that could make things more interesting, if one is
playing with a bunch of friends, or something...
IV.3 Amigo Number and Amigo Bonus
The Amigo Number is what some other games would call a "Combo".
Basically, it's the number of consecutive "notes" you've gotten without
missing any. A Shake, of course, counts as one "note" for the purposes of
the Amigo Number. A Pose also counts as one "note". And finally, a Free
Shake section will actually only count as one "note".
The higher your Amigo Number is, the more points each note will be
worth. The Amigo Number will be printed in the center of your command
circle, but only after it's reached 10 or higher...
Amigo Bonuses are given whenever both maracas (as opposed to just
one) are used to hit a note. So if at any particular time, there's only
one note that has to be hit, hit the note with both maracas, and you'll
get an Amigo Bonus (instead of "YEAH!", you'll get a "Amigo" message),
which, as far as I can tell, will give you twice as many points as normal
for the note. If your Amigo Number is high, you can earn quite a number
of extra points from Amigo Bonuses!
Technical notes: You don't actually have to *shake* both maracas to
earn an Amigo Bonus. All you have to do is have both maracas in the
proper zone, and then shake either one (just one) of them. This also
applies for the standard DCast controller, where it's actually much easier
holding one command marker in the proper zone before hitting the note with
the other side, than trying to hit both at exactly the same time...
Amigo Bonuses will *not* increase the Amigo Number any faster (i.e. a
note will still be worth only +1 for the Amigo Number, even if you get an
Amigo Bonus on that note). And from what I can tell, Amigo Bonuses don't
seem to affect your status meter much (if at all). So it seems that the
only real reason to go for Amigo Bonuses is to increase your score...
IV.4 Auto-save process
Samba de Amigo has an auto-save process, which is activated
automatically at certain points (examples: I'm pretty sure the game
auto-saves after each completed game; and I'm almost positive that the
game auto-saves every time you exit Option Mode; just keep an eye on the
VMU screen if you're interested in spotting the auto-save points).
However, this auto-save feature cannot manually be turned off.
Note that, if you pass an auto-save point, and the game does *not*
detect a VMU (if you pulled it out during an idle moment (when it was
neither loading nor saving) to prevent a save, for example), it will shut
down the auto-save process. Once it's been shut down, it looks like
there's no way to reactivate the auto-save process. Which wouldn't be a
problem if there was a manual Save option... but there isn't. =/ So if
at any point, you prevent an auto-save, do be warned that you will *not*
be able to save to your VMU anything you do after that point!
While there is no manual Save option, there is a manual Load (it's
the last option in Option Mode). Use this option if you want to load a
different save file (a friend's file, for example) without resetting and
reloading the game. After manually Loading, the auto-save process will be
active, as normal.
IV.5 .bmp files on game disc!
If you check your game disc on a computer's CD ROM drive, you should
spot a subdirectory called "Extra". Inside there, there should be two
more subdirectories, called "800x600" and "1280x1024". These should
contain 9 .bmp files each (of size 800x600 or 1280x1024, respectively),
of Samba de Amigo background wallpapers.
IV.6 Pose Show in game booklet (flip book)
In the upper edge corners of the game manual, there are little stick
figures printed, kind of like a flip book. Starting from the beginning,
flip through the pages, in order to see the stick figure in the upper
right corner "move" in what the corner of page 3 calls a Pose Show. =)
Once you get to the end of the game maual, flip the manual the other way,
in order to watch the second half in the upper left corner...
IV.7 Reset command
The standard Dreamcast 5-button reset (A+B+X+Y(START)) will, from
either controller (P1 or P2), reset the game back to the main title
screen. From there (or from anywhere else in attract mode, I think), if
you input the reset command again, you'll exit the game entirely, back to
the main Dreamcast system menu...
Using the Maracas Controller (from either the P1 or P2 side), simply
hold both buttons down for a couple seconds in order to reset the game
back to the main title screen. From there (or from anywhere else in
attract mode, I think), if you enter the reset command again, you'll exit
the game entirely, back to the main Dreamcast system menu...
IV.8 Screensaver function
There doesn't seem to be a screensaver in Samba de Amigo, but the
disc will actually stop spinning after 60 minutes of idle time (no inputs
from any controller, and no reading from the disc).
There is, however, a screensaver in the web browser (Dream Passport
2) included with the game (to get to DP2, just select Internet Mode from
the main menu). The screensaver seems to be based upon pictures of the
Samba de Amigo cast, and will apparently choose one at random, and take it
through one of a few simple screensaver effects.
Once you're running DP2 (you don't necessarily have to be connected
to your ISP), screensaver activation time is 5 minutes (of idle time).
Approximately every five minutes thereafter, the screensaver will reset,
choosing a new character portrait and/or effect to run...
-------------------
V. Thanks and Stuff
-------------------
Thanks to:
That Salaryman we saw playing the Arcade Samba de Amigo in Japan
(Dec/1999), for the basics of the Super Hard Mode code and the All
Music Mode code...
Shuukan Dreamcast Magazine (Japanese)
(I don't remember which issue(s)), for the Random Mode code, the "6
songs on Stage 2" conditions, and the Special Stage conditions, as
well as for confirming the Super Hard Mode and All Music Mode
codes...
The Samba de Amigo game manual
(included with the game), for confirming the "6 songs on Stage 2"
conditions and the Special Stage conditions for 2-stage games...
Shuukan Dreamcast Magazine (Japanese)
(2/11/00 issue), for the Arcade version Samba de Amigo song list.
(eof)
