Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service (Capcom, SD Puzzle Game, DCast) Secrets FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) V1.0 9/17/01 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: Way Too Cute To Be a Fighting Game http://www.best.com/~ruyeyama/dcast/wtctbafg.html Document formatting, organization, and wording Copyright 2001 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. Unauthorized duplication of this document is a violation of all applicable national and international laws. This document is protected by International Copyright Law. It is a criminal act to use this document (or any derivative work (including translations)) in any way that makes you (and/or your company) money; you MAY NOT sell this document, host this document on a website with an ad banner and/or membership fee, give this document away as a "purchase bonus", and/or use this document in any other manner which profits (financially) you (and/or your company) either directly or indirectly. If you are unsure as to whether you can use this document, or if you wish to apply for specific rights not granted to you by the above, send a polite, detailed, and clearly phrased inquiry to me at the e-mail address listed above. Note, however, that due to the amount of e-mail I get, I may not be able to reply to every query or request I receive (also note that the lack of a reply will NEVER constitute legal permission). GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) has been granted permission to host this document. The following webpage contains the most recent version of the above copyright notice. If there is a discrepancy between the above copyright notice and the one located on my current webpage, the information on my webpage will be treated as authentic: http://www.best.com/~ruyeyama/faqlegal.html Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service is Copyright 1996, 2001 by Capcom Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. "Katsu tame dake janai, Makeru tame dake janai, Tatakau koto..." -- Kasugano Sakura (Kono Omoi o Tsutaetai) Table of Contents: 0. Document History I. Basic Stuff 1. What is this document? 2. What's new in SPF2XfMS (compared to SPF2X)? 3. A quick note on character names? II. Hidden Characters 1. How can I play as Devilot? 2. How can I play as Gouki? 3. How can I play as Dan? 4. Is it possible to play as Lin-Lin? 5. What about Anita? 6. Bat-form Morrigan? 7. Are there any other character variations? III. Hidden Challengers 1. How can I get Devilot as a hidden challenger? 2. How can I get Dan as a hidden challenger? IV. Gameplay and Stuff 1. How do I select Expert Mode? 2. Are there taunts in this game? 3. So what's this about custom attack patterns? 4. And what's this about drop speeds? 5. Could you explain how the diamond piece works in SPF2Y/SPF2Z Mode? 6. What determines the initial setup in SPF2Y battles? V. Miscellany 1. How do I select my character's costume? 2. How do I access EX Options? 3. Are there any special ending sequences? 4. Is there really only one high score list? 5. Is there an auto-save and/or auto-load process? 6. Is there any sort of screensaver function? 7. Does the standard 5-button reset work? ------------------- 0. Document History ------------------- V1.0: 9/17/01 Launch version (7/5/01: Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service now on sale) -------------- I. Basic Stuff -------------- I.1 What is this document? This document is an English language informational resource for Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service (which I shall hereafter refer to as SPF2XfMS (or simply SPF2X) for reasons of brevity). SPF2X (arcade, PSX, and SSat versions have been released in the US as "Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo") is an SD (cute) Capcom puzzle game loosely based upon a fighting game (Super Street Fighter II X). SPF2X belongs to the "falling pieces" genre of puzzle game, probably best defined by Compile's PuyoPuyo series of puzzle games... In this document, I'll be covering codes and secrets and other such information which may be of interest to Puzzle Fighter fans. This document was written for the J version of SPF2XfMS, currently the only version of the DCast version of the game. Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service (DCast, J) basic info: 1 GD ROM Disc (T-1250M) 1-2 Players Works with: Arcade stick, VMU (3 blocks), PuruPuru Pack, VGA Box, DCast keyboard, DCast Modem. 3800 (y)en I.2 What's new in SPF2XfMS (compared to SPF2X)? (note: I'll be using the PSX version of SPF2X as the comparison version) 2 new gameplay modes! SPF2Y and SPF2Z. These have different game rules than SPF2X, so really, it's kind of like getting two extra puzzle games. Unfortunately, they all share the same high score list. =/ Counter Gem Edit mode. Allows you to create a custom attack pattern, for use with any character in any gameplay mode. 2 custom patterns may be stored on your save file; one for the P1 side, and one for the P2 side. Training mode. Practice without having to worry about your opponent attacking you. New character: Bat-form Morrigan! New difficulty Level: Expert. The CPU opponent drops pieces a lot faster (drop speed 3), and all attacks (human or CPU) do a *lot* more damage (more attack pieces sent over to the opponent). 3 drop speeds for dropping your pieces. The fastest one is especially useful for Expert difficulty. EX Options. Edit game rule specifics (yes, you can even remove the diamond piece (Rainbow Gem) entirely from SPF2X mode), change in-game language setting, erase your high scores, etc. Network Mode. Allows people to play each other over a network (this is what "for Matching Service" refers to), without necessarily being in the same room. =) Unfortunately, though, use of the network seems to require a registration process (and fees, I think), which seems limited to Japan only. (side note on Network Mode: I haven't played any games in Network Mode, so consequently, there will be very little information pertaining to it in this Secrets FAQ. It is, however, possible (I can't say for sure, of course) that some of the secrets which work in other modes of the game may (may) also work in Network Mode.) Unlocked initially: All 4 costume colors; Gallery (different pictures, though); both (normal and karaoke) versions of Sakura image song ("Kono Omoi o Tsutaetai") (tracks 48 and 49 in the BGM Test). Different: Hidden character codes; BGM default is set to Original (arcade BGM), instead of Remix (home version BGM); some Lin-Lin and Anita animations (intro/attack/super) are slightly different); Dan is limited to only 1 Taunt now (like everybody else =/ ). Missing (or not yet found): Street Puzzle Mode (extras are unlocked initially, so there's no need for it); Special win icons; Master Arcade Mode; Versus Mode Stage select codes; Dan as a CPU Challenger. There are some other new things as well, but those are the main differences... I.3 A quick note on character names? Just a quick note that will hopefully clear up (or prevent) any potential confusion. Between the Japanese and U.S. versions of SPF2X, some of the character names were actually changed (as was the name of the game itself). In this document, I shall be referring to the characters by their original (J version) names. For reference purposes, here are the original names, and what each was changed to for the US versions: Lei-Lei Hsien-Ko Gouki Akuma Anita Amanda I think Lin-Lin (Lei-Lei's sister) may also have been renamed, but if so, I don't know what her US version name would be, so... --------------------- II. Hidden Characters --------------------- II.1 How can I play as Devilot? Note: While the CPU version of Devilot plays normally, the selectable version has a damage handicap (attacks do less damage). Devilot does have one of the best gem patterns in the game, though... and by chaining into your attacks, you can use the chain multiplicatives to compensate a bit for the handicap... (also, the handicap does seem to ease up a little for larger power gems) Devilot is hidden off the edge of the character select map. Just go Down from Morrigan to find her. Side note: The arcade version code, the PSX/SSat code, and the PSX/SSat "easy" code will *not* work on this version of the game. Erratum: In the game manual, Devilot's pattern is actually listed incorrectly! Here is the mistaken pattern, and what it should be: in manual in game g b y r g b y r g b y r b y r g b y b y r g b y y r g b y r g b y r g b r g b y r g r g b y r g (incorrect) (correct) Note on Devilot's damage handicap: The handicap is not a standard amount or percentage, seeming to vary according to the size and complexity of the attack. In general, it seems that the larger or more complex an attack is, the smaller the handicap will be. Most of the time, it seems to be between 20 and 40 percent (that much less damage), but for really small attacks, the handicap can be larger, and for really large attacks, it can be smaller, as well... II.2 How can I play as Gouki? Note: While the CPU version of Gouki plays normally, the selectable version has a damage handicap (attacks do less damage). Gouki does have one of the best gem patterns in the game, though... and by chaining into your attacks, you can use the chain multiplicatives to compensate a bit for the handicap... (also, the handicap does seem to ease up a little for larger power gems) Gouki is hidden off the edge of the character select map. Just go Down from Lei-Lei to find him. Side note: The arcade version code, the PSX/SSat code, and the PSX/SSat "easy" code will *not* work on this version of the game. Note on Gouki's damage handicap: The handicap is not a standard amount or percentage, seeming to vary according to the size and complexity of the attack. In general, it seems that the larger or more complex an attack is, the smaller the handicap will be. Most of the time, it seems to be between 20 and 40 percent (that much less damage), but for really small attacks, the handicap can be larger, and for really large attacks, it can be smaller, as well... II.3 How can I play as Dan? Note: As usual in Capcom games, Dan has some sort of handicap. In Puzzle Fighter, his handicap is that his attacks will produce only red gems (which makes it incredibly easy to send a huge attack back against him). So if you're playing as Dan, don't do any small or mid-sized attacks, but instead, set up one huge attack (incorporate chains, if at all possible) that will bury your opponent in one shot. Remember that if your opponent survives that attack, he/she just has to wait for a red crash gem to send it all back... so once you commit to a large attack, you'd better keep attacking until you defeat your opponent! Dan is hidden off the edge of the character select map. Just go Down from Donovan to find him. Side note: The arcade version code, the PSX/SSat code, and the PSX/SSat "easy" code will *not* work on this version of the game. II.4 Is it possible to play as Lin-Lin? (Lin-Lin, btw, is Lei-Lei's sister) Yep. But maybe not quite in the way you suspected. Even though Lin-Lin appears in her human form in the "Thanks" screen you get at the end of a Hard mode (or Expert mode) game, there doesn't appear to be a way to play Lin-Lin in her human form (note that the "Thanks" picture has no animation for her). However, you can play Lin-Lin in her paper ward form. Select Lei-Lei while holding down L and/or R (or Z and/or C, if you're using an Arcade Stick) in order to play as Lin-Lin. Lin-Lin plays like Lei-Lei, except that she doesn't speak. Side note: Comparing to the PSX version of SPF2X, Lin-Lin does have some different animations, including her opening animation (we briefly see her in human form), some of her attacks (items are thrown from off-screen for her low-level attacks), her Super finish (bucket), and her win pose (Lei-Lei shows up). II.5 What about Anita? (Anita, btw, is Donovan's ward) Yep. Select Donovan while holding down L and/or R (or Z and/or C) in order to play as Anita. Anita plays like Donovan, except that she doesn't speak (until she wins). She also has her own Super finish, where she tosses a bunch of doll heads at her opponent... At least, I *hope* they're doll heads... ^^;;; Side note: Unlike in the PSX version of SPF2X, Donovan's sword actually accompanies Anita in this version of the game. Personally, I thought it was a lot scarier that Anita could damage you simply by pointing at you, but... ^^; II.6 Bat-form Morrigan? (this is Morrigan's "cursed" form from the Vampire series games, btw) Yes, indeed. Select Morrigan while holding down L and/or R (or Z and/or C) in order to play as Bat-form Morrigan. At the beginning of each match, Morrigan will get hit by Anakaris' "curse" attack (Ouke no Sabaki) and turn into her bat form, and will remain in her bat form until she wins the match. Bat-form Morrigan uses different attacks than normal, and even has a different Super finish. II.7 Are there any other character variations? Yes, as a matter of fact. By holding down L and/or R (or Z and/or C) while selecting some (but not all) of the characters, you can play a version of that character with different (and/or additional) attack animations. Alternate attack versions of characters play just like the normal versions (same costumes, same attack patterns, same damage level, etc.). For reference purposes, here's how I'm designating the attack levels: (side note: low-level attacks won't have any real significance in this section, but I've included the "low-level" designation in the chart below anyway, for the sake of completeness... ^^) Number of attack blocks Attack level 0-11 (0+ rows) low-level 12-17 (2+ rows) Small 18-23 (3+ rows) Medium 24-29 (4+ rows) Large 30-77 (5+ rows) Super 30 & up (finishes opp.) Super Finish Note: A Super will become a Super Finish if it finishes off your opponent; in SPF2X and SPF2Y Modes, this means that the attack must fill column 4 (columns numbered from left to right); in SPF2Z Mode, this means that any of the 6 columns must reach the top. In SPF2X and SPF2Y Modes, if your opponent's column 4 is completely empty, you'll need an attack of size 78 (13 rows) or higher, I think, to get a Super Finish, but if there are already other gems in column 4, a smaller attack (but no less than size 30, of course) will suffice. Here's a summary of what occurs for each character (hold L/Z and/or R/C while selecting character): Character Differences Levels affected Ryu 3 possible attacks per attack level Sm Md Lg S SF Chun-Li Larger attacks Md Lg S SF Sakura 2 possible attacks per attack level Sm Md Lg S SF Ken Different (or variant) attacks Md Lg S SF Morrigan [Bat-form Morrigan] Lei-Lei [Lin-Lin] Donovan [Anita] Felicia 2 possible attacks per attack level Sm Md Lg S Devilot [no difference] Gouki 3 possible attacks per attack level Sm Md Lg S Different Super Finish SF Dan [no difference] And if anybody's interested, here are some further notes for the characters with alternate attack versions: Ryu - While Ryu does retain a fireball (hadouken) attack for each attack level, the new fireball attacks are actually different (some more obviously than others) than their original counterparts. Chun-Li - I *think* there's no difference in her Small level attack; if there is a difference, it's a lot more subtle than for her more powerful attacks, so... ^^; Sakura - (no additional notes) Ken - Like for Chun-Li, I *think* there's no difference in Ken's Small level attack... Felicia - Similar to Ryu, while Felicia does retain a Sand Splash attack for each attack level, the new versions do seem to be somewhat different... Gouki - Because of the presence of a double aerial fireball, one could make the case that the alternate attack version of Gouki is actually Shin Gouki. =) But unlike in the Street Fighter series of games, playing as Shin Gouki gives you no real advantages in Puzzle Fighter; yes, he does still have his damage handicap. ----------------------- III. Hidden Challengers ----------------------- III.1 How can I get Devilot as a hidden challenger? Note: Devilot never appears in the normal CPU lineup; the CPU only plays her as a hidden challenger. SPF2X Mode: ---------- In Arcade mode, Devilot will appear as a hidden challenger before your 7th opponent (she'll interrupt the ready sequence of your Stage 7 battle), if you fulfill all of the following conditions without any continues or challengers: 1) For at least 1 round, time < 60 sec (Min Time < 60) 2) Max Chain >= 4 3) Max Gem >= 20 4) Win at least 1 round with a Super Finish (attack size >= 30) (note: I haven't specifically tested for the "time = 60" case, so it's possible that condition 1 might be "time <= 60" instead... (shrug)) For 3-round or 5-round matches, it's okay to lose a round... but I think all of the above conditions have to be fulfilled in winning rounds for them to count... SPF2Y Mode: ---------- Devilot can appear as a CPU challenger in SPF2Y Mode, but alas, I don't know what the exact conditions for the battle are. Like in SPF2X Mode, I've encountered her only between Stages 6 and 7. SPF2Z Mode: ---------- I don't know if Devilot can appear as a CPU challenger in SPF2Z Mode, but considering that she appears in both SPF2X and SPF2Y Modes, I suppose that it is possible... III.2 How can I get Dan as a hidden challenger? Note: Dan never appears in the normal CPU lineup. SPF2X Mode: ---------- Unfortunately, the SPF2X CPU Dan conditions that worked for the arcade, PSX, and SSat versions of the game *don't* seem to work for the DCast version! So either the conditions have been changed, or Capcom forgot to program in the CPU challenge (or maybe even intentionally removed it). (sigh) SPF2Y/SPF2Z Mode: ---------------- I don't know if Dan can appear as a CPU challenger in SPF2Y and/or SPF2Z Mode. ---------------------- IV. Gameplay and Stuff ---------------------- IV.1 How do I select Expert Mode? On the difficulty select screen (Level Select) for an Arcade mode game, select Hard while holding down L and/or R (or Z and/or C), and you'll be able to play in Expert Mode. In Expert Mode, the CPU opponents play a lot faster (drop speed 3 in SPF2X and SPF2Y Modes, and very quick movement around the board in SPF2Z Mode), and *all* attacks (both players) do a *lot* more damage than normal. Side note: It appears that if another player challenges you during an Expert Mode game, the abnormally high level of damage will still apply for your challenge match... ^^; IV.2 Are there taunts in this game? Yes. To taunt your opponent, hit L/Z. Taunts do no damage, though an opponent will react as if it did. Each character may taunt only once per round. Yes, even Dan. =/ Alas, it looks like Capcom forgot to give Dan infinite taunts in this version of the game. Although he does still seem to have his taunt "disadvantage" in that his opponent will not react to his taunt... A character's taunt will be the same animation as a low-level attack. For those characters with more than one low-level attack (i.e. most of them), one of these will be chosen at random. IV.3 So what's this about custom attack patterns? In Counter Gem Edit mode (selectable from the main menu), you can design a custom attack pattern usable with any character (once you've completed your pattern, press START to exit Counter Gem Edit mode). Two patterns can be stored on your save file; one for the P1 side, and one for the P2 side. To use a custom pattern, simply hold the START button down while selecting your character. SPF2Y Mode note: Since all of the normal attack patterns are pretty bad (yes, even Devilot's and Gouki's) for SPF2Y Mode, if SPF2Y Mode is giving you problems, you may want to design a custom pattern specifically for SPF2Y. As an added bonus, any pattern that works well in SPF2Y Mode is likely to be pretty good for the other two Modes as well. =) IV.4 And what's this about drop speeds? Instead of just having one speed at which you can drop your pieces, you have a choice of three. Drop speed 1 is the standard default, drop speed 2 is a bit faster, and drop speed 3 is almost instantaneous. For SPF2X and SPF2Y Modes (SPF2Z has no "drop" function), the default is that Down (on your d-pad/stick) is set to drop speed 1, and Up is set to drop speed 3. Drop speed settings apparently cannot be changed for SPF2Y Mode, but it is possible to change them for SPF2X Mode. Just select the button config option (third from the bottom) from the main Options menu, select SPF2X, and you can edit your button settings pretty much any way you want... If you're a newcomer to puzzle games in general, or Puzzle Fighter in specific, you'll probably want to stick to drop speed 1 (or maybe drop speed 2) until you get the hang of the dynamics of the game. If you're an experienced player, drop speed 3 can, after you get used to it, be quite useful (especially in Expert Mode games!)... IV.5 Could you explain how the diamond piece works in SPF2Y/SPF2Z Mode? Terminology note: The diamond piece is called a Rainbow Gem in SPF2X, and a Change Gem in SPF2Y and SPF2Z. For the sake of simplicity, however, I will usually refer to it as a "diamond piece", or more simply, a "diamond" (in all three Modes). General note: Unlike in SPF2X Mode (where the diamond piece represents all colors), in SPF2Y and SPF2Z Modes, each diamond piece will be of a specific color. SPF2Y Mode: ---------- Destroy gems to build up your Change Gem Gauge. When your gauge reaches maximum, you'll be able to call a diamond into play. If you then hit R/C, the top gem of your next piece will become a colored diamond (and your gauge will reset to zero), the color determined by the character you're playing. Here's a list of the associated color for each character: Ryu Chun-Li Sakura Ken RED BLUE GREEN YELLOW Morrigan Lei-Lei Donovan Felicia RED BLUE YELLOW GREEN Devilot Gouki Dan YELLOW RED RED Bat-form Morrigan, Lin-Lin, and Anita have the same associated colors as Morrigan, Lei-Lei, and Donovan, respectively. The diamond piece will disappear as soon as it is placed. The effects the diamond will have depend upon what it is placed on top of: - If the diamond is placed on a gem (normal or numbered) of the same color as the diamond: All normal gems of that color will disappear from your field; all numbered gems of that color will become normal gems; any numbered gem that's adjacent (yes, diagonals count) to the diamond will become a normal gem. - If the diamond is placed on a gem (normal or numbered) of a different color than the diamond: All normal and numbered gems of that color on your field will become normal and numbered (respectively) gems of the same color as the diamond; any numbered gem that is both adjacent (yes, diagonals count) to the diamond *and* of a different color than the color being transformed will become a normal gem. - If the diamond is placed directly on the ground: You'll receive a 10,000 point Tech Bonus (just like in SPF2X Mode); any numbered gem that is both adjacent (yes, diagonals count) to the diamond *and* of a different color than the diamond will become a normal gem. Erratum: The game manual lists "Change Gem Hatsudou" ("activate/summon Change Gem") as being set to the Y button, but the game actually defaults the command to the R trigger (or C button). SPF2Z Mode: ---------- Like crash gems, diamonds will appear in the mix of pieces that advances upwards. Diamonds will appear at regular intervals (1 diamond at every 15th row (line) is default, I believe). The color of each diamond is determined randomly. When a diamond piece becomes adjacent to (diagonals do *not* count) any non-numbered piece (i.e. a normal gem, crash gem, or diamond) of the same color, all pieces (including numbered pieces) of that color that are currently on your field will (after the standard pause) disappear. Pieces brought into play after the diamond piece is triggered (i.e. if you manually advance the screen right after triggering a diamond) will not be directly affected by the diamond (i.e. they'll stay on your field unless you do something else to make them disappear). As is standard in SPF2Z Mode, when a gem is waiting to disappear, it cannot be moved; also, any non-numbered gem of the same color that becomes adjacent to a gem that's waiting to disappear will also be made to disappear (even if there's no crash gem or diamond directly connected to that string or chunk of gems). IV.6 What determines the initial setup in SPF2Y battles? The initial setup is determined by the background stage. Each stage has a unique initial setup, as follows: (a period indicates an empty column; all initial pieces are numbered gems of countdown duration 9) r y r y g b y g r b g y b y b y r y b g b y r g b b g y b r r g g y y g y g y g y g y r b g y b y y g g r r g y g y g y g y . b . . b . g y . b Ryu stage Chun-Li stage Sakura stage Ken stage b r g y b y r b r g r y g r r b r g y r b g y y g b r y b g r b b r b y g b y r b g r b g g b y r b g g r b . . y g r b g y . b r y g g r y r b g y y . Morrigan stage Lei-Lei stage Donovan stage Felicia stage y b y b r y r r r r b y b y b y y b r y r r r r r g r g r g g g g g r r r r b y b y b y g g . g g . r . r . r r Devilot stage Gouki stage Dan stage ------------- V. Miscellany ------------- V.1 How do I select my character's costume? Each character has four costumes: Standard 1, Standard 2, Special 1, and Special 2. For the sake of simplicity, I've designated these costumes 1, 2, 3, and 4 (respectively). Here's which button corresponds to each costume: 1: X 2: Y 3: A 4: B Informational note: Costumes 1 and 2 are the costumes selectable in the arcade version of SPF2X. Costumes 3 and 4 are the costumes that were added for the home versions of the game. In cases where both players choose the same character and costume, the side which selected first will get that costume, while the other side will get an alternate color, as follows: main alt 1 - 2 2 - 3 3 - 4 4 - 1 Side note: The above is also representative of what costume your CPU opponent will use in Arcade mode mirror matches (same character on both sides). So if you're using costume 1, the CPU opponent will use costume 2; if you're using costume 2, the CPU opponent will use costume 3; etc. V.2 How do I access EX Options? Hold down L/Z while selecting Option Mode from the main menu, and you'll get the EX Options menu instead. EX Options allows you to change game settings that aren't available in the normal options screen. For example, the frequency of diamond pieces (you can even remove them entirely if you want), presence of attack cancelling, initial state of your Change Gem gauge (SPF2Y), etc... Important note: If you care about your high score list, be careful *not* to select the "Score data clear" option in the General options section of EX Options. The General options section is the top option in the main EX Options menu; and the "Score data clear" option is the third from the bottom (just above "restore to defaults") on that (General options) screen. If you select the "Score data clear" option, there's no "Are You Sure?" query, and the game will immediately erase your high scores. This doesn't immediately affect your save file, but if the game saves to your save file, you'll lose all your high scores there too. If you have Auto-Save enabled, and have accidentally erased your high scores, *don't* exit EX Options, as that will trigger an auto-save. Removing your VMU from your controller and/or turning off your Dreamcast should keep your save file safe until you can reload the game. V.3 Are there any special ending sequences? Well... there are no character endings, but there are other things. Here's a summary of what you get for finishing the game: Easy - Dan congratulations screen. Normal - End credits (w/intermission demos), and a text "Thank you for playing" screen. Hard - End credits (w/intermission demos), and a special "Thank you for playing" screen (group portrait). Expert - (same as Hard) In addition, if you finish the game without continuing, you'll also get: Easy - (no difference) Normal - Character portrait during end credits. Hard - Character portrait during end credits. Expert - (same as Hard) V.4 Is there really only one high score list? Alas, yes. The same high score list is used for all three game Modes (SPF2X, SPF2Y, and SPF2Z), even though the scoring structure is obviously not balanced between the three (i.e. all of your highest scores will probably originate from the same Mode, thus making it a lot more difficult to keep track of your high scores in the other two Modes (you'll have to actually write them down or something)). =/ Note on the effect of continues: Continuing does *not* reset your score in Puzzle Fighter, so if you like keeping your high score lists meaningful (as I generally do), you should avoid saving to your save file any high scores earned via continued games. For each continue, the game will add 1 point to your score (this is the only time the ones column is used, btw), for up to nine continues, after which continuing will no longer affect the ones column of your score (i.e. it'll stop at 9, even if you've continued 10 or more times). V.5 Is there an auto-save and/or auto-load process? Yes, and yes. But they'll only work with port A-1. You *can* manually save to or load from another port, if you want, however. Auto-save option notes: The Auto-save option is not located in the Memory Card section (second from the bottom, main Options menu) of Option Mode, where one would logically expect it to be, but rather in the Game Settings section (top option, main Options menu) instead! The Auto-save option is the third from the bottom (just above the "restore default settings" option) in Game Settings, and is by default set to OFF. V.6 Is there any sort of screensaver function? The standard "dim the screen" screensaver will darken the screen after 5 minutes of idle time (no inputs from any controller, and no reading from the disc), but only in certain areas of the game (in-game pause menu, for example). And in case anybody's interested, CD spin stop activation time is 1 hour (of no reading from the disc). There is also a screensaver in the web browser (Dream Passport 3) included with the game (to get to DP3, just select Network Mode, then after saving your game status (or not) to your VMU, select the "Super Puzzle Fighter 2X Home Page" option). The screensaver seems to be based upon pictures of the SPF2X characters, and will apparently choose one at random, and take it through one of a few simple screensaver effects. Once you're running DP3 (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 a new effect to run... V.7 Does the standard 5-button reset work? Yes, the standard Dreamcast 5-button reset (A+B+X+Y(START)) will, from either controller, reset the game back to the main title screen. >From there (or from anywhere else in attract mode), if you input the reset command again, you'll exit the game entirely, back to the main Dreamcast system menu... --------------------------------------------------- The latest version of this file can be found at: Way Too Cute To Be a Fighting Game http://www.best.com/~ruyeyama/dcast/wtctbafg.html ---------------------------------------------------