============================================================================== ===== Final Fantasy X-2 ===== ===== Calm Lands Mini Games Guide ===== ===== ===== ===== Author: Chocobahn ===== ===== Version 1.09 ===== ===== Last updated: 03 November 2007 ===== ============================================================================== ============================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENT ============================================================================== [0100] COPYRIGHT / LEGAL INFORMATION [0200] UPDATES [0300] INTRODUCTION [0400] WHO SHOULD READ THIS GUIDE? [0500] MINIGAMES LOCATION [0600] LUPINE DASH [0610] What it is [0620] How to play [0630] Winnings [0640] Strategy [0700] SKY SLOTS [0710] What it is [0720] How to play [0730] Winnings [0740] Strategy [0800] REPTILE RUN [0810] What it is [0820] How to play [0830] Winnings [0840] Strategy [0900] GULL FORCE [0910] What it is [0920] How to play [0930] Winnings [0940] Strategy [1000] FEED THE MONKEY [1010] What it is [1020] How to play [1030] Winnings [1040] Strategy [1100] TRADE IN CREDITS [1200] FAQ [1300] EMAIL - DO'S AND DON'TS [1400] ODDS AND ENDS [1500] CREDITS =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0100] COPYRIGHT / LEGAL INFORMATION [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== Final Fantasy X-2, its associated characters and events are the property of SquareEnix Co., Ltd. No profits of any kind are being made from the usage of these entities. I am in no way directly connected to any person(s) working for SquareEnix and/or its associated companies. So don't email me asking when the next Final Fantasy is going to come out. Any other copyright entities are the property of their respective owners. This guide copyright 2004 - 2005 Chocobahn. No part of this document, either in part or in whole, can be reproduced in any way, shape or form on any form of media for commercial use. This document is strictly for PERSONAL use only. It cannot be used as a profit making (money or otherwise) entity, promotional material and/or any other ways for commercial purposes, even if you are willing to pay me a million gils. I am not prepared to be sued by SquareEnix. Webmasters, unforunately I will not be making this document available on any website besides the following authorised website(s) for now. So please do not ask me for permission to post it on your website. Such request will be ignored. This document is made available to the following website(s) ONLY. If you found this document on any other website(s) besides the ones listed below, please check GameFAQs for the latest version of this document. http://www.gamefaqs.com http://www.neoseeker.com http://faqs.ign.com =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0200] UPDATES [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== Version 1.09 - 03 November 2007 - New Info on Lupine Dash Version 1.08 - 15 October 2005 - New Info on Lupine Dash Version 1.07 - 13 March 2005 - New Info on Lupine Dash Version 1.06 - 23 January 2005 - New Strategy on Sky Slot Version 1.05 - 11 December 2004 - New Info on Lupine Dash - New section - Feed the Monkey minigame Version 1.04 - 16 September 2004 - New Info on Lupine Dash - New Strategy on Gull Force - FAQ updated Version 1.03 - 01 August 2004 - New Info on Lupine Dash Version 1.02 - 01 July 2004 - New Info on Lupine Dash - Add IGN to the approved site list Version 1.01 - 12 June 2004 - New Info on Lupine Dash Version 1.00 - 22 April 2004 - First version completed =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0300] INTRODUCTION [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== "So why would someone write about Final Fantasy X-2 Mini game?" I heard you asked. Okay, maybe you didn't ask. I just put words in your mouth. Anyhoo, this document came about when I was searching for a guide on the mini games in FFX-2. And guess what? I found none. Nada, nil, zilch, big fat zero. Well, at least not that I can find at the time of writing the first version. So I have decided to write one myself. After endless sleepless night and countless resets later (since I have lost all my credits and was too poor to buy more), here it is. =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0400] WHO SHOULD READ THIS GUIDE? [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== This guide provides the basic control and strategy for all the mini games found in the Calm Lands. If you are having trouble winning the mini games, maybe this guide can help. This guide, however, does not cover spherebreak and any other mini games not found in the Calm Lands. It also does not provide any insight into the game itself. Furthermore, it does not cover the PR Mission, which is initiated in the Calm Lands. So if you are having problems with these, consult other FAQ/Guide. The truth is out there. =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0500] MINIGAMES LOCATION [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== *------------------------------------------------* [ Ga ] [ ] [ M ] [ S ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ Rin ] [ ] [ R ] [ C] [ L ] [ ] [ G ] [ ] [ Ma ] *------------------------------------------------* Legend (from top to bottom) Ga = To Mt Gazaget M = Feed the Monkey S = Sky Slots Rin = Rin's Agency R = Reptile Run C = To Chocobo Ranch L = Lupine Dash G = Gull Force Ma = To Macalania =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0600] LUPINE DASH [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== ==================== [0610] What is it? ==================== Essentially, this is horse racing. The aim of the game is to bet on a Lupine that you think is most likely to win the race. If you bet on the winning Lupine, you win. Otherwise, you lose. Simple as that. ==================== [0620] How to play ==================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-= [0621] Screen -=-=-=-=-=-=-= First of all, let's start with the screen layout. Upon choosing a Class, you will be presented with the main menu. In the background, you will see all five Lupines lined up, ready to race. The options are: Place a win bet Place a double bet Review bets Start the race Quit Bets ***** You can place your bet two ways. The following describes the two bets. WIN BET You place a bet on one of the five Lupines that you think would most likely to win the race. DOUBLE BET You bet on two of the five Lupines that you think would most likely to come first and second. The order does not matter, as long as they came first and second. For example, if you place a double bet on Entrant #5 and Entrant #3, it does not matter whether #5 came first and #3 came second, or #3 was first and #5 second. As long they both finished in the top two spots, you win. Review Bets ************ Using this option, you can review which Lupine you have bet on. It also shows the number of credits you have betted. Start the Race *************** Obviously, choose this option to start the race. Quit ***** As it says, people. Quit means quit. If it's no longer fun, walk away. All credits that you have used for bets will be returned to you. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [0622] Betting -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- So how do you decide on which Lupine is the most likely winner? To answer that question, we must first look at Odds. Odds ***** Odds are the likelihood that the Lupine in question would win the race. The same Lupine (distingushed by the Lupine number, differ from the Entrant number) can have different odds in different races, depends on how strong or weak its opponents are. The higher the odds, the least likely that the Lupine in question would win. Conversely, the lower the odds, the more likely that it would win the race. The lowest odds of the five is what we called the "favourite"; the second lowest the "second favourite"; so on and so forth. The more favourite it is, the less payout you will get should it win the race. You must be saying (okay, maybe you didn't; but to get this guide moving...), "If that's the case, I should always bet on the most favourite Lupine then. Right?" Wrong. The odds only determine the "likelihood" of that Lupine winning. In other words, it is a prediction on how the race would turn out. It does not, I repeat, does not mean that the fiend in question "will" win the race. And if you always bet on the most favourite one, you are likely to lose more than you gain in the long run. How the odds are determined in the game is beyond me, but I can assure you that it is alot less complicated than the real world. But it does not matter. We are here to win, not to ponder on how the odds are determined. "So if the favourite doesn't always win, how should I bet?" Well, the answer lies in the Lupine itself. Let's now take a look at the six attributes of our ticket-winning machines, I mean, fiends. Speed ****** Determines how fast the Lupine will run. The higher the number, the faster it runs. However, that it does not equate to easy victory. Stamina ******** Determines how long the Lupine can last on the course. Yes, they do get tired. If you have a Lupine with top speed, but only little stamina, there is a chance that it will lead the race at the start, but might slow down half way through the race as it runs out of breath. The rest of the field will be able to catch up to it. If you are lucky, it might just hang on to win. In short, high speed with low stamina might not be able to beat something with moderate speed with high stamina. ********** [ST] Reader's Contributions ********** kittyhumphries (hawhwa[-at-]yahoo.com) has this to say: I've found that Stamina stat is a consideration only in the lower class races (Class 1 and 2). The Class 3 and up races go so quickly that I've never noticed any slowdown from lack of stamina, even when stamina is as low as 10. The Overall rating of the lupine still cares about this stat, so some races it's better to pick your favorites instead of just the best odds. ********** [ED] Reader's Contributions ********** Rally ****** This is an interesting attribute. From observation, this equates to the ability of the fiend to continue running at top speed (will confirm on this. Help, anyone?). It doesn't always work, though. There is something that determines whether the fiend will rally or not. If your fiend has a high Rally, and it kicks in, congratulations, you have just won the race. ********** [ST] Reader's Contributions ********** Crispy Bacon (da_gasman[-at-]hotmail.com) has this to say: I think Rally is their ability to regain their strength (or stamina)... At first I thought it was a BAD attribute - but apparently not... I looked it up using Artefact Dictionary which quotes Webster's Dictionary: "1) v.t. To collect, and reduce to order, as troops dispersed or thrown into confusion; to gather again; to reunite. " AND "3) v.i. To collect one's vital powers or forces; to regain health or consciousness; to recuperate. 4) v.i. To recover strength after a decline in prices; - said of the market, stocks, etc." (www.dictionary.com defines it similarly) So... Either its their tendancy to 'go with the group' (the higher the value, the greater the tendancy [high=bad]) or... their slowness to start off (the higher the value, the slower their start [high=bad])... OR (these 1's are more likely I think) Their ability to recover their stanima, and thus return to their fastest speed [high=good]... or, as "4)" states, although in a different topic, 'to recover strength after a decline in stamina/speed' [high = good] ----- Pope64 (pulp1234[-at-]hotmail.com) has this to say: On "Lupine Dash", you have the Rally stat given as the lupine's ability to regain stamina. I think it is actually your lupine's desire to win, should it begin to fall behind (seen the movie "Seabiscuit" yet?) As far as I have seen, rally only affects your lupine if it starts to fall behind the pack, then, near the end, it will take a large speed boost (Add rally stat to it's speed? I don't know) It doesn't guarentee the win, but it can help a lot if the lupine you chose is slow. ----- Butch Bomber (bomberillion[-at-]yahoo.com) has this to say: Rally: This is when they fall behind, the likelyhood that they'll be able to catch back up or even pull ahead. The usefullness of this appears to be influenced by both Luck and Flux. ********** [ED] Reader's Contributions ********** Flux ***** Another one of the attributes that I am not quite sure of. Can anyone shed some lights on this? ********** [ST] Reader's Contributions ********** Crispy Bacon (da_gasman[-at-]hotmail.com) has this to say: www.dictionary.com defines 'flux' as: "Flowing; unstable; inconstant; variable." (Artefact Dictionary [and thus Webster's dictionary] defines it similarly) From this I assume that flux is how greatly their performance will differ from race to race - (high flux = performance differs greatly from race to race.... 0 [or low] flux = always performs the same, or very similarly). Thus, with a high flux, the 'odds' and the stats may be very innacurate - once I saw a crappy lupine who had odds of almost 15 win the race by 2/3 of the course (winnings were displayed before the others even finished!) - and with a low flux you can guess that the STATS and ODDS are very accurate. (however it is interesting to note that Artefact Dictionary also gives its definition as: "1) n. The act of flowing; a continuous moving on or passing by, as of a flowing stream; constant succession; change. " Therefore, it may be their abilty to go on fast, rather than slowing. However, there are many more definitions that describe the "Flux" of something as its variabilty.) ----- Butch Bomber (bomberillion[-at-]yahoo.com) has this to say: Flux: This is the odds of them doing above their normal abilities or below, the amount of "flux" is whatever the number is. A high flux can be either really good, really bad, or completely meaningless, without this stat you would be able to win every bet just by looking at the other stats. Luck seems to influence whether this is going to be a positive or a negetive effect. If there's no flux, the lupine is fast, and it has a high rally, IT WILL WIN. I have yet to see anything that proves otherwise (playing on 5). ----- Ale Maniac (cotale[-at-]hotmail.com) has this to say: I went to the Calm Lands, played Lupine Dash a couple of times and then I went stright back into the airship. I talked to the girls (Rikku and Paine) and guess what they told me... Paine: "If a Lupine has high Flux, its other ratings change easily during the race. High Luck leads to positive changes" Rikku: "You sure wanna trust Paine? Don´t come crying to me later when you lose!" We should't pay attention to Rikku. Besides, I do trust Paine. I don't think SqureEnix would give false information about Lupine Dash. I mean, It's pointless I know you probably didn't understand the last paragraph. Just pay attention to the useful info. You can check it yourself. I was in Ch.5, (although I don't think it matters the number) So, the Flux is a "Stats randomizer". It can cause them to go up or down. The higher the Luck, the more likely they would go up. (Ed's note: Can anyone verify that?) ----- Tom (damarschocyfiend[-at-]aol.com) has this to say: - A higher Flux stat causes a higher change rate to the Lupine's Stats. ********** [ED] Reader's Contributions ********** Luck ***** I do not believe that this will determine the outcome of the race. It is not as important as the rest of the attributes. But generally speaking, the higher; the better. ********** [ST] Reader's Contributions ********** Tom (damarschocyfiend[-at-]aol.com) has this to say: - A higher Luck stat means the changes caused by the Flux stat have a better chance of being positive ********** [ED] Reader's Contributions ********** Overall ******** From observation, this determines the odds. The higher the Overall ratings, the more favourite it is. As to how this rating comes about, only the programmers at SquareEnix know. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [0623] Placing a Bet -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Now that you have determine which one (for single bet) or two (for double bet) Lupine you wish to bet on, it is time to put in the bets. Win Bet ******** 1) From the main screen, choose "Place a win bet". 2) On the top left corner, you have the betting console. 3) On the bottom right corner, you have the stats of the Lupine. Move the cursor up and down will change the statistics console. 4) After carefully evaluate each of the Lupine and decided on which one to bet, hit X. 5) Another console will pop up asking you how many tickets to use on the bet. Depends on which class you have chosen at the beginning, the cost of each ticket differs. Below is the list. You can bet a maximum of 5 tickets (i.e. if you choose Class 5, maximum tickets, you will use 500 credits). CLASS CREDITS PER TICKET 1 1 2 5 3 10 4 25 5 100 6) After determining how many tickets to use, hit the X button again to confirm. Double Bet *********** Pretty much same as Win Bet, except this time, you will be betting on two Lupines. After you have placed your bets, you can review them by choosing "Review Bets". If you are not happy with your bets, you can choose to "Place a new bet". It will warn you that your old bet will be cancelled. Unfortunately, you cannot place more than one bet on each tables. All set? Then let the show begins. Click on "Start the race", then sit back and start shouting out your numbers. ==================== [0630] Winnings ==================== After the excitment has died down, and your throat started to get sore, the result will come up momentarily and the payout will be displayed. Click on "Single Bet" if you want to see the result for the single bet. Similarly, click on "Double Bet" if you wish to view the result. The result of the single bet will be something similar to this (same applies to the double bet): 1: 5 x 0 = 0 2: 0 x 1.67 = 0 3: 0 x 0 = 0 4: 0 x 0 = 0 5: 0 x 0 = 0 - The first number is the Entrant number. If it is a double bet, there will be two numbers as in 3-5, meaning Entrant #3 and #5. - The second column displays the number of credits you have used to place the bet. In this example, the "5" next to Entrant #1 denotes 5 credits was used to bet on it. - The third column displays the odds of the winning Entrant. If it is zero, that means the entrant did not win. In this example, Entrant #2 won, so its odds is displayed. - The fourth column is the number of tickets you have won if you bet on the winning Lupine. For example, if you had bet on Entrant #2 instead, the row would now become: 2: 5 x 1.67 = 8 You would have won 8 credits. But beware, this number is not the number of credits you have won on top of the 5 you used for the bet. The credits you used are included in the winnings. So in actual fact, you have just won 3 credits. ==================== [0640] Strategy ==================== - The slowest (i.e. lowest speed) Lupine will NEVER win the race. Doesn't matter what the other attributes are, it will not win the race. - While betting doubles bets, the favourite is almost always among the top two. It's safe to bet on the favourite and another one of your choice. I said "almost" because it is not always the case. But 90% of the time, you will be safe to bet on the favourite. ********** [ST] Reader's Contributions ********** Captain Matt (ranmabt[-at-]hotmail.com) has this to say: - Lupines with poor Luck tend to be slow out of the gate. - Lupines with a high Rally rating can maintain their speed even if their Stamina runs out. ----- Butch Bomber (bomberillion[-at-]yahoo.com) has this to say: Your tip that the slowest lupine is ALWAYS going to lose is completely false, twice I've won with the slowest lupine. How? Because the rally stat was high and the flux stat was very low. Also, the lupine was the slowest but not by a whole lot, I have seen extremely slow lupines win as well (although I didn't pick them). Basically, Flux is the biggest factor, followed by Rally, then Speed. Luck seems to influence the performance of Flux and Rally so in that sense it's also important. In the upper levels, stamina doesn't seem to mean crap and often the lowest stamina'd lupine has the best odds. Just thought I'd pass this along in hopes it may be able to help someone. ----- WCP703 has this to say: In order to gradually build up credits (via a series of losses and then a big win), just bet on the least favourite every time because the odds the COM calculates are clearly off the mark, so you should win more than you lose. For example i was betting in class 2 with 100 credits. It fell to 25 but then i scored a win of 383 credits putting me up to 408. Perhaps it's best to start off in class 1 with 100 credits (and always do a maximum bid) until you raise it to 200 or so and then move up to class 2 and so on (but what can I say, I'm a risk taker). ********** [ED] Reader's Contributions ********** That's about it for Lupine Dash for now. =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0700] SKY SLOTS [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== ==================== [0710] What is it? ==================== This is a slot machine with fiends. The idea is to line up three fiends of the same type. If you line them up, you win, otherwise, you lose. ==================== [0720] How to play ==================== Like almost all the other games, you can choose the difficulty level before you start. LEVEL CREDITS PER TICKET 1 1 2 5 3 10 4 25 5 100 Yep, they are the same as pretty much all the other games. Again, you can bet a maximum of 5 tickets. After choosing the level, you can place the number of tickets you want to use. If you have chosen the maximum amount of tickets, the slot machine will start itself. The aim is the line up three of the same fiends. After you have lined up the first fiend, the payout rate will be displayed at the top left hand corner. Check the payout rate below. There are about four or five camera views. It is a bit annoying when you got used to one camera view, and on the next run, they changed it. But I think that was the intention of it. Press X to stop the slot machine. But believe me, they will not stop at where you tell them to stop. As Paine said, "They are fiends afterall." So be prepared to hit the button early. If you hit it at the right moment, the slot will stop right where you want it. This game is frustrating at times, but when you win, you will no doubt be smiling all the way to the bank. ==================== [0730] Winnings ==================== If you succeeded in lining the three same fiends, you win. Payout rate is as follows: FIEND PAYOUT RATE Blue Bird 100 Brown Bird 50 Orange Wasp 25 Aqua Wasp 10 Brown Wasp 5 Red Wasp 1 The higher the payout, the more difficult it is to line them up. Believe me, you will be kicking and screaming for a long time when you try to line up the blue birds. ==================== [0740] Strategy ==================== - Early in the game, this game has the biggest payout rate of any games in the Calm Lands. I recommend playing this because of the high payout rate. Until Gull Force is available, this is the game to play. - Always aim for the big blue bird. You may lose some... okay, alot of credits (and temper), but its big payout is worth it. That's about it for Sky Slots for now. ********** [ST] Reader's Contributions ********** Eikoo (torhell[-at-]stud.hisf.no) has this to say: I have played Sky slots alot lately and I've noticed something interesting. The difficulty on lining up 3 species/fiends will vary depending on which angle you see them from. I.e, seeing them coming towards you are considered to be easiest, therefore the difficulty is high. After playing a while I suddenly got this angle where the birds "poped" out of the screen like in Gull Force round 3. If you get this angle, you'll notice that it's much easier to line up 3 species/fiends! It doesn't end there, you will actually get the same angle twice and maybe three times! But it requires that you know the sequence of the birds. I recommend to go for the birds that gives you 50 and 100 credits. Line 1: L - - - S L - - - Line 2 S - L - S - - - - Line 3 S - - - - L - - - L = A 100 credit bird (Blue Bird) S = A 50 credit bird (Brown Bird) - = An other bird ********** [ED] Reader's Contributions ********** =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0800] REPTILE RUN [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== ==================== [0810] What is it? ==================== The aim is go from the start to finish without getting killed by fiends that are guarding the path. If you are discovered, you will be burnt to death, chased to death, bitten to death, etc. you get the idea. ==================== [0820] How to play ==================== Choose you level you want to participate. LEVEL CREDITS PER TICKET 1 1 2 5 3 10 4 25 5 100 Again, you can bet a maximum of 5 tickets. When the game starts, you will be a reptile at the bottom of the screen. Move your reptile one line at a time towards the finish line some two screens away. You can choose to move left, right, or straight ahead, but you can't move back. So if you have made a mistake, that's bye-bye to you. Each line has dots on them. If it's red, it means it's a no-go. If it's yellow, caution. If it's green, then hurry up. Take your time, but hurry up, because there is a time limit. It is displayed at the top left hand corner. It will also determine your final payout rate. The more time you take to finish the game, the less payout you get. ==================== [0830] Winnings ==================== More on this later. ==================== [0840] Strategy ==================== - One of my least favourite game, probably because of my less than perfect co-ordination. That's about it for Reptile Run for now. =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [0900] GULL FORCE [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== ==================== [0910] What is it? ==================== You are a gull, and your mission is to shoot down the "real" big blue bird out of the five that will come towards you. ==================== [0920] How to play ==================== This game has the biggest payout rate. If you want to get the Garment Grids, this is probably the only game that will get you enough credits in any decent amount of time. After picking the number of credits you want to use, you will start the game. Unlike other games in the Calm Lands, there is no level in this game, and you can bet to a maximum of 1000 credits (unlike the rest with 500 max). There are three stages with four rounds each. Each round has its own camera view. Same for all stages (i.e. camera view for 1-1 is the same as 2-1 and 3-1, etc). Check the table below. ROUND CAMERA VIEW 1 Bottom to Top (Gull at bottom) 2 Right to Left (Gull at right) 3 Top to Bottom (Gull at top) 4 Left to Right (Gull at left) The aim is to hit square to fire at the bird you think is "real". During Stage 1, the "real" birds will spin all the time. Just shot at anything that spins. During Stage 2, "real" bird will spin. Shot at them. However, the catch here is, the birds might not spin all the time. If they don't spin, you are pretty much taking a blind shot. At Stage 3, all birds will spin. The "real" birds and the "fake" ones will spin in opposite directions (i.e. if "real" birds spin left, "fake" ones spin right). You only get one chance to shoot at the birds. If you missed, there is no second chance. You will have to wait for the next wave before you can shoot again. There is a minimum number of hits you must achieve in order to win that round. If you missed the mark, you will lose all your credits. Depending on the round, the minimum number of hits will differ. At the end of each round, a pop up window will show you your payout rate and ask whether you want to continue or not. Choose "no" if you want to take your winnings. ==================== [0930] Winnings ==================== The following table should provide you with a clearer picture. STAGE PAYOUT REAL BIRDS MIN NUMBER OF (out of 5) HITS REQUIRED 1-1 0.1 4 1+ 1-2 0.4 4 2+ 1-3 1.0 4 2+ 1-4 2.0 3 3+ 2-1 4.0 3 2+ 2-2 6.0 3 2+ 2-3 8.0 3 3+ 2-4 10.0 3 3+ 3-1 20.0 2 2+ 3-2 40.0 2 3+ 3-3 80.0 1 2+ 3-4 200.0 1 3+ You can get bonus if you hit more than the minimum number of hits required for each round. However, if you miss, you will be penalised for it. In other words, if you have reached the minimum required, don't shoot like a madman if you are uncertain which bird is "real". Of course, if you haven't reached the minimum yet, you will have to take your chances and hope to hit the right one. ==================== [0940] Strategy ==================== - Stage 1 and the first half of Stage 2 are quite easy. Sometimes it really depends on your luck, because at Stage 2, the birds do not spin all the time. I have had an entire round without a single spin, so I was just shooting at anything. Luckily I got past that round without too much trouble. - Stage 3 is crazy as. The catch here is, the birds spin at different direction for each wave. If the "real" birds spin left during the first wave, they will spin right at the next wave, then back to spining left, etc. Watch out for it. But honestly, it's more of a gamble than actually looking for the spin. - I recommend stopping at 2-4, because that's when things starting to get a bit messy. If you are game enough, go on. For me, payout of 10 plus bonus is good enough when I am using 1000 credits. - This is probably the best game out of the Calm Lands because of the high payout. You need a bit of luck, but most of the time, all you need is a quick eye and quick finger, unlike Lupine Dash where it is pretty much pure luck. ********** [ST] Reader's Contributions ********** Tyre (exceriontyre[-at-]msn.com) has this to say: Here's my surefire trick (I know it's cheating, but hey, it saves hours and hours of doing the same games over again). In stages 3-1 to 3-4, where ya have to pick out the two or one birds that spin in the opposite direction to all the others, pause the game just as the fiends enter their spin. If you time it properly - it's not too hard - it will be really obvious which way the fiends are spinning. Then just pick your target, unpause the game and take it down! Doing things this way, I earned enough credits for the Garment Grids in about 15 minutes, then did a couple more rounds just to buy some of the other stuff for the hell of it. Honestly, with this strategy I managed to kill six fiends in a row in stage 3-3 (where there's only one real bird!). So don't waste time on the other games, except for fun, of course. Gull Force is where the big bucks are at! ********** [ED] Reader's Contributions ********** That's about it for Gull Force for now. =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [1000] FEED THE MONKEY [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== (Ed's Note: This entire section is written by Andrea Landaker qirien[-at-]icecavern.net. A big thankyou to Andrea) ==================== [1010] What is it? ==================== The aim of the game is to keep the monkey in the air as long as possible as you feed him different fruits that modify his weight. You pick the fruits randomly from 5 chests. ==================== [1020] How to play ==================== Choose the amount you wish to wager, from 10 to 1000 credits. Each turn you pick one of the chests, which has a piece of fruit in it. The fruit which will either make him gain or lose weight. If his weight gets to be 5 or less, you lose. If his weight gets to be 100 or more, you also lose. You may quit at at any time to receive your payout. You may also call on Rikku to try and redistribute the fruits so there are more heavy ones, or Paine for more lighter ones. This doesn't always work, however. This continues until you decide to stop, at which point you are paid according to the current payout. At the top of the screen, it shows you all the fruits that are distributed (somewhat) randomly in the chests. Since there are 5 chests, these numbers should all add up to 5. For example, you may have 1 Heavy Large fruit, 2 Heavy Small fruits, 2 Light Medium fruits, and 1 Balance fruit. You know that the chest you pick will have one of these fruits in it. At the bottom of the screen, it shows your current status. On the left, the maximum monkey weight (100), and amount of chests opened and payout. On the right, the current monkey weight, and number of calls left to Rikku and Paine. The amounts gained/lost are: Large Heavy = +15 Medium Heavy = +10 Small Heavy = +5 Large Light = -15 Medium Light = -10 Small Light = -5 Plain Fruit = 0 (? I've never actually got that one) Forbidden = +150 Balance = set weight to 45 ==================== [1030] Winnings ==================== Your payout is based on the number of fruits you give the monkey before you quit (if his weight goes 5 or under, or 100 or over, you get nothing). Under 10, your payout is less than 1 (payout = NumberOfTurns * NumberOfTurns / 100). At 10, your payout is 1 (you get back exactly what you put in). Over 10, it starts to get larger fast, with 15=2.55, 20=7.19, and 25 = 14.92. So you can actually make a fair amount of money if you bet 1000 every time -- if you're not good at Sky Slots, it could be your best bet for earning credits. ==================== [1040] Strategy ==================== - Before you pick a chest, determine if it is possible for you to lose. For example, if you know that there is one Big Light fruit, and the weight is 20, it is possible for you to lose (20-15 = 5, which is too light). In this case, you should call on Rikku to see if you can redistribute the fruits to be heavier. If it is still possible to lose, then it is probably a good time to quit so you don't lose money. - You may want to call on Rikku and Paine a little early so that you don't get stuck later on. - If you pick the same chest 3 times in a row, you will notice that the forbidden fruit appears on the third time. Pick any chest EXCEPT the one you have been picking, and you will NOT get the forbidden fruit. For example, turn 1, you pick chest 1. Turn 2, you pick chest 2. Turn 3, you pick chest. Then Turn 4, you can go back to picking chest 1 again. - If you stick with the same chest (except as noted in above), your odds of staying close to the middle and lasting longer seem to improve. - Once you get above 20 turns or so, the forbidden fruit comes more often. If it comes up other than in the situation mentioned above, your best bet is probably just to quit and take your winnings while you can! That's about it for Feed the Monkey for now. =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [1100] TRADE IN CREDITS [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== The whole point of playing the mini games (besides gaining PR points by losing) is to trade in the credits for items/accessories/Garment Girds. In later updates, I will list all the items you can get. More on this later. =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [1200] FAQ [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== Q1: Is there any point in playing the mini games in Calm Lands? A1: Yes and no. Yes, if you want to get the Garment Girds. You need 200,000 credits (or 2,000,000 Gils if you can afford it). Also, for the PR Mission, you need 400+ in order to receive a Episode Complete as well as % Complete. If you haven't reached 400+ yet, you can play and lose the mini games in order to gain PR points. No, if you don't care about the Garment Girds and you already have 400+ points for your PR Mission. Q2: Where is Gull Force? I am in Chapter 5 already, but I can't find it? HELP! A2: You need to have completed the PR mission for Open Air in order to get the Gull Force minigame. If you have succesully completed the PR mission for Argent instead, you will get Feed the Monkey instead. Q3: Where is Feed the Monkey? I am in Chapter 5 already, but I can't find it. A3: See Q2 above. Q4: I am in Ch.5 already, but I still haven't start the PR mission. How do I complete the mission and unlock the mini-games? A4: You will need two very informative FAQs to get through this one. Head off to GameFAQs and get: http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/final_fantasy_x_2_pr.txt, and http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/final_fantasy_x_2_gull_force.txt Follow the first FAQ and get the maximum number of points possible for Chapter 5, then head off to the latter one to learn how to get the rest of the PR points. Q5: What is the ??????? that I see in the Trade in Credit screen? A5: That is a Garment Grid. I can't remember exactly which Grid it was. That's for me to know, for you to find out. =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [1300] EMAIL - DO'S AND DON'TS [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== DO contact me if you have: - a problem with any of the mini games. I will try my best to answer your query. - a really cool strategy on any of the games. - found an error in this guide. - information regarding any of the mini games not covered in this guide. - any suggestions on how to improve this guide. DON'T contact me for the followings: - general Final Fantasy X-2 gameplay. There are many comprehensive walkthroughs you can find. Use them. - ask anything about mini games that is already covered in this guide. Your email shall be totally disregarded. - junk mail, forward mail, chain mail, any mail about extending my body part, buying a property, or buying some watches, etc. I shall pray to Yevon that you burn in hell forever and ever, and then some more. - Basically don't contact me for anything that does not relate to the Calm Lands Mini Games. When sending email, - write in proper English in order to receive a proper response. Can't help you if I don't understand your request. - Put "FFX-2 Calm Lands Mini Games" (or something similar) in the subject line. I do receive crap load of junk mail. If you don't do that, I may delete your mail by accident. - either to me or one of the contributors, just replace the [-at-] with the @ symbol. This is to avoid junk mail. I know, it's annoying, blame all those who send junk mail. Now, here is the email address you have all been waiting for: mrc3333[-at-]yahoo.com =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [1400] ODDS AND ENDS [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== While I have made it my destiny to ensure the integrity and accuracy of this guide, I cannot and will not guarantee the accuracy and usefulness of any and all information presented in this guide. Use them at your own risk. If you have spotted any mistakes, language-wise and/or information-wise, I can be contacted at the email address list above. Please follow the email guideline mentioned above. This document is still a WIP (Work In Progress). So if you have any suggestions on what I should put in, leave out, etc. Please contact me. I will consider all suggestions. Of course, I have the final say. No animal was hurt during the making of this guide, though I wish that some of the Lupine could run just a tiny bit faster (looked around, drop the bottle of steroid and kicked it away). =====/\========================================/\===== ][ ][ [] [1500] CREDITS [] ][ ][ =====\/========================================\/===== - SquareEnix - for this wonderful game - Crispy Bacon - info on Lupin Dash - Pope64 - info on Lupin Dash - Captain Matt - strategy on Lupin Dash - kittyhumphries - info on Lupin Dash - Tyre - strategy on Gull Force - Andrea Landaker - big thankyou for writing the entire Feed the Monkey mini game section. - Butch Bomber - various info on Lupin Dash - Eikoo - strategy on Sky Slot - Ale Maniac - info on Lupin Dash - Tom - Info on Lupin Dash - WCP703 - Info on Lupin Dash - All the sites that host my guide - And last, but definitely not least, you the reader who took time to read this far. And even if you didn't, thanks for taking time to download it in the first place. Hope you have enjoyed this Guide, as much as I have enjoyed writing it. That's it for now, boys and girls. Until next time, you are reading yet another Chocobahn production. ~ Chocobahn ~ http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/46154.html http://mygamingrant.blogspot.com ***** END OF DOCUMENT *****