Are you interested in the band? ********************************************************************* _ _ _ ( ) ( ) ( ) __ | | ___ ___ __ __ | |_ ___ | | (_' ( _)( o_)( o )( _`'_ )( o \( o )( _) /__)/_\ \( /_^_\/_\`'/_\/___/ \_/ /_\ _ _ _ ( ) (_) ( ) __| |_ __ ___ ____ _ __| | ___ __ / /( _ )( _)( o )( __ )( )/ /( )( o_)(_' \_\/_\||/_\ \_/ /_\/_\/_\\_\/_\ \( /__) ********************************************************************* ##################################################################### Music Guide Version 1.05 by Kamatari47 (guitarotoko@gmail.com) ##################################################################### DISCLAIMER: This guide is intended for private, personal use. Any unauthorized reproduction, publication, or distribution of this guide without my express written permission is strictly prohibited. At this time, this guide may be published with permission by gamefaqs.com, neoseeker.com, and 1up.com: any other websites found publishing this guide is committing a violation of copyright. All information included in this guide was collected by me personally through gameplay. Table of Contents: I. Introduction II. Street Musician III. GlobeTrotter IV. Instruments V. Songs VI. Update History/Special Thanks ===================================================================== I. Introduction ===================================================================== Music plays a large role in Steambot Chronicles, the brilliant adventure game by Irem/Atlus. There is a variety of musical instruments available for you to acquire and master. You may use these instruments to make street performances at any parking lot found in the game, and you will earn money (in the form of tips given by impressed spectators) if you play well. Later in the game, you will join a band and be able to earn even more money with good performances. This guide will provide all you need to know about life as a musician in the world of Steambot Chronicles. There are some spoilers in this guide: do not read about any instruments you have not encountered and any story events you have not experienced if you do not wish to be spoiled. ===================================================================== II. Street Musician ===================================================================== After your first visit to the Egret Brook, Downstream farmhouse early in the game, Connie will give you a harmonica found lying in the sand beside you as a result of the shipwreck that delivered you to Seagull Beach. After you receive this item, you can choose "Play Instrument" from the menu at any parking lot (press X when standing next to your Trotmobile) to initiate a street performance. Initially, you can only play the harmonica during street performances, but as you acquire more instruments, you can play those instruments as well (except for the piano/organ, the drums, and the electric guitar). If you play well enough to get people to listen to you, they will tip you at the end of your performance. The size of your total tip is determined by the number of people listening to you at the end of your performance (these are the people that are standing still around your Trotmobile looking at you at the end of your performance). Naturally, you earn more tip money if you play at a spot where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic passing by, and you will earn nothing if you play your instrument at any place where there is no one in earshot to hear you play. Spectators will stop to hear you if you're playing well; they will lose interest and leave (thereby decreasing the amount of tips you earn) if you keep missing notes or if there's a long lull of inactivity during the song (hence, you're advised to play songs with long streams of notes from start to end with few pauses in between). You give yourself a greater chance of attracting spectators if you play long songs (since that increases the amount of time you have for a spectator to walk by and be impressed enough to stay and listen), so try to play long songs instead of the short "Practice" numbers. You may practice your instruments at any time by pressing Triangle to enter the main menu, selecting "Item", scrolling down to your instrument of choice, and selecting "Practice." You may practice any song you know the sheet music for (see section V), as well as the default practice tune for each instrument (there is no practice tune for the electric guitar). At the end of your practice session, you will be given a letter grade that reflects the quality of your performance and gives you an idea of your likelihood for impressing audiences -- an "A"-grade performance is enough to bring the largest tip possible from any street performance, and you need a "S"-grade (nearly flawless) performance to receive a standing ovation during a concert (more on concerts in section III). You may play the piano/organ instrument at four fixed locations: at the Aphrodite Bar in Nefroburg (piano), at the Nefroburg Church (organ), in the music classroom at Garland University (piano), and at the Garland Cathedral (organ). Since these four places are always populated by a fixed number of people, the size of your tip from performing at these places is fixed as well -- as long as you play well (a high-B/A grade performance). None of the spectators at these places will ever get up and leave, so you'll earn the same amount for playing a short song than you will for performing a long song. Therefore, it's recommended to play short, simple "Practice" tunes at these places to earn money quickly and easily. There are many other places where you can play any of the other instruments to similarly "fixed" audiences, but you will not be able to earn as much in tip money as you can from playing at a parking lot near heavy pedestrian traffic. Although the max tip you'll receive from any single spectator is set at 6 UR regardless of which instrument you play and where you play it, you can equip two frames which increase your likelihood of attracting spectators and keeping them around. These frames are the Stage Arm frame and the Cuckoo Clock Grill frame: you receive one of these frames on your first visit to Dr. Nutmeg's garage at Vision Ranch, and you can visit the garage at a later date to speak to Dr. Nutmeg about your experience with that frame -- if you choose "It helped me earn even more!" from the dialogue options, Dr. Nutmeg will give you the other frame as well. There is an additional Stage Arm frame which you can obtain by going down the true hero path (Basil will give you the frame before you go into battle with the true leader of the Bloody Mantis). The following is a list of the best locations/times for street performances: - Nefro Bakery parking lot, noon (Nefroburg): the two girls standing right beside your Trotmobile are a fixed audience and provide bonus tip money (in addition to what you earn from spectators attracted normally). Play at noon because there are two noblewomen who are only active at noon. - Siberian Musk Hotel parking lot, evening (Nefroburg). - Lobster Inn parking lot, evening (Happy Garland): there is a great deal of pedestrian traffic at this location during any time of the day (except possibly night), but traffic is at its highest during the evening hours. In fact, the Lobster Inn parking lot during evenings is the pre-eminent spot for street performances in the game. - Fort Raven parking lot, anytime (Fort Raven): you have a large fixed audience here. Since you don't need to impress any spectators into staying, it's more efficient to play "Practice" tunes here. If you have a Stage Arm frame equipped and you're travelling with a companion (either Connie or Savory), your companion will join you atop your Trotmobile while you play a street performance. If you perform at the Kharija Oasis during any time but night and you're wearing Swimming Trunks or Palm Leaves, your female companion will also change into her swimming suit before joining you on top of your Stage Arm. You also have a music rank listed on your Album (page 1) profile. This rank ranges from Novice to Phenom: play instruments impressively and frequently to increase your rank. You cannot lose ranks even if you keep playing badly. Your music rank does not affect how much you earn from any performance. Street performances are a good source of income in the early game, but you earn far more once you've joined the GlobeTrotters and can play concerts. ===================================================================== III. GlobeTrotter ===================================================================== After you arrive at Happy Garland for the first time, you will be invited to join the Garland GlobeTrotters after a short story event. From this point on, you may play in concerts as a member of the Garland GlobeTrotters. In addition to concerts that take place as part of the storyline, the Garland GlobeTrotters play in the Lobster Inn dining room during noon and evening everyday; after you open the railroad to Meme Village, you can also bring the band over to play there once per day (any time of the day), as long as you've beaten the game. To play a concert, simply speak to Marjoram (at Lobster Inn) or Mayor Marlow (at Meme Village). You can play any instrument not already claimed by another band member (instruments already occupied are highlighted in red): simply select such an instrument and press X to switch to it on the instrument assignment screen and then press Square to confirm and start playing. After the end of each song, Connie will ask you "are you okay for more?" Answer "yes" to play another song, up until the band has played all the songs you know (i.e. have received sheet music for); songs learned more recently are played first (thus, "In Your Voice" is always played last). You may switch instruments between songs. The first four times you play well in a concert (i.e. the average crowd reaction is better than mediocre), you will receive a poster of each of the four current GlobeTrotter members (Basil, Marjoram, Savory, and finally Connie). If you play another concert after beating the game and perform well, Connie will ask you to become the leader of the band. As band leader, you choose the order in which the songs are played, and you also have the ability to assign any member of the band to any instrument he/she is capable of playing before the concert as well as between songs: Connie: Vocal, Vocal/Guitar, Vocal/Accordion *Savory: Chorus, Chorus/Guitar, Chorus/Piano Marjoram: Drums, Accordion, Saxophone Basil: Bass, Trumpet, Violin * She leaves the band after the end of the game and is therefore not available for post-game play. You can make a lot more money from playing concerts than from street performances. For every "standing ovation" reaction you get from playing a song (which may be difficult to achieve, as it requires a "S"-grade performance), you will receive around 350 UR (at Lobster Inn; you will receive about 250 UR from the smaller crowd at Meme Village). The game does keep tabs on your concert activity -- you will be assigned a GlobeTrotters "job title" (such as trumpeteer, bass player, etc.) based on your most frequently played instrument in concerts during the summary screen after beating the game. ===================================================================== IV. Instruments ===================================================================== This section lists all ten instruments you can obtain in the game, how they're obtained, how they are played, and how difficult they are to master. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Harmonica Obtained: Given to you by Connie shortly after the start of the game. Description: A small, compact instrument with my (Vanilla's) name on the cover. How to play: Button icons marked with Triangle (inhale) or Square (exhale) will flow down one of three vertical lines. Switch the oval timing cursor to the correct line (using LEFT or RIGHT on the D-pad) and press the indicated button when each icon enters the timing cursor. Hold the indicated button to play a sustained note if the button icon is followed by a series of shadowed circles; jam the button indicated to warble if the button icon is followed by a stacked series of button icons of the same type. Difficulty: ** Notes: I recommend practicing this instrument from the beginning of the game. You will have to use it multiple times during the storyline concerts where Basil has occupied the trumpet. It is not a difficult instrument to master, but be sure to make clean switches from Square to Triangle or vice versa -- if you press both buttons together at any time, you will likely miss the note. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Piano Obtained: You may only play this instrument at the Aphrodite Bar, Nefroburg Church, Garland University (music classroom), and Garland Cathedral. You will receive a set of Piano Notes the first time you play this instrument so that you can practice. The instruments at the Nefroburg Church and Garland Cathedral are actually organs, which has a different sound but plays the same way as the piano. Description: You could practice on the piano with these in hand (refers to the Piano Notes). How to play: A long rectangular timing cursor spans two horizontal lines, across which a series of button icons will pass. Press the correct button for each line when the button icon enters the timing cursor. Hold the button to sustain the note if its icon is followed by a continous string of yellow circles. Button icons include Square, Triangle, X, and all four cardinal directions on the D-pad. Difficulty: **** Notes: It's easy to master the practice tune and use the piano found in the Aphrodite Bar to make a good bit of cash early in the game, but the difficulty of piano play increases dramatically when you try to play a song. It's common to see long sequences of different button icons coming at you when playing a song, and it is often hard to match the relatively strict timing. A great deal of memorization and practice is required if you wish to play the piano well in a concert setting. Note that you can only play one short (and simple) tune on either of the two organs available in the game. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Trumpet Obtained: Find in a chest on the second floor of Dr. Nutmeg's house at Vision Ranch. Description: An instrument that Dr. Nutmeg designed recently. How to play: Use your left analog to match the level of the incoming bars before they pass the timing cursor. There are three levels: low (left analog DOWN), medium (left analog LEFT or RIGHT), and high (left analog UP). You will not be able to get a Bravo! rating on a note if your left analog is near but not in the highlighted area for the given note (e.g. if you press DOWN on a low note but your cursor ends up slightly outside the blue area, you will receive a Good rating for the note and not a Bravo!). You can leave your left analog on a direction matching an upcoming stream of level bars instead of timing each note individually. Difficulty: * Notes: The trumpet is the easiest instrument to master. Once you get a feel for which angles will produce which directions (i.e. fall in the highlighted areas) on your left analog stick, you will breeze through songs. Remember to switch levels before the notes, if possible, and to hold the directions during long strings of identical level bars (instead of timing notes individually). --------------------------------------------------------------------- Guitar Obtained: Purchase from Grace Instruments in Happy Garland (150 UR). Description: You can play this instrument by strumming or plucking the strings. How to play: The control scheme for the guitar and all its derivatives (string bass, electric guitar) is extremely simple: just press UP with the right analog stick when the bars moving from right to left (representing the notes) pass through the rectangular timing cursor. Pay attention to the blue indicator rising through each bar -- if you press UP when the blue indicator reaches the very top of the bar (which should coincide with the note fully entering the timing cursor), you will get a Bravo! rating for the note. Difficulty: *** Notes: Although the controls are simple, the timing can be very tricky to pin down, especially in songs where you have to deal with long consecutive strings of notes. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Drum Set Obtained: Purchase from Grace Instruments in Happy Garland or Quarter Note in Neuhafen (180 UR). Description: Play this instrument by hitting the heads with drumsticks. How to play: Button icons descend down two parallel vertical lines, often simultaneously. Two timing cursors are present, one for each side. Press L1 (drums) and L2 (cymbals) to play notes on the left line; press R1 (drums) and R2 (cymbals) to play notes on the right line. Difficulty: **** Notes: The controls aren't hard, but the timing can get very, very strict (and are worse on some songs than others). Another problem is that, as a drummer, you usually deal with more notes than any other band member, which means you have more chances to make mistakes. This instrument requires a lot of practice to master. --------------------------------------------------------------------- String Bass Obtained: Purchase from Grace Instruments in Happy Garland or Quarter Note in Neuhafen (200 UR). Description: This instrument is designed to enhance a song's rhythm. How to play: The control scheme is basically that of the guitar turned sideways. Press RIGHT with the right analog stick when the descending horizontal bars enter the yellow timing cursor. Try to coincide your analog presses with the blue indicator reaching the very right end of each horizontal bar. Difficulty: *** Notes: Similar to the guitar, the problem here isn't the control scheme but rather the timing, which can prove frustrating unless you practice enough to know the quirks in each song. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Accordion Obtained: Purchase from Grace Instruments in Happy Garland (150 UR). Description: This instrument's sound is created when air is forced past metal reeds. How to play: The accordion uses much the same layout and buttons as the drums, except its twin vertical lines sway inward then outward continously. You must move the analog sticks (left analog governs left cursor, right analog governs right cursor) to keep your timing cursor on the vertical lines, else you will miss the notes even if you time them perfectly. You only use the L1 and R1 buttons to play this instrument, and you will need to hold L1/R1 to sustain notes with yellow shadows following them, or press L1/R1 rapidly on long stacks of the same button icon to play the vibrato effect. Difficulty: ***** Notes: Unless you have superhuman hand-eye coordination and can multi-task mentally, this instrument will frustrate you to the point of declaring it impossible. I've only managed to get as high as a "B" grade playing any song on the accordion, and that was with a turbo controller where I didn't have to worry about timing L1 or R1 at all. It's unbelievably difficult to keep the timing cursors on the vertical lines AND worry about timing L1/R1 button presses at the same time, especially since analog sticks on PS2 controllers are not exactly the most precise gadgets around... --------------------------------------------------------------------- Saxophone Obtained: Purchase from Quarter Note in Neuhafen (120 UR). Description: A metal woodwind instrument played by blowing through the mouthpiece. How to play: The saxophone is basically the horizontal version of the drums. It features two hand-shaped timing cursors (one governing the left hand, and one governing the right) which you match with button icons moving from right to left. Press L1 or L2 on left hand/top line notes, and R1 or R2 on right hand/bottom line notes. Unlike the drums, you will need to hold buttons for sustains or jam them for vibrato effects when playing the saxophone. Difficulty: *** Notes: Difficulty varies from song to song, but the saxophone is mastered in pretty much the same way as the drums. It's generally easier than the drums, since the long sustains and vibrato effects mean that there are fewer notes in each song compared to the drums. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Electric Guitar Obtained: After meeting Fennel in Happy Garland, he will tell you that he's searching for an instrument with a "new sound." Speak to the owner of Grace Instruments, and he will tell you about his nephew George, who works at City Motors. Go to City Motors on foot and find George on the second floor. Tell him about Fennel's problem and George will tell you that he could perhaps come up with something if you bring him a guitar, a Mini-Engine, and a Mini-Generator. Buy a guitar at Grace Instruments, receive the Mini-Engine from Ciboulette after you complete the Sailing License Quest, and receive a Mini-Generator from the Man Fishing at the Brook outside the gate to Neuhafen (speak to him after cleaning up the river by picking up and throwing the four pieces of debris causing the pollution). Give all three items to George and he will make the Electric Guitar. Description: A guitar that uses a small engine and generator to create electronic sound. How to play: The control scheme is identical to that of the guitar: press UP with the right analog stick when the bars moving from right to left (representing the notes) pass through the rectangular timing cursor. Pay attention to the blue indicator rising through each bar -- if you press UP when the blue indicator reaches the very top of the bar (which should coincide with the note fully entering the timing cursor), you will get a Bravo! rating for the note. Difficulty: *** Notes: You can only play "Music Revolution" with this instrument (it doesn't even have its own practice tune), and you can only perform it when you play with Fennel and his band in the dining room of the Station Hotel in Happy Garland (just speak to Fennel anytime). Timing difficulty is about the same as any guitar song, although it could be rather hard to see the notes (specifically, the blue indicators) clearly due to the crazy lighting during a public performance of "Music Revolution". --------------------------------------------------------------------- Violin Obtained: Given to you by Dandelion (during the concert before the battle between the Dirge Cruiser and the S.S. Symphony if you joined the Civilian Army; speak to him in his workshop after beating the game if you joined the Bloody Mantis). Description: The bow is made from horse hair. Dandelion crafted it. How to play: Tilt your right analog stick to any of three directions (diagonal DOWN-LEFT, DOWN, diagonal DOWN-RIGHT) to match the icons descending down one of the three vertical lines. You can hold your right analog at the correct angle before a note reaches the circular timing cursors (which disappear when the right analog is in use), much like the trumpet. Difficulty: ** Notes: It's as simple to master as the trumpet, though there is comparatively more variation among violin notes, and you also don't have much time to move your analog stick between notes sometimes. The straight DOWN notes can be tricky, as a slight miss can cause your analog to shift to one of the diagonal lines. ===================================================================== V. Songs ===================================================================== This section lists the various songs you learn to play in the game: - "In Your Voice": obtain sheet music for this song when you see Connie and co. off the morning after the concert in Nefroburg. - "Impossible": obtain sheet music for this song after you attempt to rescue Connie when she gets kidnapped by the Desert Hornets. - "I Cry": written by Dandelion. Give Dandelion's letter to Connie (you're forced to do this at Garland Station if you haven't yet given her the letter and the sheet music at that point), and you'll learn this song before you perform for Don Puccini at Strand Pier. - "Just Shout It Out": obtain sheet music for this song when you complete the Meme Village Railroad Quest and the villagers decide to invite the GlobeTrotters for a commemorative concert. - "Music Revolution": after completing the Electric Guitar Quest, speak to Fennel in the dining room of the Station Hotel. You may only perform this song with Fennel and the Blue Thunders. - "See You Later": unlocked after you complete the game. ===================================================================== VI. Update History/Special Thanks ===================================================================== March 21, 2007 -- Ugh, dangling space in the ASCII art header. March 20, 2007 -- Reformatted the Table of Contents for easier reading. July 17, 2006 -- Hosting permissions updated. July 16, 2006 -- Made a minor correction. July 15, 2006 -- D'oh! Uploaded a version that didn't save the "obtained" info for the saxophone... July 15, 2006 -- Version 1.0 completed. Special thanks to Irem and Atlus for producing and localizing this great game for us all to enjoy. A special shout out to Nadia Gifford for being such a beautiful singer. I'm not going to say anything about that schmuck who did the vocals for "Music Revolution", though... they'd have to censor me. Questions? Comments? Corrections? Or was there something I missed? Direct your inquiries to me via email at guitarotoko@gmail.com. (C) 2006-2007 Wei Chen