I hope you enjoy it... ********************************************************************* _ _ _ ( ) ( ) ( ) __ | | ___ ___ __ __ | |_ ___ | | (_' ( _)( o_)( o )( _`'_ )( o \( o )( _) /__)/_\ \( /_^_\/_\`'/_\/___/ \_/ /_\ _ _ _ ( ) (_) ( ) __| |_ __ ___ ____ _ __| | ___ __ / /( _ )( _)( o )( __ )( )/ /( )( o_)(_' \_\/_\||/_\ \_/ /_\/_\/_\\_\/_\ \( /__) ********************************************************************* ##################################################################### Pool Guide Version 1.07 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. Rules and Controls III. Modes, Cues, Rewards IV. Hustlers V. Break Ace VI. Update History/Special Thanks --------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------- In Steambot Chronicles, the innovative non-linear adventure by Irem/ Atlus, one of the most fun mini-games to play is pool/billiards. This guide serves to explain the mechanics of pool games (as it pertains to the Steambot Chronicles variation); list the characters you can play against; list the strengths, weaknesses, and equipment of each character; list the items you can earn from playing pool; provide information about the two extra modes available after completing the game; and provide information about the special "hole-in-one" shot that will help you become Hustler King in no time. Note that there are some spoilers in this guide: do not read about hustlers you have not encountered or modes/items you have not found if you do not wish to be spoiled. --------------------------------------------------------------------- II. Rules and Controls --------------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone in Steambot Chronicles plays the same variation of pool: Nine Ball. The aim of this variation is to hole (i.e. shoot into any pocket) the 9-ball (yellow with a white circle containing the number 9 on it). The first player to hole the 9-ball wins the game. However, there are rules that prevent you from shooting at nothing but the 9-ball: 1. The current player must make contact with the lowest-numbered ball on the table with his/her shot. 2. If no non-cue balls are holed on the shot, control goes over to the other player. 3. If a foul is committed on the current stroke, control goes over to the other player and he/she gets a free drop: he/she gets to place the cue ball anywhere on the table. 4. If any player commits three fouls on consecutive shots, he/she loses the game. This is called a Scratch Three. The list of fouls is as follows. - Scratch: the cue ball goes into any pocket on the shot. Note that balls holed on a shot that scratches do not return to the table, with the lone exception of the 9-ball. - Miss: the cue ball failed to strike the lowest-numbered ball on the table first on the stroke. - Off-table: the cue ball goes off the pool table on any shot. - No cushion: neither the cue ball nor any balls it struck on the stroke touched the banks of the pool table (the "cushion"). The controls are as follows: I. Any time: Start: pause the game. Triangle: accesses the pool menu, where you can access pool tips, get opponent information, and quit the match (which will result in a loss). II. Before initiating the shot: D-pad/left analog: moves ball during free drops/moves the trajectory sight (a white line extending from the cue ball) during all other shots. Moving the left analog up or down in the table level view will pan the camera up or down. Right analog: adjusts the power gauge or angle gauge. Square: switches between the power gauge and the angle gauge. R1: switches the camera type. There is an overhead view and a table level ("behind-the-cue-ball") view. L1: zoom in (table level view)/display ball numbers (overhead view). L2: zoom out (table level view only). X: activates the shot screen. III. Shot screen: Circle: cancels shot and exits the screen. R1: switches the camera type. L1: zoom in (table level view)/display ball numbers (overhead view). L2: zoom out (table level view only). D-pad/left analog: changes the location of the point of impact (the spot where the cue stick strikes the cue ball). This is not available on special shots, except for the Dragon Cue's Masse shot. Square: activates special shot (only if equipping a cue capable of a special shot). You may use one special shot per match. Whiffing on a special shot attempt (failing to hit anything whatsoever) will not count as your one special shot for the match (you will, however, lose your turn). X: strikes the ball. Before initiating a shot, you're advised to set up the shot: change the trajectory line to alter the path of the target ball upon impact, set your power gauge to reflect how hard you wish to hit the ball, and change the point of impact to put spin on the cue ball. On the shot screen, a waxing-and-waning circle indicates the accuracy of your shot: hit X when the circle is at its smallest to produce an accurate shot. Any experienced pool player will realize that pool balls in Steambot Chronicles behave remarkably similarly to their real-life counterparts; experienced real-life pool players will be more successful at this mini-game than others. Tips: - If you do not know which ball is the current target ball (i.e. the lowest numbered ball on the table), refer to the indicator at the bottom left of the screen (before initiating a shot). - Do not use too much power if there is not much distance between the cue ball and the target ball or a cushion: the cue ball is liable to go off-table if you strike with too much power at close range. - If the cue ball is touching a cushion and you hit a shot normally, it will most likely not behave the way you expect, as the cushion will absorb some of your force and reduce the velocity of the cue ball. To counter this, use a parallel shot: hit Square to switch to the angle gauge and lower your angle until the shot screen shows only the top third of the cue ball (the bottom third is obscured by the cushion). - Hitting the cue ball on its top half tends to cause the ball to roll forward after contact; hitting it on its bottom half tends to cause it to roll backwards. Use this to your advantage when trying to set up for the next shot or trying to prevent the cue ball from scratching on a shot. - Whenever possible, go for a game-winning combo shot: a combination shot (where the cue ball strikes the target ball in a way that the target ball then strikes another ball) that holes the 9-ball. Many of the players you'll go up against are very skilled at 9-ball: you will not be able to beat some of them if you try to hole all your balls in order. Using a combo shot to hole the 9-ball will often give you a quick victory over a very strong opponent, as CPU players tend not to use combo shots themselves (at least, not on purpose). - Always play one set only in a match. It consumes less time than a three-set match and gives the CPU player fewer chances to put a run on you. Just load your game (if playing in-game) if the set doesn't go your way and challenge the opponent again. In Billiards Mode games, playing one set each allows you to quickly put away difficult players, giving them fewer chances of ending your winning streaks with long runs or lucky shots. The game uses a "lag for break" method to determine who takes the first shot of the set (the break shot). In a lag for break, each player shoots the cue ball from the near cushion (left cushion in overhead view) towards the far cushion (right cushion in overhead view). The player whose ball stops the closest to the near cushion after striking the far cushion (only once; if you shoot a powerful shot that bounces off the far cushion many times, you lose the lag for break) wins the lag for break and gets to take the break shot. On a break shot, you're allowed to place the cue ball anywhere (as if on a free drop), but you are not allowed to go past the plane formed by the initial spot of the cue ball with both cushions. In Billiards Mode, the game keeps track of three special feats you can achieve in a game of Nine Ball: 1. Break Ace - holing the 9-ball (and therefore winning the game) on your break shot. More on this in section V. 2. Break Run - holing any ball (except the 9-ball) on your break shot and then holing at least one ball on each subsequent shot (without fouling) until you hole the 9-ball. 3. Run - holing any ball (except the 9-ball) on the first shot you take in the game and then holing at least one ball on each subsequent shot (without fouling) until you hole the 9-ball; the difference between this and a Break Run is that to Break Run, you must win the lag for break; to Run, you must lose the lag for break. --------------------------------------------------------------------- III. Modes, Cues, Rewards --------------------------------------------------------------------- You may play games of Nine Ball during actual gameplay or by choosing "Billiards" from the Start menu. During actual gameplay, just go to a specific location and speak to the appropriate person to start a game (see section IV for more information). The Billiards Mode is unlocked after you play your first game of Nine Ball during actual gameplay. Initially, you may only play single matches against hustlers you've already played during actual gameplay; two extra modes, the Tournament mode and the Hustler King mode, are unlocked after you unlock all 15 pool players in the game, which does not occur until after you beat the game. Tournament mode: 14 players vie for the right to face incumbent champion Silvia in a single-elimination tournament. Defeat your four opponents and then Silvia to win the Tournament and obtain the Hustler license plate and the Champion Certificate. Hustler King mode: Defeat all 15 pool players in the game without losing. The first 12 opponents are chosen at random; the last three hustlers are (in order) Mallow, Fennel, and Silvia. If you become Hustler King, you earn the Hustler King trophy and the Demon Cue. Be sure to save your game after completing these extra modes and earning the rewards. Note that you can save your results to an earlier save file, thus allowing you to possess these items in your inventory at an earlier point of the game. Also be aware that once you start either mode of play, you cannot save until after you complete the mode: if you quit midway through, you will receive a loss and thus have to play the mode over from the beginning in order to claim the prizes. There are six types of cue sticks available in the game, four of which have the ability to execute a special shot: 1. House Cue - the default cue. It is not an inventory item, but you can always choose to use this cue when playing a game of Nine Ball. No special shot. 2. Heavenly Cue - "a billiard cue that can fire lightning." Special Shot: Jump (a shot that causes the cue ball to "jump," which is useful when the target ball is blocked by another ball; note that you can execute a jump shot without using this cue -- just hit the cue ball very low with medium to high power). Get this cue from a treasure chest in Port District Neuhafen: go down the stairs across the causeway from the stairs leading to the Star Manor apartment (to the west of the Neuhafen Fish Wholesaler's kiosk) and follow the boardwalk until you reach the chest. 3. Earthen Cue - "a billiard cue seething with enough power to cause earthquakes." Special Shot: Power (hits the cue ball with much more force than conventionally possible). Get this cue by beating the (Ex-)Boss Elephant in a game of Nine Ball. 4. Aqua Cue - "a billiard cue which could pierce turbulent waters." Special Shot: Near Pocket (a shot that will hit the target ball into the closest pocket essentially 100% of the time). Earn this cue by defeating Captain Ciboulette in a game of Nine Ball. 5. Dragon Cue - "a billiard cue engraved with a gorgeous dragon design." Special Shot: Masse (a boomerang-type shot that loops and hits balls behind the cue ball. Use the D-pad to change the point of impact on the cue ball; the shot will end up going the same direction as the point of impact). Earn this cue by defeating Silvia in a game of Nine Ball. 6. Demon Cue - "a billiard cue that a demon used." No special shot. This is the Proof of Championship earned for completing the Hustler King mode. There are few other items you may acquire from playing pool. These are all decorations for your apartment room (except for the plate): 1. Poster of Bergamot - a poster of Bergamot, the ex-Bloody Mantis leader. Wall decoration: 3 x 4. Acquired if you challenge and defeat Bergamot in Nine Ball (only available if you're a Bloody Mantis member of Lieutenant rank or above) during the villain path of the game. You may purchase this item from Comfrey in the Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout during the post-game otherwise. 2. Champion Certificate - a certificate announcing that Vanilla dominated the Billiard [sic] Tournament. Wall decoration: 3 x 2. Acquired by completing Tournament mode. 3. Hustler King Trophy - the trophy proving that Vanilla's the King of the Hustlers. Object: 1 x 1. Acquired by completing the Hustler King mode. 4. "Hustler" license plate - this license plate indicates that its owner is quite accomplished in the world of billiards. A green plate with nine white balls in rack position with a yellow flourish/ribbon beneath them. Acquired by completing Tournament mode. Note that your profile in page 1 of the photo album also shows that you have a "pool rank". Vanilla starts the game as a Beginner but can improve his rank by defeating hustlers with higher ranks at Nine Ball. Each time you defeat a hustler, you advance one rank, but you may not advance to a rank higher than that of the hustler you just defeated. For example, if you defeat McDee, you will advance to the Intermediate rank; however, subsequent victories over McDee will not result in any rank advancement, because McDee is an Intermediate-rank player. There are five pool ranks: Beginner -> Intermediate -> Advanced -> Pro -> Master. Note that you do not advance any ranks the first time you play pool, regardless of the opponent. Pool ranks have no story/sidequest relevance whatsoever, although they can be referenced in your nickname. --------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. Hustlers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. McDee Found: The Aphrodite Bar, Siberian Musk Hotel, Nefroburg. Rank: Intermediate. Cue: Earthen Cue. Profile: A hired hustler at the Aphrodite bar. His passion for pool is peculiar. Notes: McDee is the easiest opponent in the game. He will regularly miss chip shots and commit fouls. Note that you can play him once everyday in the actual game and earn 200 UR per day by defeating him, a good source of income in the early game. 2. KE Lackey Found: The Aphrodite Bar, Siberian Musk Hotel, Nefroburg. Rank: Intermediate. Cue: Heavenly Cue. Profile: A member of the Killer Elephants. He's pretty new to pool, though. Notes: The KE Lackey is a better player than McDee, but not much better. He makes many mistakes. You will not be able to challenge him until after you liberate Nefroburg from the Killer Elephants. 3. KE Boss ("Bobby") Found: The Aphrodite Bar, Siberian Musk Hotel, Nefroburg. Rank: Advanced. Cue: Earthen Cue. Profile: His credo is "Power and Spirit!" which he applies equally to the Killer Elephants and to pool. Notes: The KE Boss is the first Power-type player you will encounter. All of his strokes are more powerful than yours, making him a threat at long-distance shots. He does, however, struggle at finesse situations, and he also scratches frequently due to his overhitting shots. You will not be able to challenge him until after you liberate Nefroburg from the Killer Elephants. Approach the KE Lackey and select "I want to challenge the (Ex-)Boss" to play him. 4. Silvia Found: The Aphrodite Bar, Siberian Musk Hotel, Nefroburg. Rank: Master. Cue: Dragon Cue. Profile: A waitress from the Aphrodite Bar who also happens to be an excellent billiards player. Notes: Silvia is the toughest cookie in the game, hands down. She will not miss any easy-to-medium difficulty shots, and she knocks down difficult shots with alarming regularity. She will also use the Masse special shot to knock down at least one out-of-reach ball per match. Silvia is one of three players capable of running the table on you, and she has the highest chance of pulling off that Run. You will not be able to challenge her until after you defeat the KE Boss at Nine Ball. 5. Bergamot Found: Bloody Mantis Hideout, Happy Garland. Rank: Unknown (likely Pro). Cue: Earthen Cue. Profile: His pool skills aren't what you'd expect of the man who leads the Bloody Mantis. Notes: Bergamot is, like the KE Boss, a Power-type player. All of his shots are taken with much more force than usual. He has better control of his shots than the KE Boss and does not scratch as often, although he also struggles with finesse shots. You may challenge him by speaking to him in his office at the Bloody Mantis Hideout if you go down the villain path and have advanced to any Lieutenant rank or higher. You may challenge him during the hero path post-game by speaking to him in the secret tunnels area of the ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout and then asking Comfrey (who is working as the bartender) to summon him for a billiards battle. Note that Bergamot does not appear until after you're reunited with Connie. 6. Ciboulette Found: Neuhafen Arena, Neuhafen. Rank: Unknown (possibly Master). Cue: Aqua Cue. Profile: This female sea captain is composed and calculated, making her a difficult opponent. Notes: Ciboulette is a menace. Like her profile suggests, she's very crafty -- she makes all of the makeable shots and positions the cue ball in impossible places whenever she does not hole a ball. The Aqua Cue she wields also guarantees her one free make every match, thus you should never whiff on the 9-ball if she has not yet used her one special shot that match. Find her standing by her trotmobile on the ground floor of the Neuhafen Arena after you beat the game. 7. Marjoram Found: Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout, Happy Garland. Rank: Unknown (possibly Pro). Cue: Aqua Cue. Profile: The good-natured drummer of the Garland GlobeTrotters tends to strategize his pool playing. Notes: Marjoram is very crafty. He lacks the power to put together long chains of makes, but he makes few mistakes and leaves you very few opportunities. Speak to him at the Lucky Food store in Happy Garland after beating the game and you can then ask Comfrey to summon him to a billiards battle at the Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout beneath the Fashion Poseur. 8. Fennel Found: Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout, Happy Garland. Rank: Unknown (at least Pro, possibly Master). Cue: Dragon Cue. Profile: Leader of the Blue Lightning. He's all about the music, and he's also a top-class hustler. Notes: Fennel is a skilled all-around player with a flair for smooth strokes and long chains of made shots. Along with Silvia and Nora, he's one of the few players who will use a combo shot now and then. Speak to him in the dining room of the Station Hotel in Happy Garland after beating the game and you can then ask Comfrey to summon him to a billiards battle at the Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout. 9. Mallow Found: Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout, Happy Garland. Rank: Unknown (probably Pro). Cue: Dragon Cue. Profile: Son of Sir John, the famous doctor. He's decent at pool, though you couldn't tell by looking at him. Notes: I have only played two matches against Mallow (once in the post-game and once near the end of Hustler King mode), so I don't know much about him. I finished him off rather quickly both times (early combo shot of the 9-ball the first time, Break Ace the second time), so I have not had an opportunity to examine his playing style. Judging by his likely rank, though, he should be a tough player. Speak to him in the Nuts & Bolts Plant (the center one of the three factory buildings) at the GTW Factory in Happy Garland after beating the game and you can then ask Comfrey to summon him to a billiards battle at the Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout. 10. Nora Found: Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout, Happy Garland. Rank: Unknown (likely Master). Cue: Heavenly Cue. Profile: She leads the Desert Hornets, bandits from the Sabbia Desert. Her billiard [sic] skills might surprise you. Notes: Nora is the second toughest opponent in the game. She, Silvia, and Ciboulette are the only three who can pull off Runs and Break Runs, and she will punish you harshly for any small mistake. The only chink in her armor is that she will foul occasionally, especially during the early part of the game. After beating the game, trek to the Desert Hornets Hideout and speak to her in her stronghold. You can then ask Comfrey to summon her to a billiards battle at the Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout when you return to Happy Garland. 11. Basil Found: Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout, Happy Garland. Rank: Unknown (probably Intermediate or Advanced). Cue: Heavenly Cue. Profile: The Garland GlobeTrotters' bassist can get away with being clumsy, but will it affect his game? Notes: Basil is the exact opposite of the KE Boss and Bergamot: he hits all his shots with very little power. This makes him good at short-range shots and finesse shots, but renders him ineffective at long-range shots. Speak to him in the underpass behind the Nefroburg Museum after you beat the game; you can subsequently ask Comfrey to summon him to the Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout for billiards play after you return to Happy Garland. 12. Connie Found: Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout, Happy Garland. Rank: Unknown (probably Intermediate or Advanced). Cue: Aqua Cue. Profile: The Garland GlobeTrotters' singer. She's quite the vocalist, but at billiards she's still a novice. Notes: Connie is the same type of player as Basil, only slightly better: she once made a chain of six straight shots against me. Find her at Seagull Beach at the end of the "Find Connie" sidequest after beating the game and you can then ask Comfrey to summon her to billiards play at the Ex-Bloody Mantis Hideout. 13. Savory Found: Billiards mode only Rank: Unknown (probably Pro). Cue: Aqua Cue. Profile: Her vocals might be backup, but her looks are drop-dead gorgeous, and her game is top-shelf. Notes: Savory is a good all-around player. She doesn't do any one thing exceptionally well, but she's well-rounded and makes few mistakes. She's unlocked for play in any Billiards mode after you beat the game. 14. Dandelion Found: Billiards mode only Rank: Unknown (probably Pro). Cue: Heavenly Cue. Profile: The Ex-Leader of the Garland GlobeTrotters is good at making instruments and schooling newbies. Notes: Dandelion is the same type of player as Savory, only he's slightly stronger and therefore a slightly tougher opponent. He's unlocked for play in any Billiards mode after you beat the game. 15. Vanilla Found: Billiards mode only Rank: Beginner Cue: House Cue (possibly Demon Cue). Profile: He washed ashore wearing only tattered clothes. Everything about him is pretty much a mystery. Notes: Obviously, you do not get an opportunity to play Vanilla during the actual game. A pity, because he's a total pudding; his skills (or lack thereof) reflect your initial pool rank immediately after waking up on Seagull Beach. He's basically a weaker version of McDee. He's available for play in Billiards modes any time after you play your first game of Nine Ball during the actual game (even if all you did was Practice). --------------------------------------------------------------------- V. Break Ace --------------------------------------------------------------------- While you can use the handy "save-n-load" technique in order to achieve victory over any hustlers found in the actual game, saving your progress is not an option during Tournament and Hustler King modes. How, then, do you complete those modes, considering that you have to face and beat many difficult opponents without losing even once? Trust me, that's a practically impossible task in Hustler King mode, where you have to triumph over all 15 players without a loss. Practically impossible, that is, unless you learn the secret of the Break Ace, a break shot that holes the 9-ball and wins you the match instantly. After much experimentation and practice, I have discovered a setup that produces a Break Ace every time you do it correctly (since the game does not generate random break shots, you will produce the same shot every time you use the same setup): - Acquire the Earthen Cue and equip it as your cue of choice. - Win the lag for break. You can do this with 100% success if you shoot with about 25% power (place the power gauge at halfway between the bottom and the first notch). - On the break shot setup, leave the cue ball at the default position. - Tap Left on the D-pad a couple of times to adjust your trajectory. This is the most important part of the setup, as you must move your trajectory to an exact spot -- you will not be able to produce the Break Ace if you're even a little bit off. The trajectory sight should go through the right side of the yellow 1-ball, hit the cushion, and then rebound back through the green 6-ball. If you're in the table level view, you should notice a thin, oblong bright spot (of reflected light) on the 6-ball: make sure the rebounded part of the trajectory sight goes straight through the center of this bright spot. - Hit X to activate the shot screen and press Square to activate the Power Shot, the special shot of the Earthen Cue. If you lined up your trajectory perfectly, the accuracy circle will wax and wane at a reasonably slow rate, allowing you to time it well and hit an accurate shot. You will notice that if your trajectory is off, the accuracy circle will wax and wane very rapidly, and you will most likely whiff. With some practice, you will learn to use the flashing speed of the accuracy circle to determine whether or not you've lined up correctly; if you have not, hit Circle twice to cancel the shot and redo your setup. - Do not worry about your power gauge on this shot. All Power Shots use the same level of force; when your activate that particular special shot, the game will essentially ignore your power gauge level setting in favor of the preset power level for all Power Shots. - Hit X when the accuracy circle is at its smallest to make your Power Shot. If you've done everything correctly, the initial shot will nudge the 9-ball, but not at a fast enough speed to drop it into any pocket. The purple 4-ball, however, will bounce off two corners at the top right of the table and tap the 9-ball on its right side with just enough force to deposit the 9-ball into the top left corner pocket. - To see this shot in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6orAywwp3k With some practice, you can pull off this amazing shot with great regularity. Of the 20 matches I've won in Billiards mode play (five Tournament matches and fifteen Hustler King matches), 18 of them were won by Break Ace. --------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. Update History/Special Thanks --------------------------------------------------------------------- March 21, 2007 -- Fixed formatting errors and updated the Youtube video link. August 8, 2006 -- Changed Bergamot's entry yet again; he CAN be found in the hero path post-game after all. July 18, 2006 -- Added a link to a video clip of the break ace shot in action (capped it myself). July 17, 2006 -- Hosting permissions updated. July 17, 2006 -- Corrected Bergamot's unlock method after discovering that he is not unlocked automatically after beating the game. July 15, 2006 -- Made a minor correction to a location name. July 13, 2006 -- Corrected two minor inaccuracies. July 13, 2006 -- Version 1.0 completed. Special thanks to Irem and Atlus for producing and localizing this great game for us all to enjoy. Thanks to upstater for posting clues to unlocking Bergamot in the hero path post-game. 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