---———==================———---- SUIKODEN III GOPPU MINIGAME FAQ ---———==================———---- ------------------------------- VERSION 1.02 1 May 2004 ------------------------------- by Michael Baker faq@fooindustries.com www.fooindustries.com/faq AIM: devnull17 ---———==================———---- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction II. The Rules III. Strategy a. General Technique b. AI Behaviors c. The Brainless, Alternative Way to Win IV. Prizes V. FAQs VI. Odds and Ends a. Getting the Latest Version of this FAQ b. Contributions c. Acknowledgements d. Revision History e. Legal Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Goppu is one of the mini-games hidden away in the world of Suikoden III. It is surprisingly difficult at its highest level of play--until I sat down and devised a strategy, I found it impossible to win even a single game at the highest level of competition! In any case, it's a great way to waste even more time on this masterpiece of a game, and I'm almost inspired to build my own Goppu-playing AI. Anyone interested in a competition? E-mail me for details. The game becomes available once Billy joins the Stars of Destiny. You can find him in the statue room on the second floor of Budehuc Castle. Simply place a figurine on the center pedestal, and Billy will appear and challenge you to a game. Win, and he'll be waiting to play in the library. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. THE RULES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The basic concept is simple: you and your opponent each take a suit of cards from a deck. This will comprise your HAND. A suit of diamonds is then shuffled and placed face-down. This is the PLAY DECK. A game of Goppu is divided into thirteen TRICKS. In each trick, the top card of the play deck is placed face up on the table. We'll call this the AUCTIONED CARD. Each player then selects a card from his hand and places it face-down on the table. These cards will be referred to as BIDS. The cards are revealed simultaneously, and the player with the highest bid wins the auctioned card. In the event of a tie, the card will be CARRIED OVER and awarded to the winner of the next trick. One of the more interesting things about Goppu is that the game never fully explains the rules. Billy claims only that you need to have seven cards to win, but that's not how the game works. In actuality, each card is assigned a point value from 1 to 13, with Aces, Jacks, Queens and Kings valued at 1, 11, 12 and 13, respectively. The winner is the first to 46 points. And a few technicalities: * If a tie occurs on the last trick of a game, no one wins the points. * If each player has an equal number of points at the end of the game, a DRAW is declared. You win nothing in the event of a draw, but I believe that Billy takes your money nonetheless. * A draw can only occur if there is a tie in the last trick. * Everything that has already been played--auctions and bids alike-- will remain face-up on the table. Use this information as a reference in future tricks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. STRATEGY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= GENERAL TECHNIQUE ==————---------------------------------------------------- Playing sounds a lot easier than it actually is. While you can generally rely on common sense in the first two levels of play (500 and 2,000 potch, respectively), the AI becomes a lot craftier in the 5,000 potch tier. It generally takes a fair amount of time to grow accustomed to the strategy of the game. Here are some basic concepts to get you started: * When you WIN a trick, it's to your advantage to beat the computer's wager by AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. * When you LOSE a trick, it's to your advantage to make the computer beat you by AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. * Always count cards: keep track of the scores of you and your opponent, and always watch which of the high cards have been played. Generally, I take notice of the 8, 9, 10, J, Q and K cards on each side. * Don't underestimate the importance of a BLUFF. In a situation where you can't possibly win the trick, play a low card. The higher the card the computer drops, the bigger the waste. Bluffing is vital when high cards are at stake. * Similarly, watch for AI bluffs. If you have a King remaining and your opponent doesn't, don't expect the AI to throw down a Queen. Keep your wagers as low as possible while still winning the trick. * Finally, remember that tricks can be worth more than thirteen points, since points can be carried over on ties. Bid accordingly. -= AI BEHAVIORS ==————--------------------------------------------------------- Additionally, there are several observable patterns in the AI's playing style. These can, of course, be used to your advantage. Please keep in mind that these tendencies are much more apparent in high-level matches. In lower- level games, the AI tends to be much more erratic. The bottom line is that the following tips are better off disregarded in favor of common sense in 500- and 2,000-potch games. * First and foremost, the computer will always play a certain card on the first trick of any game. The following table tells how the AI will behave on the first turn of any game: AUCTION CARD AI BID RECOMMENDED A A A 2 5 A 3 6 A 4 7 A 5 8 A 6 9 A 7 10 A 8 J A 9 10 J K A Q 2 3 K K A As you can see, it's very often advantageous to play an Ace on the opening trick and catch up later. You may be wondering, however, why it's better to hand the first trick to the computer on leading Kings and Jacks. I'll address that very shortly. * Remember that tricks can be worth more than thirteen points--the AI is quite aware of this, and will up its bid when more is at stake. If a high-point tie occurs on the first trick (e.g. the King and Jack mentioned in the previous paragraph), the computer will continue to match you high card-for-high card in a constant string of ties. If allowed to continue, this scenario will force a player to choose one of two equally undesirable options: (a) Forfeit the trick and all of the previous tricks as well, giving the computer a massive point advantage and possibly an automatic win. (b) Allow a tie on all thirteen tricks. You will still pay the full admission cost for the game, but you won't win anything. This scenario is known as a BIDDING WAR. Avoid it at all costs. * The AI is also aware of the existance of bidding wars. On a high- value trick that the computer cannot possibly win, expect to see a very low bluff. For instance, if a King is up for grabs, you have a King, and your opponent has already expended his King, don't expect to see the AI drop a Queen. In fact, it will very frequently drop its lowest card. While I'm not certain that this behavior occurs every time, it is extremely common. * The computer will almost always play an Ace on an Ace, if possible. * The computer will almost always play a King on a King, if no extenuating circumstances apply. * When the AI is not bluffing, bids are very often three points above the value of the auction card. For instance, if the computer is trying to win a 5, it will most likely play an 8. Note that this behavior becomes more and more erratic as the match progresses, most likely due (at least partially) to the fact that more factors influence a game in its latter stages (existing point totals, cards played, etc.), as well as the simple fact that the AI has fewer cards to choose from. * The AI doesn't fool around. If it can win a game on the current trick, it will do so. * And one final bit of general strategy: If your highest remaining card is higher than the computer's, play the card below it in its stead. For instance, if you have both a King and a Queen, and the AI has only a Queen, drop the Queen where you would normally play the King. In the event of a tie, you still possess the winning card in a tiebreaker. Furthermore, the computer does take this into account, and will seldom play a high card when it knows it cannot win the trick. -= THE BRAINLESS, ALTERNATIVE WAY TO WIN ==————-------------------------------- If you'd rather not think your way through the process, I've been informed by a few people that simply playing your cards in order, Ace through King, will generally win most games at the highest difficulty level. I haven't tried it myself, but it makes sense. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. PRIZES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ahh, the section you've no doubt been waiting for. It seems that all but one of the items in each level of difficulty can only be won once. The unique items are marked with an exclamation point. Also, I'm not entirely sure that this is an exhaustive list. If there's anything I've missed, please let me know. EASY - 500 POTCH MEDIUM - 2,000 POTCH DIFFICULT - 5,000 POTCH ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- *Blinking (!) Recipe #4 (!) Blue Ribbon (!) Peeing Boy (!) Gloves of Destiny (!) Guardian Shield (!) Moonlight Beads (!) Mole Armor (!) Tunic of Prosperity (!) Mole Gloves (!) Resistance Ring (!) Mega Medicine A Crystal Ball Potted Cactus A word of advice on how to pawn off the countless unwanted home furnishings awarded as prizes in the upper two tiers: The Potted Cacti sell for a cool 7,500 potch; the warehouse is as good a place as any to dump 'em. The Crystal Balls, thanks to the ducks' seeming infatuation with shiny objects, are worth a fortune at the Trading Post at Duck Village. You can easily quadruple your money, and perhaps earn an even bigger cut. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V. FAQS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What happens if I lose to Billy in the statue room? A: He keeps your statue. You'll have to get another one and play the match over again. My recommendation is just to save before the match, and reset if things don't go your way. Q: Why does Billy give a different set of rules to me? A: I'm not quite sure. Judging by the surprised reactions of the characters to the outcome of each game ("Uhhh... I won?"), it was probably intentional, and fits right in with Billy's reputation as a swindler, deadbeat dad and all-around miserable human being. Q: Does it matter whether I choose hearts or spades? A: I don't believe so. It may have something to do with prize selection, but I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of personal preference. I usually choose hearts, as spades stand out more on your opponent's used card pile. Q: Does it matter how many points I win/lose by? A: Almost certainly not. Since the game stops after someone reaches 46, It's most likely that, unlike the horse racing mini-game, point totals don't change the quality of the prize you receive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. ODDS AND ENDS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= GETTING THE LATEST VERSION OF THIS FAQ ==————------------------------------- This FAQ has been approved for posting on a number of gaming websites. However, to ensure that you have the latest version, I recommend you check GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) or download it directly from my website at http://www.fooindustries.com/faq/ps2/suikoden3/goppu/. -= CONTRIBUTIONS ==————-------------------------------------------------------- Have something to add? Did I make a mistake? Just want to ask where to send large monetary tributes? To contribute to this guide, send email to faq@fooindustries.com, or send me an IM on AOL Instant Messenger at devnull17. -= ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ==————----------------------------------------------------- Just the standard fare. Thanks to GameFAQs for running such a great site, and props to Konami for one of the best RPGs to grace the PS2 thus far. Also, thanks to Clloyd987 for pointing out the Mole Armor and Cloak of Prosperity prizes. Lots of people have provided the missing information to me in the sixteen months since I last updated this FAQ. There are too many of you to name individually, but thanks nonetheless. -= REVISION HISTORY ==————----------------------------------------------------- 1 May 2004 - Version 1.02 Added a few missing pieces. I'm still missing a few, though; Hotmail seems to have deleted all of my old email. Awesome. 16 December 2002 - Version 1.01 Fixed a few formatting mistakes. Updated prize list. Thanks to Clloyd987 for the info. Did a thorough proof-reading. The FAQ now reads like I'm a native speaker of English. :) Added a few new questions to the FAQ section. 14 December 2002 - Version 1.00 Initial Version. -= LEGAL INFORMATION ==————---------------------------------------------------- While the following sounds kind of harsh, I'm pretty easygoing with things like this. This FAQ was meant to be shared; I'd just like to know where it's going and what people are doing with it. Please get permission before you post it somewhere--it's an easy thing to do, and it doesn't take very long. Thanks. ___________________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2002-04 Michael S. Baker. The contents of this guide may be not be reproduced or modified under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. ---———==================———----