~B
10/12/99
Final Fantasy 8 Pocketstation FAQ
dbzinfo@goes.com
I. Formatting your Pocketstation
II. Getting aquatinted with Chicobo and friends
III. Maneuvering
IV. Menus
V. Battle
VI. Bringing Chicobo "Home"
VII. Using Mog's Amulet and Misc. Items.
A big thanks goes out to anyone who hosts this. I put a fair amount of
time into it, and it's my first attempt at writing a FAQ. If you would
like to post this FAQ, please ask for my permission first, thank you.
Credit: Most of the following information was obtained by my personal
experience with the game, and in-game tutorial on playing "Chocobo's
World". Information concerning the usage of Gil for summoning MiniMog
was obtained from the Brady Games Official FF8 Guide.
The purpose of this is to get you off to illustrate the fine points of
the Final Fantasy 8 "Solo-RPG" Chocobo's World, since the main parts of
the game are introduced in a fairly straightforward fashion in both the
FF8 instruction manual, and in-game tutorial, nevertheless, I will go
through the typical rules and operation of the game. Keep in mind, I am
no expert on the game yet, and am learning simply by trial and error,
(not too hard considering the entire game is in English). As I learn
more, I will add it, but like I said, the game is pretty easy to get a
basic concept of.
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I. Formatting your Pocketstation.
A. First you'll need to obtain a Japanese imported Pocket Station.
No doubt in a few Months Square will bring the Pocketstation to
America, in which case:
1. I wasted a ton of money.
2. Step 1 can be interpreted as, Go out to your local
electronic gaming retailer and buy a Pocketstation.
B. After removing the paper tab from the lithium battery in back of
the Pocketstation, put it right into your Slot 2 Memory Card slot, and
make sure your FF8 memory card is in Slot 1. The Pocketstation will
show you a whole bunch of pretty options, just ignore them and don't
press any buttons on it.
*Note. Getting this little sucker open can be a bit confusing. The
front panel with the selection buttons actually needs to flip upward in
order for the Pocketstation to be inserted into the Playstation.
Accomplish this by placing your index and middle finger on a little lip
beneath the screws in the back of the Pocketstation, with the front of
the Pocketstation facing you. Place your thumb on the side of the
Pocketstation with the large button. Place your ring finger on the
opposite side near the direction pad. Brace the top of the
Pocketstation with your left hand, and lift that lip up with your
middle and index finger. Mission complete. Majority of you may not even
need to read this, but for those of you out there like me, I hope this
helps.
C. Open a normal saved FF8 game with which you have access to
Chicobo. After you're in the game, return to the save menu, and select
the highlighted Chocobo's World box on the save screen. The game will
tell you that the Pocketstation isn't formatted, and that it will take
up a certain number of blocks on the Pocketstation. Agree to the terms
and have it format the Pocketstation. While it does, enjoy the little
background story. After it's done formatting, you're ready to go!!
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II. Getting aquatinted with Chicobo and friends.
A. Before you actually begin, I advise that you read the ingame
tutorial. This can be accessed memory card into Slot 1. Enter the save
menu and select the highlighted "Chocobo's World" box. You will have
several options. Just go directly to "How to Play". Approximately six
pages of text will show you what does what, and how to proceed with the
game. It works like this.
1. Chicobo, Cactaur and Moomba are going out on a journey to rescue
Mog from demons. Cactaur will be out and about searching for items,
Moomba will running around looking for weapons, and Chicobo gets
slapped with the dirty work, finding Mog.
2. The first goal of the game is to find Mog. Once you've found the
furry little Moogle, you will have access to the Mog's Amulet, (to be
explained later).
3. Events- Events appear on the Area Map as black dots. When Chicobo
walks into an event, there are four possible outcomes.
a. Cactaur- If you encounter Cactaur, he will greet you with a
"Hello" and give you an item. The items are ranked from D to A, A being
the best type of item. Later, you can upload the items he gives you to
your Final Fantasy 8 game.
b. Moomba- If you encounter Moomba, you will get a chance to upgrade
your current weapon. After he greets you, you will be brought to a
screen displaying your current weapon, and the new weapon he's offering
you. Use the up and or down key to decide whether to keep your old
weapon, or get the new one. Make sure you choose a suitable weapon,
you'll be stuck with it until you meet Moomba again.
1. Explanation of Weapons- The "weapons" appear as a series four
numbers. For example, one weapon is 8100. Each number represents the
amount of damage Chicobo can dole out. For example, Chicobo can either
do 8, 1 or 0 points of damage. Since there are two zero's, that means
there's a 50% chance Chicobo will do no damage when he attacks. Since
there's one 1, there's a 25% will do 1 point of damage when he attacks.
And finally, since there's one 8, there's a 25% chance he will do 8
points of damage when he attacks.
c. Demon- If Chicobo encounters a demon, then he will be to fight it.
As of level 26, I've only encountered two different types of demons.
The most common demon resembles the Shade enemy in FF8. He is easy to
defeat. The other type of demon I've encountered so far is a flying
monster. He is pretty fast, but does not pose any major threat.
d. Mog- If you encounter Mog, you've "won" the main part of the game.
Mog will join you and help you in times of need during battle, and you
will gain access to the Mog's Amulet item that can be used in FF8. Just
because you found Mog doesn't mean the game's over though. You should
keep going to level up Chicobo and Mog so that you can find better
items from Cactaur.
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III. Maneuvering
A. Now that you know what each character can do for you, it might help
if you knew how to get to them. The object is to go from event to event
so that Chicobo can level up, items, and gain new weapons.
1. Movement in the world.
a. You can change the direction Chicobo moves in the world by
pressing the Up, Down, Left and Right buttons located on the left side
of the Pocketstation. All you need to do is set Chicobo in a direction
you want him to, and sit back and relax. He will automatically move
towards the nearest Event. If you want to control his every movement,
do feel free to watch the screen and move him around as you please, but
Chicobo is a slow walker, and it takes him a long time to get around.
b. Now that you know HOW to move him, you need to find out how you
know where to move him. By pressing the large selection button located
on the right side of the Pocketstation, you will bring up the area map.
Chicobo appears as the flashing dot on the map, while Events appear as
solid black dots. Find out which event you want Chicobo to travel to,
then exit the area map, (press the selection button again), and move
him around as you wish. You can also change the direction Chicobo is
moving from the area map screen by using the up and down buttons. Keep
in mind, every time Chicobo gains a level, the area map changes.
2. Goofing Off.
a. Chicobo has a pretty short attention span. From time to time he
will either start some sort of time consuming activity, watching TV,
looking at the sky, or fishing, and forget about the quest at hand. It
is also possible for him to fall asleep, (this occurs often). To wake
him up, just scold him with the selection button and he will snap out
of it and continue from where he left off. However, sometimes you may
need to let him rest as this is his form of regaining life. If he is
injured in battle, during his "recreation" time he will slowly regain
all of his energy.
3. Energy Save.
a. If you leave the Pocketstation alone for too long, a little
feather will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen signifying
that the game is in "energy save mode". Energy Save is a low power mode
that prevents the Pocketstation's battery from working too hard. This
can happen during any time, except during battle, (I think). DO NOT
leave your game like this for more than a couple hours at a time. The
first night I acquired the Pocketstation I got Chicobo to level 26,
then left the game in energy save mode. The next morning I woke up to
find that my powerful Chicobo had reverted back to level 1. If you're
going to leave Pocketstation alone for a long time, make sure Chicobo
is "in" the FF8 world, AKA "Home", (explained in a later section).
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IV. Menus
A. Explanation. The menus are a series of screens by which the player
can check out Chicobo's stats, his location, what items he has, and
various other house keeping details. To access the Menu screen. Simply
hit the large selection button located on the right side of the
Pocketstation. You can scroll through the different menu screens by
using the left and right buttons, and select options within the menu
screen by using the up and down arrows. Once you have made a choice, or
are ready to leave the menus, just hit the selection button.
1. Area Map- Displays the area map as well as Chicobo's current
position. Chicobo's direction can be changed from this screen by using
the up and down arrows.
2. Status Screen- This screen displays Chicobo's HP, his weapon and
his rank. If you play via Chocobo's World against a friend and beat
their Chicobo, you will gain their rank as a weapon.
3. Item Screen- Shows you how many of each ranked item you have.
4. Multiplayer- Select the top option to send your Chicobo to a
friend's Pocketstation, have your friend select the bottom option to
receive your Chicobo. Then your and your friend can battle it out. The
victor gains the loser's Rank as a weapon.
5. Event Wait- Select "ON" so that you can control Chicobo during
Events. Select "OFF" and he will automatically be controlled.
6.* Mog- Only after you find MiniMog will this screen become
available. To make MiniMog available to help you during a fight, select
"Standby". To let him rest, select "Sleep".
7. Movement- Chicobo's movement can be changed from 1 to 6. At one,
Chicobo will not be able to cover a large amount of ground, but should
be pretty quick. At 6 Chicobo will cover lots of ground, but should be
pretty slow.
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V. Battle
A. Now that you know the basics, it's time to learn how to fight so
you can get the items and weapons you need. The goal is to peck your
opponent into submission.
1. Layout- When you encounter a demon event, you will be brought to a
battle screen. On the left will be your enemy, their HP, (listed near
the lower left corner), and their ATB near the bottom of the screen in
a box. On the right will be Chicobo, his HP, (listed near the lower
right corner), and his ATB located near the bottom of the screen.
2. How to fight- Fighting is simple. Simply press the left and right
directional buttons on your Pocketstation alternately as fast as you
can. If you get your ATB down to zero before your opponent, you will
attack with your weapon. When your opponent's HP reaches zero, it dies.
If you have Mog set on "Standby" he will help you if you start to lose
in a fight. I have yet to see this occur in a fight as I have neither
died yet, or come near death.
3. Leveling up- After each successful battle you win, you will be
brought to a screen with a 3 by 3 grid. A "magic stone" will be zipping
around the grid. Stop the movement of the stone with the enter button.
Every time you get 3 magic stones in a row, you level up.
NOTE: As Chicobo and Mini-Mog level up, their attacks and/or healing
abilities will improve not only in the Pocketstation game, but also in
Final Fantasy 8.
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VI. Bringing Chicobo "Home"
A. Well, you've rescued Mog and have gotten a huge supply of nameless
items. Well, they're not going to do you much good sitting in your
Pocketstation. The entire point of playing this Mini Game is to gain
access to items that cannot be found in the normal game, such as Mog's
Amulet and the Friendship item.
1. Insert the Pocketstation into Slot 2 of your Playstation console
with your FF8 memory card inserted in Slot 1. Go to the save menu and
select the box with the words "Chocobo's World" highlighted.
2. After it loads, select the word "Home" on the menu. Chicobo and
Mog will be "transported" into your Playstation, along with the items
you gained in "Chocobo's World". The items are transported
automatically to your Items menu. You will also see an improvement in
Chicobo and Mini-Mog's stats. When you're done here, to return Chicobo
to the Pocketstation, select the "World" option from the menu. The game
can only be played while Chicobo is "inside" the Pocketstation.
IMPORTANT!!!!! If you do not intend to play Chocobo's World for a
while, exit from the menu after you're finished checking their stats,
WITHOUT selecting the "World" option which will put them back into
Chocobo's World. While they are "in" Chocobo's World, you cannot access
Mini-Mog's ability, and if left alone long enough, your Chicobo will
level down.
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VII. Using Mog's Amulet and Misc. Items
A. You should be able to figure this out for yourself, but if not,
it's a simple procedure.
1. Explanation of MiniMog- MiniMog is a command ability. Mini Mog
will come out and do a little dance, (techno lights and all), which
restores life to your GF's. Using this ability will cost you Gil
though. Every time MiniMog is used, the average level of the three
characters you're using in battle will be multiplied by 100, that is
the amount of Gil that will be used. For example, if your character's
average level is 30, then MiniMog will cost you 3000 Gil. It's a very
very small price to pay for such a valuable command.
2. Procedure- Select a GF who you would like to have learn the
MiniMog ability. Once you've decided on a GF, make sure they have room
left to learn an ability, (if not just use one or two Amnesia Greens on
it), then select Mog's Amulet from your Item menu and use it on your
GF. Voila.
B. Other items
1. Friendship- Another GF item you can gain from Chocobo's World is
Friendship. It can be used during battle to summon a Moomba that will
do damage to your opponent. I have yet to see it. If you get Friendship
it can be used as an item during battle in FF8.
2. Misc.- Just because an item is rated as a D or a C, don't
automatically think it's going to suck. Sometimes you can pick up
Wizard Stones, and occasionally Irvine's ultra rare and powerful Pulse
Ammo. Being on level 26, I have not received any item above a C rating,
but it can be assumed that the higher Chicobo's level, the better his
chances of receiving an A or B ranked item.
Mike Faschan-
Mike was with me when I got my Pocketstation, and was actually the
impetus for me to get the little thing. You see, Mike absolutely HAS to
finish every single RPG he plays COMPLETELY. (One look at his FF6 and
FF7 games alone will prove this). Mike is currently deciding upon
whether to actually buy a Playstation, or continue to borrow one. The
deciding factor was whether or not he could completely finish FF8,
which would be impossible without a Pocketstation, so I went ahead and
bought a Pocketstation that he could use. Now he'll hopefully get a
Playstation, and if he doesn't, I still have myself a nifty little
imported trinket that made me $55 dollars poorer. BUT THE MAIN REASON
Mike is mentioned here is because he figured out how to get the little
$@%$@*% Pocketstation open.
Steve Wong-
Steve, uh, just keep laughing and talking at the same time, that's all
I have say. (Inside joke).
Steve Re-
Steve, I'm not really sure why you're here, but heck, you're as much of
a FF fan as me, even though all you currently own is a N64 and a
Nintendo. Here's hoping for at least ONE real RPG for the 64 before it
dies, eh?
James Sundheim-
Uhhh...yeah, you watched me play FF8 once for a couple minutes.....
JK. But seriously James, you had to listen to me babble on about FF8
for hours on end in Spanish, (with Senora Yoda), Gym, Band and Lunch
since Fall of last year. You probablly deserve to be here more than
anyone else. I just have two things to say...... "VIDEO GAMES!!".
Sean Halloran-
Sean, it was/is fun discussing FF8 and Chrono Cross w/ you in Comp.
Aps. It's a shame you're soooooooooo far behind. And you know Sean,
there's this REALLY COOL part in the ending where...
Kurt Swanson-
Kurt, you beat the game way before me. You are truly a FF8
God.....NOT!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T DO ANY SIDEQUESTS! COME ON
MAN!!! Sigh.....Anyway, I suppose it was punishment enough when the
ending froze on you 4 times. As you know I'm JUST KIDDING Kurt. I
really hope you enjoyed the game as much as I did.
