[Playing the Game] [Walkthrough] [Secrets and Codes] [Appendix] [Main]

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     f   i   n   a   l      f   a   n   t   a   s   y      v   i   i _____________________________________________________________________
 

Final Fantasy VII - Playing the Game


by K. Megura  <cgfm2@hooked.net>
revised by A. Yan  <al_yan@hotmail.com>

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C O N T E N T S
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  P L A Y I N G   T H E   G A M E

       Terminology

       Starting The Game

       Controller Functions

       Fighting Battles

       World Map and the Area Map

       List of Status Changes

       Visiting Towns and Shops

       Having Fun

       Main Menu

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    P  L  A  Y  I  N  G      T  H  E      G  A  M  E
=========================================================================
 

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       t e r m i n o l o g y
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Certain notations and abbreviations are used in this FAQ.  This is what
they mean:

S       Square Button           L1      Front Left Shift
X       X Button                L2      Back Left Shift
O       Circle button           R1      Front Right Shift
T       Triangle button         R2      Back Right Shift
START   Start Button            SELECT  Select Button

B#/# - Indicates the Break Level and which one to use (i.e.  Red 13's
B2/2 would be the Stardust Ray, while Barret's 3/1 would be his
Satellite Beam).

Field - Any area aside from the World Map.  Towns, caves, dungeons, power
plants, and so on are all considered 'field' areas.

World Map - The 3-d overhead world in which you can travel to towns and
other locations, and activate the map.  When first starting the game, you
will not reach the 'World Map' area until a good part of the first disc
has been completed.  This is also referred to as the 'outer world' or
'overworld' throughout this FAQ.

A note on Materia:  Since I was able to get many of the correct names
for new revisions, I've replaced the names of materia, spells, etc.
with their proper names.  However, in most cases I won't list the spell
in particular but the Materia you should use (i.e. Honoo <materia>
instead of Fire 3 <spell>).  This means that you should use the highest
level that you have (or the one that suits you the best.

And as usual, 'x' denotes Kanji I could not translate into English.
 

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       s t a r t i n g  /  s a v i n g   t h e   g a m e
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After inserting the disc you're currently on, watch the intro or bypass
it by pressing START.  Then, choose NEW GAME to start from the beginning
(you'll need to have Disc One entered), or choose the bottom option to
continue a saved game.  If you choose to continue, select SLOT 1 or
SLOT 2 (depending on which slot your memory card is in).  Then, select
the saved file you wish to continue.

To save your game, you must be in the World Map or standing on a Save
Point while in an Area Map (these are glowing blue circles with a
rotating 'C' shape above them).  Go to the main menu and choose SAVE,
(the last option), then specify which memory card and which save
slot you wish to use.  If all the slots are full, you will get a
message telling you that you cannot save.  A note on Save Points;
you can also (in most cases), use the PHS system to change members
while standing on a Save Point.
 

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       c o n t r o l l e r   f u n c t i o n s
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The default settings of the PSX controller are:

CONTROL PAD -           Moves your character in eight directions.  Also
                        used to move the cursor during menu screens and
                        to highlight enemies/allies and options during
                        battle.

SELECT -                Shows location of character on-screen using a
                        cursor.  In battle, this turns on/off the
                        HELP window.  In the World Map, it has the
                        same effect as the START button.

START -                 In the World Map, it displays/removes the map.
                        During battles, it pauses the action.

SQUARE (pink) -         During battle, holding this button removes the
                        Command window, making the Barrier gauges more
                        visible.  It also switches between the Materia
                        window and Equip window on the Menu Screen
                        (providing you are in either of those windows).

X (blue) -              Cancels selections in the Shop screen.  During
                        battle, it cancels choices and during the Menu
                        screen, it cancels choices and closes the screen
                        if no choices have been made.  If not assigned
                        an ability, this button cancels choices and
                        returns you to the previous option during any
                        other screen.  When used in conjunction with the
                        control pad, your character dashes while on the
                        field.  Dashing can be combined with L1 and R1
                        to run at an angle.

TRIANGLE (green) -      In the field, it opens the Menu screen.  In the
                        Menu Screen, it de-equips whatever Materia is
                        selected if you are in the Materia window.  In
                        battle, it highlights whoever you want to fight
                        next (assuming they have a full Time bar).

CIRCLE (red) -          In the field, press it when near something to
                        examine it or to talk to a person.  This button
                        is also used to pick up items, open treasure
                        chests, and latch onto ladders and objects.
                        It will select the items you wish to buy or sell
                        at shops, and can be used to verify commands or
                        perform an action (like opening a gate, running
                        an elevator, etc.)

LEFT ONE (L/1) -        When held and used in conjunction with the
                        control pad, your character walks at a 45-degree
                        angle to his left.  When selecting items or magic
                        in the Menu Screen, it moves the view up a screen
                        with each press.  When selecting a character to
                        check that person's Materia, magic, equipment,
                        status, or Limit Break, pressing this button
                        scrolls backwards through the characters according
                        to their lineup.

                        In the World Map, this button makes your character
                        turn left while it is held down.  If you are in
                        overhead view, pressing this button returns you
                        to ground-level view.

LEFT TWO (L/2) -        While in the World Map, switches the viewpoint
                        from ground-level to overhead.

RIGHT ONE  (R/1) -      When held and used in conjunction with the
                        control pad, your character walks at a 45-degree
                        angle to his right.  When selecting items or
                        magic in the Menu Screen, it moves the view down
                        a screen with each press.  When selecting a
                        character to check that person's Materia, magic
                        equipment, status, or Limit Break, pressing this
                        button scrolls forward through the characters
                        according to their lineup.

                        In the World Map, this button makes your character
                        turn right while it is held down.  If you are in
                        overhead view, pressing this button returns you
                        to ground-level view.

RIGHT TWO (L/2) -       While in the World Map, switches the viewpoint
                        from ground-level to overhead.

Other Commands:

L1 + R1 -               During battle, makes you run away if held down
                        for a while.  Doesn't always work, and is
                        ineffective in certain fights.

L1 or R1 -              Selects between a single target or all targets
                        during battle when using magic/commands
                        (assuming you have an All or Everything
                        All materia working in conjunction with
                        whatever materia are equipped).  You can also
                        do this by press Left or Right on the controller.

L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 -     Resets the game.  Doesn't work during battles or
+ SELECT + START        the Fort Condor simulation battle.

Note that these are the default settings: they can be changed in the Menu
Screen.  Additional button commands (for vehicles, games, etc.) are
listed throughout the FAQ's walkthrough section.
 

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       b a t t l e s
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There are two ways to enter a battle.  The most common way is to be
randomly attacked while exploring the World/Area map screen.  You will
also fight boss battles, which aren't random and occur only after a
certain event/arriving at a certain location.

When the battle starts, the camera will move inwards for a better view
(it switches constantly during battles, but you can set it to remain
stationary in the Configuration screen located in the Main Menu).
The enemies will be on the left, and your characters appear on the right
(usually).  Depending on a person's Speed Plus, either you or the enemy
will attack first (not the whole party, just a single character).  The
object of battle is to kill all your enemies without getting killed
yourself.  A battle ends when either side has died, or if the enemy or
your party runs away.

To the left on the Battle Menu window is the word NAME.  Underneath this
appears the names of the three characters currently in your party.  Next
to that is the word BARRIER.  Beneath that is a double-gauge that informs
you how long your Barrier (vs. physical attacks), or Mabarrier (vs. magic
attacks) will last.  Note that they are only full if you have a
(ma)barrier spell in use, have an equipped accessory (Reflect Ring) or
are using some other form of physical/Magic Plus defense.

To the right of that is the word HP.  This shows the current/total amount
of HP each character possesses using both numbers and a bar.  If you have
few HPs left, the numbers turn yellow.  And if your status has been
changed (i. e. you are poisoned), the total amount of HPs is replaced by
the name of your status condition.  Depending on the amount of HPs
remaining and the type of status you have, your character may fall to
one knee or crouch on the ground to show that he is weakened.  Farther to
the right is the word MP.  Below that is the current amount of MPs each
character has, represented in both number and bar format.  If you are low
on MPs, the numbers turn yellow.  If you die, your HP and MP numbers are
shown in red.  Finally, on the far right are two bars.

The first bar is the Limit bar.  As you are attacked, this bar increases
in proportion to the damage received.  When it is full, it will flash
rapidly.  During this time, you can use your Limit Break attacks instead
of fighting (described later on), and your agility is increased.  If you
don't use your Limit Break when a battle ends, it is carried into the
next battle.  If you don't use your Limit Break for several rounds during
a battle, it empties slightly (but can be refilled).  Choosing to be
attacked by yourself or your friends, or being attacked by a confused
friend will not increase your Limit bar.

The last bar is the Time bar.  It increases in proportion to a person's
Speed Plus rating.  When it is full, it flashes orange, and you are now
able to choose a command (this is also signified by the yellow, pyramid-
shaped icon that appears over the person's head and by their name, which
flashes between white and gray).  When it is not full, you cannot control
that character.

When a person's Time bar maxes out, the Command Window appears, covering
the Barrier gauges (they can be uncovered by holding the S button).  The
first option is Attack (one enemy or one friend).  If your Limit Bar is
full, then it is replaced with a rainbow-colored font and you cannot
Attack but can use Limit Breaks.  The next option is Magic (assuming your
character knows magic/has a Magic Materia equipped).  This allows you to
select a magic spell to use, providing you have the proper number of MPs
left.  The third option is usually blank, unless you have a Command
Materia equipped.  When such Materia are in use, this option can be many
things: Steal, Throw, etc.  The fourth option is Item, and it allows you
to use your inventory of unequipped items on yourself or against an enemy.
Note that you cannot equip or de-equip items or Materia during battle.
Depending on the number of Materia equipped, you may have more than four
options available, in which case the Command Window will expand to show
them all.  Other commands are listed in the order that your materia are
equipped.

At any time while the Command Window is showing and you haven't yet made
a selection, you can press right (then the O button) to guard.  You
can't attack while guarding (which lasts the whole round), but any
damage inflicted on you is halved.  Likewise, pressing left (then the
O button) makes you change rows.  This takes a whole round and you can
do no other action while changing.  Characters in the front row inflict
and recieve more damage, while characters in the back inflict and
receive less damage (you can also change row position in the Menu Screen;
changing position during battle isn't permanent).

There are several ways to attack or get attacked.  The situation chosen
when entering a battle is somewhat random, but your abilities and
statistics can change the outcome:

(Attack)                    The standard you-versus-them setup.  Priority
                            is determined by Speed Plus.

(Chance)                    The enemies will have their backs turned and
                            you can all attack, run, or perform any other
                            command without being attacked for the first
                            round only.

(Back Attack)               You have your backs turned to the enemy, who
                            appears on the right.  Not only are your rows
                            reversed (front to back/back to front), but
                            the enemy gets to attack first without you
                            being able to do anything about it for the
                            first round only.  Note that Materia that
                            work automatically (like Guard and Counter
                            Attack), will still function normally.

(Side Attack)               You appear on either side of your enemy.
                            Although you can't use the CHANGE command,
                            this method prevents the enemy from turning
                            his full attention to all characters and lets
                            you attack from the front and behind.

(Scissors Attack - Ambush)  The enemy appears on either side.  You cannot
                            use the CHANGE command, and it is impossible
                            to direct an attack or spell towards all
                            enemies.  Your foes can make both front and
                            back attacks.  Keep in mind that it is very
                            important whether or not you are facing your
                            opponent--your attacks/limit breaks/magic
                            won't hit enemies who are behind you.
 

RUNNING
Normally, you can run away from an enemy party, but not always.  If you
can't run away, a message will tell you so and holding L1 and R1 will
have no further effect.  Unless fighting a boss (who you can never
run away from), you can almost always run from an Initial Attack (first
round only) or Side Attack formation.  You cannot run from a back attack
for the first round, and you must be facing toward your enemy in order
to run away (since you run in the opposite direction).  If ambushed,
you cannot run unless you kill all the enemies on one side of you and
are facing toward your foes (for the same reason listed above).

When you run away, the battle ends, but you gain no money, AP, or EXP.
Also, you can be attacked while running and it may take anywhere from a
second to several minutes to escape a battle, (if it is possible to do
so).  You can select and confirm commands while trying to escape (in
which case you will stop running to attack, use an item, etc.), but you
won't run away while doing such things.
 

OTHER SITUATIONS
While the game is paused during battle, you can do nothing but remove
the Command Window (if it is showing) by holding the S button.  While
a character is summoning a monster, you can build up your Time bar and
select commands, but not confirm them (this includes running).  During
enemy actions and some of your own actions, the 'Time' message changes
to 'Wait' and your bars won't fill until either you or the enemy finish
doing whatever caused the 'Wait' status in the first place.
 

END OF THE BATTLE
If you lose a battle (the enemy is able to reduce your party's HP to zero
via attacking, magic, etc.), the game ends.  You must start over from
your previously saved game.   If you win the battle (by reducing all
enemies' HP to zero via attacking, magic, etc.), then a screen appears
showing you how many EXP and AP points you've gained*.  Pressing O calls
up another screen where the amount of Gil (currency) you've won is shown,
and you have the option of taking items from your fallen foes (if they
had any items).  Once the battle is over, you are returned to the field/
area you were at prior to the battle.

If a character is dead when the battle ends, he or she will gain no
EXP or AP.  The same applies to _fully_ petrified characters.
 

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       l i s t   o f   s t a t u s   c h a n g e s
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It's possible to have your status changed outside of battles, but most
status changes occur during combat.  Enemies can also suffer from
status ailments, which include:

MANIPULATED
Appearance      Character flashes blue and faces in opposite direction
Effect          Character is controlled by the enemy
Duration        Until controlled character is damaged, killed, or put
                to sleep
Remedy          Successful physical attack from friend or foe
 

BERSERK
Appearance      Character's skin is red
Effect          Character automatically fights using physical attacks,
                however, Attack Power is raised
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Remedy or Esuna magic
 

BARRIER
Appearance      Shield appears when physically attacked; Barrier gauge
                is filled (to a degree)
Effect          Physical damage from enemies is reduced
Duration        Until gauge runs out
Remedy          Debarrier or Dispel magic
 

SILENCE
Appearance      "......" word bubble appears over head
Effect          Cannot cast magic or summon monsters
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Echo Smoke*, Remedy, Esuna magic
 

CONFUSION
Appearance      Character spins around and around
Effect          Character is uncontrollable and will attack or cast
                magic on both friends and foes
Duration        Battle; or until physically attacked
Remedy          Remedy, Esuna magic
 

CONDEMNED
Appearance      Counter Attack appears over person's head
Effect          Character dies when Counter Attack hits zero
Duration        Battle; or until Counter Attack reaches zero
Remedy          Finish/escape from battle before your time is up
                (ha ha ha).  If you revive a Condemned character, the
                Counter Attack will not reappear.
 

CRITICAL
Appearance      Character is kneeling, HPs are shown in yellow
Effect          None
Duration        Until character dies or is healed
Remedy          Cure, Full Cure, or Regen spells, or Potion, Hi
                Potion, X Potion, Elixir, or Mega Elixir.
 

DEATH
Appearance      Character is lying face down
Effect          Character does nothing (he/she's dead)
Duration        Forever*
Remedy          Phoenix Down, Raise/Life 2 magic, Phoenix summon
                spell, or you can spend the night at an inn.

*  Dead characters receive no EXP or AP should their teammates win
   the battle for them.
 

POISON
Appearance      Character kneels and flashes green
Effect          Lowers HP each turn
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Poison Neutralize, Remedy, or
                Poisona magic.
 

HASTE
Appearance      Character moves faster
Effect          Time bar increases twice as fast
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Slow, Stop, or Dispel magic
 

ANGER
Appearance      Limit gauge is colored red
Effect          Amount of damage received doubles, Hit Rate decreases,
                and Limit gauge fills faster
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Tranquilizer
 

SADNESS
Appearance      Limit gauge is colored blue
Effect          Character's physical attacks do less damage; Limit
                gauge fills slower
Duration        Until healed
Remedy          Hyper
 

DARK
Appearance      Character flashes black
Effect          Hit Rate is dramatically reduced
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Eye drop, Remedy, Esuna magic
 

MABARRIER
Appearance      Magic shield appears when magic is cast on that
                character; Mabarrier gauge is filled (to a degree)
Effect          Reduces the effects of magic cast on that character
                from friends or foes
Duration        Until gauge runs out
Remedy          Debarrier or Dispel magic
 

MEGABARRIER
Appearance      Mega shield appears when a character is hit by
                physical attacks or has magic cast upon him; both
                gauges are filled
Effect          Reduces effectiveness of physical attacks and magic
                spells directed towards the shielded person
Duration        Until gauges run out
Remedy          Debarrier or Dispel magic
 

MINIMUM
Appearance      Character shrinks, becoming very small
Effect          Attack/Defense Power is lowered greatly; almost all
                attacks cause only 1 point of damage (even magic
                spells or attacks that can be affected by Materia)
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Minimum magic, Magic Hammer Enemy Skill
 

INVINCIBLE
Appearance      Characters flash yellow*
Effect          Character cannot lose HP or be killed
Duration        Only a few rounds
Remedy          None

*   Not if you become invincible using the 'Shield' spell.
 

PARALYSIS
Appearance      Character doesn't move
Effect          Character does nothing
Duration        Variable
Remedy          Remedy, Esuna magic
 

REGENERATION
Appearance      None
Effect          Character gains back lost HP each turn
Duration        Variable
Remedy          None
 

REFLECT
Appearance
Effect          Reflects all magic cast upon character by friend
                or enemy
Duration        Variable
Remedy          Dispel magic
 

PETRIFY
Appearance      Character has gray skin and doesn't move
Effect          Character does nothing
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Golden Needle, Remedy, Esuna magic

*  Petrified characters will not receive EXP or AP should their teammates
   win the battle for them.
 

SLOW PETRIFYING
Appearance      Character flashes white while Counter Attack appears over
                head.
Effect          Causes Petrification  (see above)
Duration        Battle; or until petrification occurs
Remedy          Golden Needle, Remedy, or Esuna magic
 

SLEEP
Appearance      Character kneels and 'ZZZs' rise from body
Effect          Character does nothing
Duration        Battle; or until physically attacked
Remedy          Remedy, successful physical attack from
                friend or foe
 

SLOW
Appearance      Character moves slower
Effect          Time gauge fills slower
Duration        Variable
Remedy          Haste or Dispel magic
 

STOP
Appearance      Character doesn't move
Effect          Character does nothing; Time gauge doesn't fill
Duration        Variable
Remedy          Dispel magic
 

TOAD
Appearance      Character looks like a toad
Effect          Attack/Defense Power is lowered, cannot use
                any magic other than 'Toad' magic*
Duration        Battle
Remedy          Toad or Dispel magic, Maiden's Kiss

*   If you tried to cast magic or summon a creature and got turned into
    a frog, no MP is lost (and you can still summon the following round).
    However, if you tried to Throw an item, that item isn't even thrown
    but is still lost forever.  Also, all flying enemies are immune to
    this status ailment.

Your status condition is usually always shown at the bottom of the
screen, over the 'MAX HP' section in red letters.  If you have more than
one change (i.e.  you are poisoned and slowed), then the condition
message will constantly change back and forth.
 

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       w o r l d   m a p   a n d   t h e   a r e a   m a p
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While in the World Map, you can show, enlarge, or hide the Map by
pressing Start or Select repeatedly.  When you get them, the river-
crossing Buggy and Cid's Airplane are represented as green and blue dots,
while the submarine is shown as a red dot and the airship 'Highwind' is a
white dot.  Here in the 3-d 'overworld', you can travel through forests,
plains, and fields in search of towns, caves, and other places.  As in
previous Final Fantasy games, mountains, rivers, and oceans are
impassable while walking, but may be traversed using other means, such
as vehicles or special breeds of Chocobos.  When you enter a 'location'
(i.e. a town or dungeon), you enter the area map and leave behind the
World Map.  No matter where you are on the World Map, you always run the
risk of fighting monsters.

Area maps are a series of rendered backgrounds linked together to make up
a location.  Your freedom of movement is somewhat limited in these areas.
Most FMV sequences take place while in an area map.  Aside from talking
to people and fighting battles (depending on where you are), you can also
find treasure chests, navigate through hidden passages, climb up ropes,
activate switches and levers, or save your game at Save Points.  With few
exceptions, area maps are the only place where you'll find bosses.
 

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       v i s i t i n g   t o w n s   a n d   s h o p s
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

In towns, be sure to talk to the townspeople and investigate the
buildings to get clues, items, etc.  There are, of course, shops in most
of the towns, too.  Shops sell anything from potions and weapons to
bracelets and Materia orbs.  In a shop, you're given three choices
initially.   The rightmost one is BUY*.  Choose the item you want to buy,
then press left, right, up or down to confirm how many of that item you
want.  The middle option is SELL.  Choosing the left choice lets you sell
items and weapons, while the right lets you sell your Materia.  The third
option is QUIT, and returns you to the game.

* These are not the exact English equivalents of the Japanese used.
 

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       h a v i n g   f u n
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

GOLD SAUCER'S BATTLE SQUARE
To play this game, go to the Battle Square and enter the main building.
Talk to the lady by the righthand booth and she'll give you an option.
Choose the top one to enter the Battle Arena, or the bottom one to
decline.  It costs 10 GP to enter the Battle Arena each time.  Should
you accept, you have to choose which character will fight by himself
in the Arena.

Once inside the Arena, you have to fight 8 consecutive battles against
randomly-picked sets of monsters.  Fighting is done normally, and you
can use anything you have equipped (weapons, spell materia, command
materia, items, etc.) to attack your enemies with.  Each time you finish
a battle, you get the message 'GREAT!' and you're then told how many BP
(Battle Points) you've won in that particular battle (it's on the right
side of the window).  You have two options; pick the left one to keep
fighting or the right one to give up and leave the Arena.

If you choose to keep fighting, a slot machine appears prior to your next
bout and you have to press O to stop the wheel.  Whatever you land on
will have a significant effect upon you as soon as the next battle
starts.  However, most of these conditions can be remedied by using
items, and some (such as Minimum) won't even affect you if you're wearing
an accessory that protects you from that type of status ailment.  Below
is a list of many of the various results you may land on*:

           Poison        -    'Poisoned' status.
           Frog          -    'Toad' status.
           Mini-Cloud    -    'Minimum' status.
           Red Orb       -    Disables Red (Summon) Materia.
           Yellow Orb    -    Disables Yellow (Command) Materia.
           Green Orb     -    Disables Green (Magic) Materia.
           Purple Orb    -    Disables Purple (Independent) Materia.
           Blue Orb      -    Disables Blue (Combination) Materia.
           Five Orbs     -    Disables all Materia.
           Ring          -    Disables accessories.
           Bag           -    Disables items.
           Luck Plus 7       -    Luck is cut in half.
           Boots         -    Speed Plus is cut in half.
           HP & MP       -    Max HP and MP is halved.
           MP Sign       -    Max MP is halved.
           MP Zero       -    Max MP is reduced to 0.
           Sword         -    Attack power is lowered.
           Bracelet      -    Your defense is lowered.
           Stopwatch     -    Time bar takes x30 longer to max out.
           Lv. Down      -    This lowers your level by 5, 10, 15....
           Cure          -    Gain back 9999 HP.

*  Of course, it is possible to cheat.  For example, if your Magic
   materia have been disabled but you just used Monomane after casting
   a magic spell, you can mimic yourself to still use that spell.  Or
   if you have Nageru combined to a Counter Attack materia and your
   items are disabled, you will still hurl one of your throwable items.

Each time you choose to keep fighting, yet another bar appears on the
slot machine.  And because the eight battles are continuous, you'll keep
whatever ailment you landed on in the last battle (unless you cured it),
and get another ailment as well, making the battles progressively harder
as you suffer from more and more handicaps.

You do not gain AP, EXP, or gil for fighting in the Battle Arena.  You
can't learn enemy skills, either, even if you proceed to win all eight
battles.  You can steal or henka enemies to get items, but that's it.
Using Limit Breaks in the Arena won't deplete your Limit bar when the
battles are over, though.  Your fighting spree ends if:

 - You win all 8 battles.
 - You choose to give up after completing a battle.
 - You cast Escape on yourself or use an item that has a similar effect.
 - You run away :)
 - You are killed during the course of the battles :(

Unless you're killed or run away, you will keep all the Battle Points
that you've earned from each fight.  What's more, you can continuously
enter the Battle Arena (providing that you have enough GP) and fight
over and over to pick up even more Battle Points.  However, you lose
_all_ your BP if you leave the Battle Square, so you have to get the
number of points you want in one trip.  You can trade in the Points
you've earned for prizes by going to the machines on the left or right
side of the entrance and examining them.  The following chart appears if
you have enough BP to purchase something:

BATTLE SQUARE PRIZES - DISC ONE

NAME                    COST       EFFECT
Phoenix Down             100 BP    Item
Remedy                   200       Item
Mimett Greens            400       Item
Enemy Lure               800       Independant Materia
Choco Feather           1600       Accessory
S-mine                  3200       Item
Pre-emptive             6400       Independant Materia
Speed Plus Plus             12800       Independant Materia
Champion Belt          25600       Accessory
OmniSlash              51200       Cloud's Level 4 Limit Break Manual

BATTLE SQUARE PRIZES - DISC TWO AND DISC THREE

NAME                    COST       EFFECT
Remedy                   100 BP    Item
Enemy Lure               250       Independent Materia
Right arm                500       Item
Pre-emptive             1000       Independent Materia
Reagan Greens           2000       Item
Speed Plus Plus              4000       Independent Materia
Stardust                8000       Item
Champion Belt          16000       Accessory
OmniSlash              32000       Cloud's Level 4 Limit Break Manual
W-Summon          64000       Command Materia

You can buy as many of each item as you like if you have enough BP.
 

BATTLE SQUARE: THE URA BATTLE
In order to gain access to the URA (reverse) Battle, you have to be in
Disc 2 or 3.  Cloud must be in your party, and you have to have the
Ultima Weapon as well.  Go to the Battle Square and keep fighting
until you have enough BP to buy Cloud's Limit Break Manual or the Double
Summon materia (you don't have to use Cloud to earn the Battle Points).
Purchase one of them, then fight some more until you can afford the
other item.  Make sure that Cloud has learned all his limit breaks
except for his Level 4 Limit Break, then use his Manual on him and
equip him with the Ultima Weapon and the W-Summon materia (you
don't need to attach a Summon Materia to it).  Talk to the lady at the
desk and she'll invite you to participate in the URA Battle.  You'll
have to win eight consecutive fights against 8 boss monsters, even ones
that you may not have met yet, like PuraudoKuraddo and JamaaAamaa.  If
you're able to defeat all the bosses, then Dio will reward Cloud with
the Final Attack materia.
 

ALL THE GOLD YOU'D EVER WANT...SORT OF
While I have yet to meet him, several people have told me that a man
will show up outside of the Gold Saucer from time to time.  He'll be
standing near the back of the screen in the outer entrace area (where
the Save Point is).  If you talk to him, he will trade you 1 GP for
100 gil.  You can purchase up to 100 GP off him every time he appears.
 

A MYSTERIOUS OPPONENT
If you get a high enough time score in the Snowboarding game at the
Gold Saucer (which, BTW, has different courses than the one at Icicle
Lodge), you'll get to race against a 'ghost' racer.  Who could this
master of the snowy slopes be?  A Moogle, that's what.  Don't make
Cloud look bad in front of all his friends--beat the Moogle!
 

Fort Condor:  THE MINI-BATTLE GAME
You can fight at the Fort Condor during any disc, although if you want
the Huge Materia, you'll have to play and win at least once in Disc Two.
What's written here are brief instructions and simple strategies to win.
The object of the game is to prevent the enemy from taking your land
(this is indicated by a pink bar to the left of the screen), and to wipe
your foes out before they finish you off.  Your guys are blue; the
enemy's force is red.

In the beginning, you'll be in control of a cursor and there are no
enemies on the screen.  You can use this time to place your allies
before the battle begins (while you can place icons during the battle,
it's easier to start off right now).  You can only set people as far
as the red line; if you can't place a person, a red X appears over the
hand cursor.  Placing icons costs money (gil).  Remember, you can't
place bad guys!  The types and statistics of each icon (good and bad)
are as follows:

Note that not all of these will be available intially (like the Fire
Catapult and Tristoner).

STATS. OF THE GOOD GUYS  ________________________________________________

NAME                    HP      ATTACK  RANGE   COST    STRONG/WEAK VS
Stoner                  100     20      1~4     480     n/a
Tristoner               150     30      1~5     1000    n/a
Catapult                100     18      1~5     480     n/a
Fire Catapult           120     25      1~6     600     n/a
Fighter                 200     30      1       400     n/a
Attacker                180     25      1       420     Beast / Barbarian
Defender                220     35      1       440     Barbarian / Wyvern
Shooter                 160     20      1~3     520     Wyvern / Beast
Repairer                160     10      1       480     n/a
Worker                  160     15      1       400     n/a
 

STATS. OF THE BAD GUYS  _________________________________________________

NAME                    HP              STRONG AND WEAK AGAINST
Beast                   230             Shooters / Attackers
Wyvern*                 190             Defenders / Shooters
Barbarian               100             Attackers / Defenders
Commander               250             ???

*   These guys can fly over obstacles, giving them more range.

The bad part about all this is that it cost real money (your money!) to
play this game.  So it's best that you stock up on gil before playing.
However, you'll be paid gil for every ally left standing when the battle
ends.  To buy an icon, use the controller to select them and press O.
Then choose where you want to place one and press O again.  If you're
placing a (Fire) Catapult or (Tri)stoner, then you'll see a red circle
or wedge-shape when you place them; this indicates their line of fire.
Use the Control Pad to choose how you want them to aim their attack.

When you're ready, press X and choose the top option.  The battle
begins!  Your controls work like this:

O               Accept a command.  Place the cursor over a character
                and place this button and you'll be given an option;
                see the list of icons to see what options are available.
X               Decline a command
L1 / L2         Decrease the Speed Plus of the battle
R1 / R2         Increase the Speed Plus of the battle
Start           Pause/unpause the game
Select          Show/hide instruction screen
Pad             Moves cursor/put over ally or foe to see their
                statistics and the direction they're heading in.

Every time one of your icons finishes walking, enters battle, or is
killed, you will be asked if you want to go to their location/give them
a new command (if they died, it asks if you want to place a new one).
Press O to accept, or X to decline.
 

ICON OPTIONS  ___________________________________________________________
 

Stoner                  TOP OPTION - DIRECTION.  You can redirect
TriStoner               either type of droppers' line of fire.
                        BOTTOM OPTION - REMOVE.  The dropper is
                        destroyed.

Catapult                TOP OPTION - DIRECTION  You can redirect
Fire Catapult           either type of catapult's line of fire.
                        BOTTOM OPTION - REMOVE. The catapult is
                        destroyed.

Fighter                 OPTION - ACTION.  Pick where you want any of the
Defender                three icons to move to and press O.  If they
Shooter                 can't walk to a certain location, an X appears
                        over the cursor.

Repairer                OPTION - ACTION.  Works just like the ACTION
                        command explained above.

                        If you make a Repairer walk near a damaged
                        Catapult, Fire Catapult, Boulder, or Triple
                        Boulder, he can repair them (give them back
                        HPs).  These guys can automatically fight, too.

Worker                  TOP OPTION - ACTION.  Works just like the WALK
                        command explained above.
                        BOTTOM OPTION - BOMB.  Creates a bomb that
                        explodes when enemies approach.

The 'Dismantle' command for the catapults and droppers may seem useless,
but once an enemy force has passed beyond the range of one of these
icons, they are useless.  To free up space for more icons, (you can only
have 20 at a time, remember?) you'll want to use this ability.

Basically, the battle is fairly automatic.  People attack when close,
the catapults and droppers fire continuously.  All you have to do is
move, replenish, and place new members.  The battle ends when the 'land
taken' meter maxes out (i.e. they reach the little brown hut) or you
win the battle by destroying all the enemies.  Including the boss who
shows up when most of the enemy force is defeated, there are about 40
enemies in total, who climb up the screen in a more or less steady,
continuous wave.  If you've played FF3, this feels a little like those
'mass-crazy-fight-till-you drop battles', but without the rush of
adrenaline that usually accompanies such a fight.

BATTLES
(Note that you'll have to wait a while before another fight is
available.  Also, as far as I can tell, there's no point in donating
money since you'll have to spend Gil to hire troops, anyway.)

Battle One:  10 Enemies: 6 Beasts, 3 Wyverns, 1 Commander
             Prize - Magic Comb

Battle Two:
 
 

STRATEGY FOR THE HUGE MATERIA BATTLE
Hope you have some money.  Start by placing Tristoner at the top of each
path and angle their line of fire to follow the path (that's 4).  Then,
buy another one and place it at the main junction and make it fire
straight forward.  Now, purchase four Fire Catapults and place them at
the bottom of the paths, as close to the red line as you can.  Angle
their line of fire to hit where the Tristoners can't.  If you can spare
the gil, place two more just a little ways south and to either side from
the main Tristoners for added protection.  Still with me?  Place some
Defenders and Attackers down at the bottom, then place a whole bunch of
Fighters, Attackers, and Defenders at the top of the screen.  Last, stick
in some Shooters in hard-to-reach areas where they can pelt the enemy.
As your installments are destroyed/killed, all you have to do is place
new ones.

EXPENSIVE STRATEGY
If you have a _lot_ of cash, then just go crazy with the Tristoners and
keep placing new ones (since they'll instantly fire).  If the enemy
gains too much ground, start amassing forces of Defenders and Attackers
to take your opponents out and defend your installations.  The boss is
easy to kill since he's slow and shows up when there's not a lot of
people left (leaving him all buy himself).  Just gang up on him with
Defenders and Fighters, and if you've placed them earlier, try to steer
him towards the Bombs that the Workers can lay.
 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
       m a i n   m e n u
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

At any time, press T to go to the Main menu.  Here, you'll see portraits
of the members of your party, and to the right of each portrait, the
following stats:

        Current level of experience (LV)
        Current/maximum HP
        Current/maximum MP
        Amount of experience gained (top bar)
        Maximum Limit Break Level
        Amount of energy in the Limit Break gauge  (bottom bar)

At the bottom of the screen is listed the amount of time you've spent
playing, and beneath that, the amount of gil (currency) you're carrying.
Beneath that is the name of your location.  To the far right are ten
commands that you can select and choose:

ITEM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This screen shows the items you have.  You can USE an item, ARRANGE your
items in eight different styles, or view your KEY ITEMS (these commands
are in order from left to right).  Depending on the item you choose, you
may be able to use it on you or your companions (choose with the pointer).

USE          - Move the cursor to select and use an item.
PUT IN ORDER - Arrange the items in one of eight ways:

  ZIBUNDE  - Do-it-yourself.

  FIELD    - Items usable while on the World Map/Field are at the top of
             the list.
  BATTLE   - Items usable during a battle are at the top of the list.
  THROW    - Items that can be thrown are at the top of the list.
  CATEGORY - Items are grouped by category (Weapons, Bracelets,
             Accessories, and Items).
  NAME     - Items are sorted by name (using the Japanese alphabet).
  OOI      - Items that you have the most of are at the top of the list.
  TSUKUNAI - Items that you have the least of are at the top of the list.

KEY ITEM     - Shows what Key Items you have.  You can see an item's
               description by pressing O and moving the cursor.
 

MAGIC
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
After choosing this command, choose the character whose magic you'd like
to view.  When the screen changes, highlight MAHOU to see what magic
your character has equipped, SHOUKAN to see what summon materia he or
she is wearing, or TEKI NO WAZA, to see what enemy skills have been
learned.  You can use the O button and the cursor to see descriptions of
the spells and use the ones that are highlighted.
 

MATERIA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
After choosing this command, choose the character whose Materia you'd like
to view.  The top row shows Materia holders on your weapon, and the bottom
shows holders attached to your bracelet.  To the left of the weapon bar is
this command:

TESIKA - lets you see how your Materia will be displayed during battles.

To left of the bracelet bar are these commands (press O to reveal them):

PUT IN ORDER        - arrange your materia (by color, not type).
REMOVE ALL          - unequip all your materia.
THROW AWAY          - dispose of a materia.

To equip materia, place the cursor over a slot and press O.  A list of
materia will be shown.  Scroll up or down using the controller or the
L1 and L2 buttons until you find the materia you want, then press O
again.  If you do this to a slot that already has a materia in it, it
will be switched with the one you selected.  To de-equip materia, select
a slot with a materia on it, move the cursor to a blank space in the
materia list, and press O.

When the cursor is hilighting a materia, the following information is
shown:

 - A description of the materia (this appears in the long, thin box)
 - An information box showing the following stats.:

   Type of Materia / Materia name           no. of level stars
   Symbol for Damage Type (if any)          Current AP
                                            AP needed for next level

   Ability of materia                       Score Changes

   (either the spell name, like             (shows how the materia will
   Fire 1 or Cure, or a                     alter your scores when it
   description, such as Gil Plus.             is equipped, such as changes
   Otherwise, just the materia's            to Luck or Maximum HP.  A
   name will be given.  If a                increase is shown in yellow;
   ability is shown in black,               decreases are in red.
   it cannot be used).

Please refer to the 'Materia Orbs' part of Section 15 of the FF7 FAQ for
more detailed information.
 

EQUIPMENT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
After choosing this command, pick the character whose equipment you'd
like to change.  The first row changes your weapon, the second row
changes your bracelet, and the third row changes any special items you
have equipped.  If you have other items that can be equipped, they're
shown in the box to the right.  In the top-left box, the number of
Materia holders for that item is shown, and in the lower box, the
benefit/loss of equipping a certain item will be shown (yellow is better,
red is worse).  Beneath the materia box, the AP growth for that item is
shown (normal, x0, x2 or x3).
 

STATUS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fifth option is STATUS.  Choose the character whose status you want
to see.  Here, you see the same stats shown on the main screen, although
the EXP and Limit Break bars are also shown in number format.  On the
left are a list of stats, they are, in order:

Power
Speed Plus
Physical Strength
Magic Plus Power
Mind
Luck

Attack Power      - Power + Physical Strength
Hit Rate          - Power + Speed Plus
Defense Power     - Physical Strength + Mind
Evade Rate        - Speed Plus + Luck
Magic Attack      - Magic Plus Power + Mind
Magic Defense     - Magic Plus Power + Mind
Magic Evade Rate  - Magic Plus Power + Speed Plus

To the right is shown your character's commands in the battle screen, and
below that is shown the weapon, bracelet, and special item name and the
Materia they can hold.  Pressing O while at this screen shows another
screen where different Elementals your character has are highlighted.

The first four rows are for damage types.  Although the rows go from
left to right, I'm listing it in a top to bottom format:

GAME TERMS
Fire Damage
Ice Damage
Lightning Damage
Earth Damage
Poison Damage
Demi Damage
Water Damage
Wind Damage
Holy Damage

Halfway down the screen is a larger, two-row list (it's shown twice).
The list is for status changes:

Going left to right, top row....

GAME TERMS
Death
Critical
Sleepel
Poison
Sadness
Angry
Confusion
Silence
Haste
Slow
Stop
Toad
Minimum

Going left to right, bottom row....

Slow Petrifying
Petrified
Regeneration
Barrier
Mabarrier
Reflect
Megabarrier
Condemned
Controlled
Berserk
Invincible
Paralysis
Darkness

If you check this screen and one of the symbols is lit up, that means
that that particular type of damage is being affected by the item you're
wearing (it does no damage, is halved, restores HP, etc.)  If part of
one of the lower lists is lit up, that means that that particular kind
of status ailment is being affected by the item you're wearing.  To see
what kind of 'affect' is in place, you need only look at the blue words
to the far right:

Elemental  ______________________________________________________________
The damage type row is listed four times because there are four
Elementals that can affect damage types.  They are:

  (Attack)
   - Attacks hit with highlighted Elemental.

  (To Halve)
   - Damage from highlighted Elemental is halved.

  (No Effect)
   - Attacks that hit with the highlighted Elemental have no effect on
     you.

  (Absorb)
   - When hit, you will absorb the highlighted Elemental and gain HP
     instead of losing it.
 

ADDITIONAL  _____________________________________________________________
The two-row list of status changes is shown twice because there are two
additional affects that affect status changes.  They are:

  (Attack)
   - An attack you make also hits with the highlighted status ailment.

  (Defense)
   - In addition to damage you take during battle, you will defend
     yourself against the highlighted status ailment.

Special damage is damage that can't be defended against because it has no
element type or traits (meaning that even with an accessory, Barrier, or
Mabarrier equipped, it will still hit for full damage).  I think the only
way to protect against special damage is if you are invincible (via the
Shield spell or Aeris's Breaks) but this may not be true.
 

ORGANIZE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
After choosing this command, press the O button twice to switch a person
between front and back row, or choose one character, than another, to
make them switch position.  The switch is permanent until you change it.
 

LIMIT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This screen shows you the same stats as on the main screen (minus the EXP
bar).  Your max Limit level and learned Limit Breaks are highlighted
below.  To the right are two commands.

SET          - Choose what Limit Break level you want to use, as long
               as it's available.  Choosing a new level will empty
               your Break meter, BTW.  This is the left option.

CHECK        - Pick this and use the cursor to see descriptions of each
               Limit Break after picking the Break Level you want to
               view.  This is the right option.
 

CONFIG.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Choosing this command take you to the Configuration screen.  There, you
have the following options:

(Window Color)
After selecting this option, choose a corner of the small window and
adjust the amount of red, blue or green by using the control pad.  To
verify a color change, back up twice to the config. screen.  You cannot
return to the default color unless you enter it manually.
 

(Sound)
Pick between:

 (Monaural) - for monaural sound output.
 (Stereo)   - for stereo sound output.
 

(Controller)
Pick between:

 (Normal) - Use the default controller settings.
 (Custom) - Customize the controller.

To customize your controller, highlight 'Custom' and press O.  Then
press Start.  Now, use the cursor to move to the function you want
to change and press the desired button to assign that function to the
pressed button.  The order of functions is:

  O       =  (Accept)
  X       =  (Cancel)
  T       =  (Menu)
  S       =  (Extra)
  L1      =  (Left One)
  R1      =  (Right One)
  L2      =  (Left Two)
  R2      =  (Right Two)
  Select  =  (Help)
  Start   =  (Pause)

You can set the buttons to have any command, but you can't exit out of
this screen if you try to give each button the same commands.  Press
LEFT when you are done setting the controller the way you want.

(Cursor)
Pick between:

(Initial) - The cursor will always appear at the top of the Main Menu.
(Memory)  - The cursor will appear on the sub-menu you last selected
            when it is opened.
 

ATB  (Active Time Battle)
Choose from:

(Active)      - Time is always running.
(Recommended) - Time stops during item or magic use.
(Wait)        - Time stops when selecting items or magic (and their
                respective targets).

Even with Active Battle turned on, time still pauses during the use
of a summon spell, certain enemy actions, and other various attacks.
 

(Battle Speed Plus)
Press right to slow down the speed of battles, or left to increase it.
 

(Battle Message)
Press right to make a message during battle appear longer, or left to
make it appear for a shorter period of time.
 

(Field Message)
Press right to make a message spell out slower, or left to make it spell
out faster.
 

(Camera Angle)
Pick from:

(Auto)  - The camera will move around freely and focus on ally and enemy
          actions.
(Fixed) - The camera view stays in the exact position as when the battle
          first begins.
 

(Magic Rank)
This option lets you set up your magic spell order (attacking, healing,
and other, I suppose), in one of six setups.  This doesn't seem to affect
your list of spells, though, so I'm not too sure of this option's purpose.

NO. 1:  Restore       Attacking     Indirect
NO. 2:  Restore       Indirect      Attacking
NO. 3:  Attacking     Indirect      Restore
NO. 4:  Attacking     Restore       Indirect
NO. 5:  Indirect      Restore       Attacking
NO. 6:  Indirect      Attacking     Restore
 

PHS (Party Hensei System)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
In most cases, PHS is usable while standing on a Save Point or during
any time while standing on the World Map.  You don't have this option
in the beginning, BTW.  Choose the character you which to eject from
your party and the person you want to join from the right (or vice
versa).  Keep in mind that you can't eject the leader of your party
(usually Cloud), and in some cases, certain characters insist on going
with you, so they can't be removed for the time being, either.

NOTE:  Characters who aren't in your immediate party still gain levels!
       However, they only gain a small amount of EXP in relation to your
       party, so they tend to fall 3-5 levels behind if not used for a
       long time.
 

SAVE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last option.  Pick it, then choose the Memory Card slot you want to
use, then choose one of fifteen Save slots you want to save your game in.
Choose the top option to save or the bottom option to not save.  If no
Memory Card is inserted or there's no more space, a message will tell
you so.
 

_____________________________________________________________________

     f   i   n   a   l      f   a   n   t   a   s   y      v   i   i _____________________________________________________________________
 

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