LIMITED WARRANTY For a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase, Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. (SQEA) warrants to the original purchaser of this SQEA software product that the medium on which this computer program is recorded is free from defects in materials and workmanship. SQEA agrees for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase, to either repair or replace, at its option, free of charge, any SQEA software product that does not meet the above warranty, postage paid, with proof of purchase. This warranty is not applicable to normal wear and tear. This warranty shall not be applicable and shall be void if the defect in the SQEA software product has arisen through abuse, unreasonable use, mistreatment or neglect. LIMITATIONS ­ The above warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, and no other representations or claims of any nature shall be binding on or obligate SQEA. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES APPLICABLE TO THIS SOFTWARE PRODUCT, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, COURSE OF DEALING IN TRADE AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE NINETY (90) DAY PERIOD DESCRIBED ABOVE. IN NO EVENT WILL SQEA BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM POSSESSION, USE OR MALFUNCTION OF THIS SQEA SOFTWARE PRODUCT. Some states do not allow limitations as to how long an implied warranty lasts and/or exclusions or limitations of incidental or consequential damages so the above limitations and/or exclusions of liability may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific rights, and you may also have other rights that vary from state to state. NOTICE ­ This manual and the software described in this manual are copyrighted. All rights in the manual and the software are reserved. No part of this manual or the described software may be copied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form without the prior written consent of SQEA. The described software may not be reversed engineered, decompiled or otherwise disassembled. RETURNS WITHIN 90 DAY WARRANTY PERIOD ­ To replace defective media within the 90-day warranty period, send the defective media, a copy of the original sales receipt, a return address, and a small note describing the difficulties you are experiencing to Electronic Arts Customer Warranty, P.O. Box 9025, Redwood City, CA 940659025. If you have warranty questions, you can also contact Customer Warranty at (650) 628-1900, fax (650) 6285999. Hours of operation: Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 11:45am and 1pm - 4:30pm, Pacific Standard Time. RETURNS AFTER WARRANTY ­ To replace defective media after the ninety (90) day warranty period has expired, send the original CD to the Electronic Arts' address above. Enclose a statement of the defect, your name, your return address, and a check or money order for $7.50. REPLACEMENT MEDIA ­ The above provisions apply to any replacement media or software provided by SQEA hereunder, including the above warranties and limitations. TECHNICAL SUPPORT ­ For technical support questions, you can call (650) 628-1009. Representatives are available Monday through Friday 8:30 - 11:45 am or 1:00 - 4:30 pm, Pacific Standard Time. Tech Support Fax: (650) 628-5999 Internet e-mail: support@ea.com Warranty inquiries: warranty@ea.com World Wide Web: Access our web site at http://www.ea.com/tech_support Electronic Arts Technical Support, P.O. Box 9025, Redwood City, CA 94063-9025 CONTENTS The checkered destinies of two men who repeatedly plunge their mighty souls into battle 1 SQUARESOFT GAME TIPS Game Tips are available for all SQUARESOFT titles: 1-900-407-KLUE (1-900-407-5583) $.95/min. Automated Tips, $1.25/min. Live Assistance. U.S. Canada: 1-900-451-KLUE (1-900-451-5583) $1.50/min. Automated Tips only. Prices subject to change. Callers under 18 years of age must obtain permission from a parent or guardian before calling. Game tips are available for callers within the U.S. and Canada only. Touch-tone phone required. Game counselors are available Monday-Friday, 8am - 5pm, Pacific Standard Time. Automated support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. SQUARESOFT Online Shop online or register for upcoming sweepstakes, prizes, and more at www.squaresoft.com! Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Installation of FINAL FANTASY® VIII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Playing FINAL FANTASY VIII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Basic Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Main Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 World Map Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Shops & Collecting Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Menu Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Battle Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Junction System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Card Game/Triple Triad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Chocobo World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Mini-Walkthrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Important Note: Detailed information about the game can also be found in the study panel on Squall's desk located in the classroom on the second floor of Balamb Garden and in the Menu Screen under . 2 GETTING STARTED INSTALLATION OF FINAL FANTASY VIII Place the CD labeled "Install Disc" into your computer's CD-ROM drive. If your computer is "Autorun" enabled, the startup screen will appear on your screen momentarily. If the startup screen does not appear you must open the "My Computer" icon on your desktop, click on your CD-ROM drive, then double-click on the "Startup.exe" icon. You will see the FINAL FANTASY VIII startup screen with 4 options to choose from. The 4 options to choose from are: 3 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS COMPUTER FINAL FANTASY® VIII requires an IBM® PC or 100% compatible computer. The game can be enjoyed without the use of a 3D accelerated video card, but only the Software Renderer will be available. With a 3D accelerated video card, the minimum CPU speed required is a Pentium® 200Mhz with 32MB of RAM and an 8MB 3D accelerated video card. Without a 3D accelerated video card, the minimum CPU speed required is a Pentium® II 266Mhz with 64MB of RAM and a 4MB 2D video card. INSTALL Click on the Install icon to begin installation of FINAL FANTASY VIII. When the "Welcome" screen appears, please read through the text and select either "Next" to continue or "Cancel" to exit without installing. Next, you will see the "Select Components" screen. Here you can choose to install "FF8 Program Files" only or install "Optional Game Data" as well. "Optional Game Data" is not required to be installed for FINAL FANTASY VIII to run, but doing so will decrease loading times during gameplay. The default install destination is "C:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc\FINAL FANTASY VIII". If you want to install FINAL FANTASY VIII in a different location, click on "Browse" and change the default setting to your desired location. Next you may choose a Program Folder for FINAL FANTASY VIII. You should continue with the default unless you want to select a different Program Folder. Congratulations! FINAL FANTASY VIII will now be installed on your computer. OPERATING SYSTEM You must have Windows® 95/98 with DirectX 6.1 or higher installed on your system. DirectX 6.1 is included in your installation CD. DRIVES Standard installation of FINAL FANTASY VIII requires a minimum of 300MB free uncompressed hard drive space plus space for saved games (additional space required for DirectX installation and Windows swap file). Optional Game Data may also be installed that will require an additional 300MB of free uncompressed hard drive space. This will offer slightly faster loading times during gameplay. You must also have an 8x speed or faster CD-ROM drive to play FINAL FANTASY VIII. INSTALL DIRECTX 6.1 FINAL FANTASY VIII requires the installation of DirectX 6.1 on your computer system. If your system does not have DirectX 6.1 of if you are using a previous version of DirectX, click on "Install DirectX 6.1". DirectX will analyze your computer's hardware. Once it is finished, follow the on-screen prompts to finish installation. The system may request that you restart the computer. If so, you must restart the computer before you attempt to run FINAL FANTASY VIII. CONTROLS FINAL FANTASY VIII supports keyboard and/or gamepad controllers. Your gamepad must be calibrated and configured properly through the "Game Controller" settings in your Windows Control Panel. VIDEO FINAL FANTASY VIII requires a minimum of 4MB DirectX 6.1 compatible video card for software rendering. You can enhance your gaming experience by utilizing a recommended 8MB 3D accelerated video card. README Click "Readme" to view the game's Readme.txt file for any addendum or errata. AUDIO FINAL FANTASY VIII will work with any DirectX 6.1 compatible sound card. Your card must be configured to playback digital and MIDI audio. EXIT Click on Exit to quit the FINAL FANTASY VIII Startup screen. YAMAHA SOFTWARE SYNTHESIZER FINAL FANTASY VIII includes an upgrade for owners of the Yamaha S-YXG50/70/100 software MIDI synthesizer. If you already have this software installed on your computer, you can find the upgrade on the Install Disc. Please consult the Readme.txt for additional information. 4 PLAYING FINAL FANTASY VIII PLAYING FINAL FANTASY VIII BASIC CONTROLS 5 STARTING OR CONTINUING FINAL FANTASY VIII After installation you must insert "DISC 1" in your CD-ROM drive before starting or if you are continuing a previously saved game. If you are continuing a game from disc 2, 3, or 4, you will be prompted to insert the correct disc before continuing. To start playing, go to the program group containing FINAL FANTASY VIII in the Windows 95/98 start menu and select "FINAL FANTASY VIII". The intro screens will begin to play, and then the floating credit screen will appear. Press [OK] (X key) to skip to the start screen. At the start screen you will have three options: New Game--Starts a new FINAL FANTASY VIII game. You must have Disc 1 in your CD-ROM before starting a new game. Continue ?--This option will let you continue from your previously saved game. Press [OK] (X key) to enter to the Save File list. Select the correct Save File from 1 - 30 and press [OK] (X key). Go to the Save Game you want to continue and press [OK] (X key) to continue. You will be prompted to insert Disc 1, 2, 3, or 4 if the correct disc is not in the CD-ROM drive. Credits--View the credits. Exiting a Game--Press and hold Ctrl-Q to exit the game. You can play FINAL FANTASY VIII with the keyboard or a game controller supported by DirectX 6.1. Basic controls of FINAL FANTASY VIII can be divided into four categories: (Default controls shown below and throughout the manual. Controls may be reconfigured in the game or in the Configuration.) MENU SCREEN KEYBOARD cursor keys GAME CONTROLLER directional pad Move Cursor / Switch screens between Status Attack & Defense and Elemental Attack & Defense while in the Magic Junction Menu B2 Execute / Open Status Windows in the Status Menu B1 Open Limit Break Screen (Applies only in Status Screen) B4 Cancel B5 or B6 Switch between corresponding character / GF. FIELD SCREEN KEYBOARD cursor keys S D X A W Control-Q Control-R GAME CONTROLLER directional pad B10 B3 B2 B1 B4 n/a n/a Move Pause Open Menu Screen Talk / Execute Commands Talk / Challenge to Card Game Cancel, Walk (when used with the cursor keys) Press and hold to Quit Press and hold to Reset X A W Q or E FINAL FANTASY VIII CONFIGURATION When you first start FINAL FANTASY VIII you will see the Configuration Screen. This menu screen will detail your current graphic and sound settings. You can change the settings anytime after by selecting it from the FINAL FANTASY VIII program groups in the Windows 95/98 start menu. Here you will find four tabs to choose from. The four tabs are: CURRENT SETTINGS Shows the current setting FINAL FANTASY VIII will run for your game. GRAPHICS You can configure your desired graphic setup here. Click on a tab labeled "Disp ...