ecco manual2 6/26/00 12:12 PM Page 1 Thank you for purchasing Ecco the Dolphin! Please note that this software is designed only for use with the Dreamcast console. Be sure to read this instruction manual thoroughly before you start playing Ecco the Dolphin. TABLE OF CONTENTS Prologue......................................2 Starting Up.................................3 The Game Screen.......................4 Controls.......................................5 Maneuvering........................8 The Sonar.............................9 The Camera.......................10 Pausing the Game..............11 Options......................................11 The Save System.......................12 Enemies.....................................13 The Songs..................................14 The Gifts...................................15 Vitalit Crystals..........................16 Gift Crystals.............................16 Information Shards..................16 Walkthrough o f Aquamarine Bay.......................17 Tips............................................20 The Authors..............................21 Notes..........................................23 Ecco the Dolphin is a memory card compatible game [Visual Memory Unit (VMU) sold separately]. In order to save game files, the VMU to be used must have at least 8 memory blocks of free space available. Saving and loading to and from your memory card occurs automatically. Make sure to insert the memory card into Expansion Slot 1 of the Dreamcast Controller that is connected to Control Port A. Do not remove the memory card or controller during loading and saving. ecco manual2 6/26/00 12:12 PM Page 2 PROLOGUE At the dawn of the 30th century, after five hundred years of unity and fellowship, dolphin and man set out from the Earth to explore the great unknowns of space. But where man and dolphin founded a civilization of peace, others based theirs on strength, conquest, and domination. And, even as man and dolphin went out from the Earth, a sinister Foe cast envious eyes upon it. For the Earth was a prize beyond measure, a pristine world to be cherished or exploited. But the Earth was not defenseless. The mighty Guardian -- the greatest creation of dolphin kind -- shielded it with its power. Undeterred, the Foe persisted, probing for a moment of weakness they were certain must come. It was in this time that a dolphin named Ecco arrived to the Isle of the Guardian, seeking to learn from the scholars of peace, but destined to be the only hope and champion of the Earth. STARTING UP Title Screen Once the Title Screen appears, press the Start Button and the SELECTVMU SCREEN will appear. Select the VMU you wish to use to save your game(s). Save Files Ecco the Dolphin is a memory card compatible game [Visual Memory Unit sold separately]. You must have at least 8 blocks of space to save. After selecting a VMU with the appropriate space, you will be taken to the SELECT A GAME screen. Here you can select a new game by inputting your initials. Once you've entered your initials and selected [END], you will be taken to the MAIN MENU. Main Menu START GAME* LOAD GAME OPTIONS VMU MENU Start the game Allows you to select a level that you've already accessed. Change controller setting, language, or audio parameters. Select VMU and Ecco file or delete an existing Ecco file. *If a file is selected, or once a game has been started, CONTINUE GAME will appear instead of START GAME. CONTINUE GAME allows you to start at the level that you last left off at. If none of the controllers plugged in has a VMU, a warning message Uwill alert you. If you do not plug a VMU into the controller, you will still be able to play, but your progress will not be saved. The VMU MENU allows you to come back to this option and thus indicate at any moment on which VMU the game in progress should be saved. 2 3 ecco manual2 6/26/00 12:12 PM Page 4 THE GAME SCREEN This is what you'll see when playing Ecco the Dolphin. In the upper left corner of the screen are two bars. The top bar represents Ecco's health; the one below represents Ecco's air supply. CONTROLS Connect the Dreamcast Controllers to Control Port A. Dreamcast Controller Analog Thumb X Button Y D-Pad B A Trigger L Trigger R Health When Ecco is attacked or touches a harmful object, Ecco loses some of his health. To replenish your health, you can charge into a school of fish to have a yummy feast. But beware, not all fish are edible and some may cause undesired effects. Be observant and remember what you learned from your experiences. Knowing your food well could be vital information in perilous situations. Besides losing health to enemy creatures and harmful objects, if Ecco is on land for an extended amount of time, Ecco will gradually lose health. Air Ecco is a dolphin, and, like all mammals, he needs air to breathe. To get air you can rise above the water surface. If you can't find a water surface nearby, look for alternative sources of air. Some sources are plainly visible but some are hidden and not so obvious. Observe your surroundings and remember to keep track of your Air meter. When your Air meter is at half, 1/4 and 1/8 levels left, Ecco will make a squeak noise as a warning to the player. If Ecco has no air, Ecco starts to lose health. Start To return to the Title Screen at any point during the game, simultaneously press and hold the A, B, X, Y and the Start Buttons. Do not touch the Analog Thumb Pad, or the Triggers while turning the Dreamcast power ON. Doing so may disrupt the controller initialization procedure and result in malfunction. 4 5 ecco manual2 6/26/00 12:12 PM Page 6 CONTROLS The configuration displayed is the default configuration. In the Options menu, you can choose between two types of controller configurations. BASIC SWIMMING CONTROL CONTROLS SPECIALMANEUVERS Behavior Super Roll Slow Down/Reverse 180 degree turn left 180 degree turn right Roll Left Roll Right ACROBATIC CONTROLS OUTOF WATER Analog Thumb Pad and Y + UP(While Ecco is in motion) Y + DOWN Y + LEFT Y + RIGHT Y + T rigger L Y + T rigger R Behavior Dive Climb Turn Left Turn Right Look Left (camera) Look Right (camera) Accelerate Charge Use Sonar Special Maneuver Button Analog Thumb Pad and UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT Trigger L Trigger R A B X Y Behavior Roll Forward Roll Backward Spin Left Spin Right Roll Left Roll Right Slower Rotation Faster Rotation Chirp and Smile Stop Rotation Analog Thumb Pad and UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT Trigger L Trigger R A B X Y 7 Never touch the Analog Thumb Pad or Triggers L/R while turning the Dreamcast power ON. Doing so may interrupt the controller initialization process and result in malfunction. 6 ecco manual2 6/26/00 12:12 PM Page 8 Maneuvering Accelerating and Swimming - Press or Hold the A Button Pressing the A Button quickly and repeatedly makes Ecco accelerate. Each time you press Button A, Ecco will swim faster. To maintain your current speed you can hold down the A Button and Ecco will swim at a steady pace. To slow down, release the A Button and let Ecco drift to a slower speed. Pressing and holding the A Button again will make Ecco swim at his current speed. Slowing down and Swimming in Reverse - Special (Y) + Analog DOWN To make Ecco slow down, press the Special (Y) Button and DOWN on the Analog Thumb Pad simultaneously. Ecco will use his tail fin and flippers to slow down. To swim backwards, keep pressing or holding the Special (Y) Button and the DOWN on the Analog Thumb Pad. 180 Degree turn - Special (Y) + Analog LEFT/ RIGHT Turning Left or Right while holding the Special (Y) Button will make Ecco do a 180 degree turn. This is a very handy and quick maneuver during a shark fight or simply to home in on a school of fish again and again. Super Roll - Special (Y) + Analog UP Pressing the Special (Y) Button and UPon the Analog Thumb Pad will make Ecco do a corkscrew like evasive maneuver. If mastered well, this trick can save Ecco from deadly head on collisions with oncoming enemies. Charging - B Button Charging is done by pressing the B Button. When Ecco charges, he accelerates beyond his top swimming speed for a short period of time. The extra speed is useful for escaping enemies, swimming against currents or simply jumping higher up in the air. Charging can also be used as a weapon. Ecco can cause damage to enemies or chase them away by charging into them. When charging, Ecco automatically homes in on the closest target within his sight. This makes targeting and hitting targets easier. Since homing in on a target is automatic it is advised that you let go of the directional controls for the duration of the charge in order to let the homing work properly. Interfering with the homing by steering the dolphin only lessens the chance of a successful hit. The automatic homing depends on timing and distance as well. The Sonar Ecco's sonar can be used in many different ways. The main function of the sonar is communication. The sonar can be activated with the X Button. Ecco does use up a little air for each sonar pulse that he sends. If the sonar does not seem to be working as you expect, try backing off and giving Ecco a little more or less distance to what/who you wish Ecco to interact with, or try a different angle. Talking with the Sonar - Press the X Button Using his sonar, Ecco can communicate with whales, dolphins, as well as other intelligent beings. To talk to other mammals, target them with your sonar and press the X Button. Interacting with other creatures - Press the X Button Not all the animals in the ocean can communicate with the dolphin. Sharks, rays, fish and other creatures will not understand a dolphin's language. However, all the animals will react to Ecco's sonar in their own particular ways. By using his sonar, Ecco can effect the behavior of these creatures, he can challenge a shark, he can herd turtles together or cause a school of fish to disperse. We encourage you to explore and experiment with the sonar 's effect on various animals since these abilities will become very useful in many different gameplay situations. Special Sonar abilities - Press the X Button As the game progresses, Ecco will learn special abilities, which will alter and enhance the functionality of his sonar. He will learn to use his sonar as a defensive as well as an offensive weapon. He also learns new ways of interacting with various sea creatures. These special abilities will allow Ecco to control the behavior of various animals in a much more precise and direct fashion than before. The use of these special sonar abilities is automatic, if Ecco acquired an ability to control a certain creature, sonaring that particular animal will automatically affect its behavior in the desired way. Sonar as a Tractor Beam - Double Press and Hold the X Button Later in the game, when Ecco acquires the Labor Harness he will be able to hold onto certain objects with the use of the Harness sonar-tractor beam. To activate the tractor beam, double-press and hold down the "Sonar" X Button. Sonar Map - Press and Hold down the X Button Ecco can use his sonar to draw a Sonar Map of his surroundings. The Sonar Map can be activated by pressing down the X Button, and holding it down until the map appears. The map will automatically disappear after a short time, but you can turn it off manually at any time by pressing and holding the "Sonar" X Button again. When the Sonar appears, you will see Ecco as the dark blue flashing dolphin icon on the sonar map. Note: A few particular areas interfere with the sonar and Ecco cannot activate a Sonar Map. 8 9 ecco manual2 6/26/00 12:12 PM Page 10 The Camera There are several camera types available during the game. Use the Directional Pad. Trailer Camera - Tap the Directional Pad This is the default camera mode. The camera stays right behind the dolphin at all times and points in the direction Ecco is facing. This camera is best suited for general gameplay due to its responsiveness and ease of targeting. Remote Camera - Tap the Directional Pad This camera looks at the dolphin at all times and follows him at a fixed distance. The camera will not try to stay behind the dolphin instead it allows Ecco to turn his side to the camera as well as face the camera. Swimming around with a Remote Camera provides a more graceful, cinematic type of experience. Above Water Camera - Press and hold the Directional Pad This camera hovers above the water surface. It stays above dolphin at all times and looks at Ecco. This camera provides the best views when doing acrobatic jumps above the water. Side/Backward Camera - Hold Trigger L(Left) or Trigger R (Right) or both simultaneous ly (Backward) This camera allows the player to look sideways, left or right with the camera without changing Ecco's current direction of travel. You can even look backwards. Switching between Cameras To switch between the three camera modes, use the Directional Pad in any directio ...