MAD MAESTRO FAQ/WALKTHROUGH Ver. 0.5 This document is Copyright 2002 By Jason Abdelhadi (Mind Ape) Email me at: Mind_Ape @hotmail.com --------------------------------- Updates --------------------------------- -March 20th, 2002, started FAQ, added introduction and gameplay sections, finished stages 1-8 -March 21st, 2002, Added Stages 9-11, started Concert Mode section, finished complete song list --------------------------------- Table of Contents --------------------------------- 1. Introduction 2. Gameplay 3. Walkthrough 4. Bonuses and secrets (To be completed) 5. Concert Mode details (To be completed) 6. Complete song list --------------------------------- Introduction --------------------------------- Mad Maestro is the first Conductor simulator to come out in North America and is definitely one of the stranger games out there. You are Takt, a young conductor who is out to save the town music hall from being destroyed by putting on a big recital. To do this you need more members in your orchestra, so you must travel around town recruiting members and helping people out on the side. This FAQ will hopefully give you enough information to help you complete the game and unlock many of the bonuses. --------------------------------- --------------------------------- 1. Gameplay --------------------------------- --------------------------------- The gameplay in this game is fairly simple when you look at it, but it can get quite complicated after a while. I've tried my best to divide this section into parts so that you'll find it easier to read. --------------------------------- I. Main Menu --------------------------------- When you first start up your game, you'll see a menu that looks like this: Tutorial New game Load Game Child mode You shouldn't have to much trouble figuring out what to do. I recommend the tutorial as it is short and shows you the basics of play. Child mode is super easy and you shouldn't need any further information to beat it, really. (I'll go into a little more detail just for completeness ) Child Mode --------------------------------- Child mode is only for very young kids or people who just wanna hear the music and bang through the game (shame! SHAME!) All you have to worry about is the tempo, there is no pressure or anything else fun in child mode. All the levels are already laid out before you and everything. The only good thing about child mode is that crazy dancing bear! Yeah! --------------------------------- II. In game menus --------------------------------- When you start your new game, you'll be asked to select your difficulty, Easy or Normal (There isn't too much of a diffrence, buttons are more sensitive in normal and the speed is a little more precise). You will then be brought to your main in game menu. i. Story --------------------------------- This option will take you to the story part of the game, and will take you to the first level. Once you beat the game this option is renamed Memory. ii. Extra Fun --------------------------------- This section has all the main options and bonus games in it. It has four parts: Free Play: Allows you to play songs that you've obtained through story mode over again. All songs in this section are played in the concert hall. Music Room: Allows you to listen to songs you've heard or obtained through story mode. Replay: Allows you to watch replays that you have saved on your memory card. Bonus Games: Allows you to play the bonus games you get through story mode. Concert Play Allows you to play concert programmes you've done previously. iii Game Settings --------------------------------- This section will let you adjust the volume, Stereo or Mono and the baton settings. The baton settings can adjust the sensitivity of your controllers. iv. Save --------------------------------- This will allow you to save your progress to your memory card. --------------------------------- III. Playing a song --------------------------------- When you start to actually play a song, you will notice several things. The first will be those four big circles with a little ball bouncing through them i. Cue Points Those big circles with the little ball bouncing through them all called Cue Points. This is what you will be focusing on most of the game. The main point of the game is to hit a baton button (Triangle, Circle, Square or X) each time that little ball hits a circle. You'll notice the circles will expand, causing you to press the buttons slower, or it may contract, causing you to press the buttons faster. The first thing you'll want to do is get a feel for this speed variation (Tempo). It may take a while but you should get it eventually. ii. Pressure Meter To your right of the circles is a small bottle shaped meter. This is the pressure meter. It tells you how hard you are hitting the buttons. Red means you've hit the button hard, green means normal and blue means soft. The point of this is so that you'll know how hard to hit each button when that colour shows up on the cue points. Cue points will regularly change colour as the volume of the song gets louder and softer and you will need to control the pressure that you apply to the buttons. It may seem complicated and difficult but after a bit of practice you'll get the hang of it. iii. Tension Meter The other meter left on the screen (With the little devil and angel figures on it) is the Tension meter. This meter shows you how well you are playing (without any mistakes). If you don't make any mistakes for a complete 4 circles, the meter will go up and if you make mistakes it will go down. If you play well enough the meter will go into Angel mode, which means you haven't made any mistakes. To pass a level you MUST end the song in Angel mode. But watch out, once you are in Angel mode and you play badly, you will go into Devil mode which requires you to play perfectly until your a freed back into normal mode. iv. Extras Ocassionally a song will have arrows pointing within a Cue Point, in which case you just press the arrow at the same time as the baton button. There are also small things like Medleys which will show you all triangles first and then you just keep in tempo with it to get a bonus song, plus access to a bonus game which you must beat to keep. v. Medley Mode The way to get all the bonuses and secret songs in this game is through either the concert modes or through Medley modes. What exactly is a Medley mode? Well, when you play a Stage (Normal Mode) well enough and keep it in Angel mode for a long time, the circles will turn black and have triangles in them. If you manage to play all the triangles at the right tempo, you will have reached Medley mode. The song will change and will stay in a child mode, where all you have to worry about is the tempo until the song ends. If you end in Angel mode, you will get to keep the song plus get a shot at that Stages Bonus Level! If you beat the bonus level, you keep the song and the minigame! Tips on playing a song --------------------------------- Playing these songs require you to be relaxed and to pay attention. The main problem I have is that I'll be focusing so much on the pressure that my tempo will go off and I'll screw up, or vice versa. Don't worry if your having a lot of trouble with a particular song (Swan Lake and Ride of the Valkyries nearly drove me nuts!) just keep at it and you'll be suprised at how quickly you'll get the hang of it. Remember to doubly careful once you hit Angel mode, and especially when you're near the end of a piece, becuase it'll probably speed up and drive you into Devil Mode ! Relaxation and focus are the keys! Tips on reaching Medley Mode --------------------------------- Just make sure you are comfortable with the level and know the song well enough! I recommend that you play the level through with the Triangle baton button so that when the Medley mode comes up you won't have to fiddle around trying to find triangle and such. Other than that, it's pretty easy! --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Walkthrough --------------------------------- --------------------------------- This is my complete walkthrough for the 11 stages in this game. They contain useful information but you'll still need practice with them, no matter how much I talk. Stage 1 --------------------------------- Title: Will the Couple do a "pas de deux?" Song: Hungarian Dance No. 6 in D major , Johannes Brahms Time: 4/4 (four circles) Medley Song (Bonus): Hunagrian Dance No. 5 in G minor, Johannes Brahms Story: Darlin has a date with Hannie and spends so much time preparing that he shows up late! It seems the only way to save this day is for a dance(Played well, that is), so play away Maestro! Remember that there is a relationship is at stake! Tips: I've always found this level to be a bit difficult, especially for stage 1! Anyways, this song has a bit of everything and should show you the basics. Keeping in tempo may be a bit tough at first, though. The background can also get a little annoying at times. If this is your first time, it should probably take you at least a few tries before you beat it. If you've just beaten it by a hair then you might want to consider practicing for a while in Free Play until you have it mastered (trust me, you won't regret it!). Stage 2 --------------------------------- Title: The Savior of the Run Down Circus Song: Slavic Dance No. 7, Antonin Dvorak Time: 4/4 Medley Song: Thunder and lightning, Johannes Strauss II Story: Lunar the Circus Clown and her circus troupe are about to perform................To an empty house! It seems that you and your musical powers are needed again! Put on a great show and fill the room for Lunar, hit a bad note and it's failureville!(Ugh, I know, shut up.) Tips: Ah yes, I think this one is much easier than the last, so if you took my advice and mastered Stage 1 this should be a breeze. The tempo stays pretty much the same, the background graphics, while bright and shiny, aren't terribly bothersome. All in all, this stage shouldn't make you pull your hair out or anything (If it does, just keep at it!). Stage 3 --------------------------------- Title: Troubled Fashion Show Song: Finale from the Carnival of Animals, Camille Saint-Saens Time: 4/4 Medley Song: The Marriage of Figaro, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Stroy: A fashion show is being put on under the worst conditions! Lights falling, guard rails busting, electricity pipes flailing about! Can you save this show from disaster and recruit Neostyle? I certainly hope so! Tips: It may start off easy, but this un' ain't no pushover! First of all, it's pretty damn long (so far), which isn't good for anyones nerves. Losing your mind in this sort of game can screw up a whole 3 minutes work, so try and keep your head! The tempo and pressure in this level gets harder so be prepared for Fast Red, Slow Red, Fast Red-Fast Green type stuff. This one will most likely take you a few tries (If not, yahoo!). Stage 4 --------------------------------- Title: The Swan and the Boy Song: Scene from Swan lake, Piotr Tchaikovsky Time: 4/4 Medley Song: Toreador Song from Carmen, Georges Bizet Story: Adonis, a young elf-like boy has taken a fancy to playing his flute by the lake, and he calls a group of swans! All seems good.............But, oh no! A storm is brewing! looks like we'll need your musical powers to save the swans (Stupid swans wastin my time...grumble grumble..)! Tips: Alright, if you found the last Stage difficult, you might wanna practice for a bit. This stage can be a real kick in the knickers. The tempo won't go super fast on you or anything but it changes drastically at certain points and near the end. The pressure is seriously tough on this one, so be on your guard and watch out for sudden changes in colour! On the bright side (literally) the scenery is really great in this one, and if you make it to Angel mode it gets so peaceful........Ah, nirvana........Anyways, this level is one of the tougher ones in my opinion. Stage 5 --------------------------------- Title: UFO night Song: Ride of the Valkyries from The Valkyrie, Richard Wagner Time: 3/3 (Aaah!) Medley Song: Night on bare Mountain, Modeste Mussorgskey Story: Wallopin' Websnappers! It seems that rambling reporter Antonio has made contact with Aliens! We'd better get there to sooth the aliens mood and give them a welcome, or this could get UGLY! Tips: Yeah, Nibelungs in da house! For all you non-Wagnerians, you'll probably recognize this tune from many Ren and Stimpy episodes, or from that movie Apocalypse Now or something. Anyways, this song kicks royal buttocks. Did I mention that this will probably be the toughest level in the game for you? Well, it will. This song is completely nuts, first of all it's in 3/3 time. If that doesn't confuse the hell outta ya, then maybe all those crazy ass arrows will! This song has rapid pressure changes and arrows everywhere, but at least the tempo is constant. All that crazy crap in the background won't help either, so good luck and don't feel bad if you're stuck here for a while. Stage 6 --------------------------------- Title: You too, Lionel? Song: Marche Militaire, Franz Schubert Medley Song: Entry of the Gladiators, Julius Fucik Time 4/4 Story: Hmm, lesse, Pretty boy, Clown, Fashion Designer, Elf-Boy, News Anchor, what else does an orchestra need? A man in a Lion costume, of course! Help Lionel fill the house on his dangerous motocycle act and win him over! Tips: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You call this a level!? Ahem......After what you've just done with Wagner and his aliens, this level is a breeze.....No, wait, softer than a breeze...........A mild fart maybe? Yeah, anyhoo, this level is the easiest! Constant tempo, pressure changes you can see a mile away and some simple arrow tricks. The song isn't even that long! You shouldn't have ANY trouble with this sucker if you beat the last stage. Stage 7 --------------------------------- Title: Hannie's feeling down Song: March from the Nutcracker, Piotr Tchaikovsky Time: 4/4 Medley Song: Trepak from the Nutcracker, Piotr Tchaikovsky Story: Darlin recommends Hannie, a beginner Cellist as the next addition to your orchestra! Can you woo her over with your musical charm and wit? Remeber to play well, because Hannie is a tough nut to crack!(pun intended, see song title you dolt!) Tips: Again, a very simple round. The arrows are a little bit harder to do in this level but the Tempo is just as easy as the last. Pressure is no problem in this one. Just be over with it quick already. Stage 8 --------------------------------- Title: How proud is a Top Model? Song: 40th Symphony K550-1st movement, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Time: 4/4 Medley Song: Orpheus in the Underworld Overture, Jacques Offenbach Story: That fashion designer Neostyle and Hannie recommend you pick up that top model (was her name Nikki?) for your orchestra, but you'll have to play well, because like Hannie she won't go down without a fight. Tips: Aha, we're back in bidness agin! This one is really quite tough, it starts out simple enough, but soon you will see the horrors of the craziest tempo change in the game! The circles are packed really tight together and you have to move really fast, switching from red, blue and green as you go along. This song is also plenty long, the longest so far. Don't try to get this one all in one go or you'll quickly get sick of it. Try and take a break after each time you play it cause it's LONG! Stage 9 --------------------------------- Title: Greetings From Mars Song: "Baba Yaga's Hut" From Pictures at an Exhibition, Modeste Mussorgsky Time: 4/4 Medley Song: 4th Movement from 9th symphony, Ludwig Van Beethoven Story: Antonio The News Anchor pipes in and sayas he's found the perfect addition to the orchestra, Aliens! You'd better play well or else you might get zapped! Hay look on the bright side, at least the orchestra's almost full :) Tips: I love this song, I really do. it's just so loud and stuff. This song has a pretty fast tempo most of the time, but nothing you haven't done before. It's got a few arrows scattered around, but they shouldn't cause you any serious trouble. I really expected it to be difficult, but it's not so bad and you should find it quite easy. Stage 10 --------------------------------- Title: The Secret of the lake Song: Dance of the Four Swans from Swan Lake, Piotr Tchaikovsky Time: 4/4 Medley Song: Morning from Peer Gynt Suite, Edvard Grieg Story: There's an old man by the lake fishing, maybe if we help him catch something, he'll help us! Tips: Short but tricky. The arrows in this level are a constant. Once you get used to them, it's simply a matter of picking through the tempo. I've always had trouble slowing down with this piece, maybe because i get to caught up in the song. Pay attention to your tempo, it's really tricky. Stage 11 --------------------------------- Title: Shake it, Bravoes! Song: 3 songs (2 if in easy) + William Tell Overture (1st time) Time: Depends on songs Story: Yes, it turns out that man by the lake was the famous composer Etoile! But what instrument can he play? A triangle of course. Hooray! You now have enough members to attempt the Recital! Let's go out and give the best performance of your life! (The best performance of your life? The best performance of your life!) And save us a concert hall! Tips: First of all, you'll notice there is no Tension meter, so you'll have to wait until the end of the piece to hear how well you did (the amount of applause). Just remember to know all your songs as well as possible, because you have to get applause for all of your songs to win. William Tell Overture isn't too tough so if this is your first go, don't get all freaked out. The encore piece is a piece of cake, and you won't even need to finish it, so don't worry yourselves over that. Remember that you can't pause during the concert so be prepared and good luck! Congrats, ol' chum. You've beaten the game, gained some new pieces and best of all, gotten rid of that fairy! But there is still plenty more to unlock and do, so keep reading for the secrets and bonuses! --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Bonuses and Secrets --------------------------------- --------------------------------- -Coming Soon!!! --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Concert Mode Details --------------------------------- --------------------------------- In Concert Mode (Story/Memory), you can get three extra songs, each for every time you beat it. They are (in order): I. William Tell Overture, Gioachino Rossini II. Rackozki March, Hector berlioz III. 1st Movement-5th symphony, Ludwig Van Beethoven Plus you get an encore song: Radestky March, Johann Strauss I Concert Play --------------------------------- -Coming soon! --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Complete Song List --------------------------------- --------------------------------- 1. Hungarian Dance No. 6 in D major, Johannes Brahms 2. Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G major, Johannes Brahms 3. Slavic Dance No 7, Antonin Dvorak, 4. Thunder and Lightning, Joahnnes Strauss II 5. Finale from Carnival of the Animals, Camille Saint-Saens 6. The Marriage of Figaro, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 7. Scene from Swan Lake, Piotr Tchaikovsky 8. Toreador song from Carmen, Georges Bizet 9. Baba Yaga's Hut from Pictures at an Exhibition, Modeste Mussorgsky 10. 9th Symphony-4th Movement, Ludwig Van Beethoven 11. Entry of the Gladiators, Julius Fucik 12. Marche Militaire, Franz Schubert 13. March from the Nutcracker, Piotr Tchaikovsky 14. Trepak from the Nutcracker, Piotr Tchaikovsky 15. 40th Symphony K550-1st movement, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 16. Orpheus in the Underworld Overture, Jacques Offenbach 17. Flight of the Valkyries from The Valkyrie, Richard Wagner 18. Night on Bald Mountain, Modeste Mussorgsky 19. Dance of the Four Swans from Swan Lake, Piotr Tchaikovsky 20. Morning from Pier Gynt Suite, Edvard Grieg 21. William Tell Overture, Gioachino Rossini 22. Racoczi March, Hector berlioz 23. 5th Symphony-1st Movement, Ludwig Van Beethoven 24. Radetsky March, Johannes Strauss I 25. Csikos Post, Hermann Necke 26. Toy Symphony, Leopold Mozart 27. Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 28. Dance of the Reed Flutes from the Nutcracker, Piotr Tchaikovsky 29. Algerian Suite from French Military March Music, Camille Saint-Saens 30. Flight of the bumblebee, Nikolai-Rimsky Koraskov 31. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks from Pictures at an Exhibition, Modeste Mussorgsky 32. Divertimento No. 1 in E flat major K113, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 33. L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2 from Farandole, Georges Bizet 34. In the hall of the Mountain King from pier gynt Suite, Edvard Grieg ------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- Know something I don't? Have any comments or questions? Email me at Mind_Ape@hotmail.com