FAQ - Guide for Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

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Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball - FAQ
v0.90 (Feb 2, 2003)
by Matthew Lam of www.chibiknights.com
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Revisions:
v0.90 - Add lots of info all around
        Thanks to Chan Donny for voice info

Table of Contents
-----------------
1. Introduction
2. Playing Volleyball
 2.1 Scoring
 2.2 Zack Dollars
 2.3 Controls
 2.4 Tips
3. Zack Island
 3.1 Poolside
  3.1.1 The Hopping Game
  3.1.2 Resting
 3.2 Accessory Shop
 3.3 Sports Shop
 3.4 Zack of All Trades
 3.5 Hotel
 3.6 Beaches
4. The Girls
 4.1 Affection
 4.2 Choosing Items
 4.3 Kasumi
 4.4 Hitomi
 4.5 Ayane
 4.6 Tina
 4.7 Leifang
 4.8 Helena
 4.9 Christie
 4.10 Lisa
5. Item Collection
 5.1 The Collection
 5.2 Save slots
6. Miscellaneous
 6.1 Official Website
 6.2 Nudie code
 6.3 Voice credits
7. Credits

---------------
1. Introduction
---------------
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, or DOAX, is an entertaining volleyball 
simulator.  Actually, it's more of a simulation of a volleyball vacation, 
featuring all the girls from the hit fighting series, Dead or Alive.  Besides 
an engaging volleyball game, DOAX also includes a virtual casino, item 
collection, relationship simulator, and real-time animated (fan service) 
clips.

Personally, I think it's a great game, but I can see how it's not for everyone.  
It's very Japanesey.  There are tons of swimsuits, bikinis and accessories 
to collect, and while it's great that the game engine is flexable enough to 
model the girls of DOA in so many different outfits, I imagine many gamers 
will stop short of trying to "catch 'em all".  The relationship simulation 
between your character and her volleyball partner borrows some aspects of 
many anime-type video games that are quite popular in Japan.

That said, I think plenty of gamers will get a kick out of this game.  It's 
not a hardcore volleyball game, but it's definitely designed to be a fun game 
all around.  Anyone looking to simply enjoy themselves should find plenty 
to keep themselves entertained.

Note: I'm probably a bit biased in my opinion right now.  As I write this, 
it is -5 degrees outside, and beaches and bikinis are definitely a welcome 
change in scenery. =)


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2. Playing Volleyball
---------------------

2.1 Scoring
-----------
In volleyball games, the first team that scores 7 points and is winning by 
2 or more points wins.  If the game becomes 9-9, the first team to score 10 
wins automatically.

The games use the rally scoring system, meaning that you can score regardless 
of which team serves the ball.  (For anyone complaining, I'm told on good 
authority that rally scoring is becoming quite popular in the volleyball 
world.)

When playing in Exhibition mode, you can change the target game score from 
7, 10, and 15 points.

2.2 Zack Dollars
----------------
When playing in Zack Island mode, beating a team gets you Zack dollars.  The 
amount you get is determined by the difference in your scores.  The more you 
win by, the more money you get.

7-0 = $150,000
7-1 =  $90,000
7-2 =  $80,000
7-3 =  $70,000
7-4 =  $60,000
7-5 =  $40,000

If you lose you get nothing but still get to cash in any bonus "nice" points.

You can earn "nice" bonus points through well timed serves and spikes.  A 
perfect normal overhand serve gets you 1,000 nice points.  A perfectly timed 
jump serve earns 2,000 nice points.  A perfect spike can be worth 1,000, and 
you sometimes get an additional 1,000 nice points for clobbering an opponent 
with the ball. Hehe =)

You only get nice points if your partner relationship is positive.

2.3 Controls
------------
The controls are listed in the instruction manual, but for completeness, I'll 
quickly go over them here.

When serving, holding the stick away from the net when you toss the ball will 
perform an underhand serve, leaving it neutral performs an overhand serve, 
and holding towards the net triggers a jump serve.  These increase in 
respective difficulty in terms of getting the ball over the net, but the speed 
of the ball will be much stronger the more difficult the serve.

When receiving the ball, use 'B' to hit the ball into the air, as a pass to 
your partner.  You can use your directional stick to sort of aim the ball 
as you pass, and your partner will automatically move to the direction of 
the pass.  Pressing the button strongly and directing it towards the net is 
a good way to set your parnter up for a spike.

Use the 'A' button to spike the ball.  Based on your position and the 
location/direction of the ball, your character will jump up for a spike 
automatically.  I find that it helps somewhat to be running towards the net 
as your partner sends you the ball in order to promote spiking.  Also don't 
forget that how hard you press the button largely determines the strength 
of your spike.  If someone jumps up to block you, you can lightly tap 'A' 
to pop it just over their head.

You can also use the 'A' button to block, though I find this technique 
difficult to master.

Note that occasionally when the other team hits the ball high so that it drifts 
very close to the net, sometimes you or your partner will automatically run 
up and jump to spike the ball.  I think it is determined by location, but 
just keep alert and press the 'A' button at the correct time.  If you fail 
to time the spike correctly or hit the 'B' button instead, you'll usually 
miss getting the ball over and lose the point.

Also, when passing, pressing 'B' strongly should set up your partner for a 
spike, while pressing when your teammate is receiving the ball sort of calls 
for them to pass the ball to you.

Another control option is to use the right control stick to determine your 
partner's strategy.  Moving it in the direction of the net will make them 
play the net, while moving it away will cause them to fall back.  Clicking 
the stick in gets them to play whichever position you're not.


2.4 Tips
--------
Here's my own strategy for scoring, take it as you will.  I generally win 
most of my games, even late in a vacation when the opponents start getting 
hard.

When receiving the ball, stand in the front half of the court near the net.  
Your partner should be in the back row, diagonally from you.

If the ball comes to you, hit 'B' and try to angle the pass backwards towards 
your partner.  As my partner gets into position to pass the ball back, I run 
along the net to the opposite end from where I was standing.  My partner passes 
the ball back, and I then try to spike the ball in the far corner where neither 
opponent is standing.

The reason this tends to work a bit is that the opposing computer doesn't 
always set themselves up well defensively if you move after passing the ball 
for the first time.  The biggest danger is when the opponent near the net 
tries for a block.

When the opponent tries to block you, you can either tap 'A' to pop the ball 
over their head, which often works if their teammate isn't close enough to 
back them up.  Your other option is to spike the ball either at enough of 
an angle or simply so hard that it clobbers the defending blocker strongly 
enough to knock them aside. =)


--------------
3. Zack Island
--------------
Playing on Zack Island is pretty much a campaign mode.  You choose one of 
the girls to play as, and get two weeks (14 days) to hang out in the sun, 
play volleyball, and make some money.

To be successful, you'll mostly likely need to partner up with one of the 
other girls.  All of the girls will meet Lisa upon arriving at the island, 
except for Lisa, of course, who will be matched up initially with Tina.  Lisa 
will offer to show you around the island.  The first time playing, you won't 
get a choice, but after you have completed at least one vacation on that save 
slot, you can decline Lisa's offer.  If you choose not to let Lisa show you 
around, you won't have any partner to start with.  Otherwise, Lisa will 
normally became your volleyball partner.

There are multiple places you can go during the day.  Playing a game of 
volleyball, going to an empty beach, talking to another girl, resting at the 
pool, and playing the pool hopping game all make time pass in the game.  Going 
to shops, the radio station, and the pool itself will not cause time to pass 
in the game.

Each day starts in the morning, progresses to normal daylight, then evening, 
and ends with night.  At night, the only location you can travel to is the 
hotel, and from there you can access the casino or sleep until the next day.  
Also, you can only go to Bass Island during the "daytime" period due to the 
conditions of the tide.

3.1 Poolside
------------
Note that if you like, you can come to the pool just to check out your character 
in a swimsuit.  Leaving the poolside by itself will not cause time to pass 
in the game.  You can also quit out of the game from the pool, which saves 
your progress.  This is the only quit location besides the hotel, and you 
can leave in mid-day using this method.

After waiting a few moments without changing your menu selection, the 
poolside actions menu will disappear, allowing you to view your character 
lying on the beach chair.  You can still zoom the camera with the right trigger 
and rotate with the right thumbstick.  Move the left thumbstick or press A 
to bring the menu back.

3.1.1 The Hopping Game
----------------------
At the pool, you can make money playing the pool hopping game.  Cross the 
pool by jumping across the floating pillows.  How hard you press the button 
determines how far you jump.

You can get bonus "nice" points (Zack dollars) by timing your jumps and 
chaining them together in a smooth motion across the pool.  Basically, as 
soon as you land one foot, you should be moving towards the next pillow, so 
as an end result, it will almost be like you were skipping across the pond.  
If you press the button before you have planted your foot, nothing will happen.  
If you wait too long to press it, the pillow will sink a bit and you will 
shift your weight onto your current pillow, which will not earn you any points.  
I find that using the sound of your steps as a cue when to press the button 
for the next jump helps me a bit.

With skillful jumping, you can easily make 5,000 Zack dollars on average each 
way across the pool.  Playing the game lets you cross to the other side, and 
then you can continue playing by crossing over in the opposite direction.  
Total score can vary wildly by how many pillows there are to cross, which 
seems to be random.

Upon finishing the hopping game, time will have passed in the day.

3.1.2 Resting
-------------
Besides the hopping game, you can also take a rest, which will trigger a 
"Gravure movie".  This will also cause time to pass.  Like other Gravure movies, 
the real-time movie played will vary by character and the time of day.  
Standard camera controls apply.

3.2 Accessory Shop
------------------
The accessory shop sells items like hats, sunglasses, and shoes, as well as 
other things that effect your appearance, like sunscreen or suntan lotion.

Often there will be at least one item that would be an appropriate gift for 
each of the girls based in its color, although this is not always the case.  
Also beware that if you give your partner (or potential partner) something 
like blue sunglasses, she'll probably be wearing them for the rest of the 
vacation.

Personally, I try to avoid cluttering up their faces, but some styles do look 
pretty snazzy on the girls.  Just be aware that there doesn't seem to be a 
way to get them to take whatever item off, other than starting new vacation.

Of course, if you buy something for yourself, you can wear it or take it off 
whenever you like by going to your items menu.

One word of warning, certain items like flowers will die after a certain 
amount of time has elapsed (usually around a day).  So if you're buying 
something as a gift, buy it during the evening so that you can be sure it 
will still be alive at night so you can give it away to someone who is currently 
your parnter.

3.3 Sports Shop
---------------
The sports shop sells nothing but swimsuits and bikinis.  Actually, there 
are some tank top, short shorts type outfits, but pretty much everything sold 
can be considered appropriate beach wear.

Whenever shopping here, all of the outfits sold are "designed" with your 
chosen character in mind.  Each of the swimsuits has a name, and the names 
for each character have some sort of running theme.  For example, all of 
Kasumi's swimsuits are named after types of flowers, while Leifang's 
swimsuits are all named after different birds.

It's difficult to tell what kind of reaction the other girls will have to 
wearing a particular swimsuit.  Still, you can usually get them to wear just 
about anything as long as you get their mood towards you high enough first.

Finally, it's important to note that any swimsuits you buy for your character 
will become available for selection when playing your friends in DOAX's 
Exhibition mode.  So start collecting! =)

3.4 Zack of All Trades
----------------------
Zack of All Trades is an odd shop that sells a wide variety of gift items.  
None of them seem to effect one's appearance, unlike things from the Accessory 
Shop or swimsuits from the Sports Shop.  As such, Zack of All Trades is a 
great place to buy gift items that appeal to your partner once you're happy 
with how they look.

As with some of the Accessory Shop items, be careful of most food items, as 
they will rot or become spoiled with the passing of time.  If you're buying 
it for yourself, either consume it or put it in your collection.  If you buying 
food as a gift for someone who is already your partner, consider buying it 
during the evening so that it will still be good at night.

3.5 Hotel
---------
The hotel is the only location you can go to during the night, although once 
there you can go to and from the casino.  Besides gambling, you also receive 
a free gift from Zack every night.  If one of the other girls really likes 
you, she will also send a gift as a sign of her affection.  Keep it up!

The hotel is also important because you can give one gift to each girl once 
a night.  This is critical, because once you join one of the girls as partners, 
they will no longer show up on the island at random locations.

If you wish to improve your partner's mood besides winning volleyball games, 
you will need to give her a gift, and this will be the only location you can 
do it.

In order to keep your relationship up, it's probably a good idea to give a 
gift to your partner every night.  Having someone who can play well and help 
you win will get you more money in the long run than whatever money you send 
on a gift.  Keep in mind that the higher the score difference, the more Zack 
dollars you win.  So while you may be able to get by with an okay teammate, 
having someone at the top of their game is always worth it.

Going to bed starts the next day.  Quiting the game will save and exit to 
the main menu.  Leaving tomorrow will end a vacation prematurely, and you 
can only do this if you have won the game at least once under your current 
save slot.

3.6 Beaches
-----------
For now, I'll just lump the beaches together.  Each beach has a different 
appearance, but when playing volleyball they are all (to my knowledge) 
functionally the same.

When a beach is empty, a Gravure movie will play.  The movie played varies 
on the location, time of day, and character you're playing.  Possibly on other 
factors as well.  Zoom in with the right trigger, and control the camera with 
the left and right thumbsticks (for panning and rotating, respectively).

If at least one girl is at a beach, you can ask her to partner with you or 
give her a gift.

If two girls are present at a location, you can also play volleyball against 
them if you already have a partner.  If you want to give a gift or ask for 
a partnership, press A to select the beach location, and then you can use 
left and right to select between the two girls so that you talk to them 
individually.  Talking to a girl (giving a gift or asking to partner) will 
cause time to pass.

------------
4. The Girls
------------
After choosing who you want to be your partner, it may take some gifts to 
get them to like you well enough to play with you.  Even once a girl joins 
you, keeping their mood up by winning games and presenting the correct types 
of gifts will help you play better.

On the opposite end, if the girl loses interest in you (either because you 
lose too much or other girls give her better gifts), they may leave your team.  
Giving gifts which they do not care for can also have a negative effect.

4.1 Affection
-------------
You can tell how much a girl likes you by either asking them to join you or 
giving them a present.  When you're talking to them, their portrait will be 
displayed in the lower left of the screen.  If musical notes are floating 
around their portrait, they like you.

A multitude of notes suggest they strongly like you, at which point they will 
usually be willing to partner up with you.  By multitude, I mean that you 
should be able to see 2-3 musical notes floating at any one time.  If there 
appears to be just one note that constantly disappears and reappears, it means 
they like you, but probably not enough to partner up.

It may also be a factor if another girl has also been giving her a gift, in 
which case another gift will still usually be sufficent to win her over.


4.2 Choosing Items
------------------
Each girl has different tastes.  Some gifts they will tolerate, some they 
will love you for, and some they will toss in the trash.  I'll try to highlight 
the kinds of items that they "like" and "love".  In terms of affection, giving 
a girl items that they love will increase your relationship a lot more than 
an item they merely like.  Here's some ways of choosing presents:

Nationality - The girls seem to love items of their nationality, including 
food, fans, and flag items.

Hobby material - Each girl has at least one hobby, and there exists at least 
one or more items to match with each girls' interests.  They tend to have 
a highly favorable reaction to hobby items.

Favorite food - Each girl has at least one favorite food that they love.  Tina 
likes seafood, which can come in the form of crab or lobster.  Strangely enough, 
the "Chinese dessert" for Leifang is actually a specific food labeled 
"Chinese dessert". =)  Giving food related to their nationality also appears 
to be highly favorable.

Favorite color - Each girl has a favorite color.  Pretty much any item you 
can find in that color will meet their approval, though the results vary a 
bit depending on the actual item.  Some items may still have better value 
than others, but even cheap flowers of the correct color can make them happy.  
Generally an item's color by itself will rank as a "like" item, but not usually 
"love".

Birth stones - I'm not completely positive about this, but at this point I'm 
95% sure that giving a girl her birth stone is considered a very favorable 
action.  For one, it seems to work, though I'll need more experimentation 
to confirm it.  But there are definitely birth stones available, and each 
girl's birthday is listed in their profile.  Plus it's the Japanesey thing 
to do. =)

Slots - Each girl appears on a different slot machine in the casino, and I've 
heard it suggested that this is supposed to provide clues to each girls' 
fancies.  Each slot machine has a different theme, and it would appear that 
giving the girl the corresponding items produces a favorable result.  I'm 
not 100% sure on this, as I have had some girls reject a gift, but it may 
have been that they were already pissed at me.

I have also tried to include items that I have definitely tested with, in 
terms of items the girls "like" or "love".  This is by far not a complete 
list, but you should be pretty safe with the items already on it.  The notes 
in parenthesis are what the girl will say when receiving the item (although 
they only open it in front of you if they already like you).

4.3 Kasumi
----------
Nationality:      Japanese
Hobbies:          Fortune telling (ex: tarot cards, crystal ball)
Favorite food:    Strawberry millefeuille
Favorite color:   Milky pink
Birth stone:      Amethyst
Slots:            Fruit

In the casino, Kasumi shows up on the Kasumi-chan slot machine.  The slots 
contain different kinds of fruit, suggesting that Kasumi likes fruit as a 
gift.  Except she doesn't like pineapples.  So maybe that's not it...

Likes: (Wow! Thanks!)
Strawberries
Pink feather fan
Pink hibiscus
Teddy bear (pink)
Unknown pink flowers

Loves: (Thank you! I'll treasure it!)
Amethyst
Purple origami


4.4 Hitomi
----------
Nationality:      German
Hobbies:          Cooking (ex: microwave, recipies, silverware)
Favorite food:    Sachertorte
Favorite color:   Sky blue (light blue)
Birth stone:      Emerald
Slots:            Animals

In the casino, Hitomi shows up on the slot machine filled with animals.  

Likes: (Alright! Thanks!)
Butterfly clip (cyan)
Sky blue shell

Loves: (Waah! It's the BEST! I can't believe it!)
Emerald
Frying pan
Microwave
Recipes (all)
Silver set

4.5 Ayane
---------
Nationality:      Japanese
Hobbies:          Beauty treatment (compacts, mirrors, soap, NOT perfume)
Favorite food:    Marrons glaces
Favorite color:   Dark purple
Birth stone:      Peridot
Slots:            Butterflys, gems, ribbons

Likes: (Hey hey, this is pretty good)
Gold compact
Green soap
Silver compact
White soap


Loves: (Oh my! Thank you!)
Kunais

4.6 Tina
--------
Nationality:      American
Hobbies:          Cycling, videogames
Favorite food:    Seafood
Favorite color:   Sapphire blue (dark blue)
Birth stone:      Turquoise
Slots:            Hearts, Zack(???), Love

Even though Zack is on Tina's slots, she does NOT like Zack's autograph (and 
probably other misc Zack items).

Likes: (Oh wow! Thanks!)
Blue sneakers

Loves:
Crab
Lobster
Prototype Xbox

4.7 Leifang
-----------
Nationality:      Chinese
Hobbies:          Aromatherapy
Favorite food:    Chinese dessert
Favorite color:   Lemon yellow
Birth stone:      Diamond
Slots:            Chinese items (nunchuku, meat buns, fans)

Likes: (Oh! Thanks!)
Yellow murax

Loves: (Wow! Thank you so much!)
Aromapot
Meat bun
Nunchuku
Red fan

4.8 Helena
----------
Nationality:      French
Hobbies:          Walking
Favorite food:    Blancmange
Favorite color:   Pearl white
Birth stone:      Garnet
Other:            Aquatic items (shells, fish, dolphins)

Helena likes aquatic items, as hinted to by the slot machine in the casino 
featuring her image, as well as the DOA3 video clip where she's swiming with 
the dolphins.  Pretty much all seashells and dolphin items will make her very 
happy.

Likes: (Oh! Thank you!)
White plumeria
Unknown white flowers

Loves: (Oh!! It's so nice! I'll cherish it forever.)
Candles
French bread
Dolphin brooch
Dolphin clock
Dolphin Sea World ticket
Shell brooch

4.9 Christie
------------
Nationality:      British (English)
Hobbies:          Driving
Favorite food:    Tomato juice
Favorite color:   Black
Birth stone:      Turquoise
Slots:            Guns, knives

Likes: (Thanks. I mean it...)
Black fan

Loves: (Hee hee, thanks a lot.)
Gold revolver
Pistol (black)
Wood steering wheel

4.10 Lisa
---------
Nationality:      American
Hobbies:          Surfing
Favorite food:    Cherry pie
Favorite color:   Crimson red
Birth stone:      Ruby
Slots:            Flowers
Other:            Office pens

Likes:
Butterfly hair clip (red)
Red bangle
Red hibiscus
Red high heels

Loves:
Cherry pie
Ruby

------------------
5. Item Collection
------------------

5.1 The Collection
------------------
There are tons of items to collect in the game, between swimsuits, accessories, 
and other miscellaneous items.  Each character can only keep a certain number 
of items for each category (including gifts) in their base inventory.  To 
collect more items, you can put items not being used into the Collection, 
which functions as a bank or storage closet.

To move an item into the Collection, select it from the menu at the Hotel 
and select Keep.

At the Hotel, you can select View Collection to look at or withdraw items 
stored there.  Each section of the Collection is in alphabetically order.  
At first, all of the items will be represented with a blank symbol and "???" 
as a descriptor.  When you obtain an item, the "???" description will change 
to the name of the item.  Putting items into the collection will fill the 
symbol with a solid color.

5.2 Save slots
--------------
There are 3 save slots in DOAX.  You can choose between them after choosing 
Go to Zack Island from the title screen.

Each save slot is a separate "campaign mode".  After you pick a character, 
you can accumulate items for that person.  If you give items to another girl, 
those items will appear in that person's inventory.  So if you give a hat 
to a girl, and then later replay the game (on the same save slot) as that 
girl, she will have the hat when you start out.

When you play through 14 days of a vacation, the vacation ends.  If you choose 
to continue playing with that save slot, the game starts over and you can 
pick from between the girls as your character again.  If you choose a girl 
that you have played for before, they will still have all of the items and 
money that they had at the end of their last vacation, plus anything you might 
have given them as a gift that doesn't expire.  For example, if you start 
out as Kasumi, then play as Tina, then play as Kasumi again, Kasumi will still 
have everything she had the last time she was played.

Each character has their own separate collection.  So if Ayane puts the Pistol 
in her collection, it won't show up in Tina's collection until she gets her 
own.  I'm not sure what, if anything happens if you complete a collection.

----------------
6. Miscellaneous
----------------

6.1 Official Website
--------------------
The official DOAX website is at http://www.xbox.com/doax/opendoax.html

Right now (Feb 2, 2003) they have multiple screenshots in a pretty decent 
resolution (good enough for wallpaper), a high resolution wallpaper image, 
another image in a resolution high enough to print, and a fairly lame 
screensaver.  There's some other info and links relating to the game as well.

6.2 Nudie code
--------------
By far, the question I'm getting the most is: How do I unlock the nudie code, 
get the girls naked, etc....

I'm 99% certain that there is no naked or even topless mode for DOAX.  While 
I could see them possibly including such a feature in the Japanese or European 
versions, people tend to make waaay too much a fuss about nudity in games 
in the USA.  The basic story is that US games tend to be high on violence, 
but treat nudity and sex as more of a taboo in games.  Overseas, people have 
no problem with topless nudity, but find a lot of US games to be too violent.

The strongest reason I have to believe DOAX has no nudity code or unlockable 
mode is that Tecmo was pushing strongly to get a Teen (T) rating for the game.  
It was more or less at the last minute that the ESRB came back and gave the 
game a Mature (M) rating, based mostly on the frollicing nature of the game.  
That, plus the intro movie (Christie disrobing and diving naked off the cliff) 
are what I think got the game the Mature rating.  I don't think there's anyway 
to get the girls topless in the game, although Lisa has a pretty revealing 
swimsuit that comes pretty close... =)

For the record, while disappointed, I think the game is probably better off 
as is.  To be realistic, a topless mode really wouldn't add anything to the 
game.  Also, I think the game would probably get boring fairly quickly once 
the mode was unlocked.  But to each his/her own...

6.3 Voice credits - Thanks to Chan Donny
-----------------
 Lei Fang                :: Touma Yumi
 Ayane                   :: Yamazaki Wakana
 Hitomi                  :: Horie Yui
 Helena                  :: Koyama Yuka
 Niki                    :: Koyama Yuka
 Kasumi                  :: Kuwashima Houko
 Christie                :: Mitsuishi Kotono
 Tina Armstrong          :: Nagashima Yuuko
 Lisa                    :: Sakamoto Maaya

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7. Credits
----------
This FAQ was written by Matthew Lam. His website is accessible at 
http://www.chibiknights.com

If you need to reach me, send an e-mail to [email protected]

Thanks for reading!