"Play with the Teletubbies" for the Sony Playstation FAQ v1.00 5/28/03 by Peter Karsanow What's new in this version: Everything! New in v1.00 (28 May 2003) initial release for NTSC/UC version 0. Introduction This is an FAQ for the Sony Playstation (PSX) young children's activity "Play with the Teletubbies", released in 2000 by the BBC, Knowledge Adventure, Ragdoll and Asylum Entertainment. The FAQ author is Peter Karsanow, p.karsanow[AT}sbcglobal{DOT)net. This document Copyright (c) 2003 Peter Karsanow. Some contents of this FAQ heavily paraphrase the original manual. The latest version of this file can be found on: http://www.geocities.com/hentaihelper/p_rpgame.htm as the file teletubbies.txt 1. What's this FAQ about? "Play with the Teletubbies" ("Play" from now on) is a release that's meant for young children, age 2 and up. If the kids like the show on TV, they'll like the games/activities in this release. For lack of a better word, I'll call this disc a game, although there are really very few game elements. A description of the sequence of play, and my review of the graphics and sound is further on. 2. Why does it need an FAQ? Answer 1: Somebody requested one at GameFAQs, so here it is. Answer 2: It's quite possible that one of the 2 reviews there was written without access to a manual while playing, so that many of the activities weren't obviously accessible. Given that this game could easily be "grown out of" and show up used, usually without a manual, a FAQ that recaps the important controls is a good substitute. 3. How do you play it? First, set up the Playstation and the game disc for the little mons..., I mean darling angels. There will be a number of short logo movies for each of the companies involved as the game loads, so you can't walk away just yet. The first hurdle is a non-animated start screen, where you will just have to press the Start button. Next, after a bit of introduction video, choose a Teletubbie. The button you need to press (Triangle, Circle, X, or Square) is shown above the Teletubbie's head. The choice affects which "favorite thing" the Teletubbie has [Po, the red one, has a scooter. Laa-Laa, the yellow one, has a ball. Dipsy, the green one, has a hat. Tinky-Winky, the purple one, has a purse.] and what they say as they walk around. You can change the chosen Teletubbie later using the Start button. Once you have chosen a Teletubbie, the controls are: direction control pad - /\ (up) moves the chosen Teletubbie towards the back of the screen \/ (down) moves chosen Teletubbie towards front of screen and eventually into the "Superdome" where they live > (left) or < (right) moves chosen Teletubbie to that side Start button - exit an activity, skip a video or other non-interactive sequence, pause the game - usually brings up a menu on screen Select button - no function unless game paused with Start button, will then exit the activity or the game Triangle, Circle, X, Square buttons - press any of these to start an activity at a highlighted object, repeat an activity when the Teletubbie says "Again! Again!", exit from (at the door) or avoid entering the Superdome. The only time the exact button pressed makes a difference is during the Control Panel activity or choosing a Teletubbie. L1, L2, R1, R2 buttons: Only used during the Control Panel activity to change certain lights and sounds. If you have an analog controller, the left stick can be used just like the directional buttons. 4. What activities are there? While walking around outside, your Teletubbie can get close to other Teletubbies, rabbits, flowers and lots of different objects. Press one of the Triangle, Circle, X, or Square buttons to interact with them and possibly start an activity. You won't start an activity when your Teletubbie is alone, or next to another Teletubbie. But anything else that lights up will do so. Outside Activities: Special Tree - plays a hide-and-seek game your Teletubbie's favorite thing - Teletubbie will interact with their favorite thing Blue Grass - start following objects related to the "windmill" videos around, get a rhyme when you catch up Special Plant - move to the drum and play it with the buttons to make things appear; the drum moves after 4 hits Special Cloud - 4 clouds can be moved to produce music Toy Train - control train speed with directional buttons; press Triangle, Circle, X, or Square buttons to get special effects. Leave it alone for a while and the game will stop the train for you, or press Start. Windmill - shows a random "tuning in" video, one of the 11 movies, and the corresponding "again, again!" video. Walk your Teletubbie too close to the front of the screen, and you'll end up in the Superdome, their house, where there are other activities as well. Inside Activities: Table - begin chasing Noo-Noo around; hold down Triangle, Circle, X, or Square buttons to go faster Toaster (big rectangular box next to wall) - after 4 pieces, Noo-Noo snorts them all Custard Machine (pink and blue counter next to wall) - press Triangle, Circle, X, or Square buttons to move faster Control Panel (central pillar) - press Triangle, Circle, X, Square, L1, L2, R1, or R2 buttons to get different lights or sounds. Leave it alone for a while and it will exit, or press Start. Match all the colors for a small reward. Door - walks the Teletubbie back outside 5. How can I watch the game's movies again, again! Get a copy of one of the utility programs that lets you convert the .STR files on the game disc into something you can watch or even convert into a more conventional (.AVI, .MOV, etc.) form. I know of several for the PC; I personally prefer PSMPLAY but it's your decision. The movies on the disc are in the FMV_NTSC folder. The 11 "windmill" movies that the tykes will want to see "again, again!" are all 320 by 240 in size, and 2 to 2-1/2 minutes long each. The logo movies from the start of the game, and all the other miscellaneous video sequences, are also in this folder. 6. How does this compare to watching the TV show? The sounds and music appear to be taken directly from the show, as well as the "windmill" and "baby sun" video sequences. The only minus is the blockiness of the Teletubby and object models, but this is on the Playstation, and the kids won't complain. Consider it like an interactive episode of the show, but you may have to rescue your kid if they get stuck in something they don't want to do anymore. Usually, pressing the Start button will give you the options you need to fix the problem. Pick this up used (or relatively cheap at Costco if they still have it in stock) for toddlers only if they're familiar with the show. 7. What if my question wasn't answered already? Then send it to me using my email address below, and I'll answer you, and maybe revise the FAQ if necessary. Author is Peter Karsanow (p.karsanow[AT)sbcglobal{DOT)net). The latest version of this file can be found at: http://www.geocities.com/hentaihelper/teletubbies.txt This document Copyright (c) 2003 Peter Karsanow.