Clannad Tutorial/Guide [ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE]

Table of Contents:

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Setting Up
    1.2.1 Getting Clannad
    1.2.2 KOE and SEEN.TXT
1.3 How to Play
    1.3.1 Light Orbs
    1.3.2 Bad Ends
1.4 Characters
1.5 Recommended Play Order

2.1 Misae Sagare
2.2 Tomoyo Sakagami
2.3 Yukine Miyazawa
2.4 Fujibayashi Twins
    2.4.1 Ryou Fujibayashi
    2.4.2 Kyou Fujibayashi
2.5 Kappei Hiiragi
2.6 Sunohara Siblings (Mei, Youhei)
2.7 Kotomi Ichinose
2.8 Fuko Ibuki
2.9 Koumura Toshio
2.10 Nagisa Furukawa
    2.10.1 After Story
        2.10.1.1 Playthrough 1 - Ushio Okazaki
        2.10.1.2 Playthrough 2 - Akio Furukawa
        2.10.1.3 Playthrough 3 - True End
       

(More Sections Coming Soon)

-------------------------------------

========
[1.1] Introduction
========

Yo, this is my first tutorial/guide/whatever. There are and will be faults. All of my information is taken from the 300 Hour Guide and my own playing experience. What I'm really doing is expanding on the 300 Hour Guide, putting more detail to it, and making it easier to understand. The 300HG is pretty old, so the After Story part isn't translated and the decisions are only referred to as (top) and (bottom). I'd like to remedy that as soon as possible.

I'm not done with the game myself. Once I've gotten the True Ending in After Story will I be satisfied enough to actually write the route guides (Section 2).

So, if you already have Clannad, go use the 300HG or someone else's guide. I won't be done for a while.

The 300 Hour Guide can be downloaded here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ia076xbp


========
[1.2] Setting Up
========

This is probably the only actual tutorial part. Playing Clannad isn't as simple as installing and playing. Well, unless you can read Japanese. But anyways, before you even begin thinking of installing Clannad, you first need to set your language to Japanese.

Simply follow these directions:

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Select Language Options
3. Select Advanced tab
4. Set to Japanese
5. If you don't have anything important on, like downloads or another installation, then go ahead and restart your computer.
6. Once you do that you can install and play Clannad, but first...


=-=-=-=-=-=
[1.2.1] Getting Clannad
-=-=-=-=-=-

If you don't know how or where to get it, don't ask me... yet. I don't know either. I could try uploading it later, but for now, you'll just have to look for a torrent.


=-=-=-=-=-=-
[1.2.2] KOE and SEEN.TXT (Don't follow this yet, haven't set up the necessary things)
-=-=-=-=-=-=

I plan to upload a few files and folders. Since it's not expected that everyone else has a megaupload account, downloading all the files will take quite a while because of download limits.

The KOE folder contains all of the Japanese voices from the Clannad PS2 version. Playing the game with voices make it more interesting.

The Koeicon.g00 file allows the game to use the KOE folder.

The SEEN.TXT is ALL of the English translated text for the game. Don't try opening it in Notepad though, it'll all just be a bunch of jumbled code. If there is already a SEEN file in the folder, it is likely to be an obsolete version. The SEEN file that I have has everything translated, including After Story.



Once you've gotten the KOE folder, Koeicon.g00, and the SEEN.TXT file that will be linked in the future, go open your root Clannad folder.

To get to the folder:

1. Go to My Computer
2. Go to C Drive
3. Go to KEY, and the rest should be obvious.

When you've opened the folder, place the KOE folder in there, along with the DirectX. Depending on your computer, it'll take a while. Next, place the SEEN.TXT in the folder too. It should replace the pre-existing one. This will also take a while, the file's pretty big. After that, go into the G00 folder and place the Koeicon.g00 file in there.

Once you've done those, open the GAMEEXE.ini file.
Find the line #FOLDNAME.KOE and set everything to the following:


#FOLDNAME.KOE = "KOE" =  0  : ""
#WINDOW_KOEPLAY_USE = 1
#KOEREPLAYICON.NAME = "KOEICON"
#KOEREPLAYICON.SIZE = 32,32

After that, save and exit.


========
[1.3] How to Play
========

Since Clannad is a visual novel, it doesn't take a genius to know how this works. Simply click the mouse anywhere on the screen or click ENTER to proceed. When a decision appears, you have a choice of two or more options to choose. Most of the time, these decisions won't affect the main story, depending on what route you are going on. However, it'll be more or less fun depending on what you choose. But BE CAREFUL. There are many decisions in the game that SEEM unimportant, but may actually be central or vital to the story. But that's what the guide is for, isn't it?

Now for the hard part. Unless you can read and understand the Japanese language, Some of this will be difficult. The English Patch for Clannad only translates the text in the text box at the bottom of the screen. The menu that pops up and the additional settings are not text, unfortunately, and cannot be as easily replaced.

And unfortunately for you, I do not know how to read Japanese either. But from experience, I know what buttons are where.

To open the menu, simply right-click your mouse.

When the menu is open, it should look like this:

  [Japanese Text]
[Japanese Text] [x]

[Japanese Text]
[Japanese Text]
  [Japanese Text]
      [Japanese Text]
          [Japanese Text]
              [Japanese Text]
                  [Japanese Text]
                      [Japanese Text]
                          [Japanese Text]

Not very helpful, is it? Well, luckily, here's what they should be like:

// Not sure what the top ones are yet, will check out and update later.

NOTE: These aren't translations, just what their functions are.

  [Japanese Text]
[Set to Auto] [x] (I think the [x] sets the speeds for auto, I don't bother with it though)

(Setting to Auto allows you to play Clannad without lifting a finger up until you reach a decision. The Auto is kinda slow though, and I prefer to speed-read, so I don't use this much)

[Skip] (Speeds up Dialogue; NOT RECOMMENDED unless you're replaying a route)
[Takes Off Text Box] (Use if you want to look at the CG art without the text)
  [Save Game]
      [Load Game]
          [Return to Last Decision]
              [Settings] // I plan to take screen shots and edit them later.
                  [Exit to Main Menu]
                      [Exit the Program]
                          [Return to Game]

// More to be written later.

 
=-=-=-=-=-
[1.3.1] Light Orbs
=-=-=-=-=-

In Clannad, after every route is completed, Tomoya will recieve something known as a Light Orb/Sphere/Ball/etc. These Light Orbs are a manifestation of someone's happiness, only visible to Tomoya himself. After completing a route and receiving a Light Orb, they will appear as small, bright, glowing dots on the Main Menu. Overall, Light Orbs don't do much. Actually, they don't really do anything at all. However, when you manage to get all of the Light Orbs, something special will happen, and it will greatly affect the outcome of After Story.

However, in a few instances, you will receive no Light Orbs. In Fuko's case, you give up the Light Orb for story purposes.
[To be Updated] There is also a case in Koumura's route where I didn't receive a Light Orb, but I'll have to re-confirm that to be sure.

In short, Light Orbs aren't something to worry about, they're pretty much a symbol for a completed route. What's important is that you have at least eight Orbs (seven if you made a wish for Fuko) before you start Nagisa's route in order to unlock After Story. So naturally, Nagisa should be played last, unfortunately for those Nagisa lovers, but hey best for last, eh?

To get the True Ending in After Story, you will need all 13 Light Orbs. Sometimes it requires replaying... a lot.

-=-=-=-=-=
[1.3.2] Bad Ends
-=-=-=-=-=

Bad ends are bad ends. Endings that should not be occurring. That simple. If you're not using the guide or have strayed from it, Tomoya may or may not give signs that things aren't working out too well.

An obvious sign is that the only character talking to you is Sunohara or other characters that are not important to the route you're taking, especially the character of the route.

Another sign is that Tomoya is when he starts talking about depressing things like loneliness and such in his bedroom.

Other times, it's more obvious. If the character of the route leaves you for good, then it's Bad End, for you.

Lastly, if the game abruptly goes to the Main Menu without credits or anything, that's a Bad End. They may or may not be dramatic or depressing.

But you shouldn't be worrying about bad ends if you follow the guide correctly.

If you don't wish to use the guide... then good luck. It'll be guaranteed that you'll be replaying a route quite a few times over.

Countering such bad ends without using the guide would be SAVING A LOT. I mean it. Save at decisions that seem important to you. If such a decision leads to something bad, reload. If the decision's effect is more immediate, you can always go back to your last decision by going to the menu and clicking on the button below the LOAD button.

===========
[1.4] Characters
===========


In Clannad, there are a multitude of characters. About 80% of which are women, effectively making Clannad a borderline harem. In all, there are seven girls that Tomoya can end up with: Tomoyo, Kotomi, Fuko, Nagisa, Kyou, Ryou, and Yukine.
However, Ryou and Yukine aren't considered as main characters, even though Yukine is awesome. But here's a more detailed list of characters.


-Tomoya Okazaki-

AKA You. Yes you. You, Tomoya Okazaki, are the main protagonist of Clannad. Congratulations. Every choice you make will affect a dozen plus people around you. Even though technically the exact choice you make should be indefinite, you will have only two to at most four choices to make. Which makes things a lot easier than in real life. By process of elimination, it's usually simple to predict what would happen if you selected choice x. But sometimes, choices aren't that easy. So it's up to this guide to decide how your love life should be.

And although you control Tomoya's important actions, you do not control his personality. At least not directly. And thus, there are things about Tomoya that make him a character.

You have no mother, she died when you were a child. You hate your father, who you deem as a lonely drunkard. Three years ago, you got into a fight with your father and he punched/threw/body slammed/shanked/etc. you and you ended up with a dislocated shoulder. You holed yourself in your room, too angry or scared or whatever to come out. Because of that, your arm was permenantly dislocated, disabling you from raising your arm above your shoulder. And thus, you couldn't be on the high school basketball team anymore.

Since then, your father has treated you like a stranger or something. And you feel more hurt than when he whipped you with his belt. Not being able to do anything, you became a delinquent for the rest of your high school life.

Also a fact, you will never go to college. After you graduate from high school, you will have a low end job, like a trash collector. That is what happens when you waste your school life, you bum.

But luckily, you don't have to be a bum by yourself. There are a dozen or so people that you can hang out with and help solve their problems, seven of them you can be romantically involved. Who you choose to go with is your choice.

One more thing, if you get married, you'll start to hit on your wife's mother. And for that, I think you are kinda creepy. And that you fantasize an incestuous relationship between Sunohara and his sister.

Even so, you lose in comparison to yourself for weirdness in Tomoyo After. I'm serious, I don't even want to describe your kinks in that game. It's quite sickening. Well, good thing I don't consider it as canon.


-Youhei Sunohara-

Unfortunately for you, this here is your best friend. You think- no, you are certain that this young man is an idiot. In fact, everyone is certain that this young man is and idiot. Why? Because it's true, he's an idiot. He's easily manipulated and will believe practically anything you tell him. You exploit his idiocy for your own amusement.

Unlike you, his luck with women is equal to that of a twig, perhaps less. Because of that, he is quite lonely and will jump at the slightest chance for a romantic encounter. On a certain occasion, he'll even turn gay, which only furthers your amusement. Sunohara likes to hide his pathetic loneliness by being an idiot. It's probably- it's most certainly the only thing he can do.

So fortunately for you, you have someone more worthless than you by comparison.



-Nagisa Furukawa-

Nagisa is the officially canon and main girl for Tomoya, After Story is pretty much proof of that. She's rather weak and gets ill when she over exerts herself. She's also very kind. So kind, if you intentionally spill coffee on her, she'd insist that it was her fault. How sweet. But anyways, Nagisa is actually a year older than Tomoya, believe it or not. The previous year, she had been sick for too long and had to repeat a grade, leaving her alone with no friends. Her dream is to revive the dead Drama club in the school, but without Tomoya's help, the dream will just be a dream.

As most characters in Clannad has a personal favorite item, Nagisa has the Big Dango Family, the family cutely colored rice buns. Tasty.


-Tomoyo Sakagami-

My favored character in Clannad. In my opinion, the cutest character in the novel, anime, etc. She's very tomboyish and was known to be involved in numerous fights in the past, which has created a ruthless image of her in the eyes of school delinquents. She's a kicker. She can even keep someone in the air for several seconds by kicking alone, especially Sunohara. But fighting isn't what Tomoyo wants. After transferring over to Tomoya's school as a Junior, she decides that she wants to be more feminine so that she can achieve her own dream of being the Student Council President. Tomoya doesn't really need to help Tomoyo, he's more of a burden, really. But if they hook up, they'll learn that some things are more important than status.

Tomoyo has a fond liking to dressing up as a giant teddy bear. A lot of times she does so for cover up, kinda like a local superhero. Oddly enough, she looks cute even in a bear suit.


-Kotomi Ichinose-

The second cutest character in the game. She usually hangs in the library at school during classes, reading or cutting up books. Being the smartest person in the school, she doesn't have to attend classes. When you encounter her, you will be graciously fed almost every time you meet her in the library. Lucky you.

Kotomi acts like a child, the reason is from a traumatic event in the past. She's strange, but cute, and you feel that you have a responsibility to look after her, if you decide to go along her route, that is.

Kotomi loves the violin. She becomes entranced whenever she plays it, ever oblivious to the deathly sound it emits as she plays. The violent sound her violin playing makes can fell anyone within earshot. She also loves, big fluffy stuffed bears, which can go along to make a Kotomi x Tomoyo pairing.



-Fuko Ibuki-

The most childish of the characters. Even though she's in high school, she acts like an eight year old. She spends most of her time in an empty classroom, carving wooden starfish. That's right. Starfish. She seems to have an obsession with them and goes into euphoric bouts whenever she thinks of them. This usually gives you an opportunity to play some pranks on her, such as making her drink juice through her nose, switching yourself out, or moving her to another location.

I'm not sure how you get romantically involved with her, but you can. And gosh darn it, you will. I guess you're just that kind of person, eh?


-Kyou Fujibayashi-

The Tsundere of Clannad. She has demonic skill when it comes to chucking dictionaries. She also sucks nuggets at driving a motorcycle, often ramming into things and people. Hm... if I say anything else, I might spoil the route, so there's not much to say.

Her quirk is her pet pig, Botan or something.

// Wow, talk about a lazy description. >.>
// Could use some inprovement.



=============
[1.5] Recommended Play Order
=============


Yes, that's right. There's a certain order in which you have to play if you want to see everything. Unfortunately, I did not realize that until I completed three routes in random order. The last three, Fuko > Koumura > Nagisa is very important. If you don't do those in that order, then you will miss some important scenes.
Kotomi's route is completely independent and can actually be played at any time.
The Twins' routes can be played in parallel.

*NOTE* You'll have to replay After Story twice. Once to get the normal ending, second to get the final Light Orb, and last to get the True End.


The play order should be as:

1. Misae Sagare
2. Tomoyo Sakagami
3. Yukine Miyazawa
4. Ryou Fujibayashi
5. Kyou Fujibayashi
6. Kappei Hiiragi
7. Sunohara Siblings (Mei, Youhei)
8. Kotomi Ichinose
9. Fuko Ibuki
10. Koumura Toshio
11. Nagisa Furukawa

This is my play order:

1. Tomoyo Sakagami
2. Kotomi Ichinose
3. Fuko Ibuki
4. Sunohara Siblings
5. Yukine Miyazawa
6. Koumura Toshio
7. Kappei Hiiragi
8. Ryou Fujibayashi
9. Kyou Fujibayashi
10. Misae Sagare
11. Nagisa Furukawa

Alright, now for the actual game. This will actually be pretty short and simple.

Since the only thing you will do in Clannad is clicking choice one, choice two, or choice 3, the only guiding will occur when a decision appears.

A majority of these choices may or may not be important depending on what route you're on. In Nagisa's case, there are dozens of choices that won't affect her route directly but will affect After Story.

So, moving on to Misae's route. She's important because you NEED to play this route BEFORE you play Tomoyo's route, because that's where you get her Light Orbs.

Now I'm going to list off all of the choices in the route. If a choice is marked with a (*), that means that it's important and not clicking it will result in a bad end for your chosen route. So click EVERY choice that has a (*). Ones not marked aren't important and so you can choose whatever, the choices there are just the one's I picked.

---------------
[2.1] Misae Sagare
---------------



---------------
[2.2] Tomoyo Sakagami
---------------




---------------
[2.3]
---------------




---------------
[2.4]
---------------

==========
[2.10.1] After Story
==========

Alright. This one's probably the most confusing to play out of everything, since the 300HG gives me (top) and (bottom) to decipher from. In the guide, there's three different sections for After Story. For the longest time, I believed that they were separate chapters. But then I realized that they're actually replays. I didn't notice that each section started on May 5, and every decision that corresponded to a day had the exact same number. I feel kinda stupid for not realizing that.

And with that, I actually didn't have to start over the game. Now, I plan to make the After Story guide easier to understand. Well, after I actually finish the replays.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[2.10.1.1] Ushio Okazaki
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[2.10.1.2] Akio Furukawa
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[2.10.1.3] True End
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Once you've finally obtained Akio's Light Orb, return to the main menu. It'll make the most beautiful sound. Look at all the Orbs you've collected, they glow and pulsate in harmony and completeness. The beautiful sound and the Orbs make your heart warm. It's taken so long, but finally, you've arrived at the final stage.

I don't know about you. But for me, the sight of these Orbs and that beautiful sound make me feel complete. That I've dedicated myself to this for so long to achieve this satisfaction feels so nice. To most people, it's just a game that I'm just nerding over. I am, I don't deny it. Haah...

Well, enough with the semantics, let's go see the True Ending to this long story.



For the final time, you'll start your decisions on May 5 again. Just follow from there, It's pretty much the same as the first playthrough, save for the end. Important decisions will be marked with (*).


May 5

    Calm myself down.

May 6

    Sure

May 9

    Fix the misunderstanding.

    Remain silent.

May 12

    Watch TV.

May 13

    School Foundation Day.

    Mock Examinations.

May 16

    I guess it's fine.

May 24

    Not that I can't, but it's impossible.(*)

Month XX

    Yeah.

    Answer honestly.(*)

    Sing.(*)

    Ask him what happened after.(*)

    Wait until the day after tomorrow.

    ............(*)

    Deal with it.(*)

    Be nice and watch TV.

    Don't want either.

    I should stop this soon.

    I am.

    Help him.

    Cry out for help(*)

(True Ending)


Once you're done with the credits and epilogue. Check out your main menu once more. All of your Light Orbs will be replaced with something special. (Not the image below, that went with the credits.)

And with that, you've finally completed Clannad!

Oh but wait! There's more! There are extras too. Some things that require replaying other characters' routes. They're small things, but things to consider checking out. However, I won't be telling you how to do it. I only want to make a guide for the main routes and After Story. If you want to check out the extras and how to get them, refer to the 300 Hour Guide.