What was the start of all this? When did the cogs of fate begin to turn? Perhaps it is impossible to grasp that answer now, from deep within the flow of time. But for a certianty, back then we loved so many yet hated so much we hurt others and were hurt ourselves. Yet even then we ran like the wind whilst our laughter echoed under cerulean skies.... CHRONO CROSS Mega-Fantasic- Ultimte-Super-Duper- One-of-kind-Amazing-Wonderful Adverb-Overused-Totally-Useful- WINDOW FRAME GUIDE! (1.0) (Aug25,2000) by webrunner. (also known as "please, dear god, don't send in confirmations!" edition) PART I: Table of Contents. ------------------------------------- Although it isn't really tabular... I: Table of Contents II: What's New? III: Intro IV: FAQ V: The Guide, Untested, rumors VI: Legal Mumbo-Jumbo (Not the Banjo-Kazooie kind) VII: Wrap-Up PART II: What's New ------------------------------------- What's new with you? August 25th, 2000: Got the other two frames. I think that's it... August 23rd, 2000: Added some FAQ stuff, and clarifications, and I got tea for three. August 22nd, 2000: "Snakes and Orbs" exists! And Valencian Cloth info. August 21st, 2000 (2): Added a "Rumors" section, along with confirming some. August 21st, 2000: Added several 'untested' frames, and one tested frame. August 19th, 2000: First version of the Guide PART III: Introduction and junk. ------------------------------------- Not much Junk really. Welcome to the Window Frame Guide. Sure, there are a lot of guides for CC out there, but none of them exist for the pure reason of one of the most unique options in Chrono Cross: The Custom Window Frames. Wheras in most games you can use whatever frame you want whenever, the frames in CC have to be found... and that's what I'm here to help for. PART IV: FAQ ------------------------------------- What questions could you possibly have!? Q. What is a Window Frame? A. When you talk to someone or bring up the key items menu, notice that wood motif? That's a Window Frame, particlarly "Arnian Wood". Q. How many frames are there? A. I'm not sure. I've found 12, plus the ones you start with. Apparently, that's all there is, so that's... 15 is it not? Q. Where can you find these frames? A. Everywhere! You can find them in chests, by talking to people, or by searching an area! Q. Why did Square do this to us?! A. To add replay value to Chrono Cross? Well, adding Replay Value to CC is like adding water to the ocean, but what are you going to do? Q. How do I use a new frame? A. Under "Customize" move the "Window Frame" option to "Custom" and pick the one you want. Q. Do you keep them in New Game +? A. You betCHA! Q. You have one in "Untested" Which I have, and I'd like to confirm it. A. Untested is ones I don't have yet, but i'll get those in New Game +, so do NOT send in any confirmations or descriptions of ones already listed here. Q. So, where are they? A. Glad you asked.... PART V: The Guide. ------------------------------------- Here is the part you're probably interested in. If not, you're strange. * denotes semi transparent background Frame Name: "Arnian Wood" Frame Discription: Old wood, tied together at the corners. Background Discription: Dark wood panelling. * Next Screen Icon: Spinning leaf. Found: Start with it. It's the default frame! Personal Rating: 8/10. So far, it's the best looking one I've found. Comments: Arnian Wood, in Arni, makes sense. Frame Name: "Simple Line" Frame Discription: A curved white line Background Discription: Black * Next Screen Icon: White trinangle Found: Start with it. Personal Rating: 6/10. It's too plain, but it's not tacky or annoying. Comments: You have to be able to start out with a normal one... But it's a good frame for Old Schoolers... I don't see why anyone would take this over Arnian Wood though Frame Name: "Iron Plate" Frame Discription: Metal edges, with rivets. Background Discription: Metallic grey Next Screen Icon: Embossed triangle. Found: Start with it. Personal Rating: 6/10. Pretty neat, but it's too curvy for metal, and the icon animates wierdly.. Comments: Why is it CURVED? Seesh. I suppose it's one of the original ones because it's so plain Frame Name: "Shellfish" Frame Discription: Fancy, umm, shell-like coral thingy. Hard to explain. Background Discription: Overlapping dark brown things, very cool. * Next Screen Icon: Flashy coral thing. Found: Arni (Home) - Search the Element seller's cart. Personal Rating: 5/10. The background is great, but the frame itself is too tacky. Location Sense: It's a fishing village, so it makes sense for this to exist in Arni Frame Name: "Porre's Furnace" Frame Discription: Reddish coper metal- it's industrial! Background Discription: Reddish rivits Next Screen Icon: Molten fire in a triangular opening. Found: Viper Manor (Another) - Search behind the Library's desk to find a hidden ladder. Descend. Here you will find one of the coolest revelations of the game, and a Beach Bum which will give you the frame if you talk to him. Personal Rating: 7/10. Pretty cool. But it's too big. Comments: It would make more sense to get it from Zappa or Norris... Frame Name: "Monster's Mouth" Frame Discription: Green mouth with teeth. Background Discription: Darkness Next Screen Icon: A uvula (hangy ball) Found: S.S. Zelbess (Home) - As a cat, go through the cat-door into the kitchen, and talk to the cat there. Personal Rating: 6/10. Well done, if you like the overall grosseness of it. Comments: Well, cats have teeth, I suppose... Frame Name: "Infared Vision" Frame Discription: Red 'LCD screen' border. Background Discription: LCD screen Next Screen Icon: Flashing dot matrix triangle Found: Fossil Valley (Home) - Behind the big skull. Personal Rating: 7/10. Cool. It'd be my favorite if it wasn't red. Comments: If the outside was grey, and the text became dot-matrixy, this would rock much socks Frame Name: "Our Favorite Martian" Frame Discription: Red-trimmed 'space motif' in Starky-Style Background Discription: Black Next Screen Icon: Dancing Starky Found: Sky Dragon's Lair (Home) - After getting Starky, talk to the one who is always scared of the monster who patrolls the top. He'll give you the frame. Personal Rating: 7/10. Pretty cool, has a Dancing Starky and Everything! Comments: The only Character-Specific one in the game, perhaps? Frame Name: "Guldovian Stich" Frame Discription: A red, purple, and green rug. Background Description: Red and purple, and green stitching. Next Screen Icon: Spinning thingy Found: Guldove (Another) - Talk to Mel late in the game - not sure if getting the grid early is required or not. Personal Rating: 4/10. UGH. I tell ya, red+purple like this doesn't show up well on a TV screen. Comments: Earth to Guldove: Get better tapestry, whydonCHA? Frame Name: "Quill and Papyrus" Frame Description: It's a scroll- curled on the sides and with glyphs on the top and bottom. Background Description: Yellowed-papery Next Screen icon: Quill Found: Marbule (Home) - Talk to Toma twice after Marbule is 'reopened' Personal Rating: 7.9/10. Wow, this is a neat frame. If it was semitransparent like Arnian Wood, it'd be 9/10 Comments: I wonder where Toma got this? I assume he'd use it to write his adventure logs.. but why would he write on something covered in ancient glyphs? Frame Name: "Skullduggery" Frame Description: Small skulls, with what seems to be chains. The upper two corners are large skulls, and the bottom right is a metal ball. Background Description: Black pattern Next Screen icon: Laughing skull, with red eyes. Found: Shadow Forest (Another) - ALRIGHT! You can stop emailing me now, you just have to feed the farthest (red) octopus to the plant monster, and talk to it. Personal Rating: 6/10 - Pretty neat... a bit big though, and the mini-skulls are a bit badly designed. Comments: Why not in Fossil Valley or the Isle of the Dammned? Frame Name: "Snakes & Orbs" Frame Description: A sort of green/orange snakey motif, with orbs in the corners and along the edges. Background Description: A very neat tile design. * Next Screen icon: Spinning orb. Found: Gaia's Navel (Another) - Get another Ancient Fruit, call the Wingapede in the same area as before, but in Another, and then look around the Navel. In one place there is a platform you can climb to, and the only thing there is a Prehisteric. Beat it, and you'll get the frame. Personal Rating: 7/10. Not bad. Not my cup of tea, but it doesnt look bad. Comments: I'm surprised there wasn't a dinosaur-themed one... Frame Name: "Tea for Three" Frame Description: Red-blue egyptian-type lines Background Description: A Persian rug-type design (red and blue) Next Screen icon: Oil lamp Found: Termina (Another) - Behind the house with the girl and the hopscotch person out front, talk to a hidden person and tell him you understand. However, it appears you cannot get it after returning to Another after being stuck in Home. Personal Rating: 6/10 - the colors on the edges bleed too much. Frame Name: "Tropical Paradise" Frame Description: Vines and Flowers Background Description: Red leaves * Next Screen icon: spinning flower Found: Guldove (Another) - Choose not to go on the mission to get the Hydra Humour, and Macha gives it to you. Personal Rating: 6/10 - Kinda tacky, but it's good at being what it is. Frame Name: "Valencian Cloth" Frame Description: A sort of tapestry, red. Background Description: Blueish cloth Next Screen icon: An animated version of the thing that makes up the frame. Found: Go to Marbule (Another) with an all-demi-human party and talk to the one who throws rocks at humans. This means you can't get it during the second disk.... Personal Rating: 5/10 - another overly tacky clashy frame. -----------UNTESTED----------- The following frames haven't been tested by me. A new rating will be used for these: "Confirmation level" - if i get like a billion emails on a single frame then I can guess it's probably true. But don't email me with confirmations, please. [none right now] -----------RUMORS----------- These ones have absoultely no proof for them... "Rainbow Frame" - Same place you get the Shellfish frame, but in Another. I got an email about it, and there is mention of a frame In that exact part in Another Arni in a Japanese Faq- but all that's there for me is a Rainbow Shell. PART VI: Legal Mumbo-Jumbo ------------------------------------- You can't have something like this without Legal Mumbo Jumbo. Chrono Cross, it's characters, and it's frames are owned by Squaresoft and Square and whatever. In other words. Not me. It's their Copyright. However, this guide is mine, so don't steal it, or I'll kick yer arse so hard you'll kiss the moons! This guide is available at GameFAQs and at www.fuzzyfur.net/DSOS/adv/ChronoCrossFrameGuide.txt It is maintained by Mark Shallow, the guy who also does Adventurers! a webcomic about console RPGs, at www.fuzzyfur.net/DSOS/adv PART V: Wrap-up ------------------------------------- Only without Seran. Thanks to Squaresoft for such an amazing game. Thanks to YOU for reading my Guide. Thanks to the following people (in no particular order) for submitting frames: Tiamat-X - Skullduggery, Tea for Three IMAGIN@aol.com - Tropical Paradise, Valencian Cloth, Quill and Papyrus, Guldovian Stitch Rachel Brown - Tropical Paradise Matthew Gradley - Tea for Three Emerelda Kasim/Some Guy - Tea for Three Jack Watts - Skullduggery Pip - Tea for Three, Skullduggery JCool829@aol.com - Tea for Three, Guldovian Stitch Ketheriel Grandvelt - Tea for Three Peagram42@aol.com - Tea for Three, Valencian Cloth HAHECOPYRIGHT99@aol.com - Guldovian Stitch Raffaele Saccuci - Tea for Three Brent Jones - Tea for Three (Told you a lot of people submitted this) Reiginsei - Skullduggery David - Quill and Papyrus, Snakes and Orbs Ryan Kaulkins - Valencian Cloth Patrick Chalnick - Valencian Cloth Andy Harrington - Snakes & Orbs Ultimos somitlU - Suggesting that I put the Newgame+ info in the FAQ Paradiselost1276@aol.com - Only one Octopi needed... Ronald Chan - Only one Octopi needed Thanks to, umm, the planet Earth, for existing all this time. Hope you enjoyed this guide... If there's a frame I missed or a mistake, don't hesitate to email me at webrunner@ns.sympatico.ca - And please, put "CHRONO CROSS FRAME" in the subject line. Do not (DO NOT) send in descriptions of the frames in the untested section I'll put those up when I reach them on New Game Plus. However, if you know how to get the frames that haven't been discovered how yet, I'd like to hear it.