Games SEGA DREAMCAST SEAMAN User Manual

W

E LCOME TODR. GA S S E’SLA BO R ATO RY

Thank you for purchasing the Vivarium Seaman Kit!
Please note that this software is designed only for use with a Dreamcast

console. Be sure to read this instruction manual thoroughly before you start.
This package contains a Seaman habitat and one Seaman egg.
To begin with, let’s learn a bit more about Seaman, shall we? Historical

references to Seaman first appeared in the spoken folklore of ancient Egypt,
passed down from generation to generation. Until recently, it was assumed
that the Seaman creature did not actually exist (similar to the many other
mythical creatures of ancient Egypt). However, in 1997, the discovery of a live
Seaman in the Egyptian city of Old Alexandria disproved this assumption, and
Seaman came to be known the world over.

While the originally discovered Seaman specimen died shortly after being
captured, its remains were quickly rushed to the foremost biological research
institute in France where a number of eggs were discovered inside its body.
We at Vivarium were then able to assist in this endeavor by covering the
research and development costs in return for the sole distribution rights that
have enabled us to offer this product to you.

It is well known that as part of its genetic labeling, Seaman passes knowledge
on to subsequent human generations orally. Furthermore, Seaman is said to
have had a strong influence on the progression of ancient civilization, but the
details of exactly how this was done are not yet fully understood.

A memory card [Visual Memory Unit (VMU) sold separa te ly] is

re qu i red to play Seaman. In order to save game data, the VMU to

be used must be fo rm a t ted, have at least 64 memory blocks of fre e

space available and no other VMU applications save d .

!

Ancient Egyptian Papyrus

Drawing Depicting the

Divine Gift of a Living

Creature

Fossil of a Seaman

Discovered by Dr. Gassé

at the Nile River

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T

HE HI STO RY OF SE A M A N

The man who made the original
discovery of Seaman was a French
scientist by the name of Dr. Jean Paul
Gassé (1899 -?). Dr. Gassé was a
member of a special team of French
biologists dispatched to Egypt by the
French government in the 1930’s. When
he discovered references to a creature
dubbed the “omnipotent messenger of

the gods” among ruins of the Third
Dynasty, he became determined to pursue this line of research
and unravel this mystery.

In March of 1932, in the city of Alexandria, Dr. Gassé
happened to meet up with a local resident who had caught a
Seaman while fishing. Dr. Gassé obtained a sample of some of
the eggs, which he carried back with him to France.

When Dr. Gassé returned, he immediately attempted to raise
the Seaman eggs in his Parisian laboratory but, unfortunately,
in the midst of his experiment Seaman died. Shortly thereafter,
Dr. Gassé published a detailed thesis of his work. However,
other leading academics of the day dismissed the young
scholar’s work as a publicity stunt and without the proper
evidence (e.g., a living specimen) to support his theories, his
work was shunned and no one believed him.

Dr. Gassé’s hypothesis suggested that Seaman was perhaps
responsible for transferring knowledge that proliferated during
the Third Dynasty across oceans to other lands. This theory
eventually became the basis for Anthro-bio Archaeology, a
highly valued field of study today.

Soon after the publication of his thesis, Dr. Gassé was dismissed
from his post. He then disappeared for quite some time.
Recently, a diary was discovered detailing Dr. Gassé’s
subsequent work and continued research to unravel the details
of Seaman’s evolution. For further details, kindly refer to the
following website:

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ABLE OF CO N T E N TS

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E FO R ESTA RT I NG A GA M E

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R E AT I NG A SEAMAN HA B I TAT

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E N TAL PR E PA R AT I O N

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E T’S BE G I N

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ASIC CO N T RO LS

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OW TO CONVERSE WITH SE A M A N

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OW TO IN T E R ACT WITH SE A M A N

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B S E RVATION CO N T RO LS

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A R I NG FOR YOUR SE A M A N

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E E D I NG YOUR SE A M A N

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AY I NG GO O D BYE TO SE A M A N

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TA RT I NG OV E R

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I V I NG IN HARMONY WITH SE A M A N

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XCH A NG I NG FOOD WITH ANOTHER RA I S E R

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DV I C E

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I NAL NOTES AND PO I N T E R S

www.meetseaman.com

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Dr. Gassé’s

Research Journal

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B

E FORE STA RT I NG A GA M E

First Thing’s First – Reality Check

Seaman is a one-player game.
Once you begin raising Seaman, you are expected to assume complete

responsibility for the care and upbringing of a living, breathing creature. So,
before you begin with the initial set-up procedure, you are strongly
recommended to double check with yourself that you are mentally prepared to
assume this important responsibility.

The first step you must take in preparation is to set-up the required equipment.
At this time, should you experience any tension-related symptoms such as heart
palpitations, perspiration, etc., resulting from the sheer weight of the
responsibility for rearing a Seaman, you may wish to loosen up a bit by
stretching or taking a bit of exercise. Once you are sufficiently relaxed, you are
ready to begin (do not turn the power of the Dreamcast ON just yet).

Expansion Socket 1

B e fo re sta rting the set-up pro c e d u re, be sure to set

the inte rnal audio setting of your Dre a m c a st (ste re o

or mono) to match that of your TV speake rs. This

will ensure optimal sound quality for your game.

Insert the Memory Card

The very first item you must obtain is a memory card [Visual Memory Unit
(VMU) sold separately] used to save and maintain the Seaman and its raising
environment, or habitat, data. The VMU to be used must have a minimum of
64 blocks of free memory available. Once the initial habitat set-up is complete,
you are required to continue using this same VMU in order to successfully rear
the Seaman contained within it. Consider this VMU to be both the Seaman and

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its habitat, and handle it with appropriate care.

When you are ready to begin, connect the Dreamcast Controller to Control Port A
of the Dreamcast and insert the VMU into Expansion Socket 1 of the controller. A
VMU application, a storage matrix called “SM2000US._VM,” will be created to
the VMU. This file is similar to the mini-games and other VMU application files
used by other games. Only one VMU application can exist in each VMU. If
another VMU application already exists, you will be given the option of
overwriting the data. Select “Yes” to do so, however, this will delete the data in
question. Select “No” to cancel the set-up and then, either delete the data manually
or obtain a different VMU. Take care not to delete Seaman data when playing
another game. Note that both the “SM2000US._VM” and “SM2000US.USR”
files are required to continue raising your Seaman.

Insert the Microphone

As Seaman matures there will come a time when it will begin to converse with you.
A microphone has been included in this package for the express purpose of
speaking to your Seaman. Whenever you wish to play with your Seaman, always be
sure to insert the microphone into Expansion Socket 2 (see diagram) of the
Dreamcast Controller. Note that the VMU must be inserted into Expansion Socket

1. The Seaman software will not run if these two devices are not correctly inserted
in their proper places.

Do not attempt to remove or adjust these items while the Seaman

software is running. Doing so may not only adversely effect the software, it

may also result in malfunction of the peripheral devices.

CAUTION!

The sponge protector attached to the top of the

microphone is intended to reduce excess noise
that may occur while conversing with Seaman.
Ingestion of this sponge by small children may

result in injury or death, so always be sure to

have a responsible guardian explain this before

allowing minors to use this peripheral device.

Expansion Socket 1

Memory Card

Expansion Socket 2

Microphone

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C

R E AT I NG A SEAMAN HA B I TAT

Memory Card File Creation

Once you have confirmed that the VMU to which you will create the
Seaman habitat is firmly inserted into Expansion Socket 1 and the
Microphone into Expansion Socket 2 (refer to the diagram on p 4), you
are just about ready. At this point you are advised to pause, relax and
release any tension you may be feeling.

Now, insert the Seaman disc into the Dreamcast and turn the power
ON. After a few moments, the following message will appear:

“This memory card does not contain a habitat for Seaman.

Would you like to create a new habitat?”

Do not despair upon seeing this message. For if you select “Yes,” a brand
new habitat with all the required data will be downloaded from the disc
and installed, or created, to this VMU. If you realize you have mistakenly
inserted the wrong VMU, select “No” and replace it with the correct
VMU.

After selecting “Yes”, should the following message appear:

“There are not enough blocks of free memory available. 64 blocks

Once you have successfully selected “Yes”, the following message will
appear:

“Saving data to the memory card... Do not remove the memory

card or turn the power off.”

Once this procedure is complete, the following message will appear:

“(Month, Date, Year) A new habitat has been created for Seaman.

Please enjoy your time with Seaman.”

Congratulations! This VMU now contains your very own Seaman
habitat. Do not forget that you must use this same VMU when accessing
this habitat in the future. If you attempt to use another VMU, this data
will not be available, as it cannot be read from any other VMU.

Furthermore, if you delete the data saved to this VMU, you must begin
the entire process from step one, so be sure to handle this VMU with the
utmost care. In order to prevent you from accidentally losing track of
your Seaman, we have made sure that it is not possible to create more
than one Seaman habitat to each VMU.

Remember, ‘Only one Seaman habitat per memory card.’

are required in order to save game data. The game will not continue.”

This indicates that this VMU cannot be used to create a Seaman habitat.
In this case, you must abort the current procedure and either obtain a
new VMU or delete enough data in the VMU (refer to the Dreamcast
instruction manual for details) to free up the required 64 blocks.

Never attempt to remove the memory card while this message is

displayed. Doing so may result in damage to or malfunction of

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CAUTION!

the memory card.

Never touch the Analog Thumb Pad or Triggers / while

turning the Dreamcast power ON. Doing so may disrupt the

controller initialization procedure and result in malfunction.

CAUTION!

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M

E N TAL PR E PA R AT I O N

Seaman’s development will accelerate when in good humor. The

only way to ensure Seaman is kept in good humor is to take
The most fundamental requirement for successfully raising Seaman
is daily care and maintenance. At the very least, you are kindly

requested to attend to various custodial tasks such as providing
oxygen, water, food, cleaning, etc., on a daily basis. Just as with a
daily exercise program, it is important that you participate each and
every day without fail. This concept is a prerequisite for being a
guardian to Seaman.
Seaman is a game in which you will experience the growth of a
living being. You will be witness to the drama of life over an
extended period of time. Therefore, do not expect an experience
similar to any other games, in which clearly defined events happen
each time you play. As well, there are no scores to be earned, stages
or final game to be cleared, etc. This is not the type of game in
which one can spend several hours in one sitting and expect to
experience vast amounts of action or change. As with life itself,
change only occurs over time and even then, slowly. Change is only
evident through the accumulation of experience over time.
Enjoy communicating with Seaman while you attend to these daily
maintenance tasks. Tap on the glass of the aquarium to get its
attention, use the microphone to greet and converse, as well as other
methods you will discover in order to express your affection to it.
This is paramount to ensuring the successful growth and
development of your Seaman. As Seaman matures and reaches a
certain level of development, recognition will increase and it will

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begin conversing with you.

adequate care of it daily, without fail, while constantly providing

loving affection.

Although raising Seaman does require a bit of perseverance, it is a bit

like writing in a diary; something you need to persist in doing on a

daily basis. By doing so, you will find yourself experiencing a grand

drama, the likes of which have yet been rendered possible by even

the most realistic of computer or console games.

For those of you with time to spare, one highly recommended and

interesting method for enjoying your time with Seaman is to darken

the lights to your room and simply vegetate while watching your

Seaman go about daily life. Similar to a typical aquarium, Seaman

will provide completely different and ever-changing scenery for your

television set. And for as long as Seaman lives, the show will go on.

B e fo re you sta rt playing with Seaman or befo re you cre a te a Seaman

h a b i tat, be sure to set your Dre a m c a st console to the correct time.

For details, re fer to the Dre a m c a st inst ruction manual.

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L

E T’S BEGIN

( S

TA RT I NG A GA M E

)

At Long Last, We Begin.

Beginning Operation (Day One)

Once again, you are urged to review the set-up procedure starting on p. 4 and
confirm that the VMU containing the Seaman habitat and storage matrix, as
well as the microphone, are firmly and properly installed to the controller
connected to Control Port A of the Dreamcast. Then, press the OPEN Button
on your Dreamcast to open the Disc Door, place the Seaman disc inside and
close the Disc Door. Now press the POWER Button to turn the Dreamcast
power ON. The starting screen will appear on your TV followed by the
opening narration. Listen carefully as it contains important information that is
very helpful for raising Seaman.

Fi rst, Tra n s fer the Egg into the Tank (To g gling Displays )

Press the Start Button on the Dreamcast controller to display the raising
habitat (in the beginning this will be an aquarium). The very first thing you
must do is place the Seaman egg into this tank.
Press Trigger L (
white object located in the top left storage box is the Seaman egg. Use the
Analog Thumb Pad to select the egg, and while pressing and holding the X
Button (
successful, you should see the egg displayed on the clipboard in the lower right
corner of the screen. In this state, press
the aquarium. Next, let go of
clipboard will disappear and the egg will be visible in the tank. This process is
used when moving items from display to display. Whenever you grasp an item
it will appear on the clipboard. If you release the item (let go of
before switching to the display in which to release the item, the item will
return to its original location.

) to toggle the display over to the storage matrix. The milky

), press and hold Trigger R ( ) to grab hold of the egg. If you are

again to toggle the display over to

and to release the egg into the tank. The

and/or )

Subsequent Operation (Day Two and on)

(When continuing from a previously saved file).

Insert the memory card to which the Seaman habitat and storage matrix

(saved files) are saved into Expansion Socket 1 of the controller. Next,

place the Seaman Disc into the Dreamcast and turn the power ON. In a

few moments the Start Screen will automatically appear.

As explained earlier, only one Seaman habitat is able to be created to a

VMU. Therefore, file selection or other such procedures are not required.

All you need to do to continue is press the Start Button when the Start

Screen appears.

Note that whenever the Start Screen is displayed there will be a short

narration that reports on the current status of your Seaman’s development

and provides a brief explanation of what has occurred previously. As there

are often important hints and tips on how to proceed offered during this

narration, it is recommended that you listen to it carefully every day.

If the Mushroomers do not evolve within a few days of their

hatching, they will die.

Position the hand icon over the Nautilus at the bottom of the tank and

press to patiently tap it. The Mushroomers will float towards the

Nautilus and be eaten. Do not be alarmed by this behavior and continue

on as normal. Once the Nautilus has consumed at least 4 Mushroomers,

it will begin to undergo a transformation, so observe it carefully.

For other information related to Seaman’s development, visit our

website.

If you are able to connect to the Internet (we recommend using your

Dreamcast to do so), then you are cordially invited to visit the Sega

Seaman website in which you’ll find a wealth of helpful information.

(www.meetseaman.com)

Opening Start Screen

Egg Displayed on

the Clipboard

Clipboard: Displays

Currently Grasped Items

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