Balamb Garden's main entrance is at the south end of the building. The gate leads along a tiled path to the actual Garden. This path is well-maintained and surrounded by lush plants to add to the natural feeling that the Garden wishes to inspire.
Just inside Balamb Garden itself sits the gatehouse, a small 7x10 box with a glass window wherein sits an old man from Balamb who works in Garden for a living. He's pretty friendly, and quite boastful when it comes to his Triple Triad skills. Outside his guard house are the turnstiles. Pass through them and you are officially inside Garden.
The first thing you would notice is the raised rotunda over a large pool approximately three feet deep that runs throughout the first floor of Garden, and trails into the separate areas of the Garden.
Directly ahead of you is the Directory, which will point you in the various directions to go for certain things. Behind you, obviously, is the main entrance. On your right, southeast of you, is the library. North of that, the training center. North of that, the parking lot. To your left, southwest of you, is the infirmary. North of that, the Quad. North of that, is the cafeteria. Straight in front of you is the central pillar that houses the elevators that lead up to the second floor's classrooms, training room, and armory, and the third floor's headmaster's office. On the far side of the central pillar is the dormitory.
Library
The library has a large selection of books ranging from instructional textbooks to help cadets in their studies, history books on the history of the world and stuff, weapons books for SeeDs to learn about new weapons they may be considering or potentially run up against in combat. There's also a growing fiction/romance section for pure entertainment. There's a reading room in the back of the library where you can sit and read your books, or you can check them out and read around Garden. Obey the library rules:
1. No loud talking
2. Respect others
3. Help any junior classmen who need it.
1. No loud talking
2. Respect others
3. Help any junior classmen who need it.
Training Center
The training center is the only Garden facility that's open at night. Here you can train yourself against real monsters, so be careful or you might end up dead. The most common monsters found in the training center are Grats and T-Rexaurs, though an occasional Granaldo may be seen. T-Rexaurs are a monster that you should run from, unless you are in a large party and can mob it. Status-changing magic is also suggested.
There's also a "secret area" in the back of the training center that leads out into the forest behind Garden. Here, you can get a spectacular view of the nighttime Garden, and it's a place where couples like to meet after lights-out. (Keep Gaia's PG-13 rule in mind here, kids...)
There's also a "secret area" in the back of the training center that leads out into the forest behind Garden. Here, you can get a spectacular view of the nighttime Garden, and it's a place where couples like to meet after lights-out. (Keep Gaia's PG-13 rule in mind here, kids...)
Parking Lot
The parking lot is where Garden vehicles are stored, and where the students who commute can park their vehicles. In light of the acquisition of the Ragnarok, a second level has been added to accomodate the airship. The airship is only available to use for SeeDs deploying on missions, and they will have a pilot not in their party deliver them to their mission, and return the Ragnarok to the Garden.
Infirmary
The resident physician of the infirmary is Dr. Kadowaki. She is an excellent physician, as well as a challenging Triple Triad player. Currently, Balamb Garden has no psychiatric facilities available, though a future expansion will generate such facilities for student use.
Quad
The Quad is where the Garden Festivals are housed. It's divided into the Inner Quad and Outer Quad, both of which are open to the outside world, providing students with a wonderful place to study and socialize in fresh air without ever leaving Garden.
Cafeteria
The cafeteria is considered the "hang out" spot of Balamb Garden. With the exception of during classes, you can always find at least one group of students socializing in the cafeteria. Students have their choice of the inner cafeteria area, or the outer area on the patio. Combined together, the two dining areas have enough seats to fit the entire student, SeeD, and staff population of Garden. Garden's food is always exceptional, but the hot dogs are in great demand, and often run out the first five minutes of a lunch period. It's best to get there early.
Dormitory
The vast majority of Garden's students live there, with very few commuting to and from Balamb. The dormitories at Balamb Garden are divided four ways: SeeD, student, male, and female. Male and female dorms are identical, the only differences lying in the SeeD and student dorms.
Student dorms are duplex dorms with a single commons area and bathroom shared between them. Students are allowed to customize their individual dorm rooms however they wish, so long as they are not violating Garden regulations.
SeeD dorms are the same size as student dorms, only they're singular. Each SeeD has his or her own bedroom, commons area, bathroom, and small kitchen. Once again, personal customization is allowed so long as it's within Garden regulations.
Student dorms are duplex dorms with a single commons area and bathroom shared between them. Students are allowed to customize their individual dorm rooms however they wish, so long as they are not violating Garden regulations.
SeeD dorms are the same size as student dorms, only they're singular. Each SeeD has his or her own bedroom, commons area, bathroom, and small kitchen. Once again, personal customization is allowed so long as it's within Garden regulations.
Classrooms
Classrooms are located on the second floor. There are close to fifty classrooms, and every subject from basic reading to advanced chemical physics is taught at Garden. The wide range of subjects is a direct result of the fact that Garden teaches students from the age of 5, all the way up to 20. Also included in the courses are such things as combat tactics and leadership skills, weapons and magic integration, and GF knowledge and upkeep. Each classroom has twenty seats in it, and these seats are actually the computer terminal system that connects into the Garden computer system. From there, one can access tutorials on basic combat and GF knowledge, access the Garden Square, Balamb Garden's own message board, and access the Garden Festival page.
Training Room
The training room, located on the second floor above the training center, is where students can spar against one another in friendly duels to test their skills. Also located in the training room is a shooting range. As a result of the casualties received in the Battle of Centra, all students are encouraged to receive marksman status in at least one firearm. Students can either bring their own weapon, or check out a weapon from the armory next to the training room.
Armory
Here is where students who don't own a person weapon can borrow one for training or missions. Weapons here range from swords and maces to rifles and machine guns. Any weapon checked out from the armory must be returned within a week.
Headmaster's Office
The third floor is accessible only by high-ranking SeeDs or by invite from the headmaster. The third floor is lavishly-appointed, with hardwood floords and red carpets, as well as solid-oak doors. Inside, however, the headmaster's office is more spartan, which a modest desk usually stacked with mission reports, large plate-glass windows stretching another story high, and a few trophy cases off to the side bearing some of the headmaster's favorite memories. This is where you'll come when you make SeeD, and you could possibly be assigned special missions here.
