ikaruga - cheap 1cc ?

[nullpointer]

Hi all..

recenly ive been trying at a 1cc of ikaruga and i realised that for much of the game it is much easier to progress if you dont bother shooting all the enemies. Especially some of the bosses.. boss 3 is easy if you ust knock out all but one black turret and boss 4 is easier of you dont bother opeing the gates. There are quite a few places in the main stages where you can really screw things up by shooting enemies and then having to deal with the suicide bullets. So the question is... is this a lame ass cheap way to 1cc a game or doesnt it matter..? I'm not sure but i reckon this sort of approach could be used in a few other shmups too, where hanging out on the weak form of a boss improves yr chance of getting further into the game... hmm whaddya think

[Andi]

I've been playing 2 players with my neighbor. At certain parts we can't kill all the enemies due to the fact that our colors will be opposite and the death bullets of the enemy will kill one player or the other. Sometimes even the big ones have to be let get away.

However, letting the bosses escape is pretty cheap.

[Ghegs]

I don't think it's much different than purposefully dying in a game to lower rank to increase your chances of survival. Sure it's not as impressive or profitable score-wise, but you still have to deal with the meat of the game, you just take bit of the edge off.

Still, I feel it's all a matter of whether or not your pride can take it. I know if I 1CCed Ikaruga that way, I'd feel pretty annoyed over not being able to deal with a boss' final attack pattern and having to take the easy way out.

I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess...

[TVG]

shmups are about score (with some exceptions, tough), so it doesnt matter since your score will be garbage.

and it wouldnt be quite the accomplishment wouldnt'it?

[landshark]

shmups are about score (with some exceptions, tough), so it doesnt matter since your score will be garbage.

and it wouldnt be quite the accomplishment wouldnt'it?

Not necessarily. Once you get good enough at a game to start going for score, yes. But for me at least - some games I'm happy just to survive (raiden, gunbird 2, dragon blaze)

[Ghegs]

shmups are about score (with some exceptions, tough), so it doesnt matter since your score will be garbage.

I'd have to disagree there too. They're about score only if you care about the score. I'm happy with my SNS2 ALL-clear even if my score is 2 billion lower than the next guy's on the high-score list.

[TVG]

let's put it in another way.

what displays your skill in a shmup is your score, playing for it isnt a necessity.

[nullpointer]

yip.. i agree with you all pretty much..

I guess there is 2 sorts of acheivement then..
For instance.. I can probably score more with kuga in the 1st half of shiki2
than I actually score with a 1cc with Kim
Generally I reckon i'd probably still feel a bit weak if i could score amazingly in the first few levels of a game but still not actually finish it..
(playing either way)
I think it depends on your current aspirations of course..
Anyway I'm still not likely to clear ikaruga any time soon, playing frightened or not!

[zlk]

Finish the game any way you can. Once you can complete a game from start to finish, then worry about score.

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

Ikaruga can be played many,many ways. Its not cheap. Just remember that you can always go back to it and try playing with different strategies.
Some people play it without fireing a single shot!!!

[Accutron]

They included the Dot Eater rank, so the game is clearly designed to accomodate your style of play.

[landshark]

let's put it in another way.

what displays your skill in a shmup is your score, playing for it isnt a necessity.

Well, load up a Strikers series and see how far you can get without firing a shot.

That'd be a helluva display of skill, and no points

[LUNardei]

Ikaruga was created for score, not for 1cc. First 3 chapters are very easy if you shoot everything without chaining...But if you try to chan:
a) you got a more difficult game. Millimetrical perfection is the law, an error ruins all your work
b) you can see the great level design, and what a great game is Ikaruga...

[IlMrm]

I think not shooting in a shmup is sometimes a must in certain parts of certain games. I've seen expert players not shooting in the second loop of Psikyo games to avoid the suicide bullets.

Regarding Ikaruga, it's such an unique game that I am not sure what rules or "shmup eitquettes" are apply to it.

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

let's put it in another way.

what displays your skill in a shmup is your score, playing for it isnt a necessity.

Well, load up a Strikers series and see how far you can get without firing a shot.

That'd be a helluva display of skill, and no points

Seems we think alike then. TWITCH loves the Strikers series! Yes indeed
Still, Ikaruga's cool...whenever I want to yell at myself, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?" (changing colors at the wrong time, etc)

[Andi]

Ikaruga was created for score, not for 1cc. First 3 chapters are very easy if you shoot everything without chaining...

The game is also clearly not made to be played with 2 players either, but they included it. I think the first 3 chapters are pretty fucking hard too. Blah.

[snap monkey]

The game is also clearly not made to be played with 2 players either, but they included it.

I strongly disagree with that, having played a decent amount of two player Ikaruga and also watching a lot of impressive vids (not just VTF-INO's). Playing with a partner just requires that you break apart the chapters differently so that you can share the chaining, and often times the extra ship opens up the possibility for more chains than are possible when flying solo. Playing with a friend is a completely different experience.

Just my opinion, and I guess I should also note that I'm a bit biased towards this game, as I think it's by far the best console game I've ever played.

[Zhon]

I think it was created for both score and 1cc. It is a lot easier to simply blast everything (or in some instances, not fire) than chain, but it's not trivial.

As for 2P vs 1P - I think Ika plays a lot differently for 2P, especially if you emphasize eeking out the best score possible, which will then involve attempting to absorb as many bullets as possible. However, I feel that the mechanics of the game are VERY great for 2P, but the enemy/level design was still 1P-focused.

I would say a lot of shmups aren't about score, although most recent ones do try something in this department, to please the shmup fans of today. This is especially true in shmups with broken scoring systems, usually bosses that can be milked forever since they spawn objects which grant score without limit.

[landshark]

Seems we think alike then. TWITCH loves the Strikers series! Yes indeed
Still, Ikaruga's cool...whenever I want to yell at myself, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?" (changing colors at the wrong time, etc)

The strikers series gets the most playtime on my cab. Specifically III and II. Plus has been getting alot of playtime too, but it slaps me around alot.

Ikaruga made my memory card eject of the controller. After the controller achieved mach-level speed towards the floor. Are those things spring loaded? Because it flew a good 6 feet into the air.

[Andi]

I strongly disagree with that, having played a decent amount of two player Ikaruga and also watching a lot of impressive vids (not just VTF-INO's). Playing with a partner just requires that you break apart the chapters differently so that you can share the chaining, and often times the extra ship opens up the possibility for more chains than are possible when flying solo. Playing with a friend is a completely different experience.

However, certain cramped parts are extremely difficult to cram two players into (many instances of this in the beginning of the third level). Not having enough room to safely fit the two ships on the screen is not a healthy challenge, it just seems like poor design.

I think the game would be more playable on two player mode if the ships could overlap.

[Ghegs]

I think the game would be more playable on two player mode if the ships could overlap.

But then one player could be black, one white and they'd be safe from all attacks. Excluding special cases like ramming into walls or enemies. But with Tageri and the Stone-like the players could let the bosses time out and go for a burger in the meantime.

[LUNardei]

it just seems like poor design.

Have you ever seen a 2p video?

[Plasmo]

http://www.ikaruga.co.uk/download/video_2pn.php
real two player vids , no VTF double play

[Andi]

I've seen 2 player videos. It doesn't really make me think that the game is any better designed for 2 players. It does make me think that those 2 players are very good though.

Most of the parts are doable on 2 player. That isn't the point. The point is that the game is designed for one player, 2 players seem to have just been shoe-horned onto the screen.

[WarpZone]

Employing restraint at various secitons/bosses is far from cheap...there are some balance mechanisms in place to ensure the game would still be played fairly this way. The less you shoot, the less lives you'll earn from the extend. It comes down to the individual tradeoff you want to make. You can't afford to die as much, but maybe you won't in the first place by employing safer tactics. Also, in some circumstances, it's much harder to survive if you try to time-out the boss (especially the chapter 5 one).

About the 4th boss, eventually I found it was far less painful to employ a consistent strat to beat him then to try and dodge his lazers for an agonizing minute.

[WarpZone]

About 2-player mode, it is certainly impressive that the mechanics can still hold up so well, and even introduce some cool ideas (like one player acting as another player's shield). Chapter 2 in particular seems well-constructed for 2-players. However, there's no doubt the single player experience was priority, and the game ultimately tacked on the 2P mode because that's what most arcade games do.