Stella Vanity V0.2 & 0.21

[RNGmaster]

Calm down, there's probably a pirated version out already.

From what I can see, this isn't the final version. There are lots of bugs, the S versions of characters are even harder to play as (try C mode, it's fun!) and it says 0.50 on the title screen.

[O. Van Bruce]

waiting warmly 'till someone does an scoring and game mechanics thread... :p

[Aliquantic]

There's an interesting blog article here (in English too) that summarizes the mechanics in this version, with S type appearing to be the same as 0.30 (it may look daunting, but it's not that bad really).

[O. Van Bruce]

So it's almost completely the same as the 0.30d demo...

[mjclark]

There's an interesting blog article here (in English too) that summarizes the mechanics in this version, with S type appearing to be the same as 0.30 (it may look daunting, but it's not that bad really).

You are a STAR

[louisg]

I've clicked on this thread about 4 times now, each time expecting it to be a new 2600 emulator, then quickly forgetting when it's not. Dammit!

[Aliquantic]

Version 1.20 is now out and available for sale on DLsite (only the Japanese side apparently). As usual, there's a lot of information about the changes made to the game on his website.

(It'd be nice if a mod renamed the thread title too to remove mention of the old versions)

[Aisha]

Any chance of the game being sold on DLSite English probably went away with the C81 incident.

Anyway, it might be good to just make a new thread with the game's full name in the title and relevant information in the first post (DLSite link, basic information, a couple of videos, etc). The game has undergone so many changes that almost all of the discussion in this thread is no longer relevant or useful.

At any rate, I'm really happy to see the game reach this point and am looking forward to getting back into it. The 1.20 version seems to have a ton of new tweaks and additions to sift through (hidden bosses!).

[Aliquantic]

Yeah, his post from June 6 ended in a pretty saddening note The current version does require registration/authentification of some sort, though I'm not quite sure how that works with DLsite. At least he doesn't seem to want to go the Mihara route and IP lock it...

I'll probably create a new thread after I've got the game and some play (no debit card so I need to hassle someone to buy it for me first) but it doesn't look THAT different from 0.30 from what I've read on his blog. The main thing I'm excited about is stage rank on the early stages... non-boring first stages? That would be amazing!

[Aliquantic]

Just authentificated my copy courtesy of Rancor! It seems easy enough to purchase the game with a guest account, but be advised you may be unable to use the game on another OS/hard-drive and you must authentificate it within 7 days of purchasE.

Alternatively, you can create a member account and buy it from there (if you can read Japanese well enough), which should be a little more convenient for future redownloads. Time to play now...

[Aisha]

He also recommends creating an account on DLSite before buying so you have proof of purchase should the need for support arise in the future.

I'll probably create a new thread after I've got the game and some play (no debit card so I need to hassle someone to buy it for me first) but it doesn't look THAT different from 0.30 from what I've read on his blog. The main thing I'm excited about is stage rank on the early stages... non-boring first stages? That would be amazing!

The core system of S-Type didn't really change except for, sadly, the removal of that dramatic pause before Ethereal Shift. There probably were some adjustments under the hood, though. Well, coins also no longer change color like they did in version 0.30, but it has been that way since version 1.00. Version 1.09 introduced the in-game character parameter leveling system (e.g., the more you use laser, the stronger it gets for that run), as well as the Axel Drive system for C-Type.

Version 1.20 adds a lot around the game, though. There's a deep Practice Mode, more medals (I wonder what these are for?), and both shops had their inventories almost doubled. The shops are now entirely in Japanese, too. The new release also expands the leveling system by rewarding you with 忌晶右 (I have no idea how to Romanize this) after runs, which you can spend in the Status menu to individually increase character parameters like Shot and Laser.

There's also that rank system. Judging by the score tables in Game Data, there are six ranks: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 4-EX. All of the credits I played through last night were on Rank 0 even though I made it all the way to Area 7 on Arcade, so I don't really understand what makes it change. There is something emphasized about Area 4 in rank section of the June 06 entry, but I can't really make sense of it. Also judging by diary, the rank seems affects the game differently depending on which equipment type you're playing: the rank is biased to increase bullet speed for C-Type, and bullet density for S-Type.

The difficulty levels got shifted around a bit too. As of version 1.09, the old Easy is the new Normal, and the old Normal is now Arcade. The current Easy is probably something entirely new; I remember seeing Easy (and for some reason, Pandemonium) being disabled in 1.09.

Finally it seems there are three (?) hidden bosses. One is undoubtedly a TLB, and there could be one in Area 4. I have no idea where the third could be. It wouldn't surprise me if the encounter conditions were tied to rank.

Overall I'm pleased that I can sink time into this game again. I put it down in February because I didn't want to burn out on something that was still in development.

[Aliquantic]

I've gotten to rank 2 with C-Type, and the condition seems to be score based, namely 100m on stage 1 on Normal difficulty. You then get a "Qualified" message and the opportunity to play stage 2 after stage 1 (or go straight on to stage 3 or 4). I didn't rank up after stage 2 and was sent on to stage 4, and qualified again. Rank increased speed and also added back suicide bullets on killing enemies. The manual says you can rank up on all first four stages, but that looks rather tricky.

I've absolutely failed to rank up with S-Type though, even though I knew how to score decently back in 0.30 The scoring parameters do seem to have changed a little (most notable is the lack of colored coins like you said), and I'm struggling to hit the second extend before the (rather impressive) final stage... even using the old bomb+raid trick isn't helping enough.

Yeah, I regret not having gotten a registered account for the game, but it's my fault for not being explicit enough about it I imagine registration is required to get patches too following the "incident"...

Do you have any idea what's the A Hold Canceller by the way? The manual mentions that but I can't make head or tails of that paragraph.

[Aisha]

Have you managed to break 100 million in Area 1 (or 2) with S-Type though? I'm just wondering if the rank thresholds are the same as C-Type. I can usually get just shy of 100 million in Area 2, but I have no idea how to get close to that in Area 1.

With S-Type I can kind of see how it's possible to rank up in the first four stages because the rank is supposed to increase bullet density, meaning more jewels from Delayed Shift. But C-Type, I don't know; I've barely touched that type.

A Hold Canceller? I'm not sure. I can't find it in either of the two manuals (online and HTML). I have a boxed copy of the game though, so maybe the HTML manual in the DLSite version is more up-to-date. The only thing with "Canceller" in its name that rings a bell is the Level Canceller item from the System Shop.

And yeah, Area 7. I'm going to have to spend a lot of time with it in Practice Mode after I figure out how to unlock it for purchase in the System Shop. It's just so over-the-top. I'd love to see it played through in a scoring run on Pandemonium 4-EX.

EDIT: I downloaded the trial from DLSite and the manual that comes packaged with the digital version is indeed very different.

A Hold Canceller is an accessory that you can buy from the second page of the Item Shop. Normally for S-Type, when you destroy an enemy with Assault, it stays on the screen for the duration of the attack in a sort of "undead" state, just so you can continue damaging it some more in order to get a higher Overkill bonus. A Hold Canceller will allow your laser and shot to pass through an enemy that is in this state, but I'm not sure how beneficial this really is (i.e., does the now-piercing laser still contribute to Overkill?). I'm not sure if this accessory is useful for C-Type.

[Aliquantic]

I've hit 100m on areas 1 and 2 on Normal and Arcade, no qualification So either the criterium is harder, or something else is necessary beyond score... no bombs maybe? I used one to raise the chain counter. With C Type, it doesn't feel too hard to score, just don't die (:lol:) and charge up the shot whenever possible for bigger cancels and you still get a few more bullets to cancel, plus profitable bosses.

With S-Type though... I think I'm still missing something about the scoring, do you know if there's a way to get faster ES/DS? Jewels seem to give the most points now, especially from bullet cancels, and I still don't really know what to do with coins now that you can't "chain" them... though apparently the coins directly affect the global multiplier instead, and it seems using ES to spawn more enemies to switch into DS for big cancels is optimal late in the stage now.

And thanks for the details on the Hold Canceller, and yeah it's meant for S type. Oh, do you know how to deal with the final phase on the stage 6 boss? That thing takes forever to die and it's more brutal than Espgaluda's final... the final pattern on the stage 7 boss is a joke in comparison.

(Best Arcade no guard score so far: 560m and entering stage 7 0/2, yeah that didn't go well. I'll work on the Normal clear now though...)

[Aisha]

Maybe no miss and, if it's enabled, no triggering of auto-guard. Bombs and Overdrive can be used for Overkill so it feels odd to rule them out of the Qualification requirements, especially if the requirements are really high.

In S-Type, coins increase the Multiplier above the Delayed Shift gauge. Unless I'm interpreting this manual incorrectly, almost everything that gets added to your total score passes through this multiplier. Jewels, on the other hand, make the largest contribution toward your score. The Combo Bonus increases the amount of coins dropped by enemies during Ethereal Shift. It's difficult to make sense of how Combo Bonus affects jewels; this line in particular might have the answer:

宝石は獲得スコアの大部分を占め、またコンボボーナスが最も大きく付与される要素であるため、スコアを高めるためにはより多くの宝石を獲得することが不可欠です。

To score well you have build a high Combo Bonus and keep a balance between the use of Ethereal Shift and Delayed Shift; the former increases the Multiplier while the latter creates score items. Sometimes deliberately ending a shift by triggering Counter Shift or by committing suicide is more beneficial in the end, because whenever you set a new Combo Bonus, a percentage of your old one is included in the new one. You also have to utilize Counter Burst Mode against bosses to build a high Combo Bonus, because each time you set a new Combo Bonus, that amount gets added to your score (presumably after getting passed through the Multiplier); although I suppose there are some attacks where it's probably better to just Raid when there are a lot of bullets on the screen to convert them all into jewels.

Then like you said, using both Ethereal Shift and Delayed Shift at the same time might have its advantages as well. (Ever try stacking Overdrive, Delayed Shift, and Ethereal Shift? )

Charging both Delayed Shift and Ethereal Shift gauges seems to be accomplished by damaging enemies. I've made it to the mid-boss in Area 1 by destroying as few enemies as I possibly can and neither shift is ready by then. In a normal run, both are ready by the first Raid target. There are also accessories which increase gauge recharge rate and decrease gauge drain rate.

Speaking of jewels, they've changed. Most notably, you get a lot more of them now. The amount doesn't seem to depend on Combo Bonus because I've compared the amount I get in Area 1 between runs where I deliberately let my Combo Bonus drop before entering Delayed Shift and runs where I just play normally. Also in the previous versions, as your jewel counter passed certain thresholds, jewels would change color, presumably indicating that they became more valuable. In Area 1 it was 0 - Purple, 500 - Red, 2000 - Green, 6000 - White. Now, I can get to the boss in Area 1 with something like 20,000 jewels and they're only red. Furthermore, the new thresholds also seem to depend on the stage; a third of the way through Area 7 I noticed I had over 40,000 jewels and they were still purple. I don't think this is discussed in the manual. I kind of want to ask TRIS-GRAM about it...

As for the Area 6 boss, she's a bitch. You just have to give 'er for that final pattern. I keep hoping to find some sort of trick to it but I don't think there is one. I've tried things like no Assault, no Blade, laser only, and shot only, but nothing changes. The final boss's last pattern also messes with me; it's really difficult for me to read because there are two overlapping patterns moving in opposite diagonal directions. The one with aimed bullets that come out in V-formations and reflect off the edges of the screen also makes me unable to sit down for a week. Some of the patterns in this game are just evil.

[Aliquantic]

I've done better scoring with Lightning type but still no Qualified ever with S-type... but I get it all the time on a perfect survival run with C-type, so it's probably not score based. Are we sure it's even in S-type? I'm not using auto-guard by the way, and I'm always no-missing up to stage 5 or 6, and normally no-bombing now too.

Ethereal preemptively cancelled is definitely best for me late in stages, especially if bullet clearing enemies are involved for effectively double cancels. Ethereal recharges quite quickly if cancelled early too, and that's the only strategy I have that really gets me anywhere much past 100m on stage 1 Normal. Bombing + raid doesn't jack up the chain counter as much now. Cancelling ES is more important now that you can't switch off Assault fire in the mode too (I recall you could do that in 0.30).

I don't think it's a straight number to raise the jewel class anymore since I've had a LOT of variation on the same stage, I think, but I didn't write down numbers. I suspect you need a minimum amount of coins AND jewels to get bigger ones now. Let me know if you manage to get an answer out of TRIS-GRAM though

Overmode/DS and a lucky shot can really help on the stage 6 final, but that's all I have, hardest non-TLB pattern for me. I cleared Normal rather easily but stage 7 still eats me alive on Arcade, though at least Hard doesn't look much harder. It's rank 0 though, granted. (There's locked items that aren't training-related in the System Shop too... wonder if those are related to rank)

[Aisha]

The number of coins alone seems to determine the jewel class. In one test, I played Area 1 on Arcade without using Ethereal Shift throughout the whole stage in order to keep my coin count low. The jewel class changed at 14016 jewels. In a second test, I kept a balance between Delayed Shift and Ethereal Shift, and the jewel class changed at 8154. In this second test, the class actually changed during an Ethereal Shift, so only coins were being collected. After comparing both replays, it was pretty easy to see that jewels change from purple to red at 2000 coins. In the second test, I also managed to level the jewel class to green, which occurred at 5000 coins. Yay. I also played Easy trying to get Qualified for a rank increase, and I noticed that I managed to get the jewel class to white in Area 1 pretty easily, so the jewel class thresholds vary according to difficulty.

The jewel class thresholds also do seem to be stage-dependent. On Area 7 Arcade, purple-to-red happens at 20000 coins and red-to-green at 40000.

At any rate, this makes me wonder if it's more beneficial to just use Ethereal Shift as much as possible at the beginning of a stage to quickly max-out the jewel class. The Multiplier and jewel class being dependent on coins kind of makes them seem lot more important for S-Type than they were in previous versions.

As for getting Qualified with S-Type, I have no idea. I tried various combinations between Story Mode, Rule Mode, Auto-guard On, and Auto-guard Off, and it's not happening. Not on Arcade, nor on Normal, nor on Easy. The diary does talk about how rank affects S-Type so it has to be there, but maybe the requirements are just really high, like you said. I can't even do it on C-Type, but I don't have a grasp on that style yet.


EDIT: Qualified!

TRIS-GRAM posted today that he's seeing people everywhere wondering why they can't get Qualified with S-Type. (I wonder if that includes this thread?) He recommended starting out with Area 2 and leaving Area 1 alone until your character is more developed. I took that suggestion and decided to revisit my old route through Area 2 on Arcade difficulty in Rule Mode. I also had Blade upgraded to level 19 thinking that it would improve Overkill with Raid; I don't really know this helped. In one run I managed to pull off exactly 180 million, despite having fucked up on the boss, and that was enough to get Qualified. The second-highest run I had was 163 million, which wasn't enough, so the requirement for Rank 0 -> 1 is somewhere within that range.

I wasn't able to select Area 1 afterward getting Qualified in Area 2, so it seems like you can only go forwards in terms of stage progression. So I selected Area 3 and failed to get Qualified there with 246 million; the addition of suicide bullets really changes things and threw me off-guard.

I also discovered that the requirements for jewel class upgrades are the same for Areas 1 and 2, happening at 2000, 5000, and 8000 coins on Arcade difficulty.

[Aliquantic]

No kidding, I hit 149m with Lightning girl on area 1 and STILL didn't qualify! I screwed up a little though, but the requirements are no joke compared to C-type. I'll try area 2 now though, it should be a breeze in comparison with Lightning girl... with the other girl, I have no idea how to score very high though, she's worse in every single regard really.

And thanks for the research, again With Lightning girl at least, ES builds up a lot faster with overkill, and maybe DS as welll, and she just cuts through bosses. I have the feeling that the jewel counter still allows you to get coins a little faster, but ES probably takes priority over DS until at least Emeralds now. I'm barely hitting 8k on stage 1 after two ES sessions though, so I'm sure it's possible to do better than that.

Though I'm starting to suspect you really need Story Mode to qualify with S-type... I only play Rule Mode, and the points just don't really seem to be there.

[Aisha]

I just use Lemulene, because to be honest, I can't stand the sound effect of Azerlete's Assault weapon. I was kind of hoping 1.20 would introduce more playable characters like Piani or Karen, but all of the game's story elements seem to have been dropped (or delayed) despite a lot of effort put into them on the game's homepage.

I really can't score well in Area 1. On Arcade, I get between 70-80 million. Where are you getting all those points from? I can squeeze two Delayed Shifts and two Ethereal Shifts in before the boss, but the stage is pretty short and there don't seem to be very many bullets to cash in with. The boss doesn't seem to offer much opportunity for anything either.

[Aliquantic]

I have to play on Normal for optimum scoring so far, and I'm really worried about being able to rank up at all on Arcade (let alone anything higher). I can give you a replay with Azerlete next time I get something good (140m or more), but with Lemulene I can barely break 100m. I'd like a replay of your stage 2 though, I can't qualify after a few tries

785m game over on Arcade on the extend "cannon" God that was annoying with the second extend at 800m... I can clear Arcade rank 0, but Hard looks problematic. Also C-Type feels a lot harder than S-type for me, and I still need to try and go for the rank 4/4-EX with C... which does seem to require NMNB, as far as I can tell. Mmh.

I wonder why this game isn't popular on this forum, with its mechas and murdering difficulty!

Edit: I've qualified on rank 3 stage 4 despite a death and a bomb on Easy, and qualified on Arcade for rank 2 after multiple bombs, so the requirements seem to be looser than I expected, especially on later stages. C-type at rank 4 is rather nasty even on Easy difficulty, and I'm not sure I want to get rank with S-type anymore

[Aisha]

Maybe it just needs more exposure, and maybe a PV or a couple of good-quality videos showcasing impressive replays.

Here is the replay where I qualified on Area 2: https://dl.dropbox.com/s/o8z54aw0anqrmuv/replay09.dat Looking at it now, I'm not sure what I did right. I think it was a terrible Area 2 (and overall run, but I stopped caring in Area 3), where not only did I get hit during the stage, but I missed a great Counter Burst Mode opportunity against the boss; I wanted to go Assault -> Raid -> Ethereal Shift/CBM -> Delayed Shift, but my fingers wouldn't let me. My best overall score was 1.162 billion on a game-over at the last boss on Arcade, but that was on version 1.09 so it doesn't count anymore.

At any rate, 1.20A is out now. TRIS-GRAM wrote that it might take a while for DLSite to update it. I'm actually not sure how people who bought it from DLSite can get the update. Among the bug-fixes, he seems to have lowered the requirements for S-Type qualification. He also put a digital version of the C81 soundtrack up for sale, which I'm about to buy...

[Aliquantic]

I can't record videos for this game (insufficient CPU), or I'd try my hand at it... I haven't seen much from our Japanese masters either for 1.00.

And thanks for the replay, I'm not quite sure what you did to score so much there either, but with the lowered requirements now it shouldn't be too bad. By the way, has TRIS-GRAM said anything about online leaderboards recently? I remember it was a planned feature a while ago and it'd be pretty great.

(C-type normal rank 2 clear at 1.2b something, and I'm at 1b something on Arcade with S-type pre-patch. I'm starting to warm up to C-type and it's not that much harder than S-type now that I've found the handy Accelerator Drive thing. Rank is still a pain though especially on 4, but thankfully you can opt out)

[Aisha]

I was thinking about the online scoreboards a few days ago but I haven't seen TRIS-GRAM mention anything about it. On the game's homepage though, there's an empty space in the navigation area at the top, so maybe online ranking is coming...

Speaking of Japanese players, here's a video of someone getting 200 million in Area 1 with S-Type on Normal difficulty. He gets Qualified, obviously.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm18088970

My best for that stage is still 116 million, but on Arcade, and that isn't enough. The biggest difference between what he does and what I do, besides him using the 13-year old, is the way he handles the opening of the stage, before the first yellow crystal. I also wonder if his use of Overdrives takes into account the remainder of the game or if he used them so liberally because his goal was just to get Qualified in Area 1.

EDIT: Have you encountered any hidden bosses anywhere on Rank 4? Also, can you rank up after Area 5?

[Aliquantic]

No hidden bosses as such, no, though you do get the ancient 0.22 patterns when they exist, and I don't know how 4-EX works. It's unlocked in training for me for stage 5 only, but it shows up as regular rank 4 in-game. I've not seen the TLB or got a formal rank up after stage 5 either.

I like that guy's route for stage 1, it's much more elegant than mine and better executed. It's nice to have confirmation that you can use Overdrive liberally and qualify still too! The Lightning girl does help a lot with scoring in my experience since she's biased towards ES, I don't think you could get the critical two ES phases before the midboss with the wide shot. I'm going to try and replicate that now...

[Aisha]

It might be possible. I usually trigger ES at the first yellow crystal, and DS at the second. If I use ES at the first part of the stage, then ES might have time to recharge during the DS between the first two yellow crystals.

I don't really know how he gets such a high Combo Bonus against those four enemies at the beginning though. He locks onto them, triggers Overdrive, triggers Assault, and while Assault is in progress, he uses Blade on the lowest enemy. Regardless of which character I use, that only gives me a Combo Bonus of ~30000. Maybe it just takes more finesse than I'm thinking.. He's also on Story Mode, so his accessories might have something to do with it.

[Aliquantic]

I've replicated this guy's early combo boost with Lightning girl on Rule mode (Normal). It seems relativley finicky though, what I try to do is lock-on everything right as I activate Overdrive and then blade the middle of the pack. I usually get between 60 and 80k, but I once managed a whooping 170k!

A better way potentially is to bomb and then blade one of them for massive overkill (I hit 270k), which allows you to easily rack up the coins. I actually did better than the video like that until I decided to completely blow the second half of the stage, but still made 179m. I didn't qualify though, so I don't know if you're allowed to bomb at all on Normal to quality for rank 1, or if I just didn't score enough yet.

And the combo value affects the number of coins you get rather dramatically, it's around twice as much at 200k compared to a typical 40k. So raising up the chain meter ASAP still seems to be as key as it was in 0.30, and Lightning girl has an advantage there again. Using big level 3 counters is also key to get coins early on, and it's easy to get an automatic level 3 right after a Raid and such.

I think we could write a reasonably solid ST now!

Edit: Okay 235m and change on stage 1 Normal now with a bomb and QUALIFIED. 1.475b Normal rank 1 clear, I failed to rank up some more though.

[Aisha]

A basic ST is doable, but for depth, there are still a lot of unknown details like rank requirements across all of the difficulties and stages; coin requirements for jewel class upgrades across all of the difficulties and stages; the affect jewel class has on score; hidden boss requirements; a complete accessory list plus translation (do new accessories still get unlocked via gameplay in 1.20+?); and so on and so forth. I'm only thinking S-Type here too; I'm sure C-Type has its own mysteries as well.

I still don't have the hang of the Area 1 Combo Bonus trick, but I haven't really practiced much. I wish you didn't have to use a bomb though. I blame Touhou.

Have you managed to figure anything out regarding Dantalion's (Area 6 boss) final pattern?

[Aliquantic]

I think it's much easier to use the bomb trick rather than the overdrive trick personally, but I'm using Lightning girl who easily gets overkill... with her you don't really need it even if you wait until the first Raid enemy to raise the chain value, but I have no idea how to really score with Lumilene I play with Autoguard off though, so even with the generous death bomb window (it seems larger than in Touhou), I'm going to die with bombs in stock anyway!

For the area 6 final pattern, it's partly luck dependent for me, but make sure you're in powered up somehow before it starts. DS and ES work quite well, and the boss is extra vulnerable on its first couple phases. It's possible to take it down in one second with good positioning, but usually I do have to dodge a few waves. Replay of my Normal rank 1 clear if you're curious, it's pretty bad outside of stage 1 but I do a relatively speedy kill of that Dantalion's final: 1.20a replay

Oh, something fishy: on S-type Normal rank 1, I got two extends, one of the stage 5 last big turret thing, and the other one on the second stage 7 midboss. I only get the stage 7 one extend on rank 0, and in C-Type ranks 2 or 4 runs, I got no extends whatsoever! (I get the stage 7 one on rank 0) So odd. I shudder at the thought of having to run a score table for this game, between Story/Rule, C/S, two characters, autoguard on/off, six difficulties, and five levels of rank

[Aisha]

I can't pull the Overdrive method off at all. The timing on it seems to be really strict -- you probably only have a few frames with which to work with, and it's harder to get up close to hit them with Blade on higher difficulties as well. The bomb method is easy and I can routinely pull it off with Lemulene for at least a 120,000 Combo Bonus. My highest is about 187,000, but it's really hard to get anywhere close to that. (I wish I saved a replay...)

Slightly damaging the four Poniard enemies with your shot before doing the bomb trick might increase the Combo Bonus a little more since less damage would be wasted on their above-0 health. I also noticed that if you wait a little, two more Poniards descend on the screen for a total of six, so it might be more lucrative to let all of them appear before doing the bomb trick; on the other hand, this delay may prevent the ES from ending before the first yellow crystal.

In Rule Mode, your Azerlete's Blade is only about 200-300 points higher than my Lemulene's, so the difference between the two characters, at least for the opening segment of Area 1, is probably coming from their bombs. Azerlete's is either a lot stronger, or just more concentrated so less of the damage is wasted.

Oh, something fishy: on S-type Normal rank 1, I got two extends, one of the stage 5 last big turret thing, and the other one on the second stage 7 midboss. I only get the stage 7 one extend on rank 0, and in C-Type ranks 2 or 4 runs, I got no extends whatsoever! (I get the stage 7 one on rank 0) So odd. I shudder at the thought of having to run a score table for this game, between Story/Rule, C/S, two characters, autoguard on/off, six difficulties, and five levels of rank

As far as I know, you have to destroy both Plant midbosses within their respective time limits in order to qualify for the extend. You can destroy them after their time limits run down, but doing so won't reveal the extend. If you're defeating the Plants within their time limits and the extend is still not appearing, then maybe it's a bug? It would seem odd to exclude the extend on some ranks.

As for the score tables, don't forget the accessories being worn, character level, and which stats have been increased with 忌晶右. (Need to figure out how to write this in English.)

[Aliquantic]

With Lumilene I get in the 150-200k range too with a bomb, the only trick I can give is try to blade multiple enemies at the same time and fire the bomb at pointblank range. Azerlene's bomb lasts longer and deals a lot more damage in a focused way, so it's going to be superior in those scenarios (it's amazing on Raid enemies) and it's not hard to hit 400k or 500k occasionally with a bit of luck. Lumilene may fare better in later stages though since frequent DS use is so good, though.

I really can't get anywhere on stages 3 and 4 for scoring though, even just getting Diamonds at a useful time is hard. Vexing. I think I'll wait for a Japanese replay to X-COPY

The stage 7 extend definitely didn't appear after destroying both stage 7 midbosses well within time, but I did use the bullet clearer, so that might be the requirement? Either that, or TRIS-GRAM thinks C-Type is much easier than S-Type for survival (I disagree!). I need to check if I can get the stage 5 extend with C-Type too... I really need extends in this game.