Where the Darius Love at?

[davyK]

I've played the Saturn port using the game's autofire (with the rank bug) and with the JP stick with turbo. I've 1CCed the Saturn port both ways - deathless using the stick and turbo. Have managed deathless 1CCs on Saturn (with turbo stick) and with MAME with auto switched on.

I was just playing for survival and a deathless run, taking the easy route and quick boss kills so I'm probably not in a position to notice. But if you are using the Saturn port and want to use autofire it's best to the JP stick's turbo feature as that will increase the rank.

But if you don't get hit and get yourself powered up to the orange wave and 2 white shots, with auto or turbo, staying to the easy path (A-B-D-H-L-Q-V) and going for quick boss kills, then Gaiden isn't that hard to 1CC. You won't even need to bomb that often. Neon Light Illusion in level H should be your first place to bomb (1 or 2 if you can dodge some patterns) and you might want to spam the final boss if it gets a bit nasty. I've done that at 55 years of age. So I'd expect most people to be able to manage that.

I intend to return to the game now that I have a deathless 1CC and take on the more difficult routes and see all the final bosses.

[Bassa-Bassa]

The way the rank increases on the arcade version is every time the shot button is pressed.

And it's as retarded as it sounds, while we're at it. Second only to Battle Garegga's.


@davyK, Mame runs MD Darius fine as far as I can tell, but keep in mind I use Groovymame, where video sync is managed differently to other emulators. If you have an RGB CRT, how come you don't have a Groovymame PC for it? You can use all the other MD emulators as well in 15khz with it!

[Rastan78]

Nice job on the V clear davyk. If you're looking for another manageable clear you might be surprised how doable ABDHMSY is with auto. Here's a demonstration that shows just how fast you can burn through Odious Trident at max rank if you stay one level below full power all the way.

https://youtu.be/QICydhsrl6U

Of course that method leaves behind 10 (yes he has 10!) destructible parts, so if you want those you have to learn to dodge everything straight up. Zone M Titanic Lance is similar and can be cheesed out along this route if you're looking for a relatively simple no miss clear. Zone S gets a little hairy at certain places so that might be a good place to let a bomb rip. Ive even heard one Japanese player say this is the easiest route for a beginner. Of course playing without auto or playing for max score it's much more difficult. Even though DG playthroughs last around 20 mins, a WR tier autofire score ending in Zone Y (ACEHMSY is the high scoring route) takes almost 45.

@Bassa, yeah DG has a rank system that is almost identical to Garegga on paper. One big difference though is that DG rank completely maxes out at a point where the game is still very playable.

[davyK]

Nice job on the V clear davyk. If you're looking for another manageable clear you might be surprised how doable ABDHMSY is with auto. Here's a demonstration that shows just how fast you can burn through Odious Trident at max rank if you stay one level below full power all the way.

https://youtu.be/QICydhsrl6U

Of course that method leaves behind 10 (yes he has 10!) destructible parts, so if you want those you have to learn to dodge everything straight up. Zone M Titanic Lance is similar and can be cheesed out along this route if you're looking for a relatively simple no miss clear. Zone S gets a little hairy at certain places so that might be a good place to let a bomb rip. Ive even heard one Japanese player say this is the easiest route for a beginner. Of course playing without auto or playing for max score it's much more difficult. Even though DG playthroughs last around 20 mins, a WR tier autofire score ending in Zone Y (ACEHMSY is the high scoring route) takes almost 45.

@Bassa, yeah DG has a rank system that is almost identical to Garegga on paper. One big difference though is that DG rank completely maxes out at a point where the game is still very playable.

Nice! Cheers. All this talk of Gaiden has made me want to get into it again.

[davyK]

@davyK, Mame runs MD Darius fine as far as I can tell, but keep in mind I use Groovymame, where video sync is managed differently to other emulators. If you have an RGB CRT, how come you don't have a Groovymame PC for it? You can use all the other MD emulators as well in 15khz with it!

It's only a domestic TV I have with RGB SCART or composite in. Not sure if that will work? (Know nothing about CRT monitors even though I used one in work with my PC for years but I assume they work at variable refresh rates?)

[Bassa-Bassa]

Any RGB TV will do, yeah, but it's always convenient that you can control the pictures geometry somehow, usually through a service menu, if it's from the mid-90s onwards. Groovymame will let you modify most geometry aspects (not all), anyway, so this won't be a problem in any case until you explore the oddest video modes (of Irem M72 games and the likes).

And any CRT will work with variable refresh, of course. A VGA PC monitor won't let you go under 31khz, though, so many people force them to display 240p at 120hz, which can get a bit more complicated to set and more importantly, result in a not too natural picture with the dark lines excessively visible.

Anybody who went through the process of configuring a Groovymame PC will tell you it was worth it despite the dedication it requires initially. Having a CRT, you'll end up building one sooner or later (though there're people that sell them ready to use, look around).

[davyK]

Interesting. I have gone into the engineer menu trying to adjust overscan slightly but I was paranoid about screwing things up.

[davyK]

Strictly Limited have offered me a refund after the 2nd Darius Extra Version cart failed. Feel sad. Looks like I have to give up on this. Such a lovely port too. And I know it will only go up in price if I ever get another console.

Not sure what to do - keep it on the shelf and let it appreciate? But only if I was certain the game was OK.

[bkenobi80]

Strictly Limited have offered me a refund after the 2nd Darius Extra Version cart failed. Feel sad. Looks like I have to give up on this. Such a lovely port too. And I know it will only go up in price if I ever get another console.

Not sure what to do - keep it on the shelf and let it appreciate? But only if I was certain the game was OK.

I have the same problem but it happens on the first stage. A work around that works for me is to use a game genie. Don’t put in any codes, just use it like a signal cleaner. I was having the illegal instruction issue on the main game modes and a different error on the boss rush mode. Using a game genie fixed both. I have a VA0 US Model 2 for reference.

[davyK]

Strictly Limited have offered me a refund after the 2nd Darius Extra Version cart failed. Feel sad. Looks like I have to give up on this. Such a lovely port too. And I know it will only go up in price if I ever get another console.

Not sure what to do - keep it on the shelf and let it appreciate? But only if I was certain the game was OK.

I have the same problem but it happens on the first stage. A work around that works for me is to use a game genie. Don’t put in any codes, just use it like a signal cleaner. I was having the illegal instruction issue on the main game modes and a different error on the boss rush mode. Using a game genie fixed both. I have a VA0 US Model 2 for reference.

Weird - wonder if it's to do with the edge connector. I tried lodging some card in with the cart in case it was that but it made no difference. When it crashes in the demo it throws garbage up on the screen which is what you get sometimes when a cart isn't seated properly.

The game crashes on the first stage if I start the game. The previous cart crashed in the 2nd stage!! Also with this cart the demo crashes but the first cart was fine in demo!

[Rastan78]

Looks like IMO is streaming a Darius event now:

https://youtu.be/NNsG1DRA5r8

Let's get some Western viewers on the stream!

Edit: it's a Darius relay event, but looking at the archived stream from yesterday there's not much gameplay shown. Too bad bc it looks to have had some good players running the whole series, even G Darius ver. 2. Maybe the gameplay will show up later or is viewable on another stream?

Edit: ok here we go. This stream has DBACEX 4 player going on now.

https://youtu.be/akKpNRClEDk

[copy-paster]

These days I've been trying to clear 26 boss mode all zones clear in Extra MD, got 3 of 7 routes cleared yet been streaming it on my Twitch.

I beat the "Old Version" with "Arcade" boss type on easy (using Tiat) without dying, and I unlocked an option called "Hyper Arm," which allows you to choose between "Arcade Type" and "Hit Narrow." Not sure what this does yet (something to do with the shield hitbox maybe?), but it's there.

I just noticed this option today and still no idea what does that mean, anyone have idea? I think it's unlocked if you beat the game once.

[Klatrymadon]

In Darius, your hitbox increases in size when you collect a shield, and it changes again when your shield has one hit left, so the "Hit Narrow" option probably lets you keep that 'last hit' hitbox regardless of your shield's condition. (I play the MD Extra Version a lot but haven't actually tested this option out, so I could be talking outta my ass.)

[Sengoku Strider]

In Darius, your hitbox increases in size when you collect a shield, and it changes again when your shield has one hit left, so the "Hit Narrow" option probably lets you keep that 'last hit' hitbox regardless of your shield's condition. (I play the MD Extra Version a lot but haven't actually tested this option out, so I could be talking outta my ass.)

Anecdotally, I have no real experience with the arcade version, but I felt like your shield's hitbox was smaller relative to other Darius games, or shooters of the early 90s in general. I was constantly amazed at how many times I successfully managed to shoot a gap with all of the chaos happening on screen. I wonder if that might have been a compromise to even out the lack of extra monitors?

But I also could be entirely off base here too.

[copy-paster]

So the default setting set to Hit Narrow then, I change to Arcade Type and felt like nothing changed hahah not that it matters.

[copy-paster]

28 zones: CONQUERED
7 routes clear: GET
all 26 unique fishes : GET
Screenshot of Final bosses got demolished

At last I get this Darius Extra Version MD goal, this is proof that I love the game was fun doing it all for 7 days, all recorded on stream you could check the drama and shit on my twitch (before it's expired, too lazy to make a VOD )

[Rastan78]

I never really got why they used the name Darius "Cozmic" Collection. At one point during development of the first Darius a company survey tentatively arrived at the title "Cozmo."

It's hard to imagine playing Cozmo Gaiden and G-Cozmo today lol

[BEAMLORD]

Just be thankful we didn't end up with Dariuspolitan, Rastan.

[Rastan78]

Other names high on the list were Variant, Xistar, Vigor, Erfolg, and my favorite . . . wait for it . . . Wagnis.

We could've had Wagnisburst CS

[BEAMLORD]

Looking at those, we lucked out big time

[SavagePencil]

Just reading that makes my wagnis hurt

[Rastan78]

There were some others funny ones in the survey like "Xanx" "Three Monitor Challenge" and "Deth Planet Dekaralu."

[Rastan78]

And somehow all of those are still better than Drainus, which I'm going to refer to as Drainusburst from now on.

[Klatrymadon]

Haha, what's the source for those names? I still haven't got around to reading the Odyssey books, so apologies if the naming japes are detailed there.

[velo]

I never really got why they used the name Darius "Cozmic" Collection. At one point during development of the first Darius a company survey tentatively arrived at the title "Cozmo."

It's hard to imagine playing Cozmo Gaiden and G-Cozmo today lol

Don't they mostly take place in our solar system? Not so "cosmic" if you ask me.

[BrianC]

It's hard to imagine playing Cozmo Gaiden and G-Cozmo today lol

Especially since Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure is a DOS platform game that has nothing to do with Darius.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Today I learned there was a planned XBox360 port of Dariusburst AC that would have featured a new pilot: Ivry Hadd. Ivry was namedropped in a single line of mission dialogue in the alternate route of one of the Chronicle Saviours stages but eventually became a fully realised character in the recent Alice Gear Aegis crossover.

Source 1
Source 2

[Rastan78]

@Klatrymadon, yeah the Odyssey book. SLG found some stock of the PS4 Cozmic collector's edition so I was able to get one at the original retail price. I normally don't go in for that kind of thing. Got sucked in by the now or never FOMO. I really wish they just sold those books on the side without all the doodads since I really don't care about the other stuff.

Another naming thing that I found when doing some deep diving, and I don't think I'll remember the source for sure, is that Gaiden was going to be called Silver Hawk. There was some copyright problem that prevented that. It seems they wanted to stay as far away from Darius III as possible fearing a backlash about having switched to a standard single screen cab.

[Klatrymadon]

@Rastan, oh, I can't judge you for that - dumbass here has more than one Limited Edition copy of both the Cozmic Collection and Cozmic Revelation, and has almost finished a collection of all of the cover variants of the original Odyssey book.

That's really interesting about the Silver Hawk name, and it seems plausible - it still forms part of the title screen, and has been unofficially taken as the game's subtitle for years (at least in MAME etc). There's an old 'coming soon'-type arcade flyer with some screenshots and the Darius III logo on it, and if I remember correctly the III was only completely dropped a few weeks before release!

[BrianC]

Another naming thing that I found when doing some deep diving, and I don't think I'll remember the source for sure, is that Gaiden was going to be called Silver Hawk. There was some copyright problem that prevented that.

Could the copyright issues be becuase of a certain cartoon from the same people who did the Thunder Cats (Silver Hawks)?