Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

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d0s
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by d0s »

Yeah, imo this is how you do a "retro throwback" game right if you absolutely have to. No twee hipster bullshit, spritework that actually looks like a game from back in the day stylistically, gameplay that you'd expect from a game that looks like this, and killer FM music that doesn't sound like a NES or gameboy. Huge props to Picorinne Soft for doing it right for people who really want new games that are like the games they grew up playing.

Personally I'd like to see a game with more modern graphics (think crimzon clover) but the same general visual theme and 90's arcade STG gameplay. I wish all throwbacks didn't have to look like throwbacks, but I'll take this.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by MathU »

I hope someone will be courteous enough to give a direct answer to my simple question some day. I love IREM, Image Fight, and charge shots and this game looked like it was going to be right up my alley. Will buy it in a heartbeat if it doesn't have DRM.
Of course, that's just an opinion.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by d0s »

MathU wrote:I hope someone will be courteous enough to give a direct answer to my simple question some day. I love IREM, Image Fight, and charge shots and this game looked like it was going to be right up my alley. Will buy it in a heartbeat if it doesn't have DRM.
holy shit take a hint
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by MathU »

What are you afraid of?
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by Observer »

MathU wrote:I hope someone will be courteous enough to give a direct answer to my simple question some day. I love IREM, Image Fight, and charge shots and this game looked like it was going to be right up my alley. Will buy it in a heartbeat if it doesn't have DRM.
From what I see, Sangetto apparently has a retail version with a Steam key included. (So I assume it's a disc with the game DRM free and the Steam key, a lot of doujin devs are doing this with their releases, like Revolver 360). I'll try to purchase it to see how that goes. Otherwise, nope, the only other place to get it is on Steam itself.

http://www.3-get.com/index.php?main_pag ... ts_id=3625

Seems the guy also has Infinos2 from the same dev. (Yep, it's just a guy handling the doujin store, one hell of a crazy guy.)

Come on, people, be civil. I like my shit DRM-free too whenever it's possible.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by MathU »

Well it's one thing to only be downloadable via Steam key (which is still a problem), but what I really want to know is whether or not the game can physically be run without Steam in the background. As in, does it use Steam's crappy DRM scheme?

Thanks for not being a dick, Observer.
Of course, that's just an opinion.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by Observer »

MathU wrote:Well it's one thing to only be downloadable via Steam key (which is still a problem), but what I really want to know is whether or not the game can physically be run without Steam in the background. As in, does it use Steam's crappy DRM scheme?

Thanks for not being a dick, Observer.
As I mentioned, unfortunately, the only way to know is to order and find out what comes inside the case. Usually, every retail doujin release is DRM-free. That's how I got The Hurrican of Varstray, Sound of Drop and some of the Touhou schmukmups when I bought them at Tora No Ana in January. If you have some cash to burn and don't mind waiting for shipping, I think it can pay off. (I'm a doujin game collector myself so I have a bunch of physical doujin shmup releases around... actually way too many, lol.)

This game in particular looks like it's made with STG Builder. I'm not quite sure that allows for full integration with Steam either (that means no DRM implementation either) so it's a matter of someone opening the exe with Steam offline to check it out. If the game runs, that means you can buy it and make a backup to play around: http://steamcommunity.com/app/444710/di ... 8153515659

Going back to the game itself, how is this one difficulty wise? I may pick it in the weekend if Deathsmiles keeps crushing me hard...
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by EmperorIng »

Trying to run the .exe automatically boots up steam even when Steam is closed, so I think you might be out of luck with the Steam release. I don't know if the doujin release is different.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by d0s »

Observer wrote: Going back to the game itself, how is this one difficulty wise? I may pick it in the weekend if Deathsmiles keeps crushing me hard...
Difficulty feels more like a console STG of the 90's than an arcade game, it should be challenging for people not used to the genre but pretty damn simple if you're playing arcade shooters constantly. It's still a nice experience though and worth it for the visuals, music and slick oldschool gameplay. If you don't care about that sort of thing and just want something you can really spend time trying to clear this is probably not for you.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by Observer »

Ah, I see. Well, I've been playing a lot of Zangeki Warp in between my sessions of Eschatos and Dariusburst CS Mode so I wouldn't mind another "old school" respite.

So it doesn't kid around with the feelings of yore, huh. Good to hear that.

Ditto on the Steam version! It's a shame because if you can't integrate it with Steamworks what's the point... (Or at least make Steam cards to justify it.) Ah, well. I may hunt down the retail version just in case. Best of both worlds. May pick it up when I go to Japan hopefully later in the year.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

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Observer wrote:It's a shame because if you can't integrate it with Steamworks what's the point...
What does this add? Serious question, I don't really play many PC games
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by cave hermit »

I think it allows for steam leaderboards, but I'm not entirely sure.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by Observer »

The full Steamworks package allows for, as mentioned above: leaderboards, achievements and cloud-saving as well as tracking activations, keys and a bunch of stats for developers. The rest of the features can be added but don't really require Steam to be on, like cards (there is a whole market for these, but obviously Steam is weeaboo land so anything that has "waifus" goes for more than the rest), full controller support (for Big Picture Mode use, which I use for "comfy couch" moments) or, if the engine allows it, the ability to use the Steam overlay for screenshots and other social nonsense. (Well, it's not so nonsensical if you have a massive friendlist and you are posting videos and screenshots of the games you are playing and that in turn becomes digital word of mouth). You can also stream from Steam while you are playing and people can watch you, that one is very neat.


tl;dr, overall, it's mostly a set of features for devs -I feel they are more especially aimed to console devs and competitive games- that I guess makes them more comfortable developing for PC since they are "expected" a lot of the time to add further "perceived value" (notice all the "", it's all subjective). That is a discussion for another thread though so let's not derail this any further.

So, yep, you guys convinced me, I've wishlisted the game and will get it sooner rather than later. Tsukumo OST is like the icing of the cake!
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by blackoak »

I've given it a number of plays now. Not bad for what it is, but I'd a rather a few mid-difficult levels that are selectable a la Thunder Force, than having to replay the first 3 very easy levels again and again. Just kills my motivation to replay it. I mean, if there's no real scoring mechanics and no story/narrative, I don't see why not. I assume the easy levels are there to "ease in" new players, but I think they'd get adapted to it just as well via that variety of being able to choose between multiple harder stages off the bat.

Oh, and I'm playing on Hard. That gentle/somnolent difficulty curve is even worse on "Arcade" (standard) difficulty.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by Klatrymadon »

I'm liking the game, and since I haven't played any shmups properly for a long while I'm so incredibly rusty I've even died on the first stage several times.
Yeah, while this is certainly nowhere near as formidable and intimidating as Image Fight (which I cleared a couple of years ago), I'm not finding it as sedate or coddling as most people here have suggested. I'm only an hour in but I've been caught out by all sorts of things in the opening stages, nailing a no-miss only on my third or fourth attempts at them. I'm finding the difficulty level and pacing quite satisfying so far, and am looking forward to learning all of the later stages and moving onto Hard mode.

I dunno, maybe I've just lost some of my chops. :P
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by MarioNintendo »

The one thing I noticed about this game is that it does not save high scores... The way the game acts as an actual arcade game is great, but I could've happily lived without this "feature". :( (edit: oh, maybe that's simply because I updated the game?)

One thing I was wondering about, does collecting the same upgrade twice actually upgrades it, or not? I've tried testing this possibility, but my skills are not great enough yet to stay alive long enough.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by Ghegs »

MarioNintendo wrote:One thing I was wondering about, does collecting the same upgrade twice actually upgrades it, or not?
It doesn't.

And the game does save your high scores.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by Aisha »

MathU wrote:Well it's one thing to only be downloadable via Steam key (which is still a problem), but what I really want to know is whether or not the game can physically be run without Steam in the background. As in, does it use Steam's crappy DRM scheme?

Thanks for not being a dick, Observer.
My copy of Battle Crust from March Rabbit arrived and I can confirm that the package contains a Steam key and a DRM-free copy of the game on disc. First time I've seen a doujin circle do that so it kind of has me impressed. The disc version of the game runs without Steam coming up, but the Steam version needs the Steam client running.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Steam version has been updated several times, whereas I'm not seeing any patches for the disc version available for download anywhere on the developer's website or diary.

March Rabbit's stock of the game is getting low and who knows if there will be another reprint with it being available on Steam. Maybe it will wind up on Playism one day, like the developer's previous game.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by EXMaster »

FYI, the OST was released on Steam today.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/49315 ... 1_5_9__405

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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by FRO »

Yes, another necrothread bump, but somehow I missed out on this. I'm considering grabbing the DC version - anyone played that port yet, and have any impressions?
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by CMcK »

The DC version has just been released, I’m waiting for my copy to arrive. Looking forward to it.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by FRO »

CMcK wrote:The DC version has just been released, I’m waiting for my copy to arrive. Looking forward to it.
I watched Ser Flash play part of the DC port last night, and while I didn't get to see but a couple minutes, he had been playing for a little while prior to my joining the livestream. He says the DC port has some issues, and the PC/Steam version is the better option. I was disappointed to hear that, because I'd been looking forward to the DC release.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by CMcK »

That’s a shame but the DC port is my only option so I’ll just have to make the most of it.
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Re: Battle Crust (Picorinne Soft + Hyakutaro Tsukumo)

Post by Arino »

FRO wrote:He says the DC port has some issues, and the PC/Steam version is the better option.
Extremely disappointing. I would have asked if it's 240p on DC but I guess I don't need to know anymore.
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