M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

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mats_j
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by mats_j »

Playing this on Switch and really enjoying it. I’m using a joycon with a more proper d-pad and it’s working pretty nice in portable mode.

One question: I’ve set ZR and ZL as “restart” to quick load game states, and it works fine on TV but doesn’t seem to work in portable. Does anybody know why?
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Strider77
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Strider77 »

So does this really have more input lag on Switch (along with the other titles mentioned here)? When I say that I mean beyond folks feeling that it does... has it been confirmed in any meaningful measurable way?
Damn Tim, you know there are quite a few Americans out there who still lives in tents due to this shitty economy, and you're dropping loads on a single game which only last 20 min. Do you think it's fair? How much did you spend this time?
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Naiera
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Naiera »

Got my copy Sunday. I don't think that's ever happened before, but considering the price I paid (AMJ price, taxes and DHL shipping), I think it's only fair :p
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Xyga
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Xyga »

My PA order has been "ready for shipment" since the 19th, no updates since... :?
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evil_ash_xero
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by evil_ash_xero »

Am I missing something, or is there no rapid fire for normal shot? That seems odd, as all the Galuda games (and all CAVE ports) have that option. I know you can turn on some kind of rapid for the power shot, but I'm talking about the normal shot. I have to "tap tap tap" all the time. Granted, I probably do better that way, but the option would be...nice and expected.

Also, can anyone give a rundown of the visual changes? I'm too lazy to go back and forth. Looks like the first boss has some extra stuff going on. I've noticed things here and there. Extra graffiti. Some light stuff going on stage 4. That Alice chick. Is the last boss more... animated, than before?
Pretty intense voice acting. :lol:
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Zaarock
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Zaarock »

evil_ash_xero wrote:Am I missing something, or is there no rapid fire for normal shot? That seems odd, as all the Galuda games (and all CAVE ports) have that option. I know you can turn on some kind of rapid for the power shot, but I'm talking about the normal shot. I have to "tap tap tap" all the time. Granted, I probably do better that way, but the option would be...nice and expected.
ESP Ra.De. has no autofire button which is rare for cave games. But the port lets you add autofire to any mapped buttons, press square to change the rate (same with all other M2 shottriggers). I recommend setting a shot button to 10hz, it already fires at the fastest rate and 30hz will make you stuck in focus movement if there's a lot of slowdown.

The power shot rapid lets you shoot some low-gauge shots if you hold the button. I saw some speculation that it's bad to use but you need to hold it for a good while to trigger the alternate shot, I don't see how you'd do it on accident.
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by neontropics »

Both my PlayAsia PS4 Limited Edition and Amazon.jp Switch copies of the game arrived!

It is pretty glorious. The Arcade Challenge part is a game-changer for shmups and means you have fun, targeted practice and a constant sense of progression. Especially with a new online leaderboard to test yourself against as well - I got ~#500 on Arcade Plus just doing a bad run until Stage 2 Boss, definitely gonna get at least a stage further in the coming days. It also helps that the game is significantly easier than Ketsui (which also had Arcade Challenge) and Garegga - the Ketsui release was awesome but that game is just too difficult for newcomers whereas this feels very achievable.

Also the game is just really fun and has some of my favorite shmup graphics. I like the old soundtrack but the new arranged one cleaned it up and made it catchier. Scoring seems really fun, especially now that boss-milking is supposedly gone in the Arcade Plus mode.

Really hoping for Batsugun in the future what-with the Toaplan news, and even something like Mushihimesama Futari Black Label would be great in this setting if a bit redundant.
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by zakk »

The PCB didn't have main shot autofire, but you can set any button to rapid fire in the port (with different rapid speeds).

When you're configuring controls set a button to the main shot and then hit either square or triangle (I can't remember which). It'll cycle through various rapid fire rates
evil_ash_xero wrote:Am I missing something, or is there no rapid fire for normal shot? That seems odd, as all the Galuda games (and all CAVE ports) have that option. I know you can turn on some kind of rapid for the power shot, but I'm talking about the normal shot. I have to "tap tap tap" all the time. Granted, I probably do better that way, but the option would be...nice and expected.

Also, can anyone give a rundown of the visual changes? I'm too lazy to go back and forth. Looks like the first boss has some extra stuff going on. I've noticed things here and there. Extra graffiti. Some light stuff going on stage 4. That Alice chick. Is the last boss more... animated, than before?
Pretty intense voice acting. :lol:
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6t8k
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by 6t8k »

Having great fun with the game :)

It's the first time I'm playing ESP Ra.De. beyond a few trial credits - the difficulty seems just right for my current liking and the scoring system, from what I gather so far, seems relatively straightforward.

Just in time I got used to maru accepting and batsu backing out/forfeiting things¹, they changed around the functions of the 〇 and X buttons in menus, as compared to (all?) previous ShotTriggers releases. Interesting choice.

¹ that actually makes more sense compared to the western pattern if you think about the iconography, which was my mnemonic. now it's just haphazard.
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StarCreator
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by StarCreator »

The PS4 version seems to obey the console hardware region when determining whether X or O is confirm rather than just hardcording it. This has been an option for PS4 software since day one, but is almost never used.

Even more rare is software that tries to do it both ways and you end up with both buttons doing both simultaneously, resulting in unnavigable menus.
Last edited by StarCreator on Tue Dec 24, 2019 5:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Radiant
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Radiant »

can you switch the menu etc. to englisch or is it jp only?
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by scrilla4rella »

96’ to 99’ really is peak STG (and Cave) for me. Nothing will surpass it.

I had a blast playing ESP Ra. De over the weekend. I’m just sticking with arcade mode and limiting myself to 1 credit, for now. I’ll check out the other modes after I make it to the last stage.

One thing I’ve been doing a bunch, that I almost never do in other shooters, is rotating through all of the different characters. I almost always pick one character/ship and play it exclusively. But with ESP I fuck with them all. No favorites so far, they’re all fun. A lot of this is no doubt due to the excellent character design and art direction. Great stuff, before Cave went full moe.

I also like how Cave chose to vary the level order based on the character selected. It’s a great way to add variety while still keeping it easy for the player to train for. I sometimes get annoyed with Psikyo’s random level order or with how in Batrider the order changes based on player performance but ESP does it right.

Also the bonus strategy guide (I think it was an Amazon exclusive) is really well written and fun to read. Just a great package all around. Much better than the Ketsui’s feellies IMO
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Wittischism »

First run from play asia got guides, too. The two switch copies I got (one for me and one for a friend) came with tbem.
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by CloudyMusic »

Radiant wrote:can you switch the menu etc. to englisch or is it jp only?
No, JP only, at least for now.
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6t8k
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by 6t8k »

@StarCreator: aha, thanks for clearing that up! Makes a bit more sense this way as there's no difference for JPN players then. It's obviously a well-meant feature, but it would be nice if they could harmonize it across ShotTriggers releases via updates. As it stands it's kind of an improvement for the worse, hah.

Reached 4.6M/244th place in Arcade+ mode, that'll do for today :mrgreen:
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by evil_ash_xero »

Interesting info about the autofire thing. But from what I am understanding, I would not be able to have one button as rapid, and then one as normal? The way it's set up, I can only have it rapid or not? I usually like to have two buttons for that. One to autofire, and then the other button to slow me down, or (in other games) power shot.
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by zakk »

You can assign the same input to multiple buttons no problem, and the auto fire is per physical button not per 'game input'.

So just assign primary shot to (as an example) triangle and X. Then activate auto fire on triangle and leave X as is.

evil_ash_xero wrote:Interesting info about the autofire thing. But from what I am understanding, I would not be able to have one button as rapid, and then one as normal? The way it's set up, I can only have it rapid or not? I usually like to have two buttons for that. One to autofire, and then the other button to slow me down, or (in other games) power shot.
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Strider77
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Strider77 »

Does anyone know what the patch does (PS4 port)?

Is there a patch up for the Switch version also?
Damn Tim, you know there are quite a few Americans out there who still lives in tents due to this shitty economy, and you're dropping loads on a single game which only last 20 min. Do you think it's fair? How much did you spend this time?
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Kiken
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Kiken »

My Switch LE finally arrived this morning so I've been able to toss in several credits.
Strider77 wrote:Is there a patch up for the Switch version also?
The Switch version updates to ver 1.0.1 when you first play it.
XtraSmiley wrote:What is the "lag reduction" option mean? How does that work?
It's essentially a WAIT Mode option (although a bit more complex). By default, it's enabled which causes the game to run slightly faster with smoother transitions in and out of slowdown. It tries to make the game maintain a far steadier framerate than the original PCB. Disabling this option brings back the original chunky peanutbutter slowdown of the PCB (or something close to it... the game still doesn't frame choke or flicker like the original PCB does). I didn't notice any real difference in input delay between enabled and disabled. If you've played the PCB a fair amount, you'll probably prefer to have this disabled.
Strider77 wrote:So does this really have more input lag on Switch (along with the other titles mentioned here)? When I say that I mean beyond folks feeling that it does... has it been confirmed in any meaningful measurable way?
I'm playing the Switch version using a custom build stick with a PCB from a Pokken Fighting Pad and the game feels pretty damn close to playing the PCB on a CRT. This port is definitely in the same boat as Raiden V, Caladrius Blaze, TF4 and others that are responsive. I guess next time StarCreator and I meet up, we can run comparisons.
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by el_rika »

So, does this version(s) play at the original 57.5 (with some tweaks to Vsync!?), or is the clasic speed up to 60?
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Logge1002 »

In the Esper room there is an arrange mode that let’s you cancel bullets with your special shot. Anybody know if there is a way to do that in custom mode for the whole game? Can’t find an option for it and would love to play this. Unfortunately in Esper room you can only play mission 5, 3 and 4 with this modifier.
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6t8k
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by 6t8k »

Strider77 wrote:Does anyone know what the patch does (PS4 port)?

Is there a patch up for the Switch version also?
Well, here are the patch notes. It's mostly related to Iori's room and how tickets are earned/things unlocked. On the Switch, it appears that a bug was fixed where your score would not make it onto the online leaderboards under certain circumstances. Furthermore, there's a patch related to Alice Master planned for Feb/Mar 2020.

Also I noticed that the aspect StarCreator illustrated, which to my knowledge is the first time a (JPN) ShotTriggers release does this, when interpreted generously might be another hint (in addition to the english-localized trophy list) that an english release might be forthcoming.
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by StarCreator »

Did they seriously not implement a free play mode? I know the PCB never had one but this is ridiculous...

I also can't seem to get the setting to play as 2P to work right. I set it, and reset the game, and I'm still 1P...
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Zaarock »

StarCreator wrote:Did they seriously not implement a free play mode? I know the PCB never had one but this is ridiculous...

I also can't seem to get the setting to play as 2P to work right. I set it, and reset the game, and I'm still 1P...
Set your controller to be P2. I think it was by pushing triangle on the controller menu. The options setting changes the pad to be P2 by default on booting the game. Same deal if you want to play Player 2 in Ketsui and others.
Maybe a free play mode could have unintended consequences like how Ketsui free play causes additional slowdown even on PCB (because of joining text for other player etc.)
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by Sara »

At least they give us more credits than the measly default 2 though... I guess that's better than nothing. :\
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by zakk »

StarCreator wrote:Did they seriously not implement a free play mode? I know the PCB never had one but this is ridiculous...

I also can't seem to get the setting to play as 2P to work right. I set it, and reset the game, and I'm still 1P...

Is it time gated? At least one of the other ports didn't allow you to set free play until a certain amount of play time. The option was hidden until you reached that point. And this port does that silly thing where it limits your max credits but increases that limit over time.
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by it290 »

Are there any good options out there for joy-con substitutes that work with the flip grip? I've been playing that way in tate so far, but the joy-con buttons/analog stick suck for shmups and I'd kill just to be able to use my Hori controller here. So far I'm dealing by using a bluetooth controller but I'd rather have the screen close to my face. The only options I see are those full case replacements or the dpad overlays that go over the original joy-con buttons which both kind of suck.
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by evil_ash_xero »

zakk wrote:You can assign the same input to multiple buttons no problem, and the auto fire is per physical button not per 'game input'.

So just assign primary shot to (as an example) triangle and X. Then activate auto fire on triangle and leave X as is.

evil_ash_xero wrote:Interesting info about the autofire thing. But from what I am understanding, I would not be able to have one button as rapid, and then one as normal? The way it's set up, I can only have it rapid or not? I usually like to have two buttons for that. One to autofire, and then the other button to slow me down, or (in other games) power shot.
Thanks for the info. I'll try it out.
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StarCreator
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Re: M2 ShotTriggers: ESP rade

Post by StarCreator »

zakk wrote:Is it time gated? At least one of the other ports didn't allow you to set free play until a certain amount of play time. The option was hidden until you reached that point. And this port does that silly thing where it limits your max credits but increases that limit over time.
I think that would be new for this release if so, because I've unlocked free play in every other ShotTriggers release by suiciding through 7 or 8 credits as quickly as possible.
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