RQ: Deathsmiles collecting skulls on A-1

[wasilewski]

Hi guys, I hope someone can help me with this!

I was watching this superplay of Deathsmiles -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61vUYQfQenI


At the end of level A-1, Halloween Town, the player has over 1000 skulls - how does he do that? I can only get an average of 300 +. I really have no idea where I'm going wrong.

Any help is much appreciated.

[CloudyMusic]

Forgive me if you already know the basics of Deathsmiles, but I might as well run down the fundamental stuff.

- Each enemy will drop more items if you destroy them with a certain kind of shot (which can also change depending on whether you're in fever mode or not). As a general rule, you could try starting with using rapid shot on small enemies and laser/lock on big ones, but in the end you just need to remember which is which. Here's a reference, but I don't think it's 100% complete. (For example, I know that small eyeballs should be killed using lock shot while in fever mode, but it doesn't say that.)

In Halloween Town in particular, the pig chefs should be killed with lock shot and the eyeballs should be killed with regular shot. The dogs and cyclopes should be killed with laser.

- In regular Deathsmiles, your counter will fill up more if you pick up the items before they hit the ground and break apart. (You still want to let the items break into skulls while in powerup mode for more points, however.)

[wasilewski]

Forgive me if you already know the basics of Deathsmiles, but I might as well run down the fundamental stuff.

- Each enemy will drop more items if you destroy them with a certain kind of shot (which can also change depending on whether you're in fever mode or not). As a general rule, you could try starting with using rapid shot on small enemies and laser/lock on big ones, but in the end you just need to remember which is which. Here's a reference, but I don't think it's 100% complete. (For example, I know that small eyeballs should be killed using lock shot while in fever mode, but it doesn't say that.)

In Halloween Town in particular, the pig chefs should be killed with lock shot and the eyeballs should be killed with regular shot. The dogs and cyclopes should be killed with laser.

- In regular Deathsmiles, your counter will fill up more if you pick up the items before they hit the ground and break apart. (You still want to let the items break into skulls while in powerup mode for more points, however.)

Thanks for the reply. I sort of know the basics, but I didn't know the additional info about killing certain enemies with certain shots.

I just registered at the cave-stg.com forum - it must have come back online as I remember it being talked about but it was offline previously.

I'll try what you have suggested. many thanks!

[CloudyMusic]

Yeah, that link worked when I made that post, but it no longer seems to? Here's a link to the Japanese DS wiki page for it; it seems like Google Translate works well enough on it.

[wasilewski]

Yeah, that link worked when I made that post, but it no longer seems to? Here's a link to the Japanese DS wiki page for it; it seems like Google Translate works well enough on it.

It didn't work for me but when I signed up for the cave-stg forum it then worked.

By the way, when you're in fever mode can you just laser all enemies and get the same amount of skull heads?

[CloudyMusic]

By the way, when you're in fever mode can you just laser all enemies and get the same amount of skull heads?

Some enemies' affinities change when you're in powerup mode. Most significantly, some Laser type enemies become Lock type instead. The only particularly important one that changes while in fever mode specifically (which means being powered up and having a +10,000 item value counter) are the eyeballs, which change to Lock type.

There are other differences when you're powered up: for example, tiny enemies that don't normally drop any items will drop skulls, but that doesn't depend on the shot type that you use, as far as I know. You also can leech skulls off of enemies as they're coming onscreen, but I'm not super versed on how that works because I play a character that's bad at doing that.

[wasilewski]

By the way, when you're in fever mode can you just laser all enemies and get the same amount of skull heads?

Some enemies' affinities change when you're in powerup mode. Most significantly, some Laser type enemies become Lock type instead. The only particularly important one that changes while in fever mode specifically (which means being powered up and having a +10,000 item value counter) are the eyeballs, which change to Lock type.

There are other differences when you're powered up: for example, tiny enemies that don't normally drop any items will drop skulls, but that doesn't depend on the shot type that you use, as far as I know. You also can leech skulls off of enemies as they're coming onscreen, but I'm not super versed on how that works because I play a character that's bad at doing that.

As if there isn't enough to remember already!!

Just wondering - When you have 1000 skulls but aren't ready to power up into fever mode, is it best to let the pumpkins fall to the ground when you shoot the enemies and then collect the skulls that appear, or just collect the pumpkins as the enemies drop them before they hit the ground?

[Sumez]

The only particularly important one that changes while in fever mode specifically (which means being powered up and having a +10,000 item value counter) are the eyeballs, which change to Lock type.

Wow, I never knew that
That said, I'm not sure if it's ever an advantage to use lock shots while in powerup mode, unless you're planning a recharge?
One pretty important feature of the game, that I rarely see highlighted, is that the powerup timer counts down much faster while a button is pressed, so by mostly tapping, and only when you need to, you can extend the period to last much longer.

[Tyjet]

Just wondering - When you have 1000 skulls but aren't ready to power up into fever mode, is it best to let the pumpkins fall to the ground when you shoot the enemies and then collect the skulls that appear, or just collect the pumpkins as the enemies drop them before they hit the ground?

It is better to collect the pumpkin because it will add +10 to the overall counter versus +4 if you allow it to break into skulls (The pumpkins are actually gold crowns)

That said, I'm not sure if it's ever an advantage to use lock shots while in powerup mode, unless you're planning a recharge?
One pretty important feature of the game, that I rarely see highlighted, is that the powerup timer counts down much faster while a button is pressed, so by mostly tapping, and only when you need to, you can extend the period to last much longer.

Correct, you lock shot to deplete your counter quickly and is simply time management for the item counter. This is why you sometimes see players randomly going into lock shot and shooting nothing on screen. The counter depletes slowly when you are not shooting, fast when you in shot, faster in laser, fastest in lock shot.

[wasilewski]

Just wondering - When you have 1000 skulls but aren't ready to power up into fever mode, is it best to let the pumpkins fall to the ground when you shoot the enemies and then collect the skulls that appear, or just collect the pumpkins as the enemies drop them before they hit the ground?

It is better to collect the pumpkin because it will add +10 to the overall counter versus +4 if you allow it to break into skulls (The pumpkins are actually gold crowns)

That said, I'm not sure if it's ever an advantage to use lock shots while in powerup mode, unless you're planning a recharge?
One pretty important feature of the game, that I rarely see highlighted, is that the powerup timer counts down much faster while a button is pressed, so by mostly tapping, and only when you need to, you can extend the period to last much longer.

Correct, you lock shot to deplete your counter quickly and is simply time management for the item counter. This is why you sometimes see players randomly going into lock shot and shooting nothing on screen. The counter depletes slowly when you are not shooting, fast when you in shot, faster in laser, fastest in lock shot.

Thanks for the tips Tyjet.

[sven666]

just tap shot on the eyeballheads will get you over 1000 easily.

learning when to tap and when to hold shot is a pretty accessible way to start learning the mechanics of this game, when you have that down you can start adding the (fairly useless) double shot into the equation.

[Sumez]

Yeah even outside of powered mode, lock shot drains your skull meter. The extra skulls you get compared to just holding laser are so few that it takes a lot of experience to even get any advantage out of it.
Worth noting is that what you are doing when the enemy dies is what counts, not the shot type that actually killed it.