shmups where the method to a top score isn't fully known

[jpj]

whenever people talk about impressive shmup replays a lot of people think about weaving through dense bullet patterns, super fast dodging etc, but my favourite replays are always the ones where you see glitches/tricks/exploits you didn't even know existed

some games have been a mystery until even the last couple of years or so, but sadly there are still a few shmups out there where the methods used to get a top score aren't fully understood. i'm thinking things like:

pulstar 6+ mill (no miss clear gets you about 1.5 mill, where do you get the extra 5 mill?)
mushi maniac 2.6+ bill (i understand this is going to be manipulation of auto-fire rates, but i don't think the details are known, or has ever been reproduced by anyone other than yusemi???)
donpachi 80+ mill
soukyugurentai 39+ mill (i think a vid did appear on nico, but user has now removed it, hopefully other people can remember how this was done!)

any other examples..?

[chum]

I tried everything I could think of to figure out how to get close to WR in Mahou Daisakusen but no dice. Has to be an obscure trick or something somewhere. IIRC people never really got how V-V was so high. I'm sure there's plenty of games like this

[BIL]

I'm a little curious about the Metal Black WR, but OTOH I kind of enjoy the mystery and I suspect the answer is mo milkin' + mad bonus round luck. ^_~

[BulletMagnet]

I vaguely recall that the top Arcadia score for Armed Police Batrider had people around here baffled for some time...not sure if the mystery was ever solved or not.

[chum]

I vaguely recall that the top Arcadia score for Armed Police Batrider had people around here baffled for some time...not sure if the mystery was ever solved or not.

IMO there probably are some tricks used that aren't known here, but with save states use I figured out that It's a reasonable score. Watching TTH Garegga replay and ADS-J.J. Car-Pet replay helps to understand a bit.

[Icarus]

soukyugurentai 39+ mill (i think a vid did appear on nico, but user has now removed it, hopefully other people can remember how this was done!)

Max rank, full stage bonus, full lockons every time, boss milking, max bomb stock bonus (the 655k one) from stage1 onwards.
The nicovideo score was 41mil with the Scallop, by the way.

[ACSeraph]

The top score for Triggerheart Exelica on Xbox Live has been held by the same Japanese dude for the past million years, and is ridiculously massively higher than the number 2 score (I forget the numbers exactly and can't check right now). I've been wondering for years how he got that score.

[jpj]

funnily enough batrider was one of the games i had in mind, but a 17mill and 25mill replay eventually showed up. the ibara dvd was another one, i remember before that came out the best replay was archer getting a G up til stage 4 2nd loop. KMT doubling his score on st6 boss with an S was quite mind-blowing at the time

just looked through the STG Hall of Records thread, had no idea WIZ played metal black! congrats on the western record, it would be a shame if it really is down to luck as you say. and also the difference in scores on raystorm, triggerheart exelica, cotton boomerang, dogyuun, and a couple of others really stand out like a sore thumb, but i don't know if that's just because those particular games aren't popular here..?

for souky, i remember the stuff regarding rank and bomb bonus was already known, but was it something really stupidly simple like the lock-on multiplier still works if enemies leave the screen (ie lock on 4x popcorn, they fly off, then lock on 4x large tanks worth more points and kill them with max multiplier)??? did you download the video by any chance?

edit: ACSeraph you beat me to it

[BIL]

Thanks. I was really just half-heartedly pushing MB's score, while writing my basic survival guide. I think it and other games' relative obscurity here does play some part, I know I'd expect a concerted effort on my or any other competent player's part to beat my score before long.

[trap15]

I have literally no idea how the Bakraid score is so high. I really want to watch the guy play, I'm sure it's non-stop suiciding and continuous chained max medals. It's gotta be quite the sight.

[Icarus]

raystorm

R-Gray 02 is superior.

cotton boomerang

This game has a seriously quirky scoring system that's based on juggling the huge bubble that you can build up until it is at max value, picking it up, then starting another bubble chain, if I remember correctly.

dogyuun

I hear there's an infinite (or close-to-infinite) scoring bug somewhere in stage 4, or something. Also counter-stop.

for souky, i remember the stuff regarding rank and bomb bonus was already known, but was it something really stupidly simple like the lock-on multiplier still works if enemies leave the screen (ie lock on 4x popcorn, they fly off, then lock on 4x large tanks worth more points and kill them with max multiplier)??? did you download the video by any chance?

Nope, it's just as simple as maxing rank and full-lock killing everything in sight, since higher rank generates more stuff to kill. Staying at minimal Shot power is still important, as you get more item carriers, and thus more bombs for the bonus.
And I have the replay, but it's the size of a postage stamp, in four bits, the quality is terrible, and the music was replaced by the player with looping clips from various anime.

I have literally no idea how the Bakraid score is so high. I really want to watch the guy play, I'm sure it's non-stop suiciding and continuous chained max medals. It's gotta be quite the sight.

There's a Japanese guide linked in my ST by Rastan78, that details a 100mil+ route, including how to chain Cloud.
I don't think 100k medals factor into the score as much as you think, since actively going for them throws you off the optimal chain route.

[NeoStrayCat]

The top score for Triggerheart Exelica on Xbox Live has been held by the same Japanese dude for the past million years, and is ridiculously massively higher than the number 2 score (I forget the numbers exactly and can't check right now). I've been wondering for years how he got that score.

If anything to remember from, LSE RevC still gets crazy scores currently around the 900Mil mark on Normal/Exelica and other scores from other difficulties and playthoughs (surprised lately, no one is bothering to do Crueltear/Hard, though had the 350Mil record(s) on both Hard character runs until LB scores were wiped from not playing it lately. T_T)

But yeah, I wonder if you can ask him/her how he/she does it, though I can't speak or read moonrunes (JP), good luck with that. >_>

[trap15]

dogyuun

I hear there's an infinite (or close-to-infinite) scoring bug somewhere in stage 4, or something. Also counter-stop.

Yup, you can counter-stop on stage 4 boss by sitting in the top-left corner with an enemy attached after blowing off a few parts of the boss.

[ACSeraph]

But yeah, I wonder if you can ask him/her how he/she does it, though I can't speak or read moonrunes (JP), good luck with that. >_>

Hmmm you know it wouldn't hurt to just ask him directly actually. It's so unfortunate the game doesn't let you upload replays. Has he been playing recently? I'll send him a message tonight and see what happens.

[Limbrooke]

soukyugurentai 39+ mill (i think a vid did appear on nico, but user has now removed it, hopefully other people can remember how this was done!)

Max rank, full stage bonus, full lockons every time, boss milking, max bomb stock bonus (the 655k one) from stage1 onwards.
The nicovideo score was 41mil with the Scallop, by the way.

Anyone happen to have downloaded said replay? I thought I did and meant do so but it must have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Also, the Metal Black world record is most likely milking barring some glitch.

Things like 1943 and In The Hunt are head scratchers though.

[NTSC-J]

I want to live in a world where all top scores are recorded and in the public domain. And it's not out of some silly Twin Galaxies-style paranoia where I doubt their legitimacy, but just so that future generations can marvel at what these players have done.

Not being able to witness WTN's record DDP run is like if the Mona Lisa had been drawn on the sands of a beach.

[Kiken]

I want to live in a world where all top scores are recorded and in the public domain. And it's not out of some silly Twin Galaxies-style paranoia where I doubt their legitimacy, but just so that future generations can marvel at what these players have done.

Not being able to witness WTN's record DDP run is like if the Mona Lisa had been drawn on the sands of a beach.

Didn't you also mention a while back catching a glimpse of some ridiculous DP scoring tactics that are pretty much kept under strict lock-and-key by their respective players...?

Edit* Guess it would be the 80+ million mentioned in the OP.

mushi maniac 2.6+ bill (i understand this is going to be manipulation of auto-fire rates, but i don't think the details are known, or has ever been reproduced by anyone other than yusemi???)

I seem to remember someone mentioning that this was achieved by having a laptop with a series of pre-set auto-rensha macros jerry-rigged into the JAMMA button inputs.

[ACSeraph]

mushi maniac 2.6+ bill (i understand this is going to be manipulation of auto-fire rates, but i don't think the details are known, or has ever been reproduced by anyone other than yusemi???)

I seem to remember someone mentioning that this was achieved by having a laptop with a series of pre-set auto-rensha macros jerry-rigged into the JAMMA button inputs.

How is that even remotely legit?

[NeoStrayCat]

But yeah, I wonder if you can ask him/her how he/she does it, though I can't speak or read moonrunes (JP), good luck with that. >_>

Hmmm you know it wouldn't hurt to just ask him directly actually. It's so unfortunate the game doesn't let you upload replays. Has he been playing recently? I'll send him a message tonight and see what happens.

Good question, I doubt this person would reply back in English text, much less more replying back in JP, and also, the way this person's on, is hardly goes on lately, and only has about a couple games on this users list, and only 4 of them are shmups (with the same gamerscore lately no less.), I could though even wonder if this person actually recorded a replay for the playthoughs he/she done lately. But yeah, too much to notice here. Although, I have seen times where this user would play sometimes often for the weekly score though (more or less).

[Emuser]

I'll be alone on this one, but Trigon.

WR Score reads out at 2.98M, but I cannot for the life of me figure out where the hell the last 80K is supposed to come from. The final boss is 500K in loop 1 if you milk it with 4 lives, and 200K in loop 2 if you are lucky enough to get through the 2nd loop with 1 life only and can be blessed with a 1up which is random.

Playing at max rank leads to more score, since more rank = more enemy health = more points overall.
There is a minor scoring trick with the row of boxes shortly before the boss rush on stage 8, you can use a lightning sword to safely pickup everything, but you have to be careful since only 2 or 3 can be revealed at once. If there are too many pickups already showing, the boxes blown up will reveal nothing, so you just make sure that you stop a moment to pickup what is already out before moving on to the next boxes.

In all of my best efforts, the highest score I've ever been able to conjure up is 2.9M, behind by 80K points. I tried everything and looked everywhere, and quite frankly I am stumped here. I heard a while back that the score listed as the WR might not have had default lives, which if that is true I can see where the score discrepancy can come from.

[Plasmo]

pulstar 6+ mill (no miss clear gets you about 1.5 mill, where do you get the extra 5 mill?)

It's done by suiciding together with the last boss. You have to sacrifice all your lives here and checkpoint milk it. There was a replay of this floating around somewhere.

Also: Long time no see! Welcome back.

[Kino]

.

[Despatche]

i'm kinda curious where 170+m in musha is coming from, when most clears in that game are 130+m

let me guess: it's like every other compile game where there's a bunch of a really long and really boring infinite milking spots and andsuchisdeath just gave up after a while

[jpj]

some interesting examples here, i'm glad i'm not the only one that gets disheartened about this

i was surprised when ISO suddenly started playing bakraid again considering i thought he already had the arcadia record, but i guess he must've been unsatisfied with his score, or discovered some new optimised routes. i don't think i've ever seen a 100+ mill replay now that i think about it. i wonder how many top scores are done where literally only the WR holder knows all the scoring tricks and they are far and away above everyone else..?

can't say i've ever played 1943, but the notes attached to the arcadia score say: "MOVI X 4 DOUBLE X 10 Ω DAIHIRYUU X 26". i hope that makes some sort of sense!

totally agree with you ntsc-j. wasn't WTN's chain 900+ hits? the SOF homepage had a screen cap of his 748 mill score as the background wallpaper, so it must have been recorded. i can't seem to find the link now, from what i remember the SOF stood for soldiers of fortune, or something similar, and it was a blog for the 'DDP Professionals' (edit: http://www.cablenet.ne.jp/~works-k/sof.htm but website is now dead)

the mushi autofire thing is still shrouded in mystery then i remember hearing about 7 button custom panels, yet also at least one person saying he had one button that alternated between autofire-A and autofire-C automatically at the perfect frequencies. but i guess it's never been replicated since

i remember reading that as well plasmo, but i thought the last checkpoint starts just before the boss and you could only score about 250k during the whole boss fight (including 50-100k for killing the boss), so with 5 spare lives you would still be less than halfway there. however, now that i think about it one form does have these little crappy popcorn enemies, does the last boss never time out..? if there is a vid about it would be great if you could post a link, and thanks for the warm welcome

[Mero]

There's some discussion about getting the Pulstar record here:http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=39894

Basically you can double KO him for 150k+ per time, and game has extends every 200k iirc.

[Captain]

I'm a little curious about the Metal Black WR, but OTOH I kind of enjoy the mystery and I suspect the answer is mo milkin' + mad bonus round luck. ^_~

Shoot everything. Collect everything. Milk everything. Don't explode.

[BIL]

Milking seems obvious, bros! The question is what's being milked and how. MB doesn't throw out much in the way of lucrative projectiles / popcorn / debris, and boss timers are tight. Omega Zone's tendrils seem the big exception.

Don't explode.

Unless the game's slight rank causes more destructible stuff to spawn (AFAIK it just makes the same stuff move faster), survival seems irrelevant - MB doesn't care about stock or death. Border Down Zero. ^_~

[jpj]

There's some discussion about getting the Pulstar record here:http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=39894

Basically you can double KO him for 150k+ per time, and game has extends every 200k iirc.

that's great, thank you very much

[Captain]

Milking seems obvious, bros! The question is what's being milked and how. MB doesn't throw out much in the way of lucrative projectiles / popcorn / debris, and boss timers are tight. Omega Zone's tendrils seem the big exception.

Don't explode.

Unless the game's slight rank causes more destructible stuff to spawn (AFAIK it just makes the same stuff move faster), survival seems irrelevant - MB doesn't care about stock or death. Border Down Zero. ^_~

Fairly large score comes from Amazo's spawned enemies and stuff, you gotta let it loop.

Stage 2 boss spawns those little serpent thingies.

I know there is more.

Also shooting down all the guys in the bonus stages nets you bonus score.

[BIL]

Fairly large score comes from Amazo's spawned enemies and stuff, you gotta let it loop.

Ya I know ^o^ It's not that much in the context of the 700k+ WR, though.

Stage 2 boss spawns those little serpent thingies.

Feeder's chibi Drio Sawms aren't worth that much, and there's only a few of them (see also his reflecting orbs).

I know there is more.

Daio & Gishiin's trash balls are 100 a pop and respawn forever. Apartheid and Ghost toss out a few homing missiles, but they're only 10pts a pop as usual.

Also shooting down all the guys in the bonus stages nets you bonus score.

Time remaining is the big factor in BRs. Even if there's a certain technique to them, luck can skew things wildly ("SHOOT ME DOWN PLZ" versus "IMMA CHILL OFFSCREEN" placements). What I wonder about is the percentage of game score vs bonus round score.