I DID IT! Share your latest 1CCs/other triumphs here...

[wiNteR]

Sorry I confused weapon types in dangun feveron in my previous post. I confused/interchanged lock and roll in my previous post. I think lock is best for basic 1CC survival play [and lock/speed-3 is what I got my 1CC with years ago], possibly with speed-2. The really higher score plays [meaning ones that actually go beyond just getting a no-miss] mostly seem to use roll and bomb with speed 3 or 4.

Regarding donpachi rank, not sure how it works in detail and whether deliberately dropping a life [at some planned point] makes significant difference.

[Lethe]

I completely ignore chaining beyond ST 2, but I wish that there would be an option to turn off the "lost chain" sound effect. Stage 5 will require me quite a bit of practice and time, I guess.

Each cyborg lost permanently increases the rank a little (up to 512 lost I think), and there's an extend at 2000 total, so you should try to collect them even if you're not chaining. I see a lot of people making the bullets unnecessarily fast by letting cyborgs fly away even when it would be trivial to get them.

[Randorama]

Lethe:

Thank you, I forgot about rank. From ST 3 onwards I find it hard to collect all cyborgs/discomen, but I definitely wish to play the game at lower rank levls

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Yes, the DonPachi US version is definitely easier, otherwise I wouldn't have had such a relatively easy time reaching 2-5. If I can 1-CC it, I will try the JP version: I can consistently 1-LC the first loop, but I do bomb-spam to increase bomb capacity.

In my experience the JP version still gives you tons of bombs in total, just without maxing out bombs early on. I haven't touched the US version much for loop 2 runs but I don't recall it feeling much easier in terms of enemy patterns and speed. I wish I felt closer to a 1CC... I can get to 2-4 and 2-5 with 1 death consistently, but from there it's utter madness and the last two stages feel brutal to get through. The second loop is nightmarishly hard, and while boss changes aren't too rough it's all the revenge bullets that crush you. Good luck on clearing it.

Note that type B has by far the strongest shot with C-button rapid enabled, but bosses are programmed to take extra damage from the laser so use that when possible. If you need the extra speed, the damage is still very respectable. Type A is considered the easiest clear because its tight forward shot allows the best control over revenge bullets apparently...

I suspect that I discussed this with BKRoo a few months ago and he already obtained an answer that I could obtain by re-reading old posts.

Spoiler

Suiciding either at the start of the loop or at stage 3 with a route that lets you enter 2-4 with max bombs seems to be the way to go. If you can no-miss into 2-4 you'll have an extra life to work with, but you'll likely be spending so many bombs surviving that it won't help you compared to 1 death but a full bomb stock on that lowered rank life...

also, I managed to clear Akai Katana Shin / Slash for the first time, so that was nice. Nowhere near my friend's run that night where they got a TLB (requires a no-miss of the game) clear. O_o

[Randorama]

Roo, enough bitching! Give up on your work, life and everything else and go full hardcore for the 1-CC! The usual suspects will celebrate you for the rest of humankind's journey on Earth for your achievement. Or more likely, they will troll you because you cheated in one way or another (e.g. you were *breathing* and you didn't clear the game while they were taking a dump and checking your screen with the corner of their eyes, you filthy casual).

Seriously though, at this stage I need to improve my 2-5 and the final two bosses. It is a rare event that I can enter 2-5 with three lives, but I find the stage easier than 2-4. I should reduce my bomb usage on the 2-5 boss and Hibachi to be sure that I have room for error. On a save state run, I reached the 2-5 boss with 2 lives but a full bomb stock, used only two bombs and then used the remaining five on Hibachi. I lost a third life on the very last pattern, but then managed to destroy the critter with 2 seconds of lasering it upon respawning. The challenge, now, is to perform like that on a full run. I use the 2P side type C without auto-fire: I am not sure why, but the full auto on the C button does not seem to work on my MAME version (v.0184, US version of the game). Not that I find it indispensable. Why the 2P side? The ship's ugly "anthrax black" colour is somewhat appealing to my palate, these days (...better colour against some bullet patterns).

Dangun Feveron: well, managing rank wisely seems to make the game approachable, given my current skill level (i.e. I am collecting discomen/cyborgs all the time). Tactical bombing also matters: the maximum number of bombs is "four" and the game is relatively generous with bombs, so bombing tricky sections and nasty boss patterns is a wise choice. ST 5 will require time, but this might be a pseudo-grudge I might solve in a near future. I say "pseudo-grudge" because I never played the title in the arcade, so I never developed a closet desire to 1-CC it and STFU my annoying teenage self (...imagine a panel of Peanuts with Charlie Brown and Lucy van Pelt, yes). Maybe the 1-CC will STFU my BA period self, which incidentally is the period in which I started posting here (2001 or so, third year of my BA? Memories are awful at this stage).

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I use the 2P side type C without auto-fire: I am not sure why, but the full auto on the C button does not seem to work on my MAME version (v.0184, US version of the game). Not that I find it indispensable. Why the 2P side? The ship's ugly "anthrax black" colour is somewhat appealing to my palate, these days (...better colour against some bullet patterns).

2P side looks kinda cool I agree.

It is essential to enable C button autofire in Donpachi because the autofire rate is MUCH faster than tapping A button, unlike later CAVE games where C button rapid is as fast as tapping A. To do it hold F2 to go into the menu, then select the option to enable C button rapid. It's off by default so you need to turn it on to enable it.

Truly I have failed as a human if I don't drop all my family and work obligations to go full shmup!

[Randorama]

It is essential to enable C button autofire in Donpachi because the autofire rate is MUCH faster than tapping A button, unlike later CAVE games where C button rapid is as fast as tapping A. To do it hold F2 to go into the menu, then select the option to enable C button rapid. It's off by default so you need to turn it on to enable it.

Thank you...part in huge fonts to highlight what I was obviously missing (The absolutely bloody obvious, I swear). I kept tapping F2 and wondering why I could not access the configuration menu. I need to learn how to handle C auto-fire in the loop, but some sections have quickly become easier. I might be able to pull this one off without tearing my hair off, I suspect.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Don't feel bad, I figured that was the case as there's a few other folks who've run into the same issue. CAVE games require you to hold F2 for a long time compared to some other games, like 6+ seconds? The games that need auto turned on are Donpachi, DDP, Dangun, and Progear (Esp-Ra-De has auto off by default for the sub-shot but I prefer it off, it waits to refill the meter before autofiring it again, for true autofire on the primary shotyou need to setup a 4th button as A button rapid). Later games like Mushi, Espgaluda, DOJ, and Ketsui have the rapid option defaulting to ON.

There's also Rayforce which defaults to ON but people turn it off so they can use an external 30 hz rapidfire. I find the default damage is serviceable enough though, the main thing that tends to kill me is remembering all the attacks and handling the large hitbox of your ship!

[Steven]

Me today when randomly playing Saidaioujou novice mode with A-L for the first time.

Got clear on second attempt with A-L. For some unknown reason Saidaioujou is one of only 3 or 4 bullet hell games that I actually enjoy playing, but I'm glad to have finally cleared this damn thing with something other than the ridiculous, game-breaking Type-D, which I did a while ago. Fortunately I made a moderate improvement to my score somehow. I'd like to clear arcade mode this decade.

[locoBro1196]

I'm continuing the long PC Engine shmupping journey, along the way I've managed to collect a couple of 1cc's this week:

- Final Soldier: I don't know if it's because I've put so many hours into Soldier Blade and Super Star Soldier over the past few weeks (only managed to 1cc the former), but I completed this in my first sitting. It's officially the easiest shmup I've ever encountered. I absolutely loved the OST, technically it's also very pretty to look at, but I would have certainly been happier had the difficulty level been higher. I may come back to this one on harder difficulty modes, simply because it's a really fun game to play.

- Gunhed: I love this game and I've been playing it on and off for years. I never really read any strategies online so I always felt the game was impossible simply because I felt it kept randomly sending me back to the beginning of the stage or to a far away checkpoint whenever I lost a life. It's only a few days ago that I read about how the glowing orbs work and what they do, and that's an absolute game changer. It just makes the game much more accessible and the 1cc is relatively easy to obtain. I still had to grind a few parts i.e. latter half of stage 9, a few bosses here and there, and finding a good weapon/subweapon combo was quite important too.

Anyway, of all the titles I've recently played on 1cc, I would rank those as Soldier Blade > Gunhed > Final Soldier > Super Star Soldier...the last one is the most unbalanced shmup I've played on PCE so far. I will still keep attempting the 1cc from time to time but the struggle in stages 6 and beyond is real.

[To Far Away Times]

Super Star Solider is something else. It feels unbalanced and not playtested. For every great part there is a terrible part. A truly uneven game.

But I'll be damned if it doesn't have the best visuals and music on a HuCard.

[Ms. Tea]

Just got my first 1CC in Radirgy 2, Ending 1 as Murasame. Man. What a game. Now to figure out what the requirements are for endings 2 and 3...

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Super Star Solider is something else. It feels unbalanced and not playtested. For every great part there is a terrible part. A truly uneven game.

But I'll be damned if it doesn't have the best visuals and music on a HuCard.

There is a 2 & 5 minute Caravan mode within Super Star Soldier to try out. Soldier Blade makes use of Backup Ram if a Turbo Booster Plus is used with a TurboGrafx-16 console or on the Turbo Duo as well. An NEC manufactured Tennokoe Bank 2 add-on will save your Soldier Blade high scores & high score initials as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[ExitPlanetDust]

Cleared Risk System last night. I quite enjoyed it despite the inertia.

[Randorama]

I am regularly reaching Hibachi in DonPachi and ST 5 in Dangun Feveron.

My current "problem" is to re-learn certain sections of the first game with a full C auto button: I tend to destroy enemies too quickly on STs 2-4 and 2-5, thus boxing myself in situations that require bombing or ultra-tight dodging. Full C auto *does* make life easier when properly mastered, however, even if all of a sudden the game chugs in some spots (oh noes cheating!!1! because of unexpected slowdown!!1!). I am dropping one life by the loop to keep rank manageable. It is difficult that I can clear 2-4 without losing a life, but the true challenge would be to reach Hibachi without dying and with 3 bombs. My second half of 2-5 is still *very* messy, especially since I am re-learning when to laser and when to use full C.

Ultimately, I could clear the game with two lives to spare if I can bring three bombs to the final boss: I need three of them for the three attacks that really give me headaches (laser+rotating pink bullets; final pattern if I get distracted). Alternatively, I could bomb-spam the bastard to oblivion, if I lose more lives. So far, it's always one life or no lives, not enough bombs, or very silly deaths during Hibachi. Still...

On the second game, I need to learn the final third of ST 4, improve on the boss and...learn ST 5. Easy! Jokes aside, it took me only 20+ years to appreciate this game for the simple reason that only recent I spent some time playing old Toaplan glories and games with a similar approach (e.g. some Psikyo titles, the Raiden Fighters trilogy). My reflexes are still fast enough, if I train them.

On a tangent: I spent some time trying (successfully) to 1-CC again Sorcer Striker and Kingdom Grandprix, i.e. the US versions of Mahou Daisakusen and Shippu Mahou Daisakusen (a 2-All on both). I believe that these versions are considerably easier than their JP counterparts, but their scores in the difficulty Wiki still strike me as inflated. I know that we discussed the problems with the Wiki ad nauseam, so apologies for bringing the issue up again. I'd like to recover a 1-CC of Dimahoo but I am afraid that I need input on which character/ship lets players win by magically turning ST 5 & 6 into cakewalks

[BareKnuckleRoo]

It is difficult that I can clear 2-4 without losing a life, but the true challenge would be to reach Hibachi without dying and with 3 bombs. My second half of 2-5 is still *very* messy, especially since I am re-learning when to laser and when to use full C.

Realistically, expect one death in either 2-4 or 2-5. They're significantly harder than anything else up to that point, even 2-3 is far less rough.

Alternatively, I could bomb-spam the bastard to oblivion, if I lose more lives. So far, it's always one life or no lives, not enough bombs, or very silly deaths during Hibachi. Still...

Just in case you're not aware, Hibachi can't be bomb spammed in DDP. He's not invulnerable to bombs like in later games, technically speaking, but he has a massive built-in damage reduction to laser bombs compared to all the other bosses who get torn apart by them. 70% less at least, possibly 90%? If you get caught and have to laser bomb then do it, but for raw damage, it's actually best to use a spread bomb, then as the bomb is exploding run up and use your laser aura to deal damage, then back off before your invulnerability ends.

Type C's slow speed makes this tricky though.

[copy-paster]

This game is one of my dearest title of any shmup because it was the one entry that got me into R-Type series in general, althought R-Type III was my first game it didn't click on me at first. I remember casually playing through back in 2015 when I was trying to testing out PS1 emulation.

I didn't played the game seriously until sometime in 2023, I got 1-death clear with R-9 on Normal then later on I accidentally Nomiss it with R-13 on some live event. After I recorded the nomiss run of Leo my next run is obviously going to be Delta because story-wise the game took place shortly after the original game and Leo chronologically. I choose R9 and Hard mode because I didn't bother with Hard/Bydo mode before, and after almost 2 weeks of practice and runs, the run happened and also recorded on twitch stream.

Most of my runs died at stage 3 opener, it's really that hard with zakos spawning on the front and back everytime. The pipe rush at 23:25 is probably the hardest section in my opinion and I had to save the dose attack until this part. Last form on the last boss was one hell of a nerve check and I couldn't believe I survived the moment in 36:48 lol.

Pretty happy with the run so far and I intend to play more with other ships in the future (I have yet to clear it with POW Armor ship), and I'm going to have shmup vacation until further notice so expect a non-shmup videos (and more activity at Other Gaming) in the following days.

[BIL]

Congrats. A masterpiece, that game.

[Randorama]

Realistically, expect one death in either 2-4 or 2-5. They're significantly harder than anything else up to that point, even 2-3 is far less rough.

Hardly an issue. I just had a run starting from the loop (i.e. with save-states, three lives), and I cleared the game dying once at the very end of 2-4 (no bombs, cornered). I had a near-miraculous (=no clumsy deaths) good run on 2-5, and in particular I only had to use 2 bombs on the 2-5 boss. At 2 bombs and 2 lives, I used the bomb on Hibachi's laser attacks, and died once on Hibachi's final form. I bombed away this form and finished the game with one bomb, one life. I then started a new credit out of curiosity, and 1-LC'ed the first loop without any problems (I used 5 bombs in total, go figure...). It may already be an issue of putting the right pieces in the right order. This result might take longer than I think, but it should be within my reach.

Just in case you're not aware, Hibachi can't be bomb spammed in DDP. He's not invulnerable to bombs like in later games, technically speaking, but he has a massive built-in damage reduction to laser bombs compared to all the other bosses who get torn apart by them. 70% less at least, possibly 90%? If you get caught and have to laser bomb then do it, but for raw damage, it's actually best to use a spread bomb, then as the bomb is exploding run up and use your laser aura to deal damage, then back off before your invulnerability ends.

Type C's slow speed makes this tricky though.

...Well, I completely forgot about it: thank you. The key problem is that Hibachi's laser attack actually mixes a blue/light blue laser attack plus a rotating spam of red bullets. That's a colour combination that gives me tons of trouble to discern, due eyesight problems (yes, Ketsui is a nightmare for me). So, I always counter-lasered it, so far: I will try spread bombs, instead, and work on properly dodging the other patterns. I still don't have a dedicated save-state to practice it, so there are certainly margins of improvement.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Realistically, expect one death in either 2-4 or 2-5. They're significantly harder than anything else up to that point, even 2-3 is far less rough.

Hardly an issue.

Ah, just for me then... ;w;

The key problem is that Hibachi's laser attack actually mixes a blue/light blue laser attack plus a rotating spam of red bullets.

Spoiler alert

There's a safespot, at least for Type A. It might not work for Type C though as the hitbox position is different for each ship. Type B's is higher up for instance and apparently breaks a safespot on the S4 boss.

Failing that, you can hide in a gap as the attack starts, and use a bomb as he moves to the side, getting back into a gap when he finishes moving horizontally.

[DMC]

GG, CPS! Enjoy your shmup vacation!

[Randorama]

Ah, just for me then... ;w;

It wasn't meant to be offensive
What I meant is that I probably would need to considerably improve my 2-4 performance to clear it on one life, because dropping a life is a choice I don't control: the game will drop it from me anyway , so hardly an issue...getting killed

My 2-4 is actually really horrible, because it involves a lot of clumsy control of revenge bullets, and bombing every 30 seconds or so. The stage is roughly 4 minutes, and a full stock is seven bombs. The game releases two bombs at the beginning and two at the end, so careful use of bombs could result in a no-death clear and an empty stock. This is a game in which a minimal 1-CC and a score-driven 1-CC are an abyss apart, in terms of skills.

Anyway started practicing Hibachi, and the use of spread bombs cuts down the fighting time considerably. I should be able to 1-CC the game the moment I have a run like yesterday, but with stages in good order. I shouldn't hold my breath, though...

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I'm more lamenting the fact that I've been banging my head against Donpachi for a while without being able to quite nab the clear. I had a period where I got a bit discouraged, but I'm looking forward to revisiting the game seriously and getting the 1cc. I'm confident you'll be able to get it though! I'm sure you've cleared tougher stuff in your vast repertoire by now.

Have you tried type B out? If you tap and hold shot briefly as you move, you can maintain forward fire, making it basically a wider type A with slightly reduced speed that can aim its options for popcorn sweeping. Works in DP, DDP, and DFK. Not so much SDOJ, the shot turns so fast that repositioning is easy and you fire a lot of bullets forward at all times. More importantly, its options deal significantly more damage per hit, which means with C rapid, its shot at mid to close range is stronger than its laser, except when hitting with aura or vs bosses (where laser gets a slight damage boost, but rapid shot is still quite strong). C shot basically wrecks any stage enemies and you have a relatively wide shot that retains good frontal damage without the slow speed Type C has.

Type A is apparently considered the easiest to clear with due to its speed and how tight the shots are being useful for controlling the revenge bullets.

[Randorama]

I'm more lamenting the fact that I've been banging my head against Donpachi for a while without being able to quite nab the clear. I had a period where I got a bit discouraged, but I'm looking forward to revisiting the game seriously and getting the 1cc. I'm confident you'll be able to get it though! I'm sure you've cleared tougher stuff in your vast repertoire by now.

Well, save-states are my friends. This is a "console grudge", so to speak. I played a lot the JP version on PS1 in the early 2000's, and posted about it in the old incarnation of the forum even (2001-2003: I was a BA student back in my hometown after a long-ish stint in my country's military Navy, figure). Back in the day I gave up after reaching the 2-5 boss a few times. Recovering procedural game memories that are *decades* old is not easy, as there are often times in which I feel like I am accessing memories from someone's life. There are even papers on this subject: I should dig them up.

What matters in this case is that I am spending enough time to practice the specific weak points in my runs, so I am guessing that you could just follow a similar approach. I would add that I might have more experience with revenge bullets, perhaps, but those require "just" enough practice in how you manipulate them. For looping games, my experience is that perseverance is the most important skill: practicing loops can become boring and time-consuming, without save states. This is the kind of game/goal on which you'd need to leave other games aside and be a bit more dedicated, I suspect. My experience is that this approach may become boring fast, but then again perseverance is key. Just think of those times in which you were writing your dissertation(s) (<--- This is a wild guess on your background, in case). I'd make a stupid joke on casual gaming and hardcore attitudes, but it is not really appropriate, is it?

Re: difficulty. I'd resurrect the difficulty Wiki thread with a specific post, but let's just say that I 1-CC'ed a few games in the low 30's (e.g. Taito's Raystorm at 30, Jaleco's P-47 at 32) for non-looping games. I see that Omega Fighter, The Game Tengoku and Mahou Daisakusen 2-ALL's rank very high (43, 44, 37), and these are games I 1'CC-ed. My thoughts, briefly, are:

1. The first title is an outlier: I remember the loop being difficult, but certainly not as difficult as Ketsui's due to induced slowdown. I spent an *eternity* to get one really lucky 1-CC, and I'd place it somewhere around the low 30's, difficulty-wise;

2. The second title...I 1-CC'ed the Saturn version on a lucky run. If you are on your last life, rank is digestible and the loop not so difficult. The arcade version is way nastier;

3. The third title...I 1-CC'ed Sorcer Striker, which is definitely easier. Still, the JP version is also a lower 30's title: recovery in the loop is really difficult, but the loop is not much more difficult;

So, I'd fancy myself a player who never broke the "lower '30s glass ceiling", so DonPachi strikes me as a nifty title to 1-CC in its easier variants, also because it is within my reach (Dangun Feveron is also listed as 30/50: perfect!). I'd actually say that I am "lower 30s" in most aspects of my life. Not a problem for me There are a few more titles that I 1-CC'ed and that appear to be in the higher 30s, but I'd rank them lower anyway. Disclaimer! I also want a 1-CC because I find DonPachi really fun, after all these years. I'd be happy to cultivate it as a "recurring feat", i.e. a 1-CC I can pull off insofar I have some practice in my hands and eyes. There is some degree of "shmup liminality" about this title and Batsugun that really warms my old and cruel heart

Have you tried type B out? If you tap and hold shot briefly as you move, you can maintain forward fire, making it basically a wider type A with slightly reduced speed that can aim its options for popcorn sweeping. Works in DP, DDP, and DFK. Not so much SDOJ, the shot turns so fast that repositioning is easy and you fire a lot of bullets forward at all times. More importantly, its options deal significantly more damage per hit, which means with C rapid, its shot at mid to close range is stronger than its laser, except when hitting with aura or vs bosses (where laser gets a slight damage boost, but rapid shot is still quite strong). C shot basically wrecks any stage enemies and you have a relatively wide shot that retains good frontal damage without the slow speed Type C has.

Type A is apparently considered the easiest to clear with due to its speed and how tight the shots are being useful for controlling the revenge bullets.

I still have to explore the other two types fully. Ultimately, I am trying to squeeze a 1-CC during a surprisingly long summer break, and spam the forum with boring rants about this goal and other stuff without attracting the ire of other posters. Dangun Feveron is a title I am using to avoid overexposure to DP, so to speak. Let's see how it pans out

[Randorama]

Double post.

I 1-CC'ed DonPachi US version with the C ship, 2P side. Awful run, but enough to get the result. Some highlights:

1. I played with full auto on, which certainly helps a ton but creates tons of frame-skipping and flickering on my MAME build. I even had a moment at the beginning of 2-5 in which my wireless keyboard went offline, and lost a life. I should honestly buy a far powerful PC and get a proper set-up, I know;
2. I lost a first life on stage 2-2, possibly because of lagged movement. Anyway, the US version seems to reduce rank in an inversely proportional manner to survival time. Dying for the first time at 2-2 or 2-3 means that revenge bullets will apparently float, once you re-spawn. Alternatively, the difference in speed before and after losing a life tricks my perception of bullet's speed;
3. I cleared 2-3 and 2-4 "easily" but with a good amount of bomb spamming that would not be possible on the JP version. I did collect the capacity bonus up until 1-4, and all the bees for the first loop. The ship froze momentarily on 2-5 (see above), and then I lost two lives on Taisabachi or whatever the final boss is called. I was just getting headaches from all the flickering, so I bomb-spammed the boss (spread bombs). No lives left, four bombs (three in stock plus one after losing the penultimate life).

I think that I can definitely reduce the losses to 1-2 lives, especially because at 2 lives in stock, rank is now very manageable for me. I also scored some more results, in the meanwhile...

1. 1-LC'ed the first loop of the US version with all ship types, both sides. I would need to practice 2-4 and 2-5 with type B, but its higher speed and rotating attacks are easy to handle, after some practice. Besides, its C full auto attack is *devastating* and allows me to play very aggressively, which I like. This might be the next 1-CC;
2. 1-LC'ed the first loop of the JPversion with the type C ships, 1-CC'ed with type B and A, and reached the 2-4 boss with the type C ship. The faster bullets and faster-increasing rank are not an unsurmountable challenge, also because I have this impression that ships are also faster. Maybe I could try out the Korea version as an intermediate phase.;
3. I would definitely need to learn the loop versions of the bosses, though, since my use of bombs is still excessive (2-2 and 2-3 are the main offenders).

I will see for how long I will play the game, but the good bit is that I am having fun, when I can string together good runs. Let's just say that a character flaw I have is that I enjoy activities when I am proficient at them. I might use videogames as method to correct this flaw (Captain Obvious says: it's never too late").

Alternatively, I may switch to Dangun Feveron, which I left on a side for a wee bit.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I played with full auto on, which certainly helps a ton but creates tons of frame-skipping and flickering on my MAME build.

Congrats on the 1CC but man, you need to upgrade your PC or try a different MAME build if that's happening. O_o

[Randorama]

Thanks. I was expecting some anti-falsificare inquisitores to storm the house, to be honest. It's a very liminal result..."congrats on 1-CC an easier version of one of Cave's easiest games. Here's a candy and an ice-cream". Still, let's see if the JP version is feasible (and type B: I like type B!).

MAME...what build? GroovyMAME is an issue, I have to use HDMI cables. The PC is ancient but I am honestly waiting until 2025 and buy a proper desktop, I guess. The department wants to dump me with second-hand but very powerful stuff at a nominal price, once they are forced to upgrade all the hardware. DF runs fine, and for everything else this laptop is actually still perfectly fine (or the tablet is fine, to be honest).

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I still use ShmupMAME for a lot of stuff. It's not well regarded by purists because it does some non-authentic stuff to reduce input lag to be closer to PCB specs, stuff that does not affect gameplay or how the game looks. According to the page "MAME emulates a frame/sprite buffer for most arcade hardware" that can simply be removed with minimal consequence for most games, improving input latency. It emulates a lot of that era's stuff quite accurately with minimal overhead. There's obviously newer stuff it doesn't emulate properly, and stuff like Omega Fighter is still bugged (far fewer bullets than intended), but most CAVE stuff up to DOJ and Ketsui play fine.

Besides, [Type B's] C full auto attack is *devastating* and allows me to play very aggressively, which I like.

B-S in DDP also handles quite similarly, with the options boasting the highest per-frame damage of all three types, making for seriously good pointblanking while maintaining shot width. You can tackle stages largely with shot alone, and trigger the loop in 1-5 if you manage to chain without dying after the first section with the tanks on the ground. It's not great for scoring due to how easily it clears the screen and the lower laser speed, but a solid survival type for tackling stages otherwise.

[Randorama]

I definitely don't think that a 2-ALL of DoDonPachi is on my plate for the next 150 years or something, but maybe a 1-ALL plus reaching 2-1, 2-2 after 20+ years or so...

I still use ShmupMAME for a lot of stuff. It's not well regarded by purists

Thank you for shmupMAME! But...Roo, please. Do I need to elaborate? What have I done to deserve this (word)?

At any case, playing without sudden frame-skip (DonPachi) or constant forced frame-skip (Gaiapolis) will be pleasant. Who knows what I may achieve when I switch to a smaller but TATE'd screen, even.

Yes, I am playing in yoko (but the TV is something like 60"), with a wireless keyboard, on a slow laptop, and often with people randomly asking questions about absolutely nothing (best one: "do you want to stop your credit and take some rest?", but my father is an expert videogame troll, the ol' bastard).

People can "learn 2 dodge", rather than blaming a 1 frame of input lag over 60 in a second (I was handling a 6/10 frameskip during the 2-5 boss and Taisabachi and playing entire stages of Gaiapolis at this rate).

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Thank you for shmupMAME! But...Roo, please. Do I need to elaborate? What have I done to deserve this (word)?

Hopefully it works for you! If you want to be truly hardcore, STOP BEIN A SCRUB AND SPEND ALL YOUR LIFE SAVINGS ON PCBs. INVEST IN THEM LIKE YOU'RE IN THE 90s SPENDING CASH ON BEANIE BABIES THINKING THEY'RE A RETIREMENT FUND. :V

At any case, playing without sudden frame-skip (DonPachi) or constant forced frame-skip (Gaiapolis) will be pleasant. Who knows what I may achieve when I switch to a smaller but TATE'd screen, even.

What build of MAME before were you using? Is shmupmame running without hiccups? Must have been a fairly new one with some overhead?

Yes, I am playing in yoko (but the TV is something like 60")

I confess to doing the same even with a rotateable monitor. I prefer a fixed monitor over rotating ones now because I find the rotating ones I've used never quite sit level or slowly droop to a point that's not straight and it BOTHERS THE EVERLOVING $#@% out of me.