Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX

[Klatrymadon]

Sorry to have turned this into a dull tech-issues thread, but this is almost certainly my problem, apart from all the screen-tearing:

https://x.com/JaimersSTG/status/1713542 ... 92371?s=20

During sections with lots of zako or asteroids the game becomes almost unplayable. Someone suggests resetting the achievement that Jaimers believes is triggering it, but the attempt keeps failing for me.

[Udderdude]

Considering the port was already complete albeit slightly older, I'm really disappointed by the number of technical and performance issues and bugs like this. On top of that, it requires DX12. Why? The original was like DX9 or something. And they pulled the old version off digital stores. Not that it wasn't cheap and available for years, but yeah, that kinda sucks.

[Steven]

IV x Mikado runs at 57Hz on PC and most likely PS4 because they seem to have fucked up both of those versions. Switch is fine, though. For once the Switch version is better than the PS4 version if you are okay with long loading times and that weird audio glitch with the stage 1 boss that only happens for like 5 seconds. I haven't done framerate tests on III x Mikado yet. At least, I don't remember having done it yet. Maybe I did, but I forgot if I posted about it or not.

Whats that glitch? never experienced something on my ~60 hours of RIV on Switch. But as I posted earlier, RIII has some significant slowdown on my Switch version but I dont know if this is the way the game should run but its irritation for me :/

I'll go record it when I get a chance. It's going to be of terrible quality because lol Switch internal recording thing, but it's very apparent that they broke the audio, especially because it's fine on PC and PS4.

Sorry to have turned this into a dull tech-issues thread, but this is almost certainly my problem, apart from all the screen-tearing:

https://x.com/JaimersSTG/status/1713542 ... 92371?s=20

During sections with lots of zako or asteroids the game becomes almost unplayable. Someone suggests resetting the achievement that Jaimers believes is triggering it, but the attempt keeps failing for me.

Uh

What is going on with MOSS/NISA? It's like every version of Raiden IV x Mikado and half of the versions of Raiden III x Mikado have some strange problem that absolutely shouldn't be there. To summarize, we have

IV x Mikado
PC: wrong framerate and stuttering
PS4: wrong framerate and stuttering
PS5: over twice the input lag of PS4 for some reason
Switch: minor audio problems
Xbox: ??? (does anyone actually have this version?)

III x Mikado
PC: screen tearing and now this flash shot glitch
Switch: slowdown, I guess
PS4: ???
PS5: ???
Xbox: ???

I always forget Xbox (the system itself) even exists...

[Steven]

IV x Mikado runs at 57Hz on PC and most likely PS4 because they seem to have fucked up both of those versions. Switch is fine, though. For once the Switch version is better than the PS4 version if you are okay with long loading times and that weird audio glitch with the stage 1 boss that only happens for like 5 seconds. I haven't done framerate tests on III x Mikado yet. At least, I don't remember having done it yet. Maybe I did, but I forgot if I posted about it or not.

Whats that glitch? never experienced something on my ~60 hours of RIV on Switch. But as I posted earlier, RIII has some significant slowdown on my Switch version but I dont know if this is the way the game should run but its irritation for me :/

Here you go
Switch audio: https://youtu.be/scHlIUnBk_w
PC audio: https://youtu.be/IeLvGPEUJr0

BTW since Youtube is being stupid now, I am probably going to put all of my replays or whatever elsewhere. I am considering Nico Nico Douga (apparently it's not called Nico Nico Douga anymore, but it will always be that to me ♥) because why not and because I already have an account, but if anyone has a better idea, let me know.

[BIL]

What is going on with MOSS/NISA? It's like every version of Raiden IV x Mikado and half of the versions of Raiden III x Mikado have some strange problem that absolutely shouldn't be there. To summarize, we have

My thoughts exactly... it's a shame these two ports' quality control is so wildly scattershot. The games are great, but god damn, hard to recommend without a boatload of caveats.

IV x Mikado
PC: wrong framerate and stuttering
PS4: wrong framerate and stuttering
PS5: over twice the input lag of PS4 for some reason
Switch: minor audio problems
Xbox: ??? (does anyone actually have this version?)

I think the PS4 version just has the usual ~1hz chop that results from conversion to 60hz display. It's irksome, as ever - even moreso when the Type X original is apparently 60hz to begin with! But it's as consistent as you'd expect from M2 or Hamster. Likewise, I forget it's there once the game gets going. Haven't noticed any stuttering or excess slowdown.

PS4 III x Mikado seems perfect; it appears to run at the same rock-solid 60hz of stuff like Ikaruga and Caladrius, and I've not noticed any stuttering nor excess slowdown. Which is great, but really makes me wish they'd patch up IV. (it'd be a great excuse to update it to III's killer custom BGM features)

[BrianC]

III x Mikado
PC: screen tearing and now this flash shot glitch

PC version also has odd resolution modes and no exclusive full screen. I forgot to close the pop-up menu on the desktop and it stayed open in full screen mode.

[Angry Hina]

Here you go
Switch audio: https://youtu.be/scHlIUnBk_w

Intersting. I never experienced it 0.o

[Steven]

It seems that there is no point in buying the soundtrack for this game on Steam unless you want to waste money.

I was checking the Steam forums to see about Steam Deck compatibility for this game and someone mentioned that the entire soundtrack is in .wav files in the installation directory, so I checked and there it was. 44 tracks were in the directory, which is odd because the OST that you can buy only has 36 tracks.

I also seem to be unaffected by the flash shot glitch, both on my regular PC and on Steam Deck; turns out that I've had the flash shot achievement since launch day. Weird that only some people are affected by it, but I am assuming that MOSS didn't fix it yet even though they should.

[davyK]

Steam knocked a few pounds off this so I bit...

(quad dip - PS2,original PC, Switch).

The Switch version's slowdown had me eyeing this for a while as I fancied having a modern version on PC.

What a mess - stuttering madness right from the off. No sign of it being addressed in the steam forums.

Refunded. What a pity. What is it with this game? Raiden IV is fine. I presume it must have originally run on a weird hardware platform?

[Arino]

Have those issues ever been fixed? Got both games on PS4 but haven't played them yet.

[Steven]

Both of the Raiden x Mikado games probably have something wrong with them on every system except maybe Xbox because nobody plays on Xbox so nobody knows if they are fucked up there or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are. I think it's pretty obvious that MOSS doesn't care.

I find that PC III x Mikado is fine aside from the weird screen tearing, but others probably still have the flash shot achievement glitch.

[Arino]

I mean if it wasn't for the music there is always Raiden 3 on PC (no interlaced as on PS2) and Raiden 4 on ... so many platforms. But one reason why I was actually gonna play the latest release of 3 again is that I was told this is the only version where the hitbox of the ship was fixed (previously it was larger than it was intended to be or something). I don't know how neglectable this aspect is though. It's a shame they don't care about what matters because those purchases are useless to me if they are no improvements or even downgrades. They both came in pretty boxes but I don't really care about those.

[BIL]

Status quo seems unchanged from my last post. PS4 Raiden III Mikado seems absolutely perfect. Suspiciously perfect, even, given the fuckery people mention elsewhere. No idea what happened there.

PS4 Raiden IV Mikado would be perfect, except for an annoying ~1hz frame stutter. This is to be expected in accurate ports of sub-60hz PCBs... but AFAIK, Raiden IV was never one of those games.

Interestingly, when I got a PS5 recently, it asked if I wanted to install the PS5 versions of Raiden IV and Ridge Racer 2. (another irritating stutterer; right from the scrolling tickertape text at the bottom of the menu, it's blindingly obvious) Sure, fuck it, why not, I thought.

Turns out both run smooth as silk. I know PS5 Raiden IV is said to have more input latency, but it feels more than acceptable to me. I'll probably play that version when I get around to it. So that's odd. -_-

Refunded. What a pity. What is it with this game? Raiden IV is fine. I presume it must have originally run on a weird hardware platform?

That's the real pisser, haha. Taito Type X is, IIRC, a PC in a cab. The old PS2 and PC ports of III didn't have these irritating sync issues back in the day, nor did the XB360 port of IV.

It's almost like they deliberately screwed the refresh rate down to sub-60hz for old times' sake... but then, the PS4 and PS5 versions of III and IV, respectively, don't stutter at all.

Just disappointing, especially with two esteemed names attached.

[Arino]

Status quo seems unchanged from my last post. PS4 Raiden III Mikado seems absolutely perfect. Suspiciously perfect, even, given the fuckery people mention elsewhere. No idea what happened there.

PS4 Raiden IV Mikado would be perfect, except for an annoying ~1hz frame stutter. This is to be expected in accurate ports of sub-60hz PCBs... but AFAIK, Raiden IV was never one of those games.

Interestingly, when I got a PS5 recently, it asked if I wanted to install the PS5 versions of Raiden IV and Ridge Racer 2. (another irritating stutterer; right from the scrolling tickertape text at the bottom of the menu, it's blindingly obvious) Sure, fuck it, why not, I thought.

Turns out both run smooth as silk. I know PS5 Raiden IV is said to have more input latency, but it feels more than acceptable to me. I'll probably play that version when I get around to it. So that's odd. -_-

Refunded. What a pity. What is it with this game? Raiden IV is fine. I presume it must have originally run on a weird hardware platform?

That's the real pisser, haha. Taito Type X is, IIRC, a PC in a cab. The old PS2 and PC ports of III didn't have these irritating sync issues back in the day, nor did the XB360 port of IV.

It's almost like they deliberately screwed the refresh rate down to sub-60hz for old times' sake... but then, the PS4 and PS5 versions of III and IV, respectively, don't stutter at all.

Just disappointing, especially with two esteemed names attached.

I never understood why it seems to be so difficult to port games to another system which run on e.g. 57 Hz on their original hardware. There are lots of them. What about Raiden Fighters? In the Xbox 360 version you can set it to 57 Hz in the options but does that make it run the same way as the arcade version does?

[Klatrymadon]

It didn't solve the issue for me but FWIW a few others have reported that the Flash Shot stuttering issue was fixed by simply disabling the Steam Overlay. (I had it disabled already.)

[BIL]

I never understood why it seems to be so difficult to port games to another system which run on e.g. 57 Hz on their original hardware. There are lots of them. What about Raiden Fighters? In the Xbox 360 version you can set it to 57 Hz in the options but does that make it run the same way as the arcade version does?

It's just an unfortunate situation, with all consoles until very recently lacking VRR support. Raiden Fighters Aces has the best possible approach to an innately bad deal, letting you choose from forced 60hz (smooth, but of course tougher), blended (creates a ghosting effect), or Seibu SPI-accurate (the usual metronomic ~1hz chop you'll see in any number of ShotTriggers and ACA ports).

Several ACA titles, too, let you choose between 60hz and board-accurate refresh. I wish it was standard across the line. There's plenty of ~58hz titles I don't find any tougher at 60hz.

I heard Mihara recently advised Hamster to just run TGM2 at 60hz, when they were considering the board-accurate refresh of ~61hz. I'm glad he did, tbh. This is one of those things where I'm happy to sacrifice an iota of accuracy for a more aesthetically/tactilely pleasing game. I have to think anyone who can dominate TGM2 at 60hz will be more than capable of doing the same at 61hz, and will likely seek out a board to do so.

What's odd here is, several sources claim the arcade versions of Raiden III and Raiden IV run at a flat 60hz anyway. So it's all rather bizarre they'd have such scattershot performance, ported to a range of 60hz platforms. :/

[DenimDemon]

Doubled dip Raiden 3 on Series X and yeah it runs much, much better than on Switch. Also looks sharper.

[Lemnear]

I think this was the biggest surprise of the year for me, bought at 50% off, even though i didn't really like the first Raiden.
In the end it's one of the SHMUPS that i'm playing the most.
I recently lowered the difficulty from Normal to Easy (the game on Normal says "for shmups enthusiasts" while on Easy it says "for intermediate players who want to improve")
I thought it would change something like for the Psikyo games (the only other where i lowered the difficulty), instead it's all the same except that the bullets are slightly slower, i think it's much more helpful this way to learn... too bad though that on stage 6 but especially on 7, the speed of the bullets is the same as on Normal.

It seems more like a state of mind than a real change in difficulty in the last phase... it gave me this impression...

[Arino]

I think this was the biggest surprise of the year for me, bought at 50% off, even though i didn't really like the first Raiden.
In the end it's one of the SHMUPS that i'm playing the most.
I recently lowered the difficulty from Normal to Easy (the game on Normal says "for shmups enthusiasts" while on Easy it says "for intermediate players who want to improve")
I thought it would change something like for the Psikyo games (the only other where i lowered the difficulty), instead it's all the same except that the bullets are slightly slower, i think it's much more helpful this way to learn... too bad though that on stage 6 but especially on 7, the speed of the bullets is the same as on Normal.

It seems more like a state of mind than a real change in difficulty in the last phase... it gave me this impression...

Srsly what is the point in your posts. They are all completely useless. You have absolutely nothing to say but you just keep posting. Every single one of your posts has zero content in the end. First I felt sorry for you because you have nothing as you said yourself. But then once you do buy a game, you just whine about it being too hard and you look for other games that don't feature what you dislike about the game you just played. Then you ask for easier games but you get offended by being recommended easier games, because you don't want to admit that you are looking for easier games, although you said it yourself before. You even ask dumb shit like "which games will never come out via ACA" lol. Someone even told you to just pick one of the millions of games that are already out there and to just gid gud but you don't get the hints. I think the only reason why nobody here has ever told you all that is because most people here already have children your age and don't get worked up that easily anymore (with exceptions, of course).

[Some-Mist]

I think you need to chill brother. raiden III is a sick game and we shouldn't be trying to push anyone away from posting here unless it's hateful/abusive/exclusionary by demographic or harmful to the community, which there's only one post itt that's anywhere close to that

[Lemnear]

Srsly what is the point in your posts. They are all completely useless. You have absolutely nothing to say but you just keep posting. Every single one of your posts has zero content in the end. First I felt sorry for you because you have nothing as you said yourself. But then once you do buy a game, you just whine about it being too hard and you look for other games that don't feature what you dislike about the game you just played. Then you ask for easier games but you get offended by being recommended easier games, because you don't want to admit that you are looking for easier games, although you said it yourself before. You even ask dumb shit like "which games will never come out via ACA" lol. Someone even told you to just pick one of the millions of games that are already out there and to just gid gud but you don't get the hints. I think the only reason why nobody here has ever told you all that is because most people here already have children your age and don't get worked up that easily anymore (with exceptions, of course).

I never said i didn't like it, otherwise i wouldn't be playing it. Also i didn't take anything new, as suggested, i think by you
There's no need for all this aggression, especially online where it's even more ridiculous.
I just said i thought they would change the patterns like in the Psikyo titles (less bullets, same speed), instead here only the speed of the bullets changes and not the patterns, which i find much more helpful to learn the game, especially since there is no practice mode with Stage Select.
I also said that it was a surprise for me and it's the shmup that i'm playing the most at the moment

[BIL]

Yeah, easy modes that dial back the velocity are far superior to ones that just delete bullets outright. Especially in Seibu/Psikyo-types, where boss patterns get fast enough that merely determining their shape can be tricky.

The deletion approach would be like taking a boxing class, then you do your first spar, and the instructor stomps your instep before telling you to gb2Child. Or even gb2Monkey.

[Ghegs]

Srsly what is the point in your posts. They are all completely useless.

The irony here is palpable. Stop derailing threads with meaningless posts. I've assigned an official warning due to the personal attacks, the next offense will see you banned.

[davyK]

I still have the original PC release on Steam and the PS2 port. I was able to beat the PS2 port but I had to crank it down to Easy level. The bullet speed is the main difference. Going below easy level isn't a good idea because it de-fangs the game completely and is no use for learning the game.

I'm not sure why but this game just keeps drawing me back. The score attack mode is a great stand in for save states as it lets you practice each level, as does the boss run mode. So I keep telling myself that all the tools are there to beat the game on Normal. One day.

I've kept the Switch version even though it's plagued with slowdown - more a collecting thing more than anything else. The Steam version is just plain broken. Means I will keep the PS2 port for console play which is worth quite a lot in PAL format. And I have the original "digital version" as well for PC.

[Lemnear]

Yeah, easy modes that dial back the velocity are far superior to ones that just delete bullets outright. Especially in Seibu/Psikyo-types, where boss patterns get fast enough that merely determining their shape can be tricky.

Easy Mode is useful to understand some patterns, for example the initial attack of the sixth Boss...
When i looked in the 1CC videos, i saw that everyone uses a bomb at that moment, i am very greedy with bombs in general, i practically never use them

I still have the original PC release on Steam and the PS2 port. I was able to beat the PS2 port but I had to crank it down to Easy level. The bullet speed is the main difference. Going below easy level isn't a good idea because it de-fangs the game completely and is no use for learning the game.

I'm not sure why but this game just keeps drawing me back. The score attack mode is a great stand in for save states as it lets you practice each level, as does the boss run mode. So I keep telling myself that all the tools are there to beat the game on Normal. One day.

I've kept the Switch version even though it's plagued with slowdown - more a collecting thing more than anything else. The Steam version is just plain broken. Means I will keep the PS2 port for console play which is worth quite a lot in PAL format. And I have the original "digital version" as well for PC.

Yes, i also tried Very Easy, in that mode i noticed that the shots are slower like in Easy, but the enemies hesitate a bit more before shooting, also many bullets become destructible, which does not allow you to learn anything... (even the shots of the ships that snipe you from the sides are destructible).

______________________________

I remember Steven telling me that R missiles are the best, but paradoxically i lose more lives trying to get Rs than in other situations, it almost seems like it's calibrated on purpose... since the Score System requires you to kill enemies as soon as they enter the screen, it always ends up that the power-up floats around at the same time (nearly always) and that right when it goes from H/M to R, it's ALWAYS the worst time to get close and get it.
If it's done on purpose, MOSS is evil.

I already know where the two fairies are, while so far i've only found one 1UP, towards the end of Stage 3, but it doesn't always come out, and i don't know exactly what i did to get it...

The deletion approach would be like taking a boxing class, then you do your first spar, and the instructor stomps your insole before telling you to gb2Child. Or even gb2Monkey.

In fact i completed Strikers 1945 II (1CC) as a "Monkey" then i evolved and became a real "Child" like Pinocchio, then at Very Easy, one day i will be a "Normal" person

[Some-Mist]

I was playing a bit earlier today and R plus blue seem mega powerful, but I still haven't made it past stage 4 on normal. raiden games in particular have been really difficult for me to get anywhere near the final stage, but those stage 3 boss patterns are sublime. I love the multiple spread layering followed by the immediate aimed shots. It might be one of my favorite boss spreads overall because navigating through it has a nice balance keeping me on the edge

and yeah, timing the powerups without running into bullets is tricky*, which is where I've been using bombs from stage 2 onward

they also seem to have implemented a new fairy trophy or maybe I wasn't paying too much attention, but as soon as I booted into my first run I unlocked the 20+ achievement from what I've played in the mikado maniax release previously

[davyK]

You have to destroy all of the cranes at the sides of the screen in order to get the level 3 1up.

[Lemnear]

I was playing a bit earlier today and R plus blue seem mega powerful, but I still haven't made it past stage 4 on normal. raiden games in particular have been really difficult for me to get anywhere near the final stage, but those stage 3 boss patterns are sublime. I love the multiple spread layering followed by the immediate aimed shots. It might be one of my favorite boss spreads overall because navigating through it has a nice balance keeping me on the edge

and yeah, timing the powerups without running into bullets is tricky*, which is where I've been using bombs from stage 2 onward

they also seem to have implemented a new fairy trophy or maybe I wasn't paying too much attention, but as soon as I booted into my first run I unlocked the 20+ achievement from what I've played in the mikado maniax release previously

R is the only missile type to use practically.

So far I have learned that:

Stage 1: any weapon you want
Boss 1: Blue. You rush it immediately and destroy the first tank before the second one even arrives.

Stage 2: any non-Blue weapon, there is a moment in the middle of the stage with several tanks, some of which are rotating and they spam 360 degrees and the blue laser is too slow to clear the screen easily... it can be done but you might as well make things easier and use the other 2 weapons.
Boss 2: same thing, because it has two cannons on the sides that are best removed immediately for convenience, as well as the extra zakos it calls. Maybe the green laser is the most suitable.

Stage 3: strangely, any weapon is fine here.
Boss 3: Any weapon is good here, this boss has some nice patterns and I saw that there is a safe-spot in the final stage, in the top center but every time I tried it it never worked... I suck at safe-spots...

Stage 4: One of the two lasers.. the Vulcan (Red) is less optimal for clearing the screen, especially the spider-mecha in the middle of the level, but also for the meteors at the beginning (on the right between the meteors is the second fairy).
Boss 4: Same thing as above, in the first stage it has some pieces to destroy on the sides, and it is useful to remove them immediately, maybe the green laser can hit both the center part and one of the two sides at the right trajectory.

Stage 5: ANYTHING that is not the blue laser. The stage is full of cannons that activate practically in the middle of the screen and the blue laser is too slow to remove them quickly.
Boss 5: any weapon....I think I've always dodged the first pattern by luck...otherwise I use my first bomb here. The rest of his patterns are very nice.

Stage 6: Everything is very linear until the "Tower", maybe it's better to use the green laser there since it does pierce damage and passes through everything.
Boss 6: I dodge the first pattern with another bomb (sad), the rest is doable, another boss with nice patterns.

Stage 7: it has a phase similar to that of stage 2, but with more enemies, only that here they are mostly deployed in a grid so the two lasers are better than the vulcan.
Boss 7: I have no idea how to do the initial part if not by spamming the remaining bombs...the final phase (the one with only the crystal) is strangely much easier than the first one.

more or less this is how I'm approaching it, the hardest part is having the right weapon at the right time and not missing the R-missiles (and maybe accidentally swapping them with others).

You have to destroy all of the cranes at the sides of the screen in order to get the level 3 1up.

Oh THANK YOU!!!
Is the only 1UP ?

[Sengoku Strider]

Srsly what is the point in your posts. They are all completely useless. You have absolutely nothing to say but you just keep posting. Every single one of your posts has zero content in the end. First I felt sorry for you because you have nothing as you said yourself. But then once you do buy a game, you just whine about it being too hard and you look for other games that don't feature what you dislike about the game you just played. Then you ask for easier games but you get offended by being recommended easier games, because you don't want to admit that you are looking for easier games, although you said it yourself before. You even ask dumb shit like "which games will never come out via ACA" lol. Someone even told you to just pick one of the millions of games that are already out there and to just gid gud but you don't get the hints. I think the only reason why nobody here has ever told you all that is because most people here already have children your age and don't get worked up that easily anymore (with exceptions, of course).

I never said i didn't like it, otherwise i wouldn't be playing it. Also i didn't take anything new, as suggested, i think by you
There's no need for all this aggression, especially online where it's even more ridiculous.
I just said i thought they would change the patterns like in the Psikyo titles (less bullets, same speed), instead here only the speed of the bullets changes and not the patterns, which i find much more helpful to learn the game, especially since there is no practice mode with Stage Select.
I also said that it was a surprise for me and it's the shmup that i'm playing the most at the moment

You got hit by one of the weirdest and most poisonous drive-by rage posts I've seen on this forum (which has had a few over the years). You don't need to justify chatting about shmups in a forum entitled Shmups Chat. That character must have been going through something nasty (quite possibly self-inflicted, judging by the coping skills on display here) IRL, they were lashing out all over the place before getting shut down.

[Steven]

Boss 1: Blue. You rush it immediately and destroy the first tank before the second one even arrives.

You can pointblank with Vulcan. Sit directly on top of the bosses while firing and you'll destroy them super quickly. It's the only way to get the full 2.0 flash shot bonus from the stage 1 bosses and you also get to go into stage 2 with Vulcan, making the first few moments prior to the first item carrier slightly easier.

The Steam version is just plain broken.

The original one? I don't have it and it's gone now, but III Mikado is weird in that it either works mostly fine aside from some very aggressive screen tearing or has the flash shot glitch, which is probably bad enough to be game-ruining. Nobody seems to have figured out why some people have the flash shot glitch and others don't. I don't have the flash shot glitch, so I've been having a lot of fun with this game, but other people do have it and it's apparently quite bad for them.