tatsujin/truxton appreciation thread.

[Steven]

Yeah I know. It's still a big difference, though. It's like a different game. Or maybe I'm just going insane, but it looks a lot slower than what I've gotten used to over the past three days.

Shmups wiki also suggests there is a notable difference, as well: https://shmups.wiki/library/Tatsujin#Rank

[bcass]

Here's a nice 1CC of Tatsujin Oh that I spotted on X. Player (STG-SLK) is using a keyboard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ry3pvRTpkc

I tried a while back using keyboard but couldn't get comfortable with it. I was using Z X ' / RETURN; and also tried Q A O P SPACE.

[Gas]

Nice! You need the red weapon for the stage 2 1-up I believe. Blue is in either stage 3 or 4, I don't recall.

The blue weapon-exclusive 1up is on stage 5.

Would be a nice challenge to complete first loop no miss, no bomb, but it's impossible.

Has anyone ever done NMNB of Truxton before?

There's this video on youtube of it from a year ago:

https://youtu.be/ZAmZ_hi43SQ

However, I found some things fishy. In another video, he claims to have played it all through legitimately for 15.5 hours straight to reach level 32, and said that he'd post it, but then later privated the video and didn't post it for over a year now. Cool anyway though to see his unique routing with the green weapon and without bombs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk8Vl45l3oE

[Gas]

Found out that you can loop endlessly without finishing the first loop if collect the blue laser 1up on Stage 5 using a bomb to destroy the capsule holding it faster. However, this section only gives about 14,000 points, which means you'd need to do this repeatedly almost 100 times in a row to give equivalent points to one loop, and it loops endlessly, so has no practical purpose other than being amusing to see on the leaderboard.

P.S. This doesn't work on the other 2 1up drops or going for 70K points within the bonus section in Stage 3, from testing each segment

[mycophobia]

Found out that you can loop endlessly without finishing the first loop if collect the blue laser 1up on Stage 5 using a bomb to destroy the capsule holding it faster. However, this section only gives about 14,000 points, which means you'd need to do this repeatedly almost 100 times in a row to give equivalent points to one loop, and it loops endlessly, so has no practical purpose other than being amusing to see on the leaderboard.

P.S. This doesn't work on the other 2 1up drops or going for 70K points within the bonus section in Stage 3, from testing each segment

Wild

[Steven]

So this game has an infinite score design flaw. Interesting. Will have to test this before it gets too cold in the room with my cabinet to play games on it.

I did manage to accidentally 2-ALL this game like 6 or 8 months ago or whatever too, so that was pretty cool. That was pretty much the last time this year that I seriously played a shooting game, now that I think about it.

[Mills]

Nice! You need the red weapon for the stage 2 1-up I believe. Blue is in either stage 3 or 4, I don't recall.

The blue weapon-exclusive 1up is on stage 5.

Would be a nice challenge to complete first loop no miss, no bomb, but it's impossible.

Has anyone ever done NMNB of Truxton before?

There's this video on youtube of it from a year ago:

https://youtu.be/ZAmZ_hi43SQ

However, I found some things fishy. In another video, he claims to have played it all through legitimately for 15.5 hours straight to reach level 32, and said that he'd post it, but then later privated the video and didn't post it for over a year now. Cool anyway though to see his unique routing with the green weapon and without bombs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk8Vl45l3oE

It does look suspicious as if he has found a way to pause the game enough to recover or rehydrate after a couple of hrs. But 15hrs non stop is very questionable.

[Angry Hina]

I've tried to ressurrect my routs and get finally the real version of the game down now, that its released on Switch.

Its harder on the first three stages, more or less even on the fouth but easier on the hardest and last fifth stage. Even though the two big twin ships near the end are even more problematic here.

It was again very surprising, how much precision this game demands on your positioning and your memory. Especially its focus on finding again and again the middle of the screen to be the most safe against enemies from behind.

I am proud that I killed the twin shipts at 27:00 with only two bombs and that it was nearly a one life clear. I am not that proud of not beeing able to get the stage 1 boss of the second loop down. Its so hard to recover there and safe three bombs for the boss -.-

https://youtu.be/zxDO3q7dDnA

[Gas]

Noticed that this safe spot I used for my run wasn't in any other runs, which often seem to be identical to one another:



Many other things, but it's tough to know how much only works for 30 Hz, or while playing the American version instead; and those cases where it's vague whether or not it's actually less tricky to do.

[Angry Hina]

I made this direct comparison video of Tatsujin and Truxton (arc) from my 1cc runs of the last two weeks. (there was none on yt till now)
Its hard for me to find differences of these versions.

https://youtu.be/EqnCCnzQqXo

[MJR]

I made this direct comparison video of Tatsujin and Truxton (arc) from my 1cc runs of the last two weeks. (there was none on yt till now)
Its hard for me to find differences of these versions.

https://youtu.be/EqnCCnzQqXo

It's mostly game parameters. I region changed my Tatsujin PCB to Truxton few years back, and bosses took much less hits and their bullet speed was not so brutal any more. That, or the ranking was not so aggressive.

Tatsujin is bit too much for me, but Truxton I can just about manage.

[Angry Hina]

I made this direct comparison video of Tatsujin and Truxton (arc) from my 1cc runs of the last two weeks. (there was none on yt till now)
Its hard for me to find differences of these versions.

https://youtu.be/EqnCCnzQqXo

It's mostly game parameters. I region changed my Tatsujin PCB to Truxton few years back, and bosses took much less hits and their bullet speed was not so brutal any more. That, or the ranking was not so aggressive.

Tatsujin is bit too much for me, but Truxton I can just about manage.

In my video, I cannot see more hitpoints. Sometimes a bullet could have been a tiny bit earlier on the lower end of the screen but it also could have been shot a little bit earlier. not sure about that...

[Angry Hina]

I also made a comparison video of the two arcade versions but adjusted to the Mega Drive home version (I cleared 2021) so you can see exactly the differences of the home port compared to both arcade versions. Its very interesting to see, that the background on Mega Drive is some times shortened and some times a bit stretched and that it scrolls a tiny bit slower all around.

I like some toned down mid bosses. You can fight some of them a bit better without bombs whereas at the arcades you mostly have to die ^^

https://youtu.be/TyCCnjchZ2o

[Steven]

As time goes on I increasingly feel that the MD version suffers due to the aspect ratio change. Among other things, it messed up recovery at the stage 3 boss checkpoint to some extent. It's not entirely related to the aspect ratio, but there is also the matter of the max level red shot, which makes it so you just sit in the middle of the screen holding the shot button and not moving until a boss shows up because none of the zako can really do anything to you. Don't really care for the MD version, although the MD Mini 2 ROM's fixed music tempo does help a little.

No comment on PC Engine; haven't played that version much beyond using the sound test to listen to its awesome music. Maybe I should check it out some more. Been meaning to do it, but just haven't.

[Angry Hina]

As time goes on I increasingly feel that the MD version suffers due to the aspect ratio change. Among other things, it messed up recovery at the stage 3 boss checkpoint to some extent. It's not entirely related to the aspect ratio, but there is also the matter of the max level red shot, which makes it so you just sit in the middle of the screen holding the shot button and not moving until a boss shows up because none of the zako can really do anything to you.

Its often the same in the arcade version. You use the red one not more often compared to the arcade mode, so ist just level 1 (here you can use the green (and partly the blue) one as well and zakos will not be a hazard from the side and the back anyway), level 2 (the most dangerous things there are the acid tanks and the midbosses anyway) and the first third of level 3 and after that you only play with blue. So its not that often, you can benefit from it. You can even argue, that it can backfire within the acid tank section.

Looking back at my run and watching my video, I would now say, that they managed quite well to balance out the smaller screen with later shooting enemies and slower bullets (at least at the stages 1-4). The most problematic parts come frome stages 5's bad bullet visibility, the "sending you back to former checkpoints if you die to fast"-thing, overall a bit trickier checkpoints and yeah, possibly some parts suffer from the smaller screen there a bit but its a much smaller problem there.

" it messed up recovery at the stage 3 boss checkpoint"
I wouldnt say its harder but you have to play it differently like some other parts in this version. Back then, before I one-lifed tilllate stage 5, I learnd many recoveries and before the stage 3 boss I used at first a bomb to destroy the two bomb dropping things, so you at least get one more (later, I remermber figuring out a tricky rout without using a bomb). The boss fight is easier compared to the arcade one so its not a big deal fighting it with "only" 3 or four bombs (or even 2?). You can with the slow speed after you died much easier dodge his attacks and stay always in the middle, so the turrets wont shoot on you. So I would not say its messed up.

I found the recoveries in the meteor sections in stage 5 messed up instead ^^

[PC Engine Fan X!]

As time goes on I increasingly feel that the MD version suffers due to the aspect ratio change. Among other things, it messed up recovery at the stage 3 boss checkpoint to some extent. It's not entirely related to the aspect ratio, but there is also the matter of the max level red shot, which makes it so you just sit in the middle of the screen holding the shot button and not moving until a boss shows up because none of the zako can really do anything to you. Don't really care for the MD version, although the MD Mini 2 ROM's fixed music tempo does help a little.

No comment on PC Engine; haven't played that version much beyond using the sound test to listen to its awesome music. Maybe I should check it out some more. Been meaning to do it, but just haven't.

There're two versions of PC Engine Tatsujin, the official released version & the prototype version. The prototype version allows the end-user to adjust certain parameters before attempting a gaming session of Tatsujin. On the regular PCE HuCard version, you'd have to score exactly 70,000 points to "unlock" the hidden screen to adjust game parameters whereas with the prototype version, it's available from the "get-go." You can even change the screen resolution from full-screen to arcade-screen (with black bars on the sides to quasi-replicate the arcade tate format but displayed as a verizontal-based stg running in high-res 512 x 240p mode instead of the usual 320 x 240p mode).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Angry Hina]

Thats cool. Sadly its so expensive. Sadly too M2 made as their possibly last Toaplan collection Hellfire and Zero Wing instead of Tatsujin (Ou).

[OldSkoolShmuper]

Truxton clip from a Nickelodeon show from 1989:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMgC_CV1mBs

[Angry Hina]

Truxton clip from a Nickelodeon show from 1989:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMgC_CV1mBs

Thats so cool,thx for sharing this <3

[OldSkoolShmuper]

Truxton clip from a Nickelodeon show from 1989:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMgC_CV1mBs

Thats so cool,thx for sharing this <3

You bet. BTW the Nickelodeon show was called Total Panic. It was a weekly show on Sunday with all kinds of stuff including interviews, educational stuff music and video games.

[Angry Hina]

Has anyone extracted the background graphics of the game or are these available anywere? Tried today some hints but it didnt worked for me atm.

[Angry Hina]

I finally was more consistent on the first boss checkpoint after the first loop and was also a bit more aware of some spots which can be a bit messy. So I finally got my 2nd loop clear... which became a 3rd loop clear.
https://youtu.be/o1VuEMspfog

I was so pleased... Possibly I will make a video what worked for me on this damned checkpoint and what not. I at first thought another tactic would bring the victory but I lost always too many lifes trying this route.

Thanks to @Gas for the little savespot. At first I thought its too narrow and the fight is not hard if you can spend 1 bomb but sometimes you wont spand one or have none at all. At least in some higher loops the item drops before this section allow you to try to get the right position for a longer time. So I used this savespot in this run two times.

[mycophobia]

nice one

[MJR]

After I got Toaplan collection for Switch 2, I got inspired playing Truxton II again (Tatsujin ou is too much for me atm). It seems I have a total love / hate relationship with that game. Overly long, repetitive and punishing but still feels so good.

Because my time and patience is limited, I resorted to save states. HOWEVER. I also, while playing from save states had a profound realization which was kinda obvious all the time but still I did not quite grasp it. This game, like most Toaplan games, are EXPLICITLY designed around using continues. The ONLY satisfying way to play and learn them is by continues. This is because the rank drops when you die. If you try to save-state with zero misses, the ranks gets so high that there just is no point to even try, because it's so punishing it's insane. But with continues its actually..gasp.. enjoyable. So what are save states good for? Not much anything, except if I don't have extra hour to try to grind to the end, I can pick up save state where I have continued on that stage.

Now that I came across this, I actually realized that this has been the case for most arcade shmups. But Toaplan is more evident with it than others, and their devs confirmed it in interviews, how it was important them to design recovery. And with Tatsujin Ou / Truxton II, it's even more important. I found that the horrible level 3 boss is actually quite addictive, if you just use continues to try to figure out how to get through it. And you can. It's not even that bad! More fun actually, than hanging on the upper right corner trying to time it out.

I think most of my pain came from my insistence that you must learn to 1CC everything with no exceptions. But that's not how this game works. It's completely designed to kill you, and then pushing you to use continues to figure out how to recover. And that's actually the most fun part. My mind is blown.

But the scariest thing is that now I WANT WANT that sweet PCB.. but it's 300e - 400e at least, the last time I looked