Rayforce

ben.shinobi · Post by **ben.shinobi** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:19 am

4,820,100 pts - All Clear with mame32 plus 0.89.
.inp available at http://marp.retrogames.com/

zlk · Post by **zlk** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 2:27 pm

Great replay ben.shinobi!

overdrive · Post by **overdrive** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:25 am

Since I just started working this game yesterday......

Overdrive - 560,100 - Level 2

overdrive · Post by **overdrive** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:45 am

I IMPROVE!

Overdrive - 698,100 - 3

overdrive · Post by **overdrive** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:01 am

My gradual improvement continues.......

Overdrive - 812,700 - 3

overdrive · Post by **overdrive** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:26 am

And another.....

Overdrive - 888,600 - 3

I'm starting to hate myself. I've had great runs through the first and most of the second where I think I'll be easily hitting a million.....then choke somewhere (like one game where by my count I'd have been well over 900k after L2, but completely choked my last two lifes away on the boss)......but all the good distance runs where I make it a ways past the L3 spider miniboss are games where I didn't score that great early on.

overdrive · Post by **overdrive** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 6:48 am

And yet another piddly improvement update!

Overdrive - 940,700 - Stage 3

Basically, it's the same story every time I have a decent run now. I lose two lives due to stupid mistakes I really shouldn't be making anymore on the second level.....then I lose the final life at the big ground installation area that's apparently right before the boss.....since while I was inputting my initials, a really big plane-like ship appeared on the screen.

If there's any positive in this particular score, it's that I had a subpar first level (330k, when I average 350-370 and have a best of 390), but had a strong second level scorewise and was doing better than usual (but not great) on the third before death.

BonusJZ · Post by **BonusJZ** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:02 am

BonusJZ - 1,841,300 - 5 Arcade

404,900 after first stage .Great game

BonusJZ · Post by **BonusJZ** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:28 pm

I shoudl be one place higher on score board

overdrive · Post by **overdrive** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 4:51 am

Overdrive - 1,327,600 - Stage 4

Finally, a breakthrough! Got the 1M extend and made it past the L3 boss (although I lost two lives doing so, which likely made my first L4 visit a bit shorter than I'd have liked.....).

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:32 pm

Saturn normal mode
ED-057 - 1,206,500 - area 4

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 8:03 am

I hope it's okay to bump this thread (new here). Been hooked on Rayforce lately. I'm definitely going to improve on this score, at least a bit... lots of silly mistakes on this run. Like accidentally cheap-shotting the ST4 boss into an early grave, lol.

Keeping with the theme of silly mistakes, I used my own initials "PF." I'll have another go and update with a "BIL" score soon.

Edit: And here it is. ^_^

[Arcade, Full Defaults (MAME - rayforcj.zip)]

Bill - 2,427,800 - Stage 6

Input file recorded with MAME32 0.113: http://www.sendspace.com/file/4kfqb7

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 1:59 am

Bill wrote: [Arcade, Full Defaults (MAME - rayforcj.zip)]

Randorama wrote: One note on difficulty: Saturn's default difficulty is "Normal", which is actually slightly less difficult than the arcade default.I'll stick to Saturn's default and make an Arcade chart on request: if you want to compete on equal grounds though, you can switch the difficulty to "Hard 1" (one level more than "Normal"). Have fun!

Doesn't this mean a seperate Arcade table will be created on Bill's behalf?

Randorama · Post by **Randorama** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:13 am

I may actually split the tables at this point...

I'll give a check later in the day.

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:45 am

Bill - 2,608,600 - Stage 6

Made a small improvement yesterday, although it's short of zinger's score and won't move me up. I think I can crack the 2,800,000 range with a bit of hard graft (heh), so this'll be my last score for a bit. For now my goal is to clear Stage 6, since the boss is my current limit.

An ALL score seems a lot further off, but I like Rayforce more than enough to spend my gaming time on it. I can consistently no-miss to the second extend in Stage 5, so there's some hope on my part. All my troubles are packed into Stages 6 and 7, it seems.

Screencap

Input File (MAME 0.133)

SFKhoa wrote:Doesn't this mean a seperate Arcade table will be created on Bill's behalf?

Randorama wrote:I may actually split the tables at this point...

I'll give a check later in the day.

Thanks to both of you guys for the consideration, btw. Personally I'm happy either way, ben.shinobi's Arcade score is a fine target for the rest of us.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 1:40 pm

Randorama, question.
If Saturn users have to tone the difficulty up to play in its respective arcade difficulty, is there a way Arcade users can tone DOWN the difficulty to play on the same level as the Saturn players?

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:10 pm

Good question, but... I just read the Rando review and I saw two things:

1 - He says you have to switch to "Hard 2", opposed to what he says on the score board in wich he says "Hard 1"... so, what is the correct difficulty????

2 - Rando says in the review that the rank increase also when you get the extends, and in the Saturn version you get at 500.000 and 1.000.000, opposed to arcade version, in wich you get at 1.000.000 and 2.000.000, so in the Saturn port the rank maxes early: so, is it a way to balance the difference in difficulty??? We poor Saturn users have really to switch difficulty or shoul'd we play normal because we have to bear the premature rank maximization?

Another thought: there was on shmup chat an interesting thread about rank; it said that if you play Srikers 1945 on high difficulty or easy difficulty it is no real difference because the CPU adjust the rank: you get a premature rank increment and maximization at easy difficulty and late ones at harder difficulties... so it applies also to Rayforce/Layer Section??? If so, considering also the problem of premature extends, shoul'd we play full defaults???

And also: there is any difference between Rayforce and Layer Section???

Last but not least: why so poor interest in this wonderful game? I see so few people posting scores and discussing technical things about it... even Rando doesn't join the discussion... hope someone will answer my questions...

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:03 pm

stratos wrote:Good question, but... I just read the Rando review and I saw two things:

1 - He says you have to switch to "Hard 2", opposed to what he says on the score board in wich he says "Hard 1"... so, what is the correct difficulty????

There's a way to check this. IIRC, you can compare the number of drones released in the beginning of stage one. The difficulty where the amount of drones matches with the arcade game is the right one.

stratos wrote:Another thought: there was on shmup chat an interesting thread about rank; it said that if you play Srikers 1945 on high difficulty or easy difficulty it is no real difference because the CPU adjust the rank: you get a premature rank increment and maximization at easy difficulty and late ones at harder difficulties... so it applies also to Rayforce/Layer Section??? If so, considering also the problem of premature extends, shoul'd we play full defaults???

Been a long time since I ran some tests, but I'm quite sure rank increasement is the the same, no matter what difficulty you select. I don't know why they messed with the extend settings and difficulty - it's just plain weird! Especially since the rest of the port is pretty much perfect.

stratos wrote:And also: there is any difference between Rayforce and Layer Section???

Rayforce is the arcade game, Layer Section is the Saturn port. You mentioned the differences yourself. Aside of that, there are minor graphical improvements, and the soundtrack has been slightly rearranged.

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 1:29 pm

you can compare the number of drones released in the beginning of stage one. The difficulty where the amount of drones matches with the arcade game is the right one.

The number of drones released in normal difficulty is the same of Hard 1... I think probably we don't know perfectly how this game shoul'd be set up to have an arcade perfect challenge...

It woul'd be great if any Japanese speaking user checked on random Japanese sites dedicated to this game....

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 10:56 pm

However, I'm playing on Hard 1 setting, and I'm slowly improving. Now I'm currently at 2.7xx.xxx millions; the first two stages are not a problem anymore, but the midboss at the beginning of steg e three is a pain if you extended two times before and nevere died... however, I found a couple of manuevers to survive against the ordes of ships that come down in stage four, and a bunch of thecniques to survive well during the stage, so I lose only one life at the boss.

Then, stage five, not too much problems, even Odin it's easy to me... but there are always random deaths here and there, and stage six... men, Taito wanted to explore the new dimension of manic shooters here... but they forgot to give players a smaller hitbox!!!

However, I'm spendig some extra credits these days to start training in stage seven also, and against sixth boss... tell me good luck

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:57 am

stratos wrote:
you can compare the number of drones released in the beginning of stage one. The difficulty where the amount of drones matches with the arcade game is the right one.

The number of drones released in normal difficulty is the same of Hard 1... I think probably we don't know perfectly how this game shoul'd be set up to have an arcade perfect challenge...

It woul'd be great if any Japanese speaking user checked on random Japanese sites dedicated to this game....

What about Hard 2 then? Dedicated japanese players would probably just find a local arcade.

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:57 am

Yes... unfortunately, Rayforce on mame is a bit slow on my computer and I can't check personally, how unlucky we are not having good arcades in Europe...

For now, I'll stick on Hard 1, but I ask on what rank Ben Shinobi obtained hi personal record.

And also, I ask why he did't add the simple suicide trick at the beginning of stage one to improve his score

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:59 am

However, I'm glad to see that you (Zinger) are still playing the game, hope this bit of cooperation/competition let us improve faster

For me, I think the wall of 3 mills coul'd be breaked only 1CCing the game, so I'm heading for three

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:28 pm

I haven't played this game in years though, but it was my first "shoot 'em up for score experience", and I love it immensely. It was really cool to see this game still being played at HEY. Someone would go in and set a 9,000,000+ score every day.

I'm sure I'll get back to this eventually.

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:09 pm

zinger wrote:I haven't played this game in years though

Oh, so I'm alone... however, ther is an AEX friend of mine that promised me to join the competition if I break the three mills wall

It woul'd be interestig especially if he want to battle here also

It was really cool to see this game still being played at HEY. Someone would go in and set a 9,000,000+ score every day.

Japan is definitely another world... however this game is full of tricks that doesn't require too much skill, so it's natural that people who complete both loop at DDP DOJ hit the WR every day on Rayforce...

However I hate the fact that I can't see the scoreboard when I want, so I have to do the pic while inputting the name...

BIL · Post by **BIL** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:50 pm

Glad to read about your Rayforce endeavours, stratos. I'll be getting back to it soon enough, so there'll be at least some activity here in the next week or so.

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:59 am

Bill wrote:Glad to read about your Rayforce endeavours, stratos. I'll be getting back to it soon enough, so there'll be at least some activity here in the next week or so.

Nice to hear this

I'm sure there will be much fun

For now, I feel that the ALL is near: I plan to become consistent at 1CCing the game, and then to add gradually other scoring tricks, beside those wich I use currently.

The only one shmup that I 1CCed in the last 14 years was Eliminate Down normal difficulty (veeeeery easy) last year, so the 1CC is already a great achivement for me

But then I'll try to maximize also the score, since I like the game and I fell comfortable with it.

See you soon on this board

stuminator · Post by **stuminator** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:34 pm

stuminator - 2,244,200 - Stage 6 (Saturn)

My one and only run where I got to stage 6.

Taito wanted to explore the new dimension of manic shooters here... but they forgot to give players a smaller hitbox!!!

It would be a lot easier to do better in this game if I didn't always play it after a modern small hitbox shmup...

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 12:23 pm

You're right, but I'm not playing modern shooters at the moment

And I like Rayforce with the big hitbox, it woul'd be far too easy with a Cave size box, for example.

These day I'm becoming more consistent at reaching stage six, two days ago I met the boss in one credit, and I'm sure I can beat him with a good amount of practice, because it isn't the main treat of the stage. I have a score around 2,8xx,xxx mill, but I won't post antil I can afford a digital camera to post pics.

stratos · Post by **stratos** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:15 pm

Lol I suck really hard! I really think that the key to survive in this game is to not die consecutively. You coul'd also manage to survive 'till the end loosing all your extra lives in stock, but on all your misses, you shoul'd try to survive at least untill you power up to max level. Especially in level six, in wich a powerful shot is very helpful to survive in the last section with the floating corridors.

Slowly improving!