RQ: gunbird

For posting and requesting strategic gameplay tips on shmups!
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sjewkestheloon
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RQ: gunbird

Post by sjewkestheloon »

ok i'm currently devoting a lot of time to gunbird and i'm aiming to eventually 1cc it. i can usually get to stage 5 although i am slowely getting closer to stage 6 as a standard. i was just wondering if anyone has any good tips for score increases and milking throughout the stages for a quicker extend? also any gereral tips, as i seem to be approaching that dreaded wall and i don't want to get buggered on another psikyo game when i enjoy them so much. cheers for any advice
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Rob
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Post by Rob »

Score-wise, don't fret over milking. There is no point. Just destroy all of the enemies you can on the stage and destroy the various parts to the boss. Pretty nonexistent scoring system.

General tips? I'd recommend switching to a character with a more powerful shot and bomb. Shot because of the auto power downs. The second best power has to be strong. Bombs, to get rid of certain threats before they start up, like the three pillars. Try the jet pack guy with the ripple lasers. Strong shot (especially up close, you can shoot on top of some ground enemies for rapid lasers and fast kills) and a strong bomb.
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BulletMagnet
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Post by BulletMagnet »

IIRC, though, his bomb isn't instantaneous (correct me if I'm wrong), so it's not much use as a last-ditch thingy.
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Rob
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Post by Rob »

Yeah, cloud girl has a bail out bomb, but damage-wise it's pretty crappy. The idea is to use bombs at specific points. It's much more effective and it's just a good idea to not use bombs as panic buttons in any game. Consider you start out with 2 bombs and you get an extra one every stage, so you can use a bomb or more per stage. In Gunbird there's more parts to the bosses than any other Psikyo vert and most outside of the core structure are weak. Clear those and it makes them much more manageable.
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IlMrm
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Post by IlMrm »

Rob wrote:Yeah, cloud girl has a bail out bomb, but damage-wise it's pretty crappy.
Also you can still get hit by bullets coming from the sides when the bomb animation is on. Found out the hard way.
Rob wrote:The idea is to use bombs at specific points. It's much more effective and it's just a good idea to not use bombs as panic buttons in any game.
Definitely.
sjewkestheloon
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Post by sjewkestheloon »

yeah i'm using yuan-nang (sp) and i've found her bomb to be really usefull as if used right it sticks to the bastards for ages and you can get a ton of shots off while most bullets are blocked. her charge shot isn't so great but really useful in a few situations, especially if you point blank a few of the bosses before they start spamming. seems to do major damage.

i can now get to the end of stage five but got a few stupid deaths from the end boss' last spikey form. any suggestions on dodging the fast throw of bullets that he does almost immediately? the only way i can see is to bomb, but i'd rather save them for the following stage which is hard as a bastard if i remember correctly
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Kiken
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Post by Kiken »

sjewkestheloon wrote:yeah i'm using yuan-nang (sp) and i've found her bomb to be really usefull as if used right it sticks to the bastards for ages and you can get a ton of shots off while most bullets are blocked. her charge shot isn't so great but really useful in a few situations, especially if you point blank a few of the bosses before they start spamming. seems to do major damage.

i can now get to the end of stage five but got a few stupid deaths from the end boss' last spikey form. any suggestions on dodging the fast throw of bullets that he does almost immediately? the only way i can see is to bomb, but i'd rather save them for the following stage which is hard as a bastard if i remember correctly
The last form initially moves from the center to the upper right. Charge up the staff and attack as soon as the boss is active and immediately begin charging for a second staff. Move to right with the boss... as soon as the second staff is ready, let it go and quickly move to right. You should be able to tag the boss as well as the two green cubes on the right. As soon as the second cube explodes move down a little and then hard left. You should avoid the entire spread.
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professor ganson
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Post by professor ganson »

Are there just 7 levels or are there 8 altogether?
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Ghegs
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Post by Ghegs »

professor ganson wrote:Are there just 7 levels or are there 8 altogether?
There's seven stages per loop unless I'm being totally forgetful.
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professor ganson
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Post by professor ganson »

Cool, if there are just 7 levels, then I ought to be able to clear the first loop at some point. I've gotten to level 5 after only a few hours of play, so I would think that with some dedication I can finally get through the first loop of a Psikyo game. I really wasn't enjoying this game until I tried Tetsu (I think that's his name), the slow older guy on a bicycle. Two things really bug me: first, his bomb is not a panic button and I'm used to having a panic button in Psikyo games, and, second, it is hard to tell visually when his charge shot is ready for firing-- seems like it's best to play with the vol. up and that's not always an option for me. Otherwise I love his power and steady movement. At first I thought Tetsu was as lame as Hei-Cobb, but now I think he's as fun as Valpairo.
sjewkestheloon
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Post by sjewkestheloon »

Stage 6 is the tough one, but if you can get that one down, the first loop is in the bag.

tetsu is pretty good and really powerful but i had the most joy with yuan nang (sp?) as her poking stick power up shot can cancel bullets, and her bomb isn't too bad. giving most bosses a good poke with her shot can take off half of their health before they even shoot.
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InFireX
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Re: RQ: gunbird

Post by InFireX »

I'd like to know more about the general strategy for the 2nd loop. So far, I know the following stuff:
  • rank management (bumping into aerial enemies, not picking up too many powerups, suicide)
  • proximity bullet seal
  • bosses having no collision detection (you don't die when you are on top of them)
  • using bombs at certain points
  • double tapping (I know this one is more of a technique, but it helps a lot)
  • killing aerial enemies when they're offscreen produces less suicide bullets
Is there anything else I need to know? I'm playing as Ash (jetpack guy).
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Shepardus
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Re: RQ: gunbird

Post by Shepardus »

I don't think rank management helps all that much in Psikyo games, especially not suicides when you have so few lives to work with.
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InFireX
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Re: RQ: gunbird

Post by InFireX »

Yeah, lack of lives sucks, but I heard somewhere that suiciding at the end of 1st loop really reduces rank, but I haven't tried it out yet. If this doesn't work, then it'll be pretty tough to beat the 2nd loop, considering that some of the strategies work one time, other time they won't.
Also, there are no 2-ALL videos with Ash, which is even more bothersome. Oh, and the train stage. :|
Vludi
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Re: RQ: gunbird

Post by Vludi »

I wouldn't be so sure about suiciding in the end of loop 1, you absolutely need that bomb stock for the second loop. Endokarb used a suicide before the train boss of the second loop, I think it was to lower the boss health and to make the fourth stage a lot easier.
Why are you using Ash? it seems like a much harder character to use than Marion or Yuan-Nang to me.
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InFireX
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Re: RQ: gunbird

Post by InFireX »

Vludi wrote: Why are you using Ash?
Because I like his movement speed; everyone else felt sluggish to control when I tried them. His shot is good enough for me because of its narrowness, even at full power; I find the charge shot pretty versatile because it can do a bit of crowd control and do a lot of damage if used right, but it has the longest charge time, compared to other characters.

The bomb is pretty strong and has good screen coverage, but it doesn't activate right away, so it's not really good for self-defense. I considered playing as Yuan Nang before picking Ash, but I didn't like her charge shot, despite having a way shorter charge time and being able to cancel bullets.

I realize that it will take a long time to 2-ALL with him, but at least there will be some new material if I manage to do it.
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seraph
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Re: RQ: gunbird

Post by seraph »

A suicide on the train stage in the second loop is pretty much necessary as dodging the patterns with the random zako is pretty much impossible and bombs are mandatory. The rank drop from the suicide will allow you to get to the top of the screen and bomb the train cars, whereas at max rank there is no deadzone for the zako so they can spawn next to you and kill you instantly. It is also largely impossible to survive without at least lv3 power, so in the event that you have an unexpected death, I think you probably will want to unload your bombs, suicide, and grab both powerups. For this reason, you should also try to power down right before a suicide.
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InFireX
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Re: RQ: gunbird

Post by InFireX »

How much does rank decrease when you suicide? Also:
seraph wrote:so in the event that you have an unexpected death, I think you probably will want to unload your bombs, suicide, and grab both powerups
I'd rather just use a bomb and grab them right away, considering Ash's bomb lasts for a few seconds on one part of the screen. Then, I can suicide later on and have more benefits from it.
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