Thunder Force V Chat

ThunderForce 222 · Post by **ThunderForce 222** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 11:50 pm

I lov eThe fifth installment of TF. I just posted this subject so I could talk about this game with other people who have a passin for this game. I know that this game isn't too hard,even the Saturn version isn't much harder than the PS. Don't get me wrong, it IS harder but only certain things like Stage 7, the hit marker for the Free-Range is mid boy and not his head like the PS(I wonder why they changed it-maybe so you can 16X the 2 of 3 forms of the boss on Normal difficulty for the contest?) On the PS all you do is be at a 45% angle above his head on the right side and "Range 1 it" for the first 2 forms. The 3rd can only be 15Xed and only on Normal mode.

Also I would like to disscus the scoring tricks on the Vasteel Originals 3 forms and what are some of other peoples strats on that. Scoring glitches, like Guardian's Knight first piece..sometime when you 16X it you don't get score..Guardian's Knight second piece(Saturn Version) it doesn't give a 16X on the screen...Guardian's Knight(see a pattern here?) 3rd piece, his shin guard and why can't you hit it with the Free-Rande to 16X it before he fires his shot spread, I've ony gotten as high as 13X. And best scores for his 4 pentagram pieces. I've gotten as high as 16X-16X-13X-11X.

Other glitches I've seen are Stage 6 boss first form(not the 4 laser dispensers) I have only ever X15'ed it. The gitch on "No Blue's" Mechanical Sea Snake" Saturn and PS. Sometimes, especially on the PS if you don't not "lead"it just right it's timed marker will not go down.
I don't think this is a glitch but I always wondered why you can't hit the big block in the begining of stage 4. I think it's for skill and was made that way. Some enemies in stage 2 won't appear if you're ship is not placed in a certain section of the screen. In stage 5(normal difficulty) the only way to 16X the Laser cannon with shield with the Brigindane forward weapon is to have the beam already firing where the enemy will show up. It'll go through the shield and hit it. It's definetly a glitch. It doesn't matter any way, if you play on Hard or Master you should have purposley lost you Brigindane unit. It's the only way to 16X everything after the first 3 timed units in the level. And whats funny is you get score while you lose the attachment.

Now and then a stone pillar in Wood" stage won't show up either. In "No Blue" when the helicoper with drop boats shows up in the begining sometimes when you destroy it, it gives no on screen 16x score. On stage 6 boss why can't the Free-Range hit the little fan blades that attack? Maybe it was meant that way as to make the fight more challenging? Also the yellow fireballs it launches can't be hit by the weapon either. I don't think that is a glitch though.

Alot of these glitches are on the PS but some are on the Saturn. Anyway share you're thoughts on these or any other moments in the game. I was the Thunder Force V contest winner in 2000 and I want to see other peoples toughts and ideas on this great game.

If you don't think this game is challenging, try playing Master difficulty without the Free-Range or all weapons and no super versions or just the Twin and back shot----Or the ultimate challenge----ONLY Twin and Back shot with NO super version on Master and it hast to be preferably the Saturn version--it's harder. I've only done that 4 times in the time I've owned the game--like 6 years.

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:22 am

T5 rules. The graphics, the music, the weapons system...its all good. I love the futuristic theme of the game too. Technosoft is one of my fav shmup companies, its a shame they are gone, or at least seem to be.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:26 am

ThunderForce wrote: I was the Thunder Force V contest winner in 2000.

Please tell me more about this contest. Was it a competition, a drawing?

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:19 am

Wrecking Designs was giving away 10,000 bucks to those with higher scores. You needed to submit proof in the form of a pic of the final summary screen. Too bad I was using a CDR of the japanese version back then. (You try and get an original release of a shmup down there in Mexico. The only original games you could get were all that Fifa crap and fighters.)

ThunderForce 222 · Post by **ThunderForce 222** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:34 am

Yes, the music ruled in the game. I am ususally found listening to Best of ThunderForce, it came with the Jap Saturn Special Pack. The Heavy bass Synth rock really pumps up the adrenaline.

Sorry Specineff that you could not enter. There was no live contest anyway. The entering tapes were submitted in June 1999 and we got NO reply untill Jan2000 on what was going on. They then told us due to problems we were to do the contest via video tape!!!! I WAS FUCKING PISSED OFF. I worked really hard to have an impressive game to show that I had skill and could be more flashy and just actually played the game better than the others. Score was not a problem and everyone new my score was literally unbeatable, so the only thing I had going for me was to be a MAJOR SHOW off and do stuf that was flashy.

They after we submitted our tapes I figured it wouldn't be long before I got paid....WRONG!!!!! Tapes were in by Jan 30th2000. I didn't her anything more untill May 2005. They wanted me to write an essay on how I got my score and had my picture taken. But alas none of that shit was on the website. I did not get my prize money untill June 2000 and they gave me 10,800. The extra 800 was for our plane and boarding. All that work and I got to show nobody my skill. That is what still makes me mad to this day and it is probabley the reason why I get so excited to show ANYBODY the game. I never got to show off to who it counted to. I did meet on e of the contestants. Gerald Guess from Seattle Washington. I live in Oregon, and I was in a duel tourney at Portland Tilt. We were playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Capcom vs. SNK 2. He is a really good CvS2 player. I decent but better at MvC2 and even better at 3rd Strike, anyway....a mutual friend introduced us. I was so happy to meet a contestant.

My friends say I am exceptionally outstanding at shooters though and they kinda are my specialty. I've really never found people like me who are High level shooter players and have a passion for them untill I found this website. Hopefully I can put out My TFV game for people to look at impress them. It won't be the PS version though and won't be set on Normal difficulty. Saturn and Master only. The ThunderForce series are my ABSOLUTE favorite shooters of all time ever since I was 13 and rented TF3 in 1990. I was Awstruck.

My final score in ThunderForce for the contest was
1,103,999,995. Game MAX score. That is why I could not be beat. Eventuall ALL 20 slots in my ranking were game max scores. It takes roughly 3 hours of playing to achieve that score.
My entry tape was 1,005,738,785. I had just discovered the trick and only had about 2 weeks untill the deadline to get it high enough to enter the contest in 1st place. I was in first place for 5 months with a 563 something but my score had gotten to about 690 something, I just had not sent in a tape. Then when I check about a month untill the deadline I was like 4th. The top was like 710 something. I was like no fucking way. At the time a 7 was unheard of to me. And to this day it's really hard to get in the 7hundred mill section without scoring trick. So I dedicated my self to finding out what to do. Then one night I was frustrated and stopped playing. I theorized all sort's of crazy stuff. Then a week later I actuall tried one of my theries and to my suprise...it worked. At first I did not get very much out of it because it is a tough trick to start out doing. But even though I did not get much I new I was gonna win the contest because I knew the possibilties of the trick. So I dedicated myself to it and sent in 3 more tapes in the 2 weeks till the deadline..a 7 an 8 a 9 and the 1,005,738,785 final entry. The next time I played I maxed it out.

So score was not the thing I was worried about because when it came right down to it, with my trick, you could play a shitty game and do the trick. Of course the bonuses had to be all perfect but the only one thing to even fret about was the perfect weapon bonus because you need at least one hit on you're shield. Other than that,voila. So I wanted my SHIT to LOOK GOOD. And according to the representatives...it was in there words unfucking believable, the score and the WAY I played the game.

So that's pretty much my story......
What else do ya'll like about the game and please give me some of you're strats also

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:44 am

Perfect Weapon bonus?

I thought it was all about getting close with the Free Range, hitting the OverWeapon, and let her rip. And taking one hit on the shield? I was able to finish the game in Mania/Master, and that was worth 10,801 dollars to me.

ThunderForce 222 · Post by **ThunderForce 222** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:42 am

Well you should be proud of finishing the game on Master difficulty. Which version was it, Saturn or PS? Remeber the Saturn is a little harder on somethings. But either way congrats. Did you get the "No Miss" bonus? If not, how many lives/continues did it cost you? You should never play it on any difficulty BUT Master, it's the true version because it has more enemies and storylinewise during the Sword Fleet Blitz Cenes loses her Brigindane almost immedialtly, and you need to lose it after the first 4 timed enemies, 2 robots and 2 laser ships. Then a swarm of enemies come at you and thats when you fly in the middle of them and lose the ship attachment. Don't worry you'll be invincible for a few seconds, then almost immediatly two more robots come at you, just use the Free-Range. It's the ONLY way to get all 16X's on this level. Plus the level is easier with the Free-Range.

I take more than 1 hit on my shield in the whole game. I've done it without taking one hit but I really don't care about doing that. I usually take a hit in A3 battle, you usually do if you want to 16X him and rare if you don't. The next time I might get hit would be in "No Blue", I NEVER shoot the missles at the end, I just dodge them. They're not worth much to you're score and it looks WAY better if you dodge them plus the music at that point in the level fits perfect with the scenerio. The next time I might get hit would be in Stage 6, in the giant rock scenerio at the end. If I screw up in the pattern to 16X them all I'll get hit, maybe. And the final places are the Guardian computer's 3 forms and sometimes the final boss and it usually is the 3rd form if any. That just means I screwed up on killing the 3rd form when he was using his lightning sword.

The ONLY place I'll die is when I choose to dogfight with the Vasteel Original-Pre boss form on Master. That's fucking hard but I can usually come out on top 50% of the time. It depends on how I feel that day and if I'm using the alternate ThunderForce soundtrack. The alternate track for Stage 5 is so adrenaline pumping that it get's me going to the max. Plus the part in the tune where you begin the dogfight is PERFECT. The alternate track can be found on Best of ThunderForce. Track 7 "Down Right Attack" it's an arranged version of Stage 8 in ThunderForce 4. The Best of ThunderForce CD was the games alternate music. You just had to figure out what tracks went where. That part was easy. Actually finding a way to insert them into the game was tough. I won't go into it but it takes a little time. If you're interested though I'll tell you.

The game is all about looking good. There is challenge but YOU have to find it. If you try and beat it on Master without the Free-Range it's tough as nails. If you try and do it with just the Twin and Back shot it can be almost improbable. If you try and do it on Master with only Twin and Back shot with out using you're Overweapon, well good luck and you can join me in probably being the only people who have attemted that feat. I got to the Guardian computer and almost destroyed the 3rd form but it got too intense. Most of the other TF games CAN be beat like that and not really be that much harder, even TF4 on Mania. But TFV......whoooooo SHIT!!!! You get a new respect for the bosse real quick. Played like that, it's for sure in the top 5 hardest shooters I've ever played. Don't know what place cause Ikaruga and Gradius V are brutal.

Different things make a shooter hard, wouldn't you agree? R-type for it's non death restart and Orb usage. Not so much the projectiles in those games. Gradius V--even on Normal. There is SO much bombarding you and 80% of the time you have very little space to move. The sheer number of enemies also. Ikaruga cause it get's so confusing, at least to me, with the bullet patterns they throw out at you and the style of game it is, the absortion and all. And the Strikers Series, cause of the bullet paterns mixed with the speed of you're ships. It's definetly made for 2 players. Those in my opinion are some of the hardest shooters for me. Although I usually play all my shooters on they're hardest setting right off the bat.

Anyway, I'm just rambling. But I would love to hear ya'lls strats and tips and tricks on TFV...

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:53 am

Thunder Force, I am not worthy of discussing TFV with you. Maybe someday, probably never, definitely not now. I will have to get much better at the game first.

Who is ThuderForce 222?

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:29 am

I was able to get to the penultimate boss with full shield, but not from the first shield pickup in the game. And then the last boss PWNED me once or twice. I was able to 1cc the game, but only 1-lifed it in hard. PS1 version, only.

EDIT: Ganson, ThunderForce 222 is the name given to the squad of six/seven Gauntlet ships created for the "Sole purpose of destroying Babel and the Guardian, in a last desperate struggle for the survival of the human race."

velocity7 · Post by **velocity7** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 2:49 pm

You see, this is all what makes TF5 so fucking crazy.

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 5:46 pm

- WOW.

Those are some awsome stats/scores. I almost never pay attention to my scores anymore when I play T5, I'm almost positive I haven't even come close to u guys. Good deal. Think I'll blow the dust off T5 and run some when I get home.

Diabollokus · Post by **Diabollokus** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:21 pm

So thunderforce 222 welcome to shmups.com

You would recommend purchase of tf5 then? I had planed to ignore it but your enthusiasim for the title is interesting. You seriously consider this game harder than thunderforce 4?

I like the music though, seen a few master no hit replays, but what puts me off is the ability to kill half the dam bosses inside 15 secs with free range, it just seems unbalanced and a bit simple not to mention the lack of interactivity within the levels compared to the previous instalments.

velocity7 · Post by **velocity7** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:16 pm

The hell with how unbalanced the game is; if they make up for it in style, it's all good.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 8:12 pm

You know what we need? A blue and/or black T-shirt with the white Thunder Force 222 Logo at the back.

alpha5099 · Post by **alpha5099** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 11:08 pm

What's the name of the final boss? I just got a new iBook, and keeping with my hard drive names on my old iMac (Wintermute and Neuromancer), I wanted another fictional super computer.

Anyway, shmups, a fertile ground for super computers, they're probably the single most common enemy next alien invaders. I thought about it, and settled on my favorite super computer, the Guardian. I always referred to the final boss of TFV as Guardian's Heart, as that's where it seems to spring from. But it occurs to me it probably has an official title, I might want to retitle my hard drive to reflect this fact.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 12:44 am

Perhaps the final boss of TFV is the Guardian itself?

lawnspic · Post by **lawnspic** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:17 am

i had to get in on this, just registered. i got this game for ps1 when it hit the shelves and played the hell out of it. i never really played for score but for completion with few lives lost. at one point i played the game so much i had all the boards memorized and would not lose a life untill the final boss (what a bastard) that guy could throw some shit at you. i thought about entering the WD contest but just could not devote that much effort at the time. this is a great game and should not be missed. some say this game was very difficult but i found it on the easier side compared to the like of lets say even lightning force(aka TF4) or any R-type game. the saturn version is also a blast to play, both versions are slightly different. this game is just plane massive, it provides challenge without being cheap and the soundtrack is motivational, and i love the announcer. anyway my 2 cents, now back to my new love gradius 5(treasure are gods)

Defcon 5 · Post by **Defcon 5** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:46 am

I really like this game as well, its everything perfect, but one thing worries me a little. The free range is a bit to strong. Finishing the first 3 Stages only with free range is funny, but on the other hand, every other weapons is unbalanced. What do you think Thunderforce 222, after playing TFiV so much. What about the next stages, are you using the Free Range primarely ?

ThunderForce 222 · Post by **ThunderForce 222** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 11:24 am

Hey it's good to see such an overwhelming response!!! DIABOLOKUS---Hey dude

Is TFv harder than TFIV? Well it depends. If you play the game with the Free-Range--HELL NO!! But if you play on Master without the Free-Range Almost---If you play with all weapons and no Overwrapon usage it can be tough. If you play with just the Twin and Back shot w/Overweapon I think it is a little Harder. If you decide to play on MAster w/only Twin and Back w/out Overweapon Hell YES it's Harder.

SPECINEFF-Not to seen anal but Team Team ThunderForce 222 only had 5 ships, lead be Cpt.(CT) Cenes Crawford.

ALPHA5099...The stage 6 boss is known as "The Guardian" and Stage 7 is 'The Guardians' Heart"

DEFCON 5...Overall yes...TFV is easier than TF--unless you make it hard you're self. Yes, I use the Free-Range for 90% of the game. Some areas I don't on purpose to just look good. Like in the beggning of "No Blue" I use the Twin Shot and back untill the first Hi-Tempo enemies"Helicoter w/drop boats"

I want to share my game with this site so I can be judged on my game. How do I do this? Help me. Maybe I can send one of ya'll my tape and you can put it on. I think I know what you need to do it, nut I don't have and don't know anybody who has the equipment to do it.

P.S. I changed my name from "ThunderForce" to "ThunderForce222" so not to get confused with "Thunder Force' the MOD.

Diabollokus · Post by **Diabollokus** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 12:16 pm

What exactly are the main differences between the saturn and playstation versions of tf5? I've heard there is extra cinemas in ps ver but what about extra battles/stages?

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:38 pm

ThunderForce 222 wrote:Hey it's good to see such an overwhelming response!!! DIABOLOKUS---Hey dude Is TFv harder than TFIV? Well it depends. If you play the game with the Free-Range--HELL NO!! But if you play on Master without the Free-Range Almost---If you play with all weapons and no Overwrapon usage it can be tough. If you play with just the Twin and Back shot w/Overweapon I think it is a little Harder. If you decide to play on MAster w/only Twin and Back w/out Overweapon Hell YES it's Harder.

SPECINEFF-Not to seen anal but Team Team ThunderForce 222 only had 5 ships, lead be Cpt.(CT) Cenes Crawford.

ALPHA5099...The stage 6 boss is known as "The Guardian" and Stage 7 is 'The Guardians' Heart"

DEFCON 5...Overall yes...TFV is easier than TF--unless you make it hard you're self. Yes, I use the Free-Range for 90% of the game. Some areas I don't on purpose to just look good. Like in the beggning of "No Blue" I use the Twin Shot and back untill the first Hi-Tempo enemies"Helicoter w/drop boats"

I want to share my game with this site so I can be judged on my game. How do I do this? Help me. Maybe I can send one of ya'll my tape and you can put it on. I think I know what you need to do it, nut I don't have and don't know anybody who has the equipment to do it.

P.S. I changed my name from "ThunderForce" to "ThunderForce222" so not to get confused with "Thunder Force' the MOD.

Don't rush or kill yourself trying to post like hell, try to calm down, and take your time posting. Besides, we're all a community, so no need to be in such a hurry.

As for the differences, the city level looks much nicer on the Saturn as far as I remember.

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 2:23 am

Thunder Force V knocks me down everytime I'm near the end..pretty hard game.

Can someone explain this multiplier thing I see going on during it? Stuff like 8x and 16x shows up now and then.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 5:37 am

SFKhoa wrote:Perhaps the final boss of TFV is the Guardian itself?

It is. The Guardian's Heart, or the red core you see turning into some sort of angel of death at the end, somehow got infected when it probed the memory banks of the Rynex/Vasteel Original, and went bananas. When you destroy it, it sends you a final message. (Not telling to prevent spoilers)

UnscathedFlyingObject · Sun Jun 26, 2005 7:46 am

LoneSage wrote:Thunder Force V knocks me down everytime I'm near the end..pretty hard game.

Can someone explain this multiplier thing I see going on during it? Stuff like 8x and 16x shows up now and then.

Kill fast and the multiplier goes high. The web weapon works so well it feels broken.

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 2:19 am

Thanks UFO

I think I'll go play summa TFV today, I'm getting better.

That soundtrack is kickin, I wouldn't mind seeking the Saturn version.

chimpp · Post by **chimpp** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 4:40 am

Perhaps I'm the only one here who wasn't too impressed with TF5 (I own the PSX version and used to own the Saturn version as well). I must first say that TF2 set the standard for me. That was the third game I played for my Genesis, after I paid $199 for the system when it just came out. I hadn't played such an intense shmup since R-Type for the SMS. So it was a groundbreaking game for me back in the day and since then, I have compared my shmups to R-Type and TF2. TF3 came out and I loved the graphics, but the game was way too short, there were fewer weapons, and the level design was bland. TF4 came out during a period of my life when I went through a video game sabbatical--I had even sold my Genesis, Master System, and all my games. One can do questionable things, such as that, in high school. I didn't play (or even knew about) TF4 until I resumed gaming and discovered emulation in college. TF4 was everything TF3 should have been, except it turned out to be the hardest non-bullet-hell shmup I've ever played.

And so we come to TF5: it certainly has a different feel to it. The menu screens are very slick, the intro movie kicks ass, the music is undoubtedly the best in the series, the art gallery looks great on the computer, but the game just doesn't do justice to the supporting cast. The ship and all the objects on the screen feel a little too big. The levels are too short. The free range weapon is too powerful. The graphics look too "digitized" and the colors feel too "contrasty" (lots of light and dark colors but not enough midtones). The animation is too choppy. Enemy designs are very dull and seem more polygonal than they should. Background designs are bland, blocky, and show lots of repitetive patterns. And is it just me or does the framerate seem unusually low? Choppy framerates and blocky textures seem to really clash in this game. You may say that this was one of the earlier PSX games, so I should cut some slack but Einhander was released a year before and there is no doubt that the visuals in this game cannot compare to the beauty of Squaresoft's offering.

But my major complaint about the gameplay has to do with the enormous size of the ship relative to the playing field, which leaves little room to maneuver around the volley of enemy projectiles. It's already hard enough to dodge objects on the screen when they blend in so easily with the background (since both the enemies and background appear blocky), so making the ship huge doesn't help one bit. There is one bit of good news though, one of the coolest boss battles (with an equally as good boss theme) in a shmup is found at the end of level 4.

Compared to TF2, TF5 is a major disappointment. But by itself, TF5 is an average horizontal shmup. I own the Japanese version and used to own the Working Designs version. If you have to buy it, definitely get the Japanese version since WD slipped in their FUGLY "Spaz" logo just before the intro movie.

But don't take my word--I'm just stuck in the past and like my gaming experience to be old-school (that is, similar to TF2). That's why TF2 spoiled my TF5 experience.

* What I liked about TF2 was the perfect mix of side- and top-view orientation gameplay (though the side-view missions stole the show), weapon variety, masterfully-crafted grandiose levels, and the graphics were groundbreaking during its heyday. And there was a realistic sense of urgency in the side-view levels when the stage boss alarm would sound and all the enemies would then come rushing out at you at full force just before the boss would arrive...that was a nice touch!

Defcon 5 · Post by **Defcon 5** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:02 pm

Hey Thunderforce, what about a review. I would be pleased if you would review this game for shmups.com, because I think it hasnt been done yet and noone investet more time playing it then you. So iam looking forward to see your review !!

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:16 pm

I loved Thunderforce V on ps. Never played the Saturn version but i did get my first job (at a UA movie theatre) so that i could earn an import Saturn specifically for that game (never happened though).

ThunderForce 222 · Post by **ThunderForce 222** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:40 pm

Defcon 5 wrote:Hey Thunderforce, what about a review. I would be pleased if you would review this game for shmups.com, because I think it hasnt been done yet and noone investet more time playing it then you. So iam looking forward to see your review !!

Well now, I might just do that, seeing as my Major is Journalism, it might be a good way to try my hand at it. I want to write for a gaming publication so this might be good practice. Don't worry, I simply tell the truth no matter how I feel about the game. Even I have gripes about the game.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:16 am

I could never understand the common bashing of TV5 , which has always been my fav game in the series. Then when someone begun talking about how the Free Range is unbalanced, I could understand why people didn't like it.

Yes, it does make sense.

But I never played the game for score, so I could never care about X16. And I also always thought the Free Range weapon as too boring, so I'd never use it (I think I use it just in a couple of spots). Actually, I am most of the time playing with the twin and back, because those are more cool to play. Sometimes I use wave, and in rare times, hunter.

And after TF222 post, with him knowing so much about the game and all, I can see why I enjoy so much the game. I am playing it in a way most people don't play it, and It's just a lot more fun

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