Need help with my first 1CC *after 20+ years

[brianon]

Ok. I've played shmups on/off (more off) since '87 (?). I've never had a 1CC

I'd love to 1CC a game now after all these years. But what game ?

Couple of questions ?

- What exactly is a 1CC ? If a game loops and you get to say the second loop ? Is that a 1CC ?
- I need a game thats not too easy but not too hard. Something that I will have to work at but is achievable

I'm thinking ... one of the Gradius games, or an r-type. Ideally it would be something that has and end screen (so no loop) so I can get closure

I have access to plenty of games through emulation, Wiiware, Wii, 360, PS3, Saturn, Dreamcast.

Help me choose. Please:)

[guigui]

I'm thinking ... one of the Gradius games, or an r-type. Ideally it would be something that has and end screen (so no loop) so I can get closure

I dont think Gradius or R-Type games are the best one to try your first 1CC on ! Those are really frustrating because of their one-life-or-die system.
If you are looking for a middle-difficulty 1CC, I would for instance advise you to try Darius Gaiden on the Saturn.

[brianon]

I'm thinking ... one of the Gradius games, or an r-type. Ideally it would be something that has and end screen (so no loop) so I can get closure

I dont think Gradius or R-Type games are the best one to try your first 1CC on ! Those are really frustrating because of their one-life-or-die system.
If you are looking for a middle-difficulty 1CC, I would for instance advise you to try Darius Gaiden on the Saturn.

Thanks. What about the MAME version as opposed to the SS ?
And which route is a true 1CC ?

[gundamalpha]

I find that arcade shmups are difficult to 1CC. May I recommend you Thunder Force V? That's my first 1CC, highly doable

[guigui]

I'm thinking ... one of the Gradius games, or an r-type. Ideally it would be something that has and end screen (so no loop) so I can get closure

I dont think Gradius or R-Type games are the best one to try your first 1CC on ! Those are really frustrating because of their one-life-or-die system.
If you are looking for a middle-difficulty 1CC, I would for instance advise you to try Darius Gaiden on the Saturn.

Thanks. What about the MAME version as opposed to the SS ?
And which route is a true 1CC ?

I think MAME and Saturn version are quite the same. Any route is 1CC. Upper route is supposed to be easiest while downer one is hardest. Upper route is not for pussies though !

[Keade]

1CC <=> clear the game with one credit, so yes, any complete route is a "true 1CC".
The same goes for loops, if they are a bonus or an option, you've cleared the game already at the end of the first loop.

[dan76]

Try Donpachi on mame. It's not too difficult for the first loop clear. If you like it you can progress onto Dodonpachi and enter the wonderful world of Cave.

[Skykid]

1CC = 1 loop

2-ALL = 2 loops

I think.

[captpain]

Play a game that you like.

[Acid King]

Darius Gaiden w/ autofire is a pretty easy 1CC.

[peace4myheart]

I have the same problem, well not actually problem. I have played shmups since R-Type came out on the Turbo Grafx 16, my first shmups, and fell in love with the genre. I 1cc'ed raiden II on the easiest difficulty a couple of months ago, at least reached the second loop. This is my first time 1cc a game after 20 years of playing, if you can consider it that. It was really satisfying but at the end of the day, if 1cc is something that you enjoy and is having fun doing so, then go for it. i tried to 1cc many games before and failed, and it took away a lot of the fun so now i just play for fun or score. i know my skills and it will only frustrate me to death to attempt to 1cc shmups, esp some of the modern ones.

[kengou]

Try Donpachi on mame. It's not too difficult for the first loop clear. If you like it you can progress onto Dodonpachi and enter the wonderful world of Cave.

I find Dodonpachi much easier than Donpachi. Donpachi's late stages are ridiculously hard, imo. Really fast bullets, sniper tanks that come from the bottom of the screen, really long stages... feels more like Toaplan than Cave's later stuff.

[guigui]

Darius Gaiden w/ autofire is a pretty easy 1CC.

Oh, dont say that, I'm so proud of it !

[Herr Schatten]

Try Donpachi on mame. It's not too difficult for the first loop clear. If you like it you can progress onto Dodonpachi and enter the wonderful world of Cave.

I find Dodonpachi much easier than Donpachi. Donpachi's late stages are ridiculously hard, imo. Really fast bullets, sniper tanks that come from the bottom of the screen, really long stages... feels more like Toaplan than Cave's later stuff.

I agree. DP starts off quite easy, but it gets hellish from stage 4 on. DDP's difficulty level doesn't spike in the same way.

Gradius 1, Gradius Gaiden, and Gradius Rebirth are perfectly doable, too.

If you don't mind its oldschoolness, Sonic Wings Special is a good candidate for a first 1CC. It's not terribly difficult and the branching paths and many player ships offer a little variety, so it doesn't feel quite as tedious to replay the game over and over.

[Kollision]

DoDonPachi easier than DonPachi?
I strongly disagree!

My suggestions for reasonably manageable 1CCs are DonPachi, Thunder Force V, Hyper Duel.

[nimitz]

Just a quick note on the difficulty of DP vs DDP

the main difference is the rank system in DP. If you no miss no bomb the first three stages(I think that's it) the game will become really hard by the later stages. If you control rank in DP it's a lot more manageable.

That being said, DDP is still easier with the crazy amount of bombs you get.

[saucykobold]

This thread has some good recommendations.

[kengou]

DoDonPachi easier than DonPachi?
I strongly disagree!

My suggestions for reasonably manageable 1CCs are DonPachi, Thunder Force V, Hyper Duel.

Interesting, because I find all those games to be frustratingly hard. Differences of taste I guess.

[DJ Incompetent]

Gradius Rebirth

[dimmuborgir]

If you choose Donpachi, make sure you use the Japanese version since you will have more bombs!

[brianon]

Gradius Rebirth

I've played Gradius Rebirth a few times and liked it. It does loop though so whats a 1CC ?

Funny but I literally am in the middle of downloading a superplay vid of Gradius Rebirth from ... DJ Incompetent

[DJ Incompetent]

1 loop in 1 credit is a 1CC

A multiloop credit clear with a fixed end point is generally referred to as an ALL. (ex. 2-ALL)

Enjoy the replay. Turn the sound on. I put effort into that.
Oh, and the difficulty will be nowhere near what it looks like in that replay. The level you'll be playing is two loops (difficulty levels) different. The same tactics will work, but you'll not have to dodge anywhere near as much

[brianon]

1 loop in 1 credit is a 1CC

A multiloop credit clear with a fixed end point is generally referred to as an ALL. (ex. 2-ALL)

Enjoy the replay. Turn the sound on. I put effort into that.
Oh, and the difficulty will be nowhere near what it looks like in that replay. The level you'll be playing is two loops (difficulty levels) different. The same tactics will work, but you'll not have to dodge anywhere near as much

Just watched it there. Great stuff. Loved the music. Any chance you got a track listing ?

[Matsunaga]

Batsugun special version is easy enough to clear the first loop, and it's fun. I wouldn't start on Dodonpachi, I did, and it took me years to finally get the 1cc.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

You could try to aim for an respectable 1CC on the classic old-school "Hyper Dyne Sidearms" arcade shmup title from Capcom circa 1986. The only differences between the original JPN and the USA region Sidearms PCBs is a bit of extra animated intro and extra amount of operator coin settings to choose from (via dip switch settings) with the former PCB variant. The USA PCB variant of Sidearms would say licensed to Romstar from Capcom while the JPN version doesn't have this legal statement whatsoever.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[toaplan_shmupfan]

Nichibutsu's MagMax would be an excellent choice for a not-too-hard 1cc. If the arcade version isn't available there's also the NES port (but the sound is awful compared to the arcade version--a rendition of the music used for the initials entry is used for an entire section). Stay above ground and learn the game, 1cc should occur very soon and this game loops indefinitely.

[Ruldra]

If you choose Donpachi, make sure you use the Japanese version since you will have more bombs!

Bomb stock and version played are unrelated. You get more bombs depending on how much you use them. IIRC when you use all bombs you get an extra bomb slot and rank is lowered.

Also, the US version replenishes your bombs at the end of the level so play that version. Should be easier than JP version too.

Even then, I still think DDP is easier.

[e_tank]

my thoughts regarding dp vs ddp difficulty:

if you're just playing for a 1cc i think the difference in difficulty between donpachi and dodonpachi is entirely subjective, it really depends on what your strengths are and what type of shooter you enjoy more. donpachi relies more on memorization, as stated in this thread it has a lot in common with the avg. toaplan shooter, there are a lot of fast bullets and enemies that appear right behind you, all of which will most likely tear you apart unless you're expecting it. dodonpachi may have slower bullets, slightly smaller hit boxes (afaik), no rank system, and none of the enemies come at you from behind - but there are also a lot more bullets on screen at any given time, plus the enemy/bullet patterns are more complex. they're both pretty generous with bombs and i think take around the same length of time to complete, even though donpachi has 5 stages and dodonpachi has 6.

if you're good at memorizing stages then i think you'll find donpachi easier to 1cc. however, dodonpachi probably feels less frustrating, especially when first starting out. if you feel it's more frustrating to die from a single fast bullet that catches you off guard than it is to die trying to navigate your way though a swarm of slow(er) moving bullets, then you'll probably enjoy working your way though dodonpachi more.

in a nutshell, for simply a 1cc: if you prefer a greater emphasis on memorization, go with donpachi. if you prefer focusing on learning enemy/bullet patterns and finding the best ways to navigate though them, go with dodonpachi.

[Mero]

For a very quick and easy first loop clear try Gunbird with Tetsu, or for an easy one loop game clear Fighting Hawk shouldn't take you long

P.s there's no way on Earth that DoDonPachi is easier than DonPachi

[Voxbox]

Some recommendations:

Gradius Gaiden was my first 1CC, took me 2 days I think (with autofire). I spent the first day practicing all the hard parts with savestates, and the second day I put it all together. Love that game. Love the soundtrack. It was done during a competition, and almost everyone 1CC'd it.

Battle Bakraid was my second 1CC, and chosen by my own initiative. Took me 4 days I think. Would have been faster if I hadn't spent time completing the easy course first. Here my love for Raizing, and their bomb-a-lot policy, started.

Gradius 1 on the NES was probably my latest 1CC, and took me 2 days maybe. If you die in some places it's impossible to recover, but it's only 15min long, and really fun. Possibly the easiest in the series.