GD: Triggering the Gokujyo Parodius Moai Battleship Stage

[Zach Keene]

Right then, when we last left this dicussion on the old forum someone had stumbled on this Japanese page. To the best anyone could determine, it seems to say that in order to reach the stage after any given level, the hundreds digit of your score must be as follows:

After Stage 2 - 8 or 9
After Stage 3 - 6 or 7
After Stage 4 - 4 or 5
After Stage 5 - 1, 2, or 3
After Stage 6 - 0

Which seems to work pretty well except for when it doesn't. Dying before completing Stage 2 seems to prevent the Moai stage from appearing with an 8 or 9 (annoying since the mermaid boss makes for easy score manipulation). I also seem to recall getting it after 3 with something other than a 6 or 7 after dying somewhere previously, but I freely admit my memory could be faulty here.

Anyone had any more experience with this since the last time it came up?

[Randorama]

To my memory, the Moai stage has as a prerequisite a given rank value. I never got it before the latter stages when playing poorly, to be specific: when dying before being fully powered up. I don't need if the rank is a prerequisite value for the activation of the digit parameter, or another possibility. In English:

1)You may need the rank level higher than x, THEN the digit value;
2)You may need the rank level higher than x, OR the digit value;

I suspect the latter, as i found the digit parameter to be quite inconsistent, honestly.At some point i could take all bells for score and be at full power afterthe siren, thus triggering almost consistently the Moai ship.Score (by triggering extends) may also be an influence. beside that, i'm unable to check if the theory works, right now, sorry

[BulletMagnet]

From my experience I'd say Rando's probably on the right track...if I can get through the first 2 stages with lots o' powerups and without dying I tend to get the Moai level after stage 2 a lot.

[Zach Keene]

OK, I dug up a superplay I got from JigsawMan's FTP when it was last up. The player there gets the Moai stage after stage 3, with 1,200,800 points. (He was fully powered at the end of stage 2, with 840,000 points and hadn't died at all.)

[Randorama]

Uhm, and how many extends he gets and when? I think that's the reason (which also influences rank and all that brouahahah...)

[Zach Keene]

Two, both during the first boss battle. (Purple bell + animals = 4x10000 bells, a ton of 100 point power ups, and another purple bell. Repeat until timeout. Leave stage one with 550,000+ points.)

I've edited my previous post with exact scores, and I also noticed this time he lost his shield during the mermaid battle, and he doesn't restore it until right about the exact time she dies.

[Randorama]

the First stage should suffice, in theory, or better: extending twice before the second stage should be the key, probably at least once per stage. I remember that by fooling around with the score i found out something...never been able to keep the chain going during stage 2, but usually i could extend twice and get the Moai, so...

[Zach Keene]

OK, I had a look around the programming of the SFC version, and the method in my first post holds for that version, with two catches:

1) Which stage the Moai Battleship will precede is actually determined upon clearing stage 2.

2) The number that determines this is actually the hundreds digit of (your score + some mystery value). However, I've yet to catch this mystery value at anything other than zero.

This all would mean you'd always get the Moai ship somewhere in the SFC version... is that true?

[Zach Keene]

Wait, I think I've got how this is supposed to work: after beating the mermaid, add the current position of your power bar (no highlight = 0, probably) to the hundreds digit of your score, then use the table above.

Example: on the Saturn version I defeated the mermaid with laser highlighted (position 4) and a score of 273,500. 4 + 5 = 9, so the Moai should be right on my tail. And, in fact, they were.

Our superplayer friend had Shield highlighted (position 7) when he cleared the level with 840,000. 7 + 0 = 7, Moai should appear after stage 3, and they did.

I'm guessing the SFC version was supposed to work the same way and that always adding zero to your score for the Moai decision is a bug.

I also don't know what would happen if the sum was greater than 9. I'd guess from the SFC version that you'd just drop the tens place and carry on. (The fastest test would be to end stage 2 with xyz900 points and shield highlighted, and seeing if the Moai appear after stage 3.)

[Randorama]

Hmmmm, tricky trick (ehr...)

Btw: can you check if this is the same principle behind Sexy's Boss rush?

[BulletMagnet]

That's a really wonky deciding factor...is there any real way to "plan" for it, to make the stage appear where you want it to? And if so, would it even be worth the trouble?

[Zach Keene]

That's a really wonky deciding factor...is there any real way to "plan" for it, to make the stage appear where you want it to? And if so, would it even be worth the trouble?

Easily done. The characters of the mermaid's laugh are worth 100 points each and can be dodged entirely if need be. (She's worth 10000 herself so she won't interfere.)

I don't know if there's any particular advantage to controlling its appearence. Now that I know what's going on the player in the replay seemed pretty determined to get it after stage 3 though.

Rando: I own Sexy but haven't ever got around to playing it much. When I do I suppose I'll check this out.

[Randorama]

Yeh, to my memory the Moai stage is a pain in the ass if it appears at the later stages, but if it appears too early, rank sky-rockets, so there' a compromise to be made. I need to investigate on Sexy though, in the near future...

[Kiken]

Since I don't really want to start another thread, I figured I'd ask some additional Gokujyo Parodius questions here.

Ok, let me tell you how I'm playing:
Saturn version on full defaults except for screen size, which I've set to full. I'm using Semi-Auto Power-Up to avoid the annoying roullette nonsense (yeah, I know I won't be able to milk the game for score, but that's not my aim at the moment). The game is set to terminate after 1 Loop (is this the arcade default... or is that set to Endless?), so after the credit roll it goes into the ridiculously suicide-bullet heavy Bonus Stage.

Now.. I've been switching back and forth between Koitsu and Michael, although Koitsu seems to be my better character.

99% of the time I can trigger the Moai Carrier after stage 2 when using Koitsu... so I pretty much take this as a given (although it's a total crapshoot whether or not I trigger the Extends). I've gotten that level down to a science, so it's no longer a problem... plus I'm avoiding taking the second speed-up here. Thus, my problem is then the damned Pastry boss at the end of the cake level (where the rank really seems to go through the roof if you get there on a No Miss). Going in at max rank, this thing always manages to tear me apart. I'm intentionally sticking to 1 speed-up to try to navigate the icing lasers better, but I always manage to get tagged.

Does anyone have any suggestions for handling this boss? Is it best to take a tactical suicide here (I have little trouble playing forward from the continue point)?

Also, how long does the Bonus Stage go on for? I've made it up to the portion where the flowery zubs keep appearing in different letter formations (spelling something that I haven't bothered trying to read).

[elbarto]

I'm using Semi-Auto Power-Up to avoid the annoying roullette nonsense

Why not just turn off roulette in the options screen, then it shouldn't matter what Power-Up scheme you use?

The game is set to terminate after 1 Loop (is this the arcade default... or is that set to Endless?), so after the credit roll it goes into the ridiculously suicide-bullet heavy Bonus Stage.

1-Loop end is the default.

although it's a total crapshoot whether or not I trigger the Extends

My Saturn copy of Goku seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to extends.. sometimes ~200K, sometimes ~300K, and other times I've got to ~400K without getting one at all.

Also, how long does the Bonus Stage go on for? I've made it up to the portion where the flowery zubs keep appearing in different letter formations (spelling something that I haven't bothered trying to read).

They spell out "Thank you for playing this game", and if you make it through that, you're at the Giant Mecha Penguin boss.

[Kiken]

I'm using Semi-Auto Power-Up to avoid the annoying roullette nonsense

Why not just turn off roulette in the options screen, then it shouldn't matter what Power-Up scheme you use?

I'm trying to leave the game at arcade defaults... except for the screen-size as it looks awkward playing on the letterboxed screen.

[elbarto]

Fair enough.
btw - I fear the day when you decide to submit some Paro scores and we all move down a notch..

[Icarus]

I've always managed to trigger the Sexy Paro boss rush straight after the Bathtub stage (st2) if I manage to pick up more than 300 coins before the boss. Picking up 300 before the Toilet Penguin is easy if you have two or more Speedups and take the big coins route through the stage.

Actually, come to think of it, the times the boss rush has appeared has always followed the stages where I've managed to complete the collection quota for the stage before the boss appearance. It would certainly fit the pattern of the games I've played over the years to memory (300 coins before Toilet Penguin and it appears, all Geisha before Kung Fu Egg Woman and it appears...)

Will need to look into that.