TRP-STGT Conversation Week 4: Thunder Dragon 2

[trap15]

Ouu my god! I'm gonna beat the HELL out of you this time!

Dynamic scoreboard at http://dodonpachi.daifukkat.su/stgt/

Tournament main thread: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=43289
Score submission thread: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=43537

Discussion goes here.

[shmuppyLove]

Do we care which version? 1st Oct. or 9th Nov.?

[trap15]

Probably not, but I'll make sure to specify that we should be playing 9th Nov. version since I don't know the differences. Thanks.

[Klatrymadon]

Not a bad choice, but is it just me, or does the flashing of the bullets make them harder to see a lot of the time? One reads a pattern and then is suddenly unsure of it...

[trap15]

Note to anyone playing in MAME (probably everyone): Use a newer MAME. Only recently were my patches to fix NMK sprite priorities merged. The fixes were merged somewhere between 145 and 146. I would use 146 or newer to avoid problems. I don't believe any of the ShmupMAME versions have the fixes. Blackoak's MAME may or may not have them, I'm not sure.

[shmuppyLove]

Haven't noticed any problems in 143u9

Besides the horrible voice samples.

GOD DAMN YOU

I CAN STILL FIGHT YOU

WHO'S NEXT

[Ed Oscuro]

There is still a problem where the sound effects cut out on a quicksave load...yeap, much better playing than it used to. The sprite priority thing is really nice to have now. I actually didn't notice it straight away. Very nice not to have medals and bullets hiding behind clouds or whatever.

[Illyrian]

Game is actually not completely terrible.

I'm surprised.

But holy crap that voice acting.

[Eaglet]

Someone likes Namiki.

[EmperorIng]

trap seems to be in the habit of picking the most bonkers games each week for his tournament. This game has secrets out the ass.

Next week is going to be KiKi KaiKai, I know it.

[trap15]

Someone likes Namiki.

I'm a big fan of his earlier works (up to, and including Batrider).

trap seems to be in the habit of picking the most bonkers games each week for his tournament.

I love the crazies

[Ed Oscuro]

Thank your lucky stars we aren't playing GunNail, people.

[Eaglet]

Next week neeeeeeds to be Batrider Advanced or Ibara.

[KAI]

Progear or Ibara Kuro.

[EmperorIng]

trap seems to be in the habit of picking the most bonkers games each week for his tournament.

I love the crazies

As long as it's "quirky shmup" crazy and not "let's play a compile game guyz" crazy. One is cute, the other...

[Macaw]

I love it when the voice samples cancel into each other.

My favorite so far is 'Hey this is my EEEEUUUUURR'

[coturnix]

Can´t see Ibara being chosen, emulation is kinda incomplete. However i think he will throw a bone to the Caveistas soon.

[jepjepjep]

Even though I'm not in the tournament, I'm going to be playing this week alongside you guys like I did with Air Gallet and Garegga. Damn nice selection of games trap15! I just recently started playing this and Rapid Hero. NMK did some cool stuff.

[emphatic]

Too bad the earliest game is from 1990, or we could get to play an exciting, NMK developed Jaleco shmup from 1986.

[jepjepjep]

Argus or Valtric?

[emphatic]

Argus. It's manic and sublime.

[Iori Branford]

Tip: play in Pixel Aspect (12:7) which makes X and Y move speeds actually 1:1. A widescreen shmup before widescreen, huh.

[trap15]

Lots of stuff does that, notably all PGM games and most CPS1/2 games.
You should be playing in 3:4 though, as that is how it would actually be displayed on a real monitor if you were actually playing the game.

[trap15]

How strange. Back in '09, my biggest problem was not being able to see the fireball bullets. Now I can see the fireball bullets really obviously, but when they're out I can't see the normal bullets
Gold-tier game though.

[Ed Oscuro]

The game is especially good at belching out a wave of the usual 4-fireball spread wave pattern and then following that with a blue bullet in the same place.

The main thing that is messing with me is when you have to deal with one of those and then random aimed shots from popcorn, for example as seen with the big plane in stage 3 and its "helpers," after the rail turret if I remember right.

Oh, and if I could just get the timing down right, I bet I could destroy much (or even all?) of the stage 3 boss from the very top of the screen - you can just sit at the top of the screen as it appears onscreen; it's the aimed bullets that it sends back that are trouble. Probably will be faster and less problematic just to sit at the bottom of the screen after it appears, since your bullets will only take off a few points worth of damage from the top, much slower than if fighting it normally.

[Iori Branford]

Lots of stuff does that, notably all PGM games and most CPS1/2 games.
You should be playing in 3:4 though, as that is how it would actually be displayed on a real monitor if you were actually playing the game.

Bizarre, it should've been even more of a bother in CAVE PGM games, yet those feel fine.
Probably the faster ship speeds hide it better. Actually, here the 2P ship isn't as bad; it's only 1P that's practically Galaga.

[Ed Oscuro]

Very nice not to have medals and bullets hiding behind clouds or whatever.

This was only partly correct, lol. Medals can still hide behind clouds. It is very nice not to have BULLETS hiding behind clouds. I regret the terror.

[Eaglet]

Next game can't come soon enough.
We need us some RAIZING.

[Ed Oscuro]

I tried the P2 side for the first time just now.

I don't like the power level feeling, but there's no denying it's much easier to use. On a few credits I blew away my P1 side score - the max I've hit recently is 303K - with 311K. Very good for chasing around the screen after stuff, but it doesn't have to...odd combination of qualities. The slower missile refire rate at the top of the screen doesn't seem to hurt anything, and that homing is much more useful through the stages generally.

[Klatrymadon]

Oh fuck, I forgot about this! I've still got an hour, aye?