Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[xavierjesus]

Eschatos. Finally. That 'just one more credit' feeling is strong with this one...

[Klatrymadon]

Eschatos. Finally. That 'just one more credit' feeling is strong with this one...

Same here! Only started playing it on Saturday, so I don't have much in the way of scores yet (cleared Cardinal Sins and Original Easy once each, though), but I'm really enjoying it. I love how it's all broken up into discrete waves that constantly change the flow of the action, test different skills, etc. The shot power/shield trade-offs in Advanced mode are good fun to play with, too.

Plugging away at the Original and Advanced Normal modes at the moment. Close the clearing the former...

[xavierjesus]

Good luck comrade - this is one hella time-sink alright! Just taking some getting used to here, re the 3d'esque play field...

[Klatrymadon]

Yeah, I don't use the shield enough normally, but I have the button firmly held down during some of the 3D transitions in the later stages, just in case.

Unlocked a green ship and some extra graphical effects, but I've turned them off while I'm still learning...

[trap15]

EEBARA

Aaaa~! Kakatte koi!

[Aquas]

Unlocked a green ship and some extra graphical effects, but I've turned them off while I'm still learning...

I was under the impression that any of those graphical effects you unlock are by default already on, but then you gain the ability to turn them off. One of the effects though wasn't default... what was it... Oh, the bloom thing, I think.

By the by, happy you're playing this one I am quite fond of Eschatos myself The more you play the better you get, but use the stage select in the game options. The first 2 stages can be a snooze sometimes.

[KAI]

It's:
Saaa~! Kakatte koi!

Ibara's dialogs are soooo good.

[Klatrymadon]

I was under the impression that any of those graphical effects you unlock are by default already on, but then you gain the ability to turn them off. One of the effects though wasn't default... what was it... Oh, the bloom thing, I think.

Oh, you're probably right! I was probably just noticing the smoke and shrapnel a lot more after seeing the options for them. Suddenly they were distracting, hehe.

And cheers! I'll probably start using the stage select to brush up on the final 5-10 stages of Original Normal. The whole first half of that mode is pretty much in the bag now...

[trap15]

Ibara's dialogs are soooo good.

SHOUJUN TENKAI!




HADOOOUUUGUN!!

[KAI]

Onii-chan asobo ka!
Midiii gomen, dame datta!
Kusooo! Kasumi wa motto tsuyoi kara na!
One, Shasta-san kiotsukete
Minna no kataki, Shasta ga itadaki
Lace, koitsura de kowai wo!
Mama gomen, doyara saki ni ikoyo
Semete watashi mo, mina no tokoro e!

Fuck, I've played this game so many times..

[null1024]

DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou Black Label [Arcade/MAME].

Fuck, I forgot how much I liked playing this. It's late and I'm cold, so my runs are kind of shit, but eh. Nothing to do for the next few days so I'm going to get back into it.

and that sound track is so sexy

[EDIT]
still playing

That stupid rotating motherfucker in stage 3. In fact, most of stage 3. So much shit in your face.
Also, that midboss. Weaving while trying to spread his stream apart is a pain, I usually end up using a hyper/bomb or eating it and dying. Practicing with savestates makes things better, but it's still a paaaaaaain.

[EDIT2]
Playing DoDonPachi [Arcade/MAME].
It feels really stupid dying literally seconds before you get a 1up. Specifically, the one in Stage 3 on that big red battlecruiser.

[Obscura]

Since I'm starting to sorta understand Garegga, figured I'd try a few credits of Ibara.

Why the everliving fuck would Cave ever make a game this hard? Is there actually a market of players who want to play something where the average player will never make it past stage 2, no matter how much they play?

Between having to constantly sit at the top of the screen + never being able to shoot without blowing up something that needs to be bombed, I seriously can't imagine how they expected this game to attract anyone but an incredibly tiny audience.

[Obscura]

Also, that midboss. Weaving while trying to spread his stream apart is a pain, I usually end up using a hyper/bomb or eating it and dying. Practicing with savestates makes things better, but it's still a paaaaaaain.

If you're using a laser or exy type, point blank him as soon as he comes in, and move down just before his hands open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuFSjmpYBEQ
6:19 in this vid.

[Klatrymadon]

Bah. Just got to the end of loop 2 in Endless Mode but didn't post my score. I thought I was skipping a 'save replay?' prompt but it was the 'upload' prompt. Oh well, at least I've learned you can't save Endless replays.

[shmuppyLove]

Since I'm starting to sorta understand Garegga, figured I'd try a few credits of Ibara.

Why the everliving fuck would Cave ever make a game this hard? Is there actually a market of players who want to play something where the average player will never make it past stage 2, no matter how much they play?

Between having to constantly sit at the top of the screen + never being able to shoot without blowing up something that needs to be bombed, I seriously can't imagine how they expected this game to attract anyone but an incredibly tiny audience.

- Ignore medals
- Don't hoard bomb fragments

Otherwise rank goes fucking nuts and you'll get shot in the face continuously.

[Obscura]

- Ignore medals
- Don't hoard bomb fragments

Otherwise rank goes fucking nuts and you'll get shot in the face continuously.

Medals hurt rank in Ibara?

Weird; I figured it would work like Raizing games, where they barely touch the rank, and you wanted to grab all of them for more extends to suicide away.

[null1024]

Also, that midboss. Weaving while trying to spread his stream apart is a pain, I usually end up using a hyper/bomb or eating it and dying. Practicing with savestates makes things better, but it's still a paaaaaaain.

If you're using a laser or exy type, point blank him as soon as he comes in, and move down just before his hands open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuFSjmpYBEQ
6:19 in this vid.

Goddamnit, and I watched this video earlier too...

Thanks!

[Obiwanshinobi]

- Ignore medals
- Don't hoard bomb fragments

Otherwise rank goes fucking nuts and you'll get shot in the face continuously.

Now THAT's what I call the advice. Thanks! Ibara was probably the first Cave shmup I played, and one of precious few that did anything for me. Needless to say, it was fairly off-putting at the same time.
Refused to read any online guide because, come fucking on, if a coin-op game takes any more instructions than it gives to be enjoyed, it can fuck right off.

[Obscura]

After looking up some numbers, it looks like Ibara rank is more like Batrider rank than Garegga rank in that scoring well is a net rank down if you're careful to never have more than one extra life and a net rank up otherwise.

The big difference, though, is that in Batrider it's the extend item that does the damage; the medals do almost nothing. In Ibara, the extend itself doesn't touch rank, but the medals do, which means that intentionally scoring low as a form of rank control may be somewhat viable, as is the traditional score-well-and-suicide-method, but attempting to score without suiciding hard, and without actually doing a good job with the scoring, will get you murdered.

There's a low scoring 1cc on YouTube with intentional medal avoidance which seems to bear this out; the uploader of the video says he thinks that way of playing the game is easier than the "score and suicide" method.

[shmuppyLove]

I believe grazing also reduces rank; at least it does in Kuro.

DODGE THAT SHIT COWBOY

[Obscura]

Kuro rank works entirely different from "white label" rank.

For instance, in Kuro, bombing reduces rank; in WL, it increases rank.

[shmuppyLove]

Kuro rank works entirely different from "white label" rank.

For instance, in Kuro, bombing reduces rank; in WL, it increases rank.

I didn't think it was bombing itself, but cancelling bullets into roses from bombing? (in Kuro that is)

trap15 we need a rank display for Ibara okplsthx

[Obscura]

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 05#p584305

The rank for Ibara has already been deconstructed.

[trap15]

trap15 we need a rank display for Ibara okplsthx

Already exists. Switch DIP switch 2 to ON, then hold A+B when booting up the board or hitting test switch.

[KAI]

Kuro rank works entirely different from "white label" rank.
For instance, in Kuro, bombing reduces rank; in WL, it increases rank.

I didn't think it was bombing itself, but cancelling bullets into roses from bombing?

By canceling Bullets with bombs, by destructing some enemies/structures and by killing Bosses.

Playing Pinksweets, I want to trigger that infinite lives shit.

[Obscura]

Just played some Garegga, and both broke my high score (got 5.6 million, nearly 1 million above my previous best), but also got to the big green bomber in stage 5 for the first time!

It's funny how when I watch a superplay tackle those stage 5 platforms or the bomber and it looks so easy, and then I try to tackle them, and suddenly it's not nearly so easy

[jepjepjep]

I almost cleared the first loop on DOJ. I lost my cool at the St 5 boss on his last attack pattern with only a small amount of health left.

[EmperorIng]

The more I play ESPGaluda the more I think it might be my favorite Cave game.

That is, until I get my hands on the sequel. Perhaps! I've played the demo on my smartphone, and while I really like it, I don't think it's quite the same.

If I actually possessed a 360 I probably would have started buying up the Cave catalogue quite some time ago. At least MushiFutari, DDPR, and ESPGaluda2.

[null1024]

Played DonPachi [Arcade/MAME] for a bit. Your ship is small, but your hitbox is huuuuge. First stage is boring, but then the rest of the game happens. Credit fed a bit just to see how it gets later on, those ships that come from the back are evil.

Then I went back to practicing DOJBL. I should probably pick an easier game, but I really like it.

[mdl]

Played Darius Extra again. Picked random levels. 1cced ACFIMSX with zero lives left. I think I did OK for having never played most of those stages.