DoDonPachi (New Thread #4)

[LtC]

Holy hell LtC, you seem to be getting better at this game way faster than I did... maybe I should pick this up again.
Updated btw.

Btw you seem to have my score there twice ^^. I don't mind myself but since there's a limited amount of places on the chart you might want to remove it.

[Ravid]

Oh that ain't good. I'll try and sort it out now

Ok, I'm not sure how that happened, but it looks like someone was knocked off the list unfairly and I don't know who it was. SORRY GUYS . I guess there's a free spot at the bottom now (and if the person who got knocked off wants to speak up I'll stick them right back in)

[lgb]

Are the individual tables limited to 5 places, or would they be extended to 10?

[Ravid]

Are the individual tables limited to 5 places, or would they be extended to 10?

I limit it to five places since extending it to ten would basically replicate half of the main table, and the point originally was just as a bit of extra recognition for the people who are the best with their ship type. If I extended it to ten places, the way I see it, I might as well just have the whole lot in individual ship tables (like Arcadia) and maybe have the top ten overall scores as a separate table.
Not that that would necessarily be a bad idea, of course.

[lgb]

I might as well just have the whole lot in individual ship tables (like Arcadia) and maybe have the top ten overall scores as a separate table.

If you happen to go through with this, would you take in mind a suggestion: Top ten overall scores, top 20 individual scores.

[PROMETHEUS]

I might as well just have the whole lot in individual ship tables (like Arcadia) and maybe have the top ten overall scores as a separate table.

I think it's no good to do this because the imbalance between ships isn't so big at all and people like to have their scores visible at the top of the thread. I think of these high score boards first as a reward for the players who did well, so all the best scores should be the most visible, at the top. Of course it has nothing to do with me cause Type A would still be at the top, I'm saying this for the type B / C players.

The second purpose of a high score board here is to let various people know about the best western scores. In my opinion it would be great to link to videos or replays for any scores that were recorded, too, because people who come across this thread would often love to see them but have no idea they exist because they'd have to browse the thread or even the former threads sometimes. If I were to remake these boards, I would remove the "code" tag and include links. Leaving the individual ship tables at the bottom is cool, and they don't need to be larger than 5 because there aren't that many good scores, in my opinion.

[Ravid]

I think it's no good to do this because the imbalance between ships isn't so big at all...

This is why I haven't changed it so far.

I keep the code tags because I think the high score table should actually be a table, rather than a bunch of randomly aligned lines, but maybe I'm just anal. I do like the idea of including links, though, and I will consider implementing that.

[PROMETHEUS]

Yeah I agree with you it's nicer if it's aligned and it makes it easier to read. But it doesn't allow the inclusion of links or colors and whatnot.

[lgb]

If there are no "good scores", then why should there be videos and links to things for them? Should we just do what moozooh does and put a link for the top score/scores?

[PROMETHEUS]

there are good scores but not that many per ship type

only the top 15 or so are done by people that really tried getting chains done imo, that's why a top 10 for each ship type seems irrelevant to me

[lgb]

jpj gave me this ages ago, you might like it at the top of the scoreboard post: http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6411/ddpwz1.jpg

Here's something smaller, but darker: http://www.arcadeflyers.com/flyers_vide ... 000201.png

[Ravid]

First post updated with replays and new pic (thanks lgb). I have yet to figure out which version of MAME they were each recorded with, I'll get on that immediately.

edit: except where noted, all replays are functioning on WolfMAME 0.99

[Emuser]

I should record a better run on wolfmame, the one of me(DAD) on page 1 is humiliating since I can do SO much better, except that I suddenly do lots of random screwups as I play when recording an input >_<

[LtC]

LtC - 101,145,710 - C-L - 2-4 - 394 Hit

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mwgoh2mvyko (JP version of DDP, wolfmame 0.99)
100M goal broken

Don't know what to think about this run. 300-something chains in stage 2, 4, 5 and 6 and but still quite weak loop 1 score. With not so many bombs no miss the second loop all the way to later half of stage 2-3. I got to 2-4 with 3 lives and 1 bomb in stock. Dumb deaths, ~10 bombs totally wasted dying with bombs in stock . Pitiful end by getting lasered by the boss.

I've been practising a bit lately but this was the first actual run since a month so I'm quite happy. Hoping to get some higher maybe later but I just need to stop failing them chains first.

[ncp]

I probably won't be playing much DDP for now so I'll just post my score. I've improved on my stage 5 and 6 since then, so this could be improved a lot, but I don't feel like putting the attempts in. My chaining is none too hot as you can probably tell by the score:stage ratio. Playing DOJ for now, gonna post a score there when I hit my current goal of 125m (assuming I can get my hands on a camera for the screenshot )

ncp - 66,768,740 - C-S - 2-4 - 342 Hit

Can provide a screenshot if necessary, but it's not a particularly unbelievable score so I didn't bother.

edit: I think I could probably do about 80-90mil-ish at the moment, after DOJ maybe I'll come back to this. (Or maybe not)

[malik11]

By the way I watched your superplay vid the other day from your other run and it was amazing but the biggest jaw-drop was in 2-5 when you used a bomb and your chain didn't get cancelled. I remember I asked before if there was a possibility of chain continuing after bomb and I got a 'no'. I tested it out before a couple times and managed to do it on couple occasions when using the laser based bomb. I'm not really sure how it works, is it just a random bug or do you have to go through certain conditions to be able to continue the chain?

This may be way after the fact and posted somewhere else (I hope not), but I just noticed this post today.

I believe the player can bomb in Dodonpachi and continue his/her chain after the bomb ends if and only if a maximum bonus is interrupted by the bomb and the numbers representing the current number of hits are displayed in red when the bomb is used.

[ncp]

oh hey this thread got bumped, might as well post the run I recorded just the other day.

ncp - 83,456,340 - C-S - 2-3 - 478 Hit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t91zo7jfLq4

[LtC]

By the way I watched your superplay vid the other day from your other run and it was amazing but the biggest jaw-drop was in 2-5 when you used a bomb and your chain didn't get cancelled. I remember I asked before if there was a possibility of chain continuing after bomb and I got a 'no'. I tested it out before a couple times and managed to do it on couple occasions when using the laser based bomb. I'm not really sure how it works, is it just a random bug or do you have to go through certain conditions to be able to continue the chain?

This may be way after the fact and posted somewhere else (I hope not), but I just noticed this post today.

I believe the player can bomb in Dodonpachi and continue his/her chain after the bomb ends if and only if a maximum bonus is interrupted by the bomb and the numbers representing the current number of hits are displayed in red when the bomb is used.

Yeah, it was mentioned before in this thread (I think) and I missed it. I found out about it only a little after this post and the run I had back then. I guess I was pretty dumb not reading well enough when the answer was already there.

oh hey this thread got bumped, might as well post the run I recorded just the other day.

ncp - 83,456,340 - C-S - 2-3 - 478 Hit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t91zo7jfLq4

Also btw just so you know I think on 2P side you can't continue your chain when laser-bombing even if you have MAXIUM on. I think you get something else in return but it wasn't worth it at all.

[ncp]

The bonus from collected stars at the end of the levels accumulate over the run, instead of resetting each level.

edit: btw I just do it because of the black+orange type C. Looks baller.

[Ravid]

Nice work ncp you could probably get most of the way to the 100mil mark by just milking the bullet cancels in stage 3 a bit more (both loops). Also, I noticed in some sections of stages 4 and 5 you seem to be making life difficult for yourself by sticking to shot. If you use the laser to take out those large tanks quickly you may save yourself some grief (or not, I'm not 100% on C-S by any means).

[ncp]

Nice work ncp you could probably get most of the way to the 100mil mark by just milking the bullet cancels in stage 3 a bit more (both loops).

Thanks. And a funny thing about that... I had no idea that cancelling bullets gave you points until I watched my own replay while recording it. Is it best to hit the bullet cancelling ship then laser straight through so you don't kill them while the bullet cancel is still active? Seems like the best way.

Also, I noticed in some sections of stages 4 and 5 you seem to be making life difficult for yourself by sticking to shot. If you use the laser to take out those large tanks quickly you may save yourself some grief (or not, I'm not 100% on C-S by any means).

Which large tanks? But you're probably right, as I rarely use laser aside from chaining. The end of stage 4 on this run was a bit awkward. I didn't take down one of the tanks as fast as I usually do (one of the ones that shoots the blue circle bullets in an aimed W-pattern with 2 pink lines straight down), so I had to improvise and it got a little weird. Some parts I intentionally stay in shot though, like the 3 big flying enemies mid-stage, so it hits the tiny tanks that come from the side of the screen before they can ruin my face.

And I think once I figure out how to connect the autochain sections of stage 5 together I can get a nice chunk of score out of that.

I'm thinking I might break down and use save states to practice the second loop, but save states don't seem to work (anonymous timer error or something). Is there a quick fix for this?

[Ravid]

Yeah, I meant those tanks where it "got a little weird". In stage 5 I mean the ones at the start which shoot the blue spreads and the blue tanks near the end; you want to take those out asap because they restrict your movement, and the rest of the spam can be dodged by herding. In general there were parts where the screen got unreasonably full of bullets because you let the medium-sized enemies survive too long.
For the bullet cancel you just need to strike your own balance between cancelling and surviving. What I found best was to use the cancel time to blow up everything on screen, and the new ones that spawn after fill up the screen just in time for the next cancel. If you come up with a safe route for 1-3 it should work without being more difficult in 2-3 (which is worth more points obviously). Just watch a couple replays if you need ideas.

Save states don't seem to work in some versions of MAME. I use WolfMAME 099, it seems to work with that (not that I ever seriously used save states, but anyway).

[ncp]

Ah, the beginning of stage 5 was more of a case of bad positioning than not lasering, I think. I just watched AST-BR1's replay and he doesn't laser them either, but tries to hit them with the more powerful forward shots as much as possible. This is an awesome replay by the way Probably gonna save me a lot of pain trying to chain stage 4.

[MJR]

feeeeck! Am I really in position #50 now?

I guess I better start practising or prepare to be knocked out.

[ncp]

New score

ncp - 91,625,280 - C-S - 2-4 - 471 Hit

Didn't really do much different than my 83m score, just a little longer survival, and a little better at the 2-3 milking. So close to that 100m...

[PROMETHEUS]

JCK put my run on youtube! Check out the awesome intro music lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTOHnUAL ... EB&index=0

Good job ncp, you have some surviving power going on here.

[Arvandor]

Been a while =) Never bothered to re-register after the old forums got nuked.

I have mixed feelings about still being #3. Cool that I'm still that high, but a bummer that no one else has surpassed my mediocricy.

I still play a few credits a week, but I haven't seen any improvement in ages. I'd really like to get a no-miss run of the first loop, but I'm so far from that happening it's almost discouraging. Random mistakes have become harder and harder to tolerate too. I used to be able to just try over and over again, but now if I do something stupid like die on stage 3 or die twice in a row anywhere I just turn if off and won't play it again that day.

[PROMETHEUS]

Yeah there hasn't been too many people playing this game lately.

Hope you'll be able to improve your score soon.

[Arvandor]

Dangit, and I won't be able to play at work again tonight, since I left my thumbdrive at home =/

If I could find a version of MAME that required only unzipping and no intalling, perhaps I could get still get some runs in.

[lgb]

I have never used a MAME that requires "installing", and I do not think they exist