Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram for the Xbox Live Arcade

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:39 pm

velocity7 wrote:I notice no one has posted here in a while, so I thought I'd translate the column. I originally posted a translation of the Most Important(tm) column entry over at the Oratan forums, but here it is for you guys:

Q: How big will the game be?
A: It hasn't been fully decided yet, but probably somewhere around 230 MB.

Q: Is there any split-screen?
A: We apologize, but not this time. Instead, we have the system link implemented so you can go at it against one another (this was really tough to do). Again, we apologize...

Q: Will there be any patches to the game?
A: Nothing has been announced yet at this time. However, we are prepared to deal with any trouble that might come after release. In such a case, we will announce that "Bugs/glitches have been corrected". Given time, we'd like to put up other content.

Q: Will any themes or icons go on sale?
A: We are considering possible themes to put up. As for icons, we will consider it if there is a massive demand for it.

Q: Is there any text chat, or ability to draw emblems?
A: Neither. We would have liked to see custom emblems implemented, but there were a lot of issues that came up. We also hadn't considered text chat when we began this project. In the meantime, the Xbox 360 voice chat feature has been implemented, so please enjoy.

Q: Is the floor transparent in "Public Port" just like in 5.2?
A: As we thought it was much better having it transparent, we made it as such. Of course, you have some options:
- In Arcade mode, the floor will be set as opaque.
- In Versus mode, the floor will be randomly set.
- You may choose the way it looks in Training Mode and Watch Mode.

Q: Did you fix the fire grenade sound?
A: We confirm that we've fixed this in the 360 version.

Q: Can we see this on a 4:3 CRT? How small of a TV can we play on for us to enjoy this?
A: In the case of 4:3, this will look just like the Arcade or DC versions. There shouldn't be a difference in gameplay. To check teams, the minimum requirement is a 14-inch CRT, but for the time being you should be able to enjoy the game. There are probably a couple of locations where the text may be small, but there shouldn't be things that you can't read. Of course, be advised that depending on the television you use, there is no absolute guarantee.

Q: What about Twin Sticks?
A: We've heard a lot about this from almost everyone, so we think it'll show up. If we were the users, we would have asked too (lol).

Unfortunately, we are unable to announce anything beyond what was said for Twin Sticks in Yamashita's column last time. We apologize.

The game should be out in April, but we will announce if any changes arise.

For velocity7,

Thanks for that very informative XBox360 VO Q&A session. It would be interesting to see a dedicated Twin Stick controller released for this port as they was only just the SS and DC versions of the Twin Stick controller released for now. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Shelcoof · Post by **Shelcoof** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:01 pm

great info thanks velocity7

Cacophanus · Post by **Cacophanus** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 4:23 pm

I wrote a breakdown on the series here if anyone's curious

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/03/col ... k_onta.php

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:24 pm

Vokatse wrote:A guy modded his DC Twinsticks in anticipation of the game:
http://www.insertcredit.com/

Nah, if you want the real deal in twinsticks, you would go the Sega arcade Twinsticks route...solid and time-tested arcade hardware controls at it's best. Even fellow shmupper SAM swears by them. Might set you back some serious dough but totally worth it in the end. Or you could see if you could find a pair of Sega Virtual On arcade Twinstick control panel setup on the cheap would be an even better bet. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:47 pm

^^^ But the game is fully playable with the pad. I wonder why is there the notion it can't be enjoyed w/o Twinsticks.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:04 pm

Street Fighter 4 is playable with a dual shock 3, but who'd want to over a saturn pad or a arcade stick.

Alec · Post by **Alec** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:22 pm

yeah its def playable, but the game was always more fun in the arcade than on the saturn and dreamcast pads. i've never had a set of home twinsticks, so i'll reserve judgement til that glorious day.

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:26 pm

Specineff wrote:^^^ But the game is fully playable with the pad. I wonder why is there the notion it can't be enjoyed w/o Twinsticks.

Link

MentholMoose = Top VOOT player in North America, IIRC.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 12:15 am

Strider77 wrote:Street Fighter 4 is playable with a dual shock 3, but who'd want to over a saturn pad or a arcade stick.

Nail + Head... you hit the former on the latter.

velocity7 · Post by **velocity7** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:08 am

http://kotaku.com/5220756/right-now-mic ... -for-japan

So at this time of writing, Microsoft is showcasing 31 games for Xbox 360. And on the list is none other than Virtual On, which now has a confirmed April 29 release date.

Post by **undamned** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 5:07 pm

neonecko wrote:I've already got the dreamcast one, but this is still a good thing.

SAM wrote:But it's Ver 5.66... Not the DC one, which is Ver 5.45

Sam beat me to it.

SAM wrote:Someone have hack the boot disc and seems to allow you to play the new Virtuaroids on DC. But I don't know if that really works.

Wow. I own the original boot disc, but never heard about a hack of it! Wonder if it's true? Guess it's kind of a mute point with the XBOX 360 ver. coming out, though.
-ud

Erinu · Post by **Erinu** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:42 am

DAY ONE FUCKEN PURCHASE!!!

Post by **Icarus** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 5:31 pm

Raiden II, Specineff and Fei-Yen garage kits incoming, this autumn.

neist · Post by **neist** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 5:46 pm

Icarus wrote:Raiden II, Specineff and Fei-Yen garage kits incoming, this autumn.

That Fei-Yen is completely amazing, and I'm not even a big toy guy.

I may have to preorder this.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 8:53 pm

Specineff figure pre-ordered at PA.

MentholMoose · Post by **MentholMoose** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:10 am

undamned wrote:
SAM wrote:Someone have hack the boot disc and seems to allow you to play the new Virtuaroids on DC. But I don't know if that really works.
Wow. I own the original boot disc, but never heard about a hack of it! Wonder if it's true? Guess it's kind of a mute point with the XBOX 360 ver. coming out, though.
-ud

The hack for the customize disc does work to some degree. You can only use the new VRs in test mode, it is buggy and incomplete, and the engine is still 5.45 and not 5.66. The hack is called "cust-plus" and here is a cust-plus usage guide. This aspect of cust-plus functionality was only intended to provide a preview of the new VRs.

SAM wrote:
TodayIsForgotten wrote:
Cthulhu wrote:Assuming the online play works well, this could be a lot of fun. The main reason I didn't play the original as much as I'd have liked was due to a lack of opponents.
which will be the case with XBLA. All their games die out unless its marble blast.
Maybe of maybe not, as there is seems to be a lots of Viral On diehard out there.

The Japanese hard core VO fans seem to be going all out for this release... tons of people (relatively speaking) are building or modding Twin Sticks for it (and not just hilarious yet useless ones made from candy boxes), and modded Saturn and DC Twin Sticks are selling on Yahoo! Auctions for $250!! I'm not so sure about the US, but at least some of the hard core VO players in the US will be picking VOOT back up (myself included).

I definitely agree about needing competition, though. Once the VOOT scene died out in Socal, I basically stopped playing, even though there was a 5.66 machine at Arcade Infinity! The game really is only worth playing multi-player.

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:Or you could see if you could find a pair of Sega Virtual On arcade Twinstick control panel setup on the cheap would be an even better bet. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

This is not currently a cheap option, unfortunately. Four complete used VOOT VER.5.2 versus city panels actually just sold on Yahoo! Auctions, for between $250 and $300 each!

A deluxe cabinet panel would sell for even more (a VO Force panel sold a few months ago for $1000). I have a setup using the versus city panel that I will mod for Xbox 360 (currently they're set up for either DC or Naomi... respective pics here and here). I already did a set of Xbox 360 Twin Sticks using DC Twin Sticks which I'll use in the meantime (I made it reversible).

The game is mere days away, I can't wait!!

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:01 pm

Any impressions? There seems to be a positive vibe over at oratan.com. I downloaded the demo just to get a feel for it, and I can't find a fault with it except for the lack of twin sticks. I'm 99% sure I'll be buying this... I've been holding out on getting a Gold membership, but pure bliss is surely worth $39.99 plus tax, right?

P.S. SonicR, as soon as I find somebody willing to mod my Saturn sticks I'll be needing them back.

Sonic R · Post by **Sonic R** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:13 pm

Davey wrote:P.S. SonicR, as soon as I find somebody willing to mod my Saturn sticks I'll be needing them back.

They will be here when you need them

I regret that I have only used them a couple times, but it was fun to use them none the less… I imagine my friend will get a kick out of them too.

MOSQUITO FIGHTER · Post by **MOSQUITO FIGHTER** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:20 pm

This game is still fun. It’s running well online for me, especially considering that I was playing a Japanese player. No complaints here. I think it’s one of Sega’s best games.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:46 am

sorry for the new thread... didn't think about it honestly. seems multi threads are more of a no no in the off topic than in the shooter sections.

continue to get your virtual on, on.

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:13 am

Was waffling on a purchase, but I'm leaning towards "ehh, why not" at the moment. I enjoyed VOOT (and loooove the acronym

) and the main problem I had was a lack of opponents.

The lack of twinsticks is bothersome, and I don't expect official ones to be released. Still, this is a relatively affordable release. Might as well show them some love.

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:30 am

Hopefully somebody with enough time and knowledge will mod sticks by request, kind of like how Matt was our go-to guy for PS2 mods back in the day. I have spare sticks and spare money but zero knowledge of electronics.

Aren't Saturn sticks really common in Japan? I'm sure the prices shot up recently but I thought there were a lot of them floating around.

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:14 am

Davey wrote:Hopefully somebody with enough time and knowledge will mod sticks by request, kind of like how Matt was our go-to guy for PS2 mods back in the day. I have spare sticks and spare money but zero knowledge of electronics.

Aren't Saturn sticks really common in Japan? I'm sure the prices shot up recently but I thought there were a lot of them floating around.

No clue how common the older sticks are/were for any system.

I guess as much as I might lament the lack of twinsticks... I bought a set for the DC version of VOOT and I don't think I really got my money's worth out of them. Maybe, maaaaybe with online play I'd be able to justify an extra controller, but I don't know. I guess it'd be nice to have the choice.

Conclusion: I'm a whiny bastard that doesn't know what he wants.

Zaarock · Post by **Zaarock** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:19 am

Bought it, online play doesnt seem to lag much at all even at long distances... except that 95% of the time it goes "could not join session" for me. I'm horrible at this game, I thought I'd learn to be ok at it pretty quick since I'm good at senko no ronde. I dont even have any strategies as to aiming well yet

. oddly enough I had even wins and losses for a while on ranked matches but somehow they managed to go to 6-25 now lol, I'm having some trouble playing consistently with cypher.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 7:44 am

cypher takes damage badly.... he's got a glass jaw. don't feel bad. try raiden in the beginning or once in awhile for a moral boost.

Zaarock · Post by **Zaarock** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:04 am

Strider77 wrote:cypher takes damage badly.... he's got a glass jaw. don't feel bad. try raiden in the beginning or once in awhile for a moral boost.

Haha, I have too many experiences of pretty much owning raiden players but them hitting me with the laser at the last second, I'd feel pretty ashamed

I'll try and learn cypher first.

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:18 am

Downloading (the demo) right now. Let's see. I was quite excited about this. The BGM is GREAT

it sounds like it comes straight from Rainbow Bell Adventures or something

Davey · Post by **Davey** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:18 am

Cthulhu wrote:No clue how common the older sticks are/were for any system.

I know DC sticks are a lot more rare than the Saturn ones. But for some reason I remember people saying that Saturn sticks are cheap and plentiful in Japan, although the shipping to get them to the US is atrocious. That might not be true, especially now.

Zaarock wrote:I'm horrible at this game, I thought I'd learn to be ok at it pretty quick since I'm good at senko no ronde.

This game has a pretty steep learning curve, everybody sucks at first. Isn't Temjin considered the best for beginners?

Zaarock · Post by **Zaarock** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:42 pm

Had a lot of fun playing this with a few senko players, would be fun to have more people to play player matches with. I'm too used to cypher now, all the other mechs' controls feel odd and not as fast.

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Wed May 06, 2009 5:17 am

Anyone else playing this game?