Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

[AntiFritz]

I've seen many LEs of STGs contain a superplay DVD. Since I'm just starting to get into shmups, what are they?

DVD featuring a superplay, which is a recorded run of the game by expert players.

[trap15]

A DVD with an extremely skilled player(s) showing off the game played properly for score. Generally quite impressive to see.

[CStarFlare]

Can someone explain the differences between the two versions of Concealed the Conclusion in this collection? I think 2.01 is the version I'm familiar with, but can't find any info on what 3.NET is.

[hail good sir]

Asked in hardware but probably better here, is it possible to recreate the Ikaruga single shot autofire in the 360 version? My gut tells me it's more than just a turbo thing. Or does the original arcade version just really have a button for it that they never included in ports?

[nZero]

Asked in hardware but probably better here, is it possible to recreate the Ikaruga single shot autofire in the 360 version? My gut tells me it's more than just a turbo thing. Or does the original arcade version just really have a button for it that they never included in ports?

The original arcade version only has 2 buttons, shot + change. It really is just a turbo thing.

[AntiFritz]

Asked in hardware but probably better here, is it possible to recreate the Ikaruga single shot autofire in the 360 version? My gut tells me it's more than just a turbo thing. Or does the original arcade version just really have a button for it that they never included in ports?

It's just a turbo thing. The arcade version is just two button afaik (shot and polarity).

[hail good sir]

It really is, I just dug out my fightpad and it worked.

And apparently you can map it to two buttons in game and it works with one having normal shot and one having single shot autofire. I think I just creamed my pants.

I should probably try things before I assume they don't work.

[oboewan42]

Can someone explain the differences between the two versions of Concealed the Conclusion in this collection? I think 2.01 is the version I'm familiar with, but can't find any info on what 3.NET is.

3.NET is the new version, currently in beta, the guy who made it is switching from Danmakufu to a whole new custom-made engine written in .NET.

Now, a question for all of you: can someone please explain the different versions/modes of Omega Fighter? I know there's a normal version and a "Special" version of the board, and there's also a "Special" mode in each one accessible from the test menu, but I'd like to know what the differences are between the four versions. (I do know that activating Special mode causes the game to hand out extends like candy.)

[Marc]

I'm not dreaming when I say I'm sure I saw pictures of an R-Type cab with Nintendo logos on the side right? I never read about them being involved in any way but I'm sure I've seen it.

[Ghegs]

Not a dream, quite real. I believe Nintendo was the distributor of the game's arcade version in the US. You can see their logo quite prominently in the marquee and the flyer. The latter also asks arcade operators to contact Nintendo to get the game.

[ACSeraph]

In Mushihimesama do the different shot types do different amounts of damage or do they just change width and movement speed?

Also can somebody break down the damage output in the Dodonpachi series. Like for example in SDOJ, does Shuri's laser in laser mode do more damage than Hikari's laser in laser mode. Also if you are in shot mode does laser still do more damage? I assume it does, in which case what is really the benefit of choosing shot? I also don't really understand the different types in DFK at all. Sorry for all the noob questions...

[BareKnuckleRoo]

It's a really broad set of questions. The wide shots in Mushi generally don't do as much damage as the straight shot at long range because at long range there's large gaps between the individual blasts. At pointblank range however, the spread shot type does a ton of damage and is great for scoring, it just drops dramatically in damage as you get further away from your target, whereas the straight shot doesn't have much range but does very consistent damage regardless of how far you are from the enemy (slightly less than W-power when pointblanking). W-Power can be tough to use due to the low movement speed, but it's the best for scoring as far as I'm aware.

In the DDP games that give you a Shot/Laser (and possibly Expert) choice, choosing shot boosts your shot's width and damage output which makes it much easier to handle stages (especially popcorn) but makes bosses a bit tougher, but laser damage is slightly decreased (not much though). The real downside is the laser is noticeably less wide when playing a Shot type, your movement speed is greatly reduced when lasering which really hurts with chaining (Laser types have pretty decent movement speed when lasering, making them better for chaining/scoring, particularly in DOJ where Shotia has garbage laser mode movement speed) and doesn't pierce enemies as easily as when Laser type is selected (DDP Stage 4's turrets at the start are easily killed by a Laser type, a Shot type ship's laser will not pierce them). Later games (DOJ and SDOJ) also change how many bombs each shot type gets.

In DDP, all Laser type ships (A-L, B-L, C-L) do the same per-frame damage when lasering, whereas the Shot type ships have slightly different laser damages (very minimal differences though). See: http://shmups.com/beepreying/old/strategy/index.html

Like in pretty much all Cave games, Laser mode damage is higher than Shot mode damage. In DDP, if you're playing a Shot-type (particularly A-S or B-S) and all your shots are hitting a boss, their shot damage is almost as high as their laser damage. Laser types all do noticeably more damage when lasering. The only Cave game I can think of where your Shot does more damage than Laser is Progear, which has more of a straight shot (Shot/Pilot mode, fast movement speed).and lock shot (Gunner mode, slow movement speed), and the straight shot does a bit more damage (particularly with Bolt at long range, Ring need to pointblank to see higher damage with his wide shot than when in gunner mode).

[ACSeraph]

That was much more complex than I expected. Very very helpful information, thanks for taking the time to type all that out. I had always assumed that Type A laser was more powerful than Type C laser for example, so its very useful to know that it isn't.

With regards to the Mushi question, can I assume that M-Type falls somewhere in between W and S with regards to point blank versus long distance damage output?

[BareKnuckleRoo]

With regards to the Mushi question, can I assume that M-Type falls somewhere in between W and S with regards to point blank versus long distance damage output?

I haven't really played Mushi enough to know how well M-Type works. Functionally it's supposed to be a balance, but it when I played it (PS2 mostly) it didn''t seem to do much more damage at long range than W-Type, but it's got more movement speed than W-Type and wider range than S-Type at least. I always went S-Type cause I like the speed... Apparently M-Type was improved a lot in the Matsuri/1.5 version, but I don't own Mushi HD so I've never really been able to check it out (whereas I have done silly stuff like compare shot damage/kill times with shot types in most shmups cause I'm weird and like that sort of info).

[Phellan Wolf]

I didn't want to start a new thread so, here I go.
Saidaioujou and DZeal have been the last two shooting games for the 360. Xbox One has been anounced and indi developpers are running away from XLive Arcade die to the strict policies that are being held now. So, does anyone expect a new entry in the genre for the system???
Just wanted to know your opinions cause x360 has turned into one of the best systems for the genre.

[KAI]

This deserves a new thread.

[oboewan42]

In Bee Storm, you can press D to change your shot type on the fly while maintaining your current speed... does this affect laser power at all?

[Acid_Rain]

Just a quick question: What size are the original arcade instructions of SDOJ?

[jepjepjep]

Is there any way to turn off the smoothing on the DOJ:BLEX port?

[Skykid]

Just a quick question: What size are the original arcade instructions of SDOJ?

You mean the marquee? Assuming A4 like all the others.

[Captain]

In Bee Storm, you can press D to change your shot type on the fly while maintaining your current speed... does this affect laser power at all?

Point blanking with the seemingly less practical shots does more damage than any of the lasers.

If my memory serves me right the smoothest laser is the most powerful though.

[Acid_Rain]

Just a quick question: What size are the original arcade instructions of SDOJ?

You mean the marquee? Assuming A4 like all the others.

Yes, the marquee. And thanks. Somehow I thought those were bigger.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

In Bee Storm, you can press D to change your shot type on the fly while maintaining your current speed... does this affect laser power at all?

Only in the latest Bee Storm version can you do the shot type change. It changes the appearance of your option shots, laser and, if you're using Energy-type, your bomb's appearance. If your cab doesn't have a D button, you can also use the start button.

I haven't noticed any serious difference in terms of laser damage between the shot types, but the lack of a boss health bar does make it rather tricky to judge.

[Jonst]

Is strike witches on 360 any good,is it worth getting?

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

In Bee Storm, you can press D to change your shot type on the fly while maintaining your current speed... does this affect laser power at all?

It's only the later/latest revision of the game where you can switch shots like this. It does affect your ship speed, for sure during concentration shots and I think in the normal mode as well but I don't remember. The laser shots are not equal power either unless my mind played some major tricks on me. Generally if your laser is wider you can expect its overall power to be a tad weaker and your movement slower. That's what it felt like to me anyway. I didn't reverse engineer the game code into math or whatever.

[brook4]

What is an "arrange mode"?

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

It's a different version of the game where Cave rearranges scoring systems and difficulty and other things as a bonus on ports. Generally they are way easier than their arcade counterparts but not always.

[CStarFlare]

It's not exclusive to Cave or shooting games in general, the Resident Evil Director's Cut had an Arrange Mode too. The whole concept of tweaking the game design and packaging it as a bonus mode goes back quite a ways, though I'm not sure who coined the term "Arrange" or when it happened.

[ReSe2k]

Could someone please tell me what button layout's the arcade versions of Daifukkatsu and Espgaluda II use?

I guess TYPE B in Daifukkatsu is:
[Shot][Bomb][Rapid]
[Hyper]

[BareKnuckleRoo]

The arcade versions of Espgaluda II and DFK actually let you select your controls between

Type A (Type B in DFK)

[Shot] [Kakusei(Galuda)/Bomb(DFK)] [Bomb(Galuda)/Hyper(DFK)]
[Rapid]

or

Type B (Type A in DFK)

[Shot] [Kakusei(Galuda)/Bomb(DFK)] [Rapid]
[Bomb(Galuda)/Hyper(DFK)]

after picking your character.

The first Espgaluda also lets you swap the 3rd and 4th buttons (Bomb & Rapid) if you're holding them for a second or two when you press the start button, so it's kind of a hidden controls tweak that was later made into an actual selection screen after shot type select.

Having checked some videos, it seems Galuda II's Type A and Type B are reversed from DFK's control select for Type A and Type B. Just remember when you're selecting the controls that the green button is always Rapid Fire and you'll be fine.