Dimahoo....am I missing something?

maxlords · Post by **maxlords** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 8:46 pm

Just sat down with Dimahoo for about an hour yesterday and DAMNED if it didn't walk all over me! I did pretty good...until the stage 2 boss. From then on it was a credit feeding fest!

I guess what I'm wondering is...is there a steep learning curve to this one? Between the sheer VOLUME of activity onscreen and the speed of the bullet patterns and the fairly large hit box, I'm having a tough time not getting wiped out constantly. That spider-boss for instance...the web bullets fire so fast and move so quickly that I literally couldn't dodge. I know how frantic Raizing games are, but man...this one is rough!

Or is it just supposed to be that hard?

agustusx · Post by **agustusx** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:18 pm

I get spanked pretty badly too so my guess is that a lot of people find this hard for many of the reasons you listed.

But admit it you loved every minute of it right?

ZOM · Post by **ZOM** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:07 pm

Dimahoo is awesome

I still don't get how scoring works in this game; specifically how to consistently get the "loot" I want/miss.

And yes it's very challenging.

SockPuppetHyren · Post by **SockPuppetHyren** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:09 pm

I agree with everything the two above posters said.

I can barely make it past stage 2, yet I love every second of it.

spineshark · Post by **spineshark** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:17 pm

The stage 2 boss is a huge difficulty spike, though the stage 1 boss can also become extremely difficult if you milk it too much. The stages get progressively harder, but for each one I find the boss much more difficult.

As for scoring being really difficult...well, I can't help you. It's a Raizing game after all, so you really have to play it by ear based on what you've got in whatever situation you're in. But if you can find a time to turn on the item display table on each stage, it's a pretty big help. You also need to learn which guys drop which kinds of items, but knowing that you need a level 5 item (for example) at least sets you on the right track for how much to charge.

Anyway, fuck the haters, this game is awesome. Awesome music (particularly the Game Over stuff and Stage 5 boss), unique scoring, lots of characters, and even the boss milking is relatively fun.

MadScientist · Post by **MadScientist** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:20 pm

I like it as well. It took me forever, but I eventually made it to level 4 - still haven't mastered the scoring yet though.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:55 pm

level 4-- that's a good goal for me. I love this game, but I haven't devoted myself to it yet.

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:47 am

Dimahoo is indeed very tough, get used to it. Not only surviving is difficult, it's very hard to score properly, as you need to put yourself at risk to collect tons of items (and knowledge of every item location). People end up so frustrated they never play it again.

My advice is to disregard score entirely and play just for survival. Once you can get far into the game and have a general idea of who drops what, you can start focusing on score.

I feel this game would be a lot more popular if a detailed list of all enemy drops was available. In fact, I AM planning to make one at some point...

maxlords wrote:That spider-boss for instance...the web bullets fire so fast and move so quickly that I literally couldn't dodge.

If you're talking about the trapping attack, you need to know what to do beforehand. When you hear the spider scream, hold still to avoid the first attack, then tap to the side to avoid the second one, and hold still again to avoid the third.

seiatsu · Post by **seiatsu** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:50 am

Dimahoo...haven't played it for a while. Love it.

I remember the first time i played, I did pretty well. However, once I understood (to some extent) what was going on, I did far worse. In other words, I did far better when just trying to survive.

Now granted, Dimahoo has a lot going on scoring wise and while I don't understand everything about it, iirc you basically get more loot the more you charge your charge shot and the more things you kill while it's active. (of course, that's way over simplified). Proper use/placement of your charge shot is crucial for max items. There is also bullet cancelling of sorts depending on what type of element your shot is (fire/ice). This helps with survival. I remember reading a decent strat that got me the limited understanding I do have. Not sure if it was the one on this site or elsewhere.

I'm sure if I played again, what I do know would come back to me but that's all I've got right now as it's been too long.

Momijitsuki · Post by **Momijitsuki** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:31 am

Dimahoo. It's okay, I guess. I didn't really get into it. I doubt I ever will pick it up and try to play for score.

maxlords · Post by **maxlords** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:46 am

Ruldra wrote:My advice is to disregard score entirely and play just for survival. Once you can get far into the game and have a general idea of who drops what, you can start focusing on score.

Heh...I'm not really good enough at most shmups to play for score...it's always just for survival...score is a bonus. I just found that there was so much going on onscreen that I couldn't help but get hit sometimes....that and some of the enemies trap ya after you're already backed into a corner

maxlords wrote:That spider-boss for instance...the web bullets fire so fast and move so quickly that I literally couldn't dodge.

If you're talking about the trapping attack, you need to know what to do beforehand. When you hear the spider scream, hold still to avoid the first attack, then tap to the side to avoid the second one, and hold still again to avoid the third.

Yeah, that's what I meant. That's the kind of thing that it's an utter bitch to figure out.....he fires it so damned fast that it's almost impossible to figure out what to do. Some of the other enemies are like that too.

Nice to know that overall the consensus is that this is one hard ass bitch of a game...thought it was just me

I love the music and the style though, so I'm gonna clock some more hours into it, same as I did for Blazing Star. It's weird...there's a point where some of these games after a few playthroughs go from utterly impossible to a suddenly attainable difficulty. I'm not sure what you'd call it....there's like a peak of difficulty, then all it is is practice. I'm fairly certain the reason the genre is so small compared to most gaming is that most gamers don't have the patience to reach the difficulty plateau.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:21 am

Dimahoo is definitely in my top 5. It's one of those games that if you ever think you've peaked at it, you are wrong. There's always something you can do better.

The set-making can be a bitch to learn though. They should have had some sort of better control scheme to see your inventory, not the damned start button.

I remember the game's rank cracking out too as you started gathering more items.

And if you think the 1-4 bosses suck, wait until you meet level 5's boss at full rank. Ugh.

escadrille · Post by **escadrille** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:23 pm

Good to see some Dimahoo love. Is it just me or are item locations/drops different depending on the character you are using? For the most part I can't keep track of it because I'm too busy dodging. I just grabs what I sees.

GrimoreLibrarian · Post by **GrimoreLibrarian** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:21 pm

Who knew the earth was really hollow?

croikle · Post by **croikle** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:30 pm

I love Dimahoo, though it is an unusually difficult game. A better way to see the list of items would be useful, as the hold start for 2 seconds + tap A twice is a pain, resets every stage, and only shows one set at a time.

escadrille, I don't think there's a difference, but the varying charge shots and main shots will change what levels of items you produce.

evil_ash_xero · Post by **evil_ash_xero** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:04 am

Dimahoo is a really good game, and I have a lot of trouble with it too.

maxlords · Post by **maxlords** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:15 am

Heh....clocked another hour or so into it tonight. I tried the "just try to survive" method and made it to the level 2 boss on one continue. Then I tried the "charge the shit out of your weapon to try and collect stuff" method. It's....um....a LOT harder. I beat the level 1 boss....once. In an hour.

I got all kinds of neat stuff, found a house you can destroy for a level 8 helmet or something...but the sheer level of bullets onscreen while you're twiddling around charging makes it PHENOMENALLY hard. And now that I know I can charge up to get spiffier stuff, it's hard not to. Go figure. I'm gonna just keep plugging away. I'm hoping to make level 3 on one credit....

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:14 am

Fun fact: a single bomb at point-blank range with Grimlen (while you're red) is enough to kill the second boss.

ZOM · Post by **ZOM** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:33 am

^^Yes, sadly this doesn't work with Miyamoto's bomb attack.
With the exception of Garegga & Bakraid, Miyamoto is the only ship I use in Raizing games.

croikle · Post by **croikle** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 5:28 am

Yeah, I like Grimlen. Tried them out recently and am digging the scythe.

Another fun fact: as you destroy stuff with your main shot, your charge gauge increases. Though it's not as profitable or quick as holding to charge, you can stay alive and still get some of the charges you need.

Stan · Post by **Stan** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:28 am

As far as I know a hack of Battle Garegga roms was done, which makes it possible to display rank etc. during playing.
Would be very advantageous if all itemlists with collected and missing items could be made visible by means of such rom hack...

MadScientist · Post by **MadScientist** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:48 pm

I tend to play as Grimlen as well - with his charge shot, I find it easier to pick up objects as move of them are falling towards you (which helps when you're this slow...). Are any of the secret characters any use?

clp · Post by **clp** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:06 pm

i hope tis thread means mroe dimahoo love and score board activity

this game is very difficult and easily raizing most hectic gotta love it