Cave's blog closing next month

[KAI]

http://cave-game.cocolog-nifty.com/blog ... -4fa5.html

I'm not liking this.
Fuck Cave.

[VixyNyan]

I'm not liking this.

Me neither...

Fuck Cave.

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

It's Asada's blog so unless you've liked his ideas in the past maybe you should be happy. Anyway a machine translation is less than worthless on it.

[adversity1]

This is, incidentally, not the only CAVE blog that is closing.

It was announced yesterday that the CAVE dev blog, run by Hiroyuki Kimura (director for Akai Katana Shin (360 and NESiCA), SDOJ and Dodonpachi Maximum) is also being closed.

Although it was primarily focused on the mobile title Dodonpachi Maximum, for people that read Japanese this was perhaps the most in-depth source of information on actual game development at CAVE (arcade stuff included). For example, there are several detailed accounts of the internal struggle to put SDOJ out when the execs had basically shut down the project down, and the last couple entries are Kimura's in-depth presentations on how they built Maximum. It was also where the SDOJ location test was announced.

[Skykid]

For example, there are several detailed accounts of the internal struggle to put SDOJ out when the execs had basically shut down the arcade division

Ah, so it's gone then?

[Casey120]

Surely not before SDOJ BL .

[ptoing]

^
I would not hold my breath.

[zakk]

It's been a year since SDOJ...

Surely not before SDOJ BL .

[Cagar]

To be honest I'm not afraid that CAVE will shut down.
They're always fucked up, but as the last true arcade bullet hell developers, I'm sure they'll keep on going and push through any wall... because they keep talking about "new shmups" in every interview.

[Zeether]

Honestly I could care less. Cave's recent output just didn't seem to wow me much aside from Akai Katana and if they have to cease shmup development to do redemption games or something then...whatever.

[ptoing]

Honestly I could care less.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

[adversity1]

For example, there are several detailed accounts of the internal struggle to put SDOJ out when the execs had basically shut down the arcade division

Ah, so it's gone then?

Re-reading it, it's only talking about SDOJ. Will edit my post to clarify that and sorry for the confusion.

He talks about the company making the decision to cancel SDOJ, being prepared to cancel the location test, refund PCB orders with operators etc. Basically flat-lined. Then the project was later resurrected by Ikeda after a long back and forth within the company.

[enjirube]

Honestly I could care less.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

Genius post

[Teufel_in_Blau]

Yeah, terrible news.

I don't know what to say other than that I would be really sad to see them go the pachinko way or some other crap.

[Pretas]

Maybe they're closing these blogs because they were created for the promotion of specific games and they don't think it's worth it to keep them up after the company no longer needs them?

If they announce a new game, you can be quite sure they will open up a new blog.

[Tokyo-J]

This company is ran like crap. Whoever the execs are should commit Harakiri.

Never giving the customers what they want.

At this point they deserve to die.

[Thjodbjorn]

"Deserve to die"?

Are you really that ****ed up?

[Miher]

As much as I love Cave's games, I wouldn't care if they shut down, judging from their situation. It's clear that they can't keep releasing shmup after shmup, and realistically, what else would they do with bullet hell? Things can only last for so long until either the money, ideas, or interest runs out.

Personally, I'd say Cave's pinnacle was around the time the PGM games came out, and that was 10+ years ago. They've definitely had good games since then, but their more-recent offerings have been pretty stale and repetitive.

[Kollision]

I tend to think Cave became enslaved by its own flagship series.
But then again, what could they have done? I would've loved to see their aesthetics applied to a methodical non bullet hell R-typeish hori, but at the same time I wonder about all the stupid hate they would get.

[Muchi Muchi Spork]

Asada has never had a good idea, a good wardrobe or a good shmup run. You guys are all insane. The only thing that happened is Asada closed his X360 blog after they announced there would be no more X360 games. If they announce they are going Nesica only then they can die. Not until then.

[ptoing]

Looking at the history of Cave ports, more Cave games than not have been ported during the years, with only 4 (Rade, Feveron, Progear, Kuro) not getting ports, not counting weird shit like the special Akai Katana stuff.

I think it is fair to assume that whatever happens with Cave, if they keep making games, chances are they will be ported.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

A CAVE sized studio couldn't survive on shmups alone, it always seemed to me that it was all the other pies that CAVE had fingers in brought the bacon home while they were fine with breaking even with STG.

How are their other pies going atm? I know they took abig hit along with Gree over the JPN govt stamping on gambling iphone games but that's all I know about the company

I'd hate to lose CAVE entitirely. Apart from losing a great bullet hell dev, but also considering STG will be coming to the WiiU / Next gen in the future, I'd hate some western indie dev who doesn't know their 1CC from their double play to trailblaze and dictate what modern mainstream STGs are like IE halfbaked crap.

EDIT although shutting down x360 blogs makes sence if they've done with it. Still I was expecting a Black Label of SOJ

[Ed Oscuro]

this thread is something else

[Pretas]

I'm being quite serious when I suggest that Cave should try another snowboarding or skateboarding game, even if it's only a budget downloadable release. Steep Slope Sliders is an overlooked gem of the ST-V/Saturn, and feels close in spirit to Sega's first-party sports and racing offerings. I definitely prefer it to Nintendo's 1080, which is the more popular pick for the best snowboarding game of that generation.

Yanya Caballista even came bundled with a skateboard attachment to put over the Dualshock analog sticks, so you could simulate the movement of the board with your fingers. This was years before EA came out with their Skate series. Yes, the game wasn't so hot, but the idea was great. We haven't seen that sort of innovation from them again since.

[AntiFritz]

Looking at the history of Cave ports, more Cave games than not have been ported during the years, with only 4 (Rade, Feveron, Progear, Kuro) not getting ports, not counting weird shit like the special Akai Katana stuff.

I think it is fair to assume that whatever happens with Cave, if they keep making games, chances are they will be ported.

You missed out donpachi (dodonpachi is technically in instant brain, I suppose). It's a shame Dangun Feveron was never released, as afaik the port was even finished...

[Giest118]

You missed out donpachi (dodonpachi is technically in instant brain, I suppose).

They both got Saturn/Playstation releases.

[AntiFritz]

You missed out donpachi (dodonpachi is technically in instant brain, I suppose).

They both got Saturn/Playstation releases.

Oh yeah, I assumed he meant 360 though (but I guess if he did that would add galuda to the list...).

[ptoing]

I meant across all systems they had ports on. Hence also Ibara not being in the exceptions, just Kuro.
And because we had ports of Cave stuff in every generation since the psx/saturn times, again, fair to assume stuff will be ported in the future too.

[Skykid]

Asada has never had a good idea, a good wardrobe or a good shmup run. You guys are all insane. The only thing that happened is Asada closed his X360 blog after they announced there would be no more X360 games. If they announce they are going Nesica only then they can die. Not until then.

Agreed on Asada. Nesica doesn't equal death if we still get decent ports though.

[shmuppyLove]

My prediction:

Based on the universal appeal and success of the SDOJ opening anime video, Cave embarks on a brave new mission with dododododododo DoDonPachi: The Series.

I feel like writing a synopsis, full of all the usual tropes, but I'm not quite awake yet.

It would basically be a harem anime with Pilot as the male protagonist. Maybe he is forced to take over as head of the DonPachi Corps after his father is murdered or something, I dunno. A high-schooler could probably write this.