Deathsmiles IIX [strats] - Arcade, X360, and Arrange modes

Started by EOJ, May 19, 2010, 01:14:05 AM

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EOJ

ARCADE
Quick scoring summary:
Basically you get your counter up to 1000 and your multiplier up to 10,000 (or as close as possible) by absorbing red and blue rings. Shot gives you red rings that build up your counter, while laser gives you blue rings that build up your multiplier (some characters have it reversed). There's a proximity effect in this similar to the one in Galuda 2 and MFBL. Press A+B to go into fever (like DS), and you can use shot or laser to leech skulls off enemies and you won't have any suicide bullets to deal with. For high scoring, though, you need to use your lock-shot on groups of multiple enemies, often in the background (a la Soukyuugurentai). When they die they release slow homing suicide bullets (a la Galuda 2's zesshikai mode). When you let off lock shot these suicide bullets are converted to skulls. Time a lock shot right as the counter goes back down to 0, when there are lot of suicide bullets on the screen, and you can instantly respawn it back up to 1000 and go right back into fever mode (similar to the recharge technique in Deathsmiles, but much easier). Rinse and repeat. You can do the 'recharge' over and over in some levels (dozens of times), unlike DS where you could only do it once or twice in a level. It gives the game a very fast pace, and smooth rhythm.

There are no bouncing skulls (that break into smaller skulls) to deal with as in DS. You just absorb everything you can. Skulls you miss just fall off the screen.

In regard to leeching skulls off enemies with your shot, some characters can do this more effectively than others. Lei is the best at this, and he plays much differently from the other characters due to this. You can go through some stages with Lei just doing this and score well.

Your multiplier and counter carry over from stage to stage, but they max at 10,000 and 1000, respectively (just like the original DS). If you die you only lose 10% of your multiplier, which is quite nice. Your multiplier does not reset to zero when you exit fever mode, as it does in DS. It stays the same.

There is more to it, and there are some more advanced scoring techniques you can use with each character, but that's the gist of it.


X360
Basic stuff:
-Try and get your multiplier to 10,000 before you go into power-up mode. If you are around 7000+ and get a bunch of suicide bullets on the screen, you can often power up and get to 10K right away as well.
-If you power up and are not near 10k, try and use lock-shot on enemies, they will release light blue crowns which max out your multiplier faster
-Don't hold shot or laser down through an entire level. Get a dozen or so blue homing missiles near you, let off your fire button, wait a second or two until their trailing lines turn red, then cancel them with lock-shot. Rinse and repeat. Holding shot or laser through crowded parts of a level can really hurt you as the homing missiles can easily whip around and knock you from behind. Remember that while in power up mode touching enemies doesn't hurt you.
-When you get down around 200 on the counter in power up mode, try and get as many blue homing missiles on the screen as possible, keep them near you, and cancel them when the counter is around 20. This will allow you to refill back up to about 6000 on the multiplier if you time it right. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower, depending on the character, and different factors in spots of stages.
-In some stages you really need to use lock-shot while in power up mode to take advantage of all the enemies lurking in the background. Once you have a bunch of suicide bullets (sperm-type) tracking you, let go of lock-shot when your circular meter is about to close at the top.
-Boss milking involves holding lock-shot while in power up mode until suicide bullets appear, then let go of lockshot and they turn into red rings. Do this right as your counter is about to expire and you can refill back up to 1000 on the counter. Charge your multiplier by using shot (not laser) while near a boss, and you will do minimal damage to a boss, allowing you to power up when a lot of bullets are on the screen, "power down" with the aforementioned lock-shot>suicide bullets>red rings technique, and repeat a couple times for a nice score boost.
-Try and deliver the final blow to the bosses with the lock-shot. Not just because it lets you fight the TLB, but if you have a lot of suicide bullets on the screen from holding the lockshot, these all convert into skulls at the end, giving a lot of points.

Arrange
-coming soon-
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Lunchbox

Thanks for that EOJ, really apreciate it.
I was wondering how works the cancell system every time i saw a video.  Seems a nice way to recharge, unlike DS.   
No arcades in Spain.

adverse

Life/Bomb Item Appearances (X-mode)
Stage 3rd Chapter 4th Chapter
City   -          Cake (small)
Ruins  Cake (med) Bomb
Mansion -         Cake(small)

Life/Bomb Item Appearance chart (Arrange)(Fixed)
Stage  Item
City   Bomb
Ruins  Cake (medium)
Mansion Bomb

Will put up the conditions for the big cake in a bit.

EOJ

To reach Pigeon Blood Jitterbug in X-Mode or Arrange:

-Beat every stage boss by using the LOCK-SHOT (this needs to be the final attack on the boss)
-Go to the EX stage
-Can't continue
-Must pick up the Large Cake after beating Satan Claws (it pops out when you beat him with the lock-shot)
-The rank level doesn't matter.
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SkylineR32

This one thread helped me so much but I'm still struggling to get anything past 3 mil  :-[

Ast-Kot

In arcade mode, after I've locked (A+B) and destruct the enemies, the best way to cancell the bullets is the release of one button or both buttons?I normally, when the counter descrese to 0, realese on button.
あの痛みが君の事を守ってくれた、その痛みがいつも君を守っているんだ

Kenchan

I'm starting to try using the lockshot button instead, it doesn't force you to turn around or throw your option all over when you release I think?  So you get a bit more control over what you're locked on and where your option is when yer done.  It seemed to work well milking bullets on the Mansion boss

Lunchbox

Ok, have a few questions.
I'm trying to improve my score with Lei in arcade mode, not parched ver.,( 560 mill+1CC, 614 mill. w/o 1CC.. yea, i know...)
As far as i can see, if I can't/don't be able to start the fight with the last boss in fever mode, i'm f%#*ed up, due the lack of power of Lei's shot. His second form its not a problem.
Any advise on that matter? there's a proper way to recharge my counter once the boss it's on screen?
Also, i would appreciate an brief explanation of how to get the items (bombs, cakes...). I'm only sure on how to get the small cake in Stage "d" and not really sure of how to get it on Stage "c". (Sorry if that info is elsewhere).

Thanks in advance!!
No arcades in Spain.

EOJ

For the boss, watch some vids. I start off in power up mode, then do 2-3 quick bombs, then power up again. Carry over the power up to when he changes to his big version, score in power up, recharge your meter by holding rapid shot, score again in power up.

For the extra items, AFAIK they are only in the ruins stage (vertical w/ snakes) and the haunted house stage. Do ruins 3rd for a small life at the end, or 4th for a bomb. Do the haunted house 4th for a small life. Items are triggered by using lock-shot on the last large snake in the ruins, and the second phantom knight (the one that comes in from the left, right before the bookshelves section) in the haunted house stage.
My score archive
twitter: @cavexstg
youtube: @cave-stg
Xbox gamertag: eojx9999

Lunchbox

No arcades in Spain.

EOJ

My score archive
twitter: @cavexstg
youtube: @cave-stg
Xbox gamertag: eojx9999

njiska

Hey look I have a crappy blog -- Njiska v3

DOJ - Pride of wankers and elitists everywhere!

dimmu--borgir

Ok, this game is quite fun when playing for score. Some questions though:

Casper and Arcade mode

1.
QuoteYour multiplier and counter carry over from stage to stage

If I have a multiplier 9000 on stage 1 I only have about 3000 on next stage. Why?

2. I want to maximise my multiplier fast (who doesn't) but it seems that it doesn't matter which shot I use. Laser seems to give me more blue rings than red (which would be quite the opposite using Casper). Any strategy for this? This guy maximise in about a minute on the first level. (Ver. 3.00 though):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU69c1FP0bI

Thanks

EOJ

Quote from: dimmu--borgir on September 15, 2010, 06:31:54 PM
Ok, this game is quite fun when playing for score.

Yes indeed.

Quote

If I have a multiplier 9000 on stage 1 I only have about 3000 on next stage. Why?

Your multiplier is cut in 1/2 after the boss fight (keep in mind it rapidly reduces during a boss fight). So if you end stage 1 with 8000 on the multiplier, you'll start stage 2 with 4000.

Quote
2. I want to maximise my multiplier fast (who doesn't) but it seems that it doesn't matter which shot I use. Laser seems to give me more blue rings than red (which would be quite the opposite using Casper). Any strategy for this? This guy maximise in about a minute on the first level. (Ver. 3.00 though):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU69c1FP0bI

It's pretty hard with anyone but Lei. You have to get up close to enemies, and use shot or laser on them (usually more shot until you get to 1000 on the item counter, then more laser to get blue rings to reach 10K on the multiplier -- opposite with Casper).

You can also do a lock-shot technique if you're under 1000 on the item counter. The enemies you destroy will give lots of blue rings.
My score archive
twitter: @cavexstg
youtube: @cave-stg
Xbox gamertag: eojx9999

dimmu--borgir

Thanks. Still can't make as much blue rings as I want but I'm up to 300mil so I wont complain.

Prolly the first Cave game (except Ketsui which is a must) I go for score and it's intensly fun!

HVL

Exactly how do you get the red trails on those homing blue bullets in X Mode? Is it some proximity effect or time?

Also, red trail = more rings = more score?

lillin

Quote from: HVL on November 17, 2010, 12:14:28 PM
Exactly how do you get the red trails on those homing blue bullets in X Mode? Is it some proximity effect or time?

Also, red trail = more rings = more score?
It's a time effect, but beware as they dissapear after being red for some time.
And yes red=more rings=more score. If you can collect enough red ones to follow you while in power up, you can fill the whole screen with skull rings pretty easily.

HVL

Quote from: lillin on November 17, 2010, 07:04:16 PM
Quote from: HVL on November 17, 2010, 12:14:28 PM
Exactly how do you get the red trails on those homing blue bullets in X Mode? Is it some proximity effect or time?

Also, red trail = more rings = more score?
It's a time effect, but beware as they dissapear after being red for some time.
And yes red=more rings=more score. If you can collect enough red ones to follow you while in power up, you can fill the whole screen with skull rings pretty easily.

Thanks. I think I've figured it out now.

Tain

Just got this game on Saturday thanks to EOJ's review. I'm pretty blown away by it, actually!

Am I right that there are no items in Arcade? And are there details on the character attributes anywhere?

EOJ

Quote from: Tain on December 13, 2010, 09:40:47 AM
Just got this game on Saturday thanks to EOJ's review. I'm pretty blown away by it, actually!


Another person has seen the light!  :righton:

Quote from: Tain on December 13, 2010, 09:40:47 AM
Am I right that there are no items in Arcade?

There are items in Arcade:

http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=905.msg18947#msg18947
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twitter: @cavexstg
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Tain

Oh, thanks! Totally missed that he specified arcade.  :-X

Special World

#21
I'm confused by red suicide bullets. How does one optimally go about getting them? Whenever I try and stop firing in order to get them to appear, it still takes a couple (maybe 5?) seconds for them to turn from blue to red, during which time I haven't killed any enemies and therefore lost those potential points. Is that not how you're supposed to do it, or is the point gain for reddened suicide bullets really so much that it makes up for the escaped enemies? Wouldn't it be better just to keep firing and racking up suicide bullets until some of them happen to turn red on their own?

Perhaps I'm just confused. Fantastic game though, I'm having a blast. The scoring is very elegant and simple, unless it's secretly a bastard.

One more question: The patch doesn't have any downsides, does it?

pestilence


bitkid

Quote from: pestilence on February 26, 2011, 05:07:13 AM
Anybody understand Arrange Mode?

I was wondering the same thing after messing with it a little last night. So much crap on the screen makes arrange mode really trippy to look at but I have no idea what I am doing.

Dandy_Sephy

Is IIX mode limited to a max of 5 lives? I got the 1billion extend and a cake at more or less the same time and I'm pretty sure I was on a no-miss at the time.

Aliquantic

Yes, the cakes work like life refills and don't actually give you extra lives as such.

ssfsx17

In Arrange mode, when going for the absolute highest score possible out of all the characters, is Lei simply the best character?

EOJ

Bump for the new PS4/Switch/Xbox release, in case anyone is interested in the Arcade and IIX scoring.
My score archive
twitter: @cavexstg
youtube: @cave-stg
Xbox gamertag: eojx9999

calle

Here's my discoveries regarding secrets in Arcade (haven't found it described here nor any place else):
Small cake to be found in Field C in second snake and Field D in the second (k)night before the hands.
Should also be a medium and big cake somewhere and also a bomb (book)?