1.0 Introduction
This guide is for Mushihime-sama Futari ver 1.5. I previously wrote a short explanatory guide for ver 1.0, but that version is rather obsolete these days, with ver 1.5 being the only one people play seriously now.
1.1 CHARACTERS
There are two characters, Reco and Palm. In addition there are two types of each to choose from. These are termed ?Normal? and ?Abnormal?. All four character-types play quite differently from one another. In the section below, note that I?ve rated Speed (S), Range (R), and Power (P) for each shot type (A and C) for each character-type, from 1-10 (10 is the best). These are based upon my own estimation after extensive use with each character type.
Reco
___Normal: Her A shot [S:3 R:4 P:8] is similar to S-power from the prequel, while her C shot [S:6 R:10 P:6] is similar to W-power from the prequel. Perhaps the most well-rounded character-type in the game.
___Abnormal: Her A shot [S:10 R:4 P:9] moves faster than her C shot, and is similar to S-power from the prequel. In addition, the child pods attach to whatever enemy is near them when the A button is held down. Her C-shot [S:6 R:9 P:6] is similar to a shot-type seen in Ketsui. Overall the hardest character to handle in the game, though when fully powered her A shot is stronger than anything Normal Reco can muster. She is also faster than the Normal-type. She requires a great deal of skill, but in the right hands she can do serious damage.
Palm
___Normal: His A shot [S:4 R:9 P:7] is a DDP-esque laser, moderately powerful but quite effective. His C-shot [S:8 R:7 P:6] is similar to M-power from the prequel, and is strong and fast with a decent range once powered up.
___Abnormal: His A shot [S:2 R:9 P:10] is the strongest shot in the game, beating out Abnormal Reco?s A shot. It also has a great range. His C shot [S:9 R:3 P:5], while it looks very cool, is actually the weakest in the game. It has the worst range as well.
2.0 CONTROLS
A: Shot
B: Bomb
C: Autofire
Like the first game, tapping C very fast allows your lasers to stop firing, so you can do damage solely with your shot. This works best with Normal Reco. This is useful in many instances in Maniac mode, particularly when needing a quick burst to the red zone of the chaining bar on a boss when there is very little life left before its next phase change (or its complete destruction).
IMPORTANT: Anytime you are not pressing A, you suck in all the gems on the screen within a certain range. Any time you press A you suck in all the gems on the ground.
3.0 MODES
There are three modes in the game: Original, Maniac, and Ultra.
[3.1] ORIGINAL MODE
Original mode is characterized by fast but less dense bullet patterns.
[3.1.1] SCORING
Scoring is based on two multipliers: the overall counter and the stage counter. It is unclear how they are combined together, though it is clear that both influence the scoring.
[3.1.1.1]THE OVERALL COUNTER:
This is the bigger of the two counters in the upper left of the screen. It increases from the start of the game until the end of the game with no reachable maximum. The overall counter changes color from green to blue. It is green when the 100 digit is from 0-4, and it is blue when the 100 digit is from 5-9. Each time you die, your counter decreases by 1/3 (e.g. if you have 900 gems, after 1 death you will have 600). When you bomb this counter also decreases over the duration of the bomb (on average 10-15%??).
[3.1.1.2]THE STAGE COUNTER:
This resets at the start of each stage, and maxes out at 9999. The stage counter appears under the overall counter in the upper left of the screen. Each time you die, your counter decreases by 1/3 (e.g. if you have 900 gems, after 1 death you will have 600). When you bomb this counter also decreases over the duration of the bomb (on average 10-15%??).
[3.1.2] GEMS
In order to get large gold gems, you must kill enemies with the C button when the overall counter is GREEN, and the A button when it is BLUE.
[3.1.2.1]GEM VALUES
Here are the values of the different gold gems (in other words, how much each adds to your counters when you get one):
Gems in the sky:
Large: +2
Small: +1
Large green-aura: +4
Small green-aura: +2
Gems on the ground:
Large: +10
Small: +5
Large green-aura: +20 (<--MOST VALUABLE)
Small green-aura: +10
[3.1.2.2] GREEN-AURA GEMS
These are the secret to scoring in Original mode. The closer you are to enemies when they die, the more GREEN-AURA gems you can absorb. In order to trigger them you must kill the enemy with the appropriate shot, based upon the status of the multiplier (see sections 3.1.1.1 and 3.1.2 for details). These are twice the value of regular gold gems, and they only appear for a second or two once an enemy dies, whereupon they revert back to yellow. So, you must be quick, and close to enemies when they die whenever possible (and either let off the A shot or hold C to absorb all the gems quickly).
[3.1.3] RANK
Bullets gradually increase in speed, in effect increasing the game's rank, as the overall counter increases. When you reach 70,000 on the overall counter, you max out the rank in the game.
[3.2]MANIAC MODE
Maniac mode is characterized by dense bullet patterns at moderate speeds, as well as the most complex scoring of any of the game modes.
[3.2.1] SCORING
Scoring is based on one multiplier, which is termed the overall counter. This counter is only triggered by killing enemies with the A shot when the chaining bar is at zero. Each gem absorbed at this time has a blue-aura, and the value of the multiplier is added to the value of each of these gems, which increases your score once you absorb them.
[3.2.1.1]THE OVERALL COUNTER:
This is the counter in the upper left of the screen. It serves as a multiplier added to the value of the blue gems you obtain. It maxes out at 9999 and is reset to 0 at the start of each level. Gold and green-aura gems increase this counter, while blue-aura gems decrease it. Each time you die, your counter decreases by 1/3 (e.g. if you have 900 gems, after 1 death you will have 600). When you bomb this counter also decreases over the duration of the bomb (on average 10-15%??).
[3.2.2.2]THE CHAINING BAR:
This appears under the overall counter and increases from blue to red. As long as you chain enemies with the C shot, it will increase. In addition, it increases to red as long as you hold your C shot on a large enemy (like a boss). This bar decreases rapidly to zero as you hold the A shot. Kill an enemy with the A shot when the chaining bar is red and you?ll get double the gems. Kill an enemy with the A shot when this bar is empty and you?ll spawn blue-aura gems (see below). Basically, the scoring system and gameplay flow are based upon using the C shot when the chaining bar is between zero and MAX, and using A when it is at either zero or MAX.
[3.2.3]GEMS
Whenever you kill an enemy, all the bullets on the screen from that enemy are changed into gems, and in addition some gems are spawned from the enemy itself. In order to get large gold gems, you must kill enemies with the C button when the chaining bar is red (any time the chaining bar isn't red you will get small gems). Kill them with the A shot when the bar is red and you get double (or more??) the large gems, which can quite literally fill the entire screen with gems!
[3.2.3.1]GEM VALUES:
Point values:
Small gem: 5pts
Large gem: 10pts
Small blue-aura gem: 5 x multiplier
Large blue-aura gem: 10 x multiplier
Values added or subtracted from the Overall Counter (i.e your multiplier):
Small gem: +2
Large gem: +5
Small gem (on ground): +10
Large gem (on ground): +20
Small Blue-aura gem: -15
Large Blue-aura gem: -30
[3.2.3.2]GREEN-AURA GEMS
To trigger these in Maniac mode, you need to kill enemies when the chaining counter is red and not be holding the A shot when you absorb them. These are worth double the normal gems (large and small), so it?s well worth it to learn how to trigger these if you want to score well. They only glow green for a second or two before they revert back to yellow, so you must be quick and suck them in by letting off the A button. The best way to get a ton of gems quickly is to wait for an enemy to fill the screen with bullets, then kill it with the A shot when the chaining bar is red, then quickly switch to the C shot (or just don?t hold any button down) to have the nearby gems turn green as you absorb them.
[3.2.3.3]BLUE-AURA GEMS
To trigger these you must destroy an enemy with the A shot when the chaining bar is empty (no color showing). Every blue-aura gem is worth the value of the overall counter x5 for small gems and x10 for large gems at the time it is absorbed. Once absorbed, they are subtracted from the overall counter. Since the max multiplier is 9999, the max point value you can get from a single large blue-aura gem is 99,990pts.
[3.3] ULTRA MODE
Ultra mode's scoring is the same as Original mode with the following changes:
-Counter changes from green to blue every 2000
-Stage counter does not max at 9999, but rather continues indefinitely
-Bullets never change speed as your overall counter increases
-----------------------------------------------------------
*There is no rank in Maniac or Ultra mode*
how do you get fully powered up in Ultra mode without collecting the MP when you're credit-feeding through it? (ala SWY on the official dvd)
You don't lose power when you die, so he's avoiding the MP item so he's not overpowered for the strats he's practicing.
If that's what you're asking about.
when you lose your last life, then continue with another credit, you're still full-power? are you sure?
When you continue you start at the last power level you had when you died, but if you collect the bouncing MP thing then you get jacked up to full power. So, to practice at a normal power level, you have to let the MP thing bounce around for a bit and then disappear.
why does iso delay killing the first boss? (on the official dvd - original mode)
In order to get the counter to where he can start Stage 2 with the C shot - gives him some more gold starting the level with a C shot sweep than an A shot sweep.
ah, cheers :oops:
Damn! I was trying to figure that out! Great find EOJ!
QuoteIn order to get the counter to where he can start Stage 2 with the C shot - gives him some more gold starting the level with a C shot sweep than an A shot sweep.
So what's the system for Ultra? The only time I notice that I get the big gems is if I point blank an enemy. Seems like it's just based purely on survival and keeping the counter up (ie. no bombing)?
For Ultra, you just have to change C shot & A shot every 2000 on the overall counter in order to get big gems. So start with the C shot until you reach 2000, then use A from 2000-3999, and then C from 4000-5999, and so on. It's just like Original mode in most other respects, except the stage counter does not max out at 9999 - it continues indefinitely like the overall counter.
Ah cheers for the quick explanation. Doesn't really matter though as I'm lucky to make it to the stage 1 mid-boss. :lol:
ah I'm glad I looked at your guide EOJ, Thanks :righton: there I was thinking that the system was kinda like progear or something, I completely missed the bar under the main multiplier (maniac), I'll have to put another hour into Futari before bed to try that out I think, definately fast becoming my favorite cave game :)
I'd be very interested to know how scoring works in ultra if you're still interested in writing about it !
Ultra is pretty simple. It's just like Original mode except you change shots every 2000 on the counter, and the stage counter does not max out at 9999.
oh okay
I guess I'm a little disappointed then, I liked the scoring in Maniac much more than in Original. Maybe I'm wrong and it's just as much fun.
Ultra is pretty thrilling due to the large overall counters you can accumulate (100,000+), lots of gold to absorb, and lots of bullets.
Black label question but...
What is the secret to dodging the 2nd boss' first form? ???
I've 1CC'ed the game and have no particular trouble anywhere else but here.
Sometimes I'll move left to try to get the L-shaped danmaku to follow me, then zip around its right side to try to dodge through the bullet rain, but often that does not work and I'm forced to bomb. This form is much easier on 1.5.
Also, I've tried to duplicate SIN's scoring technique for the two giant balls the 2nd boss spits out but I always wind up fucking it up because the boss does that pattern with lots of round bullets that you have to laser dodge through and then immediately spits out the balls. I don't have time to jack the meter up to red with shot. Does this mean that during that tight pattern you have to be hitting him with shot and then laser him when he spits out the balls?
There's a black label strat thread, you know:
http://www.cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=61.0
As for your first question, I just try to stay centered on the st2 boss and stay close to him. This usually kills him before the bullet spreads get too nasty.
It's probably the sloppiest pattern in the game though, and one of a variety of reasons why I prefer ver 1.5's Maniac mode.
I love the X360 port's practice mode. Right now I'm working on Stage 3 and the first half of Stage 4 and Stage 5 (all Maniac Mode).
I can now consistently get 5200+ after the first lantern at the start of stage 3, my best is 6032 which is better than the superplay DVD. I've finally gotten the timing down just right. This gives me about 30mil when I score on the first hive.
My best before the Stage 3 boss is about 120mil, which is 40+mil shy of TAC's score at the same spot. I'm on par with him until after the midboss, but his strats in the second half of the stage are really hard to replicate. The hardest part is scoring well on the first hive after the midboss. Try as I might I still can't trigger the kamikakushi (this is the term when the on screen display flickers, indicating you've triggered a huge number of the multiplier) on it, as TAC does.
More progress to come! Feel free to discuss strats, ask questions, etc here. I'm actively playing the game so I'd be happy to help if I can.
Ok after some observation on arrange this is what i saw regarding "Fever Mode"
A. Once both OS and DS counters are maxed (9999) you can stay there indefinitely until you use laser and enter "Fever Mode". While maxed out you can collect large gems prior to entering "Fever Mode"
B. In "Fever Mode" you will be able to collect large gems and reflect enemy bullets for large gems until the counters revert back to zero.
B. If you get hit only your OS counter will drop slightly. If you option gets hit only you DS will drop as well.
C. OS and DS will not count backwards after being maxed out while waiting for the boss
BTW i used training mode with counters maxed to test on 1st level and boss
Also need to see if both OS and DS counters carry over
Sorry, you weren't in fever, you're describing what happens in regular (non-fever) mode. Fever mode by definition has your counters counting down. Just like in Deathsmiles. You aren't in fever until you press laser when both counters are at 9999!
Ok, my bad. I will update that above soon when i know exactly whats going on. Are you invincible when in fever mode?
Large gems are available when counters are maxed and indefinite prior to fever. I assume fever gives you a small window to score by gathering large gems and the ability to reflect for more gems, is that correct? Thanks for the help
You're not invincible in fever. It makes all gems reflected large instead of small, and I think you can just plow through the stages (at least in Original mode) with laser and it increases your overall counter while still scoring. Haven't played this mode much, though.
If you place your secondary character on top of your attacking character and hold laser, you're pretty much invincible unless you run into an enemy or they shoot an unreflectable bullet at you. The stage 1 boss' fireballs, stage 3 and 4 boss's big purple balls, and the balls the TLB shoots out can all still hit you.
There also seems to be a few arbitrary normal bullets that make it through on the stage 2 boss, in that pattern right after it throws those destructible "rings" out. They turn blue but don't reflect; it's probably just a glitch and there's so few that it's pretty hard to get hit by them.
Once you realize that your defense counter almost stops dropping once you hit 9999, and that manually bombing gives big gems to help you get it up, Ultra becomes much easier.
Updated the above post. I guess its safe to say getting back to fever mode is top priority for good scoring. I wonder how well you could score with your OS and DS counters maxed and using slow only while collecting large gems throughout a level.
The majority of large gems come from reflecting (which you can't do if you're riding 9999), and at least in ultra mode you'd get stomped pretty quickly.
It actually might be fun to see far I could get in a no-reflect ultra game. Waste your DS right away and never build it back up.
Most likely a stupidly obvious question regarding Maniac scoring, but I can't quite seem to get it right. My understanding is this: build up the counter with C shot, cash in on the high counter with A shot when the screen is full of bullets. A shot should preferably be used when the hit bar is either red (not sure how to do this as it drops as soon as you quit using C shot) or empty for some reason.
Is this summary correct, or did I miss something important?
Quote from: gsl on December 05, 2009, 12:46:31 PMA shot should preferably be used when the hit bar is either red (not sure how to do this as it drops as soon as you quit using C shot).
When using A when the bar is red, don't let off C before you hold A, and make sure whatever you want to use A on is weak enough to die fairly before it goes green again. There's generally only enough time to kill one or two enemies before you need to start using C again.
Yeah, that's right. On some enemies, the bar stays in the red for quite some time while you're holding A [laser] (like the hives in stage 3), like 2-3 seconds. Use this to your advantage. ;)
That's why i think 1.5 require more skill than Black Label.
Going on two years since I last touched it, but yeah, I thought the scoring on Black Label Maniac wasn't so complex, or at least so strict. What I remember most is that helpful chime in Original telling you to switch shots. Had a few unfortunate deaths glancing at the counter for the split second...
I think 1.5 Maniac requires more skill too. The problem with scoring in BL Maniac is the points come too easily, and too much of your score is simply from the clear game end bonus and no missing the game. The 1.5 bil WR in BL Maniac is simply not as impressive to me as TAC's 1.04bil WR in 1.5 Maniac.
Went back to novice original for score, almost hit 300mil today topping my previous efforts. I take back what i said about maniac scoring (it's hard).
EOJ, you stated that tapping A is not the same as holding C shot. Can you explain why? I'm using my SF4 Tournament Edition stick modded with a Seimitsu LS-32 and stock Sanwa's. The Sanwa's are ultra responsive and it seems tapping mimics the C held down. When scoring in original i like this method because when you hold C and press A when the counter changes and vice versa it seems i don't lose as many large gems that would be small if hit with the incorrect (usually rapid) shot. Tapping A then holding it doesn't alow to many misc. rapid shots between the changes. Anyway how do you play?
EOJ what is your current setup playing this? I thought i heard something to the effect of 13inch CRT!!. What method of input to (stick i would assume)
I'm a bit confused after seeing the top Original replay.
Do you generate more gems by point blanking enemies, or does killing small enemies with your laser produce small gems regardless of what type you're using and therefore you should keep tapping autofire to avoid killing enemies with your options?
Seriously, how does he pull off getting the first extend before the Stage 2 midboss?
Quote from: Megalixir on December 11, 2009, 01:39:06 AM
Do you generate more gems by point blanking enemies,
Yes, more green gems that is. Scoring in Original mode is all about getting green gems (worth double normal gems). You can only do that if you're close to the enemy when they die.
Quote from: Megalixir on December 11, 2009, 01:39:06 AM
or does killing small enemies with your laser produce small gems regardless of what type you're using and therefore you should keep tapping autofire to avoid killing enemies with your options?
No. Whenever possible you should always try and kill the enemy with the proper shot (laser (A) when the counter is blue, shot (C) when the counter is green) to get large gems. You should only use the tap C method when the counter is green and a swarm of enemies is rushing you.
There's one exception - on the stage 4 midboss, you always have to destroy the large five-legged shell thing it shoots out during its last phase with shot (C) and never laser, in order to get large gems. Not sure why, might be a programming quirk in the game (it's the same in the PCB).
While I can't get the extend before the Stage 2 midboss, I can now get it right after. So I'm getting close.
Also,
post this stuff in the STRATEGY THREAD from now on please. Thanks. I've merged your post to the strategy thread topic, but I don't want to keep doing that.
@Megalixir: for reach a good score and get the extend before the mid you have to finish the 1? stage with 6.5xx items and remenber that when you destruct the big "Stalagmite" falling on the ground when the eplosion fade out you have to push for a second the button A for get the item that the explosion of stalagmite drop on the floor ;) If you finish the first level with a counter of 6555 you shoul arrive at first ice stalagmite with a green 10.000 counter; at this point you have do kill the jellyfish till your counter reach 10.355-10.430 that you have to destruct the stalagmite and then after grabbed all the item that comes out from the explosion you have to get the floor item... :)
The second stage is the most difficult stage of the game cause the tattics for destruct in the best way the stalagmite is very hard ;) I get the extend before the mid since my japanese friend explain to me the right way of doing the stage
Thanks for the tips guys. I would look into this more but didn't realize Black Label was coming out so soon. Does the point blanking system also apply to BL Original, or is it different?
Point blanking is 10x more important in BL Original. :laugh: To the point where it breaks the game for me, in regard to scoring. You have to constantly rush everything and push your character sprite into the gems, as they flash red for a split second and you have to grab them just when they flash red in order to maximize your score. Really not fun IMO. Fun (albeit ridiculously easy) game to 1CC, not a fun game to score attack (top scores are 3.6~3.7bil, remember, so I'd say you'd need at least 1bil to be a "decent" score, something no Westerner has done yet).
After 1CCing Original I have 2 questions:
How is the end bonus calculated in Original 1.5?
I noticed the third boss only leaves gems on the floor if you kill him with C-Shot regardless if your counter is green or blue.
So what's better when your counter is blue: Defeating the boss with Laser and getting gems for his shots or defeating the boss with Shot to get the gems on the ground?
I defeat the 3rd stage boss with laser if my counter is blue and with shot when the ounter is green ;) I don't mind if I left the gem..they did not give to you so much point....Instead, you have to kill the 4? stage mid boss always with the shot to turn everithing in big-green gems :righton:
Sorry to ask such a noob question, but where are the hitbox's for the characters? I always thought it was there head just above the green circle aura. Thanks
One more thing, im using a LS-32-0-1 with a circle gate (used for SFIV as i prefer it) Would switching back to a square gate be better for playing Futari?
QuoteSorry to ask such a noob question, but where are the hitbox's for the characters?
There's a great pic ( of the DVD booklet) in this tread of shmups who shows the exactly location of the hitboxes (both original & Manic/Ultra)
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29164&sid=63140ff98ce3177a28ea0f0eb3861ea1&start=510
Ok, i have a question about rank system (1.5). I understand rises with the overall counter but any of you knows the frequency?. I mean, it's some kind of analogical system or raises every, for example , 5000?
I know it's a dumb question but maybe it would save me for a little ingame paranoia... :whyioughtta:
The rank rises with the overall counter increase till 70,000 that I think is tha max rank as ISO said in a interview (maybe on dvd booklet), no-miss and no-bomb. I think that the rank rises stage by stage with the counter increase but I don't know the frequency..Maybe the dvd booklet explain it :righton:
It's a shame that neither I have the booklet nor understands Japanese ...
Thanks Lunchbox, i saw the pic over at Shmups after someone replied to the same question i asked above.
I'm not sure if this has been answered above so I will just ask anyway as I am not quite sure.
We talk about a and c shot but I get confused so I will say Shot and laser.
Both can be produced with the same button of course. Holding it down for laser and tapping it for shot.
Does this make any difference (and if so how so) to using the separate buttons? What I would call rapid and laser.
I know rapid fire made a big difference with Mushihimesama with cabs getting custom turbo mods but I am unsure what I should be doing in the newer (for me) cave games like Death Smiles and Futari.
Thanks guys.
Yes, you can tap A for shot. No one with a good score does that, though (at least not regularly). Everyone I've seen play (including myself) holds C for shot and presses A for laser when needed. Many times in stages and on bosses it's beneficial to TAP C (shot), as this stops your lasers firing (reducing the damage you deal) but still increases your chaining bar in Maniac mode. That's why I wish they gave an option for a rapid C shot in the button config. Pretty big omission in this port, if you ask me.
When I play Original mode, I press A for laser when needed, and C for shot when needed, but whenever possible I don't hold C while I press A as this can reduce the number of gems you get. In other words, I hold A, let it off, absorb gems, and repress A.
Quote from: EOJ on December 20, 2009, 08:08:45 PM
Yes, you can tap A for shot. No one with a good score does that, though (at least not regularly). Everyone I've seen play (including myself) holds C for shot and presses A for laser when needed. Many times in stages and on bosses it's beneficial to TAP C (shot), as this stops your lasers firing (reducing the damage you deal) but still increases your chaining bar in Maniac mode. That's why I wish they gave an option for a rapid C shot in the button config. Pretty big omission in this port, if you ask me.
When I play Original mode, I press A for laser when needed, and C for shot when needed, but whenever possible I don't hold C while I press A as this can reduce the number of gems you get. In other words, I hold A, let it off, absorb gems, and repress A.
Holding C (autofire) is not the same as tapping A? I'm still confused by this
Of course holding C is the same as tapping A. I say that in the first sentence of the post you quoted.
What do you mean tapping C (autofire) to stop your lasers from firing?
It lets you do autofire (shot, C, whatever you want to call it) without the lasers firing over the underlying shot. Just like in Mushi 1.
Just start a game with Reco, get powered up then tap C, hold C, and hold A, and you'll see the difference between the three.
You're probably confused by my use of 'laser' in regard to the C shot. I'm talking about the thin blue lasers that Normal Reco fires out during the C shot. The A laser is a different story altogether.
For all character types, tapping C does less damage than holding C or holding A (or tapping A!).
Thanks EOJ, that third variation is what i did not understand.
Thanks for the info EOJ. So I am guessing there is a difference in frequency from tapping A to holding C? Though in mushi futari at least it looks the same.
I've spent some credit on maniac mode just for fun and write my strategic guide wip on arcade-exteme...I've a question about the maniac rank system for EOJ and other guys that have played maniac mode in this period: exactly, how rank system works with a no-miss stage by stage?it's involva an improvment on the bullets or in the enemies moviment?Reading the EOJ's review seems that there is not a particolar rank system but in the game option you can select customize it ;)
Yeah, there's no rank in Maniac. Bullet patterns, speed, and hit points are always 100% the same whether you get to a stage or boss on a no miss or lots of deaths or lots of continues. Don't know why there's an option in there for Maniac, I don't think it makes any difference in Maniac (unless it changes the difficulty like how the PCB had settings ranging from easy to very hard).
Been playing some Maniac and I was just wondering.... What are the highest scoring "cash-in" points of the game (9999 and lots of bullets on screen) and roughly how many points do each of them yield?
Stage 2 boss - second phase rotating balls (~50+mil), final phase (~50+mil)
Stage 3 hives - 40~50mil each
Stage 4 boss - second phase on the large balls (~60+mil, biggest scoring spot in the game if you time it right).
Wow, fast response. Thanks!
EDIT:
Quote from: EOJ on December 29, 2009, 10:57:49 PM
Stage 2 boss - second phase rotating balls (~50+mil), final phase (~50+mil)
Damn, sounds like you have to cash-in on the balls and then go through the 2nd phase 1 or 2 more times in order to milk enough gems to cash in for the last phase... so risky but totally sounds worth it.
Most of the scoring spots throughout the game give you 10-30mil. For example, all the spots in Stage 2, Stage 4, and Stage 5.
You can also get 40~50mil on the Stage 4 midboss. I forgot that one.
BTW every time you cash in on one of the big scoring spots (40~60mil), you will get the "kamikakusi", which is where the on screen display disappears and flickers for a second or two. If you don't get this, you didn't cancel enough bullets.
Quote from: Schrodingers cat on December 29, 2009, 11:00:46 PM
EDIT: Quote from: EOJ on December 29, 2009, 10:57:49 PM
Stage 2 boss - second phase rotating balls (~50+mil), final phase (~50+mil)
Damn, sounds like you have to cash-in on the balls and then go through the 2nd phase 1 or 2 more times in order to milk enough gems to cash in for the last phase... so risky but totally sounds worth it.
Yes, the stage 2 boss takes some practice, but becomes routine after awhile. You can get over 100mil on that boss alone, so it's a must to learn how to milk it if you want a good score.
Basically in phase 2 you fill up on gems in the first set of balls to max your multiplier, cash in the x9XXX multiplier on the second set, then fill up on gems on the third and final set (it fills you back up to 9999). You have to time the destruction of the second phase to coincide with the destruction of the third set of balls, otherwise it won't work. Then you have to use this multiplier on the SECOND loop through all of the last phases' bullet patterns. I usually bomb at the end of the first wave (or 'bullet loop'), but pros can manage to navigate through it without a bomb. Still, one bomb and scoring on the second loop with a x8XXX multiplier gives more points than scoring at the end of the first loop with a x9999 multiplier, so it's worth it.
I only really play Manic BL but as lots of people have scores for Original 1.5 I thought I would give it a go. The constant shot switching is driving me slightly mental. I'm glad they increased the gap in BL.
How do you guys manage? Do you glance up at the multi or watch for the gems to change.
I have trouble with the glancing way as I have week irises (its true) And it takes me a while to focus after switching my view from one spot to another. About a second and a half. So every time I glance up and back I loose about 3 seconds of focus where everything looks a bit blurry.
I know it holds me back a lot in shooters :(
After while you can basically switch without having to look, once you memorize a pattern for each stage. When I need to look, I usually look at the counter that flashes and fades near your character. Try looking at that instead of the one in the upper left.
I have been trying that too. I think its going to be the best option. The colours are even far to similar for me.
Thanks mate I will persevere and see how it goes :)
It's only me or stage 3 is harder than stage 4, in original mode?
I think yes (for first time on a stg), and not only the stages but also the bosses.
...still can't defeat stage 5 boss...
So I'm getting back into 1.5 Original, and am starting to get through the bullshit in the last quarter of stage 3 so I can face the boss more consistently. The boss is a real prick, though, especially the pattern on his last life bar. Are there any sweet tricks to keep in mind, or should I just spam Training mode a lot on 1 life until it gets easier?
No real tricks there. Just need good dodging skills. :righton: A lot of people just bomb there (I do it often as well).
If you use Normal Palm you can hold his shot, which causes some helpful slowdown to help you navigate.
Quote from: EOJ on December 30, 2009, 12:44:51 AM
Quote from: Schrodingers cat on December 29, 2009, 11:00:46 PM
EDIT: Quote from: EOJ on December 29, 2009, 10:57:49 PM
Stage 2 boss - second phase rotating balls (~50+mil), final phase (~50+mil)
Damn, sounds like you have to cash-in on the balls and then go through the 2nd phase 1 or 2 more times in order to milk enough gems to cash in for the last phase... so risky but totally sounds worth it.
Yes, the stage 2 boss takes some practice, but becomes routine after awhile. You can get over 100mil on that boss alone, so it's a must to learn how to milk it if you want a good score.
Basically in phase 2 you fill up on gems in the first set of balls to max your multiplier, cash in the x9XXX multiplier on the second set, then fill up on gems on the third and final set (it fills you back up to 9999). You have to time the destruction of the second phase to coincide with the destruction of the third set of balls, otherwise it won't work. Then you have to use this multiplier on the SECOND loop through all of the last phases' bullet patterns. I usually bomb at the end of the first wave (or 'bullet loop'), but pros can manage to navigate through it without a bomb. Still, one bomb and scoring on the second loop with a x8XXX multiplier gives more points than scoring at the end of the first loop with a x9999 multiplier, so it's worth it.
Ah, very good info here! This is actually (mostly) what I came to ask about. I was actually hoping you had some idea of how to dodge the S2boss's 3rd form whirly pattern, but I suppose I'll be bombing it, too :P
I'd also guess that, since the hitbox is longer than it is wide, it would be a better idea to dodge the 2nd form's balls' shots vertically as opposed to horizontally? I haven't tested this much, though.
About the stage 4 boss: As soon as I learned how to NMNB (or NM1B? don't remember) the stage 4 boss (Maniac), I quit playing, so my memory is hazy, but do you have any tips for timing the huge-scoring pattern? I was never able to get it properly, though I may just have needed more practice.
For the falling balls that shoot out more falling balls, I had some kind of loopy little pattern where I'd dodge near the bottom-right corner, but is there a widely-used, consistently safe pattern for that? That pattern sucks.
Been working on 1.5 Maniac for a few days now and I just can't seem to get down the Stage 2 Boss milking. I can easily get up to where he makes the 2nd set of orbs but then I'm having problems. I see in replays the first orb is supposed to go down fast and you only have to dodge one ring of those shots it makes. Sometimes that's what happens with me but more often the orb just won't go down I get hopelessly overwhelmed. Is there some trick or is it just random?
Edit: Figured out a more consistent method. You just gotta point blank it as soon as it appears and move left and it'll die before you even have to dodge the bullets. Still no clue how those guys in the replays do it from the bottom but whatever
I have a question for you guys regarding "cashing in" on maniac. Now that I finally understand how the scoring works, what constitutes when one should cash in? I would think, as soon as you get 9999, you should cash in at small spots and rebuild over and over so you can continuously get a lot of points, then drain it at the boss....but it sounds like it's more complicated than that. Also, (this is probably related to question 1), but I'm wondering, how does one create large blue-aura gems? Since by definition your chaining bar is empty when creating blue aura gems, what makes them big versus small? Is it the size of the enemy killed?
You should just watch a replay but yeah you generally want to jack up your count to x9999 then cash it in on a big bullet cancel. As for the big blue gem thing it really just does depend on the enemy and there isn't anything you can do to make them all always big.
Yeah, but what's counterintuitive, it seems you wouldn't want too big a cancel at x9999....it seems you'd only want little cancels most of the time so you could keep getting big bonuses. The exception would be the end of the level...