Interview with HFD, DDP DOJ Black Label Superplay DVD player

Started by adverse, April 03, 2009, 08:38:26 AM

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adverse

(GP, please post to gamengai when you can)

Interview with HFD, Dodonpachi Daioujou Black Label INH Superplay DVD Player

National Top Score (As of November 2007)
Type-A
Score: 3,511,462,970
Submission Date: December 2006

Type-B
Score: 3,097,782,550
Submission Date: February 2005


TKS:  Alright, please tell us about where your name comes from.
HFD:  I suppose I first used my scoring name around 2003 at a Game Center in Yokohama called ?Seven Island.?  At the time I wasn't even aiming to be #1 in the country or anything I was just putting in high score applications for the competition at that Game Center.  At the time, one of my favorite bands was an American band named Halford.  So that's why I went with HFD.

TKS:  Next, tell us which games prompted you to start going for high scores.
HFD:  It was ?Lost World.?   This was the first game on Capcom's CP system in 1988.  It was...a shooting game which at the time spat an unbelievable amount of bullets at you.  It was innovative in that you just had to hold down the button to get auto-fire and there was a rolling switch which allowed you to shoot in every direction.  At the time I was a 6th grader, but I played it hardcore at a game center at Tsuruma station in Kanagawa called ?Orange House?, getting up to 8,500,000 points.

TKS:  Wow!  That's a little too high for an elementary school kid isn't it? (laughs)
HFD:  I played to the point where I had to consider whether to go for #1 in the country or not.  But of course the other players were really good...actually the way I did it was buying 600 yen arcade memberships.  Because otherwise it gets pretty expensive.

TKS:  You were a pretty hardcore and amazing elementary school kid it seems.  Ok, so what was the first 'danmaku shooting' game that you played?
HFD:  The first one I played was ?R-Type? on the PC-Engine.  I managed to get the 2-ALL on that.   Had to really work hard with a pad but...After that I played IREM's ?Image Fight?, which led to playing at the game center, and getting to the 5th level of the second loop.

TKS:  Wow, you managed that on a pretty tough game...
HFD:  I heard somewhere that Image Fight is ranked as the most difficult shooting game of all, and after stage 4 it just turns into hell.  But still I liked it...  I was also playing other games at the time and somehow my interests became focused on shooting games in general.

TKS:  Well it seems like you're a shooter from the roots up doesn't it?
HFD:  No, I just play them because I like them...

TKS:  Did you not play any fighting games?
HFD:  I couldn't do those games.  Going back to shooters, I continued playing those, going from ?1941? to ?Area 88? to ?US Navy?.  Capcom made their games easy to clear, and I really liked them.

[Getting into the Dodonpachi Daioujou Games]

TKS:  I see...so how did you start getting into the Dodonpachi Daioujou games?
HFD:  Dodonpachi Daioujou (white version) went into operation in 2002, and the announcement for it at the time was that ?this was the end of shooting games.?  Well, I don't know if that was the promotional slogan CAVE was putting out at the time or not but it was posted up at the game center I frequented at the time.  They wrote something like: ?Goodbye to traditional shooters.?  So I said ?well this is the end, so I'll give it a try? and started getting used to it.

TKS:  I see.
HFD:  At first I was playing it at my local game center, but at some point there was a 'score trial' sponsored at that location, and by choosing B type with the shot boost and holding on to the maximum bonus, I was able to get around 50 million in one loop, and that was enough to get #1 at the shop (laughs).  But that was my first experience with high scores, and here we are today...

TKS:  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be happy about that...
HFD:  After that, I found the white version to be pretty hard and so I didn't really play it much.  In October of the same year ?Black Label? came out, and a nearby game center in Yamato-shi got it in, so I had a lot of fun playing that.

[What led you to start playing Black Label intensively?]

TKS:  How did you feel when you first cleared it?
HFD:  At first my objective was just to clear this game and forget about it.  I thought that if I can beat it once I'll just be done with it but after it clearing it once I was really impressed by the game and eventually...(laughs)

TKS:  When you finally got to ?Hibachi?, the last boss, were you able to beat him in a couple of tries?
HFD:  Ahh....Hibachi was pretty tough.  But you know the white version of the superplay DVD was out at the time, and it was good that I was able to use that while I played black label.  Still though I had to fight him maybe 20 or 30 times.

TKS:  I think that's pretty fast compared to others.
HFD:  I wonder...but anyways it was that feeling of 'I finally cleared it'.  I was moved!

TKS:  So what led you to start working on a high score for Black Label?
HFD:  It was definitely the fact that the white label DVD had come out.  I was using that as a reference for basic patterns through Black Label.  I first learned that you could connect the combo through stage 4 via that DVD.  That was when I discovered how fun it is to connect up combos in this game.

TKS:  The impact of that DVD was that large huh?
HFD:  Actually way before that, I had gone all the way to Ogikubo to a game store that sold game stuff early to pick up the Dodonpachi superplay video.  That video really stunned me...
I just kept thinking about how awesome it would be if I could play like that.

[Lastly, for the players who bought the DVD]

Nakano:  So does that relate to why you're an A-type player?
HFD:  No, actually I originally used B-type.  But while playing I gave type A a try and found it to be surprisingly strong.  That's why I 'transferred' to A-type if you will.

TKS: Alright, so can you say something to people who will play Dodonpachi Daioujou (white version included) in the future, or those already playing it?
HFD: Don't throw away games if you're losing.

TKS: Yeah that's pretty essential isn't it?
HFD: Especially with Daioujou, I think that the best way to go about playing the game is to avoid throwing away games and get a sense of the overall flow of the game.

Nakano:  I see...lately a lot of players will do that won't they?  ?Good players throw away their games when they've screwed up, so I'll just copy that.?  Personally I think that's no good.
HFD & TKS:  Yeah exactly.  But I don't want to hear that from you!! (laughs)

Nakano: Well it's unfortunate that we've just gotten warmed up, but do you have any messages for players out there?
HFD:  Hmm, yeah there is plenty of room for improvement in the score on this DVD, so I eagerly invite people to make this score obsolete.

TKS:  In other words, there's still a possibility of improvement.
HFD:  Yes, there still is!

TKS:  Got it.  Alright, thank you very much for today! (END)

Player Roundtable

[Dodonpachi Daioujou arrives in arcades ? 2002]

Nakano: ...You were playing Daioujou in Yamato city right?
HFD:  That's right.
Nakano:  You were also coming to Machida quite a bit yeah?
HFD:  I think I was going there quite a bit yes.
Nakano:  At Cosmo right?  Cosmo was a place I went to quite a lot myself, and I really found it to my liking...and that was where I played ?white version? with my friends.  I was A type and he was B type.
HFD: The person playing B type was awesome wasn't he?  He was the first person I saw connect everything on stage 5.  I was shocked.
Nakano:  It was pretty much right when the game came out, but from that point on he was making awesome patterns and managed to create one which connected everything on stage 4.  He was really doing some research.
HFD:  There were a lot of amazing players at Machida back then...

[What we get from games]

HFD: But after Daioujou, were there any shooting games at Machida?
Nakano: Ketsui came in quick, sort of as a replacement for Daioujou.
HFD:  Ketsui was at Cosmo.
Nakano:  Yeah, and again I chose A type and my friend chose B.  It's like this meaningless tradition we have after Daioujou.  Now, the reason we played together was that we weren't particularly going for a high score, we were just playing to chat really.  Talking about this and that while you're playing is pretty fun.  We'd trade off and talk about stupid stuff and it became this place to hang out.  Non-scorer players probably understand that...but actually I'm not always playing for high score myself (laughs).
HFD:  Yeah.
Nakano: But at some point you realize it's not that fun when you're putting money in just to chat... in that sense Daioujou and Ketsui were optimal for us because we weren't trying to make patterns at all.  But you get better at the game even if you're sitting there talking to each other and eventually we were both able to get to the last stage of the second loop of both Daioujou and Ketsui.
HFD: Right.
Nakano: If only I knew that HFD was coming to the same place, I would have liked to meet you earlier...
HFD:  I think I probably saw you and your friend once or twice.  Via ?Daioujou?.

[B-Type was actually pretty hard]

HFD: But it's most important to be playing and having fun isn't it.
Nakano: Definitely.
HFD: It's hardest when it starts to stress you out, seriously.  Recording the B-type run was like that.  I thought to myself 'Why the hell am I doing this?'
Nakano: Oh, so B-type was pretty tough then?!
HFD:  It's definitely tough...I really got to my wit's end (laughs).  Connect everything up on 2-4 and 2-5 with that ship they say!  Right!
TKS:  And then at the end Hibachi shows up...(laughs).
Nakano: Yeah, jeez.  Great job on the run HFD.
TKS:  But Daioujou really is a great game.
HFD:  It's truly fun to me.  For me it will always be a classic.
Nakano: Among all of CAVE's games I think it is extremely well balanced.
TKS: I think it's a game where players can really learn how fun it is to build patterns.

(End)

Translation: adversity

jpj

haven't even read it yet.  saw the thread title and immediately had to post a bunch of  :righton:  :cool: =D :lol: and one of these  :-*

adverse

Nah it was an honor.  I've still never seen a more hard core playthrough of a game anywhere (well maybe the two handed Ikaruga thing but yeah...).  And his score will probably never be beaten.

I suppose we have Rob Halford to thank for such greatness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRJIBvJisyQ

jpj

whoa, pm notification as well  :o

i'm gonna cook some food and sit down and read this shortly.  thanks dude  :righton: great work

RAR

That was a very interesting interview. Thanks for translating it, adverse. :)

drboom


GaijinPunch

If you don't have the DVD/Booklet, you should pick it up.  They show a picture of his room.  The replay was made on a super gun at home.  He's got some weird get up where the monitor is elevated, and he plays on an arcade stool.  Has an ashtray half-full of butts if I remember correctly.

I'll get this over to gamengai soon.  Cheers for the work.
I got one coming up, but my fearless editor (what can I say, I suck) is a bit busy, so it'll have to wait.

Shalashaska


Plasmo

Great translation! Thanks a lot!

The best bits:

QuoteI first learned that you could connect the combo through stage 4 via that DVD.  That was when I discovered how fun it is to connect up combos in this game.

The most frustrating bit in the whole game was fun for him??!

QuoteNakano: Among all of CAVE's games I think it is extremely well balanced.

lol!


freddiebamboo


RAR


EOJ

@adverse: thanks for the translation!

@jpj: what did you expect? Thankfully I never visit insomnia anymore (haven't for the past month or so), and I never will again.The site doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned (that's why I removed the "extreme douchebaggery" link from the front page). You're going to have losers like this no matter what, losers who take whatever from one site and illegally put it on another. These people are pathetic, and they have no lives. But that's icycalm, and that's the internet.
My score archive
twitter: @cavexstg
youtube: @cave-stg
Xbox gamertag: eojx9999

jpj

sadly i guess i did expect it, hence why i looked there..   :-\

Quote from: Plasmo on April 05, 2009, 01:06:01 PM
Great translation! Thanks a lot!

The best bits:

QuoteI first learned that you could connect the combo through stage 4 via that DVD.  That was when I discovered how fun it is to connect up combos in this game.

The most frustrating bit in the whole game was fun for him??!

QuoteNakano: Among all of CAVE's games I think it is extremely well balanced.

lol!

HFD's pattern in 1-4 with type A is so sick i don't know how to express it.  it's like someone playing Hard Mode on ikaruga without switching colours.  doing the diagonal platforms with no hypers..!?   :o

what i really found interesting is the guy from nakano promotions can reach 2-5 on ketsui and white label  :oogle: :righton:

type B can definitely be beaten by at least 200 mill (broken chain on 2-4).  but i don't know how the fuck anyone would ever beat his type A score.  he only lost one fucking life ..!!  the only person i can see beating those scores would be HFD himself  =D

EOJ

Quote from: jpj on April 05, 2009, 06:41:39 PM
sadly i guess i did expect it, hence why i looked there..   :-\



Here's an idea: maybe I should remove the ability for guests to view the main forum? Perhaps this would curb this type of behavior.

Or people could just post stuff like this in the Ura forum, which guests cannot access.
My score archive
twitter: @cavexstg
youtube: @cave-stg
Xbox gamertag: eojx9999

adverse

EOJ, I'd be down to post any future translations in the ura loop forum if internet dweebs are going to be stealing stuff without even bothering to link.

Don't close the main forum to guests though please.  I link people here from other forums and I wouldn't want folks to have to register just to get a look at what we're discussing.

Quote from: jpj on April 05, 2009, 06:41:39 PM

HFD's pattern in 1-4 with type A is so sick i don't know how to express it.  it's like someone playing Hard Mode on ikaruga without switching colours.  doing the diagonal platforms with no hypers..!?   :o

what i really found interesting is the guy from nakano promotions can reach 2-5 on ketsui and white label  :oogle: :righton:

type B can definitely be beaten by at least 200 mill (broken chain on 2-4).  but i don't know how the fuck anyone would ever beat his type A score.  he only lost one fucking life ..!!  the only person i can see beating those scores would be HFD himself  =D

Yeah his stage 4 is awesome.  I did a double take when he connected through the tower in 2-4 without hypering (IIRC), somehow getting through those dense bullet waves to continue the chain to the platform section. : O

I guess he tries to hold on to his hypers as much as possible for the stage 4 boss bonus right? 

Also is that HFD in your avatar??  If so where did you find that picture?  My hero has a face!   :cool:

EOJ

Quote from: adverse on April 05, 2009, 07:02:10 PM
EOJ, I'd be down to post any future translations in the ura loop forum if internet dweebs are going to be stealing stuff without even bothering to link.


Sounds good. Then GP can put them up on Gamengai (a respectable site!) later, if you like. :righton:
My score archive
twitter: @cavexstg
youtube: @cave-stg
Xbox gamertag: eojx9999

jpj

it's actually someone a bit more old-school, LAOS-OSADA-SENNIN   =D  he is a crazy good player, with a ton of records, from donpachi through to stuff like super monkey ball  :righton:

regarding stage 4, he does it sometimes to abuse invincibility.  if i remember rightly (i haven't watched much of the 2nd loop for obvious reasons) he hypers before the turret at the section where lots of enemies are onscreen.  when he activates, he goes *through* the shit ton of bullets invincible style, and starts jacking the hit counter, and he takes out the turret as his hyper is coming to an end (?).  funnily enough, i was chatting about this game with GP and saying about how black label has an extra digit on the hit counter.  it's only an issue on the stage 4 boss (as it's the only place where a +10,000 hit chain is possible).  in white label, the ps2 bundled dvd has an extra of someone rolling the counter over (pretty cool).  and i was saying to GP that while ISO did a great job on that boss for the replay that's up on super-play, it would be (theoretically) possible to do an even higher score, by timing out the first form, and activating 5 hypers on the rotating turrets.  black label dvd comes out a month later, and guess what one of the bonus features is....   =D  60 mill, i think he got

i'm bored with deathsmiles now, so i'm giving it back this week, flip my tv, and get back to this badboy  :righton:

... yeah, i think ura loop would be best.  i think the forum still needs more traffic.  it's 2009, why is he still pretending to like cave games?   :-\

adverse

Ok folks, so if you want to see stuff like this in the future, make sure to set your cookies and check out the Ura loop forum.

You were right about his pattern in 1-4 and 2-4, both pretty similar.  He dodges through several waves of bullets from the turret and then hypers through when he basically has no other way to out, then rolls on and off with the laser a little bit to preserve the turret until he can chain it to the door above. 

Another thing I love about this DVD is his meticulous 'aura shooting' i.e. pressing up against enemies to get more hits on the combo meter.  He aura-shoots most of stage 1 and gets a solid 10 mil or so more than most people would.  Then his meticulous attention to detail on stage 2 and 5, leaving enemies/terrain undestroyed in order to sit on them as the screen scrolls upwards to get more out of the chain.  Now I think aura-shooting is going to give him a pretty big score boost overall, and make the difference between him and other players who would try to chase him.  But the whole 'leaving an enemy alive' in order to get a few more on the hit counters is just like...blinging for the sake of it.  He gets maybe 100 or so more hits using this technique on stage 5, which is nice but...peanuts in the big scheme of things you know?  And that's why it's so hot.  HFD just says

"I'm ridin spinnas
I'm ridin spinnas
They don't stop"


jpj

for real man.  i'd seen something similar as a score glitch in metal slug 1, but wouldn't have even thought about it for doj.  he does 1-5 even better in the omake, with a 4,000 hit chain  :-X   if you haven't yet, check out the type B play, as he does stage 1 and 2 very different  :)  i can believe the comment about that type B play.  at the end, there were a couple of decent-ish scores on the high score table when he entered his credit.  but the type A run, it was like all 3+ bills down the screen  :o

where are you up at now, on BL these days?   :)

i really hope nakano stay afloat and release another dvd - other than deathsmiles, official releases seem to be drying up  :-\

adverse

I've always found type B way harder to combo with, especially since it's slower and I die more.   :righton:

My top BL score is still that 167 mil at 2-2 I turned in about a month ago.  I know I can get further and chain more, but I've been spending time on other projects, like Futari Maniac and upping my DSMBL score.  But if you get back on I might get going on it again.  I'm hoping that the 5pb patch of BL will make it decent on the 360 and I can turn in a good score there.  I still wanna break 200 mill either way.

jpj

i think the pay-off is that the second loop is somewhat easier with type B as chaining isn't so strict, and it's slow, but not quite too slow.  2-2 is damn good  :righton:  just get down that local game center   ;)

i'd like to have heard HFD's thoughts on the 360 version....   =D

adverse

Quote from: jpj on April 05, 2009, 08:29:39 PM
i think the pay-off is that the second loop is somewhat easier with type B as chaining isn't so strict, and it's slow, but not quite too slow.  2-2 is damn good  :righton:  just get down that local game center   ;)

i'd like to have heard HFD's thoughts on the 360 version....   =D

It's probably something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIJT2Gr2wrA   :mad:

Plasmo

Quote from: jpjwhat i really found interesting is the guy from nakano promotions can reach 2-5 on ketsui and white label   :oogle:  :righton:

He has 3 WR scores atm and numerous other excellent scores. For example he once held ALL Pink Sweets Arcadia records! Check my WR site for Nakano Ryuuzou, that's him.

EOJ

Quote from: Plasmo on April 06, 2009, 05:49:04 AM
For example he once held ALL Pink Sweets Arcadia records!

Really? What were his scores? And where's the damn Nakano Productions PS DVD? :laugh:
My score archive
twitter: @cavexstg
youtube: @cave-stg
Xbox gamertag: eojx9999

jpj

that's jokes man, because i had seen those, and not put 2 and 2 together  :-[  i always just thought nakano was a place, rather than a person's name

and i know you're joking, but i might just email him anyways about pink sweets, and see what he says  :)

better yet, get the prick in my avatar to release a batrider video  :mad:

battle gregor

thanks adverse.. i love these superplayer translations.. better that developer interviews for me !!!!!!!!!  :-*

Plasmo

Quote from: EOJ on April 06, 2009, 05:51:07 AM
Quote from: Plasmo on April 06, 2009, 05:49:04 AM
For example he once held ALL Pink Sweets Arcadia records!

Really? What were his scores? And where's the damn Nakano Productions PS DVD? :laugh:

14,327,490 - Kasumi - 中野龍三
15,223,780 - Shasta - 中野龍三
14,355,010 - Meidi&Midi - 中野龍三
18,932,690 - Lace - 中野龍三

These are his highest scores that were listed in Arcadia. He must've really liked PS after all...

jpj

Quotehello

Pinksweets DVD will not possible to produce for very high CAVE's lisence fee.
Sorry.

From Ryuzo Nakano

oh well nevermind  :)

adverse