Mushihime-sama Futari ver 1.5 [Strategy guide]

[KOMA]

That's why i think 1.5 require more skill than Black Label.

[gsl]

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...

[EOJ]

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.

[lawnspic]

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)

[Megalixir]

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?

[EOJ]

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.

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.

[Ast-Kot]

@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

[Megalixir]

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?

[EOJ]

Point blanking is 10x more important in BL Original.   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).

[antares]

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?

[Ast-Kot]

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

[lawnspic]

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?

[Lunchbox]

Sorry 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...

[Ast-Kot]

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

[Lunchbox]

It's a shame that neither I have the booklet nor understands Japanese ...

[lawnspic]

Thanks Lunchbox, i saw the pic over at Shmups after someone replied to the same question i asked above.

[lam47]

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.

[EOJ]

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.

[lawnspic]

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

[EOJ]

Of course holding C is the same as tapping A. I say that in the first sentence of the post you quoted.

[lawnspic]

What do you mean tapping C (autofire) to stop your lasers from firing?

[EOJ]

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!).

[lawnspic]

Thanks EOJ, that third variation is what i did not understand.

[lam47]

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.

[Ast-Kot]

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

[EOJ]

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).

[Schrodingers cat]

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?

[EOJ]

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).

[Schrodingers cat]

Wow, fast response.  Thanks!

EDIT:

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.

[EOJ]

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.