Deathsmiles 2 [CAVE PCB, 2009]

[zlk]

Info on the scoring competition:

http://cave-arcadegame.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2009/06/ii-7c04.html

[hermosaguy]

That is horrible!  I'm sure they are taking notes though...they took a risk and look where it got them.  Time for them to go back to what they know.

[robivy64]

Well, we know the specs now:

Motherboard: ASUS M3A78-EM Socket AM2+/AM2,  Micro ATX format
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5050e Brisbane 2.60GHz, 1024KB L2 Cache (2 x 512kb per core)
RAM: 2048MB (2GB) 800MHz DDR

[SinHo]

Well, we know the specs now:

Motherboard: ASUS M3A78-EM Socket AM2+/AM2,  Micro ATX format
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5050e Brisbane 2.60GHz, 1024KB L2 Cache (2 x 512kb per core)
RAM: 2048MB (2GB) 800MHz DDR

Nice, I have to buy DS2 new and see if i can run MAME on it ...   >

[robivy64]

Funny thing is, it appears to be running a completely stock BIOS. I would have expected Cave to at least write their own BIOS (or contract Phoenix or AM to create one).

[rtw]

Funny thing is, it appears to be running a completely stock BIOS. I would have expected Cave to at least write their own BIOS (or contract Phoenix or AM to create one).

Any dongle protection indicating that this will be a future system ? What's the OS (Embedded/Stock XP)  ?

[robivy64]

Well, i'm only going by what I see in that error screen. It appears to be a full version of XP, since it is actually loading the operating system with the Cave logo replacing the Windows XP logo. It is probably locked down with group policies and would unlikely be accessible.

You can still see the original Windows XP loading animation under the Cave logo.

Disappointing indeed.

I never expected to see any of these screens associated with Cave games.

[rtw]

Well, i'm only going by what I see in that error screen. It appears to be a full version of XP, since it is actually loading the operating system with the Cave logo replacing the Windows XP logo. It is probably locked down with group policies and would unlikely be accessible.

You can still see the original Windows XP loading animation under the Cave logo.

Disappointing indeed.

I never expected to see any of these screens associated with Cave games.
p://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d40/robivy64/caveerror2.png[/img]

I share the disappointment

There must be some kind of protection somewhere though. Looks like it boots from a hard disk ?

Why on earth did they roll their own instead of just using a TypeX ?

edit... found the nico video with the screens

[SuperPang]

How does the spec compare to TX1 and Naomi?

[Maho]

Type X has Celeron 2.5Ghz 256Mo ram, Type X2 has P4 3ghz 512mo ram, i think that system could be quite more powerfull depending on the graphic card used, or do they use the video chipset of the motherboard?

[robivy64]

The Naomi is far behind the Type X and Cave PC. The Naomi does not use x86 compatible hardware, instead, it uses a Hitachi SuperH 4 @ 200 MHz.
The Cave PC is also more powerful than the TypeX and X2. As for video hardware, it is unclear as to what is being used.

Looking at the POST, there is a USB device that is initialized at bootup; a Jetflash Transcend S-series (security) flash drive.

Also, the game appears to be stored on a compact flash card via the IDE bus. It appears to be a Transcend 4 or 8 GB 133x card. The model number of the device is difficult to make out, but it looks like 20090321, which would confirm that it is indeed a compact flash card.

This would be an improvement on the Type X hardware as the Type X uses traditional magnetic hard drives which are more likely to fail over the Cave PC's solid state storage media.

[NR777]

The specs are actually pretty nice.  Too bad the game itself does not appear to live up to them.  I'm still laughing at that stupid boss vid.

[SuperPang]

The Cave PC is also more powerful than the TypeX and X2.

Oh dear

[robivy64]

I guess 2 GB of memory being more than 512 MB is funny.

I also suppose that the Athlon X2 5050e being faster than a Pentium 4 or Celeron is funny. Whatever tickles your fancy!

<--AMD FANBOY???

Hard to dispute facts bro, Cave or not.

[HVL]

I think the specs are all the same if DS2 is what they're capable of doing on the hardware.

That being said, I still want to play it. For real.

[SuperPang]

I guess 2 GB of memory being more than 512 MB is funny.

It is when they knock up a PSX game. I'm laughing at DS2, bro.

[gsl]

Am I the only one wondering if this could run on a "normal" (i.e. non-arcade) PC if one either had the USB dongle or some means of cracking/emulating it? 

[kernow]

More than likely, the hardware isn't anything special, but the libraries, API's that the game executable runs off.

I bet they didn't even protect it a great deal.

[zlk]

Does anyone feel Cave is making a huge mistake by waiting so long to open the final stages of the game?  As it stands now the game has four stages and is over fairly quickly. 

[adverse]

Does anyone feel Cave is making a huge mistake by waiting so long to open the final stages of the game?  As it stands now the game has four stages and is over fairly quickly. 

I think this is a big reason this game is suffering in arcades (besides the graphical issues).  It has a passable scoring system, but the original DS had 6 levels with quite varied environments, in addition to the Canyon and the Castle.  Plus the Ice Palace eventually.  Then we're thrown into a game that has 4 stages period...it's just boring.  I have a feeling we'll see the new stages soon tho.

[SuperPang]

Do we know if this is networked yet? Was it released unfinished?

[adverse]

New stage(s?), new system aspects unlocked

http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/deathsmiles2/system_up.html

Gonna give this a try this weekend.

[EOJ]

"2ND　UPDATE　MASTER　VER　3.00"


LOL


Another rehaul of the scoring system. Let's hope they got it right this time.

[adverse]

Third time's the charm?   

[hermosaguy]

New stage(s?), new system aspects unlocked

http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/deathsmiles2/system_up.html

Gonna give this a try this weekend.

Those stills look pretty promising at least.

[adverse]

Scored 145 mil and nearly 1CC'ed it.  Got to the last phase on the boss (Santa Claus) of the new castle.  Dear god, the 3D models on the chess pieces, and then the evil babies that attack you later...just bad.  Straight up.  The level looks nice when you're in power-up mode and it's covered in white rings...but then again every level does.  I think the new system is pretty fun, basically if you kill enemies with shot you get red rings (no 360) which build up your item counter, and if you kill them with laser you get blue rings which fill up your plus value.  There is also bonus rings for proximity to enemies.

I continued after Santa Claus, and you get a credit roll.  Basically the typical CAVE crew is credited, with Inoue as director... :/

Well, I'm sure there is more to be unlocked in this game.  We still have the Tranny surprise, and other sections of the map which definitely look like levels to be unlocked. 

[necpmf]

Inoue as director... :/

Wasn't he listed as the director on DS1 also?

edit: maybe I'm misreading the :/ face...

Anyway unlocking things as they go is just silly. It's a shooting game not an MMORPG, damn.

[THE]

Inoue as director... :/

Well he makes the face because Inoue can do better, a lot better...this game is a total waste of his skills. Not to say it's a total waste of everything.

[adverse]

Did this last night at my local arcade, first credit.  Game needs more stages to even approach the difficulty of the original DS' iterations.  Hmm, maybe I'll make a score thread if I have time.

[Gwyrgyn]

Here's videos of the end game:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7698052

I like the music and cutscene art at least, not that that's worth all that much.