It's here, Davy, starts about 10mins in:  https://www.twitch.tv/videos/533026710

WR holder according to couch guy.  Easy to believe, I remember him from STG Weekly's Futari episode and that was years ago, quite a character.  Best GDQ thing I've seen, anyway, absolutely incredible that he can clear it in a single run on stream.  Hopefully they'll include more shmups and high score runs in the future.

Have been crunching some more time on Hector 87's 2 minute mode. My best score was around 80K - checked the high score forums at shmups.com - 370K !!! 

Found a few tricks but my highest is 270K so far. Still off the pace - must be a trick or two I'm missing.

level 7 run this evening which is pleasing even though I ballsed up the level 6 boss. 

To mix things up a wee bit I tried Homura - something from my pile of shame. My what a rather splendid game this is. A bit Castle Shikigami, a bit Psyvariar, a bit Gigawing - but different enough in its own way. Got the scoring basics figured out and it's a really nice score chaser straight from the off - and levels having a hard and easy path half way through sort of makes up for only having 5 levels (with 5 being a TLB ony available by not continuing).

Even with the 70m extend setting he used, to do this is God like - to do it live is something else again.


I didn't realise v1.01  came out after 1.5 - it seems 1.01 is a fixed version of the original and is tougher generally. It's a pity this game is so hard to get to play - you need the original JP only release. One would have thought there would be plenty looking to play Futari now after that run.

Installed latest version of shmupMAME today (4.2) - the 64bit build - runs all my ROMs. It might feel a bit smoother but can't be certain.

In old cash converters today and picked up the hori tekken 6 wireless stick for the 360. In great nick and only £15. Had heard bad reports about it but ive just given it a go with ddp dfk and its nice and responsive. I suspect its bad rep is for fighting games but for stgs it seems good enough for me. I have 2 hori wired sticks but this is handy because of no faff and if there is lag i doubt i will notice. At that price and a 3 month warranty its a good deal. Needs soldering for upgrades sadly though...

I keep getting given X360 shmups by a colleague because he doesn't want them anymore, I need to dust of the 360 tbh.

I like enjoying them vicariously through your efforts though, Davy

I could make you an offer on any I don’t have but want and that you may want to get rid of?

Read as: give me a first print Ginga Force if you have it, NOW!!!!! At mate’s price. I’ll bump up your quiz score too.

Meant to be pretty decent but not amazing. I’ve been after it but ebay prices are ridiculous. Should’ve bought it when it was out.

Hehe, steady lads. One is ketsui kjt, I'll have to find the other/s; may be ps3 or so. I don't keep my games in any sensible location in my house so I'll root around (have ketsui here on me now though).

Battle Garegga PS4

Some more Raiden III annoyance today. I did a run through boss mode and got to the last one breaking my high score so that's a little victory. I need to get to the last boss with 2 lives with bombs currently - got there with 2 lives but I had an empty bomb stock.

I then embarrassed myself further by booting up the Asteroids Dx cabinet and played shit at that for half an hour or so.


gggnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Raiden III and I just don't get along but I'm fucked if I'm going to give up this time.

Heh. A 1-all would be enough for me at the minute

Cave games are obscene that way - it's good to know they build those challenges in for the better/more dedicated player.

Raiden III is annoying me but I'm enjoying it at the same time. It's horribly old school and there are no interesting scoring rules but it just has a certain hook.

The biggest issue is powerup wrangling. Pick the wrong one up and you can easily lose a couple of lives and screw a run up. The powerups hang around the screen for ages so it's best to try and pick them up while they are desired colour - but the number of times I lose a life managing them is infuriating. When you pick one up you get a short burst of invincibility but I still seem to be able to get taken out.

The 2nd pain point are those bloody popcorn enemies that turn snipers once they reach the bottom of the screen and start loitering about. If you switch from wideshot to laser in the wrong part of the level (i.e. most parts) then they don't get taken out high up the screen and then you very quickly get overrun. Once you hit level 3 you really need the laser for the bosses so it becomes a juggling act at the start and end of levels.

There is necromancy in the aiming AI - the bullets always seem to be in the wrong place. Tap dodging is your friend but you really have to keep on your toes because of the slow ship speed.

Some focussed practice today. Concentrating on level 5.

It's best to have the laser at the level 4 boss so you start level 5 with a focussed weapon that is useless in the opening stages of 5 as you face multiple barrages of gun turrets across the screen.

The level starts with 3 ships that puke out suicide bullets - the general direction can be predicted as they rotate and a red glowing light on the side shows where most bullets will go after they are taken out - so you have to wait for the best position of them as they they have a tendency to set each other off and you have to be ready for it. After these a power up container appears - so you shoot that and wait for the capsule to turn red for wideshot. But - the aformentioned turrets start firing not long after the power up container appears so you have to be on red alert. So now I'm bombing as soon as the capsule turns red so I can pick it up without worrying about copping a bullet. This all happens within maybe 15secs of the level starting - if that. You then go into a bullet mad section with loads of emplacements, popcorn snipers and 2 or 3 well placed suicide bullet ships.

So after a session of focussed practice I was able to deal with all this today.

Started a run. Got to level 5 with no life loss - lost 2 fucking lives at this section I practiced. What a prick. The level 5 boss also has a tricky first pattern - I usually just bomb to clear it but I want to be able to deal with getting there with no bombs since level 5 is such a bollocks.

So practiced that in boss rush practice mode and I'm reasonably confident I can deal with it - fucked it up in the same run but just bombed in time so got to level 6 with 2 lives. Feeling good. Then went down like a bitch in level 6 - 2 cheap deaths. Given I have done this level with no miss while getting the tricky 1UP I should have done better. Could have been into level 7 with 3 lives which I think is the minimum I need which allows me to lose a life and still have 2 each with a bomb stock for the final boss.

Finished off with some level 7 practice which isn't too scary until you get to the last third of the level.

Progress of a sort.