davyK wrote:

He NMNBed the true last boss

Ah I miss-read, nice.

No lives lost.

nick_md wrote:

No lives lost.

Why is that "no miss" not "no death" or something?

That SGDQ Ketsui run was enjoyable. The rules were set to guarantee the Ura loop which is understandable in the context. Still nuts though - made those final patterns look easy.

Can't warm to that Touhou stuff though - I'm sure they could have picked something more accessible. DDP-SDOJ is a nice game too but Ketsui seems to be a better game for casuals to look in on - that 2nd loop is probably easier to watch because there isn't as much technical score chasing going on. More about surviving against insane odds.

I think if shmups are to remain a part of GDQ they need to pick games that are more in line with the event. Fantasy Zone and Kingdom Grand Prix are 2 games I can think of that are speedrun compatible.

Now I have no excuse for poor performances........the 1st two games are proper old school tough

Not a bad controller at all. I'm used to playing Gaiden with a stick but this will keep me.

Right then.

Remember Rocky III?  The one with Mr.T as Clubber Lang?

Rocky was getting soft. Distracted with all the glamour etc. Old Mick wanted him back in the gym to get back to the old sweat and blood.

Well that's what I need to do.  Fancy schmancy Switch with Darius and Mario Kart 8 be damned.  Buying too many games - IQ for PS2 is the latest...need to settle.

I need to get back to the old grindstone - only way to get anywhere with this genre - and it's the one I'm cursed with loving above all others.

I'm of that age see - I remember mechanical games in the arcade. I remember Space Invaders appearing. I remember arcades with rows of the same machine. So shooting games in 2D will always be videogames for me.

Back to it.

Samurai bloody Aces!

Need to get back to it on a regular basis. Just had a session there. Getting to level 5 with what muscle memory I still have of it. I can't let this go before moving on.

I have the 360 hooked up to the same TATE-ed TV - so Futari is there waiting for when get this done. Yeah - I think Futari is next - high time I sorted that out. But Samurai Aces 1-ALL first.

Onward.

Yeah. Sometimes when your timing is just right you can get a problem with starting to get ahead of your timing.

A problem with overplaying is when you have a really tight route through a section of a level - you know you need to be in a certain place at a certain time - usually to take out a particular enemy ahead of it spewing out bullets. The challenge of getting good is then preventing yourself from getting their too soon after struggling repeatedly to get there on time. Too often that happens and you end being taken out by bullets you normally don't have to dodge because normally you aren't at that position when they are!!!!

Feckity fook this game is annoying. Did some level 6 in practice mode as I need to get it down pat. It's made up of 4 set pieces inc. the boss. The first phase of the boss is what is causing me grief.

I need to take out two emplacements, one on each side of the boss , pretty quickly as they add to the bullet pattern complexity. I had a good pattern for doing this at one point but I seem to have lost it now.  

I used to start on the left hand side and take out one gun before tap dodging across to the right hand one but I keep getting pranged now. It's hard because there are diagonal bullets coming from the right as I move right. It's not aimed shots - but the pattern is misleadingly tough. The first few seconds of it are vital.

Have tried starting in the centre -  I have my first big dodge figured out - it's the second one I can't get right.

So liked a whipped cur , I have retreated from Samurai Aces with my tail between my legs.

I just didn't have the heart to go back to it. Unfinished business then. I've done this before - I broke from Gigawing for several months before going back and getting the clear.

Started last night on the wonderful old school shmup that is Layer Section. A tough one. No bombs either. But I thought a change of console (this is on Saturn) for the New Year was in order.

My best score is around 1.3m getting to level 5.

I naively thought that my skills from getting Gigawing and Darius Gaiden clears would hold me in good stead.

Last night I managed to get to level 3 once. Reminded that level 3 is the among the most enjoyable shmups level I've ever played. Such great design.

This game also has a compulsive lock on laser feature - you move a cursor over lower level enemies to get auto lock on - up to 8. The later levels really start to use this mechanic to great effect. Any you miss have to be dispatched with main laser so getting them while lower down can make life a lot easier.

The game is also heavy on lovely pixelly sprite scaling. Very pleasing. And it has a great soundtrack.

Anyhow - I'll be posting here re my progress. I've been at this one before. I've to make my mind up whether I'm going to tackle this with pad or stick. Played with pad last night. Will try with stick tonight and see how it feels.

Got to level 3 last night with all lives and well powered up. Pissed it away.

Bad session this evening. Was a screen kicker - tomorrow is another day.

This is a 7 level game. Best I have ever done is level 5 boss on 1 credit and that was quite a long time ago... This one could take a while.

Played like a bloody panda. Switched off.

Nice. Hit level 5 tonight. Scored 1.4m  

Had a couple of lives too. I can manage the lvl5 boss as I've fought him a few times by credit feeding.

Getting there isn't easy though.

nick_md wrote:

Great stuff Davy, feel bad for not engaging more in the thread because this is one of my favourite genres (although I rarely if ever play them...or anything, anymore). Happy to cheer on from the sidelines though, you can do it mate