SDA Arcade Tourney -- ALL CLEAR, check first post

2008-05-06 11:46:55 am

Hail Discordia!

Don't worry, I play on a keyboard, and it's not that bad at all. keep in mind that your hitbox (collision area) is less than 1/2 of the ship's overall width, which should help navigating through bullet bursts. When you see a pattern you're afraid you won't survive, bomb. That should keep you going for a while.

Oh, and try not to take more than three of green and blue items each, otherwise the game becomes harder.

VorpalEdge

2008-05-06 04:53:56 pm

welcome to the machine

Yeah, a keyboard may take some more getting used to at the beginning, but it's not inherently deficient and after a couple weeks of playing Touhou I was fine with one. I ranted a lot during those couple weeks, but hey.

LLCoolDave

2008-05-06 05:37:25 pm

I can't imagine being more precise with a gamepad than with a keyboard.

Miyamoto is pretty nice for the first stage but is pretty much worthless from then on, at least in my hands. I might just go with Strawman (C) for all 3 lives, but I could test some other ships if someone has some recommendations.

Are there any Medal Farms on Sky High that you can reveal by bombing? I didn't find any yet. In any case, I'm doing Sky High as second stage so I have a 10k chain for both medal fields I farm on Sewege. However I still get frequently owned by the Sky High Boss. The first phase is pretty simple if he doesn't somehow magically pin me into one of the upper corners, and just the main ship alone is fairly easy except for the blue bullets. Somehow I tend to be at the bottom middle of the screen when he uses his mass burst and die, and sometimes I have trouble dodging the single blue bullet spread as well.

In any case: How does Boss milking work? As in, can somebody give me a quick introduction so I can try out if I can handle it?

I still havn't been able to reach stage 4, but that surely is just a matter of time. Most of my deaths are still pretty stupid and very avoidable.

1721560 - LLCoolDave - Stage 3 - Strawman (C)

I can't imagine being more precise with a gamepad than with a keyboard.

Miyamoto is pretty nice for the first stage but is pretty much worthless from then on, at least in my hands. I might just go with Strawman (C) for all 3 lives, but I could test some other ships if someone has some recommendations.

Are there any Medal Farms on Sky High that you can reveal by bombing? I didn't find any yet. In any case, I'm doing Sky High as second stage so I have a 10k chain for both medal fields I farm on Sewege. However I still get frequently owned by the Sky High Boss. The first phase is pretty simple if he doesn't somehow magically pin me into one of the upper corners, and just the main ship alone is fairly easy except for the blue bullets. Somehow I tend to be at the bottom middle of the screen when he uses his mass burst and die, and sometimes I have trouble dodging the single blue bullet spread as well.

In any case: How does Boss milking work? As in, can somebody give me a quick introduction so I can try out if I can handle it?

I still havn't been able to reach stage 4, but that surely is just a matter of time. Most of my deaths are still pretty stupid and very avoidable.

1721560 - LLCoolDave - Stage 3 - Strawman (C)

AquaTiger

Edit history:

AquaTiger: 2008-05-06 05:46:36 pm

2008-05-06 05:46:20 pm

Never give up!

1,418,790 - AquaTiger - Stage 3 (Airport) - Miyamoto (C), Strawman (C), Maria (C)

I dropped the medal chain at the end of the Sewage stage due to a badly-timed death - when the medal value was at 8000. Very frustrating.

Want to see if I can get 3 million by the end of the week, although I know that's a damned lofty goal for me.

stanski

Edit history:

stanski: 2008-05-06 05:54:34 pm

2008-05-06 05:48:11 pm

wise fwom yo gwave

Agreed about rank control in other games. I've bombed in donpachi to control rank, don't use hypers in doj to control rank, and the rank difference in dying in stage 2 of dodonpachi vs. not means you can halve the number of bullets on screen in level 3 (so if i was actually playing to survive, I would probably kill myself in level 4 to make level 5 easier). And thats just one series of games!

This is not to defend raizing though, most of their games suck. This one sucks because of all the stupid options you have available and the secret bosses, but it doesn't have really stupid exploits like garegga (infinite ticking on a boss, killing bosses with different shot types for different point bonuses, gay flamingoes, death tricks, etc.) or stupid scoring systems like Dimahoo and bakraid.

Boss milking at about 2:15:

Strawman's options kill the boss too fast unfortunately, but other ships can milk more effectively.

AquaTiger

2008-05-06 06:07:19 pm

Never give up!

Quote:

1,418,790 - AquaTiger - Stage 3 (Airport) - Miyamoto (C), Strawman (C), Maria (C)

1,875,460 - AquaTiger - Stage 3 (Airport) - Miyamoto (C), Strawman (C), Maria (C)

I managed to hold my medal chain at 10,000 (I believe I got to that point somewhere at the start of stage 3) up to about the portion of stage 3 where the screen stops and you have to wreck that massive gun.

Cromarty

2008-05-06 06:44:07 pm

astral guard

Quote:

2,342,520 - Cromarty - Stage 5 - Random Edit

2,500,660 - Cromarty - Stage 4 - Miyamoto (A)
Getting closer to the second score extend (right?), I think I'm going to need it for the highway stage.

Enhasa

2008-05-06 07:42:52 pm

everybody wanna tell you the meaning of music

stanski: There's nothing not to like about Mahou Daisakusen and Soukyugurentai. Wink

Quote:

Getting closer to the second score extend (right?), I think I'm going to need it for the highway stage.

Yeah, it's every 1.5 million.

Quote:

I could test some other ships if someone has some recommendations.

I already said this on IRC I guess, but might as well post here. You can try one of the Garegga ships (remember that you can use button 3 to switch the option formations around, very flexible and useful) like Flying Baron or Wild Snail. Also try Carpet. She plays a lot differently as well and so far I'm the only Carpet user.

Fun ships to try out if you're bored are Birthday (at least, I think it's funny), Silver Sword (can control where his bombs shoot), and Tag-T (can throw his spinning blade bomb).

tenfoLd

2008-05-06 09:03:09 pm

751,950 - tenfoLd - Stage 2 - Carpet (A)

Breakdown

Edit history:

Breakdown: 2008-05-06 09:58:21 pm

2008-05-06 09:56:40 pm

Haters gonna hate

2,340,180 - Breakdown - Stage 4 - Maria (C)

Starting to get the hang of this I think, though I'm still dropping my medal chain more than I'd like. This score I was able to keep it though, getting 10ks on both farming points in the Airport, a bunch on the Airport boss, and the first bomb point in Sewer. Hoping to get up in the 5m range by the end of the week.

I'm playing with a keyboard too, don't have a computer controller, so no real option otherwise.

I've been hoarding tech on the last couple games, but I don't mind sharing too much with this one (probably because I'm not doing so great, but whatever). My stage order is Sky High - Airport - Sewer. Sky High first to get a good medal chain going since it has no real farming points. If I don't drop any I'm at 8-10k by Boredom. Airport second because, well, I'm better at it than Sewer.

Speaking of Boredom, he is a pain in the ass! Probably the hardest of the editable stages bosses, and with my current strategy if I don't die before him I don't have any bombs. I have been able to beat him without dying, but only once. Phase 1 is easy enough (keep shooting the planes as they scroll of screen for some easy extra points). For phase 2, Maria can't hit the green ring cannons normally (if you have someone with a piercing shot, you can), but if you do the charge-up-and-leave-your-option-behind thing you can drop your options on top of one of them and fire away while dodging. Always try to end up on the sides of the screen when the rings stop since one of the firing patterns is flat out unavaoidable in the middle (at least in my experience). Once you've taken out one ring cannon, leave the other alone because it starts going apeshit with both down. Shoot the arm that appears, keeps shooting the center, and dodge for all you're worth, you might make it out alive. Of course, if you die just bomb the shit out him.

A couple questions:

What's a good medal chain for the end of level 1? Best I've managed is up to 1k.

I know if you drop 3 large bomb icons you get an extend. I know where 2 are (start of Airport), but where is a third?

2,340,180 - Breakdown - Stage 4 - Maria (C)

Starting to get the hang of this I think, though I'm still dropping my medal chain more than I'd like.  This score I was able to keep it though, getting 10ks on both farming points in the Airport, a bunch on the Airport boss, and the first bomb point in Sewer.  Hoping to get up in the 5m range by the end of the week.

I'm playing with a keyboard too, don't have a computer controller, so no real option otherwise.

I've been hoarding tech on the last couple games, but I don't mind sharing too much with this one (probably because I'm not doing so great, but whatever).  My stage order is Sky High - Airport - Sewer.  Sky High first to get a good medal chain going since it has no real farming points.  If I don't drop any I'm at 8-10k by Boredom.  Airport second because, well, I'm better at it than Sewer.

Speaking of Boredom, he is a pain in the ass!  Probably the hardest of the editable stages bosses, and with my current strategy if I don't die before him I don't have any bombs.  I have been able to beat him without dying, but only once.  Phase 1 is easy enough (keep shooting the planes as they scroll of screen for some easy extra points).  For phase 2, Maria can't hit the green ring cannons normally (if you have someone with a piercing shot, you can), but if you do the charge-up-and-leave-your-option-behind thing you can drop your options on top of one of them and fire away while dodging.  Always try to end up on the sides of the screen when the rings stop since one of the firing patterns is flat out unavaoidable in the middle (at least in my experience).  Once you've taken out one ring cannon, leave the other alone because it starts going apeshit with both down.  Shoot the arm that appears, keeps shooting the center, and dodge for all you're worth, you might make it out alive.  Of course, if you die just bomb the shit out him.

A couple questions:

What's a good medal chain for the end of level 1?  Best I've managed is up to 1k.

I know if you drop 3 large bomb icons you get an extend.  I know where 2 are (start of Airport), but where is a third?

moozooh

2008-05-06 10:39:51 pm

Hail Discordia!

Quote:

I know if you drop 3 large bomb icons you get an extend. I know where 2 are (start of Airport), but where is a third?

Stage 6. In fact, I wouldn't count on it, especially since it's located right after a very asshole-ish miniboss.

VorpalEdge

Edit history:

VorpalEdge: 2008-05-06 11:15:35 pm

2008-05-06 11:14:19 pm

welcome to the machine

Quote:

My stage order is Sky High - Airport - Sewer. Sky High first to get a good medal chain going since it has no real farming points. If I don't drop any I'm at 8-10k by Boredom. Airport second because, well, I'm better at it than Sewer.

The airport boss is pathetically easy (and milkable, since those planes it spits out on its second form drop medals), so I always do Sewer first, since it has a chance of killing me, what with the row of giant lasers and the beginning section of the boss. I'd rather get it out of the way and end up practicing it more.

Quote:

What's a good medal chain for the end of level 1? Best I've managed is up to 1k.

I'm not entirely sure (since I don't know how to get the green copter-plane-things to drop medals consistently), but I do know that if you leave the cars at the very end of the stage undestroyed, the tank will run them over and medals will pop out. I think it'll be 10 medals, which is so much that you might have trouble collecting them all and they could screw up your chain by dropping.

[quote]My stage order is Sky High - Airport - Sewer.  Sky High first to get a good medal chain going since it has no real farming points.  If I don't drop any I'm at 8-10k by Boredom.  Airport second because, well, I'm better at it than Sewer.[/quote]

The airport boss is pathetically easy (and milkable, since those planes it spits out on its second form drop medals), so I always do Sewer first, since it has a chance of killing me, what with the row of giant lasers and the beginning section of the boss.  I'd rather get it out of the way and end up practicing it more.

[quote]What's a good medal chain for the end of level 1?  Best I've managed is up to 1k.[/quote]

I'm not entirely sure (since I don't know how to get the green copter-plane-things to drop medals consistently), but I do know that if you leave the cars at the very end of the stage undestroyed, the tank will run them over and medals will pop out.  I think it'll be 10 medals, which is so much that you might have trouble collecting them all and they could screw up your chain by dropping.

Sorcerer88

2008-05-07 12:37:51 am

I have no solution, but i admire the problem.

Quote:

2,000,670 - Sorcerer88 - Stage 3 - Maria (C)

2,364,530 - Sorcerer88 - Stage 5 - Maria (C)

Actually, i think that Boredom ( Sky High Boss ) is pretty doable with practice without using bombs. The first form is just about dodging and finding holes in the missiles. And in the second form, the formation-like blue bursts occur only after the green rings, so you can just fly to the side of the screen. The chaotic-like blue bursts are hard to dodge, but it's possible, just concentrate on them. And the chaos-like green rings are also harder, but they make it easier to stay in the middle.
For me, Sewage and the Sewage boss with his very variable and ultra-dense missile patterns is still the hardest challenge. So my order is Sewage-Airport-Sky High, hardest to easiest, why fly through the easy stages only to die in the harder ones?
Stage 5 is pure suicide.

Also, for me, and with MariaC, it does seem to help to turn the missile color to green ( with start-right, not -down btw ). That's the complementary color to both my shots ( purple ) and to bullets ( orange ), at least sort of. Helps to track them better.

[quote] 2,000,670 - Sorcerer88 - Stage 3 - Maria (C) [/quote]

2,364,530 - Sorcerer88 - Stage 5 - Maria (C)

Actually, i think that Boredom ( Sky High Boss ) is pretty doable with practice without using bombs. The first form is just about dodging and finding holes in the missiles. And in the second form, the formation-like blue bursts occur only after the green rings, so you can just fly to the side of the screen. The chaotic-like blue bursts are hard to dodge, but it's possible, just concentrate on them. And the chaos-like green rings are also harder, but they make it easier to stay in the middle.
For me, Sewage and the Sewage boss with his very variable and ultra-dense missile patterns is still the hardest challenge. So my order is Sewage-Airport-Sky High, hardest to easiest, why fly through the easy stages only to die in the harder ones?
Stage 5 is pure suicide.

Also, for me, and with MariaC, it does seem to help to turn the missile color to green ( with start-right, not -down btw ). That's the complementary color to both my shots ( purple ) and to bullets ( orange ), at least sort of. Helps to track them better.

Cromarty

Edit history:

Cromarty: 2008-05-07 01:45:09 am

2008-05-07 01:26:39 am

astral guard

^Reason to do sky high in stage 2 would be to build up your medal value before the scenery medals in sewage and airport.
I'm doing sky high (fight Bashinet)->sewage->airport, since sewage drops a few enemy medals before the scenery, which airport does not.

Breakdown: if you don't blow up the ring cannons you can't shoot the arms Boredom generates for extra points, but he's much easier to kill this way.

Quote:

I'm not entirely sure (since I don't know how to get the green copter-plane-things to drop medals consistently), but I do know that if you leave the cars at the very end of the stage undestroyed, the tank will run them over and medals will pop out. I think it'll be 10 medals, which is so much that you might have trouble collecting them all and they could screw up your chain by dropping.

I blow up most of the cars so there are only a couple left on the far right for Conflict to run over - increases the medal value without any risk of dropping one.

Edit:

Quote:

2,500,660 - Cromarty - Stage 4 - Miyamoto (A)

3,665,370 - Cromarty - Stage 5 - Miyamoto (A)
Second time I've gotten to Bashinet Mk2, second time I've died there. Go figure.

^Reason to do sky high in stage 2 would be to build up your medal value before the scenery medals in sewage and airport.
I'm doing sky high (fight Bashinet)->sewage->airport, since sewage drops a few enemy medals before the scenery, which airport does not.

Breakdown: if you don't blow up the ring cannons you can't shoot the arms Boredom generates for extra points, but he's much easier to kill this way.

[quote]I'm not entirely sure (since I don't know how to get the green copter-plane-things to drop medals consistently), but I do know that if you leave the cars at the very end of the stage undestroyed, the tank will run them over and medals will pop out.  I think it'll be 10 medals, which is so much that you might have trouble collecting them all and they could screw up your chain by dropping.[/quote]
I blow up most of the cars so there are only a couple left on the far right for Conflict to run over - increases the medal value without any risk of dropping one.

Edit:
[quote]2,500,660 - Cromarty - Stage 4 - Miyamoto (A)[/quote]
3,665,370 - Cromarty - Stage 5 - Miyamoto (A)
Second time I've gotten to Bashinet Mk2, second time I've died there.  Go figure.

Enhasa

2008-05-07 04:18:18 am

everybody wanna tell you the meaning of music

Doh I could have gotten a new high score but nooooooo I dropped an extend. Sad

Quote:

What's a good medal chain for the end of level 1? Best I've managed is up to 1k.

First the disclaimer is that this is not really all that important, what's important is keeping your chain later. 1k is pretty good with Maria, I don't know if I've ever done that well. I just changed my stage 1 route yet again today (I've changed it probably a dozen times since I started playing), and every time now I leave stage 1 with 3k chain, although I feel like it should be higher. This is because Carpet builds up the chain faster of course.

Quote:

I know if you drop 3 large bomb icons you get an extend. I know where 2 are (start of Airport), but where is a third?

There's one on Highway if you kill the yellow tank after it's stopped. I know there are more later on but I never make it that far. I don't know how many there are total. To be honest btw, I just pick up the big bombs in Airport. Otherwise I don't have enough for the part coming up.

Cromarty is right about both the reason why you do Sky High 2nd and how to do the cars at the end of Manhattan. Sky High 2nd is pretty much a slam dunk, especially if you have a Mahou character, because it's the hardest of the 3 IMHO with Bashinet. Besides the fact it's the shortest, and you get to put the hardest one first so you can use your play time more efficiently, you mainly want to put harder stages first while your rank is lower. Also there isn't much bomb requirements for Sky High, another plus. And oh yeah, really important is that you get Blunt at the end of Highway this way. Which stage to put 3rd is more of a debate, and I used to pick one of them, but I switched it around recently once I realized a couple things.

Bashimet mk2 is a total bitch, I think I fight him because I hate his guts.

Doh I could have gotten a new high score but nooooooo I dropped an extend. :(

[quote]What's a good medal chain for the end of level 1?  Best I've managed is up to 1k.[/quote]
First the disclaimer is that this is not really all that important, what's important is keeping your chain later. 1k is pretty good with Maria, I don't know if I've ever done that well. I just changed my stage 1 route yet again today (I've changed it probably a dozen times since I started playing), and every time now I leave stage 1 with 3k chain, although I feel like it should be higher. This is because Carpet builds up the chain faster of course.

[quote]I know if you drop 3 large bomb icons you get an extend.  I know where 2 are (start of Airport), but where is a third?[/quote]
There's one on Highway if you kill the yellow tank after it's stopped. I know there are more later on but I never make it that far. I don't know how many there are total. To be honest btw, I just pick up the big bombs in Airport. Otherwise I don't have enough for the part coming up.

Cromarty is right about both the reason why you do Sky High 2nd and how to do the cars at the end of Manhattan. Sky High 2nd is pretty much a slam dunk, especially if you have a Mahou character, because it's the hardest of the 3 IMHO with Bashinet. Besides the fact it's the shortest, and you get to put the hardest one first so you can use your play time more efficiently, you mainly want to put harder stages first while your rank is lower. Also there isn't much bomb requirements for Sky High, another plus. And oh yeah, really important is that you get Blunt at the end of Highway this way. Which stage to put 3rd is more of a debate, and I used to pick one of them, but I switched it around recently once I realized a couple things.

Bashimet mk2 is a total bitch, I think I fight him because I hate his guts.

Cromarty

2008-05-07 04:50:17 am

astral guard

Where do you put bombs in sky high? I've been using one on the two large fighters, and then if Bashinet throws those bullet-spewing mines I bomb them, but I feel like these are both things I should be able to deal with without having to bomb.
Those large fighters suck, though. Blow a wing off, die, watch medal fall off the screen.. Sad

Enhasa

Edit history:

Enhasa: 2008-05-07 05:05:50 am

2008-05-07 05:03:25 am

everybody wanna tell you the meaning of music

I used to not bomb at all, but now I bomb the second wave of missiles for points. I also bomb the upper 2 turrets of the first stage of Boredom and then the retracting turrets.

This is all very flexible, do whatever you want of course (and most of what I do generally is far from best).

LLCoolDave

2008-05-07 05:29:26 am

This might sound fairly stupid, but how do extends work? I mean, I should have gotten one when scoring 1.7mil, but I didn't notice a difference. I expected to, like, get another ship, but that wasn't the case.

Breakdown

Edit history:

Breakdown: 2008-05-07 10:49:55 am

2008-05-07 05:34:07 am

Haters gonna hate

Getting to 1.5m makes the next enemy that would drop something drop an extend, so you actually have to collect it. It's a red circle thing with a ship on it.

As long as I'm posting. . .

~~3,323,210 - Breakdown - Stage 5 - Maria (C)~~

Lost my medal chain at the end of stage 3, so this could easily be like 3-400k higher. And stage 5 is a bitch, entirely too much going on. I might dedicate a session to practicing it soon here, but first I'm gonna worry about getting there consistently.

Edit:

3,791,030 - Breakdown - Stage 5 - Maria (C)

Cromarty

Edit history:

Cromarty: 2008-05-07 09:43:54 pm

2008-05-07 09:33:06 pm

astral guard

Quote:

I used to not bomb at all, but now I bomb the second wave of missiles for points. I also bomb the upper 2 turrets of the first stage of Boredom and then the retracting turrets.

Tried these out - bombing the missiles doesn't work significantly better (if at all) for Miyamoto, but bombing the turrets (look like helicopters to me...) while they retract is nice.
I have no bombs left by that point if I haven't died yet, maybe I could suicide there to damage/destroy the turrets and get a bomb to hit them with afterwards.. plus have a bomb to use on Bashinet and an empty slot for the extend in stage 3.

Also: I hear the blue bombers in sky high only drop medals if you blow their turrets off while they are open, and to get their turrets to open you have to not shoot..? I'd bet it's something similar for the green copters, in stage 1 when I bomb the glass it also blows off the copter's wings and it has always given me two medals for it.
Edit: oops. Blow the turrets off, then the wings without destroying the copter altogether - if you bomb you get the medals anyway.

[quote]I used to not bomb at all, but now I bomb the second wave of missiles for points. I also bomb the upper 2 turrets of the first stage of Boredom and then the retracting turrets.[/quote]
Tried these out - bombing the missiles doesn't work significantly better (if at all) for Miyamoto, but bombing the turrets (look like helicopters to me...) while they retract is nice.
I have no bombs left by that point if I haven't died yet, maybe I could suicide there to damage/destroy the turrets and get a bomb to hit them with afterwards.. plus have a bomb to use on Bashinet and an empty slot for the extend in stage 3.

[s]Also: I hear the blue bombers in sky high only drop medals if you blow their turrets off while they are open, and to get their turrets to open you have to not shoot..?  I'd bet it's something similar for the green copters, in stage 1 when I bomb the glass it also blows off the copter's wings and it has always given me two medals for it.[/s]
Edit: oops.  Blow the turrets off, then the wings without destroying the copter altogether - if you bomb you get the medals anyway.

Enhasa

2008-05-07 09:49:20 pm

everybody wanna tell you the meaning of music

Yeah, they are helicopters. I just couldn't remember what they were, hah.

AquaTiger

2008-05-08 02:33:57 am

Never give up!

Alright. I know I said I wanted a goal of 3 million by the end of the week, but I'm finding that I can't even reach 1.5 million anymore, even trying absolutely random character choices thinking maybe my luck would change if I stepped outside my norm.

Plus I've got some things that are going to pretty much keep me from playing with any seriousness for the rest of the week.

So, as much as I enjoy this particular game, I'm going to have to take my current score as my final one.

Enhasa

2008-05-08 06:42:47 am

everybody wanna tell you the meaning of music

6,547,410 - Enhasa - Stage 7 - Carpet (S)

Once I get to stage 7 (Zenovia City for me), I have no idea what I'm doing and I play like a chicken with my head cut off, pretty sad. But at least I got there finally. Tongue

Breakdown

2008-05-08 11:07:28 am

Haters gonna hate

Told myself I'd start posting screenies once I hit 4m, and. . .

Just barely Smiley

4,001,560 - Breakdown - Stage 5 - Maria (C)

Kept the medal chain on this one til basically right before I died (that yellow tank got me). Stage 5 is starting to feel more manageable, though that isn't saying a whole lot really. I'm still a little too bomb happy there for extended survival, but improving.

Sorcerer88

2008-05-08 02:41:04 pm

I have no solution, but i admire the problem.

2,581,260 - Sorcerer88 - Stage 5 - Maria (C)

A new record and Sky High Boss in Stage 4 without bombs, booyah! It's hard, but possible. And if you get stuck at the side, only luck can save you.