Shmup of the Month Club 2015 (Completed)

[dunpeal2064]

So many good touches. That toothpaste laser

[mjmjr25]

My...oh my.

Absolutely the highest and lowest emotions right now.

This last run:

Stage 1 - cruised, counter at 5K counter and 12 mil pts after stage, 3 lives
Stage 2 - cruising and died just before mid-boss. I very rarely die on this stage and I don't even know what hit me, I was just scooping up medals and it seemed a very safe moment. A stray bullet must have been in the pile of gold. This is one of those runs where I would have restarted if on console, but, no real way to restart on cab short of suiciding, so I just rode it out. Finished stage at 10K counter, 32 mil pts, 2 lives
Stage 3 - cruised to mid-boss, I had about 5% of the healthbar left but had buried myself in the left corner, had to bomb :/. Got to boss w/o issue, had the extend, and bombed once during the boss fight. Counter at 17K, 59 mil pts, 3 lives
Stage 4 - cruised to mid-boss, completely forgot he launches those spider legs if you don't kill him quick enough and ate it, bombed twice on stage boss, Counter at 12K, 92 mil pts, 2 lives.
Stage 5 - haven't played this one enough and sure enough, the speed increase of bullets at the start of this stage is startling - nearly died 7 seconds in, and did die 15 seconds in. So, on my last life and about 5 mil pts from the next extend, panic bombed once trying to squeek out the extend, then I just hit that zone, where everything just is like an opera, it was beautiful. Got the extend and was racking up pts, just cruising, then...I uncover the 1up, which if you havent' seen it...is BRUTAL, it's at the top of the screen and the screen is scrolling in reverse. I panicked, and just beelined for the 1-up and just got murdered. I was sick to my stomach. Here I was in great shape, 3 bombs, 1 guy in the hold, and playing great - a 1up there for the taking, instantly i'm thinking i'm 30 seconds from the boss, if I get that 1up, I an bomb spam to an ALL if I need to, so I went for it and not only didn't get, but lost a life in the process. I immediately got my groove back and made the boss. First form was relatively painless, bombed on the next form and was doing well, saving up 2 bombs for if I needed them at the end...and died...with 2 bombs in stock and about 25% boss health left.

ORIGINAL
138,449,426 - mjmjr25 - Stage 5 (boss) - Palm/A - PCB

[DocHauser]

I had a run last night where I had just over 100 million and three lives going into the final stage. I reckoned that, if I could get the 1UP then I might be in with a shot of clearing it.

What happened? I lost two lives within the first 30 seconds of Stage 5 and game-overed with 110 million just before the mid-boss. Doh!

Basically, I need more practice on Stage 5.

[mjmjr25]

yeah - stage 5 is just a different speed.

[ExedExes]

MANIAC MODE score -

ExedExes - 43,895,425 - Stage 3 - Palm/A - MAME



After figuring out that C-shot gathers and A-shot cashes in, I think I'm liking this way more than Original.

ULTRA mode, well ...... That's a bit of sensory overload for now. As a mid-experience Cave shmupper I don't think I'm quite ready for it yet. My score was absolutely pitiful because I didn't even get out of Stage 1.

[mjmjr25]

As you know I like learning from playing, not watching...but, ULTRA is a different can of beans. I don't think it's reasonable to just play it and pick it up in a couple runs. You either need A LOT of runs, or you need to watch a video.

Once I watched a vid I was able to get out of stage 1 - it was tough, but I make stage 2 boss pretty steadily on Ultra now...but I pay zero attention to score and get my full pleasure of bombadiering.

[ExedExes]

As you know I like learning from playing, not watching...but, ULTRA is a different can of beans. I don't think it's reasonable to just play it and pick it up in a couple runs. You either need A LOT of runs, or you need to watch a video.

Once I watched a vid I was able to get out of stage 1 - it was tough, but I make stage 2 boss pretty steadily on Ultra now...but I pay zero attention to score and get my full pleasure of bombadiering.

I read up on it at the Shmups forum and it said it's "just like Original". They didn't mention that everything that shoots at you is a boss-style bullet pattern. I didn't know floating islands carried so many guns. I was trying to remember what your scores were on it and I'm relieved it was just on Stage 2.

Sometime playing this today one of Palm's death screams is "TANGO DOWWWWN". Rainbow Six fan, maybe?

[jepjepjep]

A little better score this time in Original mode. I triggered the 9999 fever mode in stage 3 this time. I was trying to push the multiplier as much as I could so I had a couple of deaths with full bomb stocks. Only one spare life when I arrived at Larsa, not nearly enough to bomb through.

1.5 Original (Reco)
jepjepjep - 197,327,296 - Stage 5

[dunpeal2064]

Fever Mode in 1.5? You sure you weren't playing BL?

Good score either way, but quite a monster of a score in 1.5!

And Mike... damn bro, insanely impressive progress. Seriously, super cool to see that.

Keep pushin!

[mjmjr25]

And Mike... damn bro, insanely impressive progress. Seriously, super cool to see that.

Keep pushin!

Thanks dood - y'know, i'm really only struggling on 2nd half of stage 3 and beginning of stage 5. Stage 1 and 2 are pretty easy now and stage 4 just has a better flow for me, I rarely die there, but stage 3 second half I just can't get it down consistently. Particularly when you get the purple lazer diagonal patterns from both sides, I die often, or bomb.