Shmup of the Month Club 2012

[noiseredux]

Maybe we should have picked 2 compile games. Everyone is going to clear this by the halfway mark at this point

way to preemptively make me feel horrible when I don't beat it.

[ExedExes]

Maybe we should have picked 2 compile games. Everyone is going to clear this by the halfway mark at this point

Um, don't forget we got the *original* Zanac in this game too.... why not?

but I knew we should have done TGL or Space Megaforce too

[dunpeal2064]

Maybe we should have picked 2 compile games. Everyone is going to clear this by the halfway mark at this point

way to preemptively make me feel horrible when I don't beat it.

I...I... man, I'm an ass

@Exed: I'd be down to play some Zanac.

I got 2 runs in at Zanac X, cleared it on my 2nd run, but the game is so long, and my laptop runs so hot, that my power cord melted durring the session, making it useless.

You win this time, Compile

[mjmjr25]

Well, I got the ALL on my 9th run, 4 lives to spare.

I find that if you just stay w/your primary weapon (I max out 3, 4 and 7 w/the red ship and ignore the others), don't worry about maximizing chains, and in some cases, if you die on a boss, just find a safety zone and let time run out, it makes the ALL much easier. I only scored 5.1 mil on the all, yet going for score on the next run, I hit 4.9 mil before dying out on stage 6 including a "373 max hit" (not sure how all the guys on shmups maxed at "999 max hit" since it doesn't carry over to the next level? - madness I say).

I might give this another run or two since i'm pretty sure I could hit 6-6.5 mil - but runs seem to take forever since there are never any "quick" runs. I'd get 10 runs in on Dragon Blaze for every 1 run on this.

Does anyone else want to switch games mid-month? If everyone else is still having fun - then i'm good sitting out til Dimahoo, but if the majority of us are maxing on this early, let's consider 2 games this month?

[noiseredux]

Mike, please explain the weapon upgrades to me. I feel like maybe you get something that I don't.

[ExedExes]

Taken with my cell phone for a bit more quality:





6,613,610 -- ExedExes -- Knife Edge -- Area Final

I too, died in the descent towards the final boss. Had only 4-5 lives at that point, and then you meet up with some of the baddest Compile enemies ever. The ships there do not let go, they target you with accuracy, they find you, they run into you, it is NOT fun. Next I will see exactly how long that part takes.

To answer your question Noise, I did find some fascinating stuff out on this last play through.

As MJ mentioned, you can *store* levels of the subweapons. When you die, you only lose the current subweapon and only THAT gets reset to Level 0 (on Normal mode). So if you see the enemies piling up because the AI system determines that you've been going pretty long without losing a life (a situation I ran into), switch over to a weapon you don't care about, die, let the game level cool down a bit, and return to your fully powered weapon of choice.

When you pick up a Power Chip (the main weapon powerup from the blue boxes), you get *2* seconds of invincibility, which counts when the screen is full of shots. Since there are many of them at one time, you can pick them up when you feel you need them.
However, ANY numbered subweapon power up, even if you have the maximum weapon, is *5* seconds of invincibility. Take note that they are not cumulative and you cannot build them up. As soon as one period runs out, take either a chip or another number to continuously stay invincible. It does help.

I preferred weapon 6 on Knife Edge (the exploding canisters). It did a great job of keeping the front clear for me.

As for the thoughts on another game, I am currently enjoying this game a lot and I would rather stay with it. If anyone wants to do another game, I would suggest playing the original Zanac also found on this game, and using the ROM version for that is the cartridge version and that would be like the NES game more than the original FDS mode. I might start doing that along with the current Neo. Heck, you all can also try using the FC Custom ship too on ZN, I gave you the code earlier in the thread, no charge shot and original Zanac weapons, see how far we can get that way!

[noiseredux]

wait, you can switch weapons?

[ExedExes]

wait, you can switch weapons?

You sure can! But only by picking up a different number. Your current weapon when switched will stay at the level you left it at.

[mjmjr25]

@Noise,

I use the RED SHIP (KNIFE EDGE I think) The red cans w/numbers are the weapon number. Lets say you pick up a RED 3, now that is your weapon and it is at level 0. If the next can is a RED 7 and you pick it up, it is also at level 0. If the next is a RED 3, that is again at level 0. In order to build up the weapon, you must pick them up consecutively - this means passing up A LOT of red cans. I max out weapon 3 (this provides a rotating shield around your ship, great for stages 3-6 where so many enemies come from behind you). As you max it out, the rotating shield becomes larger and faster.

So if I grab Red 3, Red 7, Red 3, Red 7, Red 0, Red 3 - in that order, all of those are at level 0.

If I grab the same cans in this order: Red 3, Red 3, Red 3, Red 0, Red 7, Red 7 - my weapons are as such: Red 3 is at level 2, my Red 7 is at Level 1, and Red 0 is still at 0.

Levels start at 0, so if you grab (5) Red 7's in a row, it will be at Level 4. You only lose an achieved weapon level if you die while using that weapon.

I also Max out Weapon 4 (this releases a 2nd shot, a drill, these work excellent on bosses - you fire at a boss target and the drills latch on and drill away, meanwhile you are on the other side of the screen shooting a 2nd target - you will take down bosses fast w/a maxed out weapon 4).

I max out weapon 7 also, though I don't use it until area 7 (so I don't begin maxing it until area 5). I avoid (if possible) all other red cans - though I still shoot them for the points and max hit chaining.

Green Cans are where it's at to level up your weapon - you'll notice the number in the green can changes 0-7. If you are on weapon 4, just be sure to grab it when it turns into a 4, and then you get the level up, as if you'd grabbed a red 4.

As EE said, if i'm using weapon 3 and I die - it goes back to 0, so I need to re-max it out, which doesn't take too terribly long.

[noiseredux]

Wow this is a lot of good info that I was missing... Thanks!