RF Generation Message Board

Hello shmup fans, and welcome to the RF Generation Shmup Club! This inaugural month of June 2018, we'll be playing through a major classic, and one of the seminal games that helped to define the genre in the modern era. That game is R-Type, developed by Irem, and release in arcades in 1987. The game saw a release across many platforms in the years that followed. It arrived on the Sega Master System (Mark III) and TurboGrafx (PC Engine), the PC Engine CD in Japan, and even Nintendo's Game Boy, as well as a number of microcomputers, ranging from the ZX Spectrum to the Amiga. It was ported later to the Playstation, in the form of R-Types, which compiled the first 2 games in the series into a single package. In 2009, it was released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 again via R-Type Dimensions, which, like R-Types, compiled the first two games, but also reformatted them for widescreen, and added new graphics and a redone soundtrack. However, this version allows you to, on the fly, switch between original graphics and sound, and the newly "remastered" versions.  R-Type was popular enough to warrant not one, but actually five sequels, as well as two spin-off strategy games, and R-Type DX on the Game Boy Color, which mashed up levels from the first two games in a unique package.


For this first month, let's keep it casual. The original R-Type is a difficult game, and is well known as being a "memorizer" - each level has a particular path to follow for success, so part of the challenge is learning that path, and in what order to take on the incoming enemies and obstacles. Feel free to share strategies, talk paths, share YouTube videos of play throughs or speed runs, etc. Also, let's compare scores! Tell everyone which version or port you're playing, and show off your high scores with pics or photos. If anyone manages to 1CC (1 credit clear) the game, feel free to show off, so we can all congratulate you on your victory!

A WORD ON THE GAME BOY PORT: The game defaults to the "HARD" difficulty. If you want to switch it to "EASY" difficulty, you'll need to hit the Select button at the title screen, where you can choose between the two settings. There is no "NORMAL" or "MEDIUM" difficulty setting. Also, there's no high score table in the Game Boy version, so the only way to capture your final score is to look at it on the screen as you die, before the screen changes to the "Game Over" message. Don't worry about grabbing a screenshot of your score, if you can't do so. Instead, just post what your score was when you died. This means we're all on the honor system, me included!


SPECIAL NOTE FOR R-TYPE DIMENSIONS: For those who may have difficulty with some levels, or aren't concerned with score as much, R-Type Dimensions has "Infinity Mode" which gives you unlimited lives, but I believe the concession is that all checkpoints are eliminated, and you have to clear a stage in a single life to progress. However, in the standard "3 Lives" mode, the regular checkpoints return, but as you complete levels and progress to the next, you unlock the ability to jump right to a stage, so it gives you the ability to practice a stage specifically. This is a great way to lean the levels and gain some mastery of each, so that you can eventually string together a full play through, and possibly work toward the elusive 1CC, as well as maximize your score!


6-7-18 QUICK UPDATE: I totally forgot to include R-Type DX on the Game Boy Color! DX has the original GB version packed in, as well as a colorized version that works on the new hardware, so that is also an acceptable port to play and discuss/score/etc. Sorry for the obvious exclusion!


PARTICIPANTS:
MetalFRO
singlebanana
Pam
Duke.Togo
Addicted
slackur
Voodoo Monkey
Despatche
NefariousWes
Douglie007
davyK
mightyqdawg
Zagnorch
Square_Air
D-rock

HIGH SCORES PER PLATFORM!
Game Boy:
Sega Master System: 367,200 by Square_Air
TurboGrafx/PCE: 608,500 by Square_Air
PlayStation: 246,200 by Addicted
PS3/360: 284,400 by MetalFRO
Game Boy Color:
Arcade/MAME: 1,088,300 by Square_Air

Bitchin'. Sign me up!

I'm in!

My trigger finger is ready, just need to decide on a platform. I may end up giving several a go.

That's what I'm going to do. Definitely going to dive into the Game Boy version, and I've had R-Types for years, and pulled it out recently to fire up. Plus I bought Dimensions on PS3 the other day, in anticipation of this, and it's pretty sweet. I'm giving serious consideration to grabbing either the SMS or Turbo versions, for comparison, but I'm not sure I want to drop the cash.

Great choice, and if I can nab a little time this month, I'll jump in. :)

Sign me up too!  Never played any of the R-Type games.  I didn't realize the series was inspired by Giger art.  Very cool.

I'll play, probably arcade, Game Boy, PC Engine, and maybe Mark III. Might give me an excuse to finally beat the first loop in the arcade version. I also need to do more testing with R-Types.

Welcome aboard, everyone! And welcome to RF Generation, Despatche! Good to see someone from the Shmups forum coming over for the play through.

What a coinkydink; I just completed the Bravo Sector on Rookie mode on Raptor: Call of the Shadows... that I downloaded from Steam a few days back. That's right, ya whippersnappers, I finally climbed aboard the Steam train! Hey, better late than never, right?

ANYhoo: I do own a copy of R-Type DX for game Boy Color... I'm afraid I lack a regular R-Type for any of the platforms listed in the initial post... I think. Is the PS3/360 version part of a compilation release? Or are they downloads from their respective online stores?


UPDATE: I just bought a Japan-region Game Boy cart off of eBay... I hope you're proud of yourself.

I'm incredibly proud of myself  ;D

Have the RTypes disc for PS1 so hope to get some time to get stuck into that.

Excellent! Does this mean you're on board for June?

Guess I'm busting out the master system, I'm in... I think this has fm sound, so my mod will get some love.  I suck at shumps so 250 cc for me

Yes, I do believe that the SMS port of R-Type has FM sound. Thanks for jumping in!

I forgot to post this before, but I briefly spoke about the shmup club idea on The Electric Underground podcast a couple weeks ago, along with shmups in general, collecting, etc. I name-dropped RF Generation a couple times, of course ;D

https://soundcloud.com/user-306325657

yeah - I'm in...

Awesome! Welcome aboard, and I look forward to your thoughts on whichever iteration you play.

Here's my current score for Sega Master System R-Type.  This score was achieved by a deathless run until the beginning of Stage 4, at which point I died and then (now being completely under-equipped) lost all my lives in quick succession.  I'm not sure how this score compares to similar runs on other ports (but maybe I'll try them and see...)

Stage 4 is where things really ramp up in the game, so yeah, it's easy to hit a wall there and find it harder to recover. Nice score, and welcome to the play through! Officially, this ramps up June 1st, but no harm in getting an early start, especially if you're hoping to power through and beat the game by the end of the month.

Whoops!  I guess I jumped the gun.  I wondered why no one was posting scores yet....

R-Type is also on the C64 (and I'm guessing other computers of the era). I'll have to give that version a go.

I watched a play through of the C64 version yesterday. It's a fair bit different. The dev made a number of sacrifices to get the game to run on the hardware, and it appears to make the game significantly easier.  And yes, it was also on the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MSX, PC-88, and X68000. Apparently, DotEmu has released R-Type and R-Type II on iOS and Android as well.

I got a little something on my doorstep the other day:








Let's see what I got:






Looks like I'm joining in the fight! Put me in, coach!

That's pretty awesome!

Woot! Welcome aboard, Zag!

Heyo, another shmups forum member here droppin' in. I'm no stranger to shmups but I've never gotten around to playing through the R-Type series, so this seems like a great opportunity for me to fill in a gap in my STG knowledge. I just started playing about 10 days ago and have put a good amount of time into the japanese arcade release and the Master System port, and I'm looking into jumping into either the Game Boy or PCE version next. Just to be clear, I will be playing with emulation. MetalFRO has expressed no problems with this, so i'm pleased to be able to join in on this.

Let's blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!  8)

The 4th stage of SMS R-Type is actually significantly harder than the arcade version, it's almost as difficult as the arcade second loop version in fact. The low shot cap and the unforgiving hitboxes really ramps up the challenge. Overall the SMS port is somewhat easier than arcade, but they made the 4th stage scarier to compensate.

Scores for the SMS port will be naturally lower than the standard. There are less enemies in general, certain scoring opportunities didn't carry over, and the most lucrative scoring/milking point (the stage 7 trash robot boss) is pretty lackluster in this version due to the low shot cap and fewer destructible objects.

Welcome aboard, Square_Air! Thanks for coming over, and welcome to RF Generation :D

I'm a huge fan of shmups, though like many others expressed on the other thread, I'm not actually that good at them. I revisited them as an adult and have never been able to devote the time necessary to master anything. But I have amassed quite a few of them over the years. About a month ago I bought R-Type Dimensions for PS3, and a PS2/PS3 adapter to use my PS2 Real Arcade Pro SA on the PS3. AND, I'm a teacher and will be on break starting June 2nd. All that to say, count me in!

Awesome! Welcome to the shmup club, and welcome to RF Generation, D-rock! Glad to have you aboard :D

It's June now, so I guess I'll share my results and experiences with R-Type and a few of its ports.

[img width=384 height=256]https://i.imgur.com/D44rNqj.png[/img] [img width=384 height=256]https://i.imgur.com/JVIObXm.png[/img]

Arcade - 1,088,300 - 2-ALL - 20HZ Autofire - ShmupMAME v4.2 [Japan]

Video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8r6fxgkIag)

This was a pretty clean 1 life clear, but there were a few small mistakes made. I also didn't go for any stage 7 garbage room checkpoint milking, so that would be the last major scoring step to work on, but it definitely complicates things. Overall I really enjoyed this game. The force is so satisfying to use once you figure out how to control it, it gives you an interesting tool set to tackle the problems this game throws at you. The level design is solid and all the levels are quite distinct from one another in gameplay and aesthetics. There's no shortage of opportunities to use the force to your advantage (especially since it absorbs shots), and while the DNA laser is definitely the best weapon, the blue and yellow weapons still have some good uses throughout the game. The music (and sound design) is also pretty good, with the stage 7 theme definitely being my favourite.

On the flipside, there's a few safespots that are a little dissapointing like the stage 7 & final boss, but they do require you to have sufficient upgrades. Being less than maxed out at the final boss (2 bits + force) means you don't get your free pass and actually have to do some dodging, so it's kind of a reward. There's a few points of the game that could have a bit less dead air, but that's a pretty minor complaint as the game actually has a pretty good pace. Checkpoint recovery is unforgiving, but not as bad as some of the other games released around the same time. There are a few checkpoints that are basically an immanent game over unless you pull some good RNG or know exactly how to handle it. I never really learned any checkpoint recovery and just put that time into working on not dying at all so I wouldn't be faced with that silliness. I guess checkpoint milking being not my favourite scoring method is also a complaint.

The 2-5 boss is the True Last Boss of R-Type. This boss stands out from the rest as its actions are governed by RNG instead of a fixed pattern, and it's not pretty. If it pulls a passive or moderate pattern you thank the stars and kiss your lucky rabbit's foot for the game showing mercy upon you, but if it pulls an aggressive pattern you have to move very quickly and precisely. I pick up an extra speed up for this section to give me a chance of being fast enough to out maneuver it just in case It gets aggressive. You only get one shot at this, and at 30 minutes in to the game it really sucks to die here since recovering here is painful and requires good RNG. I practiced this boss a lot (only behind stage 6) so I could have a chance to save my run if the RNG decided I wasn't fit to exist anymore, but I could only get about ~50-60% consistency at my best. I got an aggressive pattern on the less threatening 1-5 boss, but Luckily I was granted passage with a moderate 2-5 boss pattern in this run, and I was able to still make all the tight movements in stage 2-6 without getting nervous and crashing into a wall. Once I was in the stage 2-7 safespot I pretty much knew the run was complete, but having missed the safespot before due to having the extra speed made it pretty scary to get into place, but it was such a relief once I knew I made it.

R-Type is good. I'm even interested in checking out R-Type 2 eventually and attempting to learn its supposedly more brutal second loop. Glad to have played this.

I also have spent a little bit of time with some of the ports so far, and even plan to check out a few more throughout the month.

[img width=636 height=476]https://i.imgur.com/JhgzcT8.png[/img]

Sega Master System - 367,200 - 2-1 - Autofire Off - Fusion 3.64 [World]

This was a much more modest clear with me not managing to no miss the first loop, but a clear is a clear. I grew up with a Master System (with controllers that stop working if you nudge the cable the wrong way :P) so I have little bit of a soft spot for this version, even though I never played it until a couple weeks ago. It's pretty faithful for an 8-bit port I must admit, but it's not without its flaws. Sprite flickering and slowdown bog this version down, but it's far from unplayable. The music, graphics, and gameplay a step down from the Arcade version, but it's still R-Type so it sorta gets a thumbs up from me, but it's an inferior version in my eyes.

I went in after my 2-ALL of Arcade and figured I could just breeze through this, but SMS R-Type had a few tricks up its sleeve that I didn't expect. As I previously mentioned, stage 4 is much harder in this game due to the low shot cap and unforgiving hitboxes. Stage 6 on the other hand is way easier in this version since you have so much more room to move around. The change on the final boss really got me for a while though. The fact that you can't hold back and be safe during the whole fight is easy enough to manage with a few planned movements (which I still messed up on and died once...), but getting your force inside the boss is extremely finicky in this version. I spent a lot of time with my force just bouncing right off him and me not being able to figure out why. Eventually I figured out that you need to be slightly below the middle line to get it in the mouth, which is bizarre since the sprite would suggest that you needed to be a bit higher, but that's just not the case.

The high point of this run was that I was able to recover on stage 8 after a death and defeat the final boss while reaction dodging all over the place (and cursing at the screen ::)). My run ended early in 2-1.

[img width=598 height=448]https://i.imgur.com/3wExqLe.png[/img]

PC Engine/Turbografx 16 - 608,500 - 2-1 - Autofire On - Ootake 2.68 [USA]

The first loop was a no miss, and I used autofire since the TG16 obviously has built in auto. I actually don't have much to say about this version, but that's a good thing. It's a very faithful port, and basically everything I said about the Arcade version applies here. There are a few key differences here though. First is the screen unfortunately scrolls up and down to compensate for the different resolution, and it seems like there's also a bit of extra space past the edges of the visible screen as certain spawnkills don't work. There's an extra phase added to the 6th boss, and it's kind of neat. The soundtrack is a little different, but It holds up to the original. It seems like the Spinning turret wheel has been slightly changed, as using my arcade method for it got me killed in 2-1 and caused me to game over via chain death.

If you're not playing the arcade version (or an arcade accurate port), this is the best alternative.


And that's all I got for now. I'm looking into the Game Boy version still and thinking about checking out the PS1 version, so i'm not quite done yet with R-Type.

The Bydo empire can go suck eggs.  8)

Wow, I really appreciate the very detailed analysis, Square_Air! Sounds like you had pretty good command of the game's various levels, and have enjoyed yourself, playing through the 3 versions. I would definitely recommend you check out R-Types, as I believe that's the most accurate arcade port you'll find on an older console, even more so than the Turbo port. As for the Game Boy version, there are a couple caveats. First, it's shorter than the other ports, at only 6 stages. I don't think the Game Boy could have handled Stage 4's "trails" and large number of sprites at once, so they skipped it. They also skipped Stage 5, which doesn't hurt my feelings. Also, there are some weird collision detection problems. In Stage 2, for example, you can't get too close to the ceiling, because the ship's hitbox sometimes appears to either be a large rectangle around the ship, rather than the ship itself, but some of that may be the collision area of the ceiling, that it looks like you can fly into a certain area, but you can't really. In other instances, it looks like you can clip through some walls slightly, so the ship's nose can narrowly scrape some walls without registering, so in Stage 4 of the port, you can squeeze through some of the tighter spaces. Also, having not played R-Type in some while, I was able to squeeze out a "2CC" on that version, continuing only once in both loops, so I suspect you'll make quick work of that version. Still, it's reasonably competent, given the limitations of the GB.

As for my own play experience so far, I did that Game Boy clear, and then moved on to R-Type Dimensions on the PS3. That version is gorgeous, with nicely detailed graphics, and a good use of the 16:9 aspect ratio. I'm also enjoying the reimagined soundtrack, even though I like the original. It controls well, and I like that you can press the triangle button (if memory serves) to switch the graphics and audio, on the fly, back to the arcade original look and sound. I also like the fact that, once you reach a stage, you can select to start from that stage to practice and try and get better at it. I've been using that to practice Stage 5, which I've had some trouble with. There's also an "Infinite Mode" where you just respawn right where you died, which is nice for continuity, but without the specific checkpoints where you can recover, it's awful hard to do much more than die.

Maybe the more experienced folks here will know this, but in my practicing of Stage 5, I noticed that you can trigger an interesting power-up situation. After you defeat the first two "snake" enemies, and grab the speed-up, if you quickly take out the head of the third "snake" enemy, and then use only your regular shots to destroy its tail-end piece, when it comes up from the bottom of the screen, instead of a second speed-up, you'll get a blue power-up icon. I haven't been able to trigger that with 100% consistency, but it seems like that's the way to do it. Does anyone know if there are other instances in the game, whereby you can trigger a power-up change, based on specific criteria like that?

Excellent play there Square_Air!

I hope to squeak in a little time to play this soon, and I'm curious to try out a few different versions. The concept of catching the bullets with the Force is something that I have to work my brain into. My instinct is to always dodge.

And this is one of the things that made R-Type so unique, forward-thinking, and groundbreaking. It's part of why the series has had such lasting appeal, because the Force Pod mechanics are such an integral part of the game's design implementation. It's why R-Type Leo isn't as fondly remembered, and why the original game was ported to nearly everything during its heyday.

QUICK NOTE: I updated the original post to also mention R-Type DX on the Game Boy Color. Not sure why I forgot to mention it before, seeing as how I bought it as a new release, but that's an acceptable way to play the original port as well. There's the original GB version on the cart, as well as a colorized version. I will probably give that one a go as well, to compare to the original GB port, and see if they made any tweaks, other than adding the color aspect, to improve upon the GB port's shortcomings.

I put some time into R-Type again last night via the R-Types set on PlayStation. After having concentrated on Dimensions for a while, I think I can safely say that in some ways, the newer iteration is easier, because of the widescreen aspect ration, and the fact that they retooled the game around that a bit, so you can see enemies coming further away. However, some stuff isn't as easy. Playing the first boss last night, it took exactly 2 full charge blasts to take out the first boss, whereas in Dimensions, I seem to remember it taking at least 3. I can consistently reach Stage 4 on a single credit, and sometimes get to the boss, but I haven't quite nailed down my strategy for that boss fight yet, in the original arcade version. It's a reasonably easy fight in Dimensions, once you know where it's going to go on-screen, so it's a matter of translating that knowledge to the original arcade game and the 4:3 aspect ratio. Unfortunately, I won't have a chance to play again until as early as tomorrow evening, but I'm digging the fact that I've been able to make this much progress in the game, especially after usually hitting a wall toward the end of Stage 3, with the battleship. I'm hopeful to see the end of the first loop by the end of this month, if not sooner, depending on how much time I can dedicate. I'm also "this close" (pinches fingers together) to buying the SMS version to play.

Decided to jump in and try my hand at this. R-TYPE has been a constant thorn in my side for a long time and apparently is still. For some reason, I do a lot better with bullet hell style games than R-TYPE. That said, I managed to get to the second stage boss last night before wanting to throw my controller in frustration. I love the style and artwork, especially on the 360, but I've just never found myself interested in playing for long. Falling back to completely unpowered on a death just sucks the fun out of it for me.

Beautiful game, but not my thing.

98PaceCar, thank you for jumping in and giving it a go. I know R-Type can be brutal, and it’s not for everyone, so I understand the desire to give up. Here’s the thing I think is important to remember: this game is all about memorizing enemy patterns and figuring out the best path through a stage. Until I fully had a grasp on that, I always had a hard stop at Stage 3. I couldn’t, for the life of me, wrap my head around how you could take out the battleship, without being reckless. In tandem with the path memorization is that the weapons you’re given at any given time are usually what’s best for what’s coming next. There are a couple potential red herrings thrown in, where one weapon may not be the best choice, but usually, I have found that when the game offers you a weapon power up, it’s a good idea to at least try it out. I would also recommend no more than 1 speed up through most of the game, and 2 at most. Any more than that, and quick dodging of fast bullets usually becomes quick death as I dodge one obstacle, only to go careening into another. Persistence pays off as well. For years, I was stuck in Stage 3, because I would hit a wall and get frustrated, then just quit. It might feel like you’re not making progress, but every time you die, if you can think about what led up to that, and identify what you could have done differently, you can internalize those things, and slowly begin to build not only a pathway in your mind, but also some associated muscle memory to help guide you through further each time. I can consistently reach Stage 5 now, and usually get to the boss, after getting back into the game, and only playing again for a couple weeks.

I would also suggest trying another version, perhaps one that’s less hectic, like the SMS or Game Boy ports. I beat the GB version on 2 credits, both loops, after just a few nights of dedicated play. The SMS port, though I haven’t played it myself, is reportedly a bit slower paced and has fewer enemies than the arcade game. That might be a good way to ease into it more, learn the level layouts, and get a better feel for the flow of the game. That helped me learn the levels a bit more, by playing the Game Boy port, because I got a general sense of the structure and enemy placement, which partially translated to the more accurate versions.

Switching gears, does anybody else do the OCD thing where, after beating a boss, you move the R-9 as close as possible to where it moves automatically when it tallies the score? I hit it on the nose last night when playing, and it put a big smile on my face. I’m such a dork  :slick:

I haven't completely given up yet. It's a dance R-Type and I do every few years it seems. I feel like it shouldn't beat me so badly, so I keep coming back. Thanks for the advice. I'll see what I can do later this week once I clear out a few repairs I need to complete.

I seem to be stuck. I know what the proper path is for Stage 4, but for some reason, the occasional randomness of some enemy movements, and my own inability to stick to the path 100% of the time is seeing me languish in Stage 4. Some of it is that I'm splitting my focus, trying to listen to something else on TV while playing the game, so my attention isn't totally dedicated to the game, so I know that's a factor. I'm hoping, by the end of this week, so have Stage 4 "perfected" and Stage 5 largely mastered as well, so I can finally move on to Stage 6, and begin to tackle its patterns. I've been forcing myself to play through the entire game on a single credit so I can get better at the early stages and have them down to a science, and aside from some frustration when I make silly mistakes, I think it's helping me find a rhythm. I don't think I'll do more than the first loop this month, simply because I think it will take the rest of the month to progress to the point where I can complete all 8 stages in the first loop. That's okay with me, since I'm already farther than I had ever been before, and have a much better feel for the game than I have in the past.

Okay, now that it’s the middle of the month, I can’t wait any longer to share this. Here is a “2-ALL” from shmup Player extraordinaire, ex_mosquito. This is a great reference point for good paths through each stage, including a couple places that seemed unorthodox to me, but work surprisingly well. Also, I know I’ve advocated that it’s a good idea to pick up most of the weapons as they’re handed out, but this run uses the helix/DNA laser almost entirely throughout, and it’s a brilliant way to clear the game. Note the boss milking, and the fact that, while it isn’t a no-miss, it’s awful close, and it’s a really talented showing either way. Also of note is the judicious use of the Force Pod in an offensive manner. He’s also not afraid to attach it to the back of the R-9 when it makes sense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_16HX57QRA

This is making me want to try a helix laser run, and shift my strategy.

Finally had a chance to play this. I'd never played an R-Type before and first impressions, through both playing and what I've heard, would indicate it's not really my type of shooter. I'm not a fan of any game you have to memorize in order to succeed at and I also really prefer vertical scrolling to horizontal.

I do like the enemy design (what little I've seen it so far). My biggest complaint right now is hoe slow the ship moves. I'm finding it very difficult to get used to the lack of speed compared to all the shooters I'm used to.

I will give it another shot later though.

Thanks for the input, Pam. Yeah, one of the devices a lot of early shooters used was speed as a power-up, which is part of the quarter-muncher aspect of a game like that. Also, the memorization is a bit of a sticking point for many, but it is a key component of the game. The first 2 stages can be down without much memorization, and one could say that Stage 3 can as well, though there are a couple spots where you at least need to know when and where the battleship is moving, in order to ensure survival. However, with Stage 4 especially, you need to know when fast moving enemies will appear and what their trajectory is, because they leave a trail of obstacles in their path that you have to shoot through, or risk destroying your ship. Combined with fast moving bullets and a lot of enemies, and it gets hairy fast, unless you have a predetermined path where you can eliminate most foes before they even have an opportunity to take you on. Even if you have that path memorized, Stage 4 is still quite difficult.

The ship seems to move faster vertically than horizontally. Stage 4 is a beast but can be overcome with enough practice. Keep at it!  :)

Crap I forgot to start..

LOL, that’s okay. It’s never too late to start ;)

http://imgur.com/gallery/p7JxGGk

I realized that I hadn’t shared any scores yet. This isn’t my highest score yet, but I got it earlier this evening via R-Types on the PlayStation.

Anyone else having difficulty consistently getting past Stage 4? I was making progress in my ability to get past it, but somehow, I’ve regressed, and despite knowing what the safe path is, there’s enough randomness to some of the fast bullets that I find myself not able to execute the path the way I need to. When I reach the end of the stage, I can take out the boss, but getting there seems to be a problem. I think this issue is why I have never taken this game down: it would take me a long time to truly master the stages to the point where I can get pretty far into the game each time. With the last two games in the series, there’s less of an emphasis (from my own anecdotal experience) on pure memorization. I usually get reasonably far into either one of those games without too much fuss. I suspect if I dedicated a month to one or both, I might actually be able to complete the first loop.

This game is undoubtedly a classic, and hugely important in the scope, history, and formulation of the genre, but I am seeing more clearly where Pam is coming from. I would either need to put a LOT of time into the game, to learn the pathways inside and out, so I can achieve that consistency, OR just keep chipping away at it to continually build up a skill level with the game to get the fine motions and techniques down. I like the game, but I feel like the original, despite its charm, has been outdone by its successors. I look forward to playing other R-Type games in the future, but the month plus I’ve put into this game (across multiple versions) has been enough for me to recognize my own limitations in the genre, and understand better why I’ve never been a hardcore score player, and why I haven’t focused on completing a lot of shmups in a single credit. This is something I hope to do as we move through various games in the coming months, and definitely something that I hope we can discuss as we play other shooters, old and new.

Wow I really suck at this. Maybe I can blame the Master System Controller but I think I just suck at these games I almost beat the first stage LOL

It's definitely a difficult game, though the Master System version is supposed to be a bit easier than the arcade game, but I haven't played it for comparison. I would watch a play through of the first stage to get an idea of the path and strategy you might want to take. Watching Ex_mosquito's play through helped me get a better idea of the overall flow, so that's definitely a helpful approach.

My SMS is modded with the FM sound it sounds great.

I played a little of R-Type DX today. This version holds up surprisingly well, although R-Type still kicks my butt. I'm not sure why my brain can't wrap around the proper use of the Force, but it just doesn't. Made it to level 3 without too much trouble, but ran out of time to go any farther.

You can definitely tell this game was designed to be a quarter muncher. The difficulty is steep, and much more attuned to arcade-style play sessions. I don't think I would invest a crazy amount of time to master this game, but I appreciate the innovation that it brought at the time.

I'm curious as to weapon choices: it seems that these weapons are very situational and doesn't allow for much differentiation if you want to do well at each stage. Is that just me?

I'm with you here. I've put a ton of time into it this month, and Stage 6 is the farthest I can reach in either arcade (R-Types) or Dimensions. Funny enough, Stage 6 in the original is the GB (and DX) version Stage 4, which is quite a bit easier on the GB, due to there being far fewer of the "flying wall" enemies in that version, and of course, slower movement overall. The stage itself isn't that difficult, once you know what enemies are coming and where they appear, but the boss fight can be a real pain. There's a bit of a trick to it, and because of the janky hit detection in the GB version (which wasn't fixed in DX, apparently), can be frustrating. If you can make it through that boss fight, I suspect you'll have almost no problem reaching the final boss, because the last 2 levels in that version are actually pretty easy, compared to what came before.


I mentioned this earlier in the thread, and it bears repeating, since you brought it up. It does seem as though Irem designed the game around using MOST of the weapons provided, when they're provided to you. There are a couple red herrings, as I mentioned before, but for the most part, if you pick up the power-ups as they come, and keep your speed level within reason, your chance of survival is reasonably good, provided you have lay of the land. However, there's a contingent of more hardcore players that favor the "DNA laser" (aka the red weapon) over everything else, and use it almost exclusively, aside from the first section of Stage 3, where it's easier to take out the ship's underbelly with the yellow weapon, and also pick off one cannon at the top of the ship that you can only hit with that weapon. Otherwise, it's helix laser all the way. I have found some success with this method, and while it hasn't been consistent, I can see why some players favor this approach. I vacillate between the 2, mostly because I haven't found enough success with either strategy yet to prefer 1 to the other.

One thing I'll say is that, if you die any time before the end of Stage 5 in the full arcade game, it's possible to recover, though difficult. Stage 6, with its fast moving "flying wall" enemies, on the other hand, is far more difficult to recover from, because your ship doesn't have enough speed to easily maneuver around or between these things, and the tight corridors make things quite precarious, with the wall-crawling enemies shooting fast bullets at you, sometimes more than 1 at a time. Without some power-ups, or creative use of the Force Pod, to clear out enemies, it becomes a losing proposition very quickly.

Finally sat down to play some R-Type for about an hour this weekend. This is the first time that I have ever really put some focused time into this title and I'm pretty happy I made it to the end of Stage 4.  If anything, the game is fair as there are really no differentiations in enemy patterns. It's really all about repeat play and figuring out the safest routes.

I'm also really impressed by the structure of the stages.  While some are longer and require that normal shmup pattern of making it through a stage and facing a boss at the end, I really liked Stage 3 and it being one large battle against a ship.  Really neat and keeps you from getting bored due to repetition as can happen with shmups from time-to-time.

Great pick!

Thanks for the observations! Yeah, the Stage 3 battleship was very forward-thinking for its time, as that has been aped by a number of other games in the years since, though 1943 probably gets the credit for the idea, what with ACTUAL battleships that you attack in the game's semi-realistic setting. Even so, the ability to pick off turrets, as well as to do damage to the ship's structure itself, and the ability to see visible evidence of the damage done, was an impressive thing in 1987. Also, color me impressed that you made it to Stage 4 so quickly! The battleship is often a wall for people just approaching the game, and was definitely my biggest obstacle for years.

Here are my scores for R-Types on the PS1: I just entered AAAAA to keep things short)

[img width=700 height=525]https://i.imgur.com/ohz68vP.jpg[/img]

During our shmup competition a few years ago, we played R-Type Final, so I'm used to the mechanics of the Shield add-on. I definitely died a ton, but was able to adjust pretty quickly to stage 3 and figure out what I needed to do

I think this is my highest score so far, which I achieved in the PS3 R-Type Dimensions port:
[img width=700 height=525]https://i.imgur.com/9Qswr47.jpg[/img]

And yes, it's hard to read because of the glare from the CRT, but it's 284,400 points.

I've can't seem to get past the ship on level 3[img width=700 height=393]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180630/1aa755c4b5befedb849b384d4f521ebf.jpg[/img]

Yeah, the battleship is pretty tough at first - you really need to strategize how you're going to approach each section of it, because some of the turrets can take you out w/o much advance warning. Also: love that shirt!

I'm going to try and ruminate on this game for a day or two, and then try and post some final thoughts. Anyone else is welcome to do the same, now that we've had the full month to play it. Thanks, everyone, for participating, and I hope you all had a fun month of R-Type action!

I did enjoy it. My issue is the screen stopped scrolling and the ship crushed me. That score was still my best.  We better luck for this month.

I wanted to post some final thoughts about R-Type. This has always been an intimidating game for me. I was hoping to see the final boss in one of the better ports, like R-Types, or Dimensions, but I realize that my own limitations as a gamer start to rear their ugly heads. Having said that, I'm glad that I was able to get much further in the game than I had previously, and while I still have a lot of work to do to get through the first loop of the game, I no longer feel like it's an impossible task, both due to my own progression in a few short weeks, but also from watching some YouTube videos (like Ex Mosquito's 2-ALL above), and seeing players really blaze their way through the game. In a weird way, despite my own skill level being far below that, it gives me a certain comfort to know that the game isn't as hard as I often make it out to be, despite it still being a considerable challenge. I'm glad to have revisited this game now, and look forward to possibly taking a closer look at R-Type II at some point in the future, as well as definitely diving (back) into Delta and Final.