December Shmup Competition Thread

[techwizard]

it may be in the competition's best interest to disqualify it.

not that it's up to me, but in all the past competitions we've never had so many disclaimers and strict specific conditions to follow to join in as have been suggested in this one. in streets of rage no one was limited to a specific character or anything along those lines. i feel like if something is in the game, it should be allowed, because even if it's secret it's available for everyone to use. if i had r-type, i could use that craft you're talking about just as easily as you could, it's not like you have a massive advantage over me overall, i would just have to try the other craft. imo the whole point is finding the best combination of choices/setup and skill, not just "everyone has to be exactly identical and any deviation is cheating".

we aren't nascar.

[Boshamp]

[img width=500 height=281]http://86bb71d19d3bcb79effc-d9e6924a0395cb1b5b9f03b7640d26eb.r91.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/super-smash-bros-wii-u-3ds-new-challenger-approaching.gif[/img]

I was only able to pick up a few of these, but I will play. If nothing else, I can maybe screw with some of your overall scores. Muah ha ha

[techwizard]

holy s*** gradius is hard, terrible start to it for me. i can't get past the first level, i made it to the boss once but that was sheer luck. those volcanos near the boss are ridiculous, if you don't have 2 options enabled you're screwed unless you have amazing dodging ability. the boss appears to have no weak point, so i did zero damage before dying...unless it was taking damage and not indicating it at all.

i've beaten gradius III before, and that makes it really difficult to go back to 1. having missles that only go down is agravating, and enemies that come from behind are infuriating.

i didn't bother with a picture because there's no way anyone is as bad as me, but my best score was around 55,000 or so.

[MetalFRO]

I got farther last night on Gradius than I ever have before, and scored somewhere over 300K when my NES froze up. Looks like I need to clean my Gradius cart, & possibly my NES' 72-pin connector. I reached the stage with the indestructible Moai heads spinning around and flying toward you.

@techwizard - if you have a NES Max or Advantage joystick with auto fire, I'd recommend that. Makes the game way easier. Also gives better scoring possibilities on the volcanoes.

[Duke.Togo]

[img width=700 height=700]http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/jackcrow2000/43038544-EF46-4D53-A45A-8E4636202633_zpspe896b37.jpg[/img]

Not a great start, but eh.

techwizard: There is a place that you can park your ship where you will be safe, in the lower left where the shots are at the same level as the tops of the volcanos. There is a 5,000 secret bonus and a secret 1up on the first stage as well.

[singlebanana]

Updated scores are now listed on initial thread. Sorry techwizard, but "around 55,000" isn't going to cut it. Pics or it didn't happen. I know you plan on putting up a better score anyway and didn't intend for me to post it.

[singlebanana]

Why on earth did they not call it Thunder Force IV in the US?!

It had something to do with licensing, though I don't know the details. Not sure why it was "Lightening" and not "Lightning", either.

@singlebanana - I don't recall how you unlock WR-03, it's been years since I did so. You may want to consult a FAQ on the matter. But as I said, you can spam the lock-on laser pretty hard to track up 50+ chains, resulting in a clear advantage in favor of that craft, so it may be in the competition's best interest to disqualify it.

From what I have gathered off wiki, the WR-03 is only an unlockable in the arcade version of the game. If that is the case, then I don't see an issue with using this craft. I will pop in the game soon and check to see if it is indeed an option.

Techwizard, I understand where you are coming from and I agree with your comments to an extent. If the craft is unlockable using a certain code or controller technique, then we can share how to unlock with the group and there is no issue. However, let's say that the way to unlock this craft is to beat the game. Is it fair to those who have never played the game to be subject to an advantage that someone has previously unlocked and saved on their memory card? I say it is not and unlevels the playing field. This is my main concern. Comparing something like this to selecting a different character in SoR is apples and oranges; no one is contesting using an option that is already available, just one earned prior to this competition.

[MetalFRO]

^^ Agreed.  Although, if beating the game is what unlocks it, it doesn't take much to beat RayCrisis by credit feeding.  I did it 5 or 6 times over the few days I was playing with it recently, so either way it's probably not an issue.

[techwizard]

i wasn't aware we were talking about a craft that can only be unlocked with a secret code, button combo, or beating the game. i thought we were talking about the difference between 2 craft choices at the start of your first time playing, it's that situation that i would find it excessive to restrict people to 1 craft, or any situation where the advantage is all in simple choices the game offers you, not in well hidden secrets or unlockables.

[singlebanana]

Oh yeah, no doubt that would be silly to restrict someone's craft of choice when everyone has the ability to use it.

[RetroRage]

Something weird happened when I was playing Gradius earlier.  I beat the first level boss, and all the sudden those giant head things were flying at me for a few seconds and I was transported to level 3.  How does that happen?

[singlebanana]

Uh, same here..... Super Weird

[Duke.Togo]

There is a warp after the first boss if you kill him quickly enough. Probably not terribly useful if going for score IMHO.

[RetroRage]

There is a warp after the first boss if you kill him quickly enough. Probably not terribly useful if going for score IMHO.

I dunno about that, you get a huge boost in score too.

[RetroRage]

Lotsa practice to get to 220600.  Dunno if I can get much better than this.

[img width=700 height=933]http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w365/adsanislo/20141202_214059_zpsqcoqafu6.jpg[/img]