Thanks mate. ^^ My only concern with the game is that it doesn't have leaderboards per level. Most of the time I simply don't want to run through the whole game (and probably killed by those circular laser turrets at the end), just want to get a quick fix and get a nice score -- just want to have a quick point run on one level. Anyway, the game is quite perfect as it is.
Exactly. That's the one thing missing from both DDPR and Espgaluda 2 that stops them being totally perfect - it's impossible to have a meaningful play without devoting at least 25-30 minutes to it. It's a dumb and surprising omission, because it's practically zero extra coding and a massive increase in replay value, therefore keeping people talking about your game.
But i think there's a limit to the number of boards they can have on openfeint and gamecenter?~ They stated that reason for not having separate boards for different difficulties too. If they had a board for each level, then for 3 ships and 6 levels, they would need 24 boards~ and for 3 different styles in arcade mode, well you can do the math. I don't think CAVE is a lazy company.
I'm sure there's some limit, and afaik (for programming in general) very few things are "practically zero extra coding." If it's possible it'd be nice of course. Ranking wise I wish they would implement a view where it would be easier to see the different scoreboards, like the built in boards (rather than the long list, tapping to go back and forth, waiting for it to load, etc). I know it's possible to not use the default GC interface (I've seen a few games do it), although I'm not sure if it'd be possible to revamp it to the extent of fitting their standard scoreboard.
I don't know anything about board limits and I'm pretty sure it would take seroius resources to code a per level score system into the game. Still, I would like to see something like this at some point, because a) I don't have the time to run through the whole game every time I'm in a competitive mood, and b) I can't compete with the highest scores as they are now -- simply don't have the patience. Per level scoreboards would give a nice competitive edge to everyone -- I mean I can deal with sucking on one level successively, while I don't want to deal with it in complete runs.
CAVE games are all about 1 CC and getting into the second loop... Almost all CAVE games have a second loop or some kind of a re-run...Entering which is quite a task most would agree. The ports are true to their arcade roots. Having a per level score board would simply nullify the meaning of trying to get to the hidden loops. Mabbe they could have per level score boards for the iphone mode, if they didn't have hidden loops. And a FULL run takes half an hour~40 mins max. If you wanted shorter gameplay~ go with Phoenix. For a more Epic gameplay, stick to CAVE games. I find getting a highscore on cave games more satisfying than in phoenix. And for short bursts i stick to the time-trial mode in Mushihimesama Bug panic. The current boards are adequate imho.
+1 I agree completely. CAVE games are immensely satisfying. And if you get good at Phoenix, games can actually take quite a bit of time.
@Coldcoffee: you're right, the game is superb and immersive as it is. Still, you can't compare the iphone version to the console / arcade ones -- it simply lacks the original controls ( buttons especially). I stick to my point that I'd like to play DDPR in short burst the same way as Phoenix (even if a 3million+ run takes ages in the latter). No biggie, of course, I can compete with myself per level.
Your right~ can't compare the iPhone mode with arcade because i enjoy the iPhone mode more.. And i don't find the lack of buttons too bothersome in DDP:R The given controls are sufficient imo. Although i would say the Controls in the arcade mode for Espgaluda II are lacking because its simply too much to turn the shot on/off, which happens to be very important for scoring in the arcade mode. Anyways, If you like it in short bursts, just play a level and quit. Games have the option for continuing
Correct me if I'm wrong but DDR removed the continue system it had in Espagaluda I'm talking about the one where when you exit the app you can come back and start of whatever stage you quit on.
I can never seem to keep my hit counter increasing... I get it up a bit then it dives. I've seen videos of players keeping a high hit counter but I just can't seem to pull it off. Still love the game though and really enjoying playing it over and over.
Kind of a trick to it, and it involves switching back and forth between regular shot and laser. 1. The powered up regular shot cancels bullets and raises a huge hit counter, but if you aren't also killing enemies, then you run the risk of losing your counter entirely. 2. The laser maintains your counter when there's no enemies around, and slowly raises it while having it focused on an enemy. So you need to sort of feather back and forth between the two in order to keep it growing. Here's my best hit counter to date:
Actually from what I've read it reaches off screen farther so it hits enemies that are off screen and aren't reached by the normal shot.
Just one tip that I would like to share with all new Dodonpachi players.. When u start playing, press pause button and shake ure device till u hear "piing" sound then resume playing with new background music which is f...ing great! There are so many things u need to discover in this game.. I suggest u check Cave's blog for more info and try to google for some tips about higher scorings, hidden routes etc.. have fun
I've never been able to figure out the iPhone mode, but probably I just haven't tried hard enough. Somebody above asked how this played on the iPad. Well, I haven't played this one yet, but Espgaluda II plays fantastic on the iPad 2 and I imagine this one will too. Of course I wish their games were native, but actually playing the game is easier due to the larger screen and your finger getting in the way much less, and it doesn't look too bad in 2x. I do hope they eventually give us a universal version, though, of all their games. Even M. Bug Panic seems to play well on the iPad.
it's so hard to play without using the bombs in the last level, but even if you manage than you need to get all bees, what is probably even harder. however there is one question, sometimes when you use the laser the counter starts to drop when there are no enemies, but sometimes it becomes zero. maybe someone knows what is the difference?
Love this game! Just cant seem to get to the 2nd loop, as yeah the last area is really hard to finish without dying at least once especially that one with those rotating lasers mixed with bullets
