Let's All Play-Current challenge: Beat Outrun - end in one of the bottom 3 goals

[Bloodreign]

Rastan is a hack and slash, Forgotten Worlds is a jetpack shooter which used a dial controller, other than being arcade games, they share nothing in common.

Now back to the challenge.

As for myself, I get my ass handed to me in this game, and it's not because of the controls, it's because I need practice.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I think I am getting better. I can finish the first level now. Also found that the upward inputs need a moment to cycle to or through. As in, it's not instantaneous. You can get some good dispersed defensive fire this way. I initially thought the controls were botched, but I think the way they are is deliberate and could be used to your advantage when you understand how the gun aims and the timing. I'm saying that because after trying to do what the game is looking for on the input side, I'm getting better results.

I still prefer the controls in Super C NES.

[Ed Oscuro]

Here's how aiming works:

If you move the joystick from the center to any of the eight cardinal directions (up, down, left, right, and diagonals), he will immediately start shooting that way. If you sweep the joystick through different directions (for example, from the joystick pointing right to the up-right diagonal to up) the aim point will sweep through those directions at a steady rate.

Thus, if you return the joystick to the center you can immediately fire at any of the cardinal directions. It's very handy to shoot diagonally downwards (in the first stage) at enemies in a trench, or aim a single bullet at an item blimp above (I do it all the time).

It's not complicated, but with my keyboard in MAME it often is tough to hit the up diagonals, but sweeping through diagonals still doesn't cause me any problems. There's rarely any reason to stop running so folks playing with a real joystick will find that you can aim towards where enemies will be with plenty of time to spare in most situations.

Hard difficulty, as I said before, is a bit different and more plodding and dependent on jumping over lots of bullets. Different story.

[Arasoi]

Looks like I'm choosing the new challenge.

Mission 12: Space Manbow

Beat The first 5 stages of Space Manbow without continuing

The usual caveats apply. No save states, no cheat cartridges (yes, one does exist for the MSX). I can't provide ROM links, but for those those needing help with the MSX2 emulator heres a simple set of instructions. Find and download the emulator called bluemsx, locate your rom, and do the following.





Yep, thats it. I'll be playing this one in RGB with a real cart and MSX2+. Good luck everyone!

[c0ldb33r]

I was hoping to beat the last one, but couldn't get past the controls.

Hey Arasoi, I've got a question about this mission - "Beat The first 5 stages of Space Manbow using only 1 continue."

To me, this means that we can continue once (use all our lives and then continue one time). Is this what you meant or did you mean that we cannot continue at all?

[Ed Oscuro]

I believe he means one "credit," just the first set of lives. It isn't written that way though, so he'll have to clarify that. I'm practicing doing it with just the first set of lives.

I am gonna say right now, folks trying this challenge via emulator should just force their way to the fifth stage and the boss. In fact, folks using real machines might want to practice on an emulator as well

When you die at the fifth stage boss you've got to go through the whole high-speed section after the laser barriers again to face the boss. The boss is the nastiest in the game up to this point, easily; it's either impossible or harder than usual to point-blank it with autofire to make it go away before it gets a shot in. Its pattern is kind of nasty and unpredictable too, plus it circles around to the far left of the screen where you can't hit it and have to dodge all its shots until it circles back.

On top of that, the section of stage right before it has a lot of "homing" enemies which I deal with poorly.

[Arasoi]

Sorry for the confusion, I should have stated "without continuing".

I edited my original post.

I'd better start practicing too.

[Ed Oscuro]

Done with the challenge, proof coming soon. Hope to get a bit further here.

Turns out the fifth boss is actually pretty easy. I lost a bunch of lives on the first section of the level for some reason this time, though.

Emulator practice shows that the second loop is harder, possibly much harder - the enemies that shoot three beams in the first stage sweep in from the left, so it looks like I will actually have to use the directional switch - which I kept forgetting about until today (found it again by accident).

[Ed Oscuro]

Important thing to mention:

Arasoi asked me some days ago what I thought a decent number of stages to get through Space Manbow on one continue would be. I just pulled up the number five on the spot (I vaguely remembered that was about when the first boss that was "tough" for me shows up). I knew he probably was thinking about making it the challenge so I didn't play it or test it out at all until the number came up. Even so, it might not be fair to choose another game. That said, I did beat this one fair and square. Welcome for thoughts on this one. Actually, I'm hoping somebody else will actually finish this one - if nobody else does I'll certainly try to claim next choice.

I got through yet more of the game after that (obviously haven't been playing all this time), and my final score was 766,X00 points at Stage 7. If I can just learn that one the first loop is within my grasp.

Screen snap here. Too bad the pause for Space Manbow is so silly (occasionally it just throws up garbage, as well). Also, playing around with BlueMSX some, the game feels less responsive under MSX2 emulation, but I ought to check it out more. Definitely suffers a bit of slowdown on the 2+ that lets players essentially adjust game speed. Also, BlueMSX has a terrible UI (couldn't come back to small screen after the mouse moved during fullscreen, i.e. it crashed; quicksaves don't actually save a state to the hard drive, ).

[Icarus Moonsight]

I've heard good things about NLMSX. Last build was over 5 years ago, but that doesn't seem too be to concerning. blueMSX GUI is ugly mess... And the fullscreen toggle was thought up by the Thousand Armed Goddess apparently.

Also, since playing some of the MAME games in the challenges... I don't like what they did to MAME+ GUI or it's options/setting and folder structure. I'm going to try switching to MAME32. I'll go command line version if needed though. Batch files are cake anyways.

[Ed Oscuro]

Also, since playing some of the MAME games in the challenges... I don't like what they did to MAME+ GUI or it's options/setting and folder structure. I'm going to try switching to MAME32. I'll go command line version if needed though. Batch files are cake anyways.

MAME Plus! ?

And MAME32 is now MAMEUI, has been for a while.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Yeah, this is the first time I've put MAME on my 'puter since Monday Morning MAME, before it went into torpor last time.

MAMEUI, great. Now I don't have to search for and dig up an old MAME32 build off my external HDD.

v.135 already, man these guys work like beavers.

I tried MAME+ .134, then found an old archive of MAMEPlus! .114 (I think, when ever they finally got Gradius 4 working, somewhat) and ran with that. Still had the config files for joystick game select and the screenshots. My custom folders were back too. *sigh* Time to start over.

[fahlim003]

I made it to Stage 4 but have not beaten the boss. If death occurs at the boss or nearly anywhere in the later 1/2 of 4 recovery is not too easy, somewhat frustrating.
I should be able to get to 6 by weeks end.

[Arasoi]

I made it to Stage 4 but have not beaten the boss.

Same here, though I've had to use some continues. I've got the knack of getting powered back up in the tough sequence before the boss though. This challenge is harder than I expected, but that's a good thing.

[fahlim003]

Challenge done.
RuMSX 0.28 (MSX2 settings)


I quite dislike this game but it's challenging at the very least. I would like it if there was shield since many deaths early on (in terms of experience, not progress) are cheap. I won't be touching this for a long time to come.

Stage 6 is also amusing. If you die anywhere in the 1/2 way point you can essentially repeat the same section over and over again, since several enemies yield high numbers of points, netting at least 1 extend per go. I did not beat Stage 6 and when all was said and done in this run I had 935,000 points. That's double what I earned in the previous 5 stages, good old Space Manbow.

[Ed Oscuro]

I was wondering if there was a checkpoint milking trick for Stage 7. I didn't die in Stage 6 so I missed that one. Definitely puts a damper on plans to play the game for score (first loop anyway).

Edit: Also, the game gets rather more amusing from Stage 7 onward (though the play style doesn't really change). After Stage 7 the game starts to break up into shorter segments with short bosses and other stuff up to the end of the game.

Also, letter N on the keyboard changes the direction of the options' shots (first up and down, then backwards; third press returns them to front and center). I got good enough in the first loop to play most of the game without switching, but it really simplifies things. Seems to be a must-have for the second loop, and very useful in loop one's seventh stage.

[fahlim003]

I was wondering if there was a checkpoint milking trick for Stage 7. I didn't die in Stage 6 so I missed that one. Definitely puts a damper on plans to play the game for score (first loop anyway).

Edit: Also, the game gets rather more amusing from Stage 7 onward (though the play style doesn't really change). After Stage 7 the game starts to break up into shorter segments with short bosses and other stuff up to the end of the game.

Also, letter N on the keyboard changes the direction of the options' shots (first up and down, then backwards; third press returns them to front and center). I got good enough in the first loop to play most of the game without switching, but it really simplifies things. Seems to be a must-have for the second loop, and very useful in loop one's seventh stage.

The milking in Stage 6 is absurd, simply since if you're patient millions of points are possible without any consequence. It was funny, at first I simply wanted a 500k score... then 600k was possible, then 700k, then 800k, then I thought a million would be good but I wasn't too interested and satisfied with 900k so I gave up the ghost. 7 and up sounds interesting, more lively anyway, although 5 is a pretty active area too. I'll check out some more replays on the 'tube.

And yeah, I know about the option switch. I used the mapped controls in RuMSX to use my Saturn pad. A fire B option switch. It's pretty handy to be sure.

[Ed Oscuro]

Well then, I think that this challenge should go to fahlim, only condition being no crappy challenges

[Arasoi]

Hats off to Ed and Fahlim, this was a rough challenge and I never was able to get past Stage 4 on one credit. So close, yet so far.

[fahlim003]

Well then, I think that this challenge should go to fahlim, only condition being no crappy challenges

Define crappy. Thank you for the recommendation, but I cannot think of anything immediately. That, and I'm keen to take a break. I doubt anyone would be up for a 1LC of Metal Black... would they? Maybe 1 million points in Dragon Blaze? All kidding aside, I'll gladly make a future selection but right now I'm drawing a blank.