DODONPACHI MAXIMUM - (by CAVE) - Universal App

[Coldcoffee]

Originally Posted by Connector

Even though playing games on my ipad have made me appreciate good puzzle games too. I'm so glad cave is around to make good shmups. They rock!

Agreed!

[japtor]

Originally Posted by strivemind

It should also be noted that the laser bomb also has a bullet cancelling effect that can really rack up some big scores and multipliers.

Noticed that too on my last play, considering it recharges it seems like it's meant to be used as a scoring tool.

Originally Posted by pentarou

So I just started playing with the Orchid on 5C

Then this happened



I'm sure I'll only be #1 for a few hours but hey I'll take it

Is there a particular trick to that ship? (Never played Akai Katana so I wouldn't know if it has to do with any of those game mechanics)

Originally Posted by Connector

Usually never play shmups on easy mode, but I
am curious to see what it is like. Going to go play it now before I go to sleep.

For anyone else on the fence, it's worth it just for that different 5A level.

[Connector]

Originally Posted by Royce

Easy mode just takes you through the easy stages, 1A-5A.

Man, that easy mode is really easy. I can easily get through all five levels without even getting hit once. In fact, that mode I wouldn't even call it a bullet hell. DDPR even on novice setting is much much harder.

If it were me I would call the easy level "toddler", the normal levels 1A-5A "easy", 2B-5B "normal", C-D probably "hard", and E "hell".

The colors are pretty, they gotta tighten the controls on the ipad. I would figure iphone players would have an advantage due to the controls.

And I don't quite understand it, but the framerate seems
Better on my iphone4 than my new ipad. Really weird, it is always the other way around. Most be because of the borders and upscaling. Anyone notice the same thing?

And is this buttery smooth on the iphone 5? I notice on both my iphone 4 and new ipad, that after you kill an end boss and get all the coins up, the framerate goes way down almost to a studder. For some reason get it even more on my new ipad than my iphone 4. Even the bullets seem
Smoother framerate wise on my iphone 4 vs new ipad. First time I have ever seen this happen. Weird. How is it on iphone 5?

Have to say the colors show up much better on
My new ipad, really pretty.

[pentarou]

Originally Posted by japtor

Noticed that too on my last play, considering it recharges it seems like it's meant to be used as a scoring tool.

Is there a particular trick to that ship? (Never played Akai Katana so I wouldn't know if it has to do with any of those game mechanics)

Hmm...I haven't played Akai Katana either. My only recommendations are - (1) strategic bombing, (2) strategic suicide to increase bomb meter, (3) the little homing shot on the Orchid appears to prevent the chain meter from decaying.

[Coldcoffee]

I wish DDPR HD was as smooth as this on iPhone 4

[Sups]

Can't seem to install this on my Ipod Touch 5th gen, says it requires a digital compass. Hope this gets fixed.

[Royce]

Originally Posted by Sups

Can't seem to install this on my Ipod Touch 5th gen, says it requires a digital compass. Hope this gets fixed.

Sounds like one of those workarounds for Apple not allowing specific compatible device listing (like games with bogus camera requirements). Anyway, it doesn't list any iPod models at all in the compatibility portion of the app description, but you would certainly think the 5th gen would be one of their main target devices since its optimized for the resolution.

[syntheticvoid]

Originally Posted by Connector

Man, that easy mode is really easy. I can easily get through all five levels without even getting hit once. In fact, that mode I wouldn't even call it a bullet hell. DDPR even on novice setting is much much harder.

If it were me I would call the easy level "toddler", the normal levels 1A-5A "easy", 2B-5B "normal", C-D probably "hard", and E "hell".

The colors are pretty, they gotta tighten the controls on the ipad. I would figure iphone players would have an advantage due to the controls.

And I don't quite understand it, but the framerate seems
Better on my iphone4 than my new ipad. Really weird, it is always the other way around. Most be because of the borders and upscaling. Anyone notice the same thing?

And is this buttery smooth on the iphone 5? I notice on both my iphone 4 and new ipad, that after you kill an end boss and get all the coins up, the framerate goes way down almost to a studder. For some reason get it even more on my new ipad than my iphone 4. Even the bullets seem
Smoother framerate wise on my iphone 4 vs new ipad. First time I have ever seen this happen. Weird. How is it on iphone 5?

Have to say the colors show up much better on
My new ipad, really pretty.

All Cave games are fairly simple to get through, it's the scoring mechanics that make the gameplay hard and addictive.

For instance, yes DDPM is easy to get through, especially on the upper tier levels, but once you start playing for high scores (the closer to enemies you are, the bigger stars you earn = higher score), it gets difficult, even on normal A levels, and especially on the lower c, d, e levels. Keeping your ship in the top 1/3 of the screen as much as you can is quite the rush.

Even on easy mode, keeping your ship as close to enemies as you can while tring to play for a high score can get difficult...

Then add in memorizing when blue enemies (which you can fly through) and green enemies (which you can to fly through) all come onto the screen, keeping your chain up as much as possible, when to bomb, when to strategically die, ect, and you've got yourself a typical Cave experience... Even if it's slightly simplified, Cave's all over this system. I love it.

TL;DR-all Cave games are fairly simple until you play for score and become addicted trying to find and perfect the optimal run.

[GregB]

Synth -

A few pages back you wrote: "...as well as different ways of playing with each of the ships..."

What did you mean by this? I'm on the fence to buy and wondering if there is less variety here than in DDPR that I already have. The choices of ship styles before play and the in-play button system mix things up in DDPR. How does it work here?

[syntheticvoid]

Originally Posted by GregB

Synth -

A few pages ack you wrote: "...as well as different ways of playing with each of the ships..."

What did you mean by this? I'm on the fence to buy and wondering if there is less variety here than in DDPR that I already have. The choices of ship styles before pla and the in-play button system mix things up in DDPR. How does it work here?

I don't know about more variety than DDPR... especially considering the iPhone mode included in Resurrection, and how the bombs and lasers effect gameplay differently... but the ships in Maximum are more comparable to Danmaku Unlimited's ship selection - with Cave's DP chaining thrown into the mix...

Like Royce said, the Laser allows you to strategically place yourself in position to carry on chains longer by not destroying ships - but it also builds it's combo slower.

The Spread Shot can destroy large groups of enemies fairly quickly, but builds it's combo meter at about the same speed as the laser and carrying on chains is pretty difficult.

Lock-on builds it's combo insanely quick, but you'll be clearing out enemies left and right without even thinking about it and, like the Spread Shot, that makes it pretty difficult to string together a long chain.

Orchid, er, bomb ship, has lower firepower, but is pretty much a spam bomber - so using bombs to keep up your chain and raise your combo is required to score big with it.

Variable type...

I dunno much about this one except that you can stop moving and turn your spread shot into a laser (but this is touchy, you basically have to move and then take your finger off the screen to keep the laser going).

But all of them have different shot powers and bomb raise rates (don't quote me on this one, as I'm just guessing, but it seems like some build up bombs quicker than others), and like Danmaku Unlimited, it really depends on your style of play, but also like a Cave game... and chances are there's a ship that seems like the best high-score ship, but that will suffer in the later levels while a harder to master ship will suffer in the beginning levels but completely wipe out that high-scoring ship in the later levels... good thing is that you have 15 separate stage leaderboards and can quit and switch ships then get back to the level you're on. =oP

**I don't claim to be an expert, so if anyone wants to correct me, please do, I won't take offense. =o/