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Ikaruga (PC) |OT| Even though the resolution is high, I never give in.

danmaku

Member
I've never played a schmup before, but I've heard so much about this game I'm excited to try it. Is there anything I should know about this game that's not common sense/explained in the tutorial?

A good suggestion is: play on easy. Not having suicide bullets makes a big difference in Ikaruga and lets you focus on correct polarity switching and (if you want) chaining. On normal, I died countless times from suicide bullets after a careless polarity switch. Besides, it's a hard game, there's no shame in playing on easy :)
 
Ah crap, not all sticks are supported? I have a Hori Wireless FS-3 (got for free, it ain't the best) that works flawlessly with SSFIV:AE, Skullgirls, and KOF XIII. It suddenly won't work with this? :(

Small consolation is that I at least own those Madcatz SFIV Saturn fightpads, so I do have something I can use as a backup.

Actually, I got my Q4 to work by plugging it into my PC when it was in 360 mode as opposed to switching it from PS3/PC to 360 while it's plugged in. So it seems like sticks that have 360 internals are fully supported.
 
Actually, I got my Q4 to work by plugging it into my PC when it was in 360 mode as opposed to switching it from PS3/PC to 360 while it's plugged in. So it seems like sticks that have 360 internals are fully supported.

This is a PS3 wireless stick, but it seems to have drivers for Windows. It works with most of my games, so I hope it works here. About to purchase and find out!
 

McNum

Member
Aw, my Chthulu modded stick isn't recognized. Not even if I launch the game thorugh Big Picture mode which CAN be controlled by the stick. So, I played it on a stock 360 controller. That... is not the optimal way to play this game. Maybe I should try keyboard or mouse.

Speaking of keyboard, can you play Co-op with one player on controller and the other on keyboard?

Also, Ikaruga is a tad difficult. Like the Pacific Ocean is a tad damp. I truly suck at this game, I spent more time dead in some boss fights than alive. And, of course, the ever-popular, "Oh! I need to swtich pola-" *BOOM* "Never mind."

How do you go from being the most colorful explosion in the game to actually being okay at it?
 

epmode

Member
Holy shit, this is everything I ever wanted. Works great with my SF4 Tournament stick.

Get on this, Cave. Let me give you more money.

How do you go from being the most colorful explosion in the game to actually being okay at it?

I suggest ignoring the scoring system entirely. At least until you get pretty good.
 

Lotto

Member
I can't believe this actually released. The only reason I'd ever hook up my GC was probably for this game and now it's on Steam! Good to see impressions here that the port works very well too.
 
Aw, my Chthulu modded stick isn't recognized. Not even if I launch the game thorugh Big Picture mode which CAN be controlled by the stick. So, I played it on a stock 360 controller. That... is not the optimal way to play this game. Maybe I should try keyboard or mouse.

Speaking of keyboard, can you play Co-op with one player on controller and the other on keyboard?

Also, Ikaruga is a tad difficult. Like the Pacific Ocean is a tad damp. I truly suck at this game, I spent more time dead in some boss fights than alive. And, of course, the ever-popular, "Oh! I need to swtich pola-" *BOOM* "Never mind."

How do you go from being the most colorful explosion in the game to actually being okay at it?
Let me just say it now, once you get midway through Chapter 3 the difficulty goes WAY up. Turn on infinite continues and just keep playing through until you get decent at the game, I still have yet to beat it on any other release because I didn't unlock infinite continues.

Also, the Hori FS-3 doesn't work. Bit of a shame, but at least my Saturn pad is here for me.
 

TnK

Member
I am the 27th world wide, hooray. My score sucks though, lol.

Playing this game with the HRAP EX-SE is the way to go, awww yeah.

Game is in desperate need of a texture mod.
 
This game has aged amazingly well in my opinion. The tight gameplay feels as fresh as back in the Dreamcast days. I also forgot all the patterns, so I guess that helps. :p

As said above, there is no shame on starting on easy, there is still more than enough challenge.
 

OuiOuiBa

Member
No need to worry about arcade stick compatibility, thanks to programs such as Xpadder or joytokey, this isn't a problem with 99% PC games (provided they support keyboard controls, which Ikaruga does)

PS. I see I'm not the only one who noticed the fullscreen input lag :/
I really hope it gets fixed, playing windowed sucks...
 

McNum

Member
Let me just say it now, once you get midway through Chapter 3 the difficulty goes WAY up. Turn on infinite continues and just keep playing through until you get decent at the game, I still have yet to beat it on any other release because I didn't unlock infinite continues.

Also, the Hori FS-3 doesn't work. Bit of a shame, but at least my Saturn pad is here for me.
Yeah, I always flip through the options of a new game, so I had infinite continues on. Got through the game, except some of the bosses got away. I like that the game is all "NO REFUGE!" and then after 99 seconds the boss just leaves. Isn't that kind of refuge?

I think I need to look up some Bullet Hell 101s. Like how to move properly, where to focus my eyes, how not to get smacked by a wall appearing from behind. what to do when caught at the top of the screen. how NOT to get caught at the top of the screen, how not to get trapped in general, and so on.
 

Peff

Member
It probably won't last long, but it's crazy that it broke #6 on the top-selling list. Who would have thought twenty years ago that the survival makers of Gunstar Heroes and Dynamite Headdy might hinge on the PC market? Hopefully they can catch a break after Sin & Punishment 2 and Gaist Crusher both cratered so badly.
 

TnK

Member
No need to worry about arcade stick compatibility, thanks to programs such as Xpadder or joytokey, this isn't a problem with 99% PC games (provided they support keyboard controls, which Ikaruga does)

PS. I see I'm not the only one who noticed the fullscreen input lag :/
I really hope it gets fixed, playing windowed sucks.

You are right, there is input lag. Really odd.

Oh man, I am really rusty in this game. Can anyone tell me if there is a way to learn how to S++ every stage without resorting to the reaching 30M scores? Something like 15M would be cool. Also, how long does it take for one to learn how to 1CC this game proper?
 
No need to worry about arcade stick compatibility, thanks to programs such as Xpadder or joytokey, this isn't a problem with 99% PC games (provided they support keyboard controls, which Ikaruga does)

PS. I see I'm not the only one who noticed the fullscreen input lag :/
I really hope it gets fixed, playing windowed sucks...

It also loads way quicker for me in windowed mode.
 

epmode

Member
PS. I see I'm not the only one who noticed the fullscreen input lag :/
I really hope it gets fixed, playing windowed sucks...

Windowed would be fine if they allowed us to choose our desktop's resolution since it would then be possible to use third party programs to switch to borderless windowed mode. ..but Ikaruga's resolution selection is kind of a joke. We're stuck with the handful of choices that are pre-built into the game and chances are good that it doesn't support your native resolution.
 

OuiOuiBa

Member
@TnK :
- About Ranks: try that FAQ. According to it, 1CC S++ would be at least 24.8M total.
- 1CC sounds easy, but afaic I can't prevent myself from trying to score, which makes me crash into random stuff every so often, even at level 1 :)
 

TnK

Member
@TnK :
- About Ranks: try that FAQ. According to it, 1CC S++ would be at least 24.8M total.
- 1CC sounds easy, but afaic I can't prevent myself from trying to score, which makes me crash into random stuff every so often, even at level 1 :)

Same here. Playing the game without scoring is really boring. I used to be able to S rank stage 1. I keep on messing up my chain in the part where you have all the white/black balls changing sides. Dunno why I keep on messing it up there.

I remember reading this FAQ back in the GC days. This is a theoretical FAQ no?
 

Bydobob

Member
Restart the game and don't click anything with the mouse or keyboard, and just press start on the stick. I guess it goes in keyboard/mouse mode if you click anything with any of them.
Had that problem myself first time I started cause I wanted to test the menus with the mouse for some reason.

Worth repeating this nugget of advice for those who missed it. Had the same problem with the game recognising my Hori stick, all is well now.

Game does indeed look beautiful flipped vertically on my monitor. Can't say I've noticed a great deal of lag either but it's been a while since I played the GC version to compare.
 

Tain

Member
The game seems to use vsync no matter what mode you play it in (it will even have vsync if you do windowed without desktop composition, I think).

Shouldn't be any different from the 2013 arcade version and any other PC-based game using vsync, lag-wise. Gets pretty nasty when I force vsync off.

sibarraz said:
How hard is this game?

It's an arcade shooting game, so it's a 30 minute game that you'll have to restart over and over again until you're good enough to beat it. Even by the already-high arcade shooting game standards it's still no cakewalk.

It has a continue option which is functionally invincibility, if you want to stray from defaults.
 

OuiOuiBa

Member
^
^
Not that much harder than your average Japanese shmup.

PS. Vsync adding crazy amounts of input lag when enabled makes no sense provided that game framerate = display refresh rate, I do wonder why most games behave that way.
 

ChryZ

Member
BgytIPRIQAEscug.jpg


yeah, boii
 

Calibus

Member
Not really feeling it so far and oh so hoping I would. There is so much bullet hell and so many obstacles that it does not seem to matter if your absorb or reverse. You just get overwhelmed too easily.

Will come back to it later, but for now, kind of disappointed.
 
Oh man, I had 2 shots before starting this up today, and I.....

was exactly the same skillset as before on DC.

It's okay, because it's a kickass game, and this time I'll actually get better at it! (gradually)
 

Chaos

Member
Whats the general consensus on the best shmup joystick Seimitsu LS-56 ?
I might dust off my TE stick and mod it for this.
 
"Not really feeling it so far and oh so hoping I would. There is so much bullet hell and so many obstacles that it does not seem to matter if your absorb or reverse. You just get overwhelmed too easily."

This is not a game or a genre where you get instant gratification. They take at least some amount of time and effort to beat. That's part of the appeal.
 

NIN90

Member
Oh god don't watch any of the top scoring replays. Just don't. That shit is just bonkers. How the fuck do they keep a chain for the entire stage, maximize damage output and dodge at the same time?
 

braves01

Banned
Somehow I broke into top 50 on prototype playing only a 3rd of the first level. Nice.

Prototype seems like it'll be quite difficult though. I know nothing about it except the little I played. Unless I'm mistaken, the mechanics seems to be:

1.) no energy shot; and

2.) You need to absorb energy otherwise your main shot will get pitifully short and you'll have to kill things at point blank

Anything else?

Also, where's the option for the horizontal mode that I've seen pics of?
 
Oh god don't watch any of the top scoring replays. Just don't. That shit is just bonkers. How the fuck do they keep a chain for the entire stage, maximize damage output and dodge at the same time?

Those guys have been playing since the 2001 release most likely. After 13 years, you usually get really good at a game :p
 
Switching between TE-Stick+Xpadder and normal X360 controller, the Xpadder solution does seem to introduce additional input lag for me. I don't really want to play this with a controller, but this sucks...
 

Calibus

Member
"Not really feeling it so far and oh so hoping I would. There is so much bullet hell and so many obstacles that it does not seem to matter if your absorb or reverse. You just get overwhelmed too easily."

This is not a game or a genre where you get instant gratification. They take at least some amount of time and effort to beat. That's part of the appeal.

I know and I'll come back to it. Guess it's just so different from other isometric shooters I've played that it was a bit jarring after my first run.
 
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