donpachi end boss question

[zlk]

The true last boss of donpachi has a spinning attack where bullets fly in all directions and the boss fires a blue stream towards the bottom of the screen. To dodge the first spinning attack, you can hide in the lower left corner. This works 100% of the time.

In this donpachj inp I die in the upper left corner using the hiding spot for the true last boss's second spinning attack:

http://marp.retrogames.com/inp/6/6/7/zl ... olf102.zip

95% of the time this hiding spot works fine. Does anyone know what triggers the bullets to kill you 5% of the time?

[TRB_MetroidTeam]

95% of the time this hiding spot works fine. Does anyone know what triggers the bullets to kill you 5% of the time?

Hi ZLK!
Hmmm.... are you using the same plane? I think the cockpit (the weakpoint) is different in other planes.
If not... no idea!

[zlk]

Yes I am using the same plane. The hiding spot works with both the A and the C ships 95% of the time.

The hit box on the B ship is slightly higher than the A or the C ship. So to use the hiding spot with the B ship, you have to move down slightly. Even then it only works 95% of the time.

The bullet pattern might have something to do with where the Bee is when it starts to move and where it ends up, but I am not sure. Usually when you die hiding in the upper left, one of the first 5 small bullets will hit you that are flying disgonally up and to the left (usually the 3rd or 4th). I have never ever been hit by a bullet from below until that demo.

[TRB_MetroidTeam]

Ok... so... no idea.

[zlk]

Here is a video of how the hiding spot is supposed to work:

http://www.super-play.co.uk/index.php?superplay=204

Here are some other videos of the second loop bosses:

http://www.super-play.co.uk/index.php?c ... &gameid=41

[The_Pro]

I usually hide in the corner and then nudge to the side after a short while when I see a bullet coming right for me since I've been caught by that stray one too many times.

The other bosses are pretty easy otherwise, wonder how it's handled in these videos though. Thanks for the links.

[zlk]

I usually hide in the corner and then nudge to the side after a short while when I see a bullet coming right for me since I've been caught by that stray one too many times.

Can you be more specific? If you hide in the corner, which corner? If you are in the corner already, how can you move to the side?

[The_Pro]

Whoops, yeah I stay in the bottom right corner for that second attack. After a few shots there's one that heads right for you so nudge left.

Risky way of clearing the 2-2 boss on that linked video, whew.

[zlk]

Whoops, yeah I stay in the bottom right corner for that second attack. After a few shots there's one that heads right for you so nudge left.

Very interesting technique. It looks safe as well. I'll try it on my next run.

Risky way of clearing the 2-2 boss on that linked video, whew.

I think that is the safest way possible with the exception of dodging into the central stream. If you don't do it that way, you get trapped to the side and have to do some very nasty dodging. In a normal run, I would just bomb anyway. I am not at the point where I have to worry about the 2-2 capacity bonus.

[The_Pro]

Here's an easy way to defeat the 2-2 boss.

After he comes out go towards him and use the aura on his left, just to the right of where he fires. Dodge the triangles down and right, aura the nose, dodge and head to the right of the screen as you shoot the 3rd volley.

Now here's the critical part. The boss should now the going from left to right firing lasers. From the rightmost part of the screen move left one pixel, as small an increment as possible. The lasers will miss you. Then move with the boss right to left and stay on the left edge of the screen. Again left to right and stay on the right of the screen. This time you'll want to move up a bit so you can use the aura on him more quickly and have more space to dodge the triangles. Be mindfull of the small lasers after the first volley, they're easy to forget.

After dodging the disks/triangle bullets repeat the process for his previous attack pattern. He should be defeated just before he can launch his disks after the left/right thing.

[zlk]

I follow you when you say move to the right of the screen then move one pixel to the left. After that it is a mystery. Can you make a video using fraps? Maybe you can make an inp showing how the technique is done?

[The_Pro]

Here's a quick inp to the 1-2 boss, essentially the same idea except no return bullets. Wolf 101. Ignore the crappy play on the way there .

[zlk]

That is a very good method. No real risk at all except for lining up the "one pixel to the left" move.

Once you are in the right corner (the third move in this sequence: one pixel from right corner -> left corner -> right corner) move straight up once the bullets pass you. Go as high as you can and laser. Once the discs come towards you, keep holding laser and pull back straight down slowly. You will miss the small thin bullets the boss fires at you. You won't have to worry about them until the same place (right corner) of the second cycle. The fatal mistake is to dodge the arrows to the inside and run into the bullets. If you pull straight down, you miss both the bullets and the arrows.

This will save me 2 bombs to use on 2-3.

[zlk]

One more question that I would like answered: what determines the number of bombs that are given at the beginning of a level? On 2-5 usually you get 4 bombs. However I think I have seen the game give different numbers on the same level with the Japanese romset. Does anyone know why this is?

[destructor]

Area 1 - 1 bomb
Area 2 - 2 bombs
Area 3 - 3 bombs
Area 4 - 4 bombs
Area 5 - 5 bombs
Area 6 - 1 bomb
Area 7 - 2 bombs
Area 8 - 3 bombs
Area 9 - 4 bombs

Capacity bomb is increased when you throw 3 bombs.