Im crap at Ikaruga!

[3rdnode]

After a month of play, studying some vids and attempting to perfect my chaining techinique I have resigned to the fact that I am crap at Ikaruga. My cunning chaining plan always crubles into a "f**k chaining I am trying not to get shot tactic". Sometimes I think I am getting better but I realise that the computer is giving me more credits (probably cause I am crap)

I was just wondering if there was any advice at getting better. I tried playing on easy first but it is just a bit boring and going back to normal is difficult afterwards.

I do dind that not listening ot the soundtrack can be helpful, instead playing in silence or with a cd on helps me concentrate.

Any advice?

[rjpageuk]

Firstly if you are serious about getting good scores, understand the system and have seen most of the game you are better off sticking to normal.

Secondly the only other advice I can give you (if you have studied the videos) is to practice.

It takes a lot of time to get some of the complex maneuovres consistently - you are looking at about 100 hours before you 1 credit the game for example.

Keep with it though, you will find that every minute you are putting in is making you better at the game even if it doesnt feel like it right now.

[johnkiddier]

rjpageuk,

when using trhe homing lasers on Ikaruga, what determines which ships they go after? Am I right in thinking if you are black then the lasers will home in on white ships first or do they go for the same colour as yourself?

Looking through the appreciate DVD doesn't help as theyt seem to go aftyer the 'correct' ships no matter what colour WIZ is aligned to.........

[Vaipon]

Think it's based on distance from your ship. The lasers will go after closest first and work outwards. The distances are measured at the moment you fire the lasers. This is always how I used them anyway, and it seems to always work.

[rjpageuk]

Despite the hundreds of combined hours me and my friends have put into this game none of us are 100% sure of how the homing missile AI works.

I believe it is how Vaipon says - distance based, although in some sections (such as the thin part with ships coming from the top asnd bottom in 3-2) it doesnt seem to fully follow this.

If you use the rule that they go to the nearest enemy though you never go far wrong.

[superkully]

I was reading somewhere that they'd fixed some code bugs in Ikaruga for the US/EUROPE versions of the game. Perhaps this was one of them?

[rjpageuk]

The US/Europe versions seem buggier than the JPN version from most reports.

I dont think this is a bug since the Appreicate DVD is actually done on the Arcade machine version of Ikaruga in which the homing missile behaviour is the same as the JPN version.

There is a bug in the PAL release concerning homing missile behaviour though - when you fight the first boss for example during the 3rd phase your homing missiles go towards the satellites instead of the main boss for no reason.

[johnkiddier]

I can confirm that there is a difference with the 1st end of level boss.

My US copy of Ikaruga finally arrived this morning, a month after ordering from DVD Box Office.

It's good to be able to finally play it in 60Hz also........

It really is a lot smoother than the PAL version, and the lower resolution isn't noticeable.

Thanks for your help guys....