RF Generation Message Board

In the 90's, as arcades were in a general decline, many games that originated in that setting began to move to home consoles, as a way to continue to proliferate. When you have a recognized property that sells well enough based on the name, it makes sense to continue that, right? While home consoles can't always match the power of the arcade hardware, they can offer a way to get that experience in front of a lot of people, and give developers a chance to change things up. Irem gave developer Tamtex that opportunity, when the venerable R-Type series moved from the smoky arcades to the living room, with the arrival of R-Type III: The Third Lightning on the Super Famicom and Super NES.

The dark forces of the BYDO Empire threaten humanity yet again, with more powerful weapons than ever. Over the past few years, they have crept close to Earth, building hidden bases for their fleets. The Earth Science Center had believed that all of the BYDO Empire was destroyed. Now they know that somewhere a BYDO mother ship carries the remnants of that foul civilization. Earth will be overthrown unless the latest R-series vessel, the R-90, can defeat BYDO's armies. Equipped with the mighty Round, Shadow, or Cyclone Forces of power, the R-90 can warp into different dimensions and meet the enemy ships and ground troops on an equal basis. As the Captain of the R-90, you must seek out the mysterious mother ship and destroy it to save humanity.

R-Type III initially saw release on the Super Famicom, and made its way to the west on the Super NES in 1993. A Game Boy Advance version followed 2004. Because it has long been a sought after and expensive game, Retro-Bit licensed the game for re-release (alongside its SNES counterpart Super R-Type), and released R-Type Returns in a single cartridge, which allows you to choose between the 2 games. Join the RF Generation Shmup Club in November 2021 as we take off and strike the evil Bydo empire in R-Type III!

Participants:
MetalFRO
Addicted
BrandoReality
FauxMacho
EZ Racer
Corkman
Golem

HELL YES I'M IN!

I'm in. Just ordered a Super Famicom cart. I played the first R-Type a bunch earlier this year and enjoyed the parts I could get through.

As long as my schedule allows, I'll be in

Bolded for emphasis :slick:


Excellent! I figured you'd jump in on this one, since you got the original cart a while back.

Oh, and if anyone still needs a copy of R-Type III, it looks like Retro-Bit still has a few copies of the limited edition print of the R-Type III / Super R-Type reproduction they did, so jump on it while there's still time:

https://retro-bit.com/r-type-iii-super-r-type-snes-collector-s-edition-black.html (https://retro-bit.com/r-type-iii-super-r-type-snes-collector-s-edition-black.html)

 
  I can't say I'm an R-Type fan. But.... I will give this game a try and keep my mind open.

  I'm going to emulate this game for now. But listen, Irem.... IF you can impress me with this game I'll pick up this game from Retro-Bit. (Thanks for the head up MetalFro).

My schedule is a little unclear ATM, but I'd like to put decent time into R-Type III!

Retro-Bit says it's in stock, but trying to buy it links to Castlemania, which I think is sold out. I'd pick it up myself otherwise!

I credit fed this some 10 years ago, and I remember getting a kick out of it. But the production values are high and the music is super awesome, so that would've been enough to get me through any shooter with infinite credits.

Initial thoughts after save scumming to the stage 4 midboss:
-Stage 1 is a little long I guess?
-Stage 2 is awesome. I love the acid melting away the terrain. Stage 2 boss is a pain though.
-It's hard not to compare stage 4 from R-Type III and stage 6 from R-Type. Stage 6 in R-Type is easier to follow, though, since the blocks move slower and the graphics are less busy. I'm wondering if rote memorization will be the only feasible way to get through stage 4 in R-Type III.
-I'm eager to experiment with the different ships! So far I've only put in an hour or so on the regular R-Type ship.
-I don't know how many speed-ups I want!!

EDIT: The extended charge shot is also very cool. In the original R-Type, I only used the charge shot for recovery on the stage 5 boss. And, well, if you're recovering on the stage 5 boss, you're not getting a clear. But the big charge shot in R-Type III seems more useful, and the extended time commitment seems to make it an interesting choice. I wonder how I'll feel about it as I keep playing.

I messed with this a bit the other day, and even the 1st stage can be tricky in a couple spots. I managed to figure out my way through it, and now I need to learn my way through stage 2. The first part isn't too bad, but once you go into the segment with the large creature that slowly lurches above you, that's where the acid and I don't get along too well :slick:

I didn't get a chance to stream last night, but I toiled in stage 2 for a little while to get a good feel for the level, and to try and find a good path through it. Holy cow, the boss is nasty. It requires you use the extended charge shot, and while it's not a total damage sponge, it certainly makes you weave through a lot of garbage to damage it enough to actually take it out. Based on how hard the game is already by this point, and what I already know of stage 4 and all of its lava shenanigans, I can safely say I won't be getting a 1CC on this game for the month. That said, I'll have no qualms with credit-feeding, just to see as much of the game as possible. I know stage 4 has been redone as a DLC level for R-Type Final 2, and I'm curious how that plays by comparison. I've heard that it's been rebalanced to be easier.

What force is everyone using?

I'm using the round force currently. I do really like the cyclone force, though, it's neat how you can yo-yo it back and forth without having to dock the pod.

The stage 2 boss is rough. Of the two extended charge types, I do think the regular charge is better there than the hyper charge, but I definitely did some experimenting.

I've grinded on stage 4 for a little under 2 hours now, and I'm getting more consistent. The boss seems like it would be nigh impossible to defeat on recovery--you just need such intense focus for such a long period of time. Even fully powered up, it feels like a crap shoot. There's so many moving pieces that I don't know how to form any strategies. I basically try to avoid stuff, that's about as good as I can figure.

EDIT: Another night mainly spent on stage 4. I'm getting better! The third phase of the boss is very rough, but I think I can reasonably speed through it by using a hyper charge. I need more practice to get consistent. And stage 5 seems cool!

My favorite is the Cyclone Force, particularly when equipped with the blue laser. At its 2nd level, between its wide range and splash damage, you get a lot of coverage. Regarding the stage 2 boss, yes, it's actually quite difficult, and because of how many hits it takes with the hyper charge to take down, it's easy to fall victim to either a yellow orb, or one of the eyes. I'm not sure if it's my joystick, or what the deal is, but playing on the MiSTer with my MayFlash stick, I find that when I try to tap dodge up or down to get just above or below an eyeball, i often move too far. I'm tempted to try it with a SNES pad on real hardware, to see if I get a similar response. It has definitely made that boss fight way harder than it ought to be. By contrast, stage 3's boss, with the right weapon, is pretty easy to take down, as long as you hug the right side wall, and have an idea of when it's going to jump at you.

I played for around 2 hours last night on stream, and having no illusions that I'm going to have any shred of a chance to 1CC the game this month, I just credit spammed to try and get through as many checkpoints as I could. The stage 2 boss is still a sticking point, and a difficult fight, mostly because of the need to properly time hyper charge shots at the eye when it's open, and though it only takes 5 or 6 (I think a direct hit does more damage than hitting it with the hyper charge shot's periphery) to take it down, weaving between the flying eyeballs and the yellow orbs can be tricky, while also paying attention to what the main eye itself is doing. Stage 3 isn't too bad, though there are a couple checkpoints with pretty memo-heavy spots, but the boss isn't too bad, particularly if you have the Cyclone Force and the blue laser. Just hug the right side wall, and don't let it trick you into moving back into the path of its jumps. Keep that force pod docked on the rear of your ship, and fire away. Stage 4 is quite difficult, but doable through memorization, and careful execution. The real sticking point with stage 4 is that you have to beat the midboss without fail after completing the lava tube maze, or you'll have to do at least a portion of that maze again. Then, once you beat the boss, you have to go backwards through the entire maze, in order to beat the level. If you die during the backwards run at all, you have to do the whole thing again, which can be very unforgiving. And the stage 4 boss is tricky. To start, I found that regular shots and using your force pod to damage it is the fastest way to get at least the first 2 phases done. After that, as it speeds up its movement around the screen, it's much more of a crapshoot. I think I burned some 10 or 12 credits on that boss alone last night, and never managed to beat it. I just kept getting caught by one of the purple orbs, or the green lasers from the boss. This game takes no prisoners.

I just wanted to ask a dumb question to make sure I'm on the same page. When you say "hyper charge", what does it say at the bottom of the screen? There are two types of second-tier charges. One is a big blast all at once (I think this says "BEAM"), and the other is a shotgun followed by machine gun (this one says "HYPER"). For default controls, the R button swaps between the two.

And hey, so far as I'm concerned, credit spamming is the first step to a 1CC!

Even though I haven't made much progress, I'm having a lot of fun with this game. I pretty consistently make it to the midpoint of level 2. I credit spammed my way to the level 3 boss a few times, but there's a checkpoint in level 3 that was frustrating with a lower powered ship. That said, for all the deaths, for the most part I feel like when I die it's my fault, usually knowing what I need to do but failing to execute it. For me, that's much more fun than the games that feel almost like a puzzle in which I have to figure out the exactly right placement through trial and error.

Thanks for asking the question - it is most certainly not dumb! I didn't realize there was second tier of charge shots. I guess I'm talking about the BEAM then. I need to look into the other tier, apparently :slick:

The stage 4 boss is pretty rough, but I'm getting slightly more consistent with practice. The best strategy I can figure so far is to hit it as consistently as I can muster with the hyper charge: https://clips.twitch.tv/WittyPrettyElephantOhMyDog-hIVVBNBKDRiNSLXW The gist is that I want the fast portion of the boss fight to be over as quick as possible.

Playing this game has got me thinking about what the best shmups on the SNES are, because this definitely ranks among them. Great music, great controls, very difficult but at least in the early stages seems fair. It's a tough call between this and Gradius III, although it doesn't quite get into the level of enjoyment that U.N. Squadron and Space Megaforce bring.

I managed to get the farthest in R-Type III I've ever been this evening. Mind you, I'm still credit feeding, but I had my best run up until part way through stage 2, and I had my best run through stage 4, and managed to finally beat that boss. I also got through stage 5 and its boss, and made it part way through stage 6!

@EZ Racer - I know what you mean. R-Type III is impressive, and is a strong game, from what I'm seeing so far. But I'm not sure it tops UN Squadron or Space Megaforce.

I got a late start but I've been plugging though for the last week. On my first ever run I cleared the first stage perfectly. Ever since it has been giving me trouble. It is too long and I think I just get bored and lazy. There's a few instant death spots in the first stage which is surprising, like the platform that speeds in from the right to destroy the 3rd Mech.

In general this game is beating me up. I used save states to push my way through the whole game, so now I'll start doing some official runs. I got to stage 3 on a credit and 116,060 points. Not sure if we are as interested scores this month since even an infinity CC is an accomplishment.

One nice thing about this game is the enemy variety. Even late game new designs appear. Shikhondo was way light on that.

And what Force Device is everyone selecting at the start? I like the Type 1 Round Force since I'm familiar with it. Type 2 Shadow Force doesn't seem to fit my style. And Type 3 Cyclone Force with the blue powerup seems pretty perfect for much of the game.

I beat the game with states a few nights ago, and just last night I cleared stage 6 alone on one credit. My next step is to get a clear on stages 5 and 6 together in a single credit. Watching a GBG stream helped me on stage 5 boss strategies in particular.


I've been using round force. It says it's for "ACE PILOTS," but it's not that big a difference. The shadow force seems bad, I would like to see someone make good use of it.

The stage 4 boss and the final boss are the most distinct moments in the game. The stage 4 boss is tantamount to random because there are no safe spots to exploit, and it moves so quickly. The final boss' "call to arms" is literally random. Because there's very limited knowledge you can leverage, they seem to rely more on reflexes. On the other hand, I got better at them just by replaying them over and over. I am wondering to what extent muscle memory plays a role here, if there is some kind of non-conscious memory that I'm not appreciating.

Sat down, and credit fed my way to some real progress tonight. Made it to Stage 5. I know everyone has complained about the Stage 4 boss, but I found it to be a lot of fun, reminding me a bit of bosses in action platformers where you're constantly moving and reacting.

I hope that when R-Type III is covered on the podcast, plenty is said about the creative design to this game. It's really hard for me to think of games of the same era that use as much creativity in the use of elements, and still pays close attention to detail. I mean, it's still a treat to me every time I see the red robot blow up in stage 1, partly because right before it explodes it looks behind itself. These types of small details are littered throughout the game, but add a ton of character and make the game that much more distinct. Level 2's acid changing the stage, level 4's routing of a maze both forward and reverse, backgrounds that continuously affect the level design, and all kinds of others.

I had the same thing happen, where I cleared stage 1 w/o issue the 1st 2 times, then I struggled with it some, and kept getting caught by the red mech, or something else late stage. Even the other night on stream, I got distracted, and took a stage 1 death.

I'm using the Cyclone Force (3rd one). And yes, that with the blue laser power-up is fairly OP, which makes it ideal for most of the game, particularly because of how much ground you cover, and the AOE you get when it impacts stuff.


The Shadow Force is interesting, but I think it might be one of those things you use when you've beat the game and want to go through it again and give yourself a challenge. I couldn't quite get the hang of it. Stage 4 boss I will agree - no real safe spots, and it's a lot of reading the orbs and their position while the background is rotating. The only way I could see to find some consistency is to determine which weapon to use, and trigger each phase very specifically at certain points, so you can make it more predictable. Without save states, it seems like that would be maddening.


We'll have to make sure to read your post on the podcast, so that we can have you make those points for us ;)

You're right, though. It does make the world of the game feel a bit more alive, because you're interacting with the scenery, and it's interacting with itself, in more ways than just crashing into walls. It gives a certain weight to each environment, because they're a vital part of the overall experience, and not just set dressing for the action. They become a crucial part of the level design, and change the nature of the challenge presented.

Well I def came in super late to the party this month. I fell into a deep hole of playing Cave and Bullet Hells and had to pull myself out before November was over lmao. I've spent 3 days with R-Type III so far, getting better each day. Today I made it to stage 5 on one credit, so hoping to at least grab the 1CC before the month ends! Hope everyone else is enjoying this badass game!

You're killing it, dude! As you saw on my stream last night, I was toiling on some of the worst checkpoints in the game, and still having difficulty with the stage 4 boss. I know the route through stage 4, I just have trouble executing it flawlessly. If I could do that, and reach the boss with powerups, I might stand a slightly better chance, though the constant threat of running into the purple orbs is still an issue.

Absolutely that Stage 4 boss is ROUGH. I've completed another run, this time using just continues and not states. Dying is so punishing. Most checkpoints give you 2, not the full 3, powerups before bosses. I'm hoping this clear is a breakthrough and I can get another run done faster. Might take a tally of the # of continues I used, this run was easily a 100+ credit clear, I left the game on for days.

Oh wow. Okay quick pro tip if you haven't found it already. If you have the Type 3 Cyclone Force, on the 4th stage boss, release the force. It will (sloppily) target the boss and end the fight WAY quicker.

Regarding the third phase of the stage 4 boss, I think it takes eight chirps/four direct hits with the second tier BEAM charge. I kept moving from one strategy to another. I settled on this:
-Open the fight with a hyper charge
-Hyper charge clears the first two phases
-Hyper charge does about half the health of the third phase
-Ride out the cooldown
-Make sure to stay in the horizontal middle of the screen
-Finish it off with second tier beam (NOT hyper)

It did take a lot of grinding in muscle memory, though.

It really is a shame about stage 4. The stage is shallow memorization, and the boss is a test of reflex that doesn't really fit the game. It's a shame because so much of the game stresses analysis in a way that fits the R-Type name.

I like the stage 6 beetles most of all. They have a lot of health, so it takes a good deal of time to kill them (whether that's charge time beforehand or time spent shooting directly). That's a big commitment, so you don't get many opportunities to kill them. So, it's important to know (analysis) exactly when it's best to take them out. However, they move slowly and predictably, so they don't pose any challenge to reflexes. This slow, unflinching threat characterizes R-Type, I think.

Something unusual for R-Type is that the beetles track your position. You can kite them into walls to kill them. This indirect layer of interplay is super cool!

I also got a clear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stGGeSmJLP4

I saw your clear video pop up in my feed, Golem, so I started watching it, but haven't finished quite yet. I want to see your strategy for the final boss, but it looks like you have a pretty solid route through the final stage, something I struggle with.

@FauxMacho - a 100+ credit clear is still a win, in my book. I haven't managed to get that far yet :slick:

Anyone have final thoughts on the game for the month? Did anyone try the GBA version? I haven't booted it up yet, but plan to, prior to the podcast recording. I've heard it's kind of an abomination, so it will be interesting to compare.

Final day of the month, and finally got the 1CC! Final score of 732,090! Not real happy with my run, but F it I'm done lmao. 1CC is 1CC haha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKNVTmsI8rU

My Final Thoughts: I love the game so much, I love the look, the feel, the music....everything. BUT.....This game pisses me off to no end lmao. I find hitboxes and damage inconsistent in multiple areas. Two good examples are the stage 2 eyeball boss, and the spiders on the final stage. There are times in stage 2 boss that I kill him in like 6 hits, and you know it's a hit because it makes an audible sound and flashes. Other times it takes me 9 hits! And those damn spiders on the final stage man......sometimes a charge shot wipes them out, sometimes it kills none, or 1 or 2 of em. It's infuriating lol. Still a great game all around, just very frustrating at times. I'm glad to be done lol.

I truly think I'm capable of a no miss of this given a bit more time (I should have started at the beginning of November lol). I may come back to it at some point and go for the 2-All and no miss.

Congrats Blur! Glad I caught the final couple stages on stream.

My best score to date is 605,130.

After a clear with the shadow force:
-The shadow force does more damage than the round force. (It seems like the cyclone force does damage comparable to the shadow force.)
-I think MetalFRO was right here:
-The second loop seems super cool!
-The second tier charges (both BEAM and HYPER) do a lot to help recoveries. But, because they are so useful, they dilute the difference between the force pods. The charges are a kind of lowest common denominator to get through anything, regardless of which force pod you picked.
-I'm gonna go get a cyclone force clear before moving on. :b

Was awesome to have you in the stream today man, thanks for dropping by! And I agree that 2nd loop seems like a blast! Let me know if you stream any of your attempts, I'd love to watch!

Nice work BlurSTG!!!

I didn't get to play much the second half of the month. But, I was able to get to Stage 3 on one credit and able to credit feed to Stage 5.

I was able to get appreciate R-Type games more this month after playing this one. I didn't really care for the series from what I played before. However, I think I adjusted my expectations going in knowing this series is not fast paced or a bullet hell type of game. I found some fun in treating this game as almost a side scrolling puzzle game where the objective was making it from one checkpoint to another. I'll definitely come back the series at some point. I've been meaning to try out R-Type Final (the first one) since I hear good things.

Peace y'all!

Thank you both for some good thoughts here at the end!

I'm still plugging away. I've finally got home after decamping for the second half of November for some family time, which means I'm finally playing the Super Famicom cartridge I bought instead of the Raspberry Pi. The SNES controller handles much differently than the Retrobit Saturn pad I was playing on. Much better ship control, but the buttons are farther apart and taking some adjusting. But! In my first run on cart + SNES + CRT I got about a 10cc and it was pretty breezy, hence why I want to keep trying. Hoping for some gains this week as I keep the memorization fresh in my head. I got all the way to the 5th stage on my first credit.

I've noticed how good the stars in stage 1, and here on the continue screen, look on a CRT.

Woo! I got a 1CC with a score of 612,910.

I was able to get much finer movement once I switched to the SNES and its controller.

Hey, congrats! Also, that tweet of yours with these 2 photos really blew up!