Friendship Run!

[njayhuang]

Dec 7, 2013 5:16:35 GMT Spike said:

I'm under the impression 'Rain of Pain' is just mashing B+Direction to shoot faster, regardless of Borg/if your in the air or not.
....Mostly because I tend to do such moves on the ground, as I've always found that to be more effective. Add to it, I've actually spammed Teleport Ninja's range attack from different directions, and not just forward motions only(Within an appropriate range, of course).

Didn't know there was actually a difference though, with regards to Rain of Pain, so I'll remember that.

My understanding of Rain of Pain is jumping really high and raining down powerful shots while barely losing any height between air dashing. Simply put it's jump, jump, jump, (jump,) air dash, shoot, air dash, shoot, etc.
Gold Hero is probably the most notable example.

Boost jump borgs can't RoP since they fall to the ground after a few seconds, and most of the other borgs with normal jumps don't have good projectiles: shurikens, nurse shots, shikku slash, and so on. IIRC Teleport Ninja's projectiles don't have much vertical homing and they fade out after a while, but at least he can use teleport to give him that height.

Dec 7, 2013 23:52:15 GMT Indigo said:

(video)

Things I've learned: As it turns out, spamming that shield toss in between dashes makes it so Sword Knight spins around like a show-off, and actually makes for a completely seamless (no lag in between dashes or on direction change), faster movement that can dodge attacks very well while attacking at close range... And if the shield hits during it you get a free charge attack to combo. Doing this shield shuffle in midair will also drop you faster than normal... And interestingly enough, you can keep 'airdashing' infinitely along the ground as long as you keep doing it, like a (pointless) hover, though I think it's actually a bit faster.

Well, Wire Girl is ridiculously fun, too. Never really tried her that much before, but I used her a bit in some of the battles in between. Not only is it fun, but the wire gimmick gives so much more strategical value than I thought, and makes her into a mobile cannon with her charge shots. The reel-in works at any moment so it's almost borderline too good to escape from combos... And to keep yourself in position if something sends you flying. And if you dash towards your grapple line, you move extremely quickly... Anyway, Frozn, I'm counting on you for the upcoming Sho battle.

That Teleport Ninja ditto match was pretty entertaining, heck that Teleport Ninja in general was entertaining. Right about now, I'm wishing I learned how to play Tele properly.

Now that Sword Knight thing is something I never knew. Trading the shield for greater mobility, man that opens up a whole new playstyle for Sword Knight.

Glad to see more people seeing how good Wire Girl is. She's truly underrated as far as girl borgs go. Woefully underrepresented in fanart too.

[Stove]

The only borgs I know of that can RoP are:
Gold Hero
Pop Honey (more like Rain of Strange, though her air dash-B shot actually LIFTS her.)
Dragons (Even though they're boost jump, they stay in the air for up to 3 minutes.)

[njayhuang]

Dec 8, 2013 15:06:09 GMT Stove said:

The only borgs I know of that can RoP are:
Gold Hero
Pop Honey (more like Rain of Strange, though her air dash-B shot actually LIFTS her.)
Dragons (Even though they're boost jump, they stay in the air for up to 3 minutes.)

I guess you can add wing borgs to the list, but flying has more mobility than Rain of Pain.

[Indigo]

No video here. I haven't played that much since last time since I was feeling outta my vector, but I cleared the map of the death force invasion.

The mission with the 'worms' was actually really tough. Those zapping weblines really make melee borgs tread carefully... Poison's annoying, and the big worms are a pretty strong. Wire Girl was last, and then Alien Insects kept blocking all of my shots and hitting me with weird homing things.

Aside from that... Most battles I opened with Sword Knight, then Wire Girl. Most battles finished with Teleport Ninja taking on most of the stage. Is Teleport Ninja just that useful, or am I bad with anything else?

And for the first time, I saw the terror of the Death Samurai... By the time Sword Knight reached it (in the mission with infinite ICBMs), that thing had shonen-main-characters levels of blades. Like... Blades longer than the stage. Old news I guess, but I've never given that stage the leisure of time to really set up. Of course, Teleport Ninja saved the day there, too.

[Spike]

It's the former, Clax. Teleport Ninja is incredible in the hands of people who know how to use him.

[Death Eye]

Dec 11, 2013 8:40:34 GMT Indigo said:

Aside from that... Most battles I opened with Sword Knight, then Wire Girl. Most battles finished with Teleport Ninja taking on most of the stage. Is Teleport Ninja just that useful, or am I bad with anything else?

I'm not even especially good with Wire Girl and I can take out half the CDD Death Force unit with one. Sounds like your Wire Girl skills could use some work.

[VerdantShade]

Alien Insects attack at a range by shooting exploding little insects. 

Wire Girl is fairly good, even if you stifle her potential by ignoring her wire. I'm not so sure about the Knight though, it IS a very basic melee attacker, which can be hard to work with if you aren't used to it.

[Indigo]

What everyone's been waiting for. The ultimate battle with Sho!

Things I've learned: The only viable option to beat Garuda with this team is... Sword Knight.

Normally, that should be a matchup beyond hope, but Sho loves to try and make use of Garuda's melee with its super armor. Sword Knight's domain. His shield can easily block his shots and melee, and the shield toss can stagger Garuda, while the charge slashes do the damage. Not much you can do about the ridiculous explosion attack, but keep him focused on melee and he'll use it less. I blocked one of the charge shots he fired at an upward angle, so there's that. I'm not sure how that works though, because I couldn't block it any way I tried before. He has the stats to take a few of them, though.

Wire Girl... Was a depressing matchup for Garuda, worse than Teleport Ninja. But she easily dispatches the rest of the fliers. Could have beaten Blade Wing, too, but one small screwup leads to that boomerang blade OHKOing you... Hyper mode Teleport Ninja saves the day.

[Spike]

Clax, why isn't your Sword Knight red?
Just curious, really.

[Indigo]

How do you know red's my favorite color?

Are you saying that because my other borgs are alts? I just never really happened to get a red Sword Knight and never farmed for it since it wasn't a borg I exceptionally liked before. Wire Girl I just got by chance.

Most of the rest of the borgs in the friendship run aren't alts, either.

[Spike]

I have maybe 1-2 Shiny Sword Knights.... From my extensive years of playing this game.
Personally, I prefer it's original characters, but I thought it was a little silly how he is your only non-Shiny.

[njayhuang]

That wire retract to melee combo at 1:50. So simple, yet so satisfying to watch.
And getting OHKO'd by the return boomerang going through the scope, that's just unfortunate.

[Indigo]

I don't think it went through a scope, did it? Well, here's the next part... The most decisive battle yet.

This fight sure took a lot out of me... I don't think I've ever had to retry as much as I did here. First off, Teleport Ninja left the team to go training somewhere. Tar Diver joined a little earlier in his place. Cosmic Dragon was really easy... The other missions weren't too special, but I got a little used to Tar Diver and not relying on Teleport Ninja.

Now, Carrier Helicopter joins and takes the lead in this fight, the death base battle against the Dark Knight. Let me say, this was way harder than it may look or sounds... This was the first real battle where I've ever had to form a delicate strategy with each borg having to do its part in a mission.

Carrier Helicopter is an excellent dragon killer I found, so that was his job. Those missiles do some really damage as he just circles around quickly. He's not great at fighting ground units, though. His machine guns really slow him down, and the missiles require you to be vertically leveled with your enemy or very far if you're higher. Thus, his job ends when Gatling Gunner appears. Wire Girl makes quick work of them... And can hardly do anything against the final wave of enemies. The three knights just block all of her shots and keep blasting me around with large knockback. One of the most critical moments now is for Sword Knight to quickly swoop in with hyper mode, and take out Ruby and Sapphire Knights before he falls. This paves the way for the final attack, Tar Diver! It's not exactly easy to get so close to Dark Knight with him, but once you do, he really takes it home. Though, it was still a little too close...

So, things I've learned: Carigun Helicopter definitely doesn't live up to its terrible borg standard. I actually find it to be really good... I didn't try its carrier hook, though. I imagine this is what's bad about it. Melee borgs get hooked up close to it, and something like Gatling Gunner can just pour shots on it while being carried. And, Tar Diver is better than I thought. He's floaty, but not as slow or pathetic as it seems when you fight it. The jelly shots are kinda weird, not very useful... And despite being overall weak, he's unmatched once you get up close. The problem is, he's very susceptible when there's more than one enemy. He can still attack while moving with shots, and quickly pass by enemies with melee dash attacks, but he needs a lot of time to focus on one enemy o do some real damage. Still, he's hilarious and awesome. Nothing like casually walking away from a Shuriken Ninja's X attack in a matrix-zone.

[njayhuang]

Re: Wire Girl's death against Sho. Blade Wing's boomerang is strong normally, but to do >90 HP with just the first hit it must have gone through the scope on its way back. And sure enough at 2:05 you can see the scope in the corner, and at 2:27 you can see that it's gone.

Will watch the newest video later.

Edit:
The way I play Carrier Heli is to stay on the ground and use missiles. Damage output isn't too bad and the missiles reload pretty fast. On its own, the hook isn't that useful since I don't think Carrier Heli has any way to attack someone directly below him. With a partner though, you can set them up to be easy targets.

If it were me, I would have taken out Dark Knight first and not worry about the bodyguard knights. I would think Hyper Mode Sword Knight is capable of doing so, but when I get to that mission I guess I'll see how feasible my plan really is.

[Spike]

Personally, Clax, I would gave used Teleport Ninja from the start with that Dark Knight stage.
I mean, it IS a boss level after all, so start with your strongest guys first =D

[Indigo]

It didn't really come across me to take out Dark Knight first... It seems better to me to take out 2/3 knights if I can do that fast. And, not having a climactic duel with the Dark Knight was just unthinkable. And actually, I did want to get down low with Carrier, but I had no breathing room between the crazy homing drill death borgs and streams of bullets.

And Teleport Ninja? I don't know who that is. Oh, right. He went off to train during this fight for plot reasons (so he doesn't solo the whole stage), and is no longer Teleport Ninja. You remember, this is where G-Red becomes Neo G-Red? Teleport Ninja just became... Neo Teleport Ninja! That is, he went training to become the ultimate fighter who can use any technique ever known. But he insists now, that the name of his soul... Is COPY MAN!

[Carigun]

when i start it il be a fight and a half to get a shot on Dark Knight from Blue Striker but i do know il have to take down Saphire first as he will take it down with ease

[Stove]

This is incredibly late, but I think it's cool how you took out Garuda with a Sword Knight.
EDIT: also, looking at the size of that Blade Wing's attack, that DEFINETLY went through a scope.
EDIT2: Also gotta love how Tar Diver takes on Dark Knight like a boss.

[Spike]

Dec 16, 2013 21:44:19 GMT Stove said:

EDIT2: Also gotta love how Tar Diver takes on Dark Knight like a boss.

Considering Divers are Knuckle Borgs that become rather deadly up close, Dark Knight was kinda' sorta' outmatched.... Heh...

[Indigo]

Took a nice break after that intense battle. From this point on, I'll probably only make videos of the main story battles, now. Unless something else is interesting enough.

So, the Death Base is gone... G-RedTeleport Ninja upgraded into Neo G-RedCopy Man. So, the current team is...
Metal - Sonic Samurai / Sword Knight
Death Eye - Spike Knight / Victory Tank
Frozn - Time Bomber / Wire Girl
Clax - Teleport Ninja / Copy Man
Njay - Tar Diver / Sekhmet Witch
Carigun - Carrier Helicopter / Carigun Helicopter

Yeah, Spike Knight is welcomed into the team. I totally accidentally skipped him down the list... Sorry Dethy. Oh well, he would have made the whole beginning too easy. So moving right along:

Training with Kakeru: Carigun Helicopter started out here. I tried out the carrier hook... It changes the camera when you grab on to something. Kinda cool. Except all it did was let his ninja take free shots while I moved him around. Acceleration Ninja is a tough opponent for Carrier... Wire Girl then took out the rest easily.

Some Death Force mission: Tar Diver, launch! I fought for a while without using the Negative Zone. Is it just me, or is he actually stronger and faster while the field's not active? I have to test this further... I pulled out the secret technique once an alternate Acceleration Ninja showed up just to screw with him. Whoa, then another alt Acceleration Ninja. Whoa, what's that big yellow guy? An alternate Hammer Robot, cool. Never seen that. (Got none of the alts)

Training with Nekobe and Mana: So, I have to bring along Kakeru with me... ... ... *starts with Carrier Helicopter* Whoooo--! oops. Annoying Guard Witch, not gonna let me shoot and I can't melee?! Taste my ultimate attack! Vampire Knight cut me down to size, then Tar Diver... Did over half of Mana's nurse thing's HP with like 2-3 ground melee hits? Must keep testing this guy without his Negative Zone.

Training with Nekobe and Usagi: I always find it funny how Usagi switches places. Now, let their voices be heard! Spike Knight and Copy Man take on their first mission! Um... Why have I never used Spike Knight? Hammer Knight was one of my favorites. This guy is the same, but bigger, stronger, his spin attack is actually very good, and he has an extremely fun rolling gimmick! And actual melee! Well, he died quick while I was getting the hang of it... Copy Man copies Shuriken Ninja. You know how that goes. Then, Chainsaw Knight reeled me in. I'm in my neutral form! This is the end?! No way, Hyper Mode! Instant Charge Transform (while getting reeled in!) The hook line broke, and he got chainsaw'd instead! Kakeru is still Shuriken Ninja, and Usagi kept freezing him during his spinning attack. It was rather hilarious as he kept soaring through the air aimlessly and sliding across the ground. Then, I got my first taste of Sasuke by copying him. Pretty cool, I've always wanted to try him. But I died fast. Tar Diver was next, and Sasuke was matrix'd and frozen at the same time.

Kotaro has arrived: MECHA! PUNCH! CLASH! Spike Knight vs. Nekobe's Hammer Robot! Our hammers kept clashing like brofists. It was really cool. Magnet Robot tries to reel me in, he reels in a giant spike ball. Actually I got too overwhelmed in the end... Copy Man killed Hammer Knight while changing into him, then I somehow managed to catch Chainsaw and Magnet with one spinning attack. Some more fighting, Copy Man is wearing out... I copy Nekobe's signature special Vampire Knight(?)! I've never tried any of the character borgs... Anyway, a hyper mode and spin attack spamming later, I went from 70~ HP back to 180 HP. Then, I was back in the game to copy Isaac and have a 1 on 1 Isaac duel for the win! Wow, Teleport NinjaCopy Man is really, really cool.

Cooperate with Kotaro to retake Stone River: Ivan Copy! Really fun and stylish. This was actually rough, though. Lost Copy Man fast, along with Spike Knight. But I figured out he can transition his spike roll directly into his charge, that's incredibly useful. I think Tar Diver's damage has nothing to do with his field, after all. The ground attack just does large burst damage. By the way, Hyper Mode jelly shot spam is fun. And geez, Wire Girl vs. waves of Wire Gunners and Jet Heroes. I got stuck between being pulled by my own wires and the enemies' wires a few times, but thankfully, I was able to pull through a very drawn out firefight with Hyper Mode and Jet Hero's scopes backfiring. The Axe Knight at the end almost had me.

Training with Kotaro: Against Mana and Kakeru. Normal fight with me sweeping with Spike Knight. Pop Honey comes into play, oh crap! I'm too big to avoid being confused... *gets confused* YOUR SINGING IS USELESS, I ONLY SPIN MORE. *starts rolling around as a giant rolling spastic spike ball that still has full movement control* Shuriken Ninja got me in the end. But then Teleport NinjaCopy Man copied Ivan (man I'm loving this). At the end, the climactic finale of today! Teleport NinjaCopy Man fights Kakeru... Ace! Versus! Ace! You'll never defeat... The ultimate (mary sue) ninja...

See you space cowboy...