Difference between revisions of "DonPachi"

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[[File:Logo_DonPachi_3x.png|300px|center]]
 
[[File:Logo_DonPachi_3x.png|300px|center]]
----
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{{GameInfobox
 
{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #d6231f
+
| bordercolor = #d6231f
|innerbordercolor = #eeeeac
+
| innerbordercolor = #eeeeac
|title = DonPachi
+
| title = {{PAGENAME}}
|background = #fefafb
+
| background = #fefafb
|image = Screenshot_DonPachi_001.png
+
| image = Screenshot_DonPachi_001.png
|width = 324px;
+
| width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
+
| imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px
+
| imagescalepx = 180px
 
+
| developer = [[CAVE]]
|developer = [[CAVE]]
+
| music = Ryūichi Yabuki
|music = Ryūichi Yabuki
+
| program = Tsuneki Ikeda<br/>Toshiaki Tomizawa<br/>Hiroyuki Uchida<br/>Ryūichi Yabuki
|
+
| art = Atsunori Aburatani<br/>Kazuhiro Asaba<br/>Jun Fujisaku<br/>Riichiro Nitta<br/>Naoki Ogiwara
|program = Hiroyuki Uchida </br> Toshiaki Tomizawa </br> Tsuneki Ikeda
+
| releasedate = '''Arcade:''' May 1995<br/>'''Sega Saturn:''' April 26, 1996<br/>'''Playstation:''' October 18, 1996
|
+
| nextgame = [[DoDonPachi]]
|art = Atsunori Aburatani </br> Jun Fujisaku </br> Kazuhiro Asaba
 
|
 
|releasedate = '''Arcade:''' May 1995 </br> '''Sega Saturn:''' April 26, 1996 </br> '''Playstation:''' October 18, 1996
 
 
 
|nextgame = [[DoDonPachi]]
 
 
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
 +
''[[DonPachi]]'' (首領蜂 "Leader Bee", abbreviated: '''DP''') is the first game developed by ''[[CAVE]]'', and the first entry in the ''[[:Category:DonPachi series|DonPachi series]]'' of shoot-em-ups. It is one of the first games in its genre to introduce a chaining system, which would become a well-known staple of the series. Alongside ''[[Batsugun]]'', ''DonPachi'' is considered to be one of the progenitors of the shooting game sub-genre known as [[bullet hell]]. It also features a man named "Bob" as the announcer of the game, and '''we love him very much'''.
  
'''''DonPachi''''' <small>(首領蜂 "Leader Bee", abbreviated: '''DP''')</small> is the first game developed by [[CAVE]], and the first entry in the [[:Category:DonPachi series|DonPachi series]] of shoot-em-ups. It is one of the first games in its genre to introduce a ''chaining system'', which would become a well-known staple of the series. Alongside ''[[Batsugun]]'' (by [[Toaplan]]), ''DonPachi'' is considered to be one of the progenitors of the shooting game sub-genre known as "[[bullet hell]]". It also features a man named "Bob" as the primary VO of the game, and '''we love him very much'''.
+
''DonPachi'' was originally released in the arcades in 1995. It was later ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn home consoles. The console ports are generally considered inferior to the arcade version, and typically aren't played for score.
  
''DonPachi'' was originally released in the arcades in 1995. It was later ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn home consoles. (The ports of ''DonPachi'' are considered inferior to the arcade version of the game, and are typically not played for score.)
+
{{center |'''DON'T YOU JUST ''LOVE'' THE SWEET TASTE OF VICTORY?'''}}
  
''DonPachi'' was followed up with ''[[DoDonPachi]]'' in 1997, leaving CAVE's mark on the shooting game world.
+
__TOC__
 
 
 
 
<div style='text-align: center;'>'''DON'T YOU JUST ''LOVE'' THE SWEET TASTE OF VICTORY?'''</div>
 
  
 
 
__TOC__
 
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
  
 +
== Gameplay Overview ==
  
== Gameplay Overview ==
+
[[File:Donpachilogocolor.jpg|thumb|200px|right]]
[[File:Donpachilogocolor.jpg|right|200px]]''DonPachi'' is a three-button shooter <small>(although the '''C''' button is turned '''off''' by default, and can be enabled in the dipswitches in service mode)</small>.
 
  
There are five stages in the game, with a second [[loop]] beginning at the end of stage five. Upon reaching the end of the second loop, the player will fight the [[True Last Boss]], [[Taisabachi]]. There are '''no requirements''' for entering the loop or fighting the TLB.
+
''DonPachi'' is a three-button shooter. Button '''C''' is disabled by default but can be enabled in the service menu.
  
 +
There are five stages in the game, with a second [[loop]] beginning at the end of stage five. Upon reaching the end of the second loop, the player will fight the [[True Last Boss]], [[Taisabachi]]. There are no special requirements for entering the second loop or fighting the TLB.
  
 
=== Controls ===
 
=== Controls ===
----
 
* '''A (Press):''' Fires the standard "spread" Shot weapon
 
* '''A (Hold):''' Fires the ship's "focus" Laser weapon (also surrounds the player with an Aura that deals severe damage)
 
* '''B:''' Releases a Bomb, clearing the screen of bullets and dealing massive damage to enemies on screen
 
** When pressing '''B''' by itself, the player will release a '''Spread Bomb''', which damages everything on screen
 
** When pressing '''B''' while '''holding A''', the player will release a '''Laser Bomb''', which fires a massive laser blast from the ship that deals extremely high damage to anything in its path
 
* '''C:''' Auto-fire for the player's standard Shot. Shot frequency with C is higher than what can normally be achieved with putting auto-fire on button A. Therefore, some advanced chains are only possible with C
 
  
 +
* '''A (Press)''': Fires the standard "spread" shot weapon.
 +
* '''A (Hold)''': Fires the ship's "focus" laser weapon (also surrounds the player with an Aura that deals severe damage).
 +
* '''B''': Detonates a Bomb, clearing the screen of bullets and dealing massive damage to enemies on screen.
 +
** Pressing '''B''' detonates a Spread Bomb, which damages everything on screen.
 +
** Pressing '''B''' while '''holding A''' (firing your laser) detonates a Laser Bomb, which fires a massive laser blast dealing extreme damage to anything in its path.
 +
* '''C''': Auto-fire for the player's standard spread shot. Shot frequency with '''C''' is higher than what can normally be achieved with putting auto-fire on button '''A'''. Therefore, some advanced chains are only possible with '''C'''.
  
 
=== Ships ===
 
=== Ships ===
----
+
 
There are '''three ships''' in DonPachi. Playing on 2p side purely has cosmetic effects.
+
There are three ship types in ''DonPachi''. Playing on 2P side has no effect on game mechanics.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! rowspan="2" | Ship
 
! rowspan="2" | Ship
! rowspan="2" | 1p side
+
! rowspan="2" | 1P side
! rowspan="2" | 2p side
+
! rowspan="2" | 2P side
 
! rowspan="2" | Speed
 
! rowspan="2" | Speed
 
! rowspan="2" | Shot
 
! rowspan="2" | Shot
! colspan="3" | Laser
+
! colspan="4" | Laser
! rowspan="2" | y-axis position<br>of hitbox
+
! rowspan="2" | Y-axis position<br/>of hitbox
 
|-
 
|-
! Strength !! Activation Speed !! Travelling Speed
+
! Strength !! Beam Width !! Activation Speed !! Travelling Speed
 
|-
 
|-
| style="height:100px" | '''Type A''' || [[File:Dp-p1-red.gif]] || [[File:Dp-p2-yellow.gif]] || Faster || Narrow || Stronger || Faster || Medium ||Middle
+
| '''Type A''' || [[File:Dp-p1-red.gif|x100px]] || [[File:Dp-p2-yellow.gif|x100px]] || Faster || Narrow || Stronger || Smaller || Faster || Medium || Center
 
|-
 
|-
| style="height:100px" | '''Type B''' || [[File:Dp-p1-green.gif]] || [[File:Dp-p2-purple.gif]] || Medium || Medium <br>Options leaning to the side || Medium || Medium || Faster || Higher
+
| '''Type B''' || [[File:Dp-p1-green.gif|x100px]] || [[File:Dp-p2-purple.gif|x100px]] || Medium || Medium<br/>Options track lateral movement || Medium || Greater || Medium || Faster || Higher
 
|-
 
|-
| style="height:100px" | '''Type C''' || [[File:Dp-p1-blue.gif]] || [[File:Dp-p2-black.gif]] || Slower || Wide || Weaker || Slower || Medium || Lower
+
| '''Type C''' || [[File:Dp-p1-blue.gif|x100px]] || [[File:Dp-p2-black.gif|x100px]] || Slower || Wide || Weaker || Greater || Slower || Medium || Lower
 
|}
 
|}
  
 +
=== Bombs ===
  
'''Bombs'''
+
There are two types of bombs, Spread Bombs (press '''B''') and Laser Bombs (press '''B''' while firing your laser). Laser Bombs are recommended for use against bosses for survival players, as they damage the bosses considerably well.
 
 
There are two types of bombs, '''Spread Bombs''' (press B while not lasering) and '''Laser Bombs''' (press B while lasering). '''Laser Bombs do particular damage to bosses''' so they are highly recommended here for survival players.  
 
  
From the start the player holds '''3 bomb slots'''. With every 3 bombs used, the bomb display is extended by 1 slot up to a '''maximum of 7 slots'''.
+
The player holds 3 bomb slots upon starting the game. With every 3 bombs used, the player's bomb capacity is increased by 1 slot up to a maximum of 7 slots.
  
After the end of each stage, the player is rewarded with '''extra bombs''' depending on the stage number. These extra bombs only fill up the existing slots. If a player already has a full stock, '''no extra bombs will be added'''.
+
After the end of each stage, the player is rewarded with extra bombs depending on the stage completed shown in the table below. These extra bombs only fill up the existing slots with extras being discarded if the player's stock is full.
  
{| class="wikitable"
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Stage !! Extra bombs
 
! Stage !! Extra bombs
 
|-
 
|-
| 1-1 & 2-1 || 1
+
| 1-1 || 1
 
|-
 
|-
| 1-2 & 2-2 || 2
+
| 1-2 || 2
 
|-
 
|-
| 1-3 & 2-3 || 3
+
| 1-3 || 3
 
|-
 
|-
| 1-4 & 2-4 || 4
+
| 1-4 || 4
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 1-5 || 5
 
| 1-5 || 5
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="2" | Second Loop
 +
|-
 +
| 2-1 || 1
 +
|-
 +
| 2-2 || 2
 +
|-
 +
| 2-3 || 3
 +
|-
 +
| 2-4 || 4
 
|}
 
|}
  
'''In the US version''' of DonPachi the player will '''always be rewarded with a full bomb stock''' regardless of the stage cleared.
+
In the US version of ''DonPachi'' the player's bomb stock is refilled regardless of the stage cleared.
  
 
=== Items ===
 
=== Items ===
----
 
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
|-
| [[File:Item powerup.jpg|center]] || '''Power Up''' <br>Increases your attack power (max power after the 8th item)
+
| [[File:Item powerup.jpg|center]] || '''Power Up'''<br/>Increases your attack power (max power after the 8th item)
 
|-
 
|-
| [[File:Item full.jpg|center]] || '''Max Power Up''' <br>Instantly grants max power (only appears after losing all lives)
+
| [[File:Item full.jpg|center]] || '''Max Power Up'''<br/>Instantly grants max power (only appears after losing all lives)
 
|-
 
|-
| [[File:Item bomber.jpg|center]] || '''Bomb''' <br>Increases your bomb stock by 1
+
| [[File:Item bomber.jpg|center]] || '''Bomb'''<br/>Increases your bomb stock by 1
 
|-
 
|-
| [[File:Item star.jpg|center]] || '''Star Item''' <br>Small point reward
+
| [[File:Item star.jpg|center]] || '''Star Item'''<br/>Small point reward
 
|-
 
|-
| [[File:Item bee medal.jpg|center]] || '''Bee Medal''' <br>Point value increases the more you collect per stage
+
| [[File:Item bee medal.jpg|center]] || '''Bee Medal'''<br/>Point value increases the more you collect per stage
 
|-
 
|-
| [[File:Item 1up.jpg]] || '''1-Up''' <br>Rewards the player with one extra life
+
| [[File:Item 1up.jpg]] || '''1-Up'''<br/>Rewards the player with one extra life
 
|}
 
|}
  
 +
=== Extra Lives ===
  
 +
[[File:Dp1ex.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Stage 1-4 extra life location]]
  
[[File:Dp1ex.jpg|200px|right]]
+
There are two extra lives to be gained in ''DonPachi'', increasing the player's maximum possible life stock to 4.
'''Extra Lives'''
 
 
 
There are two extra lives to be gained in DonPachi.
 
  
# By reaching '''2,000,000pts''' the player is rewarded with one extra life.
+
# By getting '''2,000,000''' points the player is rewarded with one extra life.
# There is a '''hidden 1-Up item''' in the central building located at the end of the corridor with the stationary red ships to the sides in the '''second half of stage 1-4'''. If you use a bomb while destroying this building, the 1-Up item will '''not appear'''. There are '''no other requirements''' to make the item appear.
+
# There is a hidden 1-Up item in the central building located at the end of the corridor with the stationary red ships to the sides in the second half of '''stage 1-4'''. If you use a bomb while destroying this building, '''the 1-Up item will not appear'''. There are no other requirements to make the 1-Up appear. This 1-Up does not appear in the second loop.
  
Note: The building only holds the extra life in stage 1-4. There is '''no extra life here to be found in 2-4'''. Therefore, the maximum number of lives in stock is 4.
+
=== Hidden Bomb Items ===
  
 +
There are a handful of hidden bombs that can be uncovered by fulfilling conditions described below. This is particularly relevant to survival players.
  
'''Hidden Bomb Items'''
+
* Destroy the two hoverboats in stages 1-3 and 2-3 '''after they have come to a halt''' for one bomb each.
 
+
* Destroy the three green midsized enemies towards the end of stage 2-2 '''without the use of a bomb'''. If done correctly, each of the enemies will drop a bomb.  
Fulfilling certain conditions, there is a handful of hidden bomb items to be found. This is particularly relevant to survival players.
+
* Destroy the two hatches to the left and right side of the stage 2-3 boss '''without the use of a bomb''' for one extra bomb item each. The hatches will also drop a bomb item if they are still intact when the boss blows up. However, if the boss is destroyed with a bomb, even an intact hatch will not drop a bomb item.
 
 
* Destroy the two '''hoverboats''' in stage 3 only '''after they have come to a halt''' for one bomb each. This works on both loops.
 
* Destroy the '''green midsized enemies''' towards the end of stage 2-2 '''without the use of a bomb'''. If done correctly, each of the enemies will drop a bomb item for a total of 3 extra bombs. [loop 2 only]
 
* Destroy the '''two hatches''' to the left and right side of the 2-3 boss '''without the use of a bomb''' for one extra bomb item each. [loop 2 only]
 
 
 
  
 
=== Rank ===
 
=== Rank ===
  
The '''rank system''' of Donpachi works as follows. First, a '''modifier''' is calculated:
+
The rank system of ''DonPachi'' works as follows.
  
 +
[[File:Donpachi rank nomiss flag.png|thumb|right|(Left) No Miss flag is ON; <br>(Right) No miss flag is OFF]]
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
|-
| modifier = power*2 + bombstock + **(max hit - 20)/8
+
! Per-player rank
<small>**skip if max hit < 20</small>
+
|-
|}
+
| playerrank = (power * 2) + bombstock + ((maxhit - 20) / 8)
 
+
|-
Then, we can use this modifier to '''calculate the rank''':
+
! Single-player game
[[File:Donpachi rank nomiss flag.png|thumb|right|(Left) No Miss flag is ON; <br>(Right) No miss flag is OFF]]
+
|-
{| class="wikitable"
+
| rank = (loop * 16) + (stage * 2) + (survivalframes / 2048) + bees + lives + playerrank
 +
|-
 +
! Two-player game
 
|-
 
|-
| rank = modifier + stage*2 + survivalframes/2048 + loop*16 + lives + bees
+
| rank = (loop * 16) + (stage * 2) + (survivalframes / 2048) + 1Pbees + 2Pbees + 1Plives + 2Plives + ((1prank + 2prank) / 2)
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
* '''Everything starts counting from 0''', so stages 0-4 for 1-1 to 1-5; loops 0-1 for loop 1 and 2. Default starting lives are counted as 3 not 2.
 
* '''Everything starts counting from 0''', so stages 0-4 for 1-1 to 1-5; loops 0-1 for loop 1 and 2. Default starting lives are counted as 3 not 2.
* ''Power'' refers to your '''power level''' and increases every 2 Power-Up items collected. A sound effect "power up!" is played when you increase your power level by 1.
+
* ''power'' refers to your '''power level''' and increases every 2 Power-Up items collected. A sound effect "power up!" is played when you increase your power level by 1.
 +
* ''bees'' refers to the number of bees collected in the current stage.
 +
* ''maxhit'' refers to the maximum number of hits obtained throughout the entire game. If this is below 20, this factor is not included into the rank.
 
* The final result of this formula and therefore the rank itself is '''capped at 63'''.
 
* The final result of this formula and therefore the rank itself is '''capped at 63'''.
  
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As the rank cap of 63 is set comparatively low, advanced players will reach max rank '''as early as stage 1-5''' thereby making the whole formula feel unnecessarily convoluted. '''Rank control''' is generally not considered to be a viable strategy neither for scoring nor survival.
 
As the rank cap of 63 is set comparatively low, advanced players will reach max rank '''as early as stage 1-5''' thereby making the whole formula feel unnecessarily convoluted. '''Rank control''' is generally not considered to be a viable strategy neither for scoring nor survival.
  
 +
=== Player Death ===
 +
 +
When the player loses a ship, the following changes are made:
 +
 +
* The number of lives the player has is decremented by 1. If the player had no spare lives, this causes a game over.
 +
* The number of bombs being carried is set to 3, regardless of capacity. There is no effect on the bomb capacity count.
 +
* The [[#Bomb_Capacity_Bonus|Capacity Bonus chain]] is broken, and cannot be restarted.
 +
* The player's shot power is set to 0. However, "partial" power up (the small P icon on the bottom of the HUD) is preserved.
 +
* The GPS chain is broken.
 +
 +
=== Observable Screen & Playing Field ===
 +
 +
[[File:DP screenboth.png|400px|left]]
 +
As in many other shmups, the screen in DonPachi only shows about 3/4 of the horizontal playing field, leaving some parts to the sides of the screen not observable to the player. It's important to note that this phenomenon has no effect on ground enemies but does affect most (but not all!) airborne enemies in their spawn position on screen. In fact, the x-axis position of many airborne enemies is decided in relation to the viewable screen only and not by the absolute playing field.
 +
 +
To give an example, in the left half of the image to the left, the player is at the left edge of the playing field, and in the right half the player hugs the right edge. Nonetheless, the x-axis position of the item carrier is exactly the same relative to the observable screen. This also means that the absolute coordinate of the x-axis position is different when the full playing field is considered. This results in the fact that airborne enemies spawn in slightly different places for their x-axis position.
 +
 +
{{clear}}
 +
[[File:Dpxaxis.png|400px|left]]
 +
The full deviation of the x-axis spawn points of airborne enemies is shown in the image to the left. The red lines mark the two extreme coordinates of the x-axes when the player has hugged the two edges of the playing field by the time the enemy had entered on screen. This has potentially great effects on devising a chain route as the player can control the enemy spawn positions to a certain extent. For instance, when spawning the item carrier in this scenario more to the right, it becomes possible to damage the cockpit of the ship that would otherwise be blocked as seen on the left. This way, the player can keep the item carrier alive including it in the chain and is able to weaken the cockpit for a better setup overall.
 +
 +
The deviation of the two extreme x-axis positions roughly equals the size of the unobservable portions of the playing field.
 +
 +
{{clear}}
 +
 +
=== Behavior of Aimed Bullets ===
 +
 +
[[File:Donpachi error2.png|150px|right]]
 +
Patterns that are directly aimed at the player ship show a behavior of very often consistently missing their target. This aspect of aimed bullets can be exploited to the player's advantage, e.g. to find a safe spot on the first form of the 4th boss (due to the [[DonPachi#Ships|different x-axis positions of the ships' hitboxes]], this safe spot only works with Type A and C but not with Type B). The inaccurate aim of the bullets is shown in the graphic on the right. Depending on the angle the bullet is fired at the player ship (the center of the image), the firing aim can be 1 tick extra clockwise (yellow), 2 ticks extra clockwise (red) or 1 tick extra counter-clockwise (cyan). Bullets fired from an angle marked in black hit the player directly.
 +
 +
{{clear}}
  
 
=== Scoring ===
 
=== Scoring ===
Line 175: Line 203:
 
''For world record scores, please refer to the [[STG_Hall_of_Records#Donpachi|Hall of Records entry]].''
 
''For world record scores, please refer to the [[STG_Hall_of_Records#Donpachi|Hall of Records entry]].''
 
<br>''For the history of world record scores, please refer to the [[STG_Hall_of_Records/World_Record_Progression_Donpachi|World Record Progression of DonPachi]]
 
<br>''For the history of world record scores, please refer to the [[STG_Hall_of_Records/World_Record_Progression_Donpachi|World Record Progression of DonPachi]]
 
  
 
==== Chaining ====
 
==== Chaining ====
Line 193: Line 220:
 
If the player were to destroy the same enemies but in a ''different order'', this will also have an effect on the total score gain.  
 
If the player were to destroy the same enemies but in a ''different order'', this will also have an effect on the total score gain.  
 
With that in mind, destroying the previous enemies in the order of (A = 600), (B = 300), and (Z = 100) yields '''2,500pts''' total (3*'''600''' + 2*'''300''' + 1*'''100''' = '''2,500'''). For this reason, it is more lucrative to '''destroy enemies with a higher base value''' as '''early''' on in the chain as possible.
 
With that in mind, destroying the previous enemies in the order of (A = 600), (B = 300), and (Z = 100) yields '''2,500pts''' total (3*'''600''' + 2*'''300''' + 1*'''100''' = '''2,500'''). For this reason, it is more lucrative to '''destroy enemies with a higher base value''' as '''early''' on in the chain as possible.
 
  
 
==== Enemy point values ====
 
==== Enemy point values ====
  
 
:''Main article: [[DonPachi/Enemy list]]''
 
:''Main article: [[DonPachi/Enemy list]]''
 
  
 
==== Bomb Capacity Bonus ====
 
==== Bomb Capacity Bonus ====
  
One of the most important sources for score apart from the Chaining is the Capacity Bonus. When the player '''does not lose a single life''' and '''has not used more than two bombs''' overall throughout '''the whole game''', they are rewarded with a gradually-increasing '''Capacity Bonus''' after each stage. This bonus looks as follows:
+
One of the most important sources for score apart from the Chaining is the Capacity Bonus. While the player has not died and not increased their bomb capacity, the end stage '''Capacity Bonus''' increases for each stage. This increased Capacity Bonus value maxes out at 5 million, for every stage in the second loop. This bonus looks as follows:
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
Line 221: Line 246:
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
+
Once the player '''has died once, or increased their bomb capacity to 4 or more slots''', the Capacity Bonus chain is '''disabled''', resulting in a dramatically smaller bonus '''solely based on the number of bomb slots'''. The Capacity Bonus chain cannot be restarted once it has been broken. The "normal" capacity bonus values are as follows:
If the player '''has died once or bombed a third time''', the Capacity Bonus is '''dramatically decreased''' and a much smaller bonus is rewarded '''solely based on the number of bomb slots'''. This bonus is as follows:
 
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
Line 239: Line 263:
 
|}
 
|}
  
 +
Additional to the Capacity Bonus, the player is rewarded with '''10,000pts per remaining bomb after the end of each stage'''. This bonus is consistent throughout the game unaffected by the number of deaths or bomb slots.
  
 
==== Bee Medals ====
 
==== Bee Medals ====
  
There are '''13''' bees to collect in each stage, and collecting a bee icon awards the player points, with each collected bee in a stage awarding increased point gain:
+
There are '''13''' bees to collect in each stage, and collecting a bee icon awards the player points, with each collected bee in a stage awarding '''increased point gain'''. Unlike in later games of the series, this bonus does '''not carry over between stages'''.
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
Line 252: Line 277:
 
If the player dies, the Bee Medal value '''resets back to 100'''.
 
If the player dies, the Bee Medal value '''resets back to 100'''.
  
 +
The following maps show you the '''locations of the 13 bees''' for each of the stages.
  
[[DonPachi/stage1_beemap|Stage 1 Map]]
+
{| class="wikitable"
 
+
|-
[[DonPachi/stage2_beemap|Stage 2 Map]]
+
| [[DonPachi/stage1_beemap|Stage 1]] || [[DonPachi/stage2_beemap|Stage 2]] || [[DonPachi/stage3_beemap|Stage 3]] || [[DonPachi/stage4_beemap|Stage 4]] || [[DonPachi/stage5_beemap|Stage 5]]
 
+
|}
[[DonPachi/stage3_beemap|Stage 3 Map]]
 
 
 
[[DonPachi/stage4_beemap|Stage 4 Map]]
 
 
 
[[DonPachi/stage5_beemap|Stage 5 Map]]
 
 
 
  
 
==== Item Collection ====
 
==== Item Collection ====
Line 269: Line 289:
  
 
'''Power-Up Items''' are worth '''10,000pts''' if picked up when fully powered up. Similarly, '''Bomb Items''' are also worth '''10,000pts''' when they are collected while the player has a full bomb stock.
 
'''Power-Up Items''' are worth '''10,000pts''' if picked up when fully powered up. Similarly, '''Bomb Items''' are also worth '''10,000pts''' when they are collected while the player has a full bomb stock.
 
  
 
==== End Game Bonus ====
 
==== End Game Bonus ====
  
Upon reaching the end of the second loop and destroying [[Taisabachi]], the player is rewarded with '''1,000,000pts per remaining life''' and '''10,000pts per remaining bomb'''.
+
Upon reaching the end of the second loop and destroying [[Taisabachi]], the player is rewarded with '''1,000,000pts per remaining life''' and likewise the usual '''10,000pts per remaining bomb'''.
 
 
  
 
[[File:Dpgenend.jpg|400px|center]]
 
[[File:Dpgenend.jpg|400px|center]]
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| style="width:30%;" | Insanely difficult version with much higher rank right from the start. The masochist's choice.<br>No intermission nor ending sequence.
 
| style="width:30%;" | Insanely difficult version with much higher rank right from the start. The masochist's choice.<br>No intermission nor ending sequence.
 
|}
 
|}
 
  
 
== Trivia ==
 
== Trivia ==
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* During the '''credits sequence after the second loop''', [[Toaplan]]'s mascot ''Pipiru'' can be spotted clinging onto the Type A ship and then vanishing into goofiness (shown on the right).
 
* During the '''credits sequence after the second loop''', [[Toaplan]]'s mascot ''Pipiru'' can be spotted clinging onto the Type A ship and then vanishing into goofiness (shown on the right).
 +
 +
== Video References ==
 +
 +
[[DonPachi/Video Index|Video index for DonPachi]]
  
 
== References & Contributors ==  
 
== References & Contributors ==  
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# Item sprites taken from http://www.world-of-arcades.net/Cave/DonPachi/score_system.htm
 
# Item sprites taken from http://www.world-of-arcades.net/Cave/DonPachi/score_system.htm
 
# Rank info based on messages by "smc" posted on Discord on August 18th and August 25th, 2020.
 
# Rank info based on messages by "smc" posted on Discord on August 18th and August 25th, 2020.
 +
# Information on the behavior of aimed bullets incl. the graphical representation provided by [[User:Trap15|Trap15]] based on messages posted on Discord dated May 3rd, 2021.
 
</small>
 
</small>
  
[[Category:DonPachi]][[Category:DonPachi series]][[Category:Vertical orientation]]
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[[Category:DonPachi]]
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[[Category:DonPachi series]]
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[[Category:Vertical orientation]]
 
[[Category:True Last Boss]]
 
[[Category:True Last Boss]]

Revision as of 11:17, 6 June 2021

Logo DonPachi 3x.png
DonPachi
Screenshot DonPachi 001.png

Title screen

Developer: CAVE
Music: Ryūichi Yabuki
Program: Tsuneki Ikeda
Toshiaki Tomizawa
Hiroyuki Uchida
Ryūichi Yabuki
Art: Atsunori Aburatani
Kazuhiro Asaba
Jun Fujisaku
Riichiro Nitta
Naoki Ogiwara
Release date: Arcade: May 1995
Sega Saturn: April 26, 1996
Playstation: October 18, 1996
Next game: DoDonPachi

DonPachi (首領蜂 "Leader Bee", abbreviated: DP) is the first game developed by CAVE, and the first entry in the DonPachi series of shoot-em-ups. It is one of the first games in its genre to introduce a chaining system, which would become a well-known staple of the series. Alongside Batsugun, DonPachi is considered to be one of the progenitors of the shooting game sub-genre known as bullet hell. It also features a man named "Bob" as the announcer of the game, and we love him very much.

DonPachi was originally released in the arcades in 1995. It was later ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn home consoles. The console ports are generally considered inferior to the arcade version, and typically aren't played for score.

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THE SWEET TASTE OF VICTORY?


Gameplay Overview

Donpachilogocolor.jpg

DonPachi is a three-button shooter. Button C is disabled by default but can be enabled in the service menu.

There are five stages in the game, with a second loop beginning at the end of stage five. Upon reaching the end of the second loop, the player will fight the True Last Boss, Taisabachi. There are no special requirements for entering the second loop or fighting the TLB.

Controls

  • A (Press): Fires the standard "spread" shot weapon.
  • A (Hold): Fires the ship's "focus" laser weapon (also surrounds the player with an Aura that deals severe damage).
  • B: Detonates a Bomb, clearing the screen of bullets and dealing massive damage to enemies on screen.
    • Pressing B detonates a Spread Bomb, which damages everything on screen.
    • Pressing B while holding A (firing your laser) detonates a Laser Bomb, which fires a massive laser blast dealing extreme damage to anything in its path.
  • C: Auto-fire for the player's standard spread shot. Shot frequency with C is higher than what can normally be achieved with putting auto-fire on button A. Therefore, some advanced chains are only possible with C.

Ships

There are three ship types in DonPachi. Playing on 2P side has no effect on game mechanics.

Ship 1P side 2P side Speed Shot Laser Y-axis position
of hitbox
Strength Beam Width Activation Speed Travelling Speed
Type A Dp-p1-red.gif Dp-p2-yellow.gif Faster Narrow Stronger Smaller Faster Medium Center
Type B Dp-p1-green.gif Dp-p2-purple.gif Medium Medium
Options track lateral movement
Medium Greater Medium Faster Higher
Type C Dp-p1-blue.gif Dp-p2-black.gif Slower Wide Weaker Greater Slower Medium Lower

Bombs

There are two types of bombs, Spread Bombs (press B) and Laser Bombs (press B while firing your laser). Laser Bombs are recommended for use against bosses for survival players, as they damage the bosses considerably well.

The player holds 3 bomb slots upon starting the game. With every 3 bombs used, the player's bomb capacity is increased by 1 slot up to a maximum of 7 slots.

After the end of each stage, the player is rewarded with extra bombs depending on the stage completed shown in the table below. These extra bombs only fill up the existing slots with extras being discarded if the player's stock is full.

Stage Extra bombs
1-1 1
1-2 2
1-3 3
1-4 4
1-5 5
Second Loop
2-1 1
2-2 2
2-3 3
2-4 4

In the US version of DonPachi the player's bomb stock is refilled regardless of the stage cleared.

Items

Item powerup.jpg
Power Up
Increases your attack power (max power after the 8th item)
Item full.jpg
Max Power Up
Instantly grants max power (only appears after losing all lives)
Item bomber.jpg
Bomb
Increases your bomb stock by 1
Item star.jpg
Star Item
Small point reward
Item bee medal.jpg
Bee Medal
Point value increases the more you collect per stage
Item 1up.jpg 1-Up
Rewards the player with one extra life

Extra Lives

Stage 1-4 extra life location

There are two extra lives to be gained in DonPachi, increasing the player's maximum possible life stock to 4.

  1. By getting 2,000,000 points the player is rewarded with one extra life.
  2. There is a hidden 1-Up item in the central building located at the end of the corridor with the stationary red ships to the sides in the second half of stage 1-4. If you use a bomb while destroying this building, the 1-Up item will not appear. There are no other requirements to make the 1-Up appear. This 1-Up does not appear in the second loop.

Hidden Bomb Items

There are a handful of hidden bombs that can be uncovered by fulfilling conditions described below. This is particularly relevant to survival players.

  • Destroy the two hoverboats in stages 1-3 and 2-3 after they have come to a halt for one bomb each.
  • Destroy the three green midsized enemies towards the end of stage 2-2 without the use of a bomb. If done correctly, each of the enemies will drop a bomb.
  • Destroy the two hatches to the left and right side of the stage 2-3 boss without the use of a bomb for one extra bomb item each. The hatches will also drop a bomb item if they are still intact when the boss blows up. However, if the boss is destroyed with a bomb, even an intact hatch will not drop a bomb item.

Rank

The rank system of DonPachi works as follows.

(Left) No Miss flag is ON;
(Right) No miss flag is OFF
Per-player rank
playerrank = (power * 2) + bombstock + ((maxhit - 20) / 8)
Single-player game
rank = (loop * 16) + (stage * 2) + (survivalframes / 2048) + bees + lives + playerrank
Two-player game
rank = (loop * 16) + (stage * 2) + (survivalframes / 2048) + 1Pbees + 2Pbees + 1Plives + 2Plives + ((1prank + 2prank) / 2)
  • Everything starts counting from 0, so stages 0-4 for 1-1 to 1-5; loops 0-1 for loop 1 and 2. Default starting lives are counted as 3 not 2.
  • power refers to your power level and increases every 2 Power-Up items collected. A sound effect "power up!" is played when you increase your power level by 1.
  • bees refers to the number of bees collected in the current stage.
  • maxhit refers to the maximum number of hits obtained throughout the entire game. If this is below 20, this factor is not included into the rank.
  • The final result of this formula and therefore the rank itself is capped at 63.

Additionally, there is a no miss flag that is either ON and OFF. This trigger solely affects the behavior of the suicide bullets during the loop. If it's ON, the random spread of the bullets is much wider, the bullets are faster, and a different type of thicker bullets is found in between. The suicide bullets during the loop become gradually harder. So even on max rank with a no miss, the difficulty of the suicide bullets is much harder in 2-2 than it is in 2-1 and so on.

As the rank cap of 63 is set comparatively low, advanced players will reach max rank as early as stage 1-5 thereby making the whole formula feel unnecessarily convoluted. Rank control is generally not considered to be a viable strategy neither for scoring nor survival.

Player Death

When the player loses a ship, the following changes are made:

  • The number of lives the player has is decremented by 1. If the player had no spare lives, this causes a game over.
  • The number of bombs being carried is set to 3, regardless of capacity. There is no effect on the bomb capacity count.
  • The Capacity Bonus chain is broken, and cannot be restarted.
  • The player's shot power is set to 0. However, "partial" power up (the small P icon on the bottom of the HUD) is preserved.
  • The GPS chain is broken.

Observable Screen & Playing Field

DP screenboth.png

As in many other shmups, the screen in DonPachi only shows about 3/4 of the horizontal playing field, leaving some parts to the sides of the screen not observable to the player. It's important to note that this phenomenon has no effect on ground enemies but does affect most (but not all!) airborne enemies in their spawn position on screen. In fact, the x-axis position of many airborne enemies is decided in relation to the viewable screen only and not by the absolute playing field.

To give an example, in the left half of the image to the left, the player is at the left edge of the playing field, and in the right half the player hugs the right edge. Nonetheless, the x-axis position of the item carrier is exactly the same relative to the observable screen. This also means that the absolute coordinate of the x-axis position is different when the full playing field is considered. This results in the fact that airborne enemies spawn in slightly different places for their x-axis position.

Dpxaxis.png

The full deviation of the x-axis spawn points of airborne enemies is shown in the image to the left. The red lines mark the two extreme coordinates of the x-axes when the player has hugged the two edges of the playing field by the time the enemy had entered on screen. This has potentially great effects on devising a chain route as the player can control the enemy spawn positions to a certain extent. For instance, when spawning the item carrier in this scenario more to the right, it becomes possible to damage the cockpit of the ship that would otherwise be blocked as seen on the left. This way, the player can keep the item carrier alive including it in the chain and is able to weaken the cockpit for a better setup overall.

The deviation of the two extreme x-axis positions roughly equals the size of the unobservable portions of the playing field.

Behavior of Aimed Bullets

Donpachi error2.png

Patterns that are directly aimed at the player ship show a behavior of very often consistently missing their target. This aspect of aimed bullets can be exploited to the player's advantage, e.g. to find a safe spot on the first form of the 4th boss (due to the different x-axis positions of the ships' hitboxes, this safe spot only works with Type A and C but not with Type B). The inaccurate aim of the bullets is shown in the graphic on the right. Depending on the angle the bullet is fired at the player ship (the center of the image), the firing aim can be 1 tick extra clockwise (yellow), 2 ticks extra clockwise (red) or 1 tick extra counter-clockwise (cyan). Bullets fired from an angle marked in black hit the player directly.

Scoring


For world record scores, please refer to the Hall of Records entry.
For the history of world record scores, please refer to the World Record Progression of DonPachi

Chaining

The central scoring mechanic of DonPachi is the Get Point System (GPS), which rewards the player with huge score by performing hit/kill chains upon enemies and the environment, in quick succession. The chaining in DonPachi is very strict, requiring that the player destroy another enemy or object within 0.5 seconds (30 frames) of the previous destroyed object. The only way the player can keep their chain from dropping is by destroying another enemy, unlike in later games in the series that provided additional ways to keep a chain going (e.g. connecting your laser to a midsize enemy). Because of this, DonPachi typically emphasizes collecting points from multiple, smaller chains instead of connecting one chain through an entire stage.

The scoring formula of the chain system looks as follows:

hit count * A + (hit count - 1) * B + (hit count - 2) * C + ... + 1 * Z

(whereas A, B, C, ... , Z are the base values of the enemies chained in successive order)

For example, a 3 Hit chain with the successive enemy base values of (A = 100), (B = 600), and (Z = 300), results in 1,800pts (3*100 + 2*600 + 1*300 = 1,800).

If the player were to destroy the same enemies but in a different order, this will also have an effect on the total score gain. With that in mind, destroying the previous enemies in the order of (A = 600), (B = 300), and (Z = 100) yields 2,500pts total (3*600 + 2*300 + 1*100 = 2,500). For this reason, it is more lucrative to destroy enemies with a higher base value as early on in the chain as possible.

Enemy point values

Main article: DonPachi/Enemy list

Bomb Capacity Bonus

One of the most important sources for score apart from the Chaining is the Capacity Bonus. While the player has not died and not increased their bomb capacity, the end stage Capacity Bonus increases for each stage. This increased Capacity Bonus value maxes out at 5 million, for every stage in the second loop. This bonus looks as follows:

Stage Capacity Bonus
1-1 100,000
1-2 200,000
1-3 400,000
1-4 800,000
1-5 2,000,000
2-1 to 2-5 5,000,000

Once the player has died once, or increased their bomb capacity to 4 or more slots, the Capacity Bonus chain is disabled, resulting in a dramatically smaller bonus solely based on the number of bomb slots. The Capacity Bonus chain cannot be restarted once it has been broken. The "normal" capacity bonus values are as follows:

Bomb Slots Capacity Bonus
3 slots 100,000
4 slots 60,000
5 slots 40,000
6 slots 20,000
7 slots 0

Additional to the Capacity Bonus, the player is rewarded with 10,000pts per remaining bomb after the end of each stage. This bonus is consistent throughout the game unaffected by the number of deaths or bomb slots.

Bee Medals

There are 13 bees to collect in each stage, and collecting a bee icon awards the player points, with each collected bee in a stage awarding increased point gain. Unlike in later games of the series, this bonus does not carry over between stages.

Item bee medal.jpg
100 200 400 800 1,000 2,000 4,000 8,000 10,000 20,000 40,000 80,000 100,000

If the player dies, the Bee Medal value resets back to 100.

The following maps show you the locations of the 13 bees for each of the stages.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5

Item Collection

Star Items have to be uncovered on the ground (uncovering them contributes as a Hit for the Chain) and give 300pts each when picked up. Additionally, the player is rewarded with 1,000pts each for every Star Item collected at the end of a stage. The player is not rewarded with this end bonus if they have died after the collection of a Star Item.

Power-Up Items are worth 10,000pts if picked up when fully powered up. Similarly, Bomb Items are also worth 10,000pts when they are collected while the player has a full bomb stock.

End Game Bonus

Upon reaching the end of the second loop and destroying Taisabachi, the player is rewarded with 1,000,000pts per remaining life and likewise the usual 10,000pts per remaining bomb.

Dpgenend.jpg

Versions

There are four different PCB revisions for DonPachi.

Dp jpversion.png
Japan Version
The original version of DonPachi and the standard to play whether you're hunting for a 1cc or shoot for high scores.
Dp usaversion.png
US Version
A significantly easier version of the game. Much lower rank and the bombstock is fully refilled after each stage. Good for beginners.
Features English language text for the story.
Dp krversion.png
Korea Version
A version with presumably fewer tweaks. Rank seems to have no changes. The only documented difference is an easier final attack pattern for the first boss (both loops).
Likely to feature Korean language story, which is unfortunately only displayed as garbled Japanese text on Mame.
Dp hkversion.png
Hong Kong Version
Insanely difficult version with much higher rank right from the start. The masochist's choice.
No intermission nor ending sequence.

Trivia

Toaplan forever!
Toaplan is dead, long live CAVE!
  • The HIT count of the chain will be displayed on screen from 10 HITs onwards. The number will increase in size from 30 HITs onwards. To make the HIT display show the large font permanently, the player has to hold Up + Left and then press A + Start anywhere in the game during a run. This command has a purely cosmetic effect and does not affect the gameplay in any way. What this command also does is display your max hit chain count in your gp window as long as you're not actively chaining.
  • During an active chain, the HIT count will be displayed in red color. When you finish the chain with less than 50 HITs the counter will be blue. After a 50 to 99 HIT chain it will be green and a chain of 100 HITs or more will be displayed in yellow color after it ends.
  • The default ranking screen has a hidden message when the letters of the player's initials are read vertically across entries: TOAPLAN.FOREVER (shown on the left).
  • During the credits sequence after the second loop, Toaplan's mascot Pipiru can be spotted clinging onto the Type A ship and then vanishing into goofiness (shown on the right).

Video References

Video index for DonPachi

References & Contributors

  1. Scoring info and formatting work provided by Plasmo
  2. Basic info and formatting work provided by CHA-STG
  3. Gifs for the ships taken from http://www.slateman.net/beestorm/donpachi/
  4. Item sprites taken from http://www.world-of-arcades.net/Cave/DonPachi/score_system.htm
  5. Rank info based on messages by "smc" posted on Discord on August 18th and August 25th, 2020.
  6. Information on the behavior of aimed bullets incl. the graphical representation provided by Trap15 based on messages posted on Discord dated May 3rd, 2021.