Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara/Strategy - Revision history

Aquas at 20:55, 29 August 2023

2023-08-29T20:55:05Z

Aquas at 20:35, 29 August 2023

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Plasmo at 05:19, 28 August 2023

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Aquas at 01:57, 27 August 2023

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Aquas at 21:11, 26 August 2023

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Aquas at 21:07, 26 August 2023

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Aquas at 21:05, 26 August 2023

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Aquas at 20:55, 26 August 2023

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Aquas at 05:27, 26 August 2023

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Aquas at 05:10, 26 August 2023

2023-08-26T05:10:41Z

@@ Line 158: / Line 158: @@
-'''Stage 4 Boss: Uni Ulysses'''
+'''Stage 4 Boss: Uni Ulysses''' (600 HP)
 Damage distribution strategy for Max Rank in favor of timing out Phase 1 and fighting until near Time-Out, killing on Phase 2 for the 100K shot kill.
-* Phase 1 & 2 share the same HP pool. Phase 1 can end early if enough damage is done.
+* Phase 1 & 2 share the same HP pool. Phase 1 can end early if damage to 400 remaining HP.
 * The arms in Phase 2 can be shot or RC'd off for 10K each though it is quite difficult to do because their HPs are so high.
 * Make sure to have Rapid Fire for more Tick Point accumulation.
-'''Phase 1''' (8 cycles, 89 seconds)
+'''Phase 1''' (8 cycles, 89 seconds, force Phase 2 at 400 HP)
 * '''Goal is to time out the phase while reducing its HP to the value where it would force Phase 2.''' This sets you up decently for damage distribution in Phase 2 as you will need to shoot when is safely possible, then charging Rose Crackers.

@@ Line 166: / Line 166: @@
-'''Phase 1'''
+'''Phase 1''' (8 cycles, 89 seconds)
 * '''Goal is to time out the phase while reducing its HP to the value where it would force Phase 2.''' This sets you up decently for damage distribution in Phase 2 as you will need to shoot when is safely possible, then charging Rose Crackers.
@@ Line 175: / Line 175: @@
-'''Phase 2'''
+'''Phase 2''' (7 or 8 cycles, 119 seconds)
 * '''The boss will now use a 2-attack repeating pattern.''' The first attack will always occur in the cycle, the 2nd will vary from a few different attacks but will always be in conjunction with a sluggishly aimed dual-laser -- Except for the middle laser attack.

@@ Line 178: / Line 178: @@
 * '''The boss will now use a 2-attack repeating pattern.''' The first attack will always occur in the cycle, the 2nd will vary from a few different attacks but will always be in conjunction with a sluggishly aimed dual-laser -- Except for the middle laser attack.
-* '''The fixed attack is the boss deploying gravity balls that either push or pull. These gravity balls are destroyable.''' During the deployment of these gravity balls the boss will use an Aimed, Blue Spread attack. Forcing you to put up your shield while dealing with the influence of the gravity.
+* '''The fixed attack is the boss deploying gravity wells that either push or pull. These gravity wells are destroyable.''' During the deployment of these gravity wells the boss will use an Aimed, Blue Spread attack. Forcing you to put up your shield while dealing with the influence of the gravity.
-* The strategy here revolves around charging a Rose Cracker as the attack begins, and releasing as soon as the first 2 gravity balls are deployed. Release this RC as close to the boss as possible so that you can accumulate more score from the Blue Bullet points of origin, which the boss will sometimes move towards your RC to aid with this. Furthermore, this timing is used so that you can shoot immediately after the RC while the RC blast will finish as the Blue Spread attack finishes.
+* The strategy here revolves around charging a Rose Cracker as the attack begins, and releasing as soon as the first 2 gravity wells are deployed. Release this RC as close to the boss as possible so that you can accumulate more score from the Blue Bullet points of origin, which the boss will sometimes move towards your RC to aid with this. Furthermore, this timing is used so that you can shoot immediately after the RC while the RC blast will finish as the Blue Spread attack finishes.
-* The gravity balls will linger during the following attack. Tip: try to constantly move around, this is to check if gravity balls are fully restricting left or right movement. If you're against the wall and can't move left, you'll have to dodge the laser by moving vertically instead.
+* The gravity wells will linger during the following attack. Tip: try to constantly move around, this is to check if gravity wells are fully restricting left or right movement. If you're against the wall and can't move left, you'll have to dodge the laser by moving vertically instead.
 * Now to list the '''2nd attack variations of the 2-attack pattern.''' And the proper scoring responses. The 2nd attack will always conclude with the boss closing its hatch. This is your cue to start the next Rose Cracker charge.
-# '''Middle laser:''' The middle laser from Phase 1 will be used. Once the gravity balls dissipate you can graze the laser safely, otherwise just shoot the boss as soon as you're able to.
+# '''Middle laser:''' The middle laser from Phase 1 will be used. Once the gravity wells dissipate you can graze the laser safely, otherwise just shoot the boss as soon as you're able to.
 # '''Pink Spread:''' This attack lasts for the length of about 2 RC's. You'll want to charge and release one, then charge another and immediately shoot after releasing it. The attack will conclude after the 2nd RC. Safe spot in upper right / left.
-# '''Purple destructible bullets:''' Fixed 10-way? spread of dense bursts. Dangerous when the boss uses this low on the screen as your space will be limited and the lingering gravity balls exist. Ideally, you want to shoot the point or origin of bullets from a distance, eliminating any bullets coming your way head on. Safe spot in top corners.
+# '''Purple destructible bullets:''' Fixed 10-way? spread of dense bursts. Dangerous when the boss uses this low on the screen as your space will be limited and the lingering gravity wells exist. Ideally, you want to shoot the point or origin of bullets from a distance, eliminating any bullets coming your way head on. Safe spot in top corners.
 '''General scoring flow / time out strategy:'''
@@ Line 333: / Line 333: @@
 * '''Where you move to safety is dependent on the position on the screen where the boss Times Out.'''
 * If anywhere high on screen, except hugging the right. You can find a safe spot lined up to the right of the boss at the bottom. If middle, you can use a spot that's adjacent the top half of the boss on the right. If middle right, you can use a spot that's adjacent to the boss on the left but lined up above the boss' sprite.
-* The two point-blank RC's are worth 100K each. So if you opt for a Shot Kill which is pretty easy to do, you'll only miss 100K if you kill right before the Time Out.
+* The two point-blank RC's are worth 100K each. So if you opt for a Shot Kill which is pretty easy to do, you'll only miss 100K if you kill right before the Time Out.<br><br><br>

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:11, 26 August 2023
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	'''Stage 6 Boss: Super Nova'''		'''Stage 6 Boss: Super Nova'''
−

	Damage distribution strategy for Max Rank in favor of timing out Phase 1 and Phase 2, while dealing as much damage as possible as to not force the phases to end early. '''The option to go for a Shot Kill or Phase 3 Time Out will be available. Time Out will be more lucrative for an additional 100K,''' that is if the Shot Kill would be performed at the moment of Time Out.		Damage distribution strategy for Max Rank in favor of timing out Phase 1 and Phase 2, while dealing as much damage as possible as to not force the phases to end early. '''The option to go for a Shot Kill or Phase 3 Time Out will be available. Time Out will be more lucrative for an additional 100K,''' that is if the Shot Kill would be performed at the moment of Time Out.

@@ Line 265: / Line 265: @@
-* '''Phase 2''' (ends at ~460 remaining HP)
+'''Phase 2''' (ends at ~460 remaining HP)
 * '''Boss will employ a 2-attack pattern with random selections available for the 2nd attack.'''
@@ Line 315: / Line 315: @@
 # Off center left
 # Off center right
-# Time Out
+# Time Out<br><br>
 '''Scoring strategy in favor of full Time Out:'''
@@ Line 326: / Line 326: @@
 * '''For Attack 2, shoot around the boss, hitting the destructible bullets as much as possible.''' If you are going to do damage to the boss while you're dodging and shooting, it is suggested to stagger your shot timing in a such way that all the lasers of your shot are connecting with the boss. This accumulates more tic points than if just the side of the lasers hits, the damage dealt will still be the same.
 # You may skip your shots that hit the boss here completely or somewhat, if for example you got really good RNG and got 7-10 Lightning Spins. So that you can reach the end of the fight and capitalize on the points from the Time Out pattern.
-* It is recommended to practice your damage distribution in save states in MAME with the MAME overlay by Olifante, so you can get a feel for exactly how much damage you're doing. This will gain you assurance that what you're trying to execute is done properly and to your liking.
+* It is recommended to practice your damage distribution in save states in MAME with the MAME overlay by Olifante, so you can get a feel for exactly how much damage you're doing. This will gain you assurance that what you're trying to execute is done properly and to your liking.<br><br>
 '''The Time Out pattern:'''

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:55, 26 August 2023
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	# Green Fixed Spread		# Green Fixed Spread

−	* '''Shot Kill Strategy:''' It will be difficult to get the Shot Kill consistently due to RCs doing varying damage pending their released locations. Safely timed Rose Crackers alone likely won't kill the boss at Max Rank. So I recommend hitting the boss with your Rose Hips for 6 cycles to guarantee you won't have to deal with the Time Out pattern which is fairly dangerous.	+	* '''Shot Kill Strategy:''' It will be difficult to get the Shot Kill consistently due to RCs doing varying damage pending their released locations. Safely timed Rose Crackers alone likely won't kill the boss at Max Rank. So I recommend hitting the boss with your Rose Hips for 6 cycles to guarantee you won't have to deal with the Time Out pattern which is fairly dangerous.<br><br><br>
		+
		+
		+	'''Stage 6 Boss: Super Nova'''
		+
		+
		+	Damage distribution strategy for Max Rank in favor of timing out Phase 1 and Phase 2, while dealing as much damage as possible as to not force the phases to end early. The option to go for a Shot Kill or Phase 3 Time Out will be available. Time Out will be more lucrative for an additional 100K, that is if the Shot Kill would be performed at the moment of Time Out.
		+	-Phase 2 and 3 share the same HP pool (980HP).
		+	-Rapid Fire is preferred for Tic Point accumulation and for survive-ability.
		+
		+
		+	'''Phase 1'''
		+
		+	* Boss will employ a 2-attack pattern with random selections available for the first attack.
		+	* Damage distribution strategy is to RC and Shoot as much as possible before forced to shield yourself. Attack 1 will have some Selections that will allow you to shoot more than 5 times. Attack 2 can limit your RC Tick shots due to low position.
		+
		+	* Attack 1:
		+	# Green Bullets spun in a circle.
		+	# Pink bullets shot everywhere.
		+	# Blue Spread + Aimed Pink
		+
		+	* Attack 2, this attack is fixed, outside of the fact where the boss parks is random and where circular indentations that shoot bullets end up when it's ring is spinning.
		+	# It consists of aimed strings of destructible bullets, as well as circular indentations that shoot spreads of purple bullets.
		+	# Survival / Scoring response is: RC and shoot. Shoot fewer times if the boss is low as there is a small chance you'll fail to block the bullets with your shield or Front Rose Hips.
		+
		+	* A simple phase to score and survive. The outer ring will be destroyed once you have enough damage. If destroyed early, this will force Phase 2 to start.
		+
		+	* Phase 1 > 2, and 2 > 3 transition will use a Lightning Wheel attack. It's high scoring to RC and it's completely random if you'll get a lot of spins.
		+	# The boss will unleash a giant, wide array of lightning lasers, and spin every few seconds. The number of spins is completely random. Often you'll only get 1-3 spins per transition. However, the max amount of spins is 10.
		+	# This attack is dealt with easily by positioning adjacent to the top of the boss, then waiting for the blue charge visual cue and audio cue charge, then unleashing your RC and moving down and out of the way.
		+	# The direction of the spin is manipulated simply by what side of the boss you're at the very moment the laser starts to spin. Left side: Counter clockwise, Right Side: Clockwise.
		+	# The most you can get out of a RC from a spin is about 120K.
		+
		+
		+	* '''Phase 2''' (ends at ~460 remaining HP)
		+
		+	* Boss will employ a 2-attack pattern with random selections available for the 2nd attack.
		+	* Damage distribution strategy will be tweaked slightly depending on how many spins you got on the Lightning Wheel. For example, if you got 10 spins. You'll have "spent" a lot of the boss' phase' HP from the point-blank RCs. The adjustment concept boils down to shooting the boss less during its first attack: Aimed Array of Destructible Bullet Lines.
		+
		+
		+	* Attack 1:
		+	# Purple Aimed Array of Destructible Bullet Lines
		+	# This is one the game's most demanding pattern to reliably dodge. You will need to dodge this attack to ready an RC in case Attack 2 is high scoring from a released RC. OR RC constantly with hope that your charge isn't starting as the attack ends.
		+
		+	* Attack 2:
		+	# Scattered lines of purple bullets X2. Low scoring (~15K). Score response: Front Rose Hip Formation. Hover charge aura over one side of the origin of bullets.
		+	# Dense purple spread X2. Medium scoring (~40K). Score response: Absorb some bullets point-blank and release RC as to absorb the remainder of the attack and not last longer than that.
		+	# Blue Circles X2. High scoring. (~160K). Score response: Immediately absorb into one side hatch with aura for 1.5 seconds then release an RC at one side's origin.
		+
		+	* Scoring strategy / flow execution: Distribute damage primarily by the number of times you shoot at Attack 1. If you only get 1 Laser spin you'll want to shoot about 7 times per Attack 1. If you had 8 laser spins then shoot 4 times per Attack 1. You can also change your damage distribution based of how many times you get the Dense Purple Spread or Blue Circles, because you will be dealing a full RC's worth of damage for these attacks to score off of them. These numbers are decent examples of the damage distribution concept.
		+	* Author's realization / note: In theory you could be conservative on damage in Phase 2 so that you could have a larger HP pool for Phase 3 to work with. I could see this being an option say if you wanted to gain more score from shooting the destructible bullets and the boss during Phase 3. It is not found currently if this is ideal, but I have a hunch it could be a good idea. The dilemma is that shooting during Phase 2 to block the destructible bullet lines and setup your RC for scoring is an essential approach to scoring Phase 2's 2nd attack of the 2-attack cycle.
		+
		+
		+	'''Phase 3''' (minimum ~460 HP)
		+
		+	* This is a tough phase to deal with at Max Rank because the destructible bullets get a notable HP boost at Max Rank. This makes it difficult to deal with Attack 1 with the method of shooting the destructible bullets from reaching you. Instead, the most consistent survival strategy becomes proper RC timing. But you may still attempt to shoot down the destructible bullets if you must.
		+	* The boss will use a repeating 2-attack pattern. However, the attacks will vary slightly on each iteration, and it is not a random variation. To optimally score this phase we will memorize our timing and positioning for each cycle.
		+	* You will accumulate a lot of Zan from shooting destructible bullets in Attack 2 with the ultimate goal of timing out the boss completely - to milk the boss as much as possible, and to gain an additional 100K during the boss' Time Out pattern.
		+
		+	'''Attack 1:'''
		+
		+	* Boss will wag 2 waves of bullets in large sweeping left to right patterns. One side shoots blue bullets, the other green destructible bullets.
		+	* The goal is to stay safe on this attack. The destructible bullets will change where in the wave that they start from. This is broken down into a simple RC timing response in order to comfortably charge and release RCs.
		+	* You will use RCs in this order:
		+	# Early: so release RC a 1-2 seconds before the attack initiates. The very first "early" is the most dangerous since you're RC timing will be tight - coming off of RC'ing the Lightning Spins of the phase transition.
		+	# Delay: Wait a second to RC after the attack initiates. The boss will be taking that time shooting destructible bullets towards the top and then coming down after.
		+	# Normal: The comfortable RC timing is just RC'ing when the attack begins.
		+	* The boss will do 8 cycles of this. So, Early, Delay, Normal, Early, Delay, Normal, Early, Earlier. On the last 2 cycles it will be Early, then Earlier (slightly sooner than Early).
		+	* It is Earlier for the last cycle because the boss only gives you a small gap on the right which can be closed off if the boss uses the attack on the far right. The fix is to RC Earlier than Early.
		+
		+	'''Attack 2:'''
		+
		+	* Similar to Attack 1, the boss will wag across the screen, side to side, with solid lines of Pink Bullets paired with Blue Destructible bullets. Unlike Attack 1, this one is dodge-able, and you will accumulate good Zan and score by dodging and shooting the destructible bullets and boss as well.
		+	* Similar to Attack 1, the attack will vary on where in the spin it begins from, thus changing what "Lane" you need to stay inside to avoid being pincer ed to the left or right. If you're caught in the wrong lane, it is a good idea to charge a RC immediately and get back into the correct lane.
		+
		+	* This is the pattern to follow to be in the correct lane for every cycle)8 cycles) until Time Out.
		+	# Off center right x2
		+	# Off center left
		+	# Switch 1 lane right
		+	# Switch 1 lane left
		+	# Switch 1 lane right
		+	# Off center left
		+	# Off center right
		+	# Time Out
		+	'''
		+	Scoring strategy in favor of full Time Out:'''
		+
		+	* As mentioned before, the damage you'll be allowed to do will be affected by how many Lightning Spins you get on the phase transition. So this strategy I'll describe will be for let's say 3 Spins at the beginning of the Phase. But if you got 8 to 10, you may consider dialing back some of your damage to the boss. This isn't that hard to do when you see how damage is dealt in this phase. Keep in mind, Lace's RC at full contact is 26 HP of damage, one shot from Lace is 5 damage.
		+
		+	* For Attack 1, make sure your RC's are placed at the bottom of the screen. It's preferred to do your damage during Attack 2. If your RC is only hitting partially, it's not a consistent way to count damage. Unless you know exactly what you're doing.
		+	# However, it's okay to collect damage by shooting the boss once when you release your RCs at the bottom. Keep in mind, non-frame-perfect releases of RCs will result in a laser being shot once. If you're trying to avoid damage completely, though it wouldn't be necessary because you can mitigate damage more easily for Attack 2, you could use frame-perfect releases of the RC to avoid firing your Laser.
		+
		+	* For Attack 2, shoot around the boss, hitting the destructible bullets as much as possible. If you are going to do damage to the boss while you're dodging and shooting, it is suggested to stagger your shot timing in a such way that all the lasers of your shot are connecting with the boss. This accumulates more tic points than if just the side of the lasers hits, the damage dealt will still be the same.
		+	# You may skip your shots that hit the boss here completely or somewhat, if for example you got really good RNG and got 7-10 Lightning Spins. So that you can reach the end of the fight and capitalize on the points from the Time Out pattern.
		+	* It is recommended to practice your damage distribution in save states in MAME with the MAME overlay by Olifante, so you can get a feel for exactly how much damage you're doing. This will gain you assurance that what you're trying to execute is done properly and to your liking.
		+
		+	'''The Time Out pattern:'''
		+
		+	* The boss will open its hatches then unleash it's final attack. Capitalizing on this pattern without being punished is dependent on your RC timing, and where you move to for your 3rd and Final RC.
		+	* Identify that the hatches have unfolded, then release your RC immediately while hovering over the red dot beneath the boss. The timing is pretty specific. Release a 2nd RC immediately once it's ready then you will have to move.
		+	* Where you move to safety is dependent on the position on the screen where the boss Times Out.
		+	* If anywhere high on screen, except hugging the right. You can find a safe spot lined up to the right of the boss at the bottom. If middle, you can use a spot that's adjacent the top half of the boss on the right. If middle right, you can use a spot that's adjacent to the boss on the left but lined up above the boss' sprite.
		+	* The two point-blank RC's are worth 100K each. So if you opt for a Shot Kill which is pretty easy to do, you'll only miss 100K if you kill right before the Time Out.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:27, 26 August 2023
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	* Rinse and repeat. Once you think you have enough damage, say you did some extra damage from stray Rose Crackers, you can try to maximize your chance of a Shot Kill by avoiding any stray RC damage that might get the kill for 10k instead of 100k for Shot.		* Rinse and repeat. Once you think you have enough damage, say you did some extra damage from stray Rose Crackers, you can try to maximize your chance of a Shot Kill by avoiding any stray RC damage that might get the kill for 10k instead of 100k for Shot.

−	* The Time Out attack is a bit tough to deal with and is best avoided on this boss. And because the boss has a lot of HP and moved around a lot while you damage it, it does make it difficult to count damage.	+	* The Time Out attack is a bit tough to deal with and is best avoided on this boss. And because the boss has a lot of HP and moved around a lot while you damage it, it does make it difficult to count damage.<br><br><br>
		+
		+
		+	'''Stage 5 Boss: Freesia Freedom'''
		+
		+	Damage distribution strategy for Max Rank in favor of timing out Phase 1 and fighting until near Time-Out, killing on Phase 2 for the 100K shot kill.
		+	* Phase 1 & 2 share the same HP pool. Phase 1 can end early if enough damage is done. About ~650HP remaining.
		+	* Rapid Fire is best once again for more Tic Point accumulation.
		+	* '''For every attack where the boss is moving, it will change directions / move a total of 6 times. After the 6th movement, it will follow into its next attack. Use this knowledge to get your RC charge ready.'''
		+
		+
		+	'''Phase 1'''
		+
		+	* Boss will employ a 2-attack pattern with selections possible for those 2 attacks.
		+
		+	'''Attack 1:'''
		+	'''* Aimed Swords'''
		+	# Scoring response: Absorb the swords with RC's. When releasing each RC, do Non-Frame-Perfect releases to have your laser fire once on release. Count the movement changes up to 6 and anticipate the 6th with an RC charge.
		+	'''* Quad Blue Laser'''
		+	# Scoring response: Either immediately RC and shoot 5 times for damage behind the RC. Or wait until the boss moves into a RC to do the same. If you notice the movement lengths are long, you can go for a 2nd RC and shots. Try to place the RC back, you still don't want to over damage the boss.
		+
		+	'''Attack 2'''
		+	* '''Homing Blue Lasers:'''
		+	# 5 Volleys of homing Blue Lasers. Quick dodges from the center homing laser is usually what is required to survive it. '''A closely placed RC that envelopes the source point will earn you safety to charge another RC and stay protected.''' It is best to sacrifice damage to the boss with RC's so that you can stay safe from this threatening attack. If you're too far it can be problematic to dodge.
		+	* '''Spike Ball:'''
		+	# Scoring / survival response: A spike ball is recoiled in your direction and bounces off the bottom of the screen shooting bullets everywhere. Place an RC above the bottom of the screen as it approaches. Assume a position underneath and charge and release another RC. If your timing and placement is good, you can snipe the spike ball with multiple shots (for 10K?) and the RC will absorb the remainder of its bullets.
		+	* '''Green Fixed Spread:'''
		+	# Scoring response: '''Immediately fly up to the point of origin of bullets, release an RC and shoot 5 times.''' Try to be close enough that when the RC elapses you'll absorb almost all of the remaining bullets with your next charge. If you're late you can choose to absorb only, with no RC. Or RC and do fewer shots to have your RC ready early for the next attack.
		+
		+	'''Phase 2'''
		+
		+	The attacks change but the boss still functions on a 2-attack pattern cycle.
		+	* Attack 1 becomes:
		+	# '''Aimed Spike Ball Bursts:''' Absorb with 2 RC's. Worth decent points. Place 2nd RC close to boss in case of Homing Blue Lasers follow-up.
		+	# '''Aimed Swords + Quad Laser:''' Absorb Swords with 2 RC's. Place 2nd RC close to boss in case of Homing Blue Lasers follow-up.
		+	# Shoulder Hatches have a few attacks they can mix & match: '''Light Purple Spear Spread''', '''Neon Pink Bullet Spread''', or a '''Green Homing Laser''' (Only homes in at a 90 degree turn once it reaches your position.) Same concept applies for dealing with these attacks, 2 RC's. Against the Green Homing you gotta be quick on your 2nd RC release.
		+
		+	* Attack 2 remains unchanged:
		+	# Blue Homing Lasers
		+	# Green Fixed Spread
		+
		+	* '''Shot Kill Strategy:''' It will be difficult to get the Shot Kill consistently due to RCs doing varying damage pending their released locations. Safely timed Rose Crackers alone likely won't kill the boss at Max Rank. So I recommend hitting the boss with your Rose Hips for 6 cycles to guarantee you won't have to deal with the Time Out pattern which is fairly dangerous.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:10, 26 August 2023
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	# Swords or Spike Balls: Usually you'll be hanging back and charging 2 RC's to deal with surviving this. Once the 2nd RC is deployed, the attack will finish and you'll be safe under the protection of the RC. Use this chance to shoot the boss a few times for extra tic. You may do this, OR RC the swords point blank as mentioned before, to accumulate damage / score in preparation for the shot kill. The idea is that you're Min/Max'ing for damage and score in this fight.		# Swords or Spike Balls: Usually you'll be hanging back and charging 2 RC's to deal with surviving this. Once the 2nd RC is deployed, the attack will finish and you'll be safe under the protection of the RC. Use this chance to shoot the boss a few times for extra tic. You may do this, OR RC the swords point blank as mentioned before, to accumulate damage / score in preparation for the shot kill. The idea is that you're Min/Max'ing for damage and score in this fight.

−	* '''Time Out / Shot Kill short summary of strategy:''' RC the Double Cylindrical Missiles with regard to mitigate damage if boss spacing allows. Shoot the boss ~16 times (or a set amount of times based on your rank) for Tic or do a few point blank RC's versus the swords, or an equivalent mixture of both. This approach generally primes you for the opportunity for a Shot Kill on the 15th or 16th cycle ideally. '''Count the cycles during the fight so you know it's coming up.''' A damage mitigation strategy can be to play conservative on damage in the beginning of the fight, and as the fight goes on (maybe after 7th cycle) consider accumulating more damage for score when you can.	+	* '''Time Out / Shot Kill short summary of strategy:''' RC the Double Cylindrical Missiles with regard to mitigate damage if boss spacing allows. Shoot the boss ~16 times (or a set amount of times based on your rank) for Tic or do a few point blank RC's versus the swords, or an equivalent mixture of both. This approach generally primes you for the opportunity for a Shot Kill on the 15th or 16th cycle ideally. '''Count the cycles during the fight so you know it's coming up.''' A damage mitigation strategy can be to play conservative on damage in the beginning of the fight, and as the fight goes on (maybe after 7th cycle) consider accumulating more damage for score when you can.<br><br><br>
		+
		+
		+	'''Stage 4 Boss: Uni Ulysses'''
		+
		+	Damage distribution strategy for Max Rank in favor of timing out Phase 1 and fighting until near Time-Out, killing on Phase 2 for the 100K shot kill.
		+	* Phase 1 & 2 share the same HP pool. Phase 1 can end early if enough damage is done.
		+	* The arms in Phase 2 can be shot or RC'd off for 10K each though it is quite difficult to do because their HPs are so high.
		+	* Make sure to have Rapid Fire for more Tic Point accumulation.
		+
		+
		+	'''Phase 1'''
		+
		+	* '''Goal is to time out the phase while reducing its HP to the value where it would force Phase 2.''' This sets you up decently for damage distribution in Phase 2 as you will need to shoot when is safely possible, then charging Rose Crackers.
		+	* '''Has 2 attacks that repeat back to back.'''
		+	# '''Moving around randomly while launching an aimed missile spread.''' Scoring response is: Shoot 3 or 4 times, letting the missiles accumulate as to maximize Zan build up and a little extra score from shooting the bunches of missiles.
		+	# '''Picking a spot then strafing left or right, then unleashing an aimed dual laser, then a fixed dual laser down its center.''' Scoring response is to graze the lasers. Bait the first laser to the left or right then hug the center laser in-between both. Try to make sure you're on Speed 0 or Speed 1 when doing the graze as it is safest.
		+	* '''There is a small chance that the boss will park into the invincibility zone.''' The visual cue for this is when the Blue Eyes on the boss are completely off screen before moving them. If so, you can shoot repeatedly for "free" tic points.
		+
		+
		+	'''Phase 2'''
		+
		+	* '''The boss will now use a 2-attack repeating pattern.''' The first attack will always occur in the cycle, the 2nd will vary from a few different attacks but will always be in conjunction with a sluggishly aimed dual-laser -- Except for the middle laser attack.
		+	* '''The fixed attack is the boss deploying gravity balls that either push or pull. These gravity balls are destroyable.''' During the deployment of these gravity balls the boss will use an Aimed, Blue Spread attack. Forcing you to put up your shield while dealing with the influence of the gravity.
		+	* The strategy here revolves around charging a Rose Cracker as the attack begins, and releasing as soon as the first 2 gravity balls are deployed. Release this RC as close to the boss as possible so that you can accumulate more score from the Blue Bullet points of origin, which the boss will sometimes move towards your RC to aid with this. Furthermore, this timing is used so that you can shoot immediately after the RC while the RC blast will finish as the Blue Spread attack finishes.
		+	* The gravity balls will linger during the following attack. Tip: try to constantly move around, this is to check if gravity balls are fully restricting left or right movement. If you're against the wall and can't move left, you'll have to dodge the laser by moving vertically instead.
		+
		+	* Now to list the '''2nd attack variations of the 2-attack pattern.''' And the proper scoring responses. The 2nd attack will always conclude with the boss closing its hatch. This is your cue to start the next Rose Cracker charge.
		+	# '''Middle laser:''' The middle laser from Phase 1 will be used. Once the gravity balls dissipate you can graze the laser safely, otherwise just shoot the boss as soon as you're able to.
		+	# '''Pink Spread:''' This attack lasts for the length of about 2 RC's. You'll want to charge and release one, then charge another and immediately shoot after releasing it. The attack will conclude after the 2nd RC. Safe spot in upper right / left.
		+	# '''Purple destructible bullets:''' Fixed 10-way? spread of dense bursts. Dangerous when the boss uses this low on the screen as your space will be limited and the lingering gravity balls exist. Ideally, you want to shoot the point or origin of bullets from a distance, eliminating any bullets coming your way head on. Safe spot in top corners.
		+
		+	'''General scoring flow / time out strategy:'''
		+	* Rinse and repeat. Once you think you have enough damage, say you did some extra damage from stray Rose Crackers, you can try to maximize your chance of a Shot Kill by avoiding any stray RC damage that might get the kill for 10k instead of 100k for Shot.
		+
		+	* The Time Out attack is a bit tough to deal with and is best avoided on this boss. And because the boss has a lot of HP and moved around a lot while you damage it, it does make it difficult to count damage.