Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram ver. 5.66 (XBLA)

[DeltasTaii]

It's slightly annoying that some DNA units can't be painted an actual white, but then again I didn't mind the colour substitutions I made instead. Seeing the launch sequence for custom colour schemes is just awesome.

I'd personally recommend not touching the twin stick layouts. I was fine when I was playing it as a demo on default, decided to switch to twin stick so there wasn't so damn many buttons involved and for any depth missing from a non-arcade layout, predictably sucked at that, and messed my head up so I couldn't play default at all. 2 days later and it works just fine again, go figure. I really don't understand the requirement to go back to neutral to change direction mid-boost, and jump cancel being the only thing in the game where holding it does anything is pretty confusing.

Anyways, I can evidently only win by getting random Arphamd melee beatings in. I got a completely random perfect my second round against a guy using what I will refer to as ****ING FLYING DRILL VR who otherwise destroyed me for like 4 matches with only C-type gun butting, then when I finally beat him later in good part due to absolutely destroying sword combos he proceeded to instantly leave of course.

[VR7]

I would actually recommend the Twinstick Type A over standard controls. There is a weird design error in the standard controls that prevents a player from moving and turning at the same time, which is bad news if you like your Raiden lasers.

I use the Twinstick Type A with slightly altered controls, as follows:

• Left Analog - Left lever
  Right Analog - Right lever
  
  LB - Left Turbo
  RB - Right Turbo
  LT - Left Weapon
  RT - Right Weapon
  
  X - Left Turbo
  B - Right Turbo
  Y - Unused (or Jump, if you'd rather not learn twinstick for whatever reason)
  A - Crouch (Some crouching turbos are difficult to perform, so...)
  
  Seleft - Special

This setup has been working for me so far. I use the face buttons for most turbo attacks and quicksteps, and the RB for regular dashing. The 360 controller isn't really comfortable with having four fingers on all four shoulder buttons, unlike DualShocks, so I don't use the LB much unless I'm playing Specineff or something.

[DeltasTaii]

I find that just setting LB and RB to turn left and turn right sorts that one out, actually, although mileage may vary with trying to fire a center weapon and turn that way. Can't be any harder than the AC4 finger gymnastics, anyways.

[Windknight]

ok, loving the mech painter almost as much as playing the game. it is a lot of fun to tinker with... I just wish there was a way to share schemes online

[VariantX]

I havent played VO in a while, but i do remember it being a hell of a lot easier to do rotating CC's back when i had 5.45 on the dreamcast. The timing required to do it in this game is almost as tight as parry timing in sf3. I guess there were other changes made to this game besides 3 extra playable VR's. Is it easier to do with twinstick controls?

Anyone run into something online about someone building some home made twinsticks from the ground up?

[CyborgZeta]

It's slightly annoying that some DNA units can't be painted an actual white, but then again I didn't mind the colour substitutions I made instead. Seeing the launch sequence for custom colour schemes is just awesome.

It's really irritating. I managed to get a perfect white on my RNA Temjin color scheme, but every attempt at making my DNA Temjin white leaves this annoying pink hue.

On another note, I've tried the Twin Stick controls and can't get used to them at all. I do fine with the standard controls.

[DeltasTaii]

It's a deadzone issue. Because the 360 has analog sticks and buttons and you're trying to coordinate thumbs and fingers, it's hard to time everything to happen at the same time. In terms of actual timing windows 5.66 is more forgiving if not the same.

Anyways, the trick to quick-stepping is to press boost then time the direction to come out right after because of the longer window, but this requires beginning to press the stick before the boost is pressed...timing your presses against analog deadzones is sort of the trick to the whole thing. Swapping the fire buttons to the bumpers is a usable solution to improving some of these problems, and you can use the d-pad and face buttons for a fully digital twin stick setup on Twin Stick B if you can wrap your mind around it.

Everyone seems to make their RNA Temjin white with a highlight, go figure.

[Windknight]

Everyone seems to make their RNA Temjin white with a highlight, go figure.

Mines actually based off the Hiyaku shiki (dna is based off the artwork colour scheme of the Ryu from jovian chronicles... I did an 'ace' ryu in the hiyaku shiki colours, hence the pairing) but honestly, I use the fei-yen the most

[DeltasTaii]

Actually, the quick stepping isn't hard once you figure out the trick (I don't know if anyone here was having trouble with plain quick steps, but it's been a general internet topic). It takes discipline to remember to do it in a game scenario, and I'm sure it's somewhat different than what people are used to doing on 5.45 and back with d-pads and twin sticks, but really not that difficult in terms of execution.

Press and HOLD boost, then immediately flick a direction, as long as you still have the button held down it's plenty forgiving enough with the input window. The challenge to a Q-Step CC is timing the triggers at the same time as the directional push, which is indeed made much easier by making the bumpers attack buttons. It's not a 100% execution maneuver for me still, but entirely doable. If I could train my index fingers to piano shoulder buttons it would probably be very consistent.

I'm also trying to learn a new face button layout so I can piano out jump>jump cancel with X and A (you'd have to be some sort of freak to do this as fast on even a real twin stick I think). It means you have to be a bit creative with left turbo crouch attacks mind you (there's plenty of buttons and dedicated turbo+boost macros to deal with it though)

[VR7]

I used to have a bit of trouble pulling quicksteps off, but I attribute it more to the 360 controller than to timing issues, which is why I now use the face buttons for CC, jump canceling, and anything else that is difficult to pull off on the 360's analog sticks. Haven't had much problems with quickstepping since then.

If the 360 controller proves too much trouble, you can always mod a pair of DC twinsticks.

However, Dreamcast twinsticks are extremely rare and virtually impossible to find nowadays. It's possible (and might be easier) to build your own sticks from scratch using a pair of cheap two button joysticks, some kind of arcade-like control panel and a 360 controller PCB, like the one used in these instructions.

And if all else fails...

[Windknight]

ok, is there anywhere I can get background info on the games setting/mechs. I had the pc version of the original, and managed to discern there was a story behind everything through the mangled translations (humanity discovers alien tech, uses it and makes the virturoids, the moonbase where the tech was found/housed/first experimented on goes crazy, virturoids sent in to stop some super weapon nuking earth).

Given that some of the 'space' stages recall the original games space stages (namely the penultimate one looking like a wrecked version of the original games final stage) is there any fluff to explain why this is happening, and/or the new variations/replacements of the old mechs? (and just why is the new femme virturoid is basically a mecha belldandy?)

[DeltasTaii]

If you poke around in the right places the Wikipedia articles have some explanation for some stuff, but the organization is pretty bad (eg. you have to look around the main page, Virtuaroid page, OT page, and Force page for all the VR explanations)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_On

Out of universe, the female series generally represents different magical girl archetypes-Fei Yen is Sailor Moon-like, Angelan is an older more elegant type, and Guarayakha is the little witch. In universe Fei Yen was designed by a child prodigy with its emotion system (and the prototype was semi-sentient because of the impression she made on it), and they had her design Angelan to try and contain Ajim and Guaryakha to contain Jaguarandi, although both failed.

There's some novels that take place in the gaps around Force and Marz for which I don't know if there's any English info whatsoever.

[Windknight]

ok, interesting, but the translation seems a bit off, and some jargon is unexplained, leaving me a few questions.

What exactly are the 'plants'? we're told that tangram is the 'ninth plant that can control time and space', and some other plants are mentioned with regards to some of the virturoid models, but its not explained what they are. Are they AI's? automated factories? Alien relics dusted off and put into action?

also (SPOILERS)

what exactly is the final boss? tangram itself? its power system? Defense system? and why exactly did it disappear? What was it trying to do at the moon base?

[DeltasTaii]

In the end, it turned out the activation of the Moongate was a farce, an elaborate plot conceived by Anber IV, DN Co.'s wealthiest stockholder, in order to distract them long enough in order to sell off the 9 Virtuaroid plants to opposing factions. Shortly afterwards, DN Corporation collapsed, splitting into two rival factions; the DNA Army, primarily composed of the remnants of DN. Corp, and RNA, primarily made of those who sided with Anber IV. A war shortly ensued between the two, neither holding a significant advantage. Shortly after the split, the core of the mysterious 9th Plant, "Tangram", which is said to be able to control all time and space, vanished from reality. Panicking after realizing its potential, a desperate hunt by both DNA and RNA ensued to capture and claim the Tangram as their own.

I'd guess because of the technology associated with VRs, they require special plants ala Moongate where V Crystals are found.

There's a special ending for beating VOOT with every VR with no continues where Tangram speaks (it's female, Japanese, and voiced by Kikoku Inoue, by the way). IIRC says it's something like the typical destructive force from beyond time and space, shows off some war footage in its spinning cube but it's glad to have met the player and disappears.

In fact, she plays the non-evil half of Tangram, referred to as "Oratorio Tangram." Tangram has an evil, male side that fights you in Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram and Virtual On Force. In Virtual On MARZ, she even needed to be saved, after DYMN/Dymon had found and enslaved her, using her as a power source.

Presumably OT is thankful for the player defeating the evil part of Tangram, whose intentions are unlikely to be much more than destruction.


VO over technology is kind of weird in general, what with it being...virtual and linked to current day Sega electronics. The VOOM arcade machines were canonically control modules sent back from the future to find VO+ pilots. Their SRW appearance somewhat references this by having the VRs say their pilots are remotely controlling them in another dimension, even though 2nd generation on VRs are piloted with cockpit mind control. Basically though, all VR stuff is sort of interdimensional time/space bending tomfoolery.

[Windknight]

Ok, looked into marz... is it me, or are the colour schemes too busy now? I prefer the clean looks of the first game, and OT.

And the less said about the new fei-yen... dear god, did someone with a maid/anne-millers fetish take over her design?

[VR7]

There's a new update to Virtual On OT.

There is a new option for upgraded graphics, which enhances the graphics from the regular Naomi/Dreamcast quality graphics. In particular:

• Most obviously, the lighting system for Virtuaroids underwent an overhaul. They are generally more vibrant without being overly saturated.
• Shadows are now cast on the ground, instead of flat black vectors under a Virtuaroid's feet. It isn't perfect, though--if it casts on a building, there is a funny effect that projects two or more shadows.
• There is now bloom on lights and glowing textures, as well as thruster exhaust and weapon effects. Most notably, Fei-Yen Kn's hyper mode now glows instead of being a dull gold colour.
• Unfortunately most big weapons (i.e. Temjin's Radical Zapper) still have the old vectored shadows under them, with the exception of Raiden's laser.
• The bosses also don't seem to carry the visual overhaul.

In terms of gameplay:

• You can now move and turn at the same time.
• Standard control now supports the D-Pad. It's not obvious at first since Sega forgot to update the standard controller diagram, and the 360 doesn't exactly have the best D-Pad. You have to have a modded D-Pad (i.e. pringles cap mod, sanding off the inner ring) or a third party/custom made controller in order to have a noticeable effect.
• Supposedly the ranked matches infrastructure may be fixed, have not tested this yet.
• Observer mode is introduced to player matches. Depending on the party host's settings, a certain number of players are allowed to observe a game. Have not tested this yet either, probably will later on today.
• You can transform certain Virtuaroids in the colour edit mode with the start button, (Cypher's fighter mode, Fei-Yen's hyper mode, Bal Keros...) though this doesn't seem to be listed in the instructions at all.