Hit boxes!

[jro]

I was playing some Ikaruga the other night and I was surprised at how small the hit box on the player ship is in that game. I had forgotten how precise the collision is on the hit box and in turn how tight of dodging you can pull off in that game.

Got me to thinking of the varying "schools" (for lack of a better word) of hit boxes in shmup design. There are those that have a tiny hit box, where you have to take a shot right in the middle or cockpit of the ship to die, and then there are those that kill you if a shot grazes your wing.

What do you all prefer, and why? I can't really think of a whole lot of advantages of a larger hit box, but I'm sure they're there.

[neo>all]

I was playing some Ikaruga the other night and I was surprised at how small the hit box on the player ship is in that game. I had forgotten how precise the collision is on the hit box and in turn how tight of dodging you can pull off in that game.

Got me to thinking of the varying "schools" (for lack of a better word) of hit boxes in shmup design. There are those that have a tiny hit box, where you have to take a shot right in the middle or cockpit of the ship to die, and then there are those that kill you if a shot grazes your wing.

What do you all prefer, and why? I can't really think of a whole lot of advantages of a larger hit box, but I'm sure they're there.

Smaller hit boxes but bigger ones make it more challenging.

[BIG]

Personally,I prefer smaller hit boxes,simply because it makes bullet-dodging alot easier,especially when dealing with manic shmups (Cave,Psikyo,Raizing,etc).

BIG-

[jro]

Personally,I prefer smaller hit boxes,simply because it makes bullet-dodging alot easier,especially when dealing with manic shmups (Cave,Psikyo,Raizing,etc).

BIG-

Yeah, Dodonpachi on Saturn seems to have a very small, very precise hit box. When I first started playing it about a month or two ago, I thought Chirst, how the hell am I supposed to live long enough to make the high score list when there are so damn MANY projectiles, but now I'm learning that you can dodge VERY effectively and precisely since the collision is so perfect and the hit box is so small.

Cave is really growing on me at this point. They do so many of the little things right.

[BIG]

Yeah, Dodonpachi on Saturn seems to have a very small, very precise hit box. When I first started playing it about a month or two ago, I thought Chirst, how the hell am I supposed to live long enough to make the high score list when there are so damn MANY projectiles, but now I'm learning that you can dodge VERY effectively and precisely since the collision is so perfect and the hit box is so small.

Cave is really growing on me at this point. They do so many of the little things right.

Cave is my favorite shmup publisher simply because they are always finding ways to raise the bar on the shmup genre. From their signature "bullet-hell" manicness to the stylized,slick visuals and meticulous musical scores,they're definitely THE company to beat when it comes to shmups.

BIG-

[ord1000]

The small hit boxes are are definitely needed for the manic shooters. I like the way that the hitbox in Shikigami No Shiro glows when it spirit mode. Very helpful.

[Vincere]

The hit box wasn't small enough in Strikers 1945 II. Just a few inches less and it was perfect, like in RTF IMO. I'm not really into manics but having a correct hit box is essential. Guwange's one is perfect whereas Gradius Gaiden's is pretty bad.

The hit box is what can ruin a game if it's not accurately done.