SHMUPS.... WTF...

[malignantpoodle]

I generally agree on CRT or GTFO, at least when it comes to older consoles.

Absolutely, when it comes to old consoles. There's no other way. It's why I have a PVM and a 36" CRT sitting around. If it doesn't go higher than S-video, it's on the CRT.

But that goes for more than just shooters. Too many reasons to list.

If we're dealing with 360 or PS3 games though, playing on a CRT gives aberrations and is counterproductive.

 

[RetroGiga68k]

If you're just starting out building your shmup skills, it's better to play shmups that use a checkpoint/restart system, and not shmups that start your next ship exactly where you died. Practice on titles that force you to start back at the last checkpoint with each death, and just keep continuing (credit feeding) over and over again on each checkpoint. This will force you to keep playing sections over and over again until your skills and reflexes sharpen enough to earn your way through each checkpoint. You are also much better off playing old school shmups for this purpose, not the newer "bullet hell" shmups that use deceptive/confusing hitboxes. For example, the original Raiden 1 (arcade or PS1 version, 1 player mode) or R-Type 1 are good starting practice choices.

 

[skate323k137]

A lot of good points brought up in this thread. My own opinions (definitely opinions):

sticks are better than pads as long as it's a good stick, espeically for button response and use of multiple buttons. I build padhacks for my favorite sticks so that I have consistent controls on most of my consoles.

I prefer no bigger than a 32 inch display. I usually have my best runs sitting quite close to a 20-21 inch CRT. That said, I played deathsmiles on a massive projector and it was just fine.

I definitely agree with "try to never look at your ship directly." As others have said, you can miss incoming patterns. Zoning out on the big picture and knowing your hitbox is key.

Learning the scoring system and "gimmick" of a shooter can also help keep you alive. For example, being able to deflect bullets in a split second in mars matrix is crucial to both survival and scoring. Whenever I start a new shmup I always hit up the shmups forum to see if there's a guide for it. http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1896

 

[SuperDeadite]

I'll go against the grain here and say, do credit feed. Don't give a shit if you die and keep playing as far as the game will let you. Keep doing this, and you will naturally memorize the entire game, naturally start dieing less, and eventually not die at all. This also helps prevent from creating personal panic points. If you obsessively try to get through a tough spot without dieing, but keep dieing there, you will quickly hate that spot of the game. It will mentally break you, and you will always die at that spot from your own anxiety. If you don't give a shit and just keep playing, you won't have this issue.

The other secret is to play shooters you actually enjoy. Start with ones that you find really fun and stick with it. If you aren't enjoying a shooter, don't force it, try a new one.

 

[Mrpicklenickel]

I'll go against the grain here and say, do credit feed. Don't give a shit if you die and keep playing as far as the game will let you. Keep doing this, and you will naturally memorize the entire game, naturally start dieing less, and eventually not die at all. This also helps prevent from creating personal panic points. If you obsessively try to get through a tough spot without dieing, but keep dieing there, you will quickly hate that spot of the game. It will mentally break you, and you will always die at that spot from your own anxiety. If you don't give a shit and just keep playing, you won't have this issue.

The other secret is to play shooters you actually enjoy. Start with ones that you find really fun and stick with it. If you aren't enjoying a shooter, don't force it, try a new one.

I actually want to semi agree, at least with the Credit feed part. See i love doing the 1 credit runs to keep my game play lasting longer but if your playing a new shooter thats going to be really hard if you haven't seen the whole game. First hand full of runs( hell maybe more) don't care about score or lives or anything just have fun and try to learn enemy patterns and as others stated hit box of your ship.
After that is all said and done then its time to go for the high score runs because last thing you want is to be in a nice no deaths run and boom... you hit the stage you havent played yet and what happens... in a matter of seconds all your lives are relinquished to the arcade gods.

 

[Chempop]

There is credit feeding and then there is using multiple credits, it's 2 different things. When you are constantly dying and bombing and continuing to get to the end without really trying and using much concentration - that is credit feeding, it's bad because you get in the habit of not making every life count.

When you try your best and continue several times in order to learn later stages it will help you in the long run because otherwise you won't have enough experience with the later, more difficult, sections of the game. However, using several credits to complete the game each run usually is too much to memorize at a time, which is why people assume that single credit play is that way to go.

That said, I enjoy single credit play up until when I'm starting to get to the last stage regularly. Then I will use multiple credits in order to learn the final stage and last boss patterns.

p.s. Save state practice is borderline cheating - in my not so popular, not humble at all, opinion

 

[Mrpicklenickel]

p.s. Save state practice is borderline cheating - in my not so popular, not humble at all, opinion

100% agree with that. If you cant do it on an actual arcade then it doesn't count as legit( i only me having the ability to do so not only playing it on an arcade machine). Plus its good practice not to get into those kind of habits because they aren't realistic in any real form of play.

 

[Mendel]

How about practicing one level with memory card loads? Should I do that or should I start from level 1 every time?

One further thing of note: to me it is very important to just hang around with the game and do some testing, trying to see what places in between bullets are safe and what are not.

Most of all, its about understanding the hit box and the bullet trajectories and where exactly the bullets can and cant hurt you. This is most tricky in View Point to me because of... the viewpoint.

 

[Bardoly]

On PCE, try Gunhed / Blazing Lazers. It doesn't get too tricky until stage 5 or so. And by then you'll have a decent feel for the game. Come vote for it in the monthly shmup poll (arcade central forum) if you need an excuse to play.

Yes, Blazing Lazers is pretty good. Try it if you can get a copy.

 

[TurboRotary13b]

I've actually been playing Blazing Lazers a bit lately.. I really like that one.. I can get to about the 4th stage which is pretty good for me.. I really like Download 2 as well.. I made some good progress on that one too. Also been playing Ikaruga with the Dreamcast arcade stick. I know I need to focus on one game but there are so many fun shooters. I've tried R-Type a few times too.. That game isn't accessible to me at this point. I can't even go a minute in the first stage without dying.

 

[yatzr]

I'm not very good at shmups either (when compared to most people on here anyway), but I love playing them on my mame cab. Here's what I've been doing. I usually play just 1-2 rounds per day due to lack of free time. I put one credit in and see if I can get on the high score list. If I get on the list, then I don't continue. I consider it an accomplishment and proof that I'm improving. If I don't get on the high score list, then I continue once to get more practice on the upcoming areas. I've been doing this with DonPachi for a few weeks now and I've gone from only being able to reach 1-3 with a high score of 3 million to consistently reaching 1-5 with 6 million. I'm sure there are more effective ways to practice, but this has been working well for me.

 

[Thunderblaze16]

I remember playing R-type III, I was dying constantly as I progressed further but slowly understanding the patters and spaces to go during the right timing.

The game had a sick cover no less.

 

[SCARTicus]

I used to be terrible at shmups, too. Then, one day I had some friends over after school to play Galactic Attack. We were getting our asses kicked for a good two hours. The weaker children ran home in disgrace; we kicked their asses for it later (but that's another story).

As we were playing and cursing our lack of skills, there was an earth-shattering crash as half of my parent's living room wall exploded inward to reveal none other than one Segata Sanshiro. He was screaming in my face in Japanese and beating the crap out of this giant gamepad he had brought along. He broke my friend Garry's arm with a wicked chop. Steve was killed instantly in the explosion. It was the best day of my life.

Anyway, you need a bigger gamepad.

 

[The Best Poster]

I find that sobriety is the biggest hindrance when playing a shmup. Hell, it's not very beneficial for any arcade or arcade-styled game.

 

[synrgy87]

I find that sobriety is the biggest hindrance when playing a shmup. Hell, it's not very beneficial for any arcade or arcade-styled game.

i agree 100%

just keep at them and have a drink, be relaxed and focused at the same time there's some kind of ideal zone of equilibrium the mind and body enter, find that and you will succeed!

i love shmups too, not so much the bullet hell style and even less so the "cute-em-up" anime girls flying round style.

 

[Professor Denim]

i try to stick to the same game till i realize that i made some progress.

 

[Thefrog]

Good tips.

My 2p worth.

I go for distance on one credit first.
Only use extra credit for boss patterns / hard bits.
Once level completed go for more kills / bigger score second run.
The not looking tip is king, use the force to feel were your ship is.

Some games you can get more score for not killing some aliens first! EG. Bases where ships fly out, bosses with destructible parts.

My game of the month is Viewpoint, got to level 3 boss with one life after 2 weeks.

Carl