Let's make a list of shmup gameplay innovations & firsts.

[BIL]

I think he means Galactic Attack.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Who introduced the autobomb? Plus was Layer Section the first to do the lock on shot?

I think maybe Lock-on did the lock-on shot, back in '86. That's really more of a rail shooter though. I don't fully understand how its lock-on system works. You can target multiple enemies at a time, but you fire the missiles separately. Going waaaay back, Star Fire had a lock-on system in '78, but I don't think that's what you meant. Layer Section was for sure the first 2D shooter to do it, and did the multi-targeting homing laser thingy.

Yeah I meant lock on in a 2D game, I wanst sure if Layer section was the trailblaser or if some obscure run and gunner did it first.

I think he means Galactic Attack.

Why the hell does the game have 4 names anyway?

[Ed Oscuro]

Acrobat Mission had thrusters which can damage enemies.

Oh yeah - I was playing that one recently, just couldn't think of it at the time.

Odd game, a missed opportunity all told.

[Captain]

weapons changeable on command

-Thunder force 2,3,4,5,6
-Eliminate down
-Imperium


I can't think of more but I know there's tons of them.

[Ed Oscuro]

weapons changeable on command

Gradius and Salamander / Life Force qualify, although it's not a free switch.

[Drum]

Or else Side Arms/Ninja Emaki (both '86).
Space Fury ('81) was the first with selectable shot types I think (between rounds).

[Ed Oscuro]

Doh, how did I forget Ninja Emaki?

Do we have Scramble up there for level-based play?

[Drum]

Welllllll Gradius does beat out Ninja Emaki provided that qualifies.
I'm tryna settle in my head what is meant by level-based play. Intuitively I know Scramble is distinct from a lot of earlier stuff, but there were still games that had what I'd call levels as opposed to waves before it. You mean 'has terrain, scrolls, features a kind of progression'? Or something? My mind is a bit fried and I'm prolly overthinking it.

I really need to add this stuff to the OP, do a timeline.

[moozooh]

Drum, could you compile all the info so far in the first post? It's really cool and useful, but so far one has to scan through the entire thread to learn and refer to all the info.

[Drum]

Drum, could you compile all the info so far in the first post? It's really cool and useful, but so far one has to scan through the entire thread to learn and refer to all the info.

I just said I'll get to it, SHEESH.

I really need to add this stuff to the OP, do a timeline.

[moozooh]

Ah, sorry, missed that one. Thanks again!

[Ed Oscuro]

Suicide bullets: UFO Robo Dangar.

Ground bomb: I forgot Scramble.

Detachable ship parts (Xexex, Ironclad..)

Terra Cresta, before R-Type. Not sure what's meant here though.

Players joining together? Blasteroids, Dogyuun?

Twinbee obviously

[Drum]

In Space Duel there's a two-player mode where you're tethered together, so I guess it depends on whatchu mean by joining together. It's a play mode though, not something you can do or undo during gameplay.

I actually didn't know that about TwinBee my regard for that game has shot up. EDIT: Or Dogyuun, actually. Gosh.

(I still haven't updated the OP)

[Ed Oscuro]

I didn't know it until I reviewed the footage from the Contra / Gradius / Twinbee VHS after recording it.

Edited my post above so the quotes are correct now.

[Estebang]

Satan's Hollow: Precision-use regenerating shield activated by a button, later seen in Judgement Silversword and Eschatos.

[Cellinaire]

Hello, folks. First post here on this forum. =)


I also want to know the several 'firsts' in shmup history. Plz enlighten me

1) The 'enraged' mode of bosses ( typically seen in many Psycho shmups)

2) Fleeing bosses after some given time.

3) Health Bar

4) Secret bosses/stages based on player's performance and choice. I remember the Image Fight as one exemple..

5) Route selection. Doesn't have to be similar to 'Darius Gaiden' (one more example. Remember the tiny, alien airplane in Sonic wings that only appear whenever you beat the boss? )

6) The "you can go every direction you can" kind of shmups (that doesn't force screen scrolling)

7) Lethal objects and walls in stage (Parodius..)

Bullet reflection

9) Time-reversing bullet patterns (like the ones in Dimahoo-Gigafacer and Hitogata Happa-2nd stage boss)

10) Bosses that doesn't fight alone (like summoning their own goons to aid in battle)

11) Introduction of Bomb barrier

12) 'Boss attack' mode

13) Shield which can defend the enemy bullets infinitely (like the ones in Blazing Star or Psychosis....)

14) 1up

15) Big "Warning/Watch out! The huge enemy battleship is fast approaching!" alarm.

[Captain]

bullet reflection.

-RefleX
-Mars matrix
-Giga wing

[BPzeBanshee]

I think he means Galactic Attack.

Why the hell does the game have 4 names anyway?

The game had licensing issues when it got its home port in Japan so there's the first rename. Americans like renaming crap - second rename. Yet another licensing issue in Europe - third one.

Bit like Lightening Force: Quest For The Darkstar but three times over, thus four different names.

[toaplan_shmupfan]

Carnival: first fixed shooter with enemies that can steal shots.

Satan's Hollow: another fixed shooter with enemies capable of stealing lives/turns in reserve.

[ciox]

Is Zero Wing (CATS!) the first or only one to let you grab and throw enemies?

[Ghegs]

Certainly not the only one, Triggerheart Exelica has a very similar mechanic. Maybe the first though? There were earlier games that allowed you to capture enemies and use them to your advantage, but maybe not in that exact way.

[Marc]

R-Type on Speccy was the first conversion to feature no colour-clash and played closer to the coin op than any version other than the PCE. I'd say that's a pretty good first. Seriously, unless you grew up with the machine, I can't blame you for not understanding what an astonishing piece of coding it is.

[Ed Oscuro]

played closer to the coin op than any version other than the PCE.

I think you're a little too close to the venerable Spectrum - there's an X68000 version of the game.

Seriously, unless you grew up with the machine, I can't blame you for not understanding what an astonishing piece of coding it is.

I didn't grow up with one (dad traded it away for a TI-99/4A, which was never working in my memory, if you can believe that! The power of Bill Cosby!) but I've played a fair number of games through emulation. Yeah, it's a great achievement, but I'm not sure what it would be in terms of firsts. It makes a much better piece of demo software than the 3D racers that people at Your Sinclair would have offered as a tech demo back in the day, though.

[Cellinaire]

bullet reflection.

-RefleX
-Mars matrix
-Giga wing

Hehe, thanks for that. And this thread is full of win =)

[Captain]

2) Fleeing bosses after some given time.

Mega blast

[Ed Oscuro]

2) Fleeing bosses after some given time.

Mega blast

Man, I bet some other game has that first...good find though.

[Captain]

Dangerous seed (arcade, not sega gens) had fleeing bosses.

I believe all of them would flee except the last one.

[Kobayashi]

I don't know if someone posted before, because I haven't read all the posts:

Beam Duel: Metal Black (Taito, 1991)

[Captain]

I knew of it but I would have never remembered to mention it.

Good job.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

weapons changeable on command

-Thunder force 2,3,4,5,6
-Eliminate down
-Imperium


I can't think of more but I know there's tons of them.

Armalyte (UK C64 shmup) featured 3 selectable super weapons you could switch between, it was made the same year as Thunder Force 2 (1988).