Shmup Related Questions That Don't Deserve a Thread

[BIL]

That's Great Mahou Daisakusen, aka Dimahoo. Nice board btw!

[radirgyman]

Thank you

[ACSeraph]

2) the fact bombs don't make you invulnerable like most other games has me hesitating to use them in the first place.

With Psikyo games you should pre-plan your bomb points. It's really ineffective to use them on reaction to cover your mistakes. Make them a part of your route for attacks that consistently give you trouble.

I can understand your great desire to score, but I personally recommend learning the survival routes first. It will make you more confident when you start building a scoring route. That applies to any game really.

[Verticen]

A bit of a different question here; more like a ‘missed connection’
In summer 2019 I went to SouthEast Game Exchange in SC and I met a guy there that brought a AstroCity cabinet with Mushihimesama Futari installed. This was my first time playing futari, so we talked for a bit and he showed me though some parts of the game. He was a really chill dude (not in the photo) and he told me his username on shmups forum, but I wasn’t on the forums yet at that point, and I unfortunately lost his information.

Any information or suggestions on how to find who this was would be appreciated.

Some of the other things that he mentioned is that he also streams on twitch, and that he has a few other PCBs, including Mahou Daisakusen or Great Mahou Daisakusen, I can’t remember which one.

[Mero]

On the Strategy board, there is a Strategy Index topic containing a megathread of all strategy topics. It also mentions to PM spadgy if there are any omissions or errors.

I pm'd him back in November since I wanted to possibly add some more guides in the near future for games I've spent a lot of time on, but he never got my message, and the original owner of the topic hasn't been on the forum for 2+years. Are there any mods that would be able to update that specific topics, and what information is needed in order to do so?

That thread hasn't been updated since incognoscente left, 7 or 8 years ago.

[BurlyHeart]

If you were given a choice, which one would you buy and why?

Ghost Pilots vs Moon Cresta vs Terra Cresta vs Armed F?

[Queen Charlene]

how many points are the small stars and large stars worth in DFK? i can't seem to find documentation of exact point values pre-multipliers.

[xxx1993]

Who sang Game Tengoku's opening themes? I'm assuming it's Kumiko Nishihara, the voice of Yuki Ito, but I just want to be sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G48gO13Rl_U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88b4lL_GuSw

[MrChiggins]

In V-Five (Japan), what triggers the 1-up after the stage 5 midboss?

For reference: https://youtu.be/5gkl-z0DMNU?t=1156

I've triggered it a couple of times but haven't been able to pinpoint why.

[6t8k]

^ You mustn't destroy the yellow box near the beginning of stage 3.

Yes.

[MrChiggins]

Huh, interesting. Thanks so much!

[MrJBRPG]

I wonder if you encountered any game mechanic that are integral, but really hidden from the average player?

I never knew that Kingdom Grand Prix had two uses for shoot button until recently:

Tap shoot button to shoot
Hold shoot button to boost

Using the boost button can really make the ship go faster, which helps in moving past your racers.

Any other examples that confused you like the one above?

[BulletMagnet]

Any number of rank systems would probably qualify. Mushi's "counter banking" also comes to mind.

[6t8k]

Obviously the line delimiting what would be considered applicable is blurred, but Dogyuun comes to mind; if you play a two player game, you can combine both ships with the tractor beam (button 3), forming a "super ship" controlled by player 1, granting you substantially increased firepower.
If you die, both players lose a life, which poses an exciting risk-reward tradeoff (especially if you played on coins back in the day). I can vividly imagine passionate arguments between two pals about when exactly to combine or failed attempts

Spoiler

You can also use it as a single player to get a different "easy mode".

[steveovig]

So, I just got started playing Twinbee on the NES and SNES Switch apps, and I'm in love. What's the best way to play? Should I just be aiming to get as many bells in a row as possible and just ignore enemies unless I can't?

[EmperorIng]

bells are your power ups in Twinbee. Shooting them enough times changes color. It's not the same across -all- games, but mostly it's

blue = speedup
green = option
silver = power up (in Pop'n, this is a strong straight shot)
purple = three-way (Pop'n); option upgrade (Detana - lets your options block shots)
red/pink = shield
yellow = points

collecting yellow bells in a row will increase their value, but if any drop the chain is broken. Collecting enough bells drives rank through the roof.

[steveovig]

I noticed the thing about rank since all I've been trying to do is collect yellow bells, and I noticed the first boss was a lot harder than the first time I played him. Now, I'm torn between trying for a 1CC without collecting a lot of bells or just aiming for yellow bells like crazy, or both!

[JustinOrKevin]

Not a question, but doesn't deserve a thread.
A year after buying my Odroid XU4Q, I have finished setting up my favorites list in retropie (TheRA). The best 272 shmups this thing can run. The ones rated well on this forum are highlighted green.
THE LIST: https://docdro.id/R1RQJKu
Cool right?

[FRO]

Are there any other games with a buzzing mechanic like Shiki or Psyvariar or Sisters Royale?

Not sure about buzzing, but if you mean grazing, Danmaku Unlimited 3 does, as well as Graze Counter. There are several Touhou games that apparently use grazing as a mechanic, as well.

[steveovig]

Are there any other games with a buzzing mechanic like Shiki or Psyvariar or Sisters Royale?

Not sure about buzzing, but if you mean grazing, Danmaku Unlimited 3 does, as well as Graze Counter. There are several Touhou games that apparently use grazing as a mechanic, as well.

Yea, that's what I meant. I could never get into Danmaku despite trying a couple times. It doesn't seem, to me, that when I get close to bullets that it changes anything. I'm used to Shiki, and now Sisters Royale, how the grazing works.

[floralcateyes]

Yea, that's what I meant. I could never get into Danmaku despite trying a couple times. It doesn't seem, to me, that when I get close to bullets that it changes anything. I'm used to Shiki, and now Sisters Royale, how the grazing works.

Unfortunately, most games with a graze mechanic are of the "graze to recharge your special ability" type, which might not be as immediate or as tactile as what you seem to be looking for. A game that's close to but not exactly like Shiki's "power up your shot as long as your grazing" system (that's how it works, right?) is Samidare. You use your gauge-limited shield to absorb bullets, and your shot gets a huge boost in power for a short period of time immediately afterwards. It's more ramming into bullets and timing your shield use right, rather than actual buzzing, so the dynamics are very different, but it might help you scratch that itch.

[clippa]

Unfortunately, most games with a graze mechanic are of the "graze to recharge your special ability" type

Exceed 3rd's grazing to charge your special weapon is my favourite implementation of grazing. I can see the gauge building, and it's worth the risk to charge it and take down the bigger enemies/bosses quicker and the bullet speed and patterns are all well designed, tailored with this in mind. Perfect.

Grazing is pretty low on my list of mechanics I enjoy and that game made me love it. The grazing aura radius is pretty generous, if that makes a difference.
That game feels so immediate, I think the input lag must be pretty low, that might make a difference too.

It's a quick turnaround loop that'll speak directly to any shmup players lizard brain.

I can see the appeal of that strict psyvariar, choreographed dance, but if you're more into that playing it by ear, jazz style, Exceed 3rd, get it wolfed - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2074 ... k_Package/

[floralcateyes]

Exceed 3rd's grazing to charge your special weapon is my favourite implementation of grazing.

I love grazing mechanics in almost any form (I even find amusement in how your characters make funny sounds whenever you graze in Pink Sweets), and Exceed 3rd does have a really fun implementation of it. But it doesn't have the immediate effect of Shiki grazing, and I don't think it's as brisk as the machine-gun level up bursts of Psyvariar. So I'm not sure it fits what steveovig was looking for.

Excellent recommendation nonetheless. Kinda wanna return to it now myself...

[el_rika]

Are there any other games with a buzzing mechanic like Shiki or Psyvariar or Sisters Royale?

Not sure about buzzing, but if you mean grazing, Danmaku Unlimited 3 does, as well as Graze Counter. There are several Touhou games that apparently use grazing as a mechanic, as well.

Bee Storm (DoDonpachi 3?) relies on this mechanic as well on hard mode (I.R)

[Licorice]

Hello,

This is one I have been struggling with for a while.

What's the first shooter that lets you push-scroll freely in any direction in some finite or infinite area, and also come to a rest almost immediately at any time (i.e. no (or very limited) inertia or gravity)?

I'm talking about things like:

Metal stoker
Firemen
Granada
etc.

I am not talking about things like Senjou no Okami 2 or Valkyrie no Densetsu, where your push-scrolling is, in some ways, railed.

Nor am I talking about things like Berzerk, where there is no actual scrolling.

I am also not talking about things like Bosconian or Thunder Force where your scrolling is automatic, and you can't stop.

Hover Attack is really cool, and an early specimen that almost fits the bill, but it has gravity.

Finally, I am not talking about things like Defender where scrolling is limited to one axis.

The earliest I have found is:

Dandy - the Gauntlet predecessor for Atari 8-bit computers (released to the market in 1983, but to the public in 1982 as part of a PhD thesis).
Boomer Rang'r - A 1983 Data East game.

Also, aside from the first game of this type, what would have been the first popular game of this type in Japan?

[BIL]

Does UPL's Nova 2001 (1983) count?

Unsure of its popularity, but it's got an Arcade Archives release. I quite enjoy it, reminds me of Robotron X Granada. I wish its sequel, Ark Area, had kept its control method (free movement by default / hold Button 2 to strafe.... AA inverts this so you hold the button to move freely, feels odd).

[Licorice]

Does UPL's Nova 2001 (1983) count?

Unsure of its popularity, but it's got an Arcade Archives release. I quite enjoy it, reminds me of Robotron X Granada. I wish its sequel, Ark Area, had kept its control method (free movement by default / hold Button 2 to strafe.... AA inverts this so you hold the button to move freely, feels odd).

Yes it certainly does.

That would also be the first I know of where you can lock your shooting direction. Which seems to be a sub-sub-sub-genre separator.

One difference from later games like Firemen and Granada is there are no obstacles, which is unusual.

[BIL]

Somewhat related, I'm hoping NMK's Valtric (1986) gets an ACA release at some point. Seems likely enough, with all the Jaleco-published stuff on there, and Hamster having the rights to NMK's catalogue. (I'm always mixing up UPL and NMK's output... stylish, cult-fave, three-initialled cats. I spent a few minutes wondering why it wasn't appearing in the former's catalogue )

It's the earliest example I know of Granada-style scrolling tank action, looks badass. Spoken of highly by several knowledgeable chaps on here. I know Granada's director Toshio Toyota cites Grobda (single-screen) as an influence on that game, but I need the scrolling battlefield for that distinct tactical topdown tanker feel.

EDIT: oh, and he cites Assault too, of course. Doh, how'd I forget. I've never quite considered it and Granada the same, with its distinctive rotation mechanic. I guess it's much nearer Granada than Valtric, though, with the free-scrolling stages. AFAIK Valtric is vert-only.

Good to see The Firemen mentioned, btw! Superb arcade-styled seek and destroy. Doesn't seem to often get mentioned in Granada and Metal Stoker's company, but it should be.

[Licorice]

Tank and pedestrian shooters are a really interesting and diverse sub-genre for sure. Especially with how they handle the fundamentals of scrolling, movement, etc.

Especially because they're not so common, and by 1985 you can always find some precedent somewhere for one of the observed ingredients, even if you can't find the same combination.

It's not at all like how every "flying" shmup has a clear ancestry in Xevious and Scramble.

On the topic of Valtric, I think you might be able to consider Mega Zone (first inverse Xevious I know of, sorta) and Regulus (first separate turret and directional fire I know of) its fore-bearers.

Both of those are auto-scrollers though, so maybe it's more appropriate to call them ancestors of Guardian Force.

TNK III fits my initial description, which brings it closer to Granada, and also predates Valtric (and Assault!).

[BIL]

That's another big one I missed! TNK III indeed far predates Assault for the Granada-esque action. Lately I've been mentally associating it with the first two Ikaris, all three being LS-30 rotary games starring RARUFU, though its eight-way scrolling sets it well apart from them (among many other details, like Ikari I/II's on-foot action being a lot slower and more methodical than TNK's relatively zippy tank).

Seems excellent from my few credits with it. Been casually enjoying its Famicom sequel Great Tank for years now, but the slight language barrier always made me put it off for another day. Although Ikari, Dogosoken and Jackal (arcade version) are all vertical-scrolling only, I love how these games all use one contiguous map, rather than discrete stages. Makes them feel like coin-operated mini-epics, especially with the need to manually trek upscreen (with the looming threat of an air-strike for tarrying, in the Ikaris' cases).

Especially because they're not so common, and by 1985 you can always find some precedent somewhere for one of the observed ingredients, even if you can't find the same combination.

On that subject, I've been wondering lately if Taito's Front Line (1982) is the genesis of what I'd previously credited to Senjou no Okami: vertical push-scrolling, with an eight-way shot on Button 1, and vertical-locked (but terrain-bypassing) grenades on Button 2. I'd gotten used to thinking of Kiki Kaikai (1986) as a Senjou riff, with its own shot/alt push-scrolling, but it seems Capcom may have been the imitators all along, haha.

Front Line also seems to have prefigured the similarly iconic Ikari with its eight-way rotary controls and, most of all, hijackable tanks (Senjou only getting around to vehicles in its sequel). Taito already have seismic oldschool cred via Space Invaders, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised if they were similarly instrumental to the topdown run/gun subgenre.

Drum, a sadly long-absent poster, used to be really into this stuff. I bet he'd know some cool late-70s/very early-80s picks.