The NO-MISS Method (1CCing for Mortals)

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Special World
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The NO-MISS Method (1CCing for Mortals)

Post by Special World »

The NO-MISS Method (1CCing for Mortals)

I was sick of shmupping against a brick wall, with no idea whether I was even improving. I’ve read The Full Extent of the Jam, and practically every guide written on these forums. I think they’re great references, occasionally inspirational, and I’d bet they work for a lot of people.

But they don’t really work for me.

I would get momentarily inspired to Finally Beat That Shmup(™), and then my interest would dwindle as I hit a plateau. I would quit before getting a clear, and feel like I’d let myself down.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having fun with a game and shelving it before you’re through. But sometimes you just want to beat a game, any game, in this damned hard genre!

So I created a method that works for me: The NO-MISS Method.

All You Need To Know

The idea behind The NO-MISS Method is simple. Rather than getting burned out by trying and failing to achieve lofty goals, have fun and achieve success by setting goals you can’t possibly fail at, providing you simply play the game.

Instead of progress goals, set yourself process goals. In pop psychology, it’s often noted that setting yourself the goal “I will put on my sneakers and step outside” is more effective than the goal “I will run 20 minutes every single night in order to lose 20 lbs in 20 weeks.”

Thinking about this, I decided to adapt it to shmups. What do you need to do to get better at shmups? You just need to play the damn game! In addition, I decided it would be useful to figure out the scope of the game, write down how often you will need to play each stage before attempting some full runs, and then follow through.

You WANT to get a 1CC. But your GOAL is simply to play each stage X amount of times. If you set aside the time, you WILL achieve your goal. You can’t miss.

That’s ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW. It really isn’t any more complicated than that. However, I’ll show you an example so you get exactly what I mean. You can MODIFY this example in any way that works for you. Just know that the rest of this post is simply CLARIFICATION AND BLATHER.

Example: Game Gear Aleste 3 Special

I used The NO-MISS Method to 1CC GG Aleste 3 Special, the harder course which introduces suicide bullets. I had already cleared the normal course, and was looking for something with a bit more teeth.

First, I credit-fed my way through the game a few times, probably two or three. This allowed me to get a SCOPE OF THE GAME.

I could see that in special mode, stage 1 was actually one of the hardest stages in the game! The stage with the train cars was also tough, as were the final two stages. So I wrote some NO-MISS GOALS.

Image

I created a checkbox for how many times I would need to practice each level until I could reasonably have a shot at ATTEMPTING TO CLEAR a full run. I’d play Stage 1 five times, the stage 1 boss two times, and the 1-ALL one time. Stage 7 I would play seven times, the boss five times, and the 7-ALL one time.

Using the M2 ShotTriggers training mode, I gave my checkboxes a slash / for every bronze (2+ hits), an X for every silver (1 hit) and a filled-in box for every gold (no hits). That way I could visualize how strong my performance was on every level. Because stage 7 was so long and grueling, I wrote down how many hits I got on each run. A hit in GGA3 training is not the same as a lost life because of the shield, but don’t worry about that.

My performance was pretty strong for the first five stages, and very spotty on stage seven. I added the 1-All category in later, so instead of doing Stage 1 + Boss the final time, I simply went for a 1-All. No biggie.

Actually, what I did was to play the stages IN REVERSE ORDER for my final practice run. I played stage 7, then stage 6, then stage 5, etc. The reason I did this was to know the game “inside and out.” If I could have literally played it backwards in time, I would have. However, one thing I discovered is that playing the stages in reverse order gives you a really great idea of how far you’ve come. Instead of the game getting harder and harder, it gets easier and easier, and you realize just how much progress you’ve made. All these stages are so simple compared to when I started!

I planned to do three full runs and assess from there, however, I beat the game on my first run! I scored 17th on the leaderboards--I had no expectation that that was possible. My only regret is that I didn’t keep at it for a few more runs. I planned to practice some of the boss milking and get back to it. I should have tried 2-4 more runs and seen if I was consistent, and if I could push my score up. Ah well! Still happy!

In Closing, Some Questions

Just today, I also used The NO-MISS Method to 1CC Rolling Gunner casual mode. Which begs The Question…

Q: So you beat two fairly easy games. Who cares?
A: I care. I stuck with the games, improved at them, had fun, and did better than I thought. Not every game needs to be Ura route Ketsui.

Q: But what if I want to clear Ura route Ketsui?
A: You are welcome to try. But if you try this method and find yourself making seventy check-boxes for stage 3, you may want to adjust.

Q: Isn’t it a waste of time to beat easy games? Shouldn’t I just play hard ones and gain skill twice as fast?
A: In occupational therapy, we have the concept of the Just-Right Challenge for rehabilitation. Adapted for shmupping, you will ideally select shmups that are just beyond your current ability. Something challenging but possible within a reasonable amount of time. I am pretty skeptical that banging your head against a curtain of bullets that you don’t understand is the best way to learn to play shmups. And you may burn out a lot more quickly if you don’t have some victories under your belt.

Q: How will I know a game is too easy?
A: You will know a game is too easy (for testing your survival skills) if you clear it on the first try. Anything else is fair game.

Q: Do you really expect to become a world record holding shmupper using this strategy?
A: I have a child, and I expect to do a half hour of playing during nap time. Two or three hours in a day if a new game comes out. For me, that world record ship has completely sailed. I am focused on fun and self-satisfaction.

Q: Can I modify The NO-MISS Method?
A: Do whatever works for you. Feel free to ask me if I do, or do not, recommend a certain modification. After all, if you modify it too much, it won’t be The NO-MISS Method, will it?

Q: Can you stop calling it The NO-MISS Method?
A: Absolutely not, under no circumstances, no.

Cute lil summary:

1) Credit feed to gain the scope of the game
2) Decide how many times you will play each stage and boss
3) Write that down using checkboxes for each stage and boss
4) Play each stage and boss that many times; check 'em off as you go
5) Attempt full runs
6) Did you clear? If so, hooray! Try to clear a few more times to make sure you’ve mastered it. If not, decide how many times you will play each stage and boss.

Thank you for reading! Please let me know if this helps you, or if you have any questions. And especially let me know if this helps you clear a game! Some of us possess the fire of the gods--Prometheus, Gus, Kiwi.

The rest of us are mere mortals.

“I may be mortal, but I’m not mere.” - Wesker412
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davyK
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Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Re: The NO-MISS Method (1CCing for Mortals)

Post by davyK »

In the end, getting a 1CC is about dedication to practice.

There are different ways of doing this of course but at the end of the day - you need to keep playing. If packaging it up a certain way helps then that's the way it works for you. :)
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