Hello shmup forum. Relatively new player here.

[mehguy]

2: Is there anything in particular to know and work on to get better at shmups?

Play at arcades as much as you can. When you see a shmup in a venue or something PLAY IT. It's quite rare to see shmups out in the wild. I'm not saying go out an buy an arcade cabinet, but I think the best way to practice is when you actually have to pay money to play (more deaths = more money spent) so you will do your best when playing and also saving your money. When you play shmups at home, when you die, it doesn't really matter, you can just press start and continue.

obviously, practicing that way isn't convenient. So I would recommend playing a "boss rush" mode so you can get better with bullet patterns. Also, try a variety of shmups to get used to diffrent patterns such as CAVE, Treasure, and Raizing. You get the idea. Also, play with a controller you're most comfortable using (D-pad, stick, arrow keys etc.)

[ArmoredCore]

You can increase the fun factor and get a joystick (sorry if you already have one, assumptions lol), all the more fun for that arcade feel on a tate monitor. Practicing incentives went up lol. I found my first time getting a joystick years and years back that I even played less than great, below average stg's and found some great enjoyment out of them haha.

[LordHypnos]

2: Is there anything in particular to know and work on to get better at shmups?

Most important thing to get better at shmups: Try to always reflect on what you need to do differently in the next run.
Other things: Try not to do anything the hard way. You can save that for when you've already mastered a game and want to show off. Learn from others by seeing what they do in different situations in a game.

[Captain]

HELLSINKER

I was first

[Special World]

2: Is there anything in particular to know and work on to get better at shmups?

Most important thing to get better at shmups: Try to always reflect on what you need to do differently in the next run.

this is tough because when I think about it, it usually amounts to "dodge thing."

[LordHypnos]

2: Is there anything in particular to know and work on to get better at shmups?

Most important thing to get better at shmups: Try to always reflect on what you need to do differently in the next run.

this is tough because when I think about it, it usually amounts to "dodge thing."

Maybe it varies from game to game, but I can definitely pinpoint specific things that I need to do differently sometimes. Even if it's just "dodge thing," I think it helps a lot to know the specific things that you failed at dodging, so you can try to not fail after a few more tries. Perhaps it would be more helpful to phrase it as "Try to figure out what you need to do differently next time." Naturally it takes many tries (especially if you don't have save states), but knowing specific things that you're failing at and need to work on can make a big difference. IDK.

[Special World]

I think I just have a very natural skill barrier because I have a really easy time picking up games intuitively but a really shit time trying to analyze them so I can achieve mastery instead of proficiency.

[ACSeraph]

I think I just have a very natural skill barrier because I have a really easy time picking up games intuitively but a really shit time trying to analyze them so I can achieve mastery instead of proficiency.

Well mastery in my mind is a bit more than just a 1cc, it requires more than reflection, it requires absolutely obsessive levels of memorization and planning. Takes a ton of time and work.

If you have trouble recognizing the solutions to what gets you killed then I recommend state practice or stage practice. That way you can just learn a route via trial and error. Eventually you will progress from taking stabs in the dark to find what works to actually recognizing common problems and solutions that show up in many different games. The more I play the more I see that the required strategies don't really vary so much between different shmups, just you have a different mix of problems to solve and different tools to deal with them. Trust me though, it's not a matter of talent so much as experience, everyone starts by throwing things at the problem to see what sticks.

[trap15]

Watch replays of your own runs to see why you died/forced-bomb/etc.