Best Shmup weapons and pickups!

[Juvanji]

Hey guys

I am currently working on a 2d top down vertical car shmup for mobile and I REALLY need your help on this!

There are 5 main cars in the game you can unlock, each with its unique weapons, side weapons, armors , special weapons and what I like to call a "Mega Cannon".

The main and side weapons for each car are simply different shapes and colors of bullet shots shooting forward and to the sides respectively.

Armors consist of unique looks for each car making them more special and bad ass ^^

Here is where things get rough! For special weapons there is a huge variety to choose from which makes it harder than I thought. I had in mind stuff like missiles, lasers, even more bullets, blast cannons, extra armor, attached magnet to get coins, etc. but I want to know what you guys prefer your car to be equipped with to blow stuff up

"Mega Cannon" is my favorite its a special pickup that each car has differently, it can be something like a rotating blade that covers the car for a while and then shoots forward clearing the way spinning, it might be a force field orb that also covers the car for a couple of seconds then shoots ahead, shock waves, laser blast (for the laser car maybe),etc. The point is each car's special weapon has a connected "Mega Cannon" that relates to it. I would love to know what you prefer to see blasting through enemies

The final part is pickups; magnets, repair kit, double score, double bullets, slow motion, free upgrade,etc what are your favorite ones?

I am sorry for the long post and please do not hesitate sharing your ideas and thoughts. Any side recommendations are very much welcomed so do not be shy!

[DJ Incompetent]

I dunno, guy. You're making this sound like this is the first videogame to come out and nobody else has done this before. Many players on this forum see the weapons set as tools for a means to an end. There isn't too much thought into the fundamentals of "how cool it is you're blowing stuff up" since every STG you're doing this. Few are thinking of simple weapon types but more of how to use them. Which weapon is most powerful without restricting coverage? Which weapons spray far enough to create movement room? Which weapons have offensive and defensive uses simultaneously? Many successful modern iterations of the STG abandon changing weapons and powerup pickups entirely. You can go beyond just gun porn. What about a missile with a machine gun warhead that's shooting as it travels? How about multiple types of ricocheting bullets that when they rarely collide, provide a larger explosion?

I recommend spending your time on a creative hook to differentiate your game from others while abiding by the Index of Developer-friendly Topics sticky thread and everything inside. Your other concern should be variety and thoughtfulness of stage and enemy design. Who cares how many weapons or cars you have if the obstacle course you're taking the car through is a chore or poorly balanced?

But you said a mobile game. You can probably get away with just creating shallow instances of a player feeling really powerful.

Anyway, the thread title.. Have some required research for weapons to copy-
Check longplays of or obtain:

Super Spy Hunter
The Guardian Legend
Armed Police Batrider
R-Type Final
Turbo Force
G-Darius: fight vs. Queen Fossil (top path)

[Ixmucane2]

DJ Incompetent's has listed particularly good games with interesting weapons; to add to your homework, here are some games with particularly fancy weapons:

• Gunhed
• Choujin Heiki Zeroigar
• Raiden series
• Jets'n'Guns (even if many weapons are unbalanced)

And, on the other hand, some games that explore variations of simple weapons and the resulting flexibility:

• Tyrian (which also includes fancy weapons for good measure)
• Super Galaxy Squadron (also with interesting "bombs")
• Notebook Wars 1 and 2

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Strania for Xbox 360's weapon system is also worth a look. The weapons are more plain and functional, but the way weapon selection works is what makes it interesting.

It's worth noting that there's very good games out there that focus on having one solid, well crafted offensive mechanic in place as their focused gimmick. See: Giga Wing, Triggerheart Exelica