I myself prefer a balanced set of weapons you can switch around. Ether Vapor comes to mind as the best example I've seen of this.
On the other hand, if you can have only one weapon, and powerups are frequent, knowing when to take the right weapon becomes part of the gameplay, sadly this was never capitalized on, as far as I know.
Spoiler
You might be wondering about why I make so many polls like this one, I might be planning something...maybe.
In search of great justice, sailing on a sea of stars.
Main craft and options can have different(or same) weapons that are switched between stages. Get second set of of options early-mid game for maximum mix-matching.
Unlock new weapons by scoring. Unlocked weapons stay unlocked between runs.
1. Unusual Weaponry
2. Short Words
3. Blind(ing) Fire
What about making the weapons somehow linked to the level design? Forgetting about shot'em ups for a moment and looking at other genres, think for example about Zelda. In a given level you find a challenge/enemy/boss that can only be solved with a particular weapon/skill that you get in that level. Has this been tried in shoot'em ups? Maybe it doesn't need to go to the extreme of being the only weapon that can solve the challenge/level but be at least the "weapon of choice".
Great idea for a poll. I'll always mention Galmedes when this topic comes up, as I think it's one of the few games where you constantly need to use all the weapons at your disposal.
Stilghar wrote:What about making the weapons somehow linked to the level design? Forgetting about shot'em ups for a moment and looking at other genres, think for example about Zelda. In a given level you find a challenge/enemy/boss that can only be solved with a particular weapon/skill that you get in that level. Has this been tried in shoot'em ups? Maybe it doesn't need to go to the extreme of being the only weapon that can solve the challenge/level but be at least the "weapon of choice".
That's what I was talking about in OP.
Many shmups have different weapons you swap during the game, but none so far have made them required in any way.
Having unique weapons and levels that work with them would be a great feature in any game.
Heck, you could even make a shmup where the level changes based on your weapon as a selling point.
In search of great justice, sailing on a sea of stars.
For the most part, I don't mind any of the different weapon systems that you listed except for the limited ammo one, that's easily the least enjoyable one for me.
But I prefer any of the picking up the power-ups type system.
I find myself split between two different systems that I like about equally:
A: You possess a wealth of weapons that are all usable at any time. I like this because it gives the feeling of controlling a character with a deep and tactical moveset that can be applied and learned throughout the game.
(Examples: Radiant Silvergun, Thunder Force, Galmedes, Gate of Thunder, Alltynex Second)
B: You switch weapons via power ups. I like this because it adds a strategic element of planning for the challenges you'll face, as well as an element of customization in that you can tailor your own route based on your preferences and strengths as a player.
(Examples: Biometal, Raiden, Gradius, Image Fight)
RegalSin wrote:Japan an almost perfect society always threatened by outsiders....................
Instead I am stuck in the America's where women rule with an iron crotch, and a man could get arrested for sitting behind a computer too long.
I like the Gates of Thunder system, where you collect power-ups for your three weapons that you switch between all the time, and lose a power-level in that weapon upon death. However, two of your weapons can be powered-down until you just don't have them anymore, so sometimes you have to use a weapon you wouldn't otherwise.
Games where you rely on occasional pick-ups tend to bug me, but that's mostly because there tends to be weapons that are just really bad for certain spots, if not just bad all the time.
I'm not sure if this counts as separate to what you have already, but in G-Stream 2020 or whatever (x)Zeal they changed the title to later, where you collect a set of different power-ups, and your shot is a mix of all the different types you collected. So, all reds gives you a really strong spread shot, while an even number of each lets you shoot a low-mid strength forward shot, spread shot, and homing missiles at once.
I think there's a Genesis or SNES Compile shooter that uses a similar system, but in that one you get completely different shot-types depending on the combo.
Captain wrote:This poll doesn't really apply to shmups where you just pick a weapon and you're stuck with it.
This is what I like.
You have multiple ships, that are all different, like different characters in a fighting game, and increase fire-power by collecting pick-ups.
My least favorite set up actually.
The problem with that for me, is that in the Cave style where everybody has 1 shot (2 if you count focus), it makes each ship not feel like a different character, but a different weapon. Which to me, makes it feel pointless to have to choose and stick with such a weapon throughout the whole game.
I'm fine with no changes ever if the characters have fairly wide movesets. For example, Raiden Fighters where every ship has two different weapons (for 4 unique attacks total, since both weapons can be charged) and a unique speed.
RegalSin wrote:Japan an almost perfect society always threatened by outsiders....................
Instead I am stuck in the America's where women rule with an iron crotch, and a man could get arrested for sitting behind a computer too long.
Didn't we just have this thread? My answer was Blazing Lazers or Space Megaforce.
I'm fine with no changes ever if the characters have fairly wide movesets. For example, Raiden Fighters where every ship has two different weapons (for 4 unique attacks total, since both weapons can be charged) and a unique speed.
Even though I don't like Raiden Fighters, I do like this aspect of it. There is a nice variety of ships and weapons, so after dying horribly from whatever random crap with one ship, I can try another.
Captain wrote:This poll doesn't really apply to shmups where you just pick a weapon and you're stuck with it.
This is what I like.
You have multiple ships, that are all different, like different characters in a fighting game, and increase fire-power by collecting pick-ups.
My least favorite set up actually.
The problem with that for me, is that in the Cave style where everybody has 1 shot (2 if you count focus), it makes each ship not feel like a different character, but a different weapon. Which to me, makes it feel pointless to have to choose and stick with such a weapon throughout the whole game.
I'm fine with no changes ever if the characters have fairly wide movesets. For example, Raiden Fighters where every ship has two different weapons (for 4 unique attacks total, since both weapons can be charged) and a unique speed.
I was actually thinking of RFJ, moreso than CAVE's games.
It's nice to have a varied fleet of static, unchanging ships to choose from, rather than a single it-does-it-all craft, as you could accidentally grab the wrong power-item, and get stuck with a weapon you don't want.
