Shmup Ticker: What are you playing RIGHT NOW?

[CWM]

That's the first time I've heard a complaint that a bullet's hitbox is too large, lol.* No weaving through harmless marshmallows in Strikers.


*Wait, that complaint is thrown out against Darius Twin, but in that the hitboxes are actually larger than the bullets themselves...

The hitboxes in general are fine, they're just a bit annoying when you have to precisely tap-dodge some fast spread, as they reduce the margin of error. I listed them because they contribute to how unintuitive the game feels to me, but that's more of a problem with my brain it seems like. Game also feels easier to play on a keyboard compared to a stick, which is all sorts of weird.

[NeoStrayCat]

The recently released (but digital only) Caladrius now in English on the 360, great so far for how it goes translated, but it seems this release took a few liberties bringing it over, most likely the opening being instrumental and possibly the story voices possibly being removed (except voices in battle or in other scenes), otherwise, everything else is still there, gameplay's still great.

[Kollision]

Karous, currently trying not to panic during the busier boss fights from stage 3 onwards.
Plus a few NES stinkers.

[M.Knight]

Do you level-up your shield?
Try to have it above level 50 by the time you fight the 3rd boss, it will really come in handy.

[Stevens]

Still SDOJ. Type A laser.

Reaching stage 4 more frequently, but still lots to get better at.

[SMC]

Gradius III arcade

Yep.

[Kollision]

Do you level-up your shield?
Try to have it above level 50 by the time you fight the 3rd boss, it will really come in handy.

Thanks for the tip.

I'm still testing the waters with leveling up.
By the time I get to the 2nd boss I have it at 20, but I don't think I can boost it to 50 even with the heavy shielding on the 3rd mid-boss.
I'll try to focus more on shield than shot on power-up collection and see what happens. Sword ends up leveling up by itself.

[copy-paster]

Gradius III arcade

Yep.

Where the stage that you always dying in there?

Also I replayed R-Type III and holy shit the fights with stage 4 mid-boss is one of the the most heart-pumping boss battle I've ever seen, the music even fits the action. Unfortunately due to strange glitch after the fights is over the lavas became invincible so I reset the game.

[M.Knight]

Kollision : My strategy is to focus on the shield during the first stage until it reaches level 30, and the remaining 20-levels are mostly achieved using the DFS. (the red brain-shaped bomb) Indeed, bullets cancelled with the DFS also level-up the shield. You can for instance gain quite a bunch of levels by milking the boss 2's second phase. Same goes for the stage 3 midboss' first phase.
You should use the DFS as often as possible, not only you can level-up the shield with it, but I think it also increases the exp you gain when using other weapons at the same time. (though I am not 100% sure)

[SMC]

Where the stage that you always dying in there?

All of them
Stage 3 is the only one I really feel like I'm getting the hang of.

[microfolk]

I've come back to Dodonpachi after a good two weeks of playing Touohu 15 (which didn't even amount to anything good <_<) and now I'm super psyched to get this clear. I'm pretty confident I can no miss no bomb everything up to the third stage boss (and I'm not including the boss itself because from time to time one of its pattern gets moderately dense and I panic bomb, but I should work on it), I think I understood how to deal with the 4th stage and I'm working on the fifth one... I want to get a shit clear before the end of the month but really it's just a matter of playing it every day, I feel the clear is really close.

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

Batrider advanced course.

Making steady progression in terms of scoring but due to my current team I keep triggering different bosses which means I keep dying. So much to learn, but I wanted a deep game to get really stuck into so it's all good.

[EmperorIng]

My copy of Salamander Deluxe for the Saturn just sold on ebay, which gives me two whole days to clear the first loop of Salamander 2. Can it be done?!?!

Farthest I've ever reached is stage 1-6's boss (laser spread kills me). Rank feels all over the place in the game. I think I can do it.

I also am trying hard to 1CC Metal Black. I got to the final boss yesterday but died, and could not repeat my successful run for the rest of the day... I just wish the first two stages weren't so sedate, as it makes constantly restarting them get old.

[DKA_Darius]

present goal:
about 2.400.000pts to clear Donpachi loop 1
berfore October,over 5 trillions points to clear Crimzon Clover World Ignition, Type-Z, Original mode
use ME-II to 1cc Raiden IV loop 2, Original level

I think tomorrow I can finish the third goal, I made some many stupid mistakes today

[Squire Grooktook]

Batrider advanced course.

Making steady progression in terms of scoring but due to my current team I keep triggering different bosses which means I keep dying. So much to learn, but I wanted a deep game to get really stuck into so it's all good.

If you want to clear it, Shorty (B) solo is a frequent recommendation. Might work well for long term play too, since it'll give you a feel for what the game ultimately wants out of you to reach the end, and will thus help you understand how rank control really works.

[pegboy]

My copy of Salamander Deluxe for the Saturn just sold on ebay, which gives me two whole days to clear the first loop of Salamander 2. Can it be done?!?!

Farthest I've ever reached is stage 1-6's boss (laser spread kills me). Rank feels all over the place in the game. I think I can do it.

I also am trying hard to 1CC Metal Black. I got to the final boss yesterday but died, and could not repeat my successful run for the rest of the day... I just wish the first two stages weren't so sedate, as it makes constantly restarting them get old.

For Salamander 2, pick the second player (the PINK ship), the rank starts out much lower and probably increases slower too. Other than that, Rank in Salamander 2 basically just continues to go up and up until you die (becomes very apparent if you haven't died by stage 5 or 6), that is pretty much it. For the second loop, the rank is nearly at max the entire time.

The first loop is pretty easy to clear assuming you've picked up the 2 extends. Very easy to do if you perform the tech bonuses on the golem in stage 1 and the gold ship in stage 4 (look this up if you're not sure what I'm talking about).

Edit: I posted a 2-ALL video for Salamander 2 earlier this year (played on the PS1) if you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIvRffl9Tus

[Kollision]

My strategy is to focus on the shield during the first stage until it reaches level 30, and the remaining 20-levels are mostly achieved using the DFS.

Yeah that's mostly what I'm doing, even though I get out of stage 1 with the shield at 20 or something.
The remaining exp I get on the midboss in stage 3.

[Squire Grooktook]

Played a few credits of Dimahoo the other day.

I think this game has the same problem as Soukyugurentai to me: First 3 stages are way too long and boring IMO, then it heats up immediately. There's some genuinely fun patterns and bosses in there (the stage 2 and 3 bosses are great, a shame the actual stages aren't that fun), but they're hidden behind an entry wall of mediocrity.

If stage 1 was completely eliminated, I think the pacing would feel a lot better to me.

[Domino]

Raiden IV: Overkill PC.

Even with the slower bullets of Arcade Mode I still find it quite enjoyable.

[Stevens]

Still hammering away (getting hammered) at SDOJ.

Stages 1 and 2 I am pretty good with now up to and including the 2nd boss. His 2nd and 3rd patterns use to drive me mad, but not so much anymore. I can clear both, not die, and earn the 1st extend. Which brings me to -

Stage 3. Which is still a minor pain in the ass in parts. The opening up to where the 1st boat comes out is good, but I have a hard time from there up to the mid boss fight. I think I am trying too hard to end my hyper on the bullet cancel turrets.

From the mid boss to the boss is ok, and the boss is ok. And when I mean ok I mean I can get passed it, but would need to get better if I am actually going to 1 CC it.

I've also been messing around with stages 4 and 5 in training so I can begin committing them to memory.

[o.pwuaioc]

I got Raiden IV PC now, but before I played it, I went back to try out the first three (PS1 compilation disc for I & II and PS2 for III). Getting my butt kicked here.

[M.Knight]

Kollision : I see. ^^
As long as your shield is level 50 by the third boss, it should be fine. Leveling it up to that point is important because you can then use its bullet reflecting properties to give you some breathing room during the fights. A level 50+ shield will convert every bullet it touches in a small arc that will travel in the opposite direction and can itself cancel bullets. Therefore, when the screen gets crowded, you can vertically dash in the wall of bullets with the shield, which will create a wave of arcs in front of you, cancelling lots of bullets, dealing damage to the boss and recharging your DFS gauge in the process.

It can a bit tricky at first, and on the way back to the bottom of the screen (after the dash) you have to be careful not to get hit by a bullet on your side or behind you. Though once you get the hang of this manoeuver, stage 3, 4 and 5 bosses become manageable.

All this talk about Karous and me finishing most of the missions in Karous : BoR made me want to replay it, and I realized the sfx when the YCMF bomb is available in BoR is actually the level-up sound in the original Karous. It makes me believe my DFS is ready when it actually isn't.

[Stevens]

You know those sessions where nothing goes well no matter what game you play?

That was today.

EDIT - I think my generally crappy session was in part to that I am getting back to my old work schedule and have been pretty tired the last two days. At least I knew when to stop:D

Anyways I've decided that my current goal in SDOJ to reach stage 4 losing only 1 ship. I still need to crack the opening of stage 3, but am confident that I can do it. At least I haven't gotten worse at stages 1 or 2.

Also all the Raiden IV talk has rubbed off on me and I've been playing that a bit.

[Shepardus]

Cleared Route A2 on Hard yesterday in Fairy Wars, might go for that on Lunatic or try to clear the other routes (and get more consistent because I only barely got that clear). IMO this game has the best lives/bombs system in any Touhou game and one of the best in any shmup.

Also playing a bunch of Ketsui and Progear recently. Not anywhere close to a 1-ALL in either but they're a lot of fun.

I haven't been playing Bakraid much recently, I've felt pretty burnt out on that for a while now, especially since I reset so much in the second stage despite its being pretty easy in theory. It's especially demoralizing since it's not even luck-based like the Garegga flamingos are, every time I screw up it's my own fault. IMO the game doesn't really get going until the third stage (after Forest and Railroad).

[CWM]

After much failure and gnashing of teeth, I've managed to no-miss Stage 3 in Perfect Cherry Blossom Lunatic while also collecting a good amount of point items. The bright side in all this is that the majority of Alice's attacks are effectively static, so I can always try to bruteforce memo them if all else fails. Still, definitely feeling that the base difficulty of the patterns is a bit too high for my skill level, but I'm doing better with every session.

[Stevens]

Managed to no miss to the stage 3 mid boss (furthest yet) and crapped out on the stage 4 mid boss. Fucker was almost dead too.

I'll take it.

[ACSeraph]

I can always try to bruteforce memo them if all else fails. Still, definitely feeling that the base difficulty of the patterns is a bit too high for my skill level, but I'm doing better with every session.

Actually brute force memo is a good portion of what shmups are. Shmups have a lot more to do with effort than some talent based skill level, so don't sell yourself short.

[Squire Grooktook]

Not so much talent, but there are fundamental skills that improve with time...

...however they improve with a lot of time. As in years and years of practice to get incremental improvements in consistent reaction time or consistent execution. It's worth keeping in mind though, as they do help.

[ACSeraph]

I'm not saying they don't exist or even that they aren't required. Just that brute force memorization isn't covering up for lack of skill, it literally is a skill. Depending on RNG more execution may be required, but if you are looking to take things really far score-wise 99% of what you do is memo, even if it's a sort of combined execution+memo.

[CWM]

Fundamental skills definitely exist, and do improve with practice - I'd argue that effects can be seen in as little as a month's worth of time, or at least that's what I've experienced when playing games I felt were "too hard" for me. After taking around three weeks to clear DOJ, for example, I've gone back to other Cave games I've 1ccd, and saw definite improvement. On a similar note, I cleared PCB Extra around March, and it was NOT easy for me back then, but now I can basically no-bomb it every credit I play, and that's not a result of further practice of the stage itself. Though maybe this is because I'm still pretty bad, and have a lot of room to grow.

Anyway, about the "bruteforce memo" comment, the patterns I'm referring to, although static, are very chaotic and complicated, and are probably intended to be sightread and dodged on the fly. For the time being, I usually bomb them, but if I were desperate to save that bomb, I always have the option of memorizing a strict path through them. Would rather not do that though, they're pretty fun to improvise through.

Generally speaking, when it comes to pure survival, I do often feel like the better you are, the less memorization you can get away with. That is, after all, how the best of us can clear something like Futari BL Original on their first credit, others take a few hours of practice, and someone relatively new to shmups may take upwards of 50.