Shooting below the belt ain't that bad.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

So unless anyone has come up with a term for the enemies who never stop firing at the player (even after dropping to the bottom of the screen) I'm going to refer to it as shooting below the belt in a nod to getting kicked in the balls.

I've mostly played modern shmups and there is sort of an unwritten rule now that once enemies get to the bottom of the screen they become docile.
I've been playing a lot of games by Toaplan today and found that my dodging from the bottom of the screen needs quite a lot of work.

That said I'd not really mind if more shmups allowed for enemies who never stop firing.
Anyone else find their dodging is really weak when you play an older shmup and enemies are suddenly allowed to fire even as they move into the bottom quarter of the screen?
(That said Truxton has some absolute bastard enemies who pin you to the bottom and keep firing)

One thing in the same vein I HATE and DON'T LIKE is when an enemy approaches from the bottom of the screen without indication.
You might go play some traditional shmups from the mid 90's and see if you too have gone soft to dodging from the screen's bottom.

Thoughts?

[Jeneki]

Sniper tanks (see the glossary sticky topic) aren't a big deal as long as their placement is consistent and I get to know them after a while.

One reason you may seem 'weaker' against them now is screen size. Back in the 90s we all played on small screens which gave easy viewing to all of our surroundings, but as screen size increases it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of all the edges. Raiden 1/2 are the games that really pointed this out to me, comparing my survivability on different screen sizes.

[mamboFoxtrot]

Well, as long as it's not like Under Defeat HD where the enemies can shoot from the bottom when they're not even on screen anymore. Dying to that is the ultimate nutshot!

But for a more serious answer, I look at non-stop enemies the same way I look at Mega Man only being able to shoot forward - a bit annoying, but ultimately a part of the game and its character.

[Shepardus]

If I have some way of attacking behind me, then not only do I tolerate it, I encourage it. Getting shot at from behind isn't a big deal to me if I know it can happen, but if it happens often enough to be annoying and frustrating, I would take that as a symptom of a somewhat different issue. As I see it the problem isn't their ability to deal with me, it's that combined with my inability to deal with them (other than passively avoiding them). Programming enemies to not shoot from the bottom of the screen deals with the issue by removing the enemy's ability, but I'd like to see more games tackle it by giving players additional flexibility.

Regarding enemies spawning from the bottom of the screen, it's only an issue to me if they can collide with the player and players aren't given any cue. Again, simply being able to attack behind yourself would encourage the player to play closer to the center of the screen where this wouldn't be as much of an issue. See games like Deathsmiles, Side Arms, and Dariusburst AC, where there's hardly any notion of "front" or "back" since you can turn around freely. Also see run-and-guns.

[Xyga]

"Yes, as long as enemies don't come from the bottom"

Because seriously fuck the little shit out of nowhere killing you with a single tiny bullet.
If it's one I've missed and it gets me just before disappearing at the bottom, I don't mind because it's my fault.
But the sneaky asshole: no, just no. It'll always irritate me.

[Squire Grooktook]

In general I think it "feels bad" to have enemies spend significant time in a range you can't shoot at them from. But if its designed around it, or used smartly, it's fine.

Enemies coming from the bottom are fine too so long as its telegraphed.

[TransatlanticFoe]

I recall a Toaplan interview (shmupulations?) about Flying Shark, stating the enemies from behind were deliberate to introduce a memorise element - so a skilled player with good reactions couldn't clear it first time out. They're few enough that even if you don't memorise exactly, you're at least wise to them cropping up.

Truxton takes it too far but I think Twin Cobra gets the tension right. Especially those little bastards that will fly off screen and loop behind you before coming back around, let one of those through and it can really ruin your day!

Power Strike/Aleste, at certain high ranks, can give you enemies that make their way to the very bottom of the screen them sit there - firing at you all the way. I only encountered them with the multidirectional shot weapon (the default starting one) so maybe it only spawns them if you have a way to take them out... but seriously fuck them all the same!

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Truxton takes it too far but I think Twin Cobra gets the tension right. Especially those little bastards that will fly off screen and loop behind you before coming back around, let one of those through and it can really ruin your day!

That is another feature that gives a good amount of tension.
Enemies that try to circle the player or push them into the center of the screen to circle them.
Kind of gets the player out of the left to right, right to left motions you see a lot now.
I think Ikaruga is pretty good about making the player use the whole screen.