What a long strange trip....

[BeauZilla 002]

Hello all.I'm a noob with a few q's.But a quick background story first.

I'm a thirty-something gamer who grew up on the arcades of the late 70s/early 80s.After that period,I was uh,"consolized" by the NES.Since those days I only played 2 shooters.TG-16 R-Type,and Ikaruga.

Two years ago,I gave up gaming altogether because of a crazy work schedule,putting my wife through college,and raising a kid.I was also COMPLETELY bored of the gaming scene as a whole.Big budget crapfests and 1000's of FPS and GTA clones.Blaaaah.

A few months ago,I decided to get back into gaming because I had a few hours to myself at night after work,plus I had a phat tax refund coming.I was all set to buy a 360,but I decided against it.I saw a used copy of Ikaruga in EB,and bought it and a GC.Looking on the net for tips to IK,I accidentally came across shmups.com and the rest is history.

So heres my q's,noob style.

1.Is it best for a shmup beginner to play with "discipline" (ie:default settings,no continuing) or is it good to credit feed so I can see more advanced enemy tactics in later levels,thereby making early levels easier?

2.Should beginners avoid bullet-hell games for other styles?

3.How many shmups should you play at once?I have 5 shmups right now (Iky,Ibara,Raiden III,Castle Shiki 2,and Under Defeat) but I'm only playing 2 consistently,Ikaruga and Ibara.


I think thats it guys.I really want to thank everybody on here.This board has almost single-handedly rekindled my love for gaming,and that is fucking awesome.

[mice]

My take on this.

1.Is it best for a shmup beginner to play with "discipline" (ie:default settings,no continuing) or is it good to credit feed so I can see more advanced enemy tactics in later levels,thereby making early levels easier?

I always try to discipline myself when I first get a game. A few games have made me stick to it, where I actualla makes progress, but most of the games really bores me so I start credit-feeding after a while.
You're supposed to play games for fun, right?

2.Should beginners avoid bullet-hell games for other styles?

Depends if you like that kind of thing, so, I guess, no.

3.How many shmups should you play at once?I have 5 shmups right now (Iky,Ibara,Raiden III,Castle Shiki 2,and Under Defeat) but I'm only playing 2 consistently,Ikaruga and Ibara.

I play Gradius V and Iky almost daily and I sometimes break it up with some XII Stag.

And, welcome to the boards!

[ahnslaught]

Hey, welcome! I too am a born again shmupper thanks to this board as well, and as for your first point, I find it better to concentrate on what I can and not credit feed. This, for me at least, serves two purposes:

1. I still have something new to experience as a reward for going further in a game

2. Credit feeding to learn a game, for me, is bad because I can't keep all the patterns in my head. It's easier to master parts of a game, bit by bit.

[cigsthecat]

1.Is it best for a shmup beginner to play with "discipline" (ie:default settings,no continuing) or is it good to credit feed so I can see more advanced enemy tactics in later levels,thereby making early levels easier?

Just play on defaults. The work up through easier settings method is silly.

2.Should beginners avoid bullet-hell games for other styles?

Just try out a lot of games to find out what styles are your favorite.

3.How many shmups should you play at once?I have 5 shmups right now (Iky,Ibara,Raiden III,Castle Shiki 2,and Under Defeat) but I'm only playing 2 consistently,Ikaruga and Ibara.

After a while you'll be able to narrow down your tastes and find out which games you want to put more time into.

[BeauZilla 002]

Thanx a mil for the advice and the warm welcome guys.I'm doing pretty good on Ikaruga(no ships lost til middle of level 3),Ibara is a little tougher for me.The whole rank control thing is crazy,but I really love the strategy involved.

Also,Under Defeat is so awesome,but I've had to put it on the backburner cuz the rotation thing was messing me up when I went back to the other games.

[icycalm]

If you want to get good at manic shooters I would suggest you start with Espgaluda. After that try Original mode in Mushihime-sama.

Also, MAME is your friend. Get a decent arcade stick and/or joypad for your PC and try out Cave's and Raizing's earlier games.

Whatever else you do, try to play on the largest TV set you can find. Tate is also your friend, and your skills will progress even faster if you've got a decent setup.

Finally, whatever else you do keep reading these boards. Good luck!

[sjewkestheloon]

welcome!

basically i'd say just enjoy what you have and move on when you're bored. i've only 1cc'd a few games and i don't have many great scores but i always have a blast with this method.

personally i would also recommend you pick up a psikyo game, possibly a gunbird or strikers, as they really helped me hone my skills with the huge range of difficulties and fast as hell bullets. i still suck at them after 2 years too so lots of lastability

and as for avoiding bullet hell games, i personally don't find these any more difficult than old school aimers or hori memorizers so i'd say play away. any good manic player will tell you that out of the hundred on screem bullets, only about 5 or 10 matter. the rest are just there to confuse or make you go aaahhhh due to the pretty patterns of death.

have fun

[sven666]

welcome to the boards mate

all your questions are really up to your personal prefference, i myself am one of those people that just keep hitting my head against the wall till i get all the way thru

NO CONTINUES!
so much it even spread thru to my regular gaming

[professor ganson]

welcome. I'm a relative noob too, but I've found that the best way to make progress is with full defaults, no continues, focusing on just 1 or 2 games, and I stick with hard games, like Psikyo or Raiden games. I've gotten A LOT better since joining this site. But, then, before coming here I played shmups without any real goals-- other than amusing myself, of course.

[Spitlips]

Hi,

i dont like the idea to dicipline myself when i play games, and to just play with one credit just by principle seems a bit silly. In some games there is a few credits available by default and i usually use them all til i get to the "Game Over" screen. Then i start all over.

[freddiebamboo]

3.How many shmups should you play at once?I have 5 shmups right now (Iky,Ibara,Raiden III,Castle Shiki 2,and Under Defeat) but I'm only playing 2 consistently,Ikaruga and Ibara.

I usually only play 1 at a time for maybe a month or so before being too frustrated to keep playing (I still get the dry heaves thinking about going back to ibara).

Once you exhaust one game, you're usually in the mood for something else and the cycle continues.

Mame is a good bet for cheap gaming (its a program that lets you play arcade games on your pc if you haven't heard of it, although it's slightly illegal - do a google of mame to get what you need). Dodonpachi is the game that got me into shooters and I can't recommend it enough.

And welcome

[BeauZilla 002]

OK,I've used a few continues on Ikaruga this afternoon,just to see what I'll be up against.Felt a little guilty,but not much.Had a blast.

Also threw in Raiden III,and I have to say,damn nice game.I don't see this game mentioned much on here,but I'm digging it.

[Andi]

I don't have any advice, but welcome to the board. Nice to see someone else from...uh...Chi-Town.

[BulletMagnet]

First off, a hearty welcome to you, hope you make yourself comfortable. As for my two cents on your questions, in case you need any more input there:

1.Is it best for a shmup beginner to play with "discipline" (ie:default settings,no continuing) or is it good to credit feed so I can see more advanced enemy tactics in later levels,thereby making early levels easier?

Methinks either can work, as can some combination of the two, so whatever method of practice you feel suits you best, go for it. Just don't start submitting scores in the High Score forum for (almost) any game until you're playing on one-credit defaults, since that's pretty much the universal "standard" for submissions there. Whatever method you use to get to that point is up to you.

2.Should beginners avoid bullet-hell games for other styles?

Nah. "Bullet hell" games aren't necessarily "harder" than other types of shmups, they just offer a different type of challenge: while the aforementioned games toss lots of projectiles at you, they often move more slowly than in other shmups, and you're given a smaller hitbox to work with, while "old school" shmups usually have fewer (but faster) bullets and a less forgiving hit area. Of course, there are more "classifications" to consider than just that, and you're not going to like each one of them equally, but there's no reason to be overly intimidated by one type of shmup over another. As a semi-shameless plug, you might want to download the demos for Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, Perfect Cherry Blossom, and Imperishable Night: they're all made by the same guy, and have some really wacky bullet patterns, they gave me a good opportunity to get a bit more comfortable with that style (not to say I'm much good overall, heh heh). Visit the "PC Shmups Database" at our very own postman's site, there are TONS of freeware/demo shmup links there, including the aforementioned three.

3.How many shmups should you play at once?I have 5 shmups right now (Iky,Ibara,Raiden III,Castle Shiki 2,and Under Defeat) but I'm only playing 2 consistently,Ikaruga and Ibara.

Depends on how good you're determined to get: if you really want to master a shmup, focus on just playing it for awhile, just not to the point where you begin to hate the thing, heh heh. If you're more inclined just to play whatever you're in the mood for, then feel free to do so: just don't try to brag about your "mad skills."

Hope those were helpful, and again, welcome!

[benj]

The only advice I can give you is to stop using the term "shmups". You will become a better player in no time.

[BeauZilla 002]

The only advice I can give you is to stop using the term "shmups". You will become a better player in no time.

Ha.Yea,I don't like the term either.We should own the term "shooter" but since the site name is...ya know.

Again,thanx for the input guys.Top notch people on here.

[freddiebamboo]

The only advice I can give you is to stop using the term "shmups". You will become a better player in no time.

Hmmm

If it wasn't for "shmups" we all wouldn't be here. I don't think it's a faux pas to be honest.

[The Coop]

1) Continuing isn't a bad thing, if done in moderation. Credit pumping a game and blowing through it seems quite lame, as it kills off any surprises the game may have. I figure using a credit or two to get further into a game isn't bad when you're starting out on it, but constantly continuing right through to the ending ruins the fun. It takes away some of the desire to actually get better and, as a result, see more of the game. Save some stuff for when your skills get better, you know?

2) Bullet Hell games can be harder or easier than a so-called "normal" shmup. R-Type and Hellfire aren't even close to a bullet-laden massacres, but they can be hard games for some due to the pattern memorization factor and reliance on safe spots and smart weapon choices. Other games like Ikaruga or Mars Matrix can be hard because of the massive amount of bullets that fill the screen, but can also be easy as hell if you're able to lure the bullets around and keep moving with the pattern of incoming ships. Your best bet would be to track down some Bullet Hell shmups, and try them out. See how you like them when compared to less bullet crazed games like Raiden II and Under Defeat.

3) Don't think it matters really. Tactics you learn from one game, may help you in another, so I really don't see any side effects to playing several shmups at once. Plus, diversity is always a good thing.

[Soldato J]

Welcome to the boards; what everybody else said + continues are THE DEVIL

[Never_Scurred]

OK,I've used a few continues on Ikaruga this afternoon,just to see what I'll be up against.Felt a little guilty,but not much.Had a blast.

Yeah, like, i'll get hit and for the hell of it, i'll continue, but then the gamers guilt sets in and i'm like "what the hell are you doing, man? you're spoiling the experience!" Then I chill out and lose and its back to square one.
Mame is cool for what it does, but I recommend Final Burn for the immediate gratification. I bought a Hori stick from play asia and an adapter so i'm good to go.
I say the best thing to do is learn to discipline yourself and remember if all else to have fun. The more I practice Ikaruga, the more fun i'm having. This approach has even spilled over into my studies as now instead of getting the brainlock whenever i'm stuck on something and quitting, I take a few deep breaths, pump myself up and practice until I get it right. Nothing like getting max chains on your Chemistry homework!

[neorichieb1971]

How can Ganson be a noob with 1507 posts. FFS man

[Eps]

Further to the debate about difficulty levels and working up, I also find that I take different approaches for different games. For example, I play DDP and R-Type on full arcade defaults. Ikaruga, however, I have found best to work through on Easy before tackling Hard, as it is one of those games where 'easy' is normal, 'normal' is hard, and 'hard' is almost impossible! Conversely, you actually have to set Zero Gunner 2 on the DC as one above the default difficult level to get the appropriate level for serious play. It really does depend a lot on the game in question.

[Soldato J]

Conversely, you actually have to set Zero Gunner 2 on the DC as one above the default difficult level to get the appropriate level for serious play. It really does depend a lot on the game in question.

Huh? Then it kicks my ass more than I even thought? lol