Favourite Bullet Pattern?

yokaze · Post by **yokaze** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:04 am

Hey guys,

I was just working on making some bullet patterns for the game I'm working on last weekend, and it's one of the first times I've ever really sat down and had a good think about what kind of patterns/enemies are fun to dodge. It's hard to come up with good ideas.

My favourite scenarios in shootemups are ones where you are forced to be confined to a smaller space than you would normally be accustomed to (like many places in the R-Type games...), but I also really love carefully crafted patterns such as those in Cave's games.

My favourites are probably:

- The level 2.X boss from R-Type Final,
- All of the bosses from Progear,
- The final form of the Level 2 boss from Gradius V (with the funky sine wave lasers),
- Bay area boss from ESP.Ra.De.
- Most of the mid-section of Level 3 from Mushihimesama,
- Just about all of the final level of Power Strike, especially when all those rotating "corncob" bullets show up,
- Level 3 boss from Guwange.

So I was wondering, does anyone else have any particular patterns/styles they find to be most fun? Just curious.. and interested for research purposes... <grin>
-

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:10 am

crithit5000 · Post by **crithit5000** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:16 am

I couldn't resist.

Skyline · Post by **Skyline** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:28 am

Just about all of the major patterns from the Touhou series and Homura.

Honorable mention to the Psyvariar series, just because of the whole buzzing thing.

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:22 am

Yep, the Skonec stuff...

Daigohji · Post by **Daigohji** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 12:06 pm

I like patterns where you have to traverse a well defined corridor of bullets. I think there's one like this towards the end of the Stage 3 boss in ESPgaluda; the bullets are overlapping vertically and swaying slightly horizontally. The ones I hate are large, spinning projectiles, like the blue roses that Midi's second form spits out in Ibara. Even though they're not that tightly packed, the spinning makes it hard for my eye to keep track of what's going on.

A great trick that really immerses me into the level is when the music and bullet choreography interact. For example, there are a few points in Psyvariar Revision where an expecially colourful pattern will burst out just as the music enters a different mood.

Belmont · Post by **Belmont** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:15 pm

I love bullet patterns with a "safe spot" exspecially when the boss shoots out overlapping spheres and you are safe as long as you dont move from the center of the screen...i donno why not moving is so exciting.

gunbird18 · Post by **gunbird18** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:22 am

I have yet to play it, arrrrrgghhhhh...but I do have the INH DVD of Ketsui and I really dig all of the boss patterns.

Generiname · Post by **Generiname** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:49 am

A great trick that really immerses me into the level is when the music and bullet choreography interact. For example, there are a few points in Psyvariar Revision where an expecially colourful pattern will burst out just as the music enters a different mood

Right on! There's also Psyvariar 2 stage 5 when that midboss sort of thing appears and starts shooting at the exact moment the music peaks. It's incredible, some really impressive artistic direction in that game overall.

I always thought the skonec games had the best looking patterns. It's difficult to pinpoint precise ones though.

I have been playing DDP DOJ a lot lately and I always enjoy the huge blue bullet patterns. I think there are a lot of nice patterns in the game that get messed up (for want of a better phrase) due to everything else that's firing diagonally and whatnot.

LSU · Post by **LSU** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:34 pm

Mars Matrix, especially stage 3. I love the patterns in this game, it's frantic but precise, and often gets you into that nice 'navigating a maze of bullets' feeling. 'Hyper Solid' indeed.

Stormowl · Post by **Stormowl** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:47 pm

the giant heart spray pattern by the 2 big bugs in level 4 of mushihisama on ultra mode. the look on peoples faces when they see it something to behold.

sideshow · Post by **sideshow** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:13 am

I agree with the other peeps, Psyvariar series has jaw dropping bullet patterns.

sjewkestheloon · Post by **sjewkestheloon** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:18 am

Just picked up homura this weekend and it has the best bullet patterns i've ever seen. Load of different and interesting stuff. I love the really slow patterns in the stage 3 boss and the crazy spinning stuff from satge 2 boss.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 8:20 pm

Skyline wrote:Just about all of the major patterns from the Touhou series

That's the ticket. Imperishable Night's are my favorite (though admittedly I haven't played Shoot the Bullet yet).

Psyvariar's patterns are nice too, though I haven't tried Homura yet either...I might also mention some of the wacky stuff that Radiant Silvergun throws at you, though in several of those cases the "scenery" is itself part of the pattern.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 4:54 am

From Samidare:

CodeMonkey · Post by **CodeMonkey** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 5:34 am

Homura does have cool patterns.

My favorite to LOOK at so far though are the patterns in Ketsui. Mind you I havn't actually played the game... But the boss patterns in that game are crazy looking.

NRS · Post by **NRS** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 12:37 pm

Although I haven't played it yet, Shikigami III looks to have some pretty nice ones.

As for the stuff I have played, I'll second the Touhou series and Radiant Silvergun.

segasonicfan · Post by **segasonicfan** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:16 am

I love the patterns in Dangun Feveron the most I think...that's what truly makes the game shine. The 2nd boss patterns are some of the best ever IMO (especially the final green shot pattern).

-Segasonicfan

CodeMonkey · Post by **CodeMonkey** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:04 am

I particularly like the ESPGaluda patterns right now. I like the way that they are often designed to appear extremely fast and deadly, only to turn reasonably-fast and kind-of-deadly when they change shape as they move. I like the layout they often take that leaves good exits and ways to dodge most of the time. I don't get the feeling that the patterns in that game are arbitrary where some games leave you feeling like people were just tossing bullets in there.

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:37 am

segasonicfan wrote:I love the patterns in Dangun Feveron the most I think...that's what truly makes the game shine. The 2nd boss patterns are some of the best ever IMO (especially the final green shot pattern).

-Segasonicfan

Gnnrrrr, I always die at that point. He has this one (I think) blue pattern shortly before, that`s easy to dodge if you don`t get confused by its movement. You just have to tap dodge the center bullet, while that is surrounded by other moving and deforming crap. Those are my favourites - patterns you have to UNDERSTAND to dodge.

As much as I like the graphical effect of the Touhou barrages, it mostly boils down to dodging a huge amount of single bullets; I really love watching the thick bullet streams of Ketsui (and therefore have to add to the line of people who would kill for playing it). Aesthetically, I like smooth, mindbending arrangements much more than a screen full of single bullets.

And somehow I HATE the patterns in Esprade. That midboss in the subway stage gets me killed so often just because the pattern is so annoying.

rRootage appeals very much to me, too; and while it mostly slaps existing patterns together (mostly from Cave games) it looks so smooth in its abstract hi-res neon blossom.

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:16 am

What favourite Pattern?!

I really don't understand how a bullet pattern becomes favourite...

Is it those you could easily doge? Or those always kill you?

Frederik · Post by **Frederik** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:47 am

I guess we`re talking about the "whooaa" effect here, how stunning a pattern looks or what is the most fun to dodge or whatever.

Daigohji · Post by **Daigohji** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:50 pm

Just got Psyvariar 2: Ultimate Final, and the stage 6 boss' final form patterns have just shot to the top of my list for mesmerising beauty. The colours are bold and varied, but well coordinated. The patterns are tight, but flow like liquid. The yellow pattern I think of as a "sunburst" is just jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:00 pm

SAM wrote:What favourite Pattern?!

I really don't understand how a bullet pattern becomes favourite...

Is it those you could easily doge? Or those always kill you?

It's the ones that blow you away... literally.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:08 pm

Psst! Don't tell anyone, but I thought the bullet patterns in Chaos field were pretty fun.

Pirate1019 · Post by **Pirate1019** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:14 am

Andi wrote:Psst! Don't tell anyone, but I thought the bullet patterns in Chaos field were pretty fun.

Heh, they are alright, but the touhou series takes the cake, from what I have played. Well...The few patterns that aren't random in Kenta Cho's games are aesthetic (rRootage coming to mind.)

kccttzj · Post by **kccttzj** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:02 am

I've always liked homing bullets. I think they're the most fun to dodge.

Pirate1019 · Post by **Pirate1019** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 4:14 am

Actually I kind of liked Ikaruga's bullet patterns. The simplicity of color was easy on the eyes.

elvis · Post by **elvis** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 5:39 am

I picked up a copy of Gynoug on MegaDrive the other day. As a self-confessed one-eyed Cave fanboi and danmaku fan, I really fell in love with the patterns from the end of level Gynoug bosses. Very fun stuff.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:14 pm

Pirate1019 wrote:
Andi wrote:Psst! Don't tell anyone, but I thought the bullet patterns in Chaos field were pretty fun.
Heh, they are alright, but the touhou series takes the cake, from what I have played. Well...The few patterns that aren't random in Kenta Cho's games are aesthetic (rRootage coming to mind.)

rRootage has some amazing patterns. However, I think that random sprays in Noiz2sa and Parsec47 are somtimes just as beautiful.