Noticing your improvements over time

[MovingTarget]

Dont you just love it when you realise that you've become better at dodging? I'm not talking about abilities with a particular game, but in general.

My progression is slow, but noticing improvement is very satisfying.

[iatneH]

I've gone through a whole change in style.

When I started out, I'd make huge sweeping movements to avoid waves of bullets.
Now I've sort of gotten the concept of bullet-herding, and I've learned to make tiny movements to squeeze through the gaps that exist in a pattern/wave and charge straight through instead of avoiding it entirely.

[freddiebamboo]

A year ago I used to think I'd never do ESPrade's 4th level

Now I still can't do it ....

But I firmly believe I should

[BulletMagnet]

Dont you just love it when you realise that you've become better at dodging?

Nah. If that happened, then I just wouldn't be me anymore.

[MovingTarget]

I think calmly observing approaching bullets makes a big diference, I enjoy my new calmness I fucking have to start meditating soon, but I've a funny feeling i might be slightly add-ish

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

I've noticed an improvement within the last few days.
For a while, I wasen't really playing much, the last few days I've gone at it again.
I'm currently playing (actively with dedication) Psyvariar 2, Ikaruga, Shiki 2. (Even noticed I could dodge like a bastard in Gunbird 2 with just a couple plays!)

Its been maybe a year since I popped in Iky. I probably put in about 30 hours in a few months back when I first bought it...and now I've noticed that the game has "opened up" to mein just a few plays!...in other words, I'm starting to get it now. I still get annoyed with chaining though.
Ikaruga can be a hard game to master by oneself...as I refuse to watch 1000's of reply video's just to "mimic" someone else's mastery. I really cannot compare myself to, or admire anyone who's leaned to play from an "appreciate DVD". (sorry!)

Psyvariar2 is still new to me, even though I 1CC'd it already twice(minus 6 stage), I find that I can no longer do it! I think I'm trying too hard to play better, and so, from what I'm told, the game will get tougher?

Making nice "slow-lesuire" progress in Shiki2. I'm not in a hurry or rushing it. Its nice to just play a game and naturally get better at it without having to force anything or watch "replay's".

[captain ahar]

noticing improvement is indeed a powerful thing. with me, when i play a game i tend to hit certain walls, after a bit of work i am able to overcome those obstacles only to hit another shortly after. my progression in Gradius Gaiden is a good example, Crystal Cage used to slaughter me, then it was Maoi Gardens (apparently called Ruins of Silence) turn, now Organic Fortress gets to have its way with me. i still cannot get a handle on that boss, even though i know exactly what the attack pattern is.

[SheSaidDutch]

My progression is slow, but noticing improvement is very satisfying.

Same here.


With Manics I get rather guilty of rather than looking at both my ship and the bullets, I just look at the bullets, kind of seems strange to me for some reason

[raiden]

Its been maybe a year since I popped in Iky. I probably put in about 30 hours in a few months back when I first bought it...and now I've noticed that the game has "opened up" to mein just a few plays!...in other words, I'm starting to get it now.

that happens so often! It´s always the same, I play a game for weeks without getting better (don´t care much about that, because I consider this just as a kind of training, to bring my mind to absorb the game), then I have a pause of a few weeks, and when I play the game after that, my score jumps up a few places.
It´s so strange, always gives the feeling that practice doesn´t do anything, but of course that´s wrong, without the practice before the skill increase wouldn´t occur. It´s just this unconscious learning where the brain just closes a few new synapses, and boom, you´re able to clear a pattern you couldn´t figure out before.
And at general game meetings, people passing by will just be "wow! how in hell did he learn that?", and you can´t even answer, because you don´t know how yourself.

[MovingTarget]

Maybe it helps to have a fresh perspective on certain problem areas of a game? Ie you forget about the play style you got trapped in and try new things without even thinking about it when you go back to it later.

Although a physics tutor once said to me that if you cant solve a certain problem, move onto something else. Often when you go back to the problem later you'll find that you understand it more because your brain has been subconciously working on the problem.


Recently I cant stop dying in stupid areas where if I was properly concentrating it never would have happened. Don't know whats wrong with me but its REALLY annoying.

[Blade]

I have what is known as a Groove. If I am in said Groove, I am invincible.

...However, it is rare that I am in said groove. ^_^;;

[The Bullet Dodger]

To me, the trick to dodging bullets, in vert shmups, is to be able see the openings in the bullet patterns ahead of time. To be able to use the corners of your eyes in a shmup. I know some of you know what I'm talking about . It's very hard to do, especially in manic shmups like Mars Matrix, DoDonpachi, Giga Wing 2, Strikers, etc. You have to get into that zone. The "manic zone" I like to call it . I can't say that I've mastered this technique, but Iam getting better everytime I play. Rather than moving all over screen, trying to dodge every single bullet than comes at me, I try to stay at the bottom, moving side to side, slipping through patterns. It's been working pretty good for me so far.

[DEL]

I'm just sitting here giggling

BulletMagnet - I loved that post! - Everything from your name, your avatar, your Motto to your "Nah. If that happened, then I just wouldn't be me anymore " was POETRY, Sheer POETRY

LONG MAY YOU REIGN!!