SHMUP Terminology - I need help

[Oddysee]

I'm a little embarrassed to post this on a board full of SHMUP veterans but this has been bugging me ever since I joined this forum.

I joined quite awhile ago and ever since then, I've been seeing certain terms crop up time and again that I don't know the meaning of. So if anyone could define the following, I would be grateful.

1. Loop

2. 1CC

3. No Miss (Apparantly doesn't mean what I think it means).

4. Superplay

5. AMI

6. Black Label

7. Difference between a memory and a skill SHMUP

8. Bullet Hell (Seems obvious to me but just in case).

Thats all I can think of right now. If I think of anymore, I'll post again. And please feel free to add more terms. Thanks.

Oh and I know what Hori and Vert mean.

[Zebra Airforce]

glossary

[Square King]

I'm no expert but I'll give it a shot. Maybe I'll learn something in the process.

1. Some games let you replay the levels at an extremely hard difficulty. This runthrough is called a loop. Some games have multiple loops.

2. 1CC = beating a game on one credit (not using a continue).

3. Killing every enemy in a level?

4. A site that hosts videos of gamers kicking ass in a particular shmup.

5. Not sure

6. I think it's a pretty generic term for a shmup with increased difficulty. *shrug*

7. Just what it sounds like. A memory shmup demands that a player remember patterns of enemies, bullet patterns or how to chain kills together, if that applies. Skill shmups usually have randomized attack and bullet patterns and depend more on reflexes than anything else.

8. aka curtain fire. Tons of bullets on screen at once.

Hope this helps, unless I'm dead wrong. In that case, I'm sorry.

Also,

glossary

[Turrican]

glossary

@Bulletmagnet: you know, the glossary is getting pretty big and browsing it is uneasy on the eyes. why not colouring each voice green instead of using bold? It's just a suggestion...

[Zebra Airforce]

^ agree with the above sentiment

lol, no miss is when you beat a level without taking damage. This applies to any game, really.

AMI is a company that publishes Cave's arcade releases, and "Black Label" is what Cave calls its re-engineered games. There's also Mushi Futari Red Label, Ibara Kuro Black Label, etc.

[nimitz]

Ill answer the ones not already covered

1. Loop = When you beat the game and it goes back to level one, only harder

3. No miss= no hit recieved (nothing to do with accuracy)

4. Superplay = A video or replay of a Very good player at a specific shmup usually giving insight on how to achieve high scores. Can be sold on DVDs in japan, as the name says : SUPER PLAY (I think the term is only usedin the west and comes from http://www.super-play.co.uk/)

5.Amusement Marketing International

(Distributor of newer Cave games)

http://www.ami-toy.co.jp/

7.Difference between a memory and a skill SHMUP = All shmups require memory to a certain extend. But some become a piece of cake once you have memorized most of the game (Tecnosoft games, Irem games)

[Oddysee]

Thank you all very much.

[Square King]

^ agree with the above sentiment

lol, no miss is when you beat a level without taking damage. This applies to any game, really.

That's what I initially thought.

[Enhasa]

In practice, "memorizer" = game that someone personally doesn't like. Different people apply it to all different types of games, so you can't really trust when someone says it.

I don't think it should be a negative term anyway. I mean, the alternative is a game that is so easy you can beat it without having to learn anything.

[BulletMagnet]

@Bulletmagnet: you know, the glossary is getting pretty big and browsing it is uneasy on the eyes. why not colouring each voice green instead of using bold? It's just a suggestion...

Once I have some time I'll see what I can do. Also been working on a minor update, but probably needs a bit more work before adding it to the official tally.

[Aru-san]

Fun fact. Memory shmups are also called methodical shooters.

[indstr]

Can someone also explain to me what "STG" is actually supposed to stand for? I've gathered that it stands for "shooting game" (also according to the glossary)

(in Japan, in fact, shmups are usually called “Shooting Games,” or “STG’s” for short)

but I don't get why there is a "T" in there.....
Shooting Game??? I've never heard of an abbreviation including a letter from the middle of one of the words, unless you're talking a console emulator trying to make an acronym that ends up spelling out words for genitalia

Or is it some kind of Japanese indirect translation that doesn't really make sense?

[Zebra Airforce]

Code: Select all

  M
  I
  N
C E O
E R N
R  
T   D
I   U
F   T
I   Y
E
D

[seiatsu]

Can someone also explain to me what "STG" is actually

but I don't get why there is a "T" in there.....
Shooting Game??? I've never heard of an abbreviation including a letter from the middle of one of the words, unless you're talking a console emulator trying to make an acronym that ends up spelling out words for genitalia

Or is it some kind of Japanese indirect translation that doesn't really make sense?

Errr......

SHoot eM' UP or SHoot TheM UP

= SHMUP

I see lots of abbreviations from the middle on those (and everywhere else within the word for that matter)

And for those that care...way back when, they were once called shooting games here in the west as well until someone came up with a stupidly annoying word SHMUP. For whatever reason the later stuck with most. I'm probably one of the few that still call them shooting games.

[Emperor Fossil]

Shmup is more like a syllabic abbreviation, so even though it might sound a bit goofy, it does work.

STG is just kind of weird, particularly as it seems to be usually written in caps as if it's an acronym.

[seiatsu]

Well, if you look at it that way, STG would be sylaballistic as well without sounding nearly as stupid. BTW: SHMUP is often all caps as well...

anyway..doesn't really matter so I'll leave it at that (as it's not really the topic at hand to boot). In speech, i've always called them shooting games (not STG) but in typing I do tend to abbreviate it sometimes. I typically don't speak or type SHMUP...combination of personal preference and being old school I guess


Back to the topic at hand...

[nimitz]

Well im not sure where this originated from (Famitsu in the early 1990s maybe?) but common "japanese" video game genres have a 3 letter acronym over there(Japan).

RPG = role playing game (the most famous acronym)

STG = shooting game

SLG = simulation game

PZL = puzzle game

AVG = adventure game

ACT = action game

notice how these main categories do not put any emphasis on western type games (like TBS, RTS, FPS, TPS and so on)

Action games include: "Crime action games" (GTA likes), Fighting games, Sports games, Racing games, Platformers, Beat'em ups, "Dot games" (pacman), and those new 3D japanese "action games": Metal Gear solid, Biohazard (Resident Evil), Devil may cry...

and STG or shooters include: Gun shooting games (lightgun), 2D shooters (shmups), Rail or "fixed perspective" shooters and 3D shooters (FPS, TPS).

you also have crossovers like "Action RPGs" and "Action shooting games". For example: Contra is referred as an Action shooter from the action elements (Platforming) and the 2D shooting elements.

[Ed Oscuro]

shmups glossary still needs a definition of "throw" for joysticks

Somebody who knows joysticks help us out!

[nimitz]

you mean you don't know what is a joystick throw? (The throw is what you could call the "range")

or was this sarcastic? (I hope)

[spadgy]

you mean you don't know what is a joystick throw? (The throw is what you could call the "range")

or was this sarcastic? (I hope)

Even knowing what throw means, it is pretty difficult to define 100%, so I think Ed Oscuro's got every right to be a little unsure, especially when there's engage, restriction, centering, pressure etc to consider in terms of stick movement. All are distinct I know, but they still all refer to stick movement, and the definitions are a bit mixed across the net.

As I understand it the throw is the full distance the top of the stick can move from center until it stops. The engage is the distance it can move from center until a microswitch is pressed/movement is registered. The shape of the restrictor underneath the pivot point effects how far the throw/engage is in different directions (ie a square restrictor allows for longer diagonal throw than straight throw.) Please do correct me if I'm wrong!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

And thus a "short-throw" joystick would be deemed more responsive than say, a regular joystick (with a longer "engage" distance before registering contact with the microswitch), right? Can make all the difference in that crucial split second timing of staying alive or dying in that bullet hell storm aimed at your ass...

I recall that fellow shmupper, oxtsu, mentioned that an Neo-Geo AES arcade stick controller uses a custom short-throw type of Seimitsu joystick -- such a very responsive joystick, indeed. Now only if Seimitsu were to make such a special short-throw joystick version for Japanese arcade cabinets... ^_~

You might remember that the Advance Gravis joysticks from the late 1980's and into the early 1990's had a special built-in mechanism to adjust the tension on the joystick to give it the ability to move from practically "fall-down" loose to very firm -- that is something not found with today's digital-based joysticks where the tension is preset at the factory.

Of course, a "broken-in" arcade joystick with plently of use in the arcades/game centers just feels better than a brand new arcade joystick which feels all stiff IMO...given enough time, it shall feel very comfortable and become second nature.

Now, the broken and non-responsive arcade joysticks found in USA arcades -- sad, sad situation that must be fixed...that is another matter entirely. Say the magic "repair" word at a Japanese game center, and such ailing arcade controls will be quick replaced in a flash as not to dissapoint the all-important paying clientele, the arcade game player...how's that for customer service? ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[nimitz]

I recall that fellow shmupper, oxtsu, mentioned that an Neo-Geo AES arcade stick controller uses a custom short-throw type of Seimitsu joystick -- such a very responsive joystick, indeed. Now only if Seimitsu were to make such a special short-throw joystick version for Japanese arcade cabinets... ^_~

This joystick you speak of does in fact exist. the seimitsu LS-40 or the "neogeo" joystick. It is said to be "Often found on SNK's NeoGeo cabinets."

It is still produced by seimitsu.

[Ed Oscuro]

you mean you don't know what is a joystick throw? (The throw is what you could call the "range")

or was this sarcastic? (I hope)

I think it's what we call "dead zone" on modern analog stick configurations, just with hardware and not software determining it.

But hey, it's not at all an obvious term. When I asked BulletMagnet about adding it earlier, nobody was able to give a precise definition for the list

[nimitz]

The "dead zone" on modern joystick and devices is the amount of movement you can make without the sensors or switches detecting anything.

OR

When you set a dead zone with a software its the amount of "detected" movement you don't want to be registered and used. Usually because your analog device is too sensitive and you get unwanted movement.


On an arcade joystick it's how far you can move the stick without it "clicking" and registering the movement.

the throw is the "Total range"

[spadgy]

Yep - so the dead zone is the movement from centre until the engage...


Sorry Oddysee! You ask some perfectly reasonable 'basics' questions, and we end up talking about joystick nuances! Welcome to the ridiculous and brilliant volume of things there is to learn!

[lgb]

1. Loop = many games feature a harder repeat of the game, after beating the last boss. Generally this is only one repeat (like most Cave games) but it can be more, like Gradius.

2. 1CC = generally means completing one "loop" of the game without dying. Could also be called a 1-ALL. Usually a 2-loop clear is called a 2-ALL. Of course, 1CC could also be applied to beating the game entirely, including any and all T(rue) L(ast) B(oss)s. I don't think Hibachi is stage 6.

3. No Miss (Apparantly doesn't mean what I think it means). = Yeah, it means completing a stage without getting hit. DDP?

4. Superplay = Beating a game without dying, and to the best of one's ability. Think "world record".

5. AMI = AMUSEMENT MARKING INTERNATIONAL - A recent publisher of Cave games; they also publish assorted other things, such as Arc Systems. Not to be confused with Amusement Makers, a Japanese game making circle that created/helped to create Touhou's sister series, "Seihou Project". They also published the PC-98 Touhou games.

6. Black Label = A special label given to Cave games to indicate some difference. I don't know the exact differences for each game.

7. Difference between a memory and a skill SHMUP = Same thing. All shmups require both, unless those games suck. Of course, you can go ahead and argue that skill shmups are usually random, which in that case you need to play more Raiden. If it's random, it isn't really a "skill" shmup anyway.

8. Bullet Hell (Seems obvious to me but just in case). = Yeah, it means abnormal amounts of bullets thrown at you.

[FIL]

mem'o·riz'er n. 1. Instead of dodging cool bullet patterns you have to remember to move under the robot foot the second time it lifts up.