Using the hi-score board makes you a better shmup player?

[Ed Oscuro]

charlie gets it

(a lie?)

[charlie chong]

BURY THE HATCHET GUISE
KISS AND MAYKE UP
OPIONIONS ARE ARSEHOLES
CANT WE JUST ALL GET ALONG ????

[jpj]

£1600 worth of cardboard boxes.

£1600 worth of cardboard boxes...?

[spadgy]

Yeah, there's no reason to turn shooters into RPGs. The typical high score board favorite requires too much work and isn't interesting enough to demand so much attention. I've enjoyed playing more casually for a long time and I'll replay something like Mars Matrix when I'm in the mood to obsess over score. 2-3 hours a (good) game is enough.

Not a perspective I'd though about, but it's an interesting point.

And Aru-san - I like your grading system as a way of setting personal goals. Good way to do it...

[Ed Oscuro]

£1600 worth of cardboard boxes.

£1600 worth of cardboard boxes...?

pre-congratulations on 4K posts, btw

[jpj]

now is this gonna be another one of these occassions where you try to get my attention, and when i do finally indulge you, you go and decide that actually you didn't want to talk to me. in fact you'd very much prefer it if i didn't engage you in a conversation. because i enjoy those

[sven666]

now is this gonna be another one of these occassions where you try to get my attention, and when i do finally indulge you, you go and decide that actually you didn't want to talk to me. in fact you'd very much prefer it if i didn't engage you in a conversation. because i enjoy those

how come you never break 4000 ? do you go back in history and delete your own posts?

[Rob]

He must have an incredible stash of thread killers to delete. The final period keeps getting deleted too. OCD sense is tingling.

Hi scores.

[sven666]

[quote="Rob"] He must have an incredible stash of thread killers to delete.

[quote]

[Rob]

Food for strong threads.

[jpj]

killer threads?

[Ed Oscuro]

Ahhh remember that time jpj was a murderer

That was a fun thread actually, except for the part where the guy died. But classy!

Personally I'll take jpj over Fighter17 any day of the week

[captpain]

Food for strong threads.

Fertilizer for strong threads to grow, more like it.

[BAD]

Shooters turning into RPGs? That caught my eye. I thought about it, contrasted the two, and a few things came to mind:

Shooters take more skill than time, and RPGs take more time than skill.

Luck is a bigger factor in RPGs (items, damage, etc.).

Shooters don't remind me of elementary school reading homework.

Shooters are rarely confusing, and never leave me at a dead-end.

Shooters don't force me to run around the same area and kill the same enemies over and over to gain levels to defeat a boss.

Gender confusion is less common in shooting games.

Shooters are easier for illiterate players to get into (for obvious reasons).

I've never seen an RPG with a high score table.

I've never seen an RPG with a rapid-fire button.

I've never seen an RPG where you "shoot the core."

I've never seen a 1CC video for an RPG.

I've never seen EGM bash an RPG for having infinite credits.

I've never heard the RPG genre referred to as a "dead genre."

I've never seen a shooting game character show up as a playable fighter in a Soul Calibur game.

I've never seen a ship (or pilot) that looked as gay as that blue blob thing from Dragon Quest.

It seems that on average, less shooting fans put their hair in a ponytail.

[Rob]

No, turning shooters into RPGs, i.e. timesinks.

[Dragoforce]

It seems that on average, less shooting fans put their hair in a ponytail.

I pride myself with my ponytail and hereby challenge you to a duel!

[DMC]

Shooters don't remind me of elementary school reading homework.

Sign up for stgt, play raizing week, read any of Icarus' threads in the Strategy Section.

[spadgy]

This has gone a wee bit off-topic hasn't it? Oh well - it was a good thread, and really interesting, and if it promps just one person to start adding scores, it's done something good!

Thanks all!

[jpj]

sorry, i will try and compile that list of tables that are in need of some love, but i'm being inducted into the civil service this week and got other shit on my mind. i think there are also a few tables that need new threads where the previous maintainer left some time ago, but no new scores have been posted in the interim

[Enhasa]

ell - I've been away for a few day but have returned to a still-interesting discussion. I would say that my initial assumption that not many people here use the hi-score boards is wrong (as 'proved' by the voting).

The other thing I would want to say is that to all the people highlighting capping and elitism and unachievable goals as a reason not to enter, try out some less overplayed games.

The Twinbee thread that I posted at that inspired me to start this thread is a typical example... There's three people on the entire list for the main game!

I'm kinda surprised myself but I guess the people who don't post in hi-score wouldn't click on this thread to begin with either.

I agree with what you and others said. I'm guilty of this myself, but people should post more "bad" scores because I can guarantee many people don't post if they would be at the bottom. What we need is for someone to seed all the boards with low scores, like a beggar putting coins in his own hat.

BTW unless I forget, or something called STGT gets in the way, I will bang out a Twinbee score sometime, my childhood won't go to waste.

The various Psyvariar forums are great little gatherings too (admitedly of about four of us). It's that community thing (like this forum).

Psyvariar is for REAL MEN only, and I know sissie boys are all insecure like "am I awesome enough to play Psyvariar? I'm not sure my rectum could handle it" but don't worry, we have a big tent!

[Ed Oscuro]

It seems that on average, less shooting fans put their hair in a ponytail.

You know, he's got a point. The last jRPG fanatic I knew had his hair in a ponytail. He also had a girlfriend though.

[spadgy]

The various Psyvariar forums are great little gatherings too (admitedly of about four of us). It's that community thing (like this forum).

Psyvariar is for REAL MEN only, and I know sissie boys are all insecure like "am I awesome enough to play Psyvariar? I'm not sure my rectum could handle it" but don't worry, we have a big tent!

By a strange coincidence everybody who ever posted on the various Psyvariar boards has a real Cho Aniki body, and stubble like tree trunks.

On the note of posting 'bad' scores - I'm bottom pf Batsugun. Unbeat that if you dare!

[unsane]

We could seed the scoreboards with the default in-game high score hehe.

Raises hand for proud ownership of dead last in Dangun Feveron.

spadgy, i think you might have forgotten you're on the Viper Phase 1 scoreboard.

[Dragoforce]

On the note of posting 'bad' scores - I'm bottom pf Batsugun. Unbeat that if you dare!

Yeah? I have the lowest clear on Deathsmiles that i've ever seen, beat that!

[BAD]

Dragoforce: "I didn't put my hair in a ponytail for nuthin', so if I'm goin' home alone, I ain't goin' at all." Do you ever feel like that when you go out on on the weekends? Hahaha, just messing around, man! My uncle has had one for years and years, and when I give him shit about it he looks at my high top fade and calls me a "Neo-Nazi." He compliments his ponytail with "Hammer pants" and a fanny-pack around the waist (which may or may not contain hair care products to maintain fullness and shine as needed).

On a (another) side-note, it seems Ponytails (and dreadlocks) are becoming almost as rare as mullets...

[cools]

Okayokayokay I'll cycle Psyvariar back into a cab soon and see how bad I've become

[BAD]

RUN DMC: Raizing makes great games, and I'm down with reading about strategy and all that, but I try to keep a good medium between skill and fun. Some people get enjoyment out of grinding on the same game, day in and day out; an example could be adult Japanese SFIII3S players who play the game several hours a day and don't have full-time jobs. I play across a select few genres, so my play is spread out more, and I enjoy playing co-op, too.

The only shooter I'd really even read a guide for is Silpheed on PS2. I remember when I was stuck trying to 1CC the US version of Silpheed on PS2, I went searching for the best weapon combinations on the "Intornetz," and it was a complete waste of time. I was better off before I read the one FAQ that I found! I know "real shmuppers" hate (or are supposed to hate) this game, but I'd definitely read some strategy on it because I know I'd be able to 1CC it if I just knew what the best combinatins are for some of the tricky parts! Anyone?

Hahaha...maybe I'll go and check those strategy posts after all!

[Enhasa]

Okayokayokay I'll cycle Psyvariar back into a cab soon and see how bad I've become

Way offtopic but your avatar is too awesome.

Actually for this site I was gonna use a TNZS avatar of Tiki riding a duck that I used elsewhere, but I figured this forum wasn't big enough for two kiwis.

[Icarus]

Realised I havent really answered the original topic question. This answer is from my own personal experience, and may not exactly apply to everyone else.

BIG POST INCOMING. ->>

I actually think that taking part in short tournaments such as STGT is more beneficial to players looking to improve, as you have to learn to play efficiently (less of the constant stage one restarts), make good use of the time you have available, and to stay focused during your play sessions. Short tournament formats also encourage you to develop keen observational skills, and quick-and-simple strategy building.

What the high score forum gives you is a more casual form of competition - you have as much time available as you're willing to invest in the game, you can build long-term rivalries with other players, and you can take breaks as often as you want, as you can play in your own time. A short tournament condenses all of this into a smaller timeframe, adds a restrictive deadline you have to fight against, and adds pressure on players to perform well with what they have available (in terms of strategy and technique).

For me, taking the highscore forum mini-competitions seriously, and taking part in the past few big tournaments, has helped my play and my approach to strategy immensely. However, I'm naturally quite competitive, enjoy the challenge of playing against other people, and strive to improve my skills, so your mileage my vary depending on what kind of player you are.

Just to give you an idea of my progression: about eight or nine years ago, my scores and abilities were well below what would be considered the forum average. Through a methodical approach to strategy, and a competitive mindset, I've got to the level I'm currently at. However, I'm not the best player here, not by a long shot, but I've always looked to improve, to understand more about the games I enjoy, and that's what gives me motivation to improve my scores and skills further.

</textwall>

PS: Raizing might be my favourite company, but I play a lot of different shooters from lots of different companies. Variety is the spice of life - you stick with one company, and you'll narrow your skill set greatly, to the point where you'll be unable to adapt to new games. Learn to play different shooting game styles well, and you'll find your skill range starts to improve across the board.

[Dave_K.]

^ +1 great advice all around Icarus!