What do you do when you're in a gaming slump?

[CptRansom]

This happens to me every so often, and I never really know how to go about overcoming it. Let's just take shmups, for example. I'm incredibly new to them... I started getting really interested in February, but I didn't actually start playing them frequently until about two months ago. I know I suck, but I'm busting my ass to try and improve that!

Playing Futari now, and over the past couple of days, I'm just steadily getting worse and worse (I can't even beat stage 3 in 1.5 Original... or stage 1 in 1.5 Ultra >_>). I don't know if it's because I'm trying too hard to play for score or what, but I feel like I've smacked into a brick wall head-first. A wise man once told me that those brick walls are meant to be smashed down...

Anyone else here ever get in a rut like this? What do you do to smash through those brick walls and push yourself harder?

[louisg]

Maybe you're trying so hard that you're tensing up, which just makes it worse. I'd say relax and just have fun with the game. Or, take a break and go back to some old favorites, then back to Futari.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

I've found that if I play somethign else I can come back feeling fresh. I wouldn't say go read a book or anything, those things will kill a man. Often you might play a game you least feel like playing and suddenly get into it. So maybe at this time you will be best at something that you don't feel like playing. Play that and then come back. But never resort to bookery unless said book contains pictures or technical information on how to get the most out of your new programming language.

[CptRansom]

I've found that if I play somethign else I can come back feeling fresh. I wouldn't say go read a book or anything, those things will kill a man. Often you might play a game you least feel like playing and suddenly get into it. So maybe at this time you will be best at something that you don't feel like playing. Play that and then come back. But never resort to bookery unless said book contains pictures or technical information on how to get the most out of your new programming language.

What if I'm an English teacher and decide to resort to bookery in the form of classic literature or a grammar manual (yes, I read these casually)? Is this acceptable?

I'm assuming not resorting to bookery is something you don't do then? =) Love the advice (and the laugh), guys, thanks!

[louisg]

But never resort to bookery unless said book contains pictures or technical information on how to get the most out of your new programming language.

You're supposed to read those on the pot

[Skykid]

Definitely switch up. Go and play something else that you're comfortable with - or at least easier. Give it a bit of a whupping and then come back to the challenge of Futari.

Keep in mind that being new to shmups means you've got a couple of years of practice ahead of you before you start felling Cave games - they're not easy to the newcomer. You'll need to familiarise yourself with the back catalog to become properly accustomed - I'd start with Dodonpachi.

Get on mame and knock yourself out.

[CptRansom]

Definitely switch up. Go and play something else that you're comfortable with - or at least easier. Give it a bit of a whupping and then come back to the challenge of Futari.

Keep in mind that being new to shmups means you've got a couple of years of practice ahead of you before you start felling Cave games - they're not easy to the newcomer. You'll need to familiarise yourself with the back catalog to become properly accustomed - I'd start with Dodonpachi.

Get on mame and knock yourself out.

Yeah, MAME and doujin stuff is where I got started two months ago. I'll take your advice and get back to it (or Raiden IV) whenever Futari's kicking my ass.

You're supposed to read those on the pot

So THAT'S what I've been doing wrong. =(

[CStarFlare]

drink a lot

alternately, play an RPG or something similarly impossible to be bad at for a few days to take off the stress.

[t0yrobo]

I usually have a handful of games going at once. I'll play whatever shmup for the most part. Then I'll switch to something that doesn't make my eyes burn after a few hours to chill out and actually relax. Lately I've been playing the new DS Zelda game. Or I'll just take a break and dick around in other shmups or higher difficulty levels then I feel a little sharper when i come back.

[Jockel]

I have ADD and it totally translates to videogames.
It's very rare that i play the same game for several hours.
So i always suck equally hard at all shooters

But it really helps to ignore one shooter completely and then coming back to it*.
I did this with Ketsui and my mind was blown. (Stage 4 midboss = goosebumps!)

*may or may not help you getting better, but at least you will have a lot more fun.
And if your brain is filled with endorphins it learns better.

[sjewkestheloon]

I always have a few story driven games on the go and a few grindy RPGs that I turn to in my hour of need. I rarely play a shmup for anything more than an hour at a time as it makes me tired of them too quickly.

It can be worth buckling down and working through a tough spot though. I got stuck on stage 5 of Gunbird for a stupidly long time and the only way i got past it was by playing that level over and over and learning to dodge the Dragon boss' fast spams without having to concentrate on it too much.

It can also be worth practising shifting your focus on the screen. I have found that by relaxing my eyes while playing I can watch more of the screen at once and dodge more consistently.

[oli_lar]

This happens to me every so often, and I never really know how to go about overcoming it. Let's just take shmups, for example. I'm incredibly new to them... I started getting really interested in February, but I didn't actually start playing them frequently until about two months ago. I know I suck, but I'm busting my ass to try and improve that!

Playing Futari now, and over the past couple of days, I'm just steadily getting worse and worse (I can't even beat stage 3 in 1.5 Original... or stage 1 in 1.5 Ultra >_>). I don't know if it's because I'm trying too hard to play for score or what, but I feel like I've smacked into a brick wall head-first. A wise man once told me that those brick walls are meant to be smashed down...

Anyone else here ever get in a rut like this? What do you do to smash through those brick walls and push yourself harder?

I don't know what scoring is like in futari, but if it is detrimental to playing ability (ie puts you in riskier situations, bigger likelyhood of death as most shooter scoring mechanics do really I suppose) you should play the game for survival first, then work on scoring. Thus you will get more game (level) progression than when being distracted by score and will probably be more motivating.

[DEL]

I play the quiz.
http://www.arcadeshop.de/screenshotgame.php

[emphatic]

CAVE games can be played just for survival, OR for scoring. However you're playing it right now, switch "mode". If you're only trying to survive, you can download some replays and watch to learn from the ones in the top of the charts.

Watching replays gives you the satisfaction of learning the game without having to get blown up/get upset. It's quite relaxing, really.

[RGC]

.

[ASK]

Good post by RGC. Setting realistic goals and achieving them is pretty motivating

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The ol' adage of "Practice makes perfect" rings true. Even the Japanese ace shmup masters don't alway get a perfect run each and every time when trying to achieve a no-miss 1CC session. There is the strong possibility of mucking up a perfect superplay run at any millisecond.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[emphatic]

Also, if you set yourself up for a 3 credits/day limit. Don't restart if you die on stage 1, make that credit matter anyway. If you just keep on restarting, you'll never manage the latter stages.

[Ebbo]

^ So true. Sometimes I just keep playing Ikaruga's stage 1 for hours because I always manage to screw up my chain at some point. And as the time goes by, I just grow more and more pissed off and just keep failing... It's like bashing your head against the wall and I'm loving every second of it.

In this case, I usually take a break (day or two) and try again after I've forgotten everything I learned during that training. Simple, yet mostly it works.

[null1024]

I'd just play something else for a while, something easier. Then I'd work my way back into what I was trying at originally.
Usually works, too.

[honorless]

Trying to push hard past your ceiling means not just practicing, but being smart about how you practice. Focus on and analyze your failures. What are you doing wrong? When?

Define the problem, and then determine what you're going to do differently to improve next time. If you're out of ideas, throw spaghetti at the wall in practice mode. Find out how other people who are better than you handle the same situation. You may not be skilled enough (or want to) to mimic them precisely, but their tactics can get you out of a rut.

...I am also strongly in favor of personal goals, though without any sort of external motivator I am too lazy to even create them.
I must thank you for this, actually; by adding me to your friends list you have provided me with a target. >:)

[CptRansom]

^ So true. Sometimes I just keep playing Ikaruga's stage 1 for hours because I always manage to screw up my chain at some point. And as the time goes by, I just grow more and more pissed off and just keep failing... It's like bashing your head against the wall and I'm loving every second of it.

This is how I approached Ikaruga when I tried to get an A ranking on stage 1. It's how I'm approaching Futari now. I love it, but at the same time I end up pissed off at the lack of progress. Glad I'm not alone.

Also, if you set yourself up for a 3 credits/day limit. Don't restart if you die on stage 1, make that credit matter anyway. If you just keep on restarting, you'll never manage the latter stages.

I'm guilty of this. If I ever die on stage 1 (or even in stage 2 before the boss), I just start over. I also need to learn to bomb. =(

Trying to push hard past your ceiling means not just practicing, but being smart about how you practice. Focus on and analyze your failures. What are you doing wrong? When?

I must thank you for this, actually; by adding me to your friends list you have provided me with a target. >:)

Yeah, play smarter, not harder. And thanks, I'll take that target remark as a compliment. =)

Then focus on those goals without obsessing about any deadline for achieving them, or about how well others are doing.

Also, try to be observant to the point that after each session you're able to take away some new piece of information, no matter how minor. Just recognising this next time around, e.g. being able to predict certain patterns or enemies, feels rewarding in itself and will certainly help your progression (which shouldn't be associated purely with smashing a top score). Then, when you have an off day, you can still progress in some other way.

Otherwise, watching replays leads me to try (and inevitably fail) to imitate everything I see going on. Personally, it steals all the enjoyment of trying to make that game my bitch. You try to emulate someone else, and you just prove the game was their bitch afterall.

Try the baby-steps approach if you didn't already.

Hope this helps.

I have a horrible tendency to compare myself to others AND set deadlines for myself. For whatever reason, I feel like I have to go from being a complete novice to awesome in a week. I lose sight of the fact that gaming isn't a race (well, unless it's a RACING game HAR HAR).

Thanks for the alternate take on progression. I've been terribly single-minded in viewing my score as a sole means of progression. I'm going to try and alter that.

And I know what you mean about trying to emulate others. I did that in stage 1 of Ikaruga and I got no feeling of accomplishment. I watch a lot of replays for games I play, but for entertainment/enjoyment now, not to try and repeat what they do.

Thank you all for contributing your ideas/methods. I hope this thread helps out anyone else stuck in similar situations. =)

[BrightSuzaku]

I mix my games up, actually.

If I'm failing at a shmup, like say... Futari, I immediately trot over to my PC and hammer out some Dodonpachi. Of course, I play non-shmups too, to bent out frustration. I used to take it out on fighting games, but these days I've been yearning to appease my Shadow of the Colossus withdrawal (hoo boy, that game is awesome), and I've been in a Mirror's Edge sort of mood recently.

I tend not to go straight over to a more methodical shooter, like say, Gradius, especially since Gradius has a wonderful habit of making me more frustrated. Being frazzled by danmaku mechanics, and then playing Gradius is one hell of a bad trip, in my opinion. But then again, I've only been a crazed shmup fan for about a year, so my lack of skill probably accounts for this.

If you want to play a shmup, mix it up with Raiden Fighters Aces, at least. Raiden Fighters Jet is crazy-fun! Also, you can always just switch to training mode, and deny enemy ships their firepower--- VERY fun, in a weird way, but not exactly helpful. Well, it makes me feel a little guilty (because I'm not actually improving my dodging), but at the same time it's kind of a guilty pleasure. I can't help but knock myself out over this, thank you, Raiden. XD

[lgb]

tensing up can sometimes be bad

playing when you're tired can be good

low attention span? don't be afraid to play just a credit a day because you only really need that much

[Kollision]

I always play a selection of shmups at a time, so when I'm tired or feeling I'm not going anywhere on one I move to another.
I'm stubborn and I tend to lose track of time while dealing with a particular game. I'm working on it though....

My line-up now is Raiden (PS1), Parodius (Saturn), Gaiares (MD), Giga Wing (DC), Star Force (NES) and DDP DOJ (360, just for fun because I know I can't beat it).

[null1024]

Don't restart if you die on stage 1, make that credit matter anyway. If you just keep on restarting, you'll never manage the latter stages.

Is it weird that the only game I can get myself not to restart when I suck is Mars Matrix?

[HeXy]

I rarely experience this (as I'm only an average gamer nowadays as it is!), but I had an awful bout of it last night. It was frustrating as I'd been really looking forward to playing Futari after work.. but I was completely rubbish

Thankfully I had read this very thread during working hours, so I followed some of the sage advice on offer (not throwing away credits even after dying within seconds of starting a new run, limiting how many credits to play).

It worked to a point - one effort got me midway through stage 3 (original), I didnt feel half as frustrated as I would have if I had just continued to play on through it. I'm hoping a new day and a fresh start will give me better results.. so roll on home time!

[Slump]

Heh, well in case you didn't notice, I know a thing or two about a slump. In most cases I just switch up the game, play a different genre than the one I'm struggling at, or (even more likely) get pissed off and just a pick a book or comic. Needless to say I do a lot of reading

[Lordstar]

Last time i was in a 'slump' was because I was a little depressed. I just did not play games for a two months It started off about not really wanting to and then the next thing it was like ive not played for 2 weeks. When i did play again it was awesome to come back and just enjoy playing again.

[FIL]

I'm coming to the end of a mammoth slump. Puchi Carat brought me out of it as usual.