GD: Where are your eyes?

[Rakuhouha]

This may be a silly question but being very new to this genre, every little tip would help so I can become a better shmup player. So, I've downloaded the Raiden Fighter Aces demo and have been playing the few stages they give you within each game. I started out on normal but I found it to be a little too easy so I bumped it up to expert which seems to be the perfect difficulty, challenging and fun.

When things start getting heavy and there are many bullets on screen what do you concentrate on the most? Are your eyes set on your character only, to weave in and out between bullet patterns? Or are you focused on the enemies above coming down on you? I tend to shift my eyes to my character and my character only when things get rough and I stop paying attention to the top of my screen but this doesn't sound like a good habit.

Do you have any tips? Thanks and sorry for the bizarre question.

(I hope to buy this game soon but no copies were found at my local game store.)

[adoseofpain]

I keep my eyes near my character with a good range of view of what is coming, bullet wise.

[stuminator]

I focus more on enemies and bullet patterns they fire, using just my peripheral vision to keep track of my character. This way, you get more time to focus & react to bullets that approach you.

[BIL]

This may be a silly question but being very new to this genre, every little tip would help so I can become a better shmup player.

Don't worry, it's actually a pretty common topic in shooters, and a good question. The most prominent examples I can think of are the interviews with Ketsui Superplay DVD players SYO and Futabishi, translated on this page at Gamengai.

I keep the diagram from our own Icarus in this thread in mind. I only look directly at the ship / character when precision is needed to survive (eg: negotiating tight patterns or terrain). If I don't, I'll often hear myself die while looking at something further away. When danger isn't as immediate, I try to scan the general play area, to be aware of threats before they get too close. The key is balance, I believe.

[Klatrymadon]

Yeah, Icarus' guideline will definitely be helpful. Don't worry about it too much, though - consciously thinking about this stuff while you're playing will only prove distracting. It won't be long before you're scanning the screen very effectively in a split second and recognising ways through bullet patterns rather than around them, or spotting things in your peripheral vision before they're even a threat. Just keep playing, and have fun!

[Ruldra]

Posting Icarus's guide in this thread to make it easier for other people:

[ncp]

Eyes closed.

Use The Force.

[Pirate1019]

That guide was the first thing I thought of when I read the thread title. Don't neglect to read the rest though. There are some good stuff in both of the old threads, particularly shoe-sama's comment about using the ship's fire to judge position and the eyetracker thing iatneH made.

[Rakuhouha]

Thanks for all this great info, it's been a while since I checked back here but I just got my copy of Deathsmiles in the mail today and this helps!

[Dragoforce]

Funny.

A female co-worker asked me the exact same question today.

[shadowbringer]

I usually try to keep in mind when enemies are going to fire (if there's not something else for me to take care of), and which areas have less bullets/enemies. Usually spot threats by sensing movement, so I can die due to hitting slow-moving bullets which I forgot were there.

Sometimes, there are some attack patterns which require both micro and macrododging, one of them demanding more attention than the other, at times.