Favourite Scoring Systems

[freddiebamboo]

OK, kinda an obvious topic, but now that most of the board is toiling with another cave chaining system (albeit far less severe than others from the company), what games really float your boats with their scoring methods?

I'd give a nod to progear's strange rings and stones for sheer bizarre satisfaction and a special mention to gunbird 2 (and other psikyo's) for what must be the most frustrating score pick ups in the history of videogames.

[zinger]

I think Layer Section / Rayforce has the most perfect scoring system.
It's so neatly intertwined with the rest of the game, not frustrating, easy to learn, to understand and quite simply; great fun! Lacks the huge amount of depth that a lot of later high-quality shooters have, though.

I've always liked Raizings medal collecting system too, although it can be very frustrating (especially in Batrider, where it takes forever to respawn).

[Randorama]

Any system that is not too rigid (DOJ) for my poor timing skills. I like when making a mistake in a section is not a drama for the score but will influence the overall result. For instance, the Giga Wings, or Esp.Ra.De/Don Pachi, or Shikigami. Let's say "everything is important and nothing is fundamental". Ah, speed too, i prefer fast shmups.

[japtor]

ketsui.

[BulletMagnet]

Let's say "everything is important and nothing is fundamental".

I'd say I agree with that, I like the systems for the games you mention for the most part.

[LUNardei]

Galuda's one.

[Randorama]

I also like when there's a key stage for scores.For instance, Border Down's stage 2, Garegga stages 2 and 5, etc. It means that i can focus on a stage and refine the others as a routine practice...usually, i get decent at first stages after ages

[Kron]

My personal favourite game for a score attack run is the first Gigawing.

There's something incredibly satisfying about it that keeps me coming back.

[freddiebamboo]

I also like when there's a key stage for scores.For instance, Border Down's stage 2, Garegga stages 2 and 5, etc.

Yeah, it's good cause even if you arse up the first couple of levels you can still look forward to making a decent fist of things later on, rather than reseting and getting annoyed like in guwange's through-the-game chains

[Afterbirth]

ESPGaluda - a great idea IMO that gives the game that lil' something to urge you to have one more play.

And any good game has that.

Not to much of a fan for collectable bonuses/multipliers as this has been done to death IMO.

[BulletMagnet]

Yeah, it's good cause even if you arse up the first couple of levels you can still look forward to making a decent fist of things later on, rather than reseting and getting annoyed like in guwange's through-the-game chains

But what if you mess up at the key section?

I find it interesting that you like both a "nothing is crucial" scoring system and a "crucial" scoring point in a game, Rando, since the two would almost seem to contradict each other. I tend to like it when things are at least relatively spread out (supposedly that one BD boss can account for up to a third of your total score or something like that? That's too many eggs in one basket for my tastes), but that's just me.

[uwfan]

Ikaruga is very good in its simplicty, yet its depth.

Border Down has a very clever and original scoring system.

[Skyline]

Night Raid's scoring system is lol.

[CIT]

Zanac Neo

Shoot everything before it leaves the screen to create a chain.

Easy to learn, hard to master - just the way it should be.


Also like Dodonpachi. Both these games force you to think about the timing of your shots. In Dodonpachi, because you need to make time for enemies to arrive whithout making a gap in the action, and Zanac Neo, because the game punishes you with more enemies, if you hold auto fire for too long.

[GaijinPunch]

ESPGaluda's system I love... Jeweling in Progear is another one I like. DOJ's straight up chaining just doesn't do anything for me. While deep, I hate having one little part anywhere fuck up an otherwise perfect run. Guwange sort of falls into this category as well, although the chaining is easier.

[iatneH]

Here's another one for Ketsui.

How I long for another chance to play this game.... or more like 500 chances...

[sethsez]

Anything in which playing for survival and playing for score are exactly the same thing. In general, I'm not crazy about scoring systems that contain their own unique set of rules that don't affect anything beyond the score you get. I like the score to evolve naturally out of the gameplay, not to be a seperate element of the gameplay.

That said, Border Down is one exception to this rule for me.

[Bullet_Storm]

Ketsui and ESP Ra.De.

[Nemo]

Progear, by far.

[professor ganson]

Another vote for Zanac Neo.

[flux]

Galuda's and ESP. Ra. De.'s
Shikigami's isn't bad, as you can get the tension bonus without even trying at certain points.

Actually, pretty much anything that doesn't involve chaining, and especially color chaining (meaning Ikaruga).

[gameoverDude]

Ketsui gets a vote from me. It's quite a simple one- after you shoot an enemy up close (best done on a tank IMO), you can then rip away at other targets with the Lock-Shot and keep more of that number coming out while the clock is still running. Getting the 5 boxes to come out does require a bit of risk, but it's worth it.

Star Soldier (GCN) isn't bad either. There's plenty of ways to get your points here- the Z items are worth progressively more as you keep getting them within the level, you get formation bonuses, and there's even a few points to be had for negating bullets with the piercer. The mid-boss Lazarus and the groups of Deraira offer bonuses if taken out properly.

Border Down's is quite good in that it encourages rank exploitation. Greater rank means a larger number of bullets and higher potential chains. The chain system you have some control over here- a combo ends only when you extinguish the Break Laser or run out of power, making this a bit more forgiving than DDP. You may want the rank to be high when you meet the ST3G boss- if you take this one down the right way, you get a big bump in your score.

DDP's score system is rather harsh (a mid-stage combo break can hurt badly). Sometimes you may need to keep one enemy around a little longer to avoid a gap that allows the GP meter to run out.

Ikaruga's and Radiant Silvergun's would be my least favorite. Treasure were clearly trying to innovate, but unfortunately your shooting in these must be EXTREMELY precise. These two games are almost like a shmupper's Silent Scope, where an errant shot can be the death of your current chain.

[WarpZone]

Ikaruga's is probably my favorite, because it gives me the most sense of selective progress. I can pick and choose what sections to tackle, and to what degree I want to exploit what they have to offer, allowing for remarkable flexibility in my "battle plan". The execution of said plan becomes concrete enough that a sense of personal achievement feels very real for whatever "layer" I've chosen to play on, yet other ways I could increase my score always are apparent. The bullet-eating is also a great touch, adding another dimension to increasing score beyond just the chaining.

[Marc]

I like DDP, I'm hopeless at using it, but I enjoy trying. Shiki 2 gels with me for some reason, as does Psyvarier 2. Would have to say that Ikaruga (despite liking the actual game very much) and RSG never clicked with me as socre attacks though.

[Dandy J]

Dangun, Ketsui, Guwange, ESPRade, ESPGaluda, Progear

damn why does cave make all the best shit

[AAA]

ESPGaluda for me

[Randorama]

But what if you mess up at the key section?

It depends: i go outside screaming and hunting virgin girls, or just reset and keep playing, i need to understand how shitty the day was.

I find it interesting that you like both a "nothing is crucial" scoring system and a "crucial" scoring point in a game, Rando, since the two would almost seem to contradict each other. I tend to like it when things are at least relatively spread out (supposedly that one BD boss can account for up to a third of your total score or something like that? That's too many eggs in one basket for my tastes), but that's just me.

Border Down is an extreme of my "taste field": if you screw up stage 2, for instance, it's not a problem, there are other far better occasions (stage 3 boss, 5 boss, last boss on 6B and 6D). In some aspects, though, i prefer G.Darius, which is less anal in this regard (maximum multiplier is x6), and you can approach stages with more freedom.Another good example are the giga wings: missing the right spot for a reflection will not disintegrate your final score, but you also need to do the final stage (well, 4 and 5,actually, on GWG, 5 6 and 7 on first two chapters) to get...about 70% of the score. It's the way a score engine is applied to the single levels.

In short i like when the score from a stage comes from small chains and no chain is fundamental, but i prefer when a stage (or 2) is clearly the most important for score purposes. Another example is Raystorm: to score well, you need to do well stages 4 and 7. Would you like a more defined example

[Acid King]

I can't stand scoring systems that involve fighting bosses forever to milk every possible point from them. ESP Galuda and Ikaruga are my two personal favorites.

[sven666]

Any system that is not too rigid (DOJ) for my poor timing skills. I like when making a mistake in a section is not a drama for the score but will influence the overall result. For instance, the Giga Wings, or Esp.Ra.De/Don Pachi, or Shikigami. Let's say "everything is important and nothing is fundamental". Ah, speed too, i prefer fast shmups.

what he said..

[BulletMagnet]

i go outside screaming and hunting virgin girls...

Bah, you don't need to use a bad scoring run as an excuse to do that!

Another good example are the giga wings: missing the right spot for a reflection will not disintegrate your final score, but you also need to do the final stage (well, 4 and 5,actually, on GWG, 5 6 and 7 on first two chapters) to get...about 70% of the score. It's the way a score engine is applied to the single levels.

I would venture to say that the GW games' situation is different from BD, scoring-wise; in most games as you get farther in your opportunities for scoring get better, since there are more enemies to shoot, bullets to reflect, items to grab, etc. Obviously the programmers (aside from upping the challenge) wanted to reward those players who can get far enough into the game with more bounteous bragging rights, so I wouldn't really call that an aberration or anything like that, since it's more or less a gradual increase. In BD and the like, though, a huge opportunity or two for scoring is just sort of plotzed in the middle, and if you don't take advantage of it then your chance to recoup that lost score more or less doesn't exist for the rest of the run. I don't mind if others like to "seize the moment" in their games, it's just not to my own tastes.