Habits whilst playing

[ratikal]

I was curious to see if anyone else have some certain "rituals" they do while playing shmups. Here's some of the things I do.

-Whenever I'm like hyper-focused, I twitch my foot up and down. I think every kid with ADHD does this at some point.
-After I complete a stage, if I have a drink nearby, I take a sip.
-I plan my routes according to the stage music, as to sync my playing with the music.
-I have first stage restart syndrome
-I play in a slightly hunched position. I know its bad for my back, but I feel more focused this way. It's sort of like L from Death Note to make a comparison, but this started way before I knew that show existed.

So, do any of you guys have some "rituals" that you'd like to share or am I the only weirdo here?

[Drachenherz]

I was curious to see if anyone else have some certain "rituals" they do while playing shmups. Here's some of the things I do.

-Whenever I'm like hyper-focused, I twitch my foot up and down. I think every kid with ADHD does this at some point.
-After I complete a stage, if I have a drink nearby, I take a sip.
-I plan my routes according to the stage music, as to sync my playing with the music.
-I have first stage restart syndrome
-I play in a slightly hunched position. I know its bad for my back, but I feel more focused this way. It's sort of like L from Death Note to make a comparison, but this started way before I knew that show existed.

So, do any of you guys have some "rituals" that you'd like to share or am I the only weirdo here?

*lol* Yeah, habits...

The thingie with the drink (mostly water now, I'm on a diet, so no alcohol for me, sniff) happens to me too.
Then I always sit in a cross-legged position. It helps me keep my focus. And yes, I'm one of those first-stage-restart-maniacs... can't help it. Can't get rid of the thinking: "Well, if I screw up allready in stage 1, it cannot be a good run." This is wrong, because I had it happen a few times that I relax after being killed in the first stage. Thus, I become much more calmer and voilà - I fare better than sometimes NOT dying in stage 1...
After a good stage, I sometimes make a "drum roll" on my joystick or the table.

I think that's about it with my habits at shmupping.

[rancor]

sitting cross-legged on the floor with a pillow on my lap to rest my elbows on and doing my best to tune the wife out... I swear, she gets so angry at me if I make a sound when she's watching TV, but apparently when I'm playing a game that her cue to run her mouth.. And it's never one question..

..It just goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on.....

[emphatic]

I only restart on stage 1 if I die (Ketsui) or don't get the B route (DDP-DFK BL Arrange). Early stage 2 deaths doesn't matter though. In ESPGALUDA I restart if I don't get all extends before the first death. I also have a bad habit of trying to press the B button 20 times while the stage bonus counts in Ketsui, sometimes this results in dropping a bomb right as the next stage starts.

Also, I curse like a motherfucker whenever I mess up. At the last shmupmeet sven666 actually told me that I had a dirty mouth.

[burgerkingdiamond]

Even when I'm in the middle of a good run I still find my mind wandering, or myself going over conversations I had during the day. Sometimes I find it hard to really concentrate. Usually only when I get to a really* intense part can I really get out of my head and into the game.

I find this happening a lot with Futari 1.5 original because the first 2 levels are so easy that they border on mindless. But if I get to st 4 and especially st 5 with only 1 miss or something it gets very intense.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Stage 1 restartitus here aswell.
shouting "fuck sake!" a lot when I die
playing for score when I should be just taking it easy playing for suvival / playing too agressivly
Playing well in pratice stages but as soon as I start a proper run I cant play for shit

[Kollision]

- tapping my feet to the end-of-stage music (Giga Wing, anyone? )
- shouting woo-hoo when the rush overflows from the screen due to sheer jawsumness
- swearing if I die in places where I shouldn't
- sometimes rearranging my chair between stages when I notice my position might be affecting performance
- taking a deep breath whenever a hard boss fight lies ahead
- humming to the music and singing bogus lyrics to it if I'm bored or not playing seriously
- ... and stage 1 restartitis

[BarfHappy]

If the game is a cave one i already *know*, I start by playing training on each boss until i nomiss them all but the last one, then play the game.

Before starting a level, i lift the stick, let it down, do 2 360s.
When i lose a life in a level, i do left right left right left right then all buttons on my stick.
If i die at a boss, i push like crazy the shoot button as if i were playing a Fatal Fury special stage xD

I too prepare a big drink (water or tea) and sip at each stage.
If i play a non konami game, i tend to do the konami code during the editor/publisher logos

[Aconcit]

- Letting my mind wander. I think about all kinds of things when I'm playing shmups. It's to the point where the games I'm playing just become bullet dodging exercises where there's no worries for score or lives.
- When I do play focused, and when there's items in the games to collect, I'll tackle a bullet because it was by itself and I assume it's an item.
- Even when I'm doing one run until I get game over, I'll insert around 5 credits (MAME).
-Not using my shikigami in Guwange. I prefer to dodge bullets then to slow them down and cancel them.

[t0yrobo]

Eh, not much different than any other games I guess. I usually have a drink nearby and I wear a hoody pulled up over my head to block out my peripheral vision a bit.

[ratikal]

I tend to notice my mind drifts while playing too. I sometimes remember specific events at some points in the game. In Gradius V, Stage 2 while going through the corridor with the brains, I always thought of my 10th grade English teacher talking to me about something. I have no clue why, but EVERY time, it has happened.

[spl]

I tend to notice my mind drifts while playing too. I sometimes remember specific events at some points in the game. In Gradius V, Stage 2 while going through the corridor with the brains, I always thought of my 10th grade English teacher talking to me about something. I have no clue why, but EVERY time, it has happened.

HAHA, I do this ALL the time! For some reason my brain associates certain parts of music and parts of stages with other totally unrelated memories/thoughts.

My mind also wanders sometimes if I'm not careful and before you know it - dead. Sometimes in the gap between the boss appearing on a stage and firing his first pattern - I'm thinking "Hmmm, what was that thing I was supposed to do again" and totally mess up.

[Marurun]

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who goes into a braindead state when playing these games. I always find myself thinking about other stuff such as books I'd read, things I was working on, listening to what my sister rambles about while I'm playing. I noticed that all vanishes once I reach a boss though - as if the stage was just a mind numbing warmup for the real fun.

Another habit I have is each time I die the closer I get to the screen. Not entirely sure why I do that.

[z0mbie90]

- Get angry when it goes bad, alot of swearing.
- Not as much as I used to, but sometimes I restart alot. But trying to keep playing even if it don't go all to well.
- Have a funny habit to talk real fast and strange. And do strange grimases (think it spelled right)


And one more thing not a habit but a good thing. I have noticed that i don't get many tics when i play ( well when it goes bad i got some )

[Sasupoika]

• Humm themes. Especially when focusing.
• After every big mistake, throw head left.
• Restartitis.
• Point-blank everything.

[RNGmaster]

I tend to yell "Oy vey!" when I screw up, I always go for the hardest routes when I can choose them, and I sit cross-legged. I will also tap all the input rapidly before I play, just to warm up my fingers.

[gct]

When the screen fills with gold/medals/other point items, I shriek "MONEY!!!! Get the money!!!!!!!"

I don't just do this in shooters. I also do it in the post-VI Ys games where you can thwack monsters and their corpses until the ground is completely covered in money, I just go bonkers.

[Aquas]

- sometimes rearranging my chair between stages when I notice my position might be affecting performance
- humming to the music and singing bogus lyrics to it if I'm bored or not playing seriously

This. Raiden IV's music WILL make you hum or sing along! It's just so damn catchy.
I also have to have some type of caffeinated drink by me, especially if it's a serious run.

Also, at parts I know I have trouble with, sometimes I psych myself up too much, I think like: "Okay, I've got this part, I know what to do, no problem. I got this!" *bullet patterns appear* "Oh shit, Oh shit! OHSHITOHSHIT... FUCK!!!!"

It's BULLshit! lol

[TJB]

Well ever since I started playing Muchi Muchi Pork I've been swearing like a trooper, quite often I'll drop my chain without seeing the cube responsible, pretty busy game at times.

Quite often I'll move the joystick left and right very quickly.

I also have a bad habit of trying to press the B button 20 times while the stage bonus counts in Ketsui, sometimes this results in dropping a bomb right as the next stage starts.

I was guilty of this as well until I started playing MMP. Feels kinda empty between stages now.

[third_strike]

This seems strange, but my main characteristic during playing is which I need my finger (thumb) lubricated with a very small amount of oil.
I can't play without an oily D pad. Then I am always oiling and cleaning (to take the excess of oil of ) my finger.
Believe me I do this very fast, I don't pause the game to do this!

[louisg]

I sometimes yell expletives when I kick the bucket unexpectedly

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

I still hug the back of the screen at all times except for when power-ups/point items show. Beta as fuck, I know.

[Aquas]

This seems strange, but my main characteristic during playing is which I need my finger (thumb) lubricated with a very small amount of oil.
I can't play without an oily D pad. Then I am always oiling and cleaning (to take the excess of oil of ) my finger.
Believe me I do this very fast, I don't pause the game to do this!

Waddup Hakan?

[TodayIsForgotten]

I don't really have any habits other than i find it comfortable where i lean over and have my elbows on the top of my legs. I do this with any game.

[Sumez]

I don't just do this in shooters. I also do it in the post-VI Ys games where you can thwack monsters and their corpses until the ground is completely covered in money, I just go bonkers.

Shiat how many Ys games did they make now?
I still haven't played any beyond IV

[burgerkingdiamond]

scream fuck a lot

[rancor]

fuckalot!!

[Despatche]

Shiat how many Ys games did they make now? I still haven't played any beyond IV

I feel like answering this. For a decades-old series, there aren't that many games: you have the main 7, then Origin which is exactly what it sounds like, then the other Ys IV (the Dawn of Ys) and the reimagining of Ys III (the Oath in Felghana); 10 unique games, for the most part (I'm not considering Ys II Special or that Ys Online thing). All others are remakes.

[sven666]

• *exessive cursing and shouting in general
  *banging the cab panels and mashing the buttons
  *shouting "SHUT UP!" at my cat when it meows
  *shouting "NOT NOW!" at my gf whenever shes near

yeah im a bit of an arcade asshole really

[Frederik]

-Most of the time I don´t do full runs, I just fire up MAME and play whatever stage or boss I feel like for 5 or 10 minutes and then quit.
I know it´s not how these games are supposed to be played, but I just enjoy short bursts of my favourite parts without any of the stress - and this is the big, main reason I will never, ever be interested in buying a PCB. I also can´t stand consoles with their loading times - I need my shmup fix NOW NOW NOW NOW NOWWWWW!

-I have almost the entire keyboard filled with savestates for most games, and I configured the buttons that I just hit the spacebar and then the key with the state on it. Since I love to play the tough spots I do this "hand-slap" motion on my keyboard sometimes several times per minute. "Damnit!" *space-T* "Damnit!" *space-T*

-I tend to judge moments in the game as to how well they would suit to be a savestate. For instance, when I play Sexy Parodius, I try to keep some bells going into the bossfight and then experiment with them over and over again instead of playing the actual game in its natural progression.

Likewise, I have played the DDP stage 3 boss and stage 4 about four times as much as the rest of the game since I just love these parts so much. Really, half of the time I´m micromanaging my savestates - "The medusa boss has this cool Castlevania 1 boss tune at the beginning but if I save there it will take my 2 seconds to start the actually boss pattern each time I start it. I guess I will just make TWO savestates then!"

I think I have turned shmups into my own personal little challenge mode and I´m not sure if I will ever prefer actually playing them as full runs. Oh well I still noticed that I improve my skills - after playing Parodius and Progear a lot, I noticed I can somehow survive the Vinogradov (stage 3 midboss) in Ketsui just fine, while I was really freaking out on the last pattern a few weeks ago


....

And another shameful secret: At times I pretend to be a super-cool japanese pro player, doing very precise, deliberate movement, fire single shots, aim at specific parts on bosses - despite having absolutely no idea what I´m actually doing. (I think I watched too many Battle Garegga superplays.)