General state of replays out there?

[TrevHead (TVR)]

In the past I tended to shy away from watching replays, but recently im starting to make use of them. One thing that has struck me is just how shitty some of the localised scoreboards & replays are. Im playing DFK 1.5 strong C atm and was astonished to make the top 100 in a lame as fuck run where I died in stage 4 or 5.

Anyway im wanting to get a grasp on the general state of available replays in the genre as a whole. IE do most mid to high level scorers tend to all follow the same routes and copy each other, or is there many replays out there that have different scoring routes? Does anyone have any tips for tracking down good mid level replays that have less risky paths in them? Same goes for hunting down good survival replays?

[TLB]

In the past I tended to shy away from watching replays, but recently im starting to make use of them. One thing that has struck me is just how shitty some of the localised scoreboards & replays are. Im playing DFK 1.5 strong C atm and was astonished to make the top 100 in a lame as fuck run where I died in stage 4 or 5.

Anyway im wanting to get a grasp on the general state of available replays in the genre as a whole. IE do most mid to high level scorers tend to all follow the same routes and copy each other, or is there many replays out there that have different scoring routes? Does anyone have any tips for tracking down good mid level replays that have less risky paths in them? Same goes for hunting down good survival replays?

A quick and general response to this is: these games are designed mostly predictably, such that you can calculate what kind of points can optimally be taken out of each set of enemies/scoring things. If there's a scoring opportunity, it's going to have an optimal method of extraction. Most replays will demonstrate the optimal methods, with varying levels of risky extra stuff.

tl;dr replays are useful both for seeing how a game is played and how it is played to its fullest scoring extent. Watching a replay when you don't have an arcade to go to seems like a necessity for any player, serious or casual.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Hmm true, I suppose most serious players tend to try to emulate the best routes even if they cant nail it all down completly.

Thinking about how the in game replays tend to get overwritten as each player improves and follows the optimal path, would you say there is much to gain from playing a shmup at release when everyone else is playing at the same time and learning new tricks? Or are much of the optimal paths already worked out by arcade players by the time the 360 version releases?

[TLB]

are much of the optimal paths already worked out by arcade players by the time the 360 version releases?

I'd say that's generally the case. You're more likely to catch someone warming up and posting up neat replays in the first couple hours/days/however long than you are to catch someone progressing from nil to top 10. That's not to say it doesn't happen, only that it's just not as likely.

In my opinion, even players such as you and me creating replays and commentating on them (or just writing up some information about points of interest across the board) and posting them regularly when learning a new game would help the individual creating the resource and anyone who comes afterward to learn about it.

I had intended to work on a project to facilitate activity of this nature on a wider scale, but I've still not gotten around to it...

[Illyrian]

The non-region locked shmups have good replays bro.

The number one replays for Pink Sweets Arrange, Muchi Muchi Pork and Futari Original mode are especially impressive.

[Gus]

If you're serious about getting good then you definitely want to get a J360 and the Japanese version of DFK 1.5 so you can see how the Japanese players and Erppo do it. The western shmup community is pretty shit for the most part and shouldn't be taken as representative of the overall state of replays.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

If you're serious about getting good then you definitely want to get a J360 and the Japanese version of DFK 1.5 so you can see how the Japanese players and Erppo do it. The western shmup community is pretty shit for the most part and shouldn't be taken as representative of the overall state of replays.

Maybe in the future when im in a better finiancial position and if I ever become more advanced in my playstyle, as I need more skill to fully take advantage of it. Ill make do with whats available for the west 360s.

The non-region locked shmups have good replays bro.

The number one replays for Pink Sweets Arrange, Muchi Muchi Pork and Futari Original mode are especially impressive.

Yeah ive seen that futari run, very kick arse

[Kollision]

Great replays are not only good for studying and learning, but they also serve the noble purpose of inspiration / motivation.

I remember the first time I saw Mushi stage 5 in motion by someone destroying it in Maniac.
I was mesmerized, even though I knew I could not even dream of doing at the time what the video was showing.