Achieving Consistent Micro-Dodging

[casualcoder]

As we all know, so many shmups nowadays require lots of micro-dodging: weaving in between tight bullet patterns by using the most subtle twitch on the controls.

I have identified a few techniques I use over and over again in order to dodge the smallest distances:

1) Quick Tap - probably the most obvious technique; just a simple fraction of a second tap in either direction. Problem: harder to tap left on the joystick with the thumb rather than the whole hand tapping to the right. Also, difficult to control tap duration consistently.

2) Quarter Circle - a very fast quarter circle motion such as you would use to do a hadoken street fighter. Often moves your character as short as a single pixel distance in the direction you finish pressing. Also if you start from the down direction, it can buy you a fraction of time if your character travels slightly downwards. Problem: takes a lot more time than tapping, so it's hard to string together several in a row.

3) Diagonal Tap - most games slow your ship down to the slowest speed possible simply by pressing downwards while moving from side to side. Therefore, you should be able to achieve shorter tap distances than with the standard Quick Tap using this method. Problem: feels awkward and pretty much limits you to the bottom line of the screen unless you dont mind moving your character downward as you are micro-dodging.

My question to you all is what are your particular techniques you like to use to achieve a consistent micro-dodge. And what are some of the ways you like to go about practicing?

[trap15]

I just play Toaplan games instead

But seriously, I don't really play games that need actual weaving, but if I need to stream bullets I sorta just wiggle my arm a bit enough to actuate the stick and that'll tap-a-tap-a-tap me along a straight path pretty nicely.

[casualcoder]

Wow, the whole arm? I guess I can see that. If you keep your wrist rigid I can see how that can result in a finer, if not uncomfortable movement.

[trap15]

Forearm, sorry. I seem to have built up this weird ability to spasm my forearms which I use for tap-dodging like that, or I can also use it for button mashing with one finger (15Hz in short bursts, ~12Hz sustained). Not sure how

[casualcoder]

I kind of understood what you meant originally.

Just maybe seems a bit stiff to be comfortable. I'll try it. I know what you mean about rapid button presses. Growing up I honed what seemed a rare ability - the hyper rapid button tap by keeping my arm rigid and vibrating downwards from the shoulder - which was the wonder and envy of all of my friends. Back then, a lot of NES games required rapid button presses to go faster. I basically blew everyone away at Track n' Field. Real track and field was a different story entirely.

[7711]

I don't know if I'm really answering your question, but for patterns requiring micrododging I try to anticipate as much as I can of the upcoming waves and place myself accordingly so I have to do the minimal ammount of actual micrododging. That way I can succeed using a few quick taps, but it doesn't look like micrododging anymore, just a few moves here and there.
I often see people playing wave after wave, each time re-thinking their position and dodging in real time, and I suck at this.

edit :
I also have a pretty original playing style (from what I know) concerning the way I hold the joystick.
My hand is palm upward like in japanese style but I'm using the extremity of my fingers instead of my wrist, with the back of my hand pushing onto the stick so I can have more strenght in my fingers. It works really well with the quick tap technique, as well as games like TGM that uses it a lot.

[casualcoder]

I also have a pretty original playing style (from what I know) concerning the way I hold the joystick.
My hand is palm upward like in japanese style but I'm using the extremity of my fingers instead of my wrist, with the back of my hand pushing onto the stick so I can have more strenght in my fingers. It works really well with the quick tap technique, as well as games like TGM that uses it a lot.

Funny enough I was just thinking about trying this alternate stick grip after I posted this thread. I remember seeing japanese players using the grip you mentioned and although I tried it out with fighting games, I never got comfortable with it. It occurred to me though that It might give better lateral movement especially with quick taps (as mentioned, using my thumb primarily for quick taps to the left are unreliable... I think it makes me subconsciously favor going to the right side if given the option).

I just tried out the style you are referring to. Do you have the stick between the middle and third finger? That's how I did it. I did find that it made quick taps more reliable, including diagonal taps. It's just normal movements that seem awkward using this grip. It could just be that i'm not used to it though... it's worth exploring.

[7711]

Do you have the stick between the middle and third finger?

Well technically its between my middle and fourth fingers, but I'm not using the wrist to actually move it like you would see with most fighting games players. I'm really using the very end of my three first fingers (thumb for right lateral movement, index for the left, and the one in between to get a good grip so I can do anything else. I never take any of these fingers off the stick) and the rest of my hand is the farthest away I can keep it from the joystick. Nothing moves except these three fingers.
I don't know if that makes any sense, I'm feeling very tired

edit : More precisely, I'm actually using the first four fingers for this, with the last two pulling and the first two pushing the stick, but I will sometimes rotate my whole hand so I'm only using either my last or my first 3 fingers. When I'm reading it back it sounds like a terrible mess, but for me its perfect (: