When did you discover "small hit boxes"?

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

For me, it would have to be with DoDonPachi(Saturn version) late 90's.
I remember playing it with Zer0eight, and sometimes we were thinking, "Man, the "hit detection" must be off or something, as I should have been dead from that. I remember him saying something like, "If this was Radien, you wouldnt have made it passed the first stage with all that shit!"

Mars Matrix also freaked me out equally, when I discovered the enemies couldn't kill you, only the bullets.

Modern games would have been ridiculed in the "old days". But then, that was back when the "hit box" area was bigger than the ship itself!!!
Think Twin Cobra (Triple K Tiger) .

[raiden]

same here, DDP and Mars Matrix were the first memorable contenders. Psyvariar pushed it to the limit, then.

[MovingTarget]

Psyvariar.

Damn I wish I hadnt left psyvariar at my mums house, its just such a fun game!

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

same here, DDP and Mars Matrix were the first memorable contenders. Psyvariar pushed it to the limit, then.

Whats the deal with Psyvariar? I have the Xbox version and were is the hit box?
The characters head? I really don't know about this one. It has really great visuals and music, but it kinda seems like a Shikigami wannabee.
I don't understand the Buzz system either. I take it as "Spin all around like a dumb shit, and hope to not get hit." How can you tell when you're about to die? I figure when Buzzing; the spin will reflect (some) bullets.

[MovingTarget]

when you level up a in a buzz you become invincible for a time, which gives you the opportunity to go plowing through bullets getting more massive buzz, which in turn makes you level up again hence more invincibility etc... You just need to get a feel for when you loose invincibilty and not get too greedy Its also handy playing on the verge of a level up so you can trigger it in tricky spots.

[BulletMagnet]

DDP was the first game like that which I played...that's one of the things I make sure to tell my friends when I show the game to them. "Feel free to try some superhuman dodges, because you hafta get hit pretty much dead center to die." And of course I'll always hear a couple of "Whoooa, I just squeaked out of that one" phrases from their direction...after which both of us are usually immediately squished.

[alpha5099]

I got into shmups with Ikaruaga, so I've pretty much always known about hit boxes. There was lots of talk about the hit box in relation to those boxes in level 2. Some thought a dot eater run was impossible on that level, others would point out the tiny hit box.

The amazing thing about tiny hit boxes is I still die so often.

[FRO]

When I started reading about them on this forum (MK2 version). Then I began to look for them in games I already had

[BIG]

While playing Dodonpachi Dai-ou-Jou

B-

[GaijinPunch]

My first true micro-hitbox love was ESPGaluda, although of course I played the other ones leading up to it, just rather casually.

[uwfan]

DDP.

my first reaction was "hey this is pretty cool, and it should make the game easier".

2 minutes later, my second reaction was "holy FUCK, look at ALL THOSE BULLETS!!".

[dai jou bu]

Those Mars Martix demo plays that you unlock. If you really want to get technical, I guess maybe after careful observation of the SNES Gradius III demo plays, as bullets don't trigger a hit if they pass through the nose of the craft (but your afterburner flame counts for some odd reason, which wasn't the case in the arcade version).

As for Psyvariar, my theory is the hitbox has a mind of its own and randomly moves around your fighter/mecha model, hence my occasional inexplicable survival of a particular barrage I wouldn't have cared about if I was buzzing at the time.

[raiden]

the thing about Psyvariar´s hitbox is that it varies depending on whether you´re spinning at the moment or not. While you´re spinning, the aura in which bullets count as buzz becomes larger, and the hitbox becomes smaller. That´s why spinning is so important, and why changing from the PS2 versions of the first two Psyvariar games to Psyvariar 2 which has no spin button is so difficult.

[ED-057]

In Space Megaforce you notice the somewhat small hitbox when you fly up against the walls and have a good part of your ship overlap the wall. Of course that isn't quite the same as DDP where I often fly into an ugly mess of bullets and manage to make it through purely by accident.

[Cthulhu]

Batsugun. It's not quite maniac, but it's damn close. It's also the first game with a really small hit box (even smaller in the SE version) that really drew me in.

[Specineff]

RSG Faq.

[sffan]

the thing about Psyvariar´s hitbox is that it varies depending on whether you´re spinning at the moment or not. While you´re spinning, the aura in which bullets count as buzz becomes larger, and the hitbox becomes smaller. That´s why spinning is so important, and why changing from the PS2 versions of the first two Psyvariar games to Psyvariar 2 which has no spin button is so difficult.

Psyvariar 2 has a spin button. R1 or L1.

[EddyMRA]

I first discovered small hit boxes when I played Strikers 1945 II. It was then I also started learning how to weave through bullet mazes.

[gingerj]

Psyvariar 2 on the DC. What a game during a neutrino burst its as if you dont even have a hitbox.

[japtor]

either ddp or mars matrix i think. i got back into shmups heavily with strikers 1945 III in the arcade, but didnt really have to push the hit box limits with it (that and psikyos bigger hit boxes makes it harder).

not to derail the topic or anything, but what about bullet hit boxes? or stuff like the chapter 2 boxes in ikaruga, or whatever other ships and things that can kill you.

[SFKhoa]

Imperishable Night and rRootage made me discover it o_O

[Dylan1CC]

When did I discover them? By visiting the shmup forum. When I bought DoDonPachi for the Saturn about 4 years ago, I asked for advice on getting better and someone told me about the hitboxes in the game.

[dai jou bu]

Psyvariar 2 has a spin button. R1 or L1.

If you have a PS2 copy of the game. The Dreamcast version lacks one.

The Dreamcast version is the only one I do have, so I don't really suffer from the lack of a roll button.

[gameoverDude]

I first discovered micro-hitboxes in Dodonpachi and Giga Wing.