High-Concept Ideas for Bullet Patterns

[Estebang]

- A boss that shoots a literal maze of bullets that resemble the pencil-and-paper variety, with multiple routes and dead ends and everything. I'm amazed this hasn't been done yet.

- A large flapping wing made up of bullets that move in unison, similar to the linked-sprite animation seen in many Genesis games like Gunstar Heroes, but with ample space between each bullet.

- Bullets that are invisible unless covered with some secondary weapon like DDP's laser (might've seen these in a Touhou game).

- A large pattern that sways with your ship, forcing you to focus on the control and hitboxes of a cluster of moving objects in addition to your ship.

Any more ideas?

[Momijitsuki]

I believe I've seen everything BUT the one you say you've might've seen in Touhou... well, in Touhou. Danmakufu, at least.

[sjoecool1991]

The "maze" thing has been done before, but not quite how you said it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49PYrKiGB1s
The maze is actually pretty random, so its a little different each time you do it, so staying on the left doesn't always work.

And the "wings" thing has been attempted with the engine Danmakufu, but hasn't really been done successfully very well.


And the last one, has been done, many many times, in touhou games, and danmakufu alike.

[evil_ash_xero]

pentagrams!

[CStarFlare]

spirograph > profit

[moozooh]

This Mountain of Faith-inspired game has some innovative patterns. Too bad most of them are so easy they end before they can become a danger to the player. :P

[Reverie Planetarian]

A pattern I've been interested with since the last battle in Airrade is a part where you have to destroy a big, destructible attack that inches towards you, but I haven't a clue how to make that high-concept or innovative...

[shadowbringer]

maze pattern
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1xW0G6pIYc

patterns that follow the player's position (instead of leading the player)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PiXgA9XCH0 (at 0:28 and 1:35)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epKT3XdiOK4#t=4m00s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r__smOaQnU#t=0m56s

pattern that travels with your ship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0qn_2puEuk

pentagrams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjRdGKCZkdA#t=2m42s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h-LwpY-HLs#t=6m55s (there are some during the remainder of the video)
edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hps4X9_f4k#t=7m05s (alternative to the above video, features a higher score)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyDMwOZUDg (there are some during the midboss and the boss fight)

[Estebang]

I guess it was to be expected that those were all from Touhou.

Heh, you can tell that I haven't actually played much of the series besides Imperishable Night and the PC-98 games.

I recall there being another pattern in one game made up of huge segmented kanji characters. EDIT: There's some in here

[moozooh]

This Mountain of Faith-inspired game has some innovative patterns.

EDIT: There's some in here

Oh, come on now.

[Estebang]

Oh, come on now.

[moozooh]

Looks like I just got Estebanged.

[Enhasa]

You should see me naked.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The shmup devs still haven't touched upon the 3-D aspect of damaku patterns yet (using LCD-type glasses or otherwise with the exception of Sega's 1982 Sub-Roc 3-D arcade game cabinet technology). Imagine playing a Cave arcade damaku PCB in fully realized 3-D with coloful bullets jumping off the screen in beautiful patterns. Just like with the revivial of the modern-day 3-D films with the latest 3-D digital effects, shmups have yet to embrace this last frontier properly. It could be done. ^_~

Many moons ago, I tried using an LCD-based 3-D glasses with the PSX game of Einhander since it plays in 480i @ 60fps -- it does look amazing with this particular type of glasses indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[captpain]

The shmup devs still haven't touched upon the 3-D aspect of damaku patterns yet (using LCD-type glasses or otherwise with the exception of Sega's 1982 Sub-Roc 3-D arcade game cabinet technology). Imagine playing a Cave arcade damaku PCB in fully realized 3-D with coloful bullets jumping off the screen in beautiful patterns. Just like with the revivial of the modern-day 3-D films with the latest 3-D digital effects, shmups have yet to embrace this last frontier properly. It could be done. ^_~

Many moons ago, I tried using an LCD-based 3-D glasses with the PSX game of Einhander since it plays in 480i @ 60fps -- it does look amazing with this particular type of glasses indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Oh man...

You wouldn't really be able to dodge properly in Z-depth, so it would still play 2D-style, I am assuming -- but imagine bullet patterns appearing to have depth! Then again, wouldn't that mean lots of shots shouldn't be able to hit you?

Maybe it would just apply to explosions, debris, background GFX, entering enemies, and the like.

[Andi]

Teleporting bullets? Has this been done?

[worstplayer]

Teleporting bullets? Has this been done?

I've seen that in some DHC game. It was either Demolition Gunner or Urban Uprising, can't remember right now. The bullets teleported into roughly circular shape around your ship.

[Jeneki]

One bullet gimmick I always get a kick out of is "reverse time" or "vacuum", where bullets start at the edge of the screen and get sucked into the boss' gun.

Or pretty much anything that gets me looking at a different part of the screen to dodge from non-standard directions.

[BrightSuzaku]

I think something resembling kinda-sorta 3D danmaku was achieved in Kingdom Hearts II's Gummi ship level... specifically, Assault on the Dreanought.

There is no high quality version of this video, so it's fuzzy and hard to see a little: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHAVB1gXUiA
After some time watching, though I think it's easier to see what's going on. That boss battle, mind you, is what I speak of primarily.

The quality is shit, but the patterns... and the fact that it's using a craft based on Raiden makes it worth it.

[shadowbringer]

(vacuum/reverse bullets)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8WIT7-L-fA#t=6m16s (the last boss features two side minions that attract the ship towards them, if they're aligned horizontally. It's not shown in this video, though, and the video containing that same boss on the first loop features an even shorter boss battle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk95UuZzEBU#t=4m11s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsh5_-8v5Vs#t=2m54s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJO7qg0a0pw#t=2m23s (from 2:26 onwards; iirc the black holes were happening during the boss battle as well)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_QkW3C9UQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyO_9TgKClM#t=7m49s (this pattern pulls your ship towards the boss at the same speed it pulls bullets towards it)

(teleporting bullets)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK1LD_YH4rk#t=0:40 (there's one from 0:44 to 1:10 and another from 3:08 to 3:38)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l89gJrrnkCw#t=1m15s (there are some patterns through this boss battle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE8PjJfgZaM (when this boss does the timestop trick, you must already be out of the path of the blue knives)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI-hhQVxQ8A#t=2m46s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2np55kG7SM#t=2m41s
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3210412 (2:49 through 3:09)

(3D danmaku)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=443VDS9kAxk (the best example I could find, sorry. I liked the Kingdom Hearts video in the post above )

[BrightSuzaku]

Whooo, I love me some Ether Vapor! Nice video, never noticed that. (I think that's because I only have the trial version, hahahahaha.)

The new gummi ship sequences are actually the only reason I would pick up and play Kingdom Hearts II again (I never "got into" KH, despite liking RPGs). Check out that member's other videos, I think they have a Vic Viper ship in there, if I recall correctly.

3D danmaku would be amazing, and new and inventive patterns would have to be made just for it too, right?!

[Estebang]

The space area full of steel girders in the SNES Starfox is a great (and probably the first) example of 3D danmaku. It's a shame the game's crippled by a ridiculously low framerate due to pushing the hardware further than it could really handle.

[sunburstbasser]

I didn't think of Starfox. Sector X and Z are the girder levels and, like any real shmup, those sections are most easily done if you set the view to "standard" instead of "cockpit," as seeing yourself is very handy. I remember how when a level started, you could barrel roll really fast and then it'd be about 1/3 or less speed when enemies showed up.

3D danmaku came to my mind as well, in the form of a vertical shmup rather than a railshooter.. In Rayforce enemies could shoot from underneath you and until the bullet reached a certain spot it was harmless. Modern 3D game programming could open this up into some really cool designs. They would only be lethal for a moment before passing by, which could lead to some very cool patterns. You could have a big wad of standard bullets, then the safe path traced out with vertical bullets but you have to be precise in your timing or be shot.

[Estebang]

Actually, I found the girder levels in Starfox to be far easier with the cockpit view, since it removes the hitboxes of your wings.

[shadowbringer]

some more videos to the 3D-danmaku team :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtGwdJKdm-I (the game features grounded bullets, airborne bullets and a jump feature that's an integral aspect of the gameplay. The remaining 6 stages aren't shown here, but are entertaining)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXf4g71Vb4M#t=7m04s (not a shmup, but inspiring nonetheless)

[BrightSuzaku]

Took a few seconds, but now I see the jump feature inthat first game. Pretty neat!

It also reminds me again why Raiden makes no sense. Shooting down enemy planes in the sky! And, uh, somehow, grounded tanks at the same time! YAY!

[TLB]

Cool stuff here, thanks for the post.

[lgb]

- Bullets that are invisible unless covered with some secondary weapon like DDP's laser (might've seen these in a Touhou game).

Haven't seen this, but IN has those familiars which disappear when you switch to Red, I guess. Somewhat tricky to keep those things in check.

[shadowbringer]

one more video (about 3d danmaku), since I liked it :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tuX4oJTDR0
(the game seems to be under development)

[linko9]

Hey, as you can tell, I'm new here. Anyway, this isn't a bullet pattern, but I always thought it would be funny if the warning sign before the last boss attacked you, or turned out to be the boss itself. Even better, if the TLB took place on the mission accomplished screen; perhaps it could shoot the digits of your score at you.