Anyone know of a shmup with this kind of mechanic?

[sn0zc0r3]

The player can select from 3 different kinds of shots. The longer the player shoots with one type of shot, the weaker it becomes over time. However, as the shot becomes weaker, the other 2 shots become stronger to the point where if the player uses 2 of the shots enough, the 1st bullet of the 3rd shot is a super bullet and then continues on at an inflated level.

Hard to follow? Here's another explanation:

Code: Select all

shot 1 used for 5 straight seconds = shot 2 and 3 increase in power by 2x while by the end of 5 seconds, shot 1 decreases by 2x

shot 1 used for 5 straight seconds -> shot 2 used for 5 straight seconds = shot 1 back to regular strength, shot 2 power decreases by 2x, 1st bullet of shot 3 is a super bullet and then continues at 2x power for 5 seconds.

It doesn't matter really what kind of shots they are for the example but it would become extremely important in regards to balance/strategy. Plus, the length of time for shots to decrease/increase would need to be tested and perfected so don't take those figures to heart.

Just a thought I had while I was getting ready to go to work. I've always wanted to design a shmup.

[je_apostrophe]

This is vaguely like the most powerful weapon in Cave Story that gets weaker as you use it. You have to get hit to make it strong again though.

[Obiwanshinobi]

In Cave Story your weapons evolve (rather than just "power up") as you collect the crystals, and devolve as you get hit. One weapon, however, seems to be most powerful on its basic level, and completely harmless on its 3rd level.

[sn0zc0r3]

Good point about cave story. I forgot how they dealt with powering up weapons.

However my question was more tailored towards traditional(?) hori/vert shmups and not platformers.

Appreciate the info nonetheless.

[The Coop]

I know there's a shmup or two where if you hold down the button, the rapid fire slows down quickly after a few seconds. So to keep your shots going at full strength, you have to hit the fire button every couple of seconds. I can't think of their names though... and it's bugging me (I think one was a Dreamcast or Genesis shmup).

It's not the same as what you're asking, but it's what came to mind.

[BulletMagnet]

Does Captain Tomaday do something like this, where if you punch with one hand, the other charges up?

[Obiwanshinobi]

I know there's a shmup or two where if you hold down the button, the rapid fire slows down quickly after a few seconds. So to keep your shots going at full strength, you have to hit the fire button every couple of seconds. I can't think of their names though... and it's bugging me (I think one was a Dreamcast or Genesis shmup).

Metal Black (arcade, Saturn, Taito Memories/Legends collections) and Cho Ren Sha 68k (Sharp X68000, PC) are like that. In Metal Black, once you build up your firepower, you can trade it for the smart bomb/beam attack (thus bombing makes your main weapon power down to the basic level).

[The Coop]

I know there's a shmup or two where if you hold down the button, the rapid fire slows down quickly after a few seconds. So to keep your shots going at full strength, you have to hit the fire button every couple of seconds. I can't think of their names though... and it's bugging me (I think one was a Dreamcast or Genesis shmup).

Metal Black (arcade, Saturn, Taito Memories/Legends collections) and Cho Ren Sha 68k (Sharp X68000, PC) are like that. In Metal Black, once you build up your firepower, you can trade it for the smart bomb/beam attack (thus bombing makes your main weapon power down to the basic level).

THANK YOU!

I knew it was one I used to play a lot. Not sure why I was so certain it was on the DC or Genesis though.

[BulletMagnet]

I know there's a shmup or two where if you hold down the button, the rapid fire slows down quickly after a few seconds. So to keep your shots going at full strength, you have to hit the fire button every couple of seconds.

If memory serves Two-Tenkaku on the PS1 works like that.

[MathU]

I know there's a shmup or two where if you hold down the button, the rapid fire slows down quickly after a few seconds.

Metal Black (arcade, Saturn, Taito Memories/Legends collections) and Cho Ren Sha 68k (Sharp X68000, PC) are like that.

Cho Ren Sha 68K doesn't have an automatic rapid fire. Maybe you're thinking of a different game?

On the opposite end of the spectrum there's Lethal Thunder and Thunder Blaster, where your shot powers up the more you mash the fire button.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

What was that vert cute em up that had a fire button for each left and right hand? The more you punched with one hand it would power down while the other hand would power up. Was it twinbee? if not then it looked almost like twinbee with a very simlar player ship.

[Fan of MAME]

In Captain Tomaday there is a fire-button for each left and right hand. But when the player punches with one of the hands, the other one just charges to a supershot. After releasing the supershot, everything goes as usual.
The player is forced to use those supershots - both for score and damage.
Captain Tomaday looks kinda similar to Twinbee, and I think that TrevHead (TVR) has just mentioned CT.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Cho Ren Sha 68K doesn't have an automatic rapid fire.

It does have kind of semi-automatic fire. Every tap triggers a burst shot. It's different from, say, Image Fight (where you need to mash the button like a madman practically all the time).

[MathU]

It has "autofire" in the sense that it fires a few shots visibly whenever you press the shot button, and it requires a low tap rate to reach maximum fire. But it doesn't fire for you indefinitely when you just hold the button down, and it doesn't slow down the longer you hold it, such as in Metal Black. The ship just stops firing.

[Obiwanshinobi]

In Metal Black the autofire rate becomes so wimpy that you end up tapping the button anyway. Cho Ren Sha 68k is effectively similar in this regard. It's anything like shmups where reaching the maximum fire rate is beyond a mere mortal's capabilities.
P.S. What the...? There was that article about button mashing on Wikipedia. I just wanted to look up it (to check out the fastest button mashing rate achieved by the world champion) and it appears to be gone. What the hell's happening to the Wikipedia awesomeness? What savagery is this?

[Mortificator]

Rabio Lepus is another game with diminishing autofire.

[Zaarock]

On the opposite end of the spectrum there's Lethal Thunder and Thunder Blaster, where your shot powers up the more you mash the fire button.

Also Blazing Star. Pretty much have to use autofire to keep up the stronger shot, stupid mechanic IMO.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Slow tap is my favorite type of shooting. Tapping is much better then simple auto fire but fast tap like gradius is painfull for anything longer then 30 mins. For these sort of games i could use an autofire but It allways seems like cheating to me if the autofire is set at super fast. Even when the autofire rate is the same speed as i would tap naturally it doesnt feel right as enemy can slip though inbetween the shots, totally taking away the shooting aspect and just turning it into more of a dodge em up.