I play better when I'm not concentrating. What the hell?

Arznei · Post by **Arznei** » Sun May 21, 2006 2:55 am

I've been taking a few games quite seriously recently, and I've sucked horribly. But then when I've been like "aw, fuck it, I'll just have one more go" and play a laid back round, I typically do better. Is something wrong with me?

Axon · Post by **Axon** » Sun May 21, 2006 3:08 am

I'm like that too. When I'm really focused I tend to mess up but when I'm in a state where I'm just flowing with the game and am not really thinking about it I tend to play a lot better. Though, because of that I can't play like that at will, and if I figure out that I just did something really hard in a game with ease then I mess up the "state."

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Sun May 21, 2006 3:27 am

You take it too seriously, you have gave yourself too much presure when you are trying hard to play well.

TVG · Post by **TVG** » Sun May 21, 2006 3:45 am

it's called relaxing.

Arznei · Post by **Arznei** » Sun May 21, 2006 3:47 am

The vagrant wrote:it's called relaxing.

It's a little difficult with some games, especially for a newbie like me

shiftace · Post by **shiftace** » Sun May 21, 2006 3:57 am

I get that too, I assume it's because I don't take so many risks when I don't focus.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Sun May 21, 2006 4:00 am

Arznei wrote:It's a little difficult with some games, especially for a newbie like me

Nah, it's not too hard, I'm living (though also frequently-dying) proof.

bpe · Post by **bpe** » Sun May 21, 2006 4:15 am

Yep, I get this after an exhausting day, for instance hiking through the woods and then when back in the city, I decide to go for some quick Ketsui. Nearly falling asleep the whole time, generally not paying too much attention, and promptly setting a new personal best. wth.

Bypassing your consciousness is a good thing

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Sun May 21, 2006 4:35 am

I mentioned it before, but I got my best score on Dodonpachi after a couple of beers.

There is a state of mind where each person can excel uncharacteristically. However, finding that state of mind is totally random at best.

One time I played the training challenges in Virtua cop (Saturn) and blasted everything to kingdom come like Robocop. Unfortunately Its a feat I've never been able to repeat.

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Sun May 21, 2006 4:45 am

I guess you pay too much attention to one or two things and the other things you're effectively ignoring screw you up, and when you're not "concentrating" you seem to pay equal attention to things.

PFG 9000 · Post by **PFG 9000** » Sun May 21, 2006 4:50 am

I always play better when I'm relaxed (i.e. when I'm not necessarily TRYING to play better). A few beers help sometimes too.

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Sun May 21, 2006 5:28 am

BulletMagnet wrote:
Arznei wrote:It's a little difficult with some games, especially for a newbie like me
Nah, it's not too hard, I'm living (though also frequently-dying) proof.

In other words, you have to learn how to enjoy going down in flame.

J-Manic · Post by **J-Manic** » Sun May 21, 2006 5:29 am

I'm the same way as well....but only with manic shmups, like Giga Wing & Dodonpachi for example. I slide right by those crazy ass bullets like butter when I'm not taking the game seriously. I do alot better when I'm actually having fun, instead of trying really hard to beat the game or beat my high score. That is weird.

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Sun May 21, 2006 5:45 am

Playing better when not concentrating hard, has been discussed on these forums before from time to time, and sounds like a shmup form of mushin.

Arznei · Post by **Arznei** » Sun May 21, 2006 6:37 am

So it is, essentially, gaming zen?

Keranu · Post by **Keranu** » Sun May 21, 2006 8:00 am

That happens to me sometimes too. Sometimes though when I really do concentrate, I will dominate.

Xargon · Post by **Xargon** » Sun May 21, 2006 9:22 am

Huh, I'm like that too.

I've got some other thing too. Yesterday I haven't played Shiki 2 for a month, then I tried it once, I made a new high score. Kinda weird...

Spitlips · Post by **Spitlips** » Sun May 21, 2006 12:28 pm

I recognice this to. Especially when you have some friends over, and you want to show off your skills.

This is presumably what separates the pros from the amateurs. A pro finds his calm in whatever situation he finds himself whilst the amateur is very effected by his environment.

Post by **system11** » Sun May 21, 2006 1:51 pm

It's ok, if you're as bad at shmups as I now am, you can always relax in the knowledge that death is only moments away. Fine with me, I mostly play for enjoyment anyway.

TVG · Post by **TVG** » Sun May 21, 2006 2:59 pm

Spitlips wrote:I recognice this to. Especially when you have some friends over, and you want to show off your skills.

This is presumably what separates the pros from the amateurs. A pro finds his calm in whatever situation he finds himself whilst the amateur is very effected by his environment.

quoted for truth.

and yes, relaxing as im an inch from my DOJ highscore and the 4th boss is spraying wildly and i have to hyper then keep up with the insane bullet speed while closing the distance and milking effectively...is hard.
but i still know i'd be better off without increased heartrate.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Sun May 21, 2006 5:50 pm

SAM wrote:In other words, you have to learn how to enjoy going down in flame.

You gotta admit, those flames make lots of pretty colors.

Dale · Post by **Dale** » Sun May 21, 2006 6:57 pm

This happens with me too. It also helps not to play a game for a long time then pick it up again.(I do this with Gaires and I get farther every time)

Arznei · Post by **Arznei** » Sun May 21, 2006 10:58 pm

Hmm, so basically it happens with all of you. This is confusing, when SHOULD you concentrate hard on shooting games, and when should you just relax and have fun?

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Sun May 21, 2006 11:13 pm

Come to think about it, if I relax through a game and do rather well, I automatically go into "thinking" mode.. Because I am doing too well I don't want to die.

The "one last go" syndrome is probably about you tipping over the "ive got it down" scales. Where youve actually found a way through.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Mon May 22, 2006 1:01 am

I play best after midnight when I'm drowsy. I think I fall into the zone easier and quicker when sleep deprived.

stuffmonger · Post by **stuffmonger** » Mon May 22, 2006 3:30 am

I've noticed that when I relax more, my vision spreads, whereas when I'm concentrating, I only really see what I'm staring at. Perhaps This happens to people when playing shmups as well, and it allows you to see different paths better than when you're tuned to a specific portion of the monitor. I knwo I usually play better (which isn't saying much at all) when I'm by myself, but that's because I usually just try to stick to "my side" of the screen when playing with someone else, but I'm not even really good enough to keep track of my high scores to be honest... I just play for fun and relaxing.

zaphod · Post by **zaphod** » Mon May 22, 2006 5:07 am

The odd thing is SOME, but not all games respond VERY WELL to concentration.

Your typical r-Type style memorizer, for example. is helped a LOT by concentration. Just reacting without thinking will get you fried and/or stuck in a corner. Kowledge and concentration are the order of the day. The zone doesn't help you when the game makes you think and/or remember on a regular basis.

But with other games, and many shmups in particular, you will do your best when you are in the zone. It is there that you pull off those impossible seeming dodges thru huge bullet clouds.

he fact that memorizers force you to leave the zone to play them right is why a lot of poeple don't liek them I suspect. Those who have trouble fidning the zone will feel very at home with a memorizer.

Note that most modern console games do not let you in the zone. They are, for the most part, memorizers. The only 3d genre that really lets you zone is, suprizingly, the first person shooter, and that primarily in multiplayer.

dai jou bu · Post by **dai jou bu** » Mon May 22, 2006 6:26 am

Thunder Force wrote:Playing better when not concentrating hard, has been discussed on these forums before from time to time, and sounds like a shmup form of mushin.

It's usually a lot easier to do something when you've been able to practice something to the point where you don't need to pay a lot of attention to what you're exactly doing, which in this case, is pressing buttons to maneuver a particular dot hidden behind a graphical avatar around the screen to prevent it from getting hit from bad dots that will destroy it, which are also superimposed over a graphical representation of something dangerous. Previous experience with a particular section of a stage also helps with the speed of not really concentrating much.

rolins · Post by **rolins** » Mon May 22, 2006 10:55 pm

landshark wrote:I play best after midnight when I'm drowsy. I think I fall into the zone easier and quicker when sleep deprived.

Same here, I noticed after hours my mind becomes very relaxed because I'm too damn tired to think about anything else except what's in front of me. It's strange, the more I'm drowsy the better I do.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sat May 27, 2006 8:17 pm

Being in the "Zone" as some old timer arcade goers will tell you is that state where one can beat whatever the CPU throws at him or her and overcomes that challenge nevertheless. That is the pure zen state that few world record arcade game players achieve in their lifetime. Of course, as the old saying goes: Practice makes perfect.

Try 1CC'ing an arcade gaming session of Atari Games' Klax on just one credit would seem too daunting a task for most people but it can be done. In fact I've 1CC'ed the arcade machine of Klax in April of 1994 at an local arcade joint that no longer exists to this day. I didn't plan to but the "real motivation" to get the highest Klax score was that another Klax arcade player kept credit-feeding his way to best my Klax scores which were done on a single credit. Big difference between single credit attemped arcade game scores and credit-fed arcade scores. After seeing his scores, I thought why not see if I can best his "credit-fed" Klax scores with a high score on just one credit?

And thus one day, it happened. The other Klax player who kept credit-feeding his Klax high scores didn't attempt to beat my highest 1CC'ed Klax score after that stint. There wasn't anybody to witness exactly the final moments of clearing Wave 100 with a minimum of 250,000 points which I almost did not achieve but pulled it off. My overall score was 6,000,000+ points. This score would've been listed in the 1st edition of Twin Galaxies Galactic Scoreboard as the highest score ever on an Klax arcade cabinet if it was officially watched over by a official referee from Twin Galaxies. But since that didn't happen...it remains as my best personal best high score on a Klax arcade upright. ^_~

The countless hours practicing on the NES Tengen version of Klax in 1991 and into 1992, paved the way to 1CC'ing the Klax arcade game on that fine day in April of 1994. Could I do it again with Twin Galaxies watching me attempt to break the current highest score record of on an Klax arcade cabinet? With enough practice, it can be done... ^_~

-----------------------------
The current highest score world record on a Klax arcade cabinet as listed by Twin Galaxies

3,205,000 points by a Leong Su Chin with no date (as listed in the 1st edition of "Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records")
-----------------------------

Believe me, no two Klax arcade gaming sessions are the same...it's all randomly generated colored tiles from the CPU (with ramped up difficulty if one takes too long to clear a Wave) -- forcing an ace Klax player to play with what is given at the moment and make the best of the current situation. Klax demands fast reflexs, quick "on-the-spot" decisions that can make or break such a personal (or possible world record breaking) high score attempt and sometimes, good ol' fashioned luck to clear the higher Waves. I know this because I've been there "in the zone".

Playing for the highest Klax arcade scores on MAME emulation is just bullshit...playing it on a real Klax arcade cabinet with an original Atari Games produced 4-way digital joystick layout is what counts. A prized 100% working Atari Games Klax Jamma PCB is in my arcade PCB gaming stash alrighty! A Klax PCB saves high scores without the need for a back-up battery whatsoever. WTF!?

--------------------------
Klax Scoring Tip:

If you can get a minimum of 2,000,000 or more points by Wave 7 or Wave 8 on a Klax PCB gaming session, you're considered a world-class ace Klax player. I've developed some insider tricks to get that high on such low-end numbered Waves. ^_~
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Little known Klax arcade PCB Factoid:

There isn't an option to turn "off" the Drop Meter on the original Atari Games version of Klax arcade PCB -- although it's possible to turn it "off" on the NES Tengen version of the same name. So therefore, on the NES Tengen version of Klax, it's possible to score a whopping 3,250,000+ points on just Wave 1 using the Drop Meter "turned off" exploit trick. ^_~
--------------------------

Keep on Klaxing... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

shmups.system11.org

I play better when I'm not concentrating. What the hell?

I play better when I'm not concentrating. What the hell?

Re: I play better when I'm not concentrating. What the hell?

Re: I play better when I'm not concentrating. What the hell?

"In the Zone" breaking world record arcade scores