Shmup Glossary Discussion Thread (UPDATED 3-15-09)

[Iaspis]

Bullet gemification

In addition to bullet canceling, there are cases (for example: when certain big enemies are destroyed, bombing etc) where the cancelled bullets are transformed into gems, diamonds and various other precious / cute things for the player to collect. Progear and Dodonpachi (among many other shmups) feature this.

[BulletMagnet]

Zanki Bonus

Would this be much different from the "stage end bonus" definition that's already up there? I probably could amend that to mention that completing a game sometimes offers extra bonuses for "'left over" stuff...

Bullet gemification

As with the above case, I don't think this would qualify as its own entry, but it might work as an expansion to the existing "bullet cancel" item.

Thanks for the contributions, but I probably won't be updating this thing for a bit: I'm currently at work on a separate "shmup-centric" assignment, though I will be needing some help on it soon...

[nZero]

Zanki Bonus

Would this be much different from the "stage end bonus" definition that's already up there? I probably could amend that to mention that completing a game sometimes offers extra bonuses for "'left over" stuff...

I'd say it's a distinct entity, rather than being related to the End-of-Stage Bonus. The Clear Bonus/Remain Bonus/Zanki Bonus acts as kind of an anti-milking device, especially in checkpoint games, by giving you a large per-life (and sometimes also per-bomb) bonus for clearing the game. In older games, it can end up providing the majority of the score, and really separates the clears from the pack.

[BulletMagnet]

Hm, noted...might need to make this thing a little bigger yet, heh.

[gameoverDude]

Zonk:
1) Any item which has a deleterious effect when taken, like the power-down skull item from Dragon Spirit. Not commonly seen. In Battle Garegga, you could consider Small shot items or excessive Options to be such a thing.

2) A weapon of questionable value that is best avoided. (a non-shmup example would be the "B" napalm bomb in Alien Syndrome which cannot take out enemies in close range, or a true joke weapon like the Drop Shot in Metal Slug series). Super Aleste's charge shot AKA power shot is a Zonk at lower power levels, but it's good at Lv4 or greater.

(verb) get Zonked: To end up stuck with a Zonk item or weapon. This would happen in Super Aleste if you take damage while using the charge shot and get knocked down to Lv1.

Step value (Giga Wing): When you take a medal, it's the number that appears on screen and gets added to your multiplier. Most medals will increase it to some extent, except for Giga Wing Generations' shot medals (which just add the current step value to your multiplier). If you lose a ship, it is reset to 0.

[BulletMagnet]

I don't think I've ever heard those two terms used around here before, though "step value" certainly sounds "official" enough...I hafta admit I personally like "zonk" though, heh.

Heaven knows when I'll ever get around to updating this thing again - maybe once I finish my latest round of Racketboy assignments.

[Xonatron]

What about the term for a slow down button? Like we have in Decimation X3 derived from Japanese style shmups with a button that slows you down, sometimes combined with having a more powerful weapon fire but not always as in the case of Dec X3.

[BulletMagnet]

I believe the term you're looking for is "Focus."

[Cellinaire]

Edit : Nevermind. Got a clarification that It already exists.



And I'd like to suggest one more. The 'Warm up' phase just before boss' appearance. In this phase, normally the boss' specific bgm(or music) starts, but then dozens of Zakos which sometimes not normally seen in 'field phase' appear first(roughly about 1 minute) instead of the stage's boss. Or something similar like it. (where there's dead air for 10~15 seconds and small pack of enemies suddenly appear, and boss pops up on screen while you're still shooting them down)

One famous exemple would be : Blackheart Mk.2

[Ghegs]

One-life clear implies a 1cc, so no need to have it twice. The acronym NMNB (No Miss No Bomb) for this seems to be catching on, I've seen it here and there.

[BulletMagnet]

And I'd like to suggest one more. The 'Warm up' phase just before boss' appearance. In this phase, normally the boss' specific bgm(or music) starts, but then dozens of Zakos which sometimes not normally seen in 'field phase' appear first(roughly about 1 minute) instead of the stage's boss. Or something similar like it.

Hmm...I understand what you're referring to, but is that really a common- (or notable-)enough occurrence within the genre to be worth an entry here?

[Cellinaire]

And I'd like to suggest one more. The 'Warm up' phase just before boss' appearance. In this phase, normally the boss' specific bgm(or music) starts, but then dozens of Zakos which sometimes not normally seen in 'field phase' appear first(roughly about 1 minute) instead of the stage's boss. Or something similar like it.

Hmm...I understand what you're referring to, but is that really a common- (or notable-)enough occurrence within the genre to be worth an entry here?

Definitely not common. Just food for thought.
(Although I used the word 'suggest', no need to take it seriously. Sorry about it)

But I originally thought that, if a boss' bgm starts then normally the boss should come right out, not some popcorns instead.

[BulletMagnet]

No need for apologies, especially considering how lax I've been in updating this thing.

But I originally thought that, if a boss' bgm starts then normally the boss should come right out, not some popcorns instead.

Heh, sort of like the opening act at a concert that everyone wishes would hurry up and get off the stage.

[Cellinaire]

No need for apologies, especially considering how lax I've been in updating this thing.

But I originally thought that, if a boss' bgm starts then normally the boss should come right out, not some popcorns instead.

Heh, sort of like the opening act at a concert that everyone wishes would hurry up and get off the stage.

Exactly. =)

And from what I remember, very similar case can be found in 1944 : The Loop Master, where just in front of 6th stage boss named <Intercontinental Bomber 'Kyuoh' >, there are 2 rows of enemy planes in five-plane formation flying along the boss as a shield then scatter.

[Mischief Maker]

I recently read "To the Full Extent of the Jam" and I've been inspired to start mapping my shmups and coming up with planned routes as opposed to just flying by the seat of my pants. Here are a few terms I've found useful that I haven't been able to find in the current glossary:

Fixed Pattern: A pattern of bullets fired by the enemy that is fixed in its firing direction and not affected by the player ship's location.

Axial Pattern: A pattern of shots that is initially aimed at the player, but does not make any further adjustments to its direction until the pattern is finished. (Eg. The Powerup enemy in Cho Ren Sha 68K fires an axial pattern of two pairs of spam followed by a stream. This is aimed at the player ship when it first starts, but stays fixed in its direction for the remainder of the pattern)

Cancel Ship: An enemy ship that cancels bullets when destroyed, either in a small area surrounding it, or over the entire screen like a player bomb.

This next term is kinda already covered by "stream" and "entrapment," but I find my term more precise and evocative.

Suppression: A line-shaped enemy attack meant to restrict player movement. Usually in the form of a beam weapon, or a rapid stream of bullets too fast and dense to dodge through.

Whaddya think?

[BulletMagnet]

Apologies for the delayed response!

I like "Fixed Pattern" and "Axial Pattern", those might fit nicely if others agree on their inclusion: for some reason I'm a tad more hesitant on "Cancel Ship" though I couldn't give you a bona fide reason why.

As for "Suppression", you'll hafta go more into detail about what differentiates this one from "Enclosure Attack".

I really do need to update this thing someday, don't I? Apart from all the suggestions, quite a few existing entries could do with a rewording...once all these horribly late pending articles let up I'll try to get around to it!

[whoisxiri]

Such a great read for someone who's just starting on the genre!

.

[Plasmo]

An alternative term for Boss Fest is Boss Rush and actually I'm reading the latter one more often. It's not neccessarily derogative though, but just describes a portion of a game with 3 or more successive bossfights.

A second usage of this term is to denote a special kind of mode, which let's you fight against all the bosses of the maingame, but without the stages itself. It's most often found in various console releases (G.Darius for example) and more rarely as an arcade mode (Batrider Special Course). I haven't heard the term Boss Fest for these modes, so the two don't seem to be fully interchangeable.

[ptoing]

I guess Boss Fest would apply to a game like RSG. Something that has an assload of bosses and not so much actual level structure comparatively.

[Plasmo]

But then again people used to call RS and Chaos Field Boss Rush games. In this sense clearly derogative.

[ptoing]

I see. Tho I have to say that to me Boss Rush never had any negative connotations. Boss Fest sounds more derogative to me.

[BulletMagnet]

Yeah, this area is a rather sticky one in terms of semantics...while the Glossary lists "Boss Rush" as a separate mode, I've also heard it used to describe a Gradius-esque in-game segment (defined here as a "Boss Alley"). Whenever I get around to reworking it those entries are going to need some manner of cleanup.

[Mischief Maker]

for some reason I'm a tad more hesitant on "Cancel Ship" though I couldn't give you a bona fide reason why.

Probably because it's so literal it sounds corny. Couldn't think of a better term.

As for "Suppression", you'll hafta go more into detail about what differentiates this one from "Enclosure Attack".

It's not different, I just find it a more evocative term. It harkens to the military term "Suppressive Fire" which involves using rapid-fire machinegun attacks not directly aimed at any one target in order to "suppress" the enemy's movement. Enclosure can happen through all sorts of means but "suppression" refers specifically to enclosure using bullets and artillery.

I'm not wedded to it.

Here's a couple more terms I've come up with whilst mapping Cho Ren Sha 68K, though they may be too specific for this glossary:

Bolts: Bullets that form lines instead of dot points. Bolts are more dangerous to players making horizontal movements than regular bullets.

Bait-and-Switch Pattern: a pattern that alternates firing directly at the player ship and firing to both sides. Meant to make the player dodge the first salvo right into the path of the second.

Lotus Pattern: A bullet pattern that forms a pointed-leaf flower shape. The point of the leaf is usually the bullet directly aimed at the player ship.

Sprinkler Pattern: A fixed pattern that fires a spiral of shots.

Pincer Pattern: Twin lines of suppression that sweep forward to herd the player ship to a small spot. Usually followed by an attack at that spot.

[BulletMagnet]

Suppression: The term makes sense, but I don't know if I've ever heard it used in relation to shmups before...then again I guess you don't hear "Enclosure" all that often either. In any event I'll keep it in mind.

Bolt: It sounds rather similar to "Needle" off the cuff; is there a distinction I've not noted?

Bait-and-Switch: Not a bad proposal, I wouldn't mind adding it, though like "Suppression" it might be a term we have to popularize forcefully through use, heh.

Lotus: Hmm...I can envision it and know what you're talking about, but I wonder if it's a bit too specific.

Sprinkler: I coulda sworn there was already a term in there for this type of pattern, but I can't find it for the life of me...

Pincer: This sounds more like a sub-set of Enclosure/Suppression to me off the cuff.

Thanks for keeping the discussion going!

[Mischief Maker]

Bolt: It sounds rather similar to "Needle" off the cuff; is there a distinction I've not noted?

Less specific than the needle definition currently in the library. Just a line-shaped bullet.

Lotus: Hmm...I can envision it and know what you're talking about, but I wonder if it's a bit too specific.

Oh, that's gotta be a lotus flower! It can't only be Christian religious iconography that gets randomly inserted into Japanese videogames! Especially considering Zun's penchant for busting out Buddhist Swastika-shaped patterns in the extra stages of Touhou.

Pincer: This sounds more like a sub-set of Enclosure/Suppression to me off the cuff.

As I said, I'm coming up with these while mapping Cho Ren Sha, and that game uses this specific pattern so much it was easier just to give it a name than describe it using more general terms over and over.

[BulletMagnet]

Less specific than the needle definition currently in the library. Just a line-shaped bullet.

Hmmm...it's not "official", but the word that usually comes to mind when I see a bullet like that is "football" (the destructible spinning things in Space Megaforce are my prime examples). Though I suppose that term only works from an American perspective, heh.

Oh, that's gotta be a lotus flower! It can't only be Christian religious iconography that gets randomly inserted into Japanese videogames!

I don't doubt the inspiration behind it, but again, I'm just unsure whether said pattern is common/general enough to really belong here. I've definitely seen it, just not sure how frequently offhand...

[Aleksei]

LB-LLAC, Last bomb-last life adrenalin clear. Maybe someone can think of a better way of saying that.

Example: http://youtu.be/ktKJu_mWatY

[BulletMagnet]

To be paired up, of course, with the far more common LBLLAF.

[Aleksei]

To be paired up, of course, with the far more common LBLLAF.

Definitely .

[Captain]

Utilized charge : The player ship has a chargable weapon and/or bomb, and it can use the...uh...charge to do stuff, like kill enemies, cancel bullets, shield yourself..

Examples include Dogyuun, ESP Ra De, Mars Matrix, and possibly Recca (Giga Wing has no charge attack, the reflecting is all it ever does, it does not charge to anything)