Shmup Theory

[GSZX1337]

Do you prefer horizontal or vertical scrolling?

I prefer horis.

Is a story line important to anyone?

To me, a storyline isn't required for any game. If the game is fun, the story is just a bonus.

Level select

If I remember right, Raiden IV had level select. You could play any of the levels you beat. I think that while this is a nice feature, these games are just too short to make it an appreciated feature.

multiple paths and secrets/hidden areas are important features and aspects of a Shmup that is often overlooked in my opinion.

I think that the problem with multiple paths in shmups is because a shmup player (at least a hardcore guy) is more than likely going to just play the same path over and over again so that they can 1CC the game or get a higher score.

Also, since shmups don't emphasize exploration and you don't have control of the pacing, hidden paths probably wouldn't be appreciated.

I think it's pretty obvious why those features are not in shmups. *cough*development time*cough*

I haven't played any bad shmups (though, Zero Wing was pretty bland) but I do realize some things a good one needs:

Fast Gameplay - A slow shmup would really suck unless it was intended as a beginner's shmup.

Bullet Patterns - A shmup should not have bullets fire out in a random mishmash of dots. They need to have patterns so that the player can dodge.

Contrasting Bullet Colors - There's a reason why Ketsui and Mars Matrix have bright blue and pink bullets. The bullets should not be a similar color to the background. A dark green laser would get lost over a forest.

Score Multipliers - Those always make shmups more fun. Chaining makes getting a high score in Radiant Silvergun less tedious than if you were just shooting every enemy.

Easy Weapon Selection - If your shmup has more than one weapon, you better have a selection scheme that allows the player to switch weapons quickly without much thought. This is why NanoStray was difficult even though you had a health bar. Whenever you wanted to switch weapons, you have to take your eyes off the screen and touch the screen. This leads to many deaths.

That's it for now.

[Frizz.Meister]

In a list i would say a good shmup:

-Has great control
-Has some sort of unique/orginal feature
-Doesnt have stupidly fast moving bullets
-Has good bullet patterns not just random single bullets everywhere
-Has great visuals
-Has a great soundtrack
-Is no longer than 25minutes
-Doesnt have bullets coming from behind you (Seriously who enjoys those deaths?)
-Has a simple but difficult way to boost your score (DoDonpachis chain/laser)
-Does not require 100% memerisation (thats not skill thats a lecture)

But then i dislike many of the shmups people here love. Ikargua i found to be terrible with its picky 3 of each colour chaining system and level ranking. But the recently released Fast striker is great (apart from the crappy backgrounds) and pretty much anything made by cave i love.

[benevicious]

I prefer vertical, when horizontal is done well though (progear and others) I can enjoy it.

Contrasting bullet patterns are a must in my book. One of the more popular ones, which features ww2ish planes uses like grey handgun bullet looking icons for shots. They just blend right into the background.

A defined hitbox, either shown via the demo mode/ship select, or visible during game play. I prefer the bullet hell type games where its more of a puzzle to move through a pattern than have lightning quick reflexes.

Some kind of slowing/focus shot.

Different game modes, mushi futari 360 is the best example of this i can think of.

Newb accessibility, either via allowing credit feeding, or custom game settings ala raiden fighters aces. Sometimes I just want to blow ships up and progress in a game. Or recommend something to a friend.

[skate323k137]

Ikargua i found to be terrible with its picky 3 of each colour chaining system and level ranking. But the recently released Fast striker is great (apart from the crappy backgrounds) and pretty much anything made by cave i love.

To each his own I guess... Ikaruga is still fun if you play to survive all the levels first, then worry about chaining/scoring. IMO that game is one hell of a work of art. I've no-miss-cleared easy mode once, and that was the most intense 25 minutes of gaming in my life.

Most of what I like has been covered by other posters; good patterns, bright bullets, innovative scoring system. I also like the slow-move feature when holding down shot or another button.

For home ports anyway, button mapping is a must, and I can't say I recall this being an issue with many games. In a lot of games I map my main shot (pointer finger) to rapid and normal shot to my thumb for slow-move, then leave bomb on my middle finger and any other special function (like kakusei in ESPgaluda) on my ring finger.

While I prefer vertical scrolling, a couple horizontals like Gradius V and DeathSmiles definitely stand out. Different paths, as mentioned by other posters, can definitely add to replay value.

[brunoafh]

I just really enjoying testing my reflexes (hand/eye coordination I guess) at high speeds, preferably with some great music playing. Shumps have a knack for having very pleasing OSTs.

I can really appreciate the inherent simpleness of design that all shumps put forward. My favorite type of game is a straight-foward one that doesn't take itself overly serious, so nothing compares to booting up my shooter of choice and just hammering out the levels for a few hours. It's just pure gameplay at it's finest.

Is a story line important to anyone?

To me, a storyline isn't required for any game. If the game is fun, the story is just a bonus.

Well said, well said.

the recently released Fast striker is great

Agreed, I couldn't put that one down when my copy arrived. I hear NG.Dev team is working on a run and gun now.

[J T]

Excellent thread topic!

For me, shmups are all about creating a sense of flow. If it's a good shmup, then there is a sense of oneness with me and the game. I go into a trance-like state as I weave my way through waves of bullets. When it works, I find myself being amazed at my own skill for darting in and out of tiny spaces to stay alive. A good shmup demands my full attention spread out across the whole screen so that I end up losing track of my thoughts and the outside world. There is just my spaceship, my bullets, my enemies, their bullets. That is all.

This means that what makes a good shmup are the ebb and flow of patterns. The enemies move in patterns, the bullets spray in patterns. When you look at the big picture of bullet sprays, you should be able to recognize spirals, sine waves, v shapes, fire work expansions, or various other kinds of shapes and patterned movement. There always needs to be an opening though, where you can narrowly escape the onslaught. Good level design in shmups will fluctuate the demand on attention. They can push hard with complex waves of bullets for awhile, but they should pull back and give you breathers where you can just stop and notice the beautiful graphics in the scenery.

Playing a good shmup is like dancing with a videogame. You flow with the game and improvise your movements with the patterns of enemies and bullets that come your way. Every twist, turn, slide, and dash should have a sort of rhythm to it that pulls you around the screen and sucks you into that meditative state that leads to gamer nirvana.

[Weebacca]

I had to register JUST because I wanted to put in my two cents.

While I do love all shooters, there are a few things that make the game appeal to my taste.

I prefer:
Vertical Shooters, Bullet Hell Flavor
Complex scoring system
A "Focus Fire" system
A nice mix of 2D and 3D

But of all things I mentioned, there is one thing that I really gets me super excited about a shooter:

The player has to be a space ship.

I know what some of you are thinking, "the gameplay matters," and I totally agree. But there's something about being a person flying (or walking in the case of Guwange) shooting spaceship-like bullets that bothers me. I don't know what it is, I just feel like I have more incentive to dodge bullets in a spaceship.

I also had to register JUST to agree with you

Im straight away put off by flying people, it just seems so unnatural compared to a spaceship, im glad im not the only one that thinks this!

[MrPopo]

For me the first thing is that the weapons need to be satisfying to use. Söldner-X's weapons take too many shots to kill enemies and the impact is piddly, so it feels like I'm vastly underpowered. Compare that with the weapons you get in the various Cave games. Even when an enemy takes a second of sustained fire to kill it looks like your shots are totally destroying him.

The second is well defined and dodgable shots. I don't want to feel like I died because the game tricked me or blindsided me. I want it to be that I was given a reasonable amount of time (in shmup time) to react to an enemy.

I prefer verticals because I hate battling with the stage. Many of the horis tend to design the terrain just to screw with the player, even getting to the point that you have to precisely navigate timed gates or die. There are a couple verts that can kill you with terrain, but they tend to be brief sequences that are designed for reactions. MUSHA comes to mind (Ikaruga's more of a puzzle game, so I'm willing to forgive it). Conversely, Deathsmiles doesn't kill you on terrain, so it's much easier to use as a tool in the player's favor instead of a way to screw the player over.

Finally, nothing is worse to me than a health bar. Games with health bars tend to be designed around making you take some damage, so your ability to dodge will suffer. It removes the consequences for bad play until they pile up all at once. You can have a life system without interrupting play; look to Deathsmiles for a great implementation.

[brunoafh]

Finally, nothing is worse to me than a health bar. Games with health bars tend to be designed around making you take some damage, so your ability to dodge will suffer. It removes the consequences for bad play until they pile up all at once. You can have a life system without interrupting play; look to Deathsmiles for a great implementation.

Or Lords of Thunder