Shmups

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ratsoalbion
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Re: Shmups

Post by ratsoalbion »

Fuckin A.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

I totally agree but not sure what Josh was replying to specifically. Have I come across as elitist in some way? I hope not. I suspect it's a more general comment in light of recent chat about difficulty, etc.

Very much enjoying the odd romp through Daifukkatsu on Novice, actually. It's great to learn the stages better and as clippa said, it's really helpful to learn where the bees spawn. I prefer the challenge of normal difficulty, I must be honest, and the sense of improvement and progression, but the options are there and it can only be a good thing.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Shmups

Post by ratsoalbion »

I didn’t think that was aimed at you mate.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

OK, cheers! :)
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Nah... definitely not bagging anyone out on here.

Part of that was getting a bit caught up in the general difficulty discussion in recent articles (usually Sekiro related). Hard to get out of my head!

But also its just encouraging others, and finding gateways to this genre. It can seem intimidating if you’re not as invested as most of us already are.

And I guess my intention was to broaden the audience, and say it’s okay to suck at these games. I’m getting better myself, but if I wasn’t enjoying the games to begin with I wouldn’t bother, so I understand why some are put off by this genre.

But no, nothing elitist about you guys! Always easy to discuss things with.
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

I love the smaller hitboxes! Sometimes I get far in a game because of skill, but I think the rest is just dumb luck!

And yeah, I find myself dying quicker in Tatsujin than, say, DaiFukkatsu (aka Resurrection). There's definitely a difference in bullet speed/hitbox size. Modern shooters can make you feel God-like, and older shooters remind you that, no, you're not!

But also the other big plus: you can make a lot of progress in a 30 minute session in this genre, whereas in bigger AAA titles 30 minutes might get you through the opening cinematic, then maybe a short tutorial... then maybe you can create a save title. It's more respectful of your time if your short on time. Dying a lot means less within a short time frame, and the turnaround is much quicker.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Just a quick one to say I love this thread. So much truth and enthusiasm in here.

I'd also third and fourth clippa and Josh's points about bullet hell being much harder to the eye, and that's another reason I love the genre. You get so many little buzzes from 'narrowly' avoiding death when you actually have room to spare with the hit boxes. It feels so exciting! They have fucked my attention span, though, and my tolerance for certain gaming tropes. Undoubtedly the worst influence they've had on my life is watching superplays before I go to sleep (if my wife conks out first) because they basically prevent my brain from switching off so I end up feeling wrecked the next day. I can't help myself, though. It's just pure dopamine.

I think that's also why I love playing for score so much. The systems are so deep and complex with 'modern' games that you can make dramatic improvements by changing your hyper timing by a half second and extending your chain by another several hundred or thousand or whatever.

On that note, clippa, any suggestions to eke out a few more points from stage one of Rolling Gunner?

Or any tips for stage two scoring? I can't get more than about 20-25m at the moment. I'll probably try the shmups forum but there doesn't seem to be a tremendous amount of chat about the game, despite how great it is.
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Re: Shmups

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Cheers, I would never have thought about niconico and only know it from the Switch app, in fact. I'll have a good look around there.

I don't really use the shmups forum much but I do lurk and search a bit so I'll throw something in the relevant thread and see if there's any interest. It's a weird one, though, Rolling Gunner. Lord knows why they haven't distributed it through Steam or whatever. It's so quaint sending off for a bloody DVD-ROM from Japan. It's mad! Obviously the Japanese eShop is the easier option for those with a Switch but it's still daft they've not got round to releasing it in Europe. Then again, what the hell has happened to Psyvariar Delta on Switch? Almost a year since that was announced :(

Also, I edited out the vid link because I don't want to be all 'check out my vid like and subscribe', it's not really the C&R house style, but I'm glad you saw it, anyway. It's all about when you hit hyper and double hyper, I'm certain. Also, when you're in double hyper the circle round your ship does additional combo damage, I'm sure, and if you point-blank with your shot and circle, it seems to do extra bonus combo stuff. I don't quite get it but that's my trial and error conclusion.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Shmups

Post by ratsoalbion »

No it’s fine, post away.
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Michiel K
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Re: Shmups

Post by Michiel K »

This thread makes me realise I haven’t been playing enough newer games in the genre, recently. I do play some oldies like Thunder Force III, though. And yeah, I need to sort myself out and write that long promised article.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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Would love to read that article whenever it comes and I'd obviously love another C&R issue on a shmup or two further down the line! :D

And yeah, if it's cool to share here's my Rolling Gunner clip:

https://youtu.be/JI05nsny2Mo

What's up y'all, it's your boy Stan. Buy my book. Etc.

It seems most important to build up that second hyper bonus (bottom number) for the boss. Waiting out the first phase of the 'bubbles' to cancel into as many medals as possible. That cancel sends the bonus fairly close to the 10k max and when you cancel the second set of 'bubbles' with a full screen it hits 10k bonus per medal very quickly and you double your score in a couple of seconds.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Stanshall wrote: April 11th, 2019, 8:15 am What's up y'all, it's your boy Stan. Buy my book. Etc.
I would like to pre-order one Stanshall mug and one Stanshall speedo, if that's okay.

Plenty of users have posted their own footage and pictures over the years. Not sure I understand the hang-ups, to be honest. It's pretty clear you're not posting that in bad faith. :lol:


Anyway, nice video. I obviously can't comment on the strategy used but I'm very eager to try it out.

Of the two shmups you've sung the praise of the most this past year, do you prefer Psyvariar Delta or Rolling Gunner?

Spoiler: show
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Cheers, I'll get the merch rolling. And yeah, on reflection there's plenty of stuff shared on here.
KSubzero1000 wrote: April 11th, 2019, 8:36 am Of the two shmups you've sung the praise of the most this past year, do you prefer Psyvariar Delta or Rolling Gunner?
It's a difficult one, to be honest! They're both fantastic but both quite quirky. Rolling Gunner is probably the more straightforward and familiar/traditional of the two but controlling the second gun takes a bit of getting used to. It's very very good when it clicks and there's a good flow to the stages. I'm also finding the scoring system really interesting. It's not complex in concept but half a second here or there and you find your score drastically changing.

On balance, I'd say my favourite of the two is still Psyvariar Delta. It's definitely the more unusual in that you can ruin your run by shooting enemies (!) but grazing both bullets and enemies to build your chain feels so exciting. When you hit a rhythm and you take advantage of the i-frames each time you LEVEL UPPPP and you fly straight into a burst of bullets to hit your next level and get the i-frames and LEVEL UPPPP and i-frames and LEVEL UPPPP and so on and so on, it's got a flow like little else.

I'll dig out the old goose neck stand and record a replay later on. In the meantime hit that bell, later y'all.
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

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Stanshall wrote: April 11th, 2019, 9:20 am On balance, I'd say my favourite of the two is still Psyvariar Delta. When you hit a rhythm and you take advantage of the i-frames each time you LEVEL UPPPP and you fly straight into a burst of bullets to hit your next level and get the i-frames and LEVEL UPPPP and i-frames and LEVEL UPPPP and so on and so on, it's got a flow like little else.
Here's a vid of my max buzz combo on stage one:

https://youtu.be/Pf7vdPMNZdQ

I did record it at 60fps but it hasn't uploaded that way. Anyway, the actual game is a lot snappier and smoother than that.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Shmups

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Stanshall wrote: April 11th, 2019, 2:28 pm I did record it at 60fps but it hasn't uploaded that way. Anyway, the actual game is a lot snappier and smoother than that.
It takes a while for YouTube to process higher playback quality settings.
Video supports up to 1080p60fps and works perfectly fine on my end. :)

Anyway, looks cool!
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Ah, cheers. And yes looks fine at my end now, too. Well, aside from the obvious technical limitations!
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

Too kind, too kind. That's the result of a billion deaths but I love that Psyvariar does encourage you to go in head first. It feels like you're always just getting away with it and the whole level up thing is a stroke of genius.
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Re: Shmups

Post by Magical_Isopod »

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07QJ43FDV/ ... RCbEXZY5RA

Gleylancer is getting an official reprint in Japan on the Mega Drive. Definitely an interesting curio for those inclined.
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Shmups

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Stanshall wrote: April 11th, 2019, 2:28 pm
Stanshall wrote: April 11th, 2019, 9:20 am On balance, I'd say my favourite of the two is still Psyvariar Delta. When you hit a rhythm and you take advantage of the i-frames each time you LEVEL UPPPP and you fly straight into a burst of bullets to hit your next level and get the i-frames and LEVEL UPPPP and i-frames and LEVEL UPPPP and so on and so on, it's got a flow like little else.
Here's a vid of my max buzz combo on stage one:

https://youtu.be/Pf7vdPMNZdQ

I did record it at 60fps but it hasn't uploaded that way. Anyway, the actual game is a lot snappier and smoother than that.
That video very much inspires me to play Psyvariar tonight! :D
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Stanshall
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Re: Shmups

Post by Stanshall »

I don't think we're Switch mates but we should be! Do we have a friend code thread anywhere? Looking forward to Psyvariar Delta eventually coming out properly and seeing the impressions of a few more folks on here.

And after a fair old wait, my 360 copy of Mushihimesama Futari finally arrived, so I've been playing a good chunk of that. Such a spectacular presentation, the colours and music are amazing. After a good bit of the original and 1.01, I also got the Black Label DLC and that's somehow more spectacular. I'm not exactly sure of the differences but there seem to be more, faster bullets and more bullet cancelling. The medals/petals/crisps also look a bit different and the shot types are also quite different, seem more powerful and have a wider range/lock-on. It's both harder and easier and it's frankly one of the best shmups I've ever played, full stop.

My only minor quibble is that I prefer the original Mushihimesama soundtrack but that's also a question of familiarity, I suppose. They both have awesome boss themes, I must say. Anyway, what a game. I feel absolutely spoiled for choice at the moment, so much stuff I'm enjoying.
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