I'll add some stuff later.
← Older revision
Revision as of 01:52, June 7, 2014
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Without the efforts of W.T. Shmups, Youmu Konpaku and that Cave fanatic (SPC had the right idea but.. yeah.. nah, you're a cunt) there would be next to zero awareness of shmups on /v/. This genre isn't meant to be a niche one - it's meant to be bustling with competition and interest, and not just from those non-gamer Touhou retards on /jp/. The online communities are still going strong and there's plenty of room for new players to etch their mark on the leaderboards. It's my hope that if you've made it this far you're at least moderately interested in the topic at hand, in which case read on intrepid pilot and see if shoot 'em ups are right for you!
Without the efforts of W.T. Shmups, Youmu Konpaku and that Cave fanatic (SPC had the right idea but.. yeah.. nah, you're a cunt) there would be next to zero awareness of shmups on /v/. This genre isn't meant to be a niche one - it's meant to be bustling with competition and interest, and not just from those non-gamer Touhou retards on /jp/. The online communities are still going strong and there's plenty of room for new players to etch their mark on the leaderboards. It's my hope that if you've made it this far you're at least moderately interested in the topic at hand, in which case read on intrepid pilot and see if shoot 'em ups are right for you!
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=== Why you should play ===
=== Why you should play ===
Let's face it, we're regressing into a terminal casual state with exposure to current market trends. If the front page of /v/ is any indicator, people don't much care for developing skill anymore. Whatever happened to the games that tossed you to the wolves? Ones where you carved out your own achievements and goals instead of having them handed to you? The games where success wasn't equated to how much time you could throw at it, but through how well you could exercise ability? Unfortunately the world has moved on to new paradigms and these titles have been tossed to the bargain bins due to their rigid, complex texture. Shoot 'em ups may not be lauded in the same breath as fighters, twitch shooters or real-time strategy games due to the dynamic element of multiplayer, but it doesn't negate the fact that all of these games have astronomically high skill ceilings. It takes a lot of practice, willpower and skill to master a shmup, and infinitely more to display that mastery ''consistently''.
Let's face it, we're regressing into a terminal casual state with exposure to current market trends. If the front page of /v/ is any indicator, people don't much care for developing skill anymore. Whatever happened to the games that tossed you to the wolves? Ones where you carved out your own achievements and goals instead of having them handed to you? The games where success wasn't equated to how much time you could throw at it, but through how well you could exercise ability? Unfortunately the world has moved on to new paradigms and these titles have been tossed to the bargain bins due to their rigid, complex texture. Shoot 'em ups may not be lauded in the same breath as fighters, twitch shooters or real-time strategy games due to the dynamic element of multiplayer, but it doesn't negate the fact that all of these games have astronomically high skill ceilings. It takes a lot of practice, willpower and skill to master a shmup, and infinitely more to display that mastery ''consistently''.
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== How you can play ==
== How you can play ==
Due to their low production costs, ease of development and portability, shooting games are available on practically every platform in existence, though there are some platforms with more illustrious libraries than others. While it's possible to emulate nearly every shmup released before 2005 you'd do well to support your favorite (non-defunct) developers, as actually owning a game lets you develop attachment to it, further compelling you to beat it.
Due to their low production costs, ease of development and portability, shooting games are available on practically every platform in existence, though there are some platforms with more illustrious libraries than others. While it's possible to emulate nearly every shmup released before 2005 you'd do well to support your favorite (non-defunct) developers, as actually owning a game lets you develop attachment to it, further compelling you to beat it.
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=== PC ===
=== PC ===
==== Arcade emulation ====
==== Arcade emulation ====
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*'''[http://shmupmame.wordpress.com/ Shmupmame]''' ([http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=30659 original thread]) - Lagless gameplay for a lot of popular titles, with a few compiled drivers not emulable in the original MAME release.
*'''[http://shmupmame.wordpress.com/ Shmupmame]''' ([http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=30659 original thread]) - Lagless gameplay for a lot of popular titles, with a few compiled drivers not emulable in the original MAME release.
*'''[http://www.kawaks.net/ WinKawaks]''' - Neo Geo/Capcom specialized emulator with netplay support. Very few STGs, but what it can do it does well.
*'''[http://www.kawaks.net/ WinKawaks]''' - Neo Geo/Capcom specialized emulator with netplay support. Very few STGs, but what it can do it does well.
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==== Console emulation ====
==== Console emulation ====
It would take a long time to compile every good emulator here. Just know that console emulation is a pretty good option with backups lasting a lot longer than physical media. There's also usually save state support, quite a few aesthetic options (e.g. scanlines, filters, etc.) and the ability to use a non-native controller via USB.
It would take a long time to compile every good emulator here. Just know that console emulation is a pretty good option with backups lasting a lot longer than physical media. There's also usually save state support, quite a few aesthetic options (e.g. scanlines, filters, etc.) and the ability to use a non-native controller via USB.
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<u>'''Nintendo'''</u>:
<u>'''Nintendo'''</u>:
*'''[[Wii]]''' -
*'''[[Wii]]''' -
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*'''[[Nintendo DS|DS]]''' -
*'''[[Gamecube]]''' -
*'''[[Gamecube]]''' -
*'''[[Gameboy Advance]]''' -
*'''[[Gameboy Advance]]''' -
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*'''[[TurboGrafx-16#Turbo_CD|Turbo CD/PC Engine CD]]''' - Arguably, one could say this is this is to console shmups what Elvis is to rock n' roll. Hudson Soft championed this console with their shmups, but other companies had some nice inputs as well.
*'''[[TurboGrafx-16#Turbo_CD|Turbo CD/PC Engine CD]]''' - Arguably, one could say this is this is to console shmups what Elvis is to rock n' roll. Hudson Soft championed this console with their shmups, but other companies had some nice inputs as well.
*'''[[MSX/MSX2]]''' - An oddball when it came to shmups. Due to scrolling issues, they had to make some creative compromises. One element of note is that some games have alternate stages and songs exclusive to their MSX versions.
*'''[[MSX/MSX2]]''' - An oddball when it came to shmups. Due to scrolling issues, they had to make some creative compromises. One element of note is that some games have alternate stages and songs exclusive to their MSX versions.
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==== Importing ====
=== Arcades ===
=== Arcades ===
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Check out [http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_build_kickass_mame_arcade_rig_old_pc_pics How to Build Your Own MAME Cabinet] for more information.
Check out [http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_build_kickass_mame_arcade_rig_old_pc_pics How to Build Your Own MAME Cabinet] for more information.
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=== Display and Controls ===
== Improving your skill level ==
== Improving your skill level ==
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Another important factor to note is avoiding bullets. You don't want to look directly at your hitbox, nor even directly at the bullets. You want to look at where the bullets aren't, where they won't be, and move into that space. It's sort of strange to think about it, but you're not as much dodging the bullets as placing yourself where it will be safe.
Another important factor to note is avoiding bullets. You don't want to look directly at your hitbox, nor even directly at the bullets. You want to look at where the bullets aren't, where they won't be, and move into that space. It's sort of strange to think about it, but you're not as much dodging the bullets as placing yourself where it will be safe.
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== Competitive play ==
== Entry-level games ==
== Entry-level games ==
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|PC
|PC
|[[File:Th06.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Th06.jpg|200px]]
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|-
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|Touhou 7:<br />Perfect Cherry Blossom [[File:Th07cover.jpg|150px]]
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|CHERRIES! Patterns get prettier, music is more catchy; this shit is amazing! Adds a “Cherry Gauge” that gives a shield at set intervals, increases the collected point values the higher it gets, and turns red power-ups into cherries in Full Power Mode. In addition to the Cherry Gauge there's a new playable character, Sakuya the maid (from ''Touhou 6'').
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|PC
−
|[[File:Th07.jpg|200px]]
|-
|-
|Touhou 8: Imperishable Night [[File:Th08cover.jpg|150px]]
|Touhou 8: Imperishable Night [[File:Th08cover.jpg|150px]]
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|PC
|PC
|[[File:Th08.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Th08.jpg|200px]]
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|-
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|Touhou 9: Phantasmagoria of Flower View [[File:Th09cover.jpg|150px]]
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|If you have someone to play with or want to challenge another player online, this game's for you. Certain levels of your charged weapon, when used, throw tons of bullets or even bosses onto the enemy's screen. Gets real hectic quite fast. Battling against computer AI isn't recommended as even on normal settings their dodge patterns are superhuman until a death occurs, which branches into artificial difficulty.
|PC
|PC
|[[File:Th09.jpg|150px]]
|[[File:Th09.jpg|150px]]