Shmup Post #4

Tuesday October 1, 2024

This is my fourth attempt at writing something about shmups. My original plan was to grind shmups for 6 months, logging how I felt about the games and my skill level, assuming I’d have cool and interesting things to say about the learning process or some shit. If I was lucky, I’d even get a 1cc during month 6 to wrap it all in a bow. 6 months later, I have a lot to reflect on. Most of it is unrelated to shmups.

I’m holding back the urge to re-dump info from the previous drafts into this post. The thoughts I typed out in those drafts are like a virus. Trying to summarize them in a new, clean document just spreads the virus and results in more drafts.

I realized after discarding one draft after another that I really gatekeep the shit out of myself. It feels like I couldn’t possibly be allowed to post or even talk about DoDonPachi, Third Strike, drawing, etc. until I have some arbitrary level of skill that makes me qualified to have an opinion. I want to put a certain amount of time and effort into something before I start talking about it, which is why I regularly consider deleting my post about Street Fighter Alpha 3 as well as the entire reviews section. But the amount of time and effort it takes to deem myself worthy obviously changes as I learn more, which can lead to me never posting about something that I really want to post about. This “never good enough” mindset also poisons my real life, and it’s a pretty miserable way to live. I like to talk, but I’m always afraid of sounding stupid. It’s a fucked up combo. I preface a lot of things with “I don’t know what I’m talking about, but…” even though the person that’s listening/reading:

Already knows that
Doesn’t care either way

So when I look at that old post about Alpha 3, it’s better to think “I have already learned so much more” instead of “Damn I was a fucking idiot.” Also, it doesn’t even matter if I look like an idiot. If I was a genius, a billion morons would still think I’m an idiot. I can just make another fuckin’ post later if I really want to. I actually do plan on revisiting Alpha 3, and I think it’ll end up being a fun post to write.

Anyway, let’s talk about some shmups already. Geez.

I like CAVE games

From the beginning, I was pretty sure that a CAVE game would be the one that hooks me. I really like the regular/focus shot mechanic, as well as the vibrant and easy to read bullets. I got so used to my rotation of CAVE games that when I’d try another shmup made by Raizing or Capcom, I found myself whizzing into a bullet I didn’t notice more frequently.

The three that I have been playing (due to having easy access to them via MiSTercade) are DoDonPachi, ESP Ra. De., and Progear no Arashi.

My girlfriend does not like shmups

I never thought she would like to play them, but it’s pretty funny how she pretty much avoids looking at them. We watch each other play games pretty often, and usually it doesn’t matter what the game is. It’s cool to watch her play Mr. Do! because she’s fucking sick at that game, and she somehow was relatively interested while I was playing Stellar Blade. However, as soon as a shmup is on the screen she checks out entirely. She says shmups are for guys, and when a woman says that something “is for guys” that’s how you know it’s good.

Actually, nobody I know likes shmups. It would be cool if a friend was also grinding a game, but it is what it is, and I still have fun. Some of them might think shmups look cool, but I can’t imagine them setting up shmupMAME and loading a save state 400 times in a row.

I don’t think I’ll ever play for score

I really like playing these games “for survival.” The long term goal of a 1cc or a 1-ALL feels like a reasonable push to improve at the game(s), but playing for score seems completely out of reach. Maybe that just means I’m not “there” yet, because if someone is so good that clearing a game isn’t really exciting anymore, why wouldn’t they try to squeeze out more fun at the highest level? Of the three games I mentioned earlier, I think Progear has the most appealing score system, but I’ll get to that later.

Progear

Progear is my favorite shmup. There are two pilots and three gunners to choose from, but the biggest difference in gameplay comes from the choice of pilot. The first one has a wide shot that does little damage from a distance, but huge damage up close. The other guy has a regular, more narrow shot that does medium damage no matter the distance. The shots work kind of in the opposite way of DoDonPachi. The regular (pilot) shot does more damage than the focused (gunner) shot, but the focused shot has the benefit of homing in on enemies. Switching between the two is how you take advantage of the “jeweling” mechanic, which is my favorite scoring system of the bunch.

Here is detailed info on the Shmups Wiki. I didn’t understand it at all when I first started playing, but that explanation makes total sense now that I already understand how the jewels work. Here is my oversimplification:

Shoot a big cluster of enemies and bullets with the regular shot to make rings.
When loaded with rings, shoot the next big cluster of enemies and bullets with the homing shot to make gems.
Repeat

I like this loop not only because it looks and sounds awesome, but because it really helps survival. When bullets turn to rings/gems, it deletes threats right off the screen. A situation that would normally cost me a life can be saved if I was paying attention to the ring level and focus on the right enemies at the right time. I can squeeze out of tough spots by cashing out early and cancelling fewer bullets into tiny gems. Of course, it’s the most satisfying when I’m really on that shit, getting massive clusters of diamonds at a time. I know I already said my girlfriend doesn’t like shmups, but she hates the gem pickup sound. I love it.

I love the art style and music too. I like that you can change your pilot/gunner’s clothes to the player 2 variants by holding start when you select them. Bolt’s alternate outfit looks tough and Chain is cute as fuck. Despite Chain being the “best”, I think Nail is actually the best. Chain takes too long to start firing, which gets me killed when I need to cancel bullets into gems RIGHT NOW.

The little portrait of your gunner shown after completing a level is a nice touch. Here is a link to all of them on the Shmup Wiki page. If anything I’ve said about this game sounds interesting, just skim that whole page.

When I became more comfortable with stages after lots of practice, I naturally leaned into the scoring mechanic to see if I could figure anything out. It made the early levels a little more interesting, and since I was never actually playing for score, it didn’t feel like a big deal if I blew a big scoring opportunity. I would say that as far as playing for survival, I am very comfortable with levels 1 through 4, but still pretty damn scared of level 5.

Level 1 is pretty boring, mostly because I don’t really know how to milk this level for score. I’ll have to watch more videos. I suppose this is how the desire to play for score begins.
Level 2 is great. The part right before the boss is really satisfying, with lots of (easy) giant ring explosions followed by giant gem explosions.
Level 3 really used to kick my ass. This level is when you really need to start understanding the gem mechanic. There are a lot of instances where you want to not kill an enemy as fast as you can and instead wait for it to fire a cluster of bullets for you to cancel. Being careless about where you are on the screen will also get you killed. Of course those points apply to all the later stages too, but I feel like you can be kind of careless in levels 1 and 2. I can sometimes make the part right before the boss trivial if I’m farming diamonds and cancelling bullets, like in level 2, but it is much easier to get overwhelmed. I used to hate the level 3 boss, but now I think it’s pretty fun, except for a couple annoying bullet patterns.
Level 4 is weird because it scrolls vertically, and it usually costs me some bombs. The boss is pretty intimidating, but that’s what makes it fun. Not only is it a pretty difficult fight, but the scale of the boss and the way it moves around the screen makes it feel really dynamic and unique.
Level 5 has a pretty significant spike in difficulty. Maybe I wouldn’t be saying that if I had some more practice, but at my current skill level there are sections I simply do not know how to deal with without bombs. I usually have enough lives stocked up to make it to the final boss, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. However…

I got the 1cc

🛨

When I say 1cc, I mean 1-All. Progear has 2 loops, so technically a 1cc would mean clearing both loops on one credit.

On September 30th, the final day of the final month, I 1cc’d Progear. I entered level 5 with 5 fucking lives and 3 bombs and thought I might accidentally loop the game. Level 5 proceeded to smoke my ass, and I finished with 0 lives and 1 bomb. Brute forcing level 5 is not optimal. I’d like to practice level 5 a bit more so that if I see this game in public somewhere, I can clear it without banking on levels 1 to 4 being flawless. After the level 5 results screen, I really autistically recorded the ending on my phone with very calm, sparse commentary, then I took a selfie with the name entry screen. I had been a little worried that this moment would feel like nothing. I wouldn’t say it felt like nothing, but I wasn’t popping off. Maybe it’s because I was alone, or maybe it’s because I never allow myself to be happy about anything. My girlfriend was very excited for me, which was cute. It was really fun to play, and I am already wondering what game I should go for next, but I can’t shake the feeling that I did just waste a shit ton of time playing a video game. Although a clear did land right at the end of 6 months, it only took me about a month to clear Progear. I played it occasionally, but I really started playing when I got my second MiSTercade for the Blast City in the beginning of August. I can’t say for sure how many hours of playtime that was, but I think it feels like too much because I definitely neglected other things in my life, just to sit my ass in front of my computer screen and attempt one level of a video game a million times. A video game can’t magically make me happy with my life. Big surprise.

If you want to play Progear (or any arcade shmup) on PC, get shmupMAME and acquire the ROM. You can probably find it. It is best to use shmupMAME over regular MAME or FBNeo since it has lower input lag. Progear is can also be purchased in Capcom Arcade Stadium for cheap. I think I got it for a dollar.

If you like shmups, please leave a comment. I have nobody to talk to in real life about this shit.

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