SHMUP SURVIVAL GUIDE 101 - Beginner Dodge Theory

Hey everyone!

Here's Episode 1 of my SHMUP SURVIVAL GUIDE 101 mini-series!
In this episode we explore beginner dodge theory including attack types, patterns, homing attacks, and other facets.

Thanks to OneMoreQuarter for suggesting I cover some of these things.
And a massive thanks to Autumn for helping edit this.

Enjoy the video!

Or you can find me on Twitter and Instagram @shmuptopia
and we have a Discord server too for those interested!

[davy_K]

The great players hardly move their ship and when they do it's a small move. Big sweeping moves look great but they reduce the level of control you have. They know their route and are always in the "right place" to take out the troublesome enemies before they spit out too many bullets. It's a great feeling when you find where that right place is in a tricky section and subsequently find it a great deal easier. It's one of the joys of the genre.

[jsteinbrink]

"Micro dodge in your little pocket of terror." What a great guide with picturesque wording to match, dude!! No matter how long I play, I still note the homing attacks with annoyance lol.

[EMMA-GAMES]

Ok these visuals and examples rule, straight up. Doctor of graphics design much? xD

[LittleBigKidb]

I've watched you before, but just came to really appreciate your contribution to the genre. No elitist B.S, just a down to earth and friendly tone to your videos. Thank you.

[mansmo]

I watched this guide about a year ago, and now that I'm rewatching it, everything makes much more sense. I still have a long way to go, but since then I've managed to 1all Batsugun Special and Batrider on normal, as well as other novice modes. Bullet streaming and herding alone made a huge difference. Thank you so much.

[steel]

I can watch these videos all day, every day, and still die to some random bullet I didn't see. I feel like I need to snort something to play these games lol
Thanks for the guides, I AM getting better despite the frustrations.

[AKTANEARCADE]

This is genius as hell!!! Super clean guide! Dacemaku Unlimited 3 ?! This is awesome ! The John Madden of Shmups in the making. Super specific and very survival focused which I really like. The visuals seriously help a lot and Speedkilling / pointblanking i.e. order of operations and who to kill first is super important in a lot of games. I love the idea of "dangerzone" and trying to identify them and stay away from them, or create / eliminate them. Never ever heard the term enclosing pattern, and that is something that I totally had no idea how to explain in the future, and will be using that term!

[VinuShmup]

Very nice guide! Useful and well explain with your diagrams 👍. Cool to see some Vasara too :D

[digitalworms]

A great game to practice is omega blast! It's for Sega Genesis but it's a fan made shmup caravan shooter! To practice or warm up this is a great one to try! Grab a emulator and grab it worth the time!

[PunkMetal]

Outstanding video! I love shmups and I like to think I’m a competent player but there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement. Will be studying this video as well as practicing myself!

[kokhen]

Amazing video! One of the best I've seen!

[jujukenobi]

Amazing guide! It cover most the situations that any shmup player will face. The editing is super clean and it manages to be generic while being extensive.
I especially like how you stress out that there are different ways to deal with one specific situation/pattern but the option you choose matters a lot depending of the next coming threat. That is probably the most impostant thing to understand in terms of routing.

[mattatsu]

An amazing guide! Thank you Dave! This is something I am going to have to re-visit a lot and practice, to really let these tactics and ideas sink in. Great resource!

[prodoomer]

This is great, looking forward to the next one!

[driftingautumn]

Always love when you discuss the different facets of shmups! Mastering, or even just getting used to how bullet patterns, dodging etc work can be hard. Another great video!

[GojiGuy]

This is a great beginner video. I really love the visuals and diagrams used to compliment the concepts and the short duration of the video to keep it concise and clear. Great stuff!

[scowsh]

Really enjoyed that Dace, as a newbie to more seriously playing stgs it’s always good to revise the basics and this is well explained in a succinct way - you fit all the ideas in without any filler, fab job!

[martinwohrle]

Great insights, and excellent presentation, thanks!! My nemesis are overlapping patterns, like with Esprade's S4 boss. I can find my way around easier shmups after 1, 5 years of playing, but with those Cave games I still struggle a lot.

[atysensei]

4:25 does Cave games got bullet sealing?

[MrVyvyanbasterd]

The message of this is very good, but you are using more words than necessary to get it across. There are too many cuts to the wavy VHS-style "SHMUPTOPIA" logo while you explain more than you need to. It improves significantly around the 5 minute mark, where you're more laser-focused in setting up the situation and illustrating how to navigate it.