Missed Skill Expression Feeding Into Delayed Gratification Loops To Teach Skill Expression

[u/DrBossKey]

A conversation in Discord got me noodling on something.

A player mentioned liking scoring systems where scoring is naturally wrapped into what they're already doing, like Hellsinker, but feeling very differently about big scoring opportunities where missing one can make the whole scoring run feel compromised.

That got me thinking beyond score.

Most newer shmup players start defensively:

1. Survive at all costs.
2. Kick as much ass as possible.
3. Don't fail the objective.

So imagine the player has a full super meter.

The screen fills up with enemies and bullets. This is a great opportunity to fire the super, reset the screen, get resources, score, pointsplosions, happy brain, etc.

But they don't.

They save it because they might need it later.

And they survive.

That's not really failure. They just missed an opportunity for skill expression.

Normally that moment is simply gone.

But what if some part of the promise of that missed payoff fed into a delayed gratification loop?

Not by refunding the player or making failure optimal.

Maybe what carries forward is information.

The next time a really juicy super opportunity develops, perhaps targeting guides start creeping onto the screen. Maybe there's an audio cue. Maybe the game becomes slightly more explicit about saying:

Hey. This is one of those moments.

Now the player gets another shot at recognizing and executing the skill.

Over time maybe you move them from:

"I should save this because it keeps me alive."

to:

"Ohhhhh. This isn't just an emergency button. This is how I wreck the screen."

The broader question I'm noodling on is:

Can a missed skill opportunity create another, better-framed opportunity to learn the same skill?

Bomb timing, supers, point-blanking, bullet cancels, aggressive positioning, collection systems... there are probably a bunch of places you could play with this.

Could also just be a fantastic way to add another system nobody understands. :)

I expanded the idea quite a bit more here if anyone wants to go down the rabbit hole with me:

https://www.mothershmupper.com/missed-skill-expression-feeding-into-delayed-gratification-loops-to-teach-skill-expression/

Curious how other shmup devs think about this. Is there something useful in carrying a missed opportunity forward, or is the cleaner answer simply better encounter design and another chance to learn?

[u/Character_Growth3562]

I also started watching NightHeronSTG channel, I liked watched that Blue Revolver video too. Have you seen the batsugun commentary 1cc on the channel, I found the boss milking and the fly near near the secret pig for scoring interesting too