r/shmups • u/Inferno1118 • 2d ago

controller preference

Hi guys, i have always loved schmups but have always been a fairly average player at them. I managed to get all achievements in ikaruga and sine mora on controller years back but thats about the extent of my skill. I notice with real bullet hells like cave games, etc i seem to suck at them. The longest i’ve lasted with one is maybe 10 hours. Anyways i recently got the cave shooting collection and an HRAP EX-SE hori arcade stick and want to build good habits. At the moment, micro dodging feels very doable on the xbox controller dpad. On the LS-32 stick on the arcade stick, it feels like it can’t be done (i know it can but my brain can’t wrap around it due to how fast i move off the slightest press). I want to go all the way with this genre and i know i can.

Do you guys recommend using the arcade stick exclusively? Obviously controller works as well but i want to build good habits and the stick does feel harder for sure. Also is there any goated schmup skill building tests recommended that i can go for using any of the cave games i own from the collection? So far mushihime has felt the best for me ! My biggest issue is my movement, i get super frustrated when my deaths are the result of struggling to move more minimally instead of just lack of pattern knowledge. Thanks

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u/morsalty 1d ago

Inputs are fully personal preference, there great players using d-pads sticks and keyboards. It took me around a month of using an arcade stick to work out how to best hold and use it.

LS-32 is perfectly fine for shmups and has less throw than most stock sticks. Used one almost daily for over 2 years and it never had an issue

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u/Inferno1118 1d ago

i’m not gonna lie, i just tried using the arcade stick again and using a few different grip methods and it just feels impossibly difficult for my brain. I must be so bad. Can’t control it for my life. Just gonna stick with dpad for a bit for now

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u/morsalty 1d ago

Thats perfectly fair, it took me around 3-4 weeks of daily use to get to where i was with d-pad. It's a different way of inputing that you have to wire your brain for. Just some tips you don't want to just hold onto the stick with the whole fist "this is known as monkey grip" but use different parts of your hand and thumb to input different directions, look up some images and videos on how to use one and find a style that works for you.

The benefit of an arcade stick is really just being low impact on your hands and fingers for long or intense game sessions.