Shooter making for dummies

So we've all pretty much figured out how to actually PLAY shmups, since dodging bullets comes naturally after doing it 700 times. But how about taking a trip through the display screen, and breaking on through to the other side of shmup gaming? I'm taking about making shmups, something I'll bet most players have wanted to give a shot some time in their gaming life. You must be thinking, "but Postman, I don't have any programming skills! The only thing I know about C+ is that it's a grade I got in chemistry in high school!" I'm in the
same boat, but have no fear. Luckily there are a handful of shmup level editors that can make creating levels in shmups easy enough for simpletons like us to tackle it. These SLE's are few and far between, but I feel that creators who took the time to release such tools to the public should be acknowledged.

First up, we have the Dezaemon Construction Kit series. These spanned many consoles from Super Nintendo to Sega Saturn, however were never released in the US. Therefore creating a game can be very difficult without understanding what exactly is going on. Some people have fought through the translation issues and figured things out, creating top notch games. I don't have any first hand dealing with the Dezaemon series, so I can't expand further. Check these links for more info:
http://lmnz.at.infoseek.co.jp/dezaemoners.htm
http://shigatake.web.infoseek.co.jp/deza/M-deza.html


Next we take a look at Shooter Maker 95. And by look I mean just a screenshot. This one's a bit too complicated for my taste. See all those icons? Ugh......too many icons......











Just recently added to the database was Black Star: First Attack. Which just so happens to have a level editor program. This one looks a bit more user friendly, but sadly I didn't mess with this version either (I should really do more research before blogging, but time is so hard to find....I like to give the shmup fans lots of material, even if it's not in-depth....)






For those who purchased the full version of Ultra Assault, the editor for that game is included in the package. Now we are moving into the more professional construction kits, as the UA is very user friendly and allows for easy interaction with the level. Just use the mouse on the grid to the right of the screen to navigate the level. Those circles show enemy and power up placements.






And finally we look at my favorite of the bunch, and the only one I've spend some actual time with making levels, Galactic Gladiator Level Editor. After reading some simple directions, the GGLE makes it very easy for you to make some killer scenarios for the Gladiator game. Enemies are preset, along with their paths. You can group them together forcing you to kill the group for a powerup, or just pick one from the formation. Change the scroll speed just by inputting a new number in the boxes at the bottom of the screen. Simplicity at it best!


The GG editor was released by the team here: http://www.galacticgladiator.com/
Currently I don't think there is a download link on the main site, it may have been mentioned on their forum how to score a copy.

These examples are only the tip of the iceberg. However none of them are the "killer shmup creation app" that I'm just longing for. One that will let you import your own sprites, create boss behaviors, program bullet patters......if one of the shmup fans could create something like that, I'd have my hands full for a long time.