SHMUP Mastery
A planned course on building a portfolio-ready arcade shooter from menu to game over. The goal is to test interest first, then build the course around the systems people actually want to learn.
Course concept preview
Interest Check
-
01
Feel-first controls
PlannedMovement, input buffering, camera response, and the first five minutes that hook a player.
-
02
Combat feedback
PlannedHit pause, knockback, readable collisions, VFX timing, and the sound hooks that sell every action.
-
03
Enemy patterns
PlannedReadable waves, attack phases, difficulty ramps, telegraphs, and boss encounters that feel earned.
-
04
Upgrade & progression systems
PlannedPower-ups, weapon variants, stat tuning, and the upgrade loop that keeps runs feeling rewarding.
-
05
Game feel polish pass
PlannedScreen shake, hit freeze, particle timing, audio hooks, and the invisible details that make a game feel intentional.
-
06
Shipping surface
PlannedMenus, end states, settings, pause behavior, testing loops, and making your build portfolio-ready.
-
07
Scoring, pacing & replayability
PlannedScore design, risk-reward loops, wave pacing, run structure, and reasons for players to come back.
-
08
Production workflow
PlannedBreaking the build into teachable milestones, avoiding tutorial sprawl, and turning the project into a finished course.
What's coming
Future course tracks
Game-feel systems
A deep-dive course on game-feel techniques: screen shake, hit pause, camera behavior, squash & stretch, and animation gating that works in any engine.
Portfolio builds
Shorter production-led projects that turn tutorial knowledge into playable portfolio pieces with menus, feedback, and endings.
Multiplayer foundations
Client-server thinking, state synchronisation, lag compensation, and the systems that make multiplayer feel fair, taught from first principles.
Stay current
Course updates, not inbox noise.
Early access to SHMUP course modules and tutorial drops before they hit YouTube.