Is the double ship beneficial in Galaga?

Is it worth getting your ship captured (and subsequently released) so you can get double firepower?.

I know it helps kill enemies faster but it also doubles your target area - and some of the stages are bullet hell. Plus if your ship is captured, there is no guarantee you will get it back - since it could be destroyed by friendly fire. It also consumes 1 ship.

Yet I've heard some people swear by getting the double ship. Is it really that much more beneficial? If so why?

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5 Answers

This is a no-brainer. You don't have to do this, but it is one of the only way to get a high score. Without a double-ship, it is exceedingly difficult, close to impossible, to get all the ships on the bonus levels, therefore losing many points.

If you plan on going for a higher score, the double ship is the ONLY way to go, even though it consumes a ship, you get so many more points, and if you finish the bonus round, you get another ship.

It is a very high risk-reward gamble to go for the double ship.

You are not guaranteed to get your ship back if you allow it, and you will definitely lose a ship for doing it.

However, with an increase in firepower comes an increase in security - being able to destroy more enemy ships in a shorter time means less time for them to threaten your two ships. Yes, it also makes you more vulnerable to bullets that DO get through, but that is part of the high-risk factor.

Given that it is the only way in the game to improve your firepower, it is also a fairly good reward for the risk, especially since earing points faster means you can make up the lost ship more easily.

If you are fairly confident in your dodging ability, and want to go for a top score, it's a gamble worth considering.

Yes it is...it gets more hits and greatly helps on the bonus levels. I have gotten pretty far by using it. In order to claim your ship you must defeat the leader while he is in mid flight..i had issues when defeating him when he was up top.

Try passing the first level. Destroy all but 2 capture drones in the second level. Get captured(When there's two I'm pretty sure they stop again). Recapture your ship and don't move. This positions you to get perfect on the first bonus level. Giving you your extra life by the third level. Make your opinion from there. I do that, then return to 1 ship if it's destroyed.

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I found it to have such a steep learning curve at first, but...it's a lot of fun aside from being able to kill enemies quicker. And I think it's worthwhile to describe how to make it beneficial, because I spent time and quarters saying "this should be powerful but what am I doing wrong?"

I found it is worth it points-wise if you can pay attention consistently, but if you are a more casual player, it may get frustrating. The main thing you need to do is change from a strategy of ducking around (pretty easy with 1 ship) to being able to blast enemies ASAP.

While it's tough to kill an enemy with a single shot, I found it even tougher, but well worth the time, to learn when and where and how to shoot enemies early on as they fly into the board. This may net you more points, because you kill the enemies that don't fall into formation as well, but more importantly, the enemies don't drop enough missiles to blanket the area where you can move.

And it may seem obvious, but you should always be moving left or right if possible so that enemies that turn on their sides as they come down don't slip through the double-firing. It's not likely, but if it happens, it's annoying. So along with knowing that the extra ships can be very beneficial, I hope this adds a few small tweaks to make them maximally beneficial.

I remember reading various books saying "Of course the two ships are better" but never got the hang of it as a kid. Then I was able to stretch a quarter out playing with 1 ship, which was fun in its own way, but I eventually wanted more excitement. So it may get you a higher score and save you time for playing other games to get there.

I found it took a LOT of time to get used to, and I really enjoyed the challenge, because it's unique among early video games. You will have to track where the enemies come from to start the levels so you have the best jump you possibly can, and you also don't want to worry about trivial points lost for shooting enemies in formation. Your goal is to make sure as few missiles fall as possible.

And as @Fluttershy said, some of the bonus levels are impossible without it. Oddly, I found the first one particularly nasty even with double ships. Getting a perfect bonus round is an accomplishment of its own outside of points, and it's fun to try either with single or double ships, so it's going to give you extra points.

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