Touhou Gameplay Help Thread #7 - Not just for spell card help after all

[Helepolis]

While chit-chat or small talk is ok, we don't need the hateful or indirect trollish/aggressive stance here.

@Pakken11, please consider your post before hitting the 'post' button. A time-out has been given for the user to help him/her out.

[Cream Soda]

Considering she just landed a world record, you guys should be grateful she's even taking time out of her day to offer help.

[Monarda]

So i`ve changed from a 1366x768 monitor to a 1920x1080 one and i did this 1cc Normal run attempt here as a test, can you guys point out stuff i can refine (aside from the obvious panic bombs and the greedy moves), i was a bit out of shape on Stage 4.
http://replays.gensokyou.org/download.php?id=39367

I also have here my first 1cc Normal on the 1366x768 for comparison:
http://replays.gensokyou.org/download.php?id=39369

Also, what does Slowdown mean exactly?

[Nolegs the Cat]

Also, what does Slowdown mean exactly?

Basically it's how slowed down your game is. The lower the average framerate, (usually 60), the higher slowdown % your run would have.
Spikes of low FPS won't really effect it very much - resulting in very low slowdown %s, even if the framerate for certain parts drop to like 30 FPS. But if it's consistently 40 FPS over large portions of the game, it'll be noted in the slowdown %.

[Monarda]

Thanks that is pretty helpful, so i had a pratically unoticeable slowdown of 0.35%, that is a good sign that 32-bit OSs don't affect Touhou.

[Yukaris Glove]

Ok, I'm desperate.

I started playing ISC a year ago. Since I found it so easy to beat with items, I tried to clear all the scenes without using items (even no sub-items when I could). But now I'm stuck. I got stuck around may and I haven't played a lot since...

Yeah, it's f***ing Remilia's Fitful Nightmare.

I've already seen many videos, and I get that I've to use the wide-shot bug for sure (decoy doll sub-item) and try to damage her as much as possible before the infernal loop begins. I also get that, for achieving that, I need to shoot her with 3 or 4 or my "shots streams". My problem is that I don't know exactly how I've to do it to damage her as much as other people do. I already get her to middle health, but I know I need a little more. I need to understand exactly how I've to do it in order to hit her with most of my shots streams.

And then there is the "infernal loop". I've rarely crossed over her head, that's often as far as I reach. Concrete advise on this would also help me a lot.

Thanks in advance!! 

[ふねん1]

You actually want to hit Remilia with as many as 5 of your streams if you can, not just 3 or 4. I'll use my no-item clear as another example. Look at where I sit under Remilia, specifically, just below and to the side of her. Obviously the knives will force you to keep moving, so you shouldn't get too crazy about staying in that spot, but you still want to do this as much as possible. I recommend being to her left since you'll get a few more potshots in while the loop is bringing you around.

And speaking of the loop, turn on the Substitute Jizo main item (main, not sub). Yes, I know you said you're going for a no-item clear, but that's not the point. What you want to do is keep the attack going even if you do get hit, so you can practice the later portions of the loop as well - move back into a lane should you get hit and keep moving along with it. Trust me, you'll get better at the loop a lot faster by being able to practice these later parts at all, and not just when you've no-missed the rest of the attack until then. And once you do survive without getting hit, then the Substitute Jizo won't have been used and it counts as a no-item clear anyway. Hope that all helps. Keep at it, and good luck!

[Yukaris Glove]

Oh well, I did count them as four, but yeah, I meant all of them.

I've already tried using the Substitute Jiz? to practice before, but I find it difficult to concentrate once I've been hit once   Going to download your replay just now. Thanks for your help, but specially, thank you for your encouragement! By now, I've thought a lot of times that maybe I could never do it.

EDIT: Tried with Substitute Jiz?. It really is better, even when I doesn't concenctrate as much after being hit

[Yukaris Glove]

Excuse me for the doublepost, but I have some more questions.

How did you upload your replay? I'd like to upload some of my replays so anyone could pinpoint where do they think I'm doing it the wrong way.

I still have problems damaging Remilia enough -thought I'm slowly getting better at this, thanks to Funen's replay and advices-, but most of all, I just don't know how I've to do it to cross over Remilia's head!!!

[CelestialFire]

Excuse me for the doublepost, but I have some more questions.

How did you upload your replay? I'd like to upload some of my replays so anyone could pinpoint where do they think I'm doing it the wrong way.

http://replays.gensokyou.org/ There's an upload button, and you can see other replays too.

[ふねん1]

The site I used is Royalflare. Iirc, gensokyo.org doesn't support any games beyond Ten Desires.

And don't feel too bad about not getting over Remilia's head. That's arguably the toughest part because the moves you need to make have to be very precise and fast. It's hard to describe exactly what that pace is though, you kinda have to get a feel for it yourself. Keep in mind you can also use friction along the top if you need to, but I don't think I ended up using it too much (slowed me down too much).

[Nolegs the Cat]

gensokyo.org doesn't support any games beyond Ten Desires.

Actually gensokyo.org supports DDC replays, just in an awkward fashion: you upload them in the Ten Desires section. And preferably specify it as being a DDC replay in the description.

Still kind of annoying given DDC came out back in 2013.

[Yukaris Glove]

I don't get how Royalflare works, so... I ended up using Mega    Here: https://mega.nz/#!NhJ2jTSZ!6mNW0dv5_gvlaLCmDRDRZolwanM5m3sj9KImUV4KX_w

That's as far as I've ever got. It was a few minutes ago. I suppose I've to be a bit more on the left to damage her even more?

[Cream Soda]

Best in the West accepts replays from DDC onward. Gensokyo has been completely abandoned.

[Karisa]

Actually gensokyo.org supports DDC replays, just in an awkward fashion: you upload them in the Ten Desires section. And preferably specify it as being a DDC replay in the description.

Still kind of annoying given DDC came out back in 2013.

They never even finished adding support for TD, which was released in 2011. (It doesn't support Overdrive replays normally, unless you manually modify the replay file to change the text "O.D." to "Overdrive".) They also stopped responding to emails around that time, apparently.

I just use MotK post attachments for the recent games (though note that people who aren't members of MotK won't be able to download attachments).

[Monarda]

So i'm doing EoSD Extra Reimu B, and i've reached a halt on the Maze of Love Spellcard.
Any tips on how to get through the passages fast enough with a safe strat ?

[Nolegs the Cat]

So i'm doing EoSD Extra Reimu B, and i've reached a halt on the Maze of Love Spellcard.
Any tips on how to get through the passages fast enough with a safe strat ?

Spin Sign "Spin Spin and the Girl"

Fangame references aside, the idea is to circle around Flandre.

It's much easier than going yolo at the bottom.
I don't play extra stages... at all, so that's really all I can help you with. Sorry.

[dosboot]

So i'm doing EoSD Extra Reimu B, and i've reached a halt on the Maze of Love Spellcard.
Any tips on how to get through the passages fast enough with a safe strat ?

I mainly remember having to move faster as you go around and around:
    . speed 1: start of blue wave
    . speed 2: ~3 o'clock on blue wave
    . speed 3: ~3 o'clock on red wave
    . speed 2 (?): 2nd blue wave (it is usually over soon after this starts)

I'm not completely certain if the speed actually changes.   I guess falling behind could be a product of how I played, but I am fairly sure you do have to move faster.

as Reimu, my mental plan was to move at the corresponding speeds:
    speed 1 = focused speed, non-continuous movement with pauses
    speed 2 = focused speed, much more continuous movement
    speed 3 = bursts of unfocused speed

[Monarda]

Thanks ! This will help alot !

[Monarda]

Would anyone mind listing Flandre`s Spellcards from easiest to hardest ? (I know Lavastein is the easiest)
I kinda want to evaluate myself.
Also, is there a problem in playing with a Windowed Fullscreen ?
Sorry for double post. :ohdear:

[Lollipop]

Also, is there a problem in playing with a Windowed Fullscreen ?
Sorry for double post. :ohdear:

Windowed Fullscreen? Is that even possible?

(I know Lavastein is the easiest)

For you, maybe. That's still really hard for me (but all of them are hard)

[Monarda]

Windowed Fullscreen? Is that even possible?

I`m using the 640x480 resolution mode option when i play it, because i can`t play on Fullscreen and all, so it goes on a sort of Windowed Fullscreen.

[TableCloth]

Would anyone mind listing Flandre`s Spellcards from easiest to hardest ?

Hmm... Personally:

Cranberry Trap: "Fuck you"
Laevateinn: a little easier
Four of a kind: quite easy
Dat horror spellcard which I forgot the name: kind of forget  :derp:
Maze of love: Fuuu-
Starbow Break: phew
Cata-something: FUUU-
Clock spell: RAEP TIME!
Dat Agatha Christie reference: Earlier phase is quite difficult. The later part is difficult
Ripple spell (what the heck is QED?) : borderline lol and Fuck You

[Monarda]

Ripple spell (what the heck is QED?) : borderline lol and Fuck You

QED means Quod Erat Demonstrandum, which means a statement used as end of proof.
And the fourth Spellcard is Kagome Kagome , which for me is pretty ok, same with Cranberry Trap.

[TableCloth]

Oh, thanks.

By the way, any tips on capturing Clownpiece's 2nd spell on Normal? I have captured almost all of her spell (in Pointdevice, that is :V) except that one.

[dosboot]

Here is my EoSD Extra ranking, into tiers from hardest to easiest for me.  I didn't sort them within tiers.  It's been about 8 months since I've played Extra, so my memory isn't so great on separating the two big middle tiers but after much thought I'm happy with this. 

For fun, I added my spellcard records but I don't think they are accurate because they include your "learning phase".  Most of my time playing Extra was completing no miss + full spellcard capture runs (I ended up with 3 total, and many more that were a hair away... *shakes fist at QED*).

Code: [Select]

Q.E.D. "Ripples of 495 Years"              17/133    13%
                                         
Forbidden Barrage "Starbow Break"          137/245   56%
                                         
Taboo "Four of a Kind"                     222/340   65%
Taboo "Maze of Love"                       188/294   64%
Forbidden Barrage "Counter Clock"          123/187   66%
Secret "And Then Will There Be None?"      84/164    51%
                                         
Taboo "Cranberry Trap"                     199/398   50%
Taboo "Kagome, Kagome"                     206/316   65%
Forbidden Barrage "Catadioptric"           149/214   70%
                                         
Taboo "L?vatein"                           315/356   88%
                                         
And for completeness:                     
Moon Sign "Silent Selene"                  453/720   63%
Sun Sign "Royal Flare"                     369/690   53%
Five Elements Sign "Philosopher's Stone"   177/479   37% (I would rank this in a tier above Starbow Break)

I rank Cranberry Trap very low, but I do remember how difficult it was at first compared to everything else.  Once I made a breakthrough learning it though I felt it became easy very quickly.  Cranberry trap is probably the most memorable part of learning EoSD extra actually.  It comes so early in the boss fight and my experience with it was much more of a step function than any other card.

Sun Sign "Royal Flare" is an oddity, because when I was going for deathless runs if I would ever get a death early in the stage then I would continue onward until Royal Flare and do timeout practice.  I looooved that card.  It feels like a survival card that was not meant to be.  Ah well.  That's also probably why I bombed Silent Selene so many times, since I was impatient and I knew the run was over.  When not going for timeout, I would rank Royal Flare in a tier between L?vatein and Catadioptric.

[☆ Hinalyte]

Oh, thanks.

By the way, any tips on capturing Clownpiece's 2nd spell on Normal? I have captured almost all of her spell (in Pointdevice, that is :V) except that one.

I'd like to think that the lasers appear in a fixed height (if someone can prove me wrong here please confirm this), and for safety, you should get through the barrages of stars before the lasers appear. Mostly stay at the center because staying at the bottom means no escape.

[Alcoraiden]

I'm finally coming here because LoLK is making me want to throw my computer out the nearest window. I'm stuck on the *last spell card of the damn game.*

Somebody, anyone, tell me a trick to beating "Purely Bullet Hell" with *one bomb.* Not two. One. Tell me there's a safe spot or some easier strategy than 'twitch until you win.' Please. Please. I just can't deal with the blue rings.

[Nolegs the Cat]

I'm finally coming here because LoLK is making me want to throw my computer out the nearest window. I'm stuck on the *last spell card of the damn game.*

Somebody, anyone, tell me a trick to beating "Purely Bullet Hell" with *one bomb.* Not two. One. Tell me there's a safe spot or some easier strategy than 'twitch until you win.' Please. Please. I just can't deal with the blue rings.

Try to not use your bomb until phase 4.

I'm sorry, but a Pristine Danmaku Hell/Pure Bullet Hell is nothing but 'twitch until you win' in the end. No safespot or anything, the spellcard is nearly completely random.

Just keep trucking on, you'll get it eventually! But that's all I think anyone can say.

[ふねん1]

Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of "strategy" to Junko's final outside of having fast reading skills. The most advice I can give is try not to cross two blue rings at once, though I wouldn't recommend going too far out of your way to do that because of all the other bullets flying around.