Help Before Moving to Hard...

[The Greatest Dog]

Well, I've managed to 1cc Imperishable Night's Normal Mode (http://replays.gensokyou.org/download.php?id=4051) and clear Extra ( http://replays.gensokyou.org/download.php?id=4078) through tons of spell practice.

However, before attempting to move to Hard Mode, I need some help and general tips.

For the most part, I can't do well with bullets that criss cross diagonally. I imagine Apollo 13 would be the best spellcard to practice that, wouldn't it?

[LHCling]

Normally, general tips come naturally. And if you're going to Hard Mode, then the general tips that you obtained from playing through and 1cc'ing Normal should be enough to pull you through most situations. If not, then they'll pick up quite quickly.

For the most part, I can't do well with bullets that criss cross diagonally. I imagine Apollo 13 would be the best spellcard to practice that, wouldn't it?

Any Spell Card or Attack Phases that crisscrosses (such as the one you pointed out) is great for practice. Although, I don't believe enough people actually know the general tip for dealing with this.

Personally, I try to look at the crisscrossing as "two halves". I follow this routine. Of course, a quick mind is always handy.

1. (quickly) Analyze one half of incoming pattern (usually bullets incoming from the left side).
2. Position self accordingly to the least dense area.
3. Analyze the other half of incoming pattern.
By this time, I would be inside the pattern.
4. Micrododge, focusing more on the bullets from the "other half".

Not sure if that will help though.

[Drake]

Just a note, I would 1cc the others as well. IN Hard is a "whydididecidetodothis" jump in difficulty from Normal.

[Zengeku]

Yep, you should definitely do a 1CC of the other games on Normal as well.

PS: Personally i think SA Normal is the best stepping stone in terms of climbing from Normal to Hard as its certainly the hardest Touhou game. (Maybe some other hold this spot on Lunatic, i don't know that for sure)

[The Greatest Dog]

Normally, general tips come naturally. And if you're going to Hard Mode, then the general tips that you obtained from playing through and 1cc'ing Normal should be enough to pull you through most situations. If not, then they'll pick up quite quickly.

For the most part, I can't do well with bullets that criss cross diagonally. I imagine Apollo 13 would be the best spellcard to practice that, wouldn't it?

Any Spell Card or Attack Phases that crisscrosses (such as the one you pointed out) is great for practice. Although, I don't believe enough people actually know the general tip for dealing with this.

Personally, I try to look at the crisscrossing as "two halves". I follow this routine. Of course, a quick mind is always handy.

1. (quickly) Analyze one half of incoming pattern (usually bullets incoming from the left side).
2. Position self accordingly to the least dense area.
3. Analyze the other half of incoming pattern.
By this time, I would be inside the pattern.
4. Micrododge, focusing more on the bullets from the "other half".

Not sure if that will help though.

Thanks, I'll have to try that sometime.

Just a note, I would 1cc the others as well. IN Hard is a "whydididecidetodothis" jump in difficulty from Normal.

Alright. So any suggestions as to which game has the next hardest Normal Mode? Either way, I've dipped my feet a bit into "hard".

[Generalguy]

PCB or MoF. If you can 1cc PCB Easy, it shouldn't be too hard to 1cc PCB Normal. Just break all your borders when they're about to end and you should have the next one pretty soon. And shoot unfocused when you can, it fills cherry like 10x faster.

MoF encourages bomb-spam, so if you like to bomb everything this could be easier.

Don't even try EoSD if you didn't install the vsync patch.

Also, do other Extra Stages. I'm pretty sure Extra is easier than hard, because obviously you only have 1 stage to do.

[Flay_wind]

Alright. So any suggestions as to which game has the next hardest Normal Mode? Either way, I've dipped my feet a bit into "hard".

I should be going straight to hell for this suggestion, but try SA normal.

[lmagus]

I'd say SA Normal and MoF Hard

i can get to Kanako on MoF Hard but can't get past SA's 5th stage on Normal.

[Alice Fact]

Subterranean Animism probably has the hardest Normal difficulty of the full Touhou shmups so far.

[Helepolis]

Subterranean Animism probably has the hardest Normal difficulty of the full Touhou shmups so far.

Agree. Same goes for Easy mode. I never had so much trouble with Easy mode in any Touhou game until SA. Though EoSD also comes close as being one of the hardest Normal difficulties.

[lmagus]

On easy mode, I think PCB is much harder than SA

[Helepolis]

On easy mode, I think PCB is much harder than SA

You think? Guess it is personal taste for everyone. Some say for example that IN Normal is also something to rampage on (Stage4B hohoho.)

I have beaten PCB Normal within a week and SA Easy took me longer.

[Alice Fact]

Subterranean Animism probably has the hardest Normal difficulty of the full Touhou shmups so far.

Agree. Same goes for Easy mode. I never had so much trouble with Easy mode in any Touhou game until SA. Though EoSD also comes close as being one of the hardest Normal difficulties.

tEoSD is funny, it almost seems aimed (if you require a definition on the concept of "aimed shmupos, ask) at times. Like the rest of the game, it's stuck between PC-98 and Windows.

[lmagus]

well I beat SA easy the same day I beat MoF easy, one week after i started playing Touhou. Took me another week to beat PCB, and by then I could already beat MoF easy without dying

by the way what is an aimed shmup?

[Alice Fact]

Basically, instead of beautiful bullets, they're smart bullets! I use the term "manic" to describe such (which is mostly true), but some use "aimed bullets".