How do you play?

[Nobu]

Now with poll! :toot:

Had to exclude listening method from the variables, else have 8+ polling options. >_>;

[Demonbman]

I play with both a Keyboard and a Controller, both full-screen.


It depends on what mood I am, and I pick shot-types randomly.

[LHCling]

Sneaky. Also, I believe you forgot sticks  :V

[Nobu]

Sneaky. Also, I believe you forgot sticks  :V

A stick is a controller, isn't it?

[LHCling]

D-Pads and Analog Sticks then.

[TheMasterSpark]

I play with the games set to fullscreen (with doodling in Danmakufu being the exception) and with my keyboard. Like others have already said, the arrow keys provide you with absolute confidence that you'll be going in the desired direction when you press them. As for player character, I always go for Marisa if Shikieiki's not a choice, which she rarely is. 

Edit: As to how I play, I generally forego the importance of score and instead focus on beating things without getting hit and without using any bombs. I'm really not very interested in playing through and performing a full run of an entire game, I instead prefer to throw myself directly at the Stage 6 boss right from the get-go.

[Barrakketh]

A stick is a controller, isn't it?

There's a big difference between a "controller" (d-pad or analog stick) and an arcade stick.

[Kojiremi]

I play everything fullscreen and with my PS2 controller.
Only if i'm playing PoFV or the fighters or anything multiplayer do i play windowed cause most likely i'll be in a chatroom or something where we can talk as well and stuff.

[Ghaleon]

There's a big difference between a "controller" (d-pad or analog stick) and an arcade stick.

Plus, a keyboard is actually a controller as well =p.

[Erppo]

Am I really the only one who can't name a regular shot type? I usually try to use them all somewhat equally. Sometimes I want to just breeze through most of the stages with a homing type and sometimes I want all possible power to capture as much stuff as possible. Sometimes I even force myself to use the types I'm not comfortable using just to get better.

As for controls, keyboard. I really can't play shmups with a gamepad at all. I should probably buy one and practice using it too because I'm pretty sure I will buy a Japanese Xbox360 for it's Cave games someday and it would be nice to actually be able to play them.

...MarisaB...possibly more effective at surviving...

I think her bomb really sucks for survival play. Unless you use them preplanned you will probably be too far from the boss when you bomb to do any damage so you'll often end up using multiple bombs to survive a single attack.

[StainGlass]

Full-Screen
As much as I hate using full-screen options, I just can't see well enough windowed.

Keyboard

Speakers

PC-98
Homing Reimu or Yuuka (MS)

Windows
More often Marisa B

[Jaimers]

Fullscreen with a controller. I'm really terrible at the keyboard. Oh and headphones.

As for shottype, it depends on the situation really. Although I usually go for the forward- focus or the homing type. 

[trancehime]

I use both Windowed and Fullscreen, but Windowed more often.

I use a controller and I am hopelessly useless with the keyboard.

I miss using the arcade stick. A lot. But that only applies to arcade shooters, nyoro~n

[Alfred F. Jones]

Keyboard + fullscreen, with the exception of PC-98, where I use keyboard + windowed.

Also HORMING TYPE AT FULL THROTTLE AW YEAH

[AJS]

Fullscreen always, headphones always, keyboard....

The thing about my keyboard is that it FRICKIN ANNOYS ME!!!  It can't register too many keystrokes at once, so I can't move diagonally while I'm focused and shooting at the same time.  I'm getting a gamepad pretty soon in hopes of remedying this problem, but I fear that I will lose the precision that keyboards offer.  :ohdear: If only I wasn't on a laptop, I'd get a new keyboard

And I used to stick with Laser Marisa, but since then I've switched over to Needle Reimu--IMO the perfect combination of power and precision movement. 

Oh yeah, and another thing........A lot of the time, when facing bosses, I like to hum along to the boss's theme.  Before it used to distract me, but now it doesn't, so I'm free to hum away 

[Landon]

I think her bomb really sucks for survival play. Unless you use them preplanned you will probably be too far from the boss when you bomb to do any damage so you'll often end up using multiple bombs to survive a single attack.

Isn't MarisaB's bomb usually Master Spark?

I play primarily as Marisa (usually with lasers), with exception to when I'm playing Mountain of Faith, then I play as forward focus Reimu. I always use a keyboard (I have 2 different computers that I play on, so when I change keyboards it always takes me a while to adjust) and play fullscreen whenever possible. When I'm alone, I use speakers, but I tend to use headphones when other people are around in order to not bother them.

[Erppo]

Isn't MarisaB's bomb usually Master Spark?

Yeah, but the post I quoted was talking about SA where MarisaB has the short distance bomb. I should have added that in there.

[Naut]

Fullscreen, keyboard, default keys. Speakers, usually. Laser Marisa where the option is available. Otherwise... Needle Reimu. I try to get >7 hours of sleep the night before if I want to play serious in any way, like for score. When I do, I'll stick a post-it-note over top of my current and high score so I never actually know what it is during a scoring run. I get all nervous if I start beating my old high score during score runs, so now I just guess what my score is until I beat the game. Works surprisingly well.  :/

[Drake]

Vsync to 960x720, keyboard, default keys, earbuds (not canalphones). Needle Reimu most of the time. Reset if a mistake is made during stage 1 that isn't a bomb. Coffee.

[Formless God]

Fullscreen, keyboard, default keys, headphones, always Needle Reimu, always Practice/Extra.

[The Greatest Dog]

Yeah, but the post I quoted was talking about SA where MarisaB has the short distance bomb. I should have added that in there.

ReimuB has a short range bomb in PCB. Doesn't stop most people.

[GuyonFire]

How do you play?

Poorly  :V

Usually keyboard fullscreen, but if I'm on a not-mine computer which a smaller resolution I might go windowed.

[Rook]

ReimuB has a short range bomb in PCB. Doesn't stop most people.

Reimu also has a long-range bomb, though---it is weak, true, but PCB's spell cards are heavily disrupted by a screen clear, so it is still often enough to finish an attack.

As for me, I play windowed, using Sizer for exact 1.5x scaling.  I use a keyboard, too, though now that I bought the Madcatz TE stick for Street Fighter I'm curious to know how it will fare here.  My style is simple: I pick a goal, usually one considerably beyond my ability; put around an hour into TH each day; achieve the goal; don't play again for at least a month.  I am easily distracted, but I'm distracted at regular intervals!

[Schezo]

I play in full screen with a keyboard for all the Zun games.
The only one I play windowed is Damakufu again with a keyboard.

[NLTM]

Let's see here. Fullscreen, keyboard, and I often talk to myself about the danmaku/characters/dumb mistakes I make/praising myself to the tune of the music. As for shot types:

EoSD: Homing Reimu/Laser Marisa
PCB: Needle Reimu/Laser Marisa
IN: Scarlet Team
PoFV: Yuka and Aya. odd combo I know.
MoF: Homing Reimu for real runs, Marisa Bugged for lulz runs
SA: Reimu-Yukari/Marisa-Alice
UFO: Laser Marisa or SanaeB

[Myschi]

Poorly  :V

This. Oh, and windowed/keyboard. I don't trust myself enough with a joystick (and my adapter won't pick up D-Pad half the time so that's a no go) and I tend to multitask between levels/continues...

(Thanks for making my day, GuyonFire.)

OH. Except for the fighters and fangames (that work better with controller such as MegaMari), then I go controller.

[stands2reason]

Fullscreen, preferably a CRT monitor, usually with regular speakers, and an XBOX 360 controller.

I play fullscreen, using an XBOX 360 controller. (A to fire, X to focus, RB to bomb, analog stick to move.

Funny, I use A to fire, X to bomb and RB for focus.

[Sapz]

I play fullscreen, using an XBOX 360 controller. (A to fire, X to focus, RB to bomb, analog stick to move)

Funny, I use A to fire, X to bomb and RB for focus.

Haha. For 360 shmups, I use RT to fire, X to focus (or equivalent) and A to bomb. :V I need to get me a wired controller so I can hook it up to the PC and play Touhou with it; to be honest I'm more effective with the 360 d-pad (after a few small modifications, naturally) than the keyboard these days.

[Tengukami]

Fullscreen, earphones and keyboard. I start by watching my replays of runs where I'm stuck, if it applies. Then I warm up with some practice runs. Then I play.

EoSD: Reimu B
PCB: same
IN: Magic Team
MoF: Reimu B or Marisa C
SA: Reimu A
UFO: Marisa B

[ぷしゅ]

Fullscreen + keyboard untill i get an arcade stick and laptop speekers i try to change who i play as alot but its mostly Reimu B or Sakuya B for PCB