Does anyone know how often rank updates in 2/4/5/6?

[Goldom]

By "updates," I mean when does a changed rank start affecting the game?

The instant it changes (you die, bomb, etc)?
The next attack pattern?
Or only once at each level's start?

[Esper]

I don't know, but to tell the truth, if rank actually makes a difference in the games, you need to practice more. You need to be used to doing GOOD, not BAD.

Edit: Besides, I don't think there's any way to tell.

[MMX]

By "updates," I mean when does a changed rank start affecting the game?

The instant it changes (you die, bomb, etc)?
The next attack pattern?
Or only once at each level's start?

I only know about EoSD where rank resets each level and increases on collecting items and capturing spelcards, and decreases on missing items, dying and sometimes bombing. Some patterns have significant differences depending on current rank. It's actually good to know where it can be abused, so like one "strategic" death may save two or more later

[Vanhaomena]

I only know about EoSD where rank resets each level and increases on collecting items and capturing spelcards, and decreases on missing items, dying and sometimes bombing. Some patterns have significant differences depending on current rank. It's actually good to know where it can be abused, so like one "strategic" death may save two or more later

Not really because the rank resets the instant you get hit. It's always worse or equal survival-wise to die earlier. Example: Sakuya's easy Ludo Bile and the following kunai walls noncard of doom:
1) Survive Bile, get high rank kunai walls, die -> total one death and minimum rank for Za Warudo
2) Die to Bile, get easy kunai walls
2a) Survive -> total one death, above minimum rank for Za Warudo (or exactly minimum if ending a failed spellcard doesn't count, I don't know)
2b) Die -> total two deaths

[MMX]

Yeah, Sakuya fight is a good place to play with rank. I remember also my experience in EoSD normal no bombs stage 4 where i went perfect till Patchouli, then died twice (unintentionally) to Princess Undine and rank fell so low that i perfected the rest of her fight easily. That's not an example of abusing rank on purpose, but on how you should not feel upset by accident failing in a game that has rank system, cause next patterns become easier.

Oh and once i've died to Sakuya's stage 6 nonspell while timed it out (wich kept me from facing Eternal Meek too) so rank has been dropped somewhere below normal on Remilia's opener and her first spell, wich helped.

[Goldom]

Huh, I didn't even realize it was separate for each stage. But yeah, I'm not looking to use it for my advantage or anything - I play for best survival every time - it was just an idle curiosity.

[xForeverFanaticx]

@@ The rank system is mean... Although if you're good with timing( I mean REALLY good) you can deathbomb and the rank still lowers as if you were hit. Therefore you can abuse it even more in places like right after Stage 5 Midboss.

Question: Does anybody know if Flower Dream Vine is affected by rank(significantly)? Cuz I don't notice a thing . _ .

Also, the rank system explains why I always fail so badly on Extreme Color Typhoon >~<

[Vanhaomena]

@@ The rank system is mean... Although if you're good with timing( I mean REALLY good) you can deathbomb and the rank still lowers as if you were hit. Therefore you can abuse it even more in places like right after Stage 5 Midboss.

Question: Does anybody know if Flower Dream Vine is affected by rank(significantly)? Cuz I don't notice a thing . _ .

Also, the rank system explains why I always fail so badly on Extreme Color Typhoon >~<

Try double suicing Rainbow Chime and accidentally dying on the kunai nonspell and see how the pattern barely moves, where in a perfect run it's pretty tough.

[Zil]

There is no way to die strategically. As Vanhaomena said, it will always be worse than if you lived a bit longer because the rank lowers the instant you die.

Flower Dream Vine is significantly affected. The bullets are much faster at high rank, though I don't believe there are any more of them.

Deathbombing does not lower the rank as if you had died, unless you mean there is a microscopic window in which it can be done, such as deathbombing with a single bomb in IN, in which case I have no idea.

As for when rank actually updates itself, it clearly does so when you die, and that's really all that matters since that is the only way to lower it. While it's still increasing I think it can update mid-spell. I believe whether or not Cirno aims at you or around you in Perfect Freeze is controlled by rank, and there are times when she will do both on separate waves. Meiling's second nonspell also seems to transform midway through sometimes.

[chirpy13]

For the most part, the topic's answered by the gameplay section for those games on the wiki.  It might be missing a couple small details though.

There is no way to die strategically. As Vanhaomena said, it will always be worse than if you lived a bit longer because the rank lowers the instant you die.

Pretty much.  The only game I can think of where you suicide to lower rank is Battle Garegga.  Everything in Touhou is actually possible to dodge at max rank, with the (iirc anyway) exception of Mima without ReimuA.  But even then, there's no reason to kill yourself beforehand. 

[shadowbringer]

For the most part, the topic's answered by the gameplay section for those games on the wiki.  It might be missing a couple small details though.
Pretty much.  The only game I can think of where you suicide to lower rank is Battle Garegga.  Everything in Touhou is actually possible to dodge at max rank, with the (iirc anyway) exception of Mima without ReimuA.  But even then, there's no reason to kill yourself beforehand.

Armed Police Batrider has a similar gameplay, with substantial differences compared to Garegga's (APB doesn't use the option formations as intensely as Garegga uses, in fact only the Garegga ships in APB can switch between option formations; Garegga doesn't have APB's aura attacks and no-shot charge up attacks).. Garegga's rank is more affected by shooting than APB is, while in APB, collecting items (options or shot power items) influence rank more than it does in Garegga, etc.. (APB has a maximum of 3 lives, Garegga has 5)

both games are made with this mechanic in mind (unlimited score-based extends, suicides which reduce more rank the less lives the player currently has, suicide to lower rank -> score to gain extends -> suicide to lower rank -> repeat ).

Much has been said about deaths being the way to lower rank in EoSD, but most people tend to forget to not make the rank angry needlessly. (it's a very important detail to remember, in games such as Daioh, in which it's believed that point items will raise rank considerably and not reward the player accordingly. I also lost a lot of time trying to make savestates before I knew that I shouldn't get purple power items, which ruins runs and savestates made after you picked them.)