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

[Karisa]

IN Last Spells don't drop regular point items (though Marisa's drops small items

I didn't see any on Marisa's Maybe I just missed it because replays speed up right as that attack ends because of the dialogue

Sorry about that. I rechecked and Marisa's Last Spell does not drop items. It's actually that her final normal spell drops small items instead of large items (which isn't relevant to your original question, but it's what I was thinking of).

[FamilyTeam]

I want to know something: How viable the Malice cannon truly is? Also, how fast are you supposed to tap the focus button to get it to work the best?

[Nolegs the Cat]

I want to know something: How viable the Malice cannon truly is? Also, how fast are you supposed to tap the focus button to get it to work the best?

... It depends.

Malice Cannon will kill familiars and bosses faster then any other shot-type, but spam-tapping shift can be something to get used to.

Don't use Malice Cannon when you actually have to dodge - just focus and dodge as Alice.

Magic Team is still the hardest team to clear with, but it's viable - it's mainly knowing when to move it.

As for speed... slower then you might think. Max damage is just long enough for Alice's lasers to not fade, so you get the max extra damage from Marisa's frost shots in.

[FamilyTeam]

... It depends.

Malice Cannon will kill familiars and bosses faster then any other shot-type, but spam-tapping shift can be something to get used to.

Don't use Malice Cannon when you actually have to dodge - just focus and dodge as Alice.

Magic Team is still the hardest team to clear with, but it's viable - it's mainly knowing when to move it.

As for speed... slower then you might think. Max damage is just long enough for Alice's lasers to not fade, so you get the max extra damage from Marisa's frost shots in.

Holding focus for slightly less than a second, releasing it for a bit and then repeating the process seemed to be working, some bosses seemed to get taken down really fast with that. And yes, of course it's not good to use it when you actually need to dodge something o3o
For whatever reason, I was able to use it on Kaguya of all bosses with good results.

[Mr Jovial]

Vertical boss movement is random. You're at her mercy.

Aww...
Another question though. On Mystia's final spell (not her last spell, the final regular spell) what dictates how Mystia will fire those red "shotguns" before she's moved? Replays have her firing away from the player but I always have them aimed at me....I can do the rest of the attack alright but those first 4 "shotguns" are confusing me...all I can find is this but that doesn't seem to explain it O_o

[Sakurei]

If Mystia moves right, the shots are aimed at you, if she moves left they're away from you. I also believe that the second wave she shots when she moves is aimed at a certain angle to the first one; and the first one is aimed in relation to your position (dependent on which way she moved), so it's possible to dodge the first one when it was aimed at you, but get hit by the second because the angle in relation to the first wave happened to be where you were going. At least that's what I felt when I was practicing it.

If any of that makes any sense to you. w

[Mr Jovial]

If Mystia moves right, the shots are aimed at you, if she moves left they're away from you. I also believe that the second wave she shots when she moves is aimed at a certain angle to the first one; and the first one is aimed in relation to your position (dependent on which way she moved), so it's possible to dodge the first one when it was aimed at you, but get hit by the second because the angle in relation to the first wave happened to be where you were going. At least that's what I felt when I was practicing it.

If any of that makes any sense to you. w

I understood that, but unless I'm reading it wrong (very possible :V) it doesn't explain the first 4 shots since she hasn't moved yet. It also doesn't seem to depend on which way she would move since those first 4 seem to always be aimed no matter what side of her I'm on. This post has 2 videos, the first link is what happens in other people's replays and the second link is what I get. I'm doing this in spell practice if that matters

[Sakurei]

The beginning of the attack behaves differently for some reason in spell practice than it does otherwise. In runs, or practice runs, she aims the first waves away from you, in spell practice, she aims that at you (or was it vice-versa?). I don't know why, though. Presumably for the same reason that Miko is differently positioned for her final spell, or why some spells have more/less health in practice than in runs. If you were to go into practice mode, go through stage 2 and then face the last spell, the beginning would behave as it does in the replays you have watched. It's a dumb attack.

[shockdude]

This is an odd help request, but it's something that doesn't deserve its own thread imo and I wasn't sure where else to post it.

It's been established that Windows 10 breaks fullscreen in Touhou 6 through 9.5. Fortunately, it was discovered that the DX8 to DX9 converter restored fullscreen function in those games.

On my Windows 10 setup, EoSD + DX8 converter + vpatch feels like it has ~1 frame more input latency than EoSD + vpatch on Windows 8.1.
Can someone with Windows 7/8 and vpatch confirm whether the DX8 converter adds input latency? Or is it just a Windows 10 quirk?

Edit: Tried EoSD again and it seems fine now. The input lag probably had to do with my laptop being in power-saver mode or a placebo or something. It's pretty inconsequential in any case, so w/e.

[Nolegs the Cat]

This is an odd help request, but it's something that doesn't deserve its own thread imo and I wasn't sure where else to post it.

It's been established that Windows 10 breaks fullscreen in Touhou 6 through 9.5. Fortunately, it was discovered that the DX8 to DX9 converter restored fullscreen function in those games.

On my Windows 10 setup, EoSD + DX8 converter + vpatch feels like it has ~1 frame more input latency than EoSD + vpatch on Windows 8.1.
Can someone with Windows 7/8 and vpatch confirm whether the DX8 converter adds input latency? Or is it just a Windows 10 quirk?

You should probably post it here. It's a thread about how Windows 10 breaks Touhou games that aren't MoF and above.

And as for me, I'm not getting any noticable higher input lag from EoSD... -shrug-

[AstralFox]

Hi, can anyone explain the safespot trick on Boundary of Life and Death? I've captured the spell several times with the trick, but my failures way outnumber my successes. Most of my captures don't even have a full safespot, I still have to wiggle a bit.

Using SakuyaA, I keep to Yukari's left until the third wave starts (the red bubbles), and then I try to find a safespot just left of the boss marker -- it's the only place I've ever found a safespot, and it's what I've seen on YouTube and in replays. However, the bubbles usually go through there, forcing me far left of Yukari, which makes it harder to dodge and I've never found a safespot there. Am I doing something wrong? How do you guys do it? (If I could find the right place to be relative to Yukari when the bubbles start, I think I could misdirect them, only I'm gotten inconsistent results doing that.)

Also, I read that the last few waves of bullets aren't aimed at you, and that if you stay still they go around you, but that isn't always the case for me. Sometimes the yellow/blue orbs aim right at me when neither Yukari or I moved, and once the fast butterflies did the same. And even when we're absolutely still, sometimes the orbs or the diamond bullets (first wave) will randomly shift and hit me in my safespot. Does anyone else get these problems?

Finally, is the spell entirely static according to your and Yukari's positions, and can someone actually safespot it every time? Is this trick even a safespot, or just a way to minimize dodging?

Any help would be great

[Nolegs the Cat]

I think two of the specific waves - Arrowheads, and the bubbles - are aimed depending on your original angle to her when she starts firing them.
So basically, misdirect them, wait for her to move because from what I've seen she only ever moves once in BoLaD, and then move to the safespot.
That's all I know, I've barely played the extra stages - can't say specifically where to misdirect them, but that's how the safespot works.

[Karisa]

So basically, misdirect them, wait for her to move because from what I've seen she only ever moves once in BoLaD, and then move to the safespot.

Yukari moves based on whether you're to the left or right of her (like many bosses in PCB to SA). Unlike most bosses that move towards you, though, Yukari stops moving if you're both close enough to the edge of the screen (instead of moving slightly in the other direction and/or vertically). The same applies to Ran's equivalent spell in Extra.

@AstralFox The fast aimed butterflies are the timeout phase-- you have to finish the spell before the timer reaches 30 seconds. (Only Yukari has these butterflies; Ran's version just launches all 6 normal waves at 30 seconds if any haven't appeared yet.)
I can't help with the safespot, unfortunately.

[Pakken11]

Windows 10

Kind of unrelated, but I hear Windows 10 has some pretty iffy privacy regulations that you have to agree to in the Terms of Service.

Best of luck to you - maybe you should ask Reimu for some protection amulets lol ;P

[shockdude]

Kind of unrelated, but I hear Windows 10 has some pretty iffy privacy regulations that you have to agree to in the Terms of Service.

Best of luck to you - maybe you should ask Reimu for some protection amulets lol ;P

lol yep. Already did my research, turned all the intrusive stuff off, and I now have an awesome Windows OS.
Would highly recommend to users who are comfortable with tweaking settings or are otherwise comfortable with "personalized experiences."

OT: I'm finding myself in some sort of Touhou limbo, in which I haven't been playing much and my progression hasn't improved when I have. Do any of you have advice on how to move forward? My current goals are EoSD Lunatic 1CC, UFO Extra, and DDC Extra.

[Sakurei]

Of course you won't improve when you don't play much. Touhou isn't an RPG where you can make progress if you sessions are weeks apart. Play more, and use the time you play to practice properly (i.e don't just stubbornly do credits when you have issues with a lot of parts in the game).

[FamilyTeam]

Ehehe,
ehehe,
ohoho,
whose idea was it to make Touhou 15 that hard? Zun's?
For God's sake, Normal is what I'd expect Hard to be on the other games, and I've played plenty of Hard before to say that!
Bloody Seiran is kicking my arse! The Stage 1 boss! I keep getting trapped! I swear this game is not Marisa friendly, especially because Marisa's laser seems to do piss damage.
So, do you guys have any hints on how to not get trapped by Seiran?...

[Uruwi]

Any tips for Clownpiece? Especially her cheap lasers.

edit: replay

[FamilyTeam]

I have a question for LLK:
If you finish the game on Pointdevice Mode, does it unlock all the stages for Practice Mode?

[Kaze_Senshi]

I have a question for LLK:
If you finish the game on Pointdevice Mode, does it unlock all the stages for Practice Mode?

yeap

[Lollipop]

Should you use Pointdevice mode for LoLK? 

[Tengukami]

Should you use Pointdevice mode for LoLK?

Are you sure you meant to post this question in this thread? Because this seems like a matter of opinion rather than a request for help with a spellcard, stage, boss or whatever.

[ふねん1]

Considering that you literally cannot lose (as in, "game over") in Pointdevice Mode without giving up yourself, it's indeed the best way to unlock all the stages and for when you feel like playing through the game without worrying about dying. However, it kinda gets outclassed by Practice Mode once you do unlock the stages because if you want to practice actually clearing an attack, Pointdevice saves the game after clearing it just once, forcing you to go all the way back to Stage 1 if you want to try it again. Restarting an individual stage in Practice is much faster.

[pasu]

help i can't get past clownpiece's final spellcard on

Spoiler:

    easy

mode, what's the trick to it? is moving up and down enough? I survived longer going mostly left right and a little bit of up and down but since I'm moving all the time i can't take her hp down and have to resort to timeout

[Karisa]

However, it kinda gets outclassed by Practice Mode once you do unlock the stages because if you want to practice actually clearing an attack, Pointdevice saves the game after clearing it just once, forcing you to go all the way back to Stage 1 if you want to try it again. Restarting an individual stage in Practice is much faster.

I think you can back up your score.dat so that you restart from the specific pattern in Pointdevice? Still annoying, but it'd be an alternative to replaying the stage every time.

help i can't get past clownpiece's final spellcard on

Spoiler:

    easy

mode, what's the trick to it? is moving up and down enough? I survived longer going mostly left right and a little bit of up and down but since I'm moving all the time i can't take her hp down and have to resort to timeout

Circle around the edge of the screen, counter-clockwise, so that you stay away from the moons (it's too dangerous to go between the moons). Also, it's a survival spell, so you have to time it out anyway.

[gilde]

help i can't get past clownpiece's final spellcard on

Spoiler:

    easy

mode, what's the trick to it? is moving up and down enough? I survived longer going mostly left right and a little bit of up and down but since I'm moving all the time i can't take her hp down and have to resort to timeout

If you mean Striped Abyss (second-to-last): try to stay in the middle to shoot her when it's safe, and move to the sides when the lasers extend. Always go to the side where the first set of  lasers (the downward-moving ones) comes out, since those ones will stop firing first.

If you mean Fake Apollo, it's supposed to be a timeout card. I've had the best results circling around the screen; going close behind the moons gives you more leeway when you need to slow down and dodge through the bullets.

[pasu]

Yeah, Striped Abyss. Do the bars actually move downward or only sideways but look like theyre moving downward due to an optical illusion? They're just too fast for me to react quick enough  :ohdear:

I spent 40 retries on fake apollo(?)... and that was the one with only one moon the single moon spellcard

edit: just cleared striped abyss with 48 ish retries time for fake apollo

edit2: is there a pattern to the circling of the three moons? clownpiece cleared! 10 tries on fake apollo the tips really helped!

edit3:  having much trouble on「震え凍える星」Trembling, Shivering Star, i keep dodging into a bullet or.. dodging into a bullet. I can make it thought halfway of the spellcard until I have to tap left and right and pray i dont hit a bullet (which i of course do) GAME CLEARED  :toot: :toot:

[Mero]

I think you can back up your score.dat so that you restart from the specific pattern in Pointdevice? Still annoying, but it'd be an alternative to replaying the stage every time.

You can, on the "autosave" folder inside the game folder, just copy the save#_#.dat somewhere else and paste it back there when needed. There's a way to make the game "portable" through .bat files so it isn't as tedious to navigate through folders

[FamilyTeam]

Sweet tips for people playing on Pointdevice mode.

I get the feeling Pointdevice mode is soon gonna be as ridiculed as Easy modo, I feel

[Lollipop]

This was my first attempt at MoF Extra.

Does anyone have any tips?

http://replays.gensokyou.org/download.php?id=38020