I'd like some people to critique my normal-mode replays so I can improve.

[Nolegs the Cat]

I've cleared every game on normal, and now I intend to move up to hard/lunatic. But I can't really identify any problems in my play by watching my own replays, except the very obvious ones - y'know, because an ignorant person often doesn't know they're ignorant and all that? :V

My id on replays.gensokyo is 'Legs'.
http://replays.gensokyou.org/index.php?u=Legs&g=--&p=&t=--&d=--&ch=0
So, uh, yeah. Could some of you people watch my replays to identify consistent problems I have? thanks, in advance.

The EOSD, UFO, SA and IN replays are the most recent... though I'd say the IN replay might not be my best, I get hit on three easy attacks  :colonveeplusalpha:

[Karisa]

Welcome to MotK!

I'd say this is all right, though it might be better to ask about specific replays, since I'm not sure who'd be willing to review ~3 hours of gameplay... well, I guess anyone willing to review replays would just watch whichever they feel like anyway.

Also I noticed DDC is missing from your uploader link-- just so you know, you can upload DDC replays there as TD replays (though they'll be mislabeled with th13 when downloading them, which has to be edited), or attach them to a post here.

[Drake]

I've only watched UFO and SA, but based on these alone you're perfectly ready for harder difficulties. You don't do anything stupid and are comfortable with bombing away, and clearly have most of the stages planned well, as far as Normal goes. There are really only certain specific points where you could do in better ways.

Ichirin last card: On the charge-up sound cue put yourself higher on the screen so the fists hit there. Makes everything easier to deal with.

Murasa first card: You seem to go really way out to aim the anchors. Probably not a good idea because you don't hit Murasa enough and you end up stumbling while trying to get out of the way. Usually people do one wave straight below Murasa, then one off to the side, and repeat.

Stage 5 opener, etc: Why do you bomb here? You look like you should be more than comfortable dealing with this.

Byakuren 3rd non: Don't wander off to the side, you'll never finish it. On Kogasa's Rain / Bone Dry Monster it's fine for you to time it out in the corner but here it's harder off to the side. You mostly only need vertical movement.

Mid-Parsee card: You should be able to snake much slower than you currently do. Even on Lunatic most of the time you can start at the bottom under Parsee and slowly inch your way up to her, and it beats her in one wave (when you're on top of her) or at the start of the second. Really not very dangerous.

Parsee first card: Her movement is static and you can easily follow her the whole time. Start to the left of her to aim the first shot, she'll move to the left, follow her right, and follow her back left. You should be able to totally avoid the first shot and at most you have to navigate through one vine, which really isn't a big deal.

Parsee last card: Circling won't help you in later difficulties, you should learn the timing in order to misdirect well while staying at the bottom.

Mid-Yuugi non: On the red wave, it's precisely aimed. You can just step over.

Learn the end wave of stage 4. And most of stage 4; you were pretty uncomfortable with it.

Satori first card: Sit on the E in Enemy. Move to the y when the lasers are going to fire and sit there. Move to the E when the etc.

Learn the harder parts of stage 5. You went to bomb a bit too loosely, I think.

Zombie Fairies: Oh god stop shooting if you don't want them to blow up. Stop shooting. One way to do this is to shoot her a bit at the start, move to the top (without shooting) to corral the fairies, then head back to the bottom and just shoot until dead. Having the fairies blow up at the top is much easier to deal with. Alternatively you can corral them into a corner, shoot Orin, then corral again, etc.

Orin second non: Don't shoot the wisps. They aim at you and you're going to be moving through the spiral anyway, so just ignore them mostly. Start a bit higher on the screen so you start inside a spiral rather than trying to maneuver your way in; you move a lot less horizontally this way.

Spleen Eater: Nope nope nope. You want to essentially alternate between high up on the screen and a spot lower on the screen. Make sure to enter a spiral from uh the most concave side, I guess. When at the bottom going to the top it's probably the right side, and from top to bottom it's probably the left side. When you follow those spirals you won't get stuck and can easily go back and forth between the two spots.

Ghost Wheels: They're aimed at you. Not sure if you know this or just couldn't move quickly enough.

Orin last card: You really didn't need to bomb, especially since you ended up just sitting there anyways. Shoot from the bottom until the fairies close in, then move essentially on top of Orin for a bit more. If you're on top of her she'll stop shooting the extra bullets so no worries. You probably won't beat her there so don't take too long because the fairies will close in again; you want them to be at top screen. Loop around the side of the screen and sit back at the bottom, and she should be done before the fairies come back.

[Nolegs the Cat]

Welcome to MotK!

Cheers. :3

Ichirin last card: On the charge-up sound cue put yourself higher on the screen so the fists hit there. Makes everything easier to deal with.

I had no idea of doing this, but in hind sight I could do it as long as I make sure I don't clip the lasers. I'll make sure to try that in the future.

Murasa first card: You seem to go really way out to aim the anchors. Probably not a good idea because you don't hit Murasa enough and you end up stumbling while trying to get out of the way. Usually people do one wave straight below Murasa, then one off to the side, and repeat.

Yeah, I'm not good at that card... I thought that by moving out far you'd get more time to react -shrug- I'll try that too.

Stage 5 opener, etc: Why do you bomb here? You look like you should be more than comfortable dealing with this.

I usually AM, I simply was nervous at that time.

Byakuren 3rd non: Don't wander off to the side, you'll never finish it.

I had no idea how to do it, it was my first attempt of that non-spell without SanaeB bomb + shotgun and I realised my mistake almost immediately after but I didn't risk trying to get under her while I was under heavy fire.

Mid-Parsee card/Parsee last card

I've seen videos of it that did it like you mentioned, but I'm simply too chicken to try it out on Mid-Parsee and on the last card I figured it's easier just to circle for normal.

Parsee first card

I'll give that some thought, but not getting 1 life piece won't be the end of the world -shrug-

...Mid-Yuugi's red wave is static? derp.

Learn the end wave of stage 4. And most of stage 4; you were pretty uncomfortable with it.

Pretty? that's putting it mildly... I guess I know most of it is streaming in theory, while watching for the amulets -shrug-
And the last pattern is static. I usually just bomb it because I'd rather not risk a life piece -shrug- but I'll make sure to learn it.

Satori first card: Sit on the E in Enemy. Move to the y when the lasers are going to fire and sit there. Move to the E when the etc.

Is the Y a safe-spot for the little yellow bullets? I'll note that, thanks, even if it isn't.

Learn the harder parts of stage 5. You went to bomb a bit too loosely, I think.

You mean the mass-aimed pattern and the bit immediately before it? I honestly have no idea how to do that bit....
But for the rings + aimed red bullets, I usually do that fine... with high power, since I can kill them quick enough. Without, it can become harder -shrug-
Is the blue balls also aimed? If so one could simply stream it the entire time.

Zombie Fairies/Second-Non

I actually forgot about that during my run of Zombie Fairies during that run... I honestly got pretty lucky. As for the second-non, similar thing, I think I just shot them by accident... I only found out about the SS for that non AFTER I did this.

Spleen Eater

The gap part was actually something I heard about someone trying, I decided to try it and... it didn't work -shrug-
I'll take that into consideration, thanks. Though I find it kind of hard to visualise, I might look up a replay...

Ghost Wheels

I didn't know that... and then managed to figure that out soon after when watching an easy replay and realised the wheels are aimed away from you on easy and then looking more closely at my normal replay :l

orin last card

No, I didn't need to bomb. I was simply panicky...
So basically that spell-card uses a similar strategy for what you proposed for Zombie Fairy? got it, thanks.

Thanks for the help.

You don't do anything stupid

PCB stage 6 :V

but based on these alone you're perfectly ready for harder difficulties.

...Thanks. You don't know how encouraging that is.

I've got a question, though - how well would most of these tips apply for hard/lunatic? (largely for Spleen Eater/Murasa first)

Also, I've read somewhere that in Yuyuko's second to last attack in PCB (the one before Resurrection Butterfly), the butterflies are aimed... if that's true, can it be streamed?

The butterflies are aimed, but they're aimed much earlier than the time they actually reach you. So you can stream them, but it can be tricky to learn the timing for reversing direction.

I'm guessing it's either when they fire or when they unfold. Which is it?

EDIT: TD Hard clear!  :getdown:

[Karisa]

I didn't get around to watching any of your replays yet, but might as well make a few comments on your last post while I've just read it.

---

I've seen videos of it that did it like you mentioned, but I'm simply too chicken to try it out on Mid-Parsee and on the last card I figured it's easier just to circle for normal.

This is why stage practice exists. I think surviving a spell in 1 wave with little/no dodging is much easier.

For Parsee's first and final spells: I'm guessing once you're familiar with the Hard versions, you'll probably be doing that for Normal as well just out of familiarity-- that's what happened to me at least. I'd say it's not something to be concerned about on Normal yet.

Is the Y a safe-spot for the little yellow bullets? I'll note that, thanks, even if it isn't.

I never learned it involving staying on the 'y' (instead I switch between the 'E' and slightly to the left), but the yellow bullets are static, so whatever works should be consistent as long as you aim the lasers the same way.

No, I didn't need to bomb. I was simply panicky...
So basically that spell-card uses a similar strategy for what you proposed for Zombie Fairy? got it, thanks.

It's also relevant to know that Orin has no collision hitbox during her final spell. So you can start out under her, and move directly on top of her for extra damage as the fairies approach, before retreating to an upper corner.

I've got a question, though - how well would most of these tips apply for hard/lunatic? (largely for Spleen Eater/Murasa first)

Well, static patterns are still static, and a lot of patterns behave in the same way. I recommend just watching some replays to see what's similar and what's not.

The Lunatic equivalent of Spleen Eater spawns much more quickly though, so the circles mostly spawn in the same place each time as you circle. And some other patterns have notable differences (such as Satori's first spell, where the yellow bullets are dense enough you have to navigate through them rather than learn a safespot).

Since you asked about Murasa's first-- it barely changes at all, meaning it's absurdly easy on higher difficulties.

Also, I've read somewhere that in Yuyuko's second to last attack in PCB (the one before Resurrection Butterfly), the butterflies are aimed... if that's true, can it be streamed?

The butterflies are aimed, but they're aimed much earlier than the time they actually reach you. So you can stream them, but it can be tricky to learn the timing for reversing direction.

[Nolegs the Cat]

I've done IN/10D hard, what's the next game you recommend?

(Also, I've heard of the tactic in MOF of literally bombing every attack in one run and seeing how far you would get to see your likelihood of winning once you start not-bombing the easy attacks. Any word on the viability of that tactic?)

[Drake]

I wouldn't really call that a tactic, it just showcases how much of the game you can actually bomb through and still clear. Many people don't use all the resources given to them, so those sorts of replays can just be a funny eye-opener. But yes, "bomb the crap out of all the difficult stuff" is basically the gist of it. In MoF's case you can still clear even when bombing literally every boss pattern.

[Nolegs the Cat]

I wouldn't really call that a tactic, it just showcases how much of the game you can actually bomb through and still clear. Many people don't use all the resources given to them, so those sorts of replays can just be a funny eye-opener. But yes, "bomb the crap out of all the difficult stuff" is basically the gist of it. In MoF's case you can still clear even when bombing literally every boss pattern.

That's what I meant - doing a run of MoF where you bomb literally every boss pattern to see how far you get, then basically just finding the easy ones and not bombing them in future runs.

I failed a run of EOSD hard at Scarlet Gensokyo, at 30% life left.
And yeah... um, by far the worst part for me is the S4 stage portion. So, um, yeah, any pointers? :colonveeplusalpha:

Don't worry my dear, it happens a lot during my many Hard 1cc attempts. One should get used to it one day.

I think my ~95 attempts to 1cc MoF normal when I was new and nooby got me used to it. :V Still annoying, though.

EDIT: EOSD Hard 1cc!

[Szayelaporro Granz]

I failed a run of EOSD hard at Scarlet Gensokyo, at 30% life left.

Don't worry my dear, it happens a lot during my many Hard 1cc attempts. One should get used to it one day.

[Nolegs the Cat]

How does one do those lasers that Patchy uses? :l

Beyond this... what game should I do next? half thinking of trying UFO, but... eh, no. Probably too hard :V

[Szayelaporro Granz]

How does one do those lasers that Patchy uses? :l

Beyond this... what game should I do next? half thinking of trying UFO, but... eh, no. Probably too hard :V

Do you mean her non-spells? Move away from the laser, don't even bother to graze it. If you remember the timing, you can somehow go through the laser to avoid getting hit by the 2nd one.

After seeing your replays (I haven't watched them though), your next stop should be MoF. I think Drake's Normal bombastic 1cc replay should help even on higher difficulties. I have an annoying habit to capture difficult spellcards though, if you want tons of resources I'd say DDC instead.

[Mr Jovial]

How does one do those lasers that Patchy uses? :l

Here's an interesting way to do it on lunatic, not sure if it works on other difficulties though.

[Karisa]

The lasers disappear as soon as they're directly below Patchouli. If you start streaming on the opposite side of the first laser, moving toward the first laser, making sure not to stream too quickly, then you'll be streaming away from the second laser.

As for what to play next? I'd say attempt all of them a few times, and go with whichever game you have the most fun with and/or you feel like you're closest to 1cc-ing. (That's what I did back when I was still going for 1ccs.)

[Nolegs the Cat]

Here's an interesting way to do it on lunatic, not sure if it works on other difficulties though.

That's my current 'strategy'. I almost always screw it up, and normally end up wasting a bunch of bombs + usually 1 death on them.
Honestly, they're worse then her spells. I mean, I've managed to perfect her last health bar before... -sigh-
A guide for Patchouli in general, spell-card by spell-card would be helpful I guess. I'll just go ask the help thread.

EDIT: I looked at the video a bit closer. I usually would dash JUST before it reached me...
Now I see you're supposed to LET IT TOUCH YOU, then move? to ensure the laser hitbox is lolgone? is that it? (or at least wait until the aimed bullets are about to touch you?)

EDIT: EOSD Default lives hard 1cc.  :toot:

[Drake]

No, the guy in the video is doing it very poorly. You can put yourself wayyyy to the left (right) and give yourself tons of room to stream to the right (left) before the incoming laser gets anywhere near you (when the second laser comes you better make sure to get across though). Of course as you figure it out it becomes easier to stay close to the middle, but you shouldn't ever feel forced to get close to the lasers, and the bullets are just streaming. The only thing that should maybe trip you up is every second wave, because the bullets from the previous wave don't leave the screen quickly enough.

The ReimuB Patchouli cards, and really most of Patchouli's cards, have little to no tricks to them.
Bury in Lake: The only one with a "trick", the bullets are aimed so you want to tapdodge those very little, and in particular the second "ring" of the aimed bullets are aimed slightly to your left, so it's better to tapdodge to the right. Then you just have to weave through the bubble pattern, which can vary wildly depending on how Patchouli moves.
Green Storm: On Lunatic you usually stay higher up the screen than lower, because there are naturally more bullets there. On Hard it doesn't seem to matter much.
Mercury Poison: No trick, just try to get into the rhythm.
Water Elf: No real trick. The only thing that might help is knowing that the patterns are shot statically (her movement makes it almost moot though), so it's once again a matter of following around Patchouli.
Emerald Megalith: Stay under Patchouli as much as possible. There's no trick, you just want it to end quickly so something doesn't catch you by surprise.

[Nolegs the Cat]

PCB Hard 1cc!
So, uh, yeah.
I'll probably be doing MoF next.
So any tips for Nitori/Aya/Sanae?
Cheers

[Oh]

PCB Hard 1cc!
So, uh, yeah.
I'll probably be doing MoF next.
So any tips for Nitori/Aya/Sanae?
Cheers

Watch some mid level replays, and don't forget to bomb.