PoFV halp

[Esoterica]

The AI doesn't get hit, the AI just decides when it gets hit and rams the closest bullet.
Aya and Medicine break this because zun's girlfriend lol since the AI can't read all the fast shit neither it can deal with the slowdown.
Seriously. :V

Fun fact: the AI doesn't watch where EX attacks are going to spawn, and since Youmu's are decently sized and flood the bottom of the screen... :V

Also, the AI gets hit quite a bit, lunatic just has a 100% chance of deathbomb.

[Azure Lazuline]

Huh, maybe I'm using her a bit too defensively then. I can't win against the AI with her when I can fairly easily with most other characters, but against a human it's the opposite. Maybe my mindset changes too much between the two situations...

[Esoterica]

Huh, maybe I'm using her a bit too defensively then. I can't win against the AI with her when I can fairly easily with most other characters, but against a human it's the opposite. Maybe my mindset changes too much between the two situations...

When I play Youmu, defense is on my mind 80%.  The other 20% is "kill Lily/bosses and hope for an EX item".

[AlexX Unlimited]

A friend of mine commented that Reisen's EX skill managed to nearly wall him once... I guess the idea is that they're not supposed to hit you, they're supposed to block where you can move since the explosion lingers.

Leave it to Reisen to focus more on psyching people out than direct destruction... I just wish it was easier to wall with them like you can with Yuka's flowers.

EDIT: Any advice for Medicine? I often find myself losing the bulk of my lives to her (Sakuya I can handle now that I decided to stop trying to kill her boss mode and just dodge the knives and Komachi is tough, but not TOO bad).

[Esoterica]

The hitbox size and duration on Reisen's EX explosions is bizarre and I'd rather use a keyboard to explain its intricacies.

Against Medicine, the only real threat is when the poison clouds overlap.  If you're in one, dodge unfocused.  If you're in two, focus to see where you are, but odds are you'll be tossing out a lv2 bomb and running.  Watch out for her boss attack as well, and be prepared to macrododge the giant pink wave if you see it coming.

[AlexX Unlimited]

Against Medicine, the only real threat is when the poison clouds overlap.  If you're in one, dodge unfocused.  If you're in two, focus to see where you are, but odds are you'll be tossing out a lv2 bomb and running.  Watch out for her boss attack as well, and be prepared to macrododge the giant pink wave if you see it coming.

Well, the only issue is the fact the poison clouds cover up the entire bottom half of my screen. >.<

[Sen]

Okay I've been playing PoFV Lunatic all day. I'm really not seeing any differences between this and Normal Mode, which is what I almost always play (I can only do up to Hard on EoSD/PCB/IN). I played Sakuya and got to Komachi on my first run, with only one death against Medicine and an AMAZING Tei battle.

Of course Komachi utterly destroyed me but still. Up until Stage 8 I didn't see any difference between the difficulty levels. Am I missing something, or is it just Sakuya? :V

[?q]

Differences between difficulties:
*The initial level of spells increases (thus the game gets harder more quickly)
*The boss lasts longer (not including AI hax, so the higher your character's tier the less this comes into play)
That's really it.

Basically Normal Mode is a lot slower and ends more quickly (pending which character you're using).

[Sen]

Differences between difficulties:
*The initial level of spells increases (thus the game gets harder more quickly)

Well that explains how Tei and I got our L4 attacks to level 11 so quickly :V

*The boss lasts longer (not including AI hax, so the higher your character's tier the less this comes into play)
That's really it.

Basically Normal Mode is a lot slower and ends more quickly (pending which character you're using).

Really? As in, the boss takes more hits to die, or...?
Does that apply to Lily White?

...actually, I don't think I saw Lily a single time in that Lunatic run I did. Huh.

[theshirn]

Well, I cleared Lunatic (on my first life on the third continue) with Cirno.  That said, I got to Shiki with a life in stock on my first credit.

I dunno, her scope is pretty cruddy, but I've got to say I'm partial to the li'l ice fairy, at least for PoFV.

[?q]

Really? As in, the boss takes more hits to die, or...?
Does that apply to Lily White?

That's not quite it.  (To be fair, I believe that the HP system in PoDD/PoFV is completely crackpot and just take what I can get when two hits don't put me down to my last life.)

The AI controls how long matches last by deliberately messing up, and in case you haven't noticed it will stall this out when it's on its last life.  All totaled, Easy Mode matches in Story Mode last about a minute and a half, and with each difficulty level you can add another minute to that.  (Difference: In Match Mode, Lunatic difficulty essentially never gets hit.)

However, if you can cause the AI to accidentally screw up, you can break this trend.  This is where the character tiers come from - bottom tier consists of characters that have to wait for the AI to decide to mess up, and as you go up the list you have characters with greater chances to hack the CPU's dodging algorithm.  As a general rule this is caused by fast-moving walls of bullet, or in Medicine's case forced slowdown.  If you don't have any large bullets/lasers that move faster than the CPU can micrododge, you're at the AI's mercy.

Lily White probably never died in your Lunatic run because you were too busy concentrating on dodging the four hundred bullets that were in your way.  But that's just my guess~
Notice that the AI will usually beat up Lily White each time she appears just because the CPU is that good at dodging and can stay centered.

[Sen]

Nonono, I mean I never actually saw Lily. Eight stages and five lives, never saw her. It was very weird. But yeah,  I hate how the AI always kills her before I can while I'm just trying not to go blind. D:


Also, getting a lot better at this. It's amazing how much easier things get when you never ever use L4 attacks. :V

[?q]

You shouldn't have to deliberately use L4 attacks unless you're playing on defense...

I don't know what the timing for Lily is.  In my Extra runs she usually doesn't show up unless you lose a life...  In any event, I wouldn't complain much

[AlexX Unlimited]

I can start reaching Komachi with 1 or 2 lives (lucky for me Reisen can at least score enough for me to get the 50 mil extra life), but I've started to get more and more runs where I never run into Tewi... I think fighting her is just as optional as any other fight.

Also I'm beginning to think these kinds of games hate me. A friend gave me a link to PoDD and while playing Rikako I at one point had Yumemi quite literally filled the entire bottom half of my screen with her tombstones. I go back to PoFV and Medicine does the same thing... again (only lucky for me poison just makes it easier for me to die rather than actually kill me).

[Bananamatic]

Tried again with Youmu and got the 50m extend this time.

How do you score all the way to 70m? Are the some leet hax? :V

Still, one death to st6, 2 on st7(fuck you Aya, but not as much as Medicine), 1 on st8, first unavoidable death vs Shiki and then died again.

What is the correct way to play vs Shiki?
I just bash the shoot button all the time - I guess that this isn't a good idea since then she spawns a shitton of hotdogs which you simply can't dodge.

Replay here
Should I switch from Youmu to somebody else who atleast charges faster?

[ebarrett]

I've started to get more and more runs where I never run into Tewi... I think fighting her is just as optional as any other fight.

As usual, the wiki has all you need and even some you don't. (make sure to expand the "contents" box for a more practical view)

Also I'm beginning to think these kinds of games hate me. A friend gave me a link to PoDD and while playing Rikako I at one point had Yumemi quite literally filled the entire bottom half of my screen with her tombstones. I go back to PoFV and Medicine does the same thing... again (only lucky for me poison just makes it easier for me to die rather than actually kill me).

In PoFV killing Lily/boss spawns can give you (or the AI) a purple "EX" item which instantly fills the other side with EX attacks. Still not sure what causes the occasional massive EX spam in PoDD, though - it could be just mass spirit destruction but it's rare enough for me not to really worry.

[Esoterica]

In PoDD you get an EX attack for destroying fireballs within a certain timeframe.  Meaning if there are lots of fireballs in play, killing something at the top of the screen or firing off a lv1 charge means EX attacks galore.

Banana: I'll play a round of match play against Shiki and upload the replay.  Should be fun with Youmu, I can't even beat her with Aya or Medicine :V  (she moves fast enough to deal with poison/streaming at that level, and having Aya's bullets reflected through her EX is scary :c )

[AlexX Unlimited]

As usual, the wiki has all you need and even some you don't. (make sure to expand the "contents" box for a more practical view)

Well, I was just commenting that since Seraphie said Reisen will always fight Tewi due to the story. I figured since the wiki listed her as possible opponent number 3 or 4 she'd always be one of those rounds, but I guess not...

In PoFV killing Lily/boss spawns can give you (or the AI) a purple "EX" item which instantly fills the other side with EX attacks. Still not sure what causes the occasional massive EX spam in PoDD, though - it could be just mass spirit destruction but it's rare enough for me not to really worry.

Normally I can deal with EX spam by setting off a lv2, but for some stupid reason Medicine's poison clouds won't go away when blasted by the wave. As such, all it does is grant me temporary bullet relief and I'm still forced to move around at annoyingly slow speeds. I'm assuming Shikieiki's clouds operate similarly.

[ebarrett]

What is the correct way to play vs Shiki?
I just bash the shoot button all the time - I guess that this isn't a good idea since then she spawns a shitton of hotdogs which you simply can't dodge.

Replay here
Should I switch from Youmu to somebody else who atleast charges faster?

I watched the replay and played a few matches vs. Shiki with Youmu.

Apparently Youmu's best chance is shooting just enough to have at least a lvl2 gauge ready  to be on the safe side and then wait until Lily appears. Try to kill Lily/slash a path through Lily's spam with a lvl1. By this time Shikieiki will probably send a boss attack or bullet spam since she will kill Lily for the bonus; this is where the "no shooting" thing starts to derail. With some nail-biting lvl1 spam plus the occasional lvl2 when things got too complicated I could at best cut paths in the hotdog spam until around 2:30, and that was pushing it. And even that was a lot better than when playing aggressively since getting past two minutes required a bunch of miracle dodges.

Maybe eating a hit while trying desperately to get up there and slash her boss summon to get the bonus and stop the bullet rain so you can start stalling again... I don't know. I even tried my match mode despair tactic of ramming the first fairy that enters the screen for a minimal gauge boost (since if you play well it doesn't change the two hits you can take before dying), but meh. Defensive chars are not my style, I'm much more comfortable with a quick charge and an useful scope.

Because that can't be stressed enough: Youmu's scope is useless. Mystia and Cirno are my favourite chars because you can stay focused almost all the time against Shiki and still have enough speed to do whatever you need... without ramming spirits left and right, which is what happens if you need to make a quick dodge with Youmu. If you watch my Cirno replay that you mentioned in the OP you'll see that I rarely - if ever - let go of the focus button. And even if you don't want to stay focused, you can just tap focus to activate spirits - something you also can't do with Youmu, since her scope starts out smaller than her sprite and expands very slowly.

tl;dr, protip: don't play Youmu

Spoiler:

why you people insist on bottom-tier chars

edit: forgot the most important thing. macrododge everything when there isn't a Shiki boss summon on top of you, micrododge when there is. that's the best advice I can give you. also, don't bomb unless the next hit would put you at 0.5 health; bombing might mean taking two hits before getting to 2-gauge again, and taking two hits = being reduced to 0.5 anyway.

[Zengeku]

Ah yes. Phantasmagoria.

*Looking at your avy*.

It helps to keep both hands at the keyboard when playing.
Otherwise, i totally agree.

Still, i ought to say good luck with your mission. Hard mode was more than enough. And i think the game has inconsistency in its difficulty. On my Hard mode run i lost as many lives as on a recent Normal run.

[Bananamatic]

don't bomb unless the next hit would put you at 0.5 health; bombing might mean taking two hits before getting to 2-gauge again, and taking two hits = being reduced to 0.5 anyway.

Like I have a chance with Youmu's charge...."speed"....that's why I've bombed. No way to charge it.

[Esoterica]

Finally got some time to play.  Out of nine matches, here's the three that should be the most helpful (2 hard, 1 lunatic).

Most important things to note are that, while it's scary until you practice it, the judgement rods can be micrododged (Reimu replay shows this best), and you should spam L2s whenever you have an L4 out.

Also, do NOT use Youmu.  Playing defensive Youmu I averaged about 1:45 before losing the round, and 1:20 offensive (lunatic, never hit Shiki once).

E: Stupid PSP, could only upload 2

[Esoterica]

Excuse the double post, here's the lunatic replay.

I just watched your replay, and, outside of cutting back on X bombing (ones like in round 1 in particular, you didn't need those at all), I'd say change characters.  If you want to use Youmu though, use L1s more often, and focus more.  You had a handful of hits due to erratic unfocused flying.

[Bananamatic]

Excuse the double post, here's the lunatic replay.

I just watched your replay, and, outside of cutting back on X bombing (ones like in round 1 in particular, you didn't need those at all), I'd say change characters.  If you want to use Youmu though, use L1s more often, and focus more.  You had a handful of hits due to erratic unfocused flying.

How exactly does X bombing penalize me? Loss of chain, entire charge bar loss...something like score too?

Youmu just can't charge fast enough at times, nor she can move around fast enough to keep the chain going.
Character change time I guess.

[Esoterica]

charge bar loss

This specifically is why you shouldn't, unless the next hit will put you at half an orb.  Youmu's L1 is decent enough in its own right to ease up a tight spot enough to squeeze through it, and unlike other bombs you can use it as much as you want.

On that note, after watching your Aya fight, there were so many spots that you could've used L1s.  They completely trivialize her EX and give you time to slip through her L2/3 if you get walled.

[?q]

and unlike other bombs you can use it as much as you want.

The falsehood of this is why Youmu's Lv. 1 is so bad.  You have to charge it well in advance and time it very well.

X bombing doesn't hurt your combo (getting hit does), but unless you have a boss attack out it will drain your entire spell bar, which you will usually not have ready again before you need it.

[Bananamatic]

This specifically is why you shouldn't, unless the next hit will put you at half an orb.  Youmu's L1 is decent enough in its own right to ease up a tight spot enough to squeeze through it, and unlike other bombs you can use it as much as you want.

On that note, after watching your Aya fight, there were so many spots that you could've used L1s.  They completely trivialize her EX and give you time to slip through her L2/3 if you get walled.

Fact: I never use lv1s. And that finisher by that fast burst.....*headdesk*
I suck at Aya.

[Esoterica]

The falsehood of this is why Youmu's Lv. 1 is so bad.  You have to charge it well in advance and time it very well.

But, you can spam it, and it charges about as fast as other characters' L2s.  Characters like Reimu become much, much easier when 70% of their EX attacks are being eliminated by your L1.  Is it a replacement for an actual bomb?  Overall, no.  But in the long run it does nothing but benefit you.

[?q]

But, you can spam it, and it charges about as fast as other characters' L2s.  Characters like Reimu become much, much easier when 70% of their EX attacks are being eliminated by your L1.  Is it a replacement for an actual bomb?  Overall, no.  But in the long run it does nothing but benefit you.

I think I would take a L2 over a small slash in front of you any day.

Plus Reimu's EX attacks aren't that bad unless you're getting walled by them, in which case you probably don't have time to charge.

[Bananamatic]

Hmm....how to start using lv1 attacks instead of mindless Z bashing? I never use them. How are they even useful?