Touhou

[Agent of Dread]

I just wish I could fare as well during the open stage segments where there's frantic flying about and projectiles coming from everywhere and what do I do and crap I just dropped a piece of continue and aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh

[Shade]

I have hardly any trouble at all with those, on the other hand... Maybe you're better at recognizing (and utilizing) patterns and I'm better at fast thinking and quick reactions?

[Agent of Dread]

Seems to be that way. Perhaps I have a good instinct for mentally extending danmaku arrays when I focus, or something like that.
Familiarity is key, and I gain that a lot quicker in the more consistent spellcard areas.


...Touhou psychology.

[Shade]

If that's the case, you should, in theory, manage to 1cc Lunatic before I even get close to doing so. Lunatic is much more about the patterns than it is about actual skill or reaction time, which is why I get destroyed so hard on Lunatic and the Extra stages (well I did manage to beat TD's and just barely missed EoSD's, but...), yet do so well on Normal and to some extent on Hard.

[Agent of Dread]

>1cc Lunatic
>Scarlet Gensokyo

. . . yeah, I'll get back to you on that one. >_<

[octagon]

Though it seems like even AoD is far beyond the point where my advice is of any use by now, I once again recommend Double Spoiler and Shoot the Bullet. They taught me some basic streaming skills and made me generally somewhat better at danmaku. They could be very useful as another source of practice, as they provide relatively difficult danmaku challenges in Super Meat Boy-like bite-sized chunks. And they're fun.
Double Spoiler is more puzzle-based and less similar to what you come across in the “real” games, but much more polished and fair, and in my opinion, generally more enjoyable to play.

[Agent of Dread]

Hmm, I'll have a look at some point. So they sort of work like games where IN's Spell Practice is the main gameplay mode, is it?

[octagon]

Yes, and instead of shooting or bombing, you cut holes into bullet patterns by taking pictures. Trying to get as many bullets into a picture as possible is ridiculously fun.

[Agent of Dread]

Yay for solo Youmu. Caught Kaguya's first Last Spell as well.
"Youmu, don't drink that tea. It's too high class for you."

[Shade]

I like how you managed to have more lives remaining than me, yet still scored lower--
Oh, you started out with seven lives. Never mind.

Still, not bad.

[Agent of Dread]

I tried playing as Sakuya and Remilia, and their Last Spell-using ability is just poor. I went into Kaguya with no lives but five bombs and yet I missed the Last Spell time frame because it was pathetic. :I

And yeah, I haven't bothered to turn the lives cap down yet. It's almost more than you'd need to begin with at 7 anyway.

I think I'm having that same symptom Octy once described, where you'll suddenly play a buttload of IN for a while and then forget about it for a few weeks afterwards.

[Shade]

Actually, as far as I'm aware, all teams except the border team get exactly the same time-frame for using last spells. Instead, the time you're given to use one differs depending on the situation you're in when you're hit - you get more time to react during (most) spellcards, whereas you get next to none at all during non-spells and during the actual stages.
Another reason why deathbombing in IN just plain doesn't work, really. (The other being that using a last spell deducts two bombs rather than one.) If you want to make the most out of your bombs, IN absolutely forces you to bomb before getting hit.

I can't even select 6 or 7 lives. Haven't had enough bad endings.

[Agent of Dread]

Someone else played with my copy before I did, as I may have said before.

And I see what you mean now about the spells being 'some abomination of a survival card'. Friggin' Rainbow Danmaku.

[Shade]

I know, I just said I can't even select them.

Man, I haven't played any Touhou in a while, actually. But currently, some stuff raocow's been playing is just so much more fun... If just because it's something new compared to Touhou.

I dare you to 1cc Bunny Must Die, lol.

[Agent of Dread]

I don't really get Let's Plays in general. (Apart from that metrojd one, which is even better than playing the game. xD) They seem to detract from the experience of the game itself, although I kind of understand the whole 'method of reliably finding good games to play' thing.

Maybe I'm just sour because PewDiePie's Ib LP was a complete joke.



EDIT: Bunny Must Die? I'm kind of deterred since it costs money, but it sounds kind of like Akuji or whatever that old metroidvania about a chibi vampire was called, lol.