Touhou

Just finished watching the episode and I gotta say, I like the new direction they are taking this in. Where previous episodes were mostly Slice of Life, this episode had more serious elements to it and I really appreciate that.

Now awaiting an English translation so I can actually understand what's happening instead of inferring.

(And I sure hope I don't gotta wait till 2020 for the ending)

And speaking of Touhou anime, Sealed Esoteric History (fully voiced) has been officially uploaded by its creators onto bilibli and niconico. Go take a look if you haven't already! It features (so far) the best plot (imo) for a Touhou doujin animation.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm29431346

http://www.bilibili.com/video/av5780343/

They also just announced that the 2nd episode is in production and they're now partnering with Diao Ye Zong for the ED.

edited 19th Aug '16 9:03:41 AM by Zansnae793

I'm watching Musou Kakyou. What even is happening now. I am legitimately intrigued and unsettled.

It has been officially uploaded to Youtube as well, without subs though.

FS 42 final has been uploaded to Batoto.

Well, now I finally know what those things in the side margins are. I'd assumed they were brief descriptions of the characters, but wasn't 100% sure until now.

Fortune Trainer Sagume challenges you to battle.

"I won't lose! .... aw crap..."

Shizuha's job sucks

OMG, that artstyle is amazingly precious! That last panel... SO CUTE

What's generally considered the best introduction to the games? Not necessarily in terms of difficulty, but featuring a good mix of patterns and memorable bosses?

I've heard Perfect Cherry Blossom was the one, so I've been playing that. Have gotten at least thirty game overs so far and that's just beating the first boss, but I'm determined. I'm trying to go for a 1 CC and have so far refused any Continues.

I've also heard embodyment of Scarlet Devil gets thrown around a lot, so figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

If you're just looking for memorable stuff, anything from the tenth game on. Earlier games tend to be back-loaded in that regard. I'd suggest Mountain of Faith and Double Dealing Character in particular

...Also, you might want to play on easy and use continues

PCB isn't a bad choice. It's not the easiest one, but it's straighforward, and I like the patterns.

I also quite like SA, which is a little harder, but still not as gimmicky as some other games.

DDC is fun, but I find the optimal strategy to be suicidal at times, which isn't a good introduction.

I just really didn't like MoF at all.

I'll echo my previous statement when asked about this question earlier.

I believe Impossible Spell Card is a good introduction, gameplay wise, to Touhou. A good variety of bosses and patterns (It's basically a boss rush game) with instant restarts upon death as well as item usage alleviating some frustration. Give it a go even if it's to practice for future games.

The downside is that the story may be overwhelming due to the sheer number of characters presented. So give the synopsis of 14 a read before starting.

edited 21st Aug '16 7:02:33 AM by Zansnae793

Some More Adorable Ran-chama Pics.

I don't get the last one. But I do understand Ran-chama and the jump rope. I'm not very good at it either. In such a way I can never do Double Dutch without taking one of the ropes to the face.

The trick to Double Dutch is to forget one of the ropes exists, and then remember it again before it hits you.

Guess who's been looking at and uploading those Ran-Chama pictures.

The last picture is a Buzz Wire Loop Game (Dunno the official name) where a player must move a metal rod through a maze of wire without touching the wires or else an alarm will buzz. Ran-chama is way too small to play it, so Yukari has to carry her. It's cute.

edited 21st Aug '16 7:44:11 AM by GiantCaveMushroom

I don't think I have the resolve you need to get through this. I limped my way to PCB stage 4 and spamming a crap ton of bombs barely got me through three minutes of bullet curtains before losing all my credits thirty seconds into the boss.

If you want an easier game, try Imperishable Night. The switching mechanic is a little weird, but it's usually what you want anyway (unfocused on stages and focused on bosses). The deathbomb mechanic (bombing just after you get hit costs an extra bomb, but you'll live) can save you, although it's not good to rely on it too much. In other games, you can bomb just as you get hit, but that timing is very narrow, and nothing you can react to unless you see it coming.

What difficulty are you playing on?

Fucking easy. I'm not happy about it. Though in point of fact, it's more that I've not bothered to change it since between normal there's little difference, and just avoiding and seeing the bullets is usually the hard part. I've got pretty bad eyesight and some of the pre-boss sections with the white-grey backgrounds make it very difficult to see them. That and most of my shots are guesswork, and I tend to stay at the bottom of the screen, I tend to need the extra reaction time to slip between the gaps. I try flying up and I get demolished.

PCB has the smallest difference between normal and easy, imo. IN has the largest difference. Sometimes it's clear that ZUN doesn't really have a good idea of ow to balance easy mode.

I find PCB to be the hardest game in the series simply due to the sheer number of criss-crossing bullets from stage 4 onward (Youmu, I'm looking at you ). I say give Touhou 8, 13, or 14 a shot first and take advantage of the spell practice modes to learn how to handle certain attacks.

Oh, and if distinguishing the bullets from the background is difficult, definitely try 8 first. The bullet contrast in that game is excellent.

Wow, no kidding. IN just feels great.

The darker backgrounds massively help, the scenery is pretty, the music kicks ass, that boss with the giant laser was really cool, and the bombs felt more useful in some situations. Plus the bullets have a very satisfying sound effect. That, and it didn't feel like I had to constantly slam down on the slowdown just to survive.

Granted, that's all in easy and it's bound to get multitudes higher in difficulty, but the fact that I was able to beat it at all definitely says something.

Wow, that's all great to hear! Could you tell us which characters you played?

Awesome that you got to experience the glory of the Giant Laser, aka Mother$%§&ing MASTER◊ SPARK! That's one of the pillars of Marisa, one of the two biggest characters of Touhou, and a meme in itself.

Youmu and Yuyuko, I think. Though I can't tell any appreciable advantage to any teamup other than speed.