UFO: Shottype discussion of our heroines.

[Slaves]

ReimuB at low power is actually really horrible.

back in the Demo, Nazrin's last card was actually dangerous with Reimu B, the red bubbles were rapid fire by the time you cleared it, and the blue bullets had really small gaps.

[Helepolis]

Actually this was not meant as a shottype discussion but it turned into one.

I tried shotgunning in focus mode ( example on Nazrin's face ) but it did nowhere the damage as in unfocussed mode. So that is why I asked what was wrong with Sanae.

I'll modify the thread title I guess =/ as I got my awnser, it is not a bug but simply style of playing.

[?q]

ReimuB at low power is actually really horrible.

back in the Demo, Nazrin's last card was actually dangerous with Reimu B, the red bubbles were rapid fire by the time you cleared it, and the blue bullets had really small gaps.

To a degree that's still true.

[Flay_wind]

back in the Demo, Nazrin's last card was actually dangerous with Reimu B, the red bubbles were rapid fire by the time you cleared it, and the blue bullets had really small gaps.

So very true. http://replays.gensokyou.org/download.php?id=4389
It's my really horrible 5a.m. run, but managed to capture/time out Nazrin's last spell at 0.98 =) Just skip to it and see for yourself.

[Garlyle]

Nazrin's pendulums on Hard/Lunatic can go die in a fire.  Only MarisaA and maybe SanaeB can really beat her in a timely fashion.

Also, I -think- ReimuA outputs more damage than MarisaA... and M-A makes up for it with piercing.

[Sen]

^ReimuA is statistically the strongest shot type in the game at long range, where you'll theoretically be most of the time.

I use SanaeA and MarisaA and the only thing I hate about Marisa is LOL SLOW AS SHIT SPARK  :V

[Ghaleon]

I use SanaeA and MarisaA and the only thing I hate about Marisa is LOL SLOW AS SHIT SPARK  :V

Yeah sometimes I blow a bomb on regular stage enemies so I can safely grab that UFO that's been taunting me for a minute straight. only to realize that I still can't grab it cuz master spark appears to turn Mariassa's flight speed into molasses as a side effect.

[Nine West]

the only thing I hate about Marisa is LOL SLOW AS SHIT SPARK  :V

Which is really annoying when I have to use a bomb to save my life just before the end of a spell card 

Also, it seems that I need to play around with more than one character in these games...

[Zengar Zombolt]

Yeah sometimes I blow a bomb on regular stage enemies so I can safely grab that UFO that's been taunting me for a minute straight. only to realize that I still can't grab it cuz master spark appears to turn Mariassa's flight speed into molasses as a side effect.

Actually, I've noticed that I feel a little faster while using SanaeB's bomb... May it be that NukeFrog is the next Private Square?

[_Zac_]

Yeah sometimes I blow a bomb on regular stage enemies so I can safely grab that UFO that's been taunting me for a minute straight. only to realize that I still can't grab it cuz master spark appears to turn Mariassa's flight speed into molasses as a side effect.

Actually, I've noticed that I feel a little faster while using SanaeB's bomb... May it be that NukeFrog is the next Private Square?

Or the lack of worrying about shots.

[sohvan]

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that SanaeB is good usually, and overpowered when shotgunning? Just because shotgunning is much more effective, it still doesn't mean that playing normally with her is crap. SanaeB with 2 frogs hitting can still take down spellcards at quite a decent speed, and has the best spread of all the shots for clearing stage enemies. I've found SanaeB to be very effective at lower powers compared to some of the other characters as well. I feel a lot less gimped playing with 2.0 power SanaeB than the same with ReimuA or ReimuB.

[?q]

Without shotgunning, SanaeB isn't really that good against bosses unless you're playing Nazrin's pendulum card.  The splash damage is great for breaking UFOs prematurely, too.

[Zengar Zombolt]

Yeah sometimes I blow a bomb on regular stage enemies so I can safely grab that UFO that's been taunting me for a minute straight. only to realize that I still can't grab it cuz master spark appears to turn Mariassa's flight speed into molasses as a side effect.

Actually, I've noticed that I feel a little faster while using SanaeB's bomb... May it be that NukeFrog is the next Private Square?

Or the lack of worrying about shots.

Bleh.

[Iryan]

SanaeB is, however, extremely useful in the extra stage.

Spoiler:

The splash damage reduces the difficulty of the UFO cards drastically.

Also, the ability to kill ufos with the splash damage that would otherwise fly away because an army of cannon fodder fairies blocks the shots is helpful in my book.

[Helepolis]

I hate SanaeB for killing UFOs when I don't want them. SanaeA comes close to that aswell but not as bad as B. Still I find ReimuA best to use, but using her during Stage 4-5 is pain in the ass.

And how many times can you shotgun with SanaeB anyway? Most bosses force you to stay at distance.

[Sen]

On Normal, to my knowledge, you can shotgun
-All of Nazrin bar her final card
-Kogasa's second and third cards
-Ichirin's second and third cards
-Murasa's second card
-All of Shou's cards bar her second
-Byakuren's fourth and fifth cards kinda

Haven't bothered with Extra for the most part so I can't comment there =\

[?q]

Actually, I would expect SanaeB to be useful in the Extra stage, but that would involve me unlocking it for her first~

[Slaves]

the first video of the Extra stage(on youtube) was someone using Sanae B, which lead everyone to believe that Nue was easy peasy(not saying she's hard, but still) because she basically kills the UFO cards.

so Sanae B is probably the best to play the extra with in terms of safety, but Reimu A is still the best in terms of damage.

[Azinth]

Nue's UFO cards are pretty easy no matter what character you use tbh.  The first two especially can usually have their patterns wrecked by simply blowing up one UFO at the right moments, so the low-damage characters can still beat them easily if you know what you're doing.

Also, as far as characters' bombs go, I'd actually say that SanaeA/B and ReimuB have the best bombs while Marisa/Reimu A have two of the worst.  They slow you down to glacial speeds, and their extra damage is quite pointless thanks to the lack of spellcard armor in this game.  I use SanaeA, who supposedly has a weak bomb, yet I can easily one-shot most of the attacks in the game, usually even at 1.00 power.

[Ghaleon]

Nue's UFO cards are pretty easy no matter what character you use tbh.  The first two especially can usually have their patterns wrecked by simply blowing up one UFO at the right moments, so the low-damage characters can still beat them easily if you know what you're doing.

Also, as far as characters' bombs go, I'd actually say that SanaeA/B and ReimuB have the best bombs while Marisa/Reimu A have two of the worst.  They slow you down to glacial speeds, and their extra damage is quite pointless thanks to the lack of spellcard armor in this game.  I use SanaeA, who supposedly has a weak bomb, yet I can easily one-shot most of the attacks in the game, usually even at 1.00 power.

I find the green and yellow ufo cards to be quite difficult as Marissa..A? I forget, the master spark one. It's really easy once you kill a UFO in time as whoever, but for some reason sometimes one just wont die with Marissa for me.

[Zetzumarshen]

Nue's UFO cards are pretty easy no matter what character you use tbh.  The first two especially can usually have their patterns wrecked by simply blowing up one UFO at the right moments, so the low-damage characters can still beat them easily if you know what you're doing.

Any replay or more specific tips on Red and Blue UFO cards?

[Esoterica]

Personal preference in terms of shot types:

SanaeA - I'm normally not a fan of homing types, but something about this shot really clicks with me (probably because it's Sanae, but whatever :V)
SanaeB - LOLSHOTGUN.  Breaks my UFOs early though, and that makes me sad.
MarisaB - See above, minus the UFO breaking part.  Also reminds me of Mima~
ReimuA - It's a great shot, but needles have gotten really boring over the years :<
MarisaA - Never been a fan of laser types.
ReimuB - lol homing type

In terms of bombs:

SanaeA - Consistent damage throughout and usually strong enough to finish off any spellcard I don't like.
SanaeB - Like above, but only strong if I'm on top of the boss.
ReimuA - Powerful and longlasting.  The only reason it's not on top is because I hardly ever use ReimuA.
ReimuB - Decently powerful and quick to activate, in addition to having shiny colors.
MarisaA - LOL SLOW AS HELL
MarisaB - You know why this is where it is.

Obviously my preferences don't exactly lie with the actual efficiency of each shot type though.

Somewhat related: SanaeA's stronger than ReimuB, yes?

[Sodium]

SanaeA>=ReimuB
The difference isn't very big, although SanaeA is slightly more powerful.

Oh, and SanaeA's bomb is the 5th weakest, because Reimu, MarisA, and SanaeB all have powerful bombs.

[?q]

However, ReimuB's homing amulets are better for hitting things at odd angles and are debatably more useful at full power.

[Bananamatic]

Is it just me or do we get worse and worse Marisas?
And Marisa A.....that laser is simply blinding.

[Hawk]

Is it just me or do we get worse and worse Marisas?
And Marisa A.....that laser is simply blinding.

Worse and worse?  I'm not sure what you mean.  MarisaB rules EoSD, but after that she's nowhere to be seen for two games.  Then we got to MoF where MarisaC rules again and SA where MarisaA wins Easy and MarisaB wins Normal and Hard.

Of course, that's just referring to score.  If you want survivability, what's your metric?  MarisaA and MarisaC in MoF have the great survival options open to them.  MarisaA in SA offers the most freebies in the form of bombs, and MarisaB is just amazing.  True, Needles-Reimu always wins at long distance, but has no spread as a result.  Stages become harder, and bosses become (especially in UFO) very slightly easier.  MarisaA is almost as powerful as ReimuA, and her piercing is incredibly useful for stages, since UFOs are vital for high survival chances.

But yeah, MarisaB sucks.

Also, I didn't even realize Marisa's lasers were bright until I heard people complaining about them.  On the other hand, I have a very hard time with SanaeB's explosions and, to a lesser extent, ReimuA's needle-hit-things.  But that's just me.

[homing curvy laser]

I find it weird how, while everyone says MarisA's laser is blinding and makes bullets invisible and whatnot, NOBODY SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT THAT EAR-PIERCING HIGH-PITCHED NOISE IT DOES. It was the first I noticed on the first time I used this MarisA, and even though I eventually end up ignoring it, goddamn it makes me want to kill myself affasdfdasf

[Sodium]

Of course, that's just referring to score.  If you want survivability, what's your metric?  MarisaA and MarisaC in MoF have the great survival options open to them.  MarisaA in SA offers the most freebies in the form of bombs, and MarisaB is just amazing. 

MoF MarisA sucks. The splash is useless in that game, the spread isn't all that good, and ReimuB outclasses it completely in terms of attack power. MarisaC however is nice(my main shot type in MoF)

SA Marisa sucks. MarisA may have 8 bombs max, but they suck, you're not going to be getting power back if you use too many, and her attack power isn't all that great either. MarisaB is too weak far away for the average person who's just looking to 1cc, shotgunning requires planning, and her spread isn't even useful in certain stages. MarisaC is a joke compared to ReimuA. And then there's the larger hitbox Marisa has.

[Ghaleon]

Is it just me or do we get worse and worse Marisas?
And Marisa A.....that laser is simply blinding.

I find Marissa A is quite good in UFO, you're a druggy.

[Hawk]

MoF MarisA sucks. The splash is useless in that game, the spread isn't all that good, and ReimuB outclasses it completely in terms of attack power. MarisaC however is nice(my main shot type in MoF)

Reimu Needles will pretty much always outclass anything in terms of attack power.  That's her point.  MarisaA in MoF offers a nice mix between power (which is most certainly not bad, even if it isn't ReimuB's), and spread.

SA Marisa sucks. MarisA may have 8 bombs max, but they suck, you're not going to be getting power back if you use too many, and her attack power isn't all that great either. MarisaB is too weak far away for the average person who's just looking to 1cc, shotgunning requires planning, and her spread isn't even useful in certain stages. MarisaC is a joke compared to ReimuA. And then there's the larger hitbox Marisa has.

SA MarisaA's bombs do suck, but she gets power back at an increased rate, and, what?  Her attack power is among the highest in the game.  Unfocused and focused.

True, Patch-Fire is one of the weaker long-range shots, and yes, she requires some amount of trivial planning (it's an entirely different discussion as to who's best for blind runs, but...who cares?), but her spread is useful in every stage, bar none.  If you don't want to put forth the effort required to use her effectively (once again, not nearly as much as people make it out to be), that's FINE.  But she certainly doesn't suck.  You don't need to be a high-tier Japanese scorerunner to make good use of her abilities.