Author Topic: Slightly overwhelmed! (Read 4982 times)

Zexon · « **on:** August 03, 2012, 07:05:38 AM »

Hey everyone, thanks for looking at this, but I just made this account a few minutes ago, because surprisingly late, I just discovered Touhou yesterday! It looks amazing, the characters, the actual game, the music, and everything, but I have absolutely no idea where to start. I really would like to get into the fandom eventually, but right now I don't even know how. Where could I learn about the characters, buy the games, or just get into the series in general? Thanks in advance!

Lepetit89 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 03, 2012, 02:56:00 PM »

If you want to buy the games as well as various merchandise, you can start here:
http://www.w-canvas.com/
or, alternatively, use their English website, though it's still fairly new.
http://whitecanvas2000.cart.fc2.com/

Oh, and welcome! Happy to see someone new who immediately considers purchases.

MaStErSpArK94 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 03, 2012, 03:57:17 PM »

Welcome to the Touhou universe!

I highly recommend checking out the Wiki if you want to learn more about the characters and the series in general.

Zirene · « **Reply #3 on:** August 03, 2012, 03:59:22 PM »

Overwhelmed is a good word for where you're at. It is refreshing to see someone come in and ask where to purchase the games rather than just go straight to a download, welcome!

As far as game play read "How to get to grips with Touhou - general hints, tips and advice!" on the "Help Me, Eirin!" message board. That will get you up to speed on general game play mechanics and strategy coming from some of MotK's excellent players. Don't be overwhelmed by watching someone's replay on Lunatic or Extra, most of us couldn't touch those difficulties when we started playing. Another thing, back up your files. Losing scores and replays doesn't seem so bad but really is.

The Touhou Wiki is a good place to get background about the characters and story, but beware you might spend all week there. I'd also read "Miscellaneous Questions Thread 2" on this board. It'll answer some of the more obscure questions and is a great place to ask a question if you've got one. Other old question threads are good as well.

As far as fandom, there's no right place to start. Just start clicking around on youtube and the wiki and you'll run into plenty to keep you interested. There are a few fan made Touhou animes that are excellent, more music circles than I can think of, and other general "fandom nonsense" to keep you entertained. Hell it's kept me entertained for years now.

Welcome to the Touhou fanbase. You'll never need to watch, read, play, or listen to anything else ever again.

Zexon · « **Reply #4 on:** August 03, 2012, 06:19:50 PM »

Thank you all for the responses, they're already incredibly helpful. One more quick question, I hear there's a fanon apart from the actual canon storyline, is there any 'good' place for me to learn about this?

Zirene · « **Reply #5 on:** August 03, 2012, 06:24:28 PM »

Quote from: Zexon on August 03, 2012, 06:19:50 PM

Thank you all for the responses, they're already incredibly helpful. One more quick question, I hear there's a fanon apart from the actual canon storyline, is there any 'good' place for me to learn about this?

Fanon in it self doesn't have one or two great places to learn about it because well, its fanon. That said the Touhou Wiki (not the wikia, Momiji's touhouwiki is much better) under each page has a "fanon" tab, that will cover a lot of the popular stuff.

Zexon · « **Reply #6 on:** August 03, 2012, 06:27:37 PM »

Quote from: Zirene on August 03, 2012, 06:24:28 PM

Fanon in it self doesn't have one or two great places to learn about it because well, its fanon. That said the Touhou Wiki under each page has a "Fun Facts" and "Fan Culture" tab on each page, that will cover a lot of the popular stuff.

I figured as much, but thanks for the speedy answer, I'll defintently be sure to check out the wiki as soon as I can.

iK · « **Reply #7 on:** August 03, 2012, 07:04:06 PM »

Checking danbooru for translated fan comics is another good way to get invested in the fan side of things, but beware the NSFW ads if you don't have an adblocker installed.

Tengukami · « **Reply #8 on:** August 03, 2012, 07:14:19 PM »

First, welcome to MotK!

Others have mentioned the Wiki. The front page has lists of articles of the official games and official works such as manga and OSTs. I'd like to point out a other few articles that you might find useful:
Gensokyo, the land where most of the Touhou live.
Characters. Yes, there's a lot of them! If you've seen some of the games, you could start with the cast from the games you already know and go from there.
ZUN. The man, the myth, the legend.

I'd rather recommend Safebooru (with Adblocker) if you're looking for Touhou images that are not NSFW.

Also, please read the Welcome to TARC sticky on this board, as well as the rules in the Rules board. This'll save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

I'm always glad to see new people introduced to this series and excited about it. Do enjoy your stay, and don't hesitate to ask questions - folks will be happy to respond.

Zexon · « **Reply #9 on:** August 03, 2012, 07:52:35 PM »

Thanks for the site recommendations (danbooru and Safebooru)! Also, I just finished reading the Rules/Guidelines, as well as the 'Welcome' thread. And, I'll be sure to check out those articles on the wiki first, thank you!

Mеа · « **Reply #10 on:** August 03, 2012, 09:14:52 PM »

Hey welcome!
You don't need to rush into fandom, because fandom will bombard you once you stick your neck anywhere close to it
Just remember this: If it exists, there is a Touhou parody of it
So take your time

So you said that you have absolutely no clue where to start right?
Games-wise, you'll want to be looking for one of the windows game on listed on the front page
I don't know how many of the games you plan on getting at first, but there's several ways of going around playing them
Some people just go in numerical order, starting from 6 and going to 13
But because the games are kind of like separate stories (although there is a continuity), you don't really need to play them in order to understand what's going on. Well, the only exceptions are the last 3 games (11, 12, and 13, which loosely references events/characters started in 10), and the playable characters list tend to borrow characters from past games at times.
If you're going for story, well, there isn't much as you might soon find out. But if you want to go for character introductions and getting to know who's who (which can be helpful) then playing in order might be nice (although even then, all you get in game is several lines of dialogue. If you want backstory and the such, you're going to have to look in the bios). If you're going for gameplay and this is your first danmaku game, then you might want to start off with some of the easier games in the series (#7 or #8 come to mind)
Just for extra info, the games with a decimal after the end are canon, but not part of the 'main series', so you'll probably want to start off with the integer games. Also, #9 is quiet different in gameplay.

This may or may not have been entirely useful info, but enjoy.

Error · « **Reply #11 on:** August 03, 2012, 11:12:47 PM »

For danbooru, I'd recommend using rating:safe in your search, unless you don't mind seeing NSFW images.
Even then you'll probably still find a fair bit of fanservice.

KrackoCloud · « **Reply #12 on:** August 03, 2012, 11:24:06 PM »

Don't worry so much about learning the fandom. That'll come naturally with time. Just focus on playing the games. Personally, I think that's the best place to learn character names, and your favorite characters and songs.

iK · « **Reply #13 on:** August 04, 2012, 01:40:48 AM »

Also how much to hate characters named Yoshika because of their total BS tactics.

Zero Izayoi · « **Reply #14 on:** August 06, 2012, 09:50:48 PM »

Quote from: iK on August 04, 2012, 01:40:48 AM

Also how much to hate characters named Yoshika because of their total BS tactics.

^This.

Zexon · « **Reply #15 on:** August 07, 2012, 12:40:02 AM »

Sorry I'm getting back so late, I just got access to a computer again today, but in brighter news, I just got Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, because I ordered it before I read I didn't need to play in chronological order (thanks EdibleGhost, but oh well). On the topic of NSFW, it doesn't bother me all that much, though it's not something I'd look up on my own, so thanks for the warnings. One quick question, should I play it on Normal, or start practicing by going straight into Hard?

Drake · « **Reply #16 on:** August 07, 2012, 12:54:33 AM »

Play a few runs on Normal, creditfeed as far as you can, and if you feel comfortable then keep with Normal. If not, start on Easy until you're comfortable enough with how the game works.

iK · « **Reply #17 on:** August 07, 2012, 01:20:20 AM »

It's worth noting you'll get more points (and therefore extra lives) by playing on higher difficulties and with 3 or fewer starting lives. Depending on how familiar you get dodging certain attacks and stage hazards (Like ****ing green books) , the higher difficulties can actually become easier, since you get more rewards more often.

Normal and Easy are the best for getting use to specific mindsets and basics though.

EthanSilver · « **Reply #18 on:** August 07, 2012, 08:04:28 AM »

I find that once you start to get the hang of the game and begin to get a good understanding of the basics (streaming, even/odd spreads, etc.) you should give Lunatic a few tries. Obviously you'll fail pretty hard seeing as you're probably nowhere ready for it; the point isn't to do any better than on normal or easy though. After starting to get used to playing under those conditions going back to your more regular setting will seem infinitely easier. You'll feel you have way more breathing room and thus more time to put new concepts into practice. Plus, the confidence boost you get from successfully reaching a certain milestone in lunatic (eg, getting to the boss, or even beating the first midboss without dying) can only be beneficial.

Until you get the basics down pat though, don't bother with the higher settings. The zomgwtfstuffeverywhereinstadeathness of it (it's in the dictionary - look it up; and if it isn't well, it ought to be!) will prevent you from forming any effective strategies beyond "mash the arrows, close your eyes, shriek embarrassingly, and hope to live".

Zirene · « **Reply #19 on:** August 07, 2012, 12:17:49 PM »

Quote from: Zexon on August 07, 2012, 12:40:02 AM

I just got Embodiment of Scarlet Devil

You might want to install the retexture/hitbox patch. The patch makes the game look newer and displays your hitbox, however you can just install the retexture patch if you don't want the visible hitbox. All of the Windows games except this one have a hitbox showing while focused so its not going to hurt you in the long run. ~~I just checked the link I got it from and its dead so I'll find it for you.~~ Check Tengukami's post below mine.

Another thing I didn't see mentioned or I missed, back up your files. Losing scores and replays doesn't SEEM that bad, but it really really is.

Tengukami · « **Reply #20 on:** August 07, 2012, 02:13:35 PM »

This is starting to get into gameplay talk, which is for a whole other board, but just to offer my two cents on the subject:

1. Don't stress yourself over high scores or getting a 1cc just yet. First things first - learn the mechanics. Starting on Normal is your best bet here, as Drake said.
2. Different games have different mechanics. Wouldn't hurt to check out the Touhou Wiki for tips and strategies.
3. I see you have EoSD. That's a fine choice for starting out. Keep in mind that this game does not provide you with a visible hitbox, unlike the rest of the games in the Windows series. I'd recommend trying the game without the hitbox patch first. Who knows, might work out great for you. If you find it too much, then by all means install the patch. The retexture pack, on the other hand, is strictly cosmetic - it's not going to "hack" the game in any meaningful way. It does, however, replace backgrounds and sprites with fan-made works, which I find quite pretty. But maybe you prefer to stick with the original art, which is also pretty neat.
Both patches can be found here.
4. Before installing ANY patch, save a copy of your game directory elsewhere, in case you change your mind.
5. Most of all, have fun. Games are meant to be fun. Do not let yourself stress or rage over not being able to achieve a personal goal within a few tries. Take up your gohei and fly!

teefa85 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 07, 2012, 02:34:44 PM »

I will second backing up all your files. My computer harddrive crashed this weekend and I had to reinstall everything on Sunday. Thankfully, I didn't have to go download all the patches again since I had all my Touhou directories dumped on a flash drive, though I did lose my Ten Desires scores because I still don't get how to find the newer games' score.dat extracted (one of these days, I will look it up).

Zexon · « **Reply #22 on:** August 08, 2012, 12:49:32 AM »

I started with Normal and got as far as Hong Meilong, and on Hard I just barely beat Cirno (hey, I was proud) and I have yet to try Lunatic, out of fear of "the zomgwtfstuffeverywhereinstadeathness of it". I'm sorry that this is getting into gameplay, I wasn't thinking when I asked, but if I have any more questions I'll be sure to take it to the right board. But thank you very much for the hitbox patch, I didn't even know it existed, it'll probably help a million. And great idea with backing up the files, didn't think of that at first.

Tengukami · « **Reply #23 on:** August 08, 2012, 12:55:02 AM »

No worries, it's nice to see new people who are eager to get into Touhou. Everyone's glad to help out.

Zirene · « **Reply #24 on:** August 08, 2012, 03:03:36 AM »

Glad to hear you're enjoying the game. I have to admit I'm a little jealous of you because I remember discovering Gensokyo for the first time, it was glorious.

Also how about that music?!?

teefa85 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 08, 2012, 03:21:50 AM »

I remember how it was when I was overwhelmed after first getting introduced. So I'm always happy to help.

Author Topic: Slightly overwhelmed! (Read 4982 times)

MaStErSpArK94