Maidens of the Kaleidoscope

~Bunbunmaru News~ => Letters to the Editor => Ask a *Blank* Archive => Topic started by: Sapz on July 07, 2011, 05:26:11 PM

Title: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Sapz on July 07, 2011, 05:26:11 PM
Sorry about the delays, things didn't go as planned. :V Anywho, you guys know the drill by now. Go nuts with the questions!
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: theshirn on July 07, 2011, 05:26:50 PM
Why don't YOU try hard? >:(
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Pesco on July 07, 2011, 05:33:05 PM
You spaz?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Rin Kagamine on July 07, 2011, 06:04:13 PM
What's the deal with Nue?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Janitor Morgan on July 07, 2011, 06:28:32 PM
How would you advise I practice DDP in order to improve? Simply trying full runs over and over doesn't seem to get me very far.

There is a special challenge path in Kingdom of Loathing called "Bees Hate You". How do you feel about this?

Other than updating high score threads, what is your jurisdiction as an Acolyte?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Iryan on July 07, 2011, 06:35:50 PM
What was your biggest achievement in life so far?

What is the worst shmup you have ever played, design-wise?

Stumbled upon any Finntroll-esque Touhou arranges yet?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Edible on July 07, 2011, 06:44:42 PM
Are you, in fact, covered in bees?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Silent Harmony on July 07, 2011, 07:26:51 PM
>"ARE YOU READY?"

>How much time a day, on average, do you practice shmups?
>I remember you calling DOJBL "the best thing ever" or something similar. If that's the case then what is your 2nd favorite shmup?
>If the former answer is not a Touhou game, which Touhou game is the best in the series (not counting 10D because it's not done)?
>What is your favorite shmup theme?

>What's your favorite tea?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Tamashii Kanjou on July 07, 2011, 07:40:02 PM
Obligatory how did you find MotK?
Obligatory how did you become a staff member?
Obligatory what DO you do here as staff?

And now for something completely different...

You spend the day with your 3 of your favourite characters from Gensokyo. How do you spend the day? Explain!
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Sapz on July 07, 2011, 07:42:43 PM
Why don't YOU try hard? >:(
Well, I could, but where's the fun in that? :D
You spaz?
Very much so.
What's the deal with Nue?
Quite a few things, actually. I was a lot more concerned with the storyline/fandom side of things back when UFO was first released, and I'd made an effort not to have anything spoiled for once. None of the characters had really stood out to me much until playing Extra, and seeing Nue was a little '...what the hell is that?!' After reading translations she came across as very intelligent, manipulating and tricking everyone else into going on wild goose chases and pretty much orchestrating the whole of UFO just for kicks, which was hilarious and awesome.

Aside from that, her stage and spellcards make for my favourite Touhou Extra, a ton of the cards are really cool and seem less gimmicky compared to most other Extra stages, which was nice. And, er, of course, the delicious zettai ryouiki doesn't hurt, either. :V
How would you advise I practice DDP in order to improve? Simply trying full runs over and over doesn't seem to get me very far.
Full runs are, to put it bluntly, the least efficient kind of practice you could be doing. What you want to do is to make a savestate at the beginning of each stage, and then go through each one using those until you can do each of them... without dying, say, or some other similar arbitrary goal. If you find a spot that consistently gives you trouble, make a savestate before that point and practice that, trying various strategies, until you find something that works for you. It's also an excellent idea to watch mid or high level replays depending on how far you plan on taking it (where mid-level is someone getting a little way into the second loop and high level is something like Prometheus' 500m+ 2-ALL replays) - don't be ashamed to pinch strategies from these guys, they know what they're doing and it's usually better than what you're doing. :V

If you're serious about the goal, you'll also want to play daily even if it's just a single credit or run through a stage for a few minutes - you'll get rusty otherwise. Keep at it!
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There is a special challenge path in Kingdom of Loathing called "Bees Hate You". How do you feel about this?
I feel it pretty much goes without saying.
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Other than updating high score threads, what is your jurisdiction as an Acolyte?
Aside from that, the main thing is running the weekly shmup tournaments - alternating a Touhou tournament and a general STG tournament each week. It's really nice to see more interested players join and improve. On the rare occasion that something's off in HME, I'll also try to solve that.
What was your biggest achievement in life so far?
Hmm... I guess I'd have to say keeping up with maths and getting into a good university to study it. It's a pretty ordinary thing, I suppose, but I like it and was damn pleased when the work to get in paid off.
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What is the worst shmup you have ever played, design-wise?
Ahaha, oh man, this might take a while. In terms of straight-up badness, the one that springs to mind is Xexex (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFDhqdWe3-Y). It actually has some pretty cool concepts/features, and there are quite a few people that like it a lot, but it just pisses me off so much. Almost all of the weapons are useless, the tentacle pod is incredibly stupid, the stage design is... questionable (what the hell is up with stage 2?) and that goddamn first boss shrapnel is pretty much the most annoying thing ever.

Another one to point out is Dimahoo. It has the greatest intro clip ever created (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-eNBueHvQ0), but the scoring system is a mess. You essentially have a charge shot and depending on how long you charge it up, a meter fills up determining what level of item a certain enemy will drop and if you get all the items in a set you get a multiplier, and there's a polarity system aside from that and... really, I have no idea. Give this a watch if you want a look (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWBiazqMgyU#t=0m30s).

The flat-out silliest, though, has got to be Battle Bakraid. I'm sure a few of you have heard me go on about how cool Battle Garegga, a game infamous for its crazy rank which forces you to die a lot if you want to actually have a chance of winning, is - this is pretty much an extension of that. What we have in this game is death-chaining and bomb-chaining! I won't go into details, but it should suffice to say that the world record run has over sixty deaths, and that seeing the game literally rain lives on you after a ridiculous multi-suicide chain is completely hilarious.
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Stumbled upon any Finntroll-esque Touhou arranges yet?
Not yet, sadly. :(
Are you, in fact, covered in bees?
Naturally. To tell the truth, I don't ever touch the keyboard myself; I dictate and have the bees do the actual typing.
>"ARE YOU READY?"
YOUR MISSION STARTS NOW!
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>How much time a day, on average, do you practice shmups?
It depends how busy I am, and some days I don't play at all, but if left to my devices I could easily find myself playing for hours on end. Generally, I try to get at least an hour or two in daily (this is more likely if I'm actively working towards a goal at the time).
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>I remember you calling DOJBL "the best thing ever" or something similar. If that's the case then what is your 2nd favorite shmup?
Right now, I couldn't really settle on a #1 favourite - it's a three-way tossup between Dai-Ou-Jou Black Label, Ketsui, and Mushihimesama Futari 1.5.
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>If the former answer is not a Touhou game, which Touhou game is the best in the series (not counting 10D because it's not done)?
As much as I think UFO is the best game in the series so far, my actual favourite is EoSD. It's where I got my start with shmups and I still find it a lot of fun to just play a credit of every so often.
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>What is your favorite shmup theme?
NO REMORSE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNK7j-j_c68), the original version. It's such a cool theme. The timing is great - it starts out as a much more intense, speedy version of the final boss theme, and then Ketsui's main theme kicks in just as Doom's final phase begins. Most people seem to prefer one of the newer remixes of it, either from the 360 port or Ketsuipachi, but for me you can't beat the raw intensity of the original.
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>What's your favorite tea?
Really, I'm not that knowledgeable about it - usually I'll just go with milk tea.

Okay, I'll post this wall now and continue with the questions in a bit before this post gets unmanageable. :V
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: nintendonut888 on July 07, 2011, 07:58:32 PM
Are you mad that this makes you have to go back and edit your post you were making before I posted this?

Where do you get your kicks?

What is your favorite era in history, and how would you want a shmup to take place there?

About that game you complained about earlier, do you feel the awesome intro cheated you? Do you feel as though you were nickle and dimahoo'd?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: theshirn on July 07, 2011, 08:05:16 PM
Another one to point out is Dimahoo. It has the greatest intro clip ever created (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-eNBueHvQ0), but the scoring system is a mess. You essentially have a charge shot and depending on how long you charge it up, a meter fills up determining what level of item a certain enemy will drop and if you get all the items in a set you get a multiplier, and there's a polarity system aside from that and... really, I have no idea. Give this a watch if you want a look (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWBiazqMgyU#t=0m30s).
I confess disappointment that it wasn't my clip. :getdown:

And, because I've been waiting since my week to ask this:

Are you an Englishman in New York?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Iryan on July 07, 2011, 08:12:22 PM
Why should we vote for you becoming president?

I confess disappointment that it wasn't my clip. :getdown:
My thoughts exactly.
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Are you an Englishman in New York?
Wooooo~, I'm an Alien
I'm a Heian Alien
I'm a youkai girl in New York~
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: n i c o l e on July 07, 2011, 08:46:30 PM
thoughts on the news of the world phone hacking scandal?

(tl;dr explanation for those who don't understand the q (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11195407))
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Zengar Zombolt on July 07, 2011, 09:19:26 PM
Expectations for STGT?
Expectations for RL?
INSTANT BRAIN?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Mimachiro on July 07, 2011, 09:38:41 PM
How did you get into Touhou?

Are you actually a bee youkai?

What do you do for a living these days?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Naut on July 07, 2011, 09:54:14 PM
Chances of TiH taking #1 at stgt?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: theshirn on July 07, 2011, 10:29:49 PM
NAUT >:( ?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Fetch()tirade on July 08, 2011, 12:41:59 AM
Who is your most important person? (does not have to be named specifically)
Rate your life on a scale of table salt to red velvet cake.
What is the most delicious food you have ever eaten?
Would you prefer bionic or magical augmentation?
How do you feel about Justin Bieber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DIyqcEDiDk)?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: n i c o l e on July 08, 2011, 12:47:53 AM
what sports, if any, are you into?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: theshirn on July 08, 2011, 01:00:27 AM
SAPZ GO TO BED
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Janitor Morgan on July 08, 2011, 01:03:20 AM
"* Kuruminut is KIX'D 8D" ?

When playing UFO, do you most often go for red, green, blue, or rainbow?

Do you do Danmakufu?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Tamer Anode/Cathode on July 08, 2011, 02:28:16 AM
Other than (Do)donpachi, why bees?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: E-Nazrin on July 08, 2011, 05:23:20 AM
Is the yellow or black more important?

What makes shumps fun to you?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Sapz on July 08, 2011, 04:37:56 PM
Obligatory how did you find MotK?
I followed Donut here from GameFAQs, to cut a (somewhat) long story short. I'd pretty much been using his threads on EoSD's message boards as my sole point of contact with other Touhou fans before that, so MotK was a nice discovery.
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Obligatory how did you become a staff member?
A little after Matsuri stopped making the SotW after STGT '10 (I think), I spoke to him about it and we decided that I'd get it back up and running. I got Janitor primarily for that kind of thing, as well as keeping scoreboards in check, and after lgb left I got the HME mod position, and here we are today.
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Obligatory what DO you do here as staff?
See previous post!
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And now for something completely different...

You spend the day with your 3 of your favourite characters from Gensokyo. How do you spend the day? Explain!
Hm... for some reason, regardless of how I think about it, I can't imagine a day out with Nue, Remilia and... probably Youmu turn out to be anything other than absolute carnage. :V
Are you mad that this makes you have to go back and edit your post you were making before I posted this?
This seems to have backfired. 8)
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Where do you get your kicks?
They're all homemade!
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What is your favorite era in history, and how would you want a shmup to take place there?
Probably ancient Greece, that always seemed like a really cool period to me. You could easily make a shmup out of the mythology, whether it was something canon or just a free-for-all between the Gods.
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About that game you complained about earlier, do you feel the awesome intro cheated you? Do you feel as though you were nickle and dimahoo'd?
/me kicks Donut
I confess disappointment that it wasn't my clip. :getdown:

And, because I've been waiting since my week to ask this:

Are you an Englishman in New York?
Har har. Maybe one day. Right now, I'm an Englishman in New Malden.
Why should we vote for you becoming president?
I pledge to raise awareness for both shmups and metal, and abolish vegetables.
thoughts on the news of the world phone hacking scandal?

(tl;dr explanation for those who don't understand the q (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11195407))
Well, obviously it's a terrible thing for people to do since it's a huge invasion of privacy, but no particular feelings beyond that; I must admit I haven't been following the story very closely.
Expectations for STGT?
Top 5 for sure, 2nd or 3rd as a goal. 1st is... somewhat unlikely. I'll be disappointed if we're below 5th, we have an extremely strong team this time around.
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Expectations for RL?
Beyond continuing uni... not much right now, honestly. I'm hunting for a summer job, but that's not gone well so far. :(
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INSTANT BRAIN?
INSTANT BRAIN!
How did you get into Touhou?
I actually first saw a friend playing IaMP; it seemed completely bizarre how many projectiles and the like were going everywhere, almost like a puzzle game rather than a fighter for some of the spell cards. I got hooked after trying EoSD, working on a Normal 1cc (with max lives) and then an Extra clear.[/quote]
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Are you actually a bee youkai?
I'll leave that up to your imagination.
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What do you do for a living these days?
See previous post. Right now I'm living with my parents since uni is over for the year, and hunting for a part-time job, but no luck so far.
Chances of TiH taking #1 at stgt?
100%, obviously.

...Slim, but I wouldn't call it impossible. We don't really have a sikraiken (though .ASP comes close), and we have a lot less experience as a whole compared to the cowboys, but I think our members are at least close to most of them in most games. We'll see how it goes.
NAUT >:( ?
NAUT :D !
Who is your most important person? (does not have to be named specifically)
Eh, I can't really pick a single person. Probably my few really good friends from school.
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Rate your life on a scale of table salt to red velvet cake.
Hm... I'd say it's around cheese on toast.
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What is the most delicious food you have ever eaten?
Pizza in Malta. I don't know why, but it is always, ALWAYS the best thing I've ever eaten, and puts any pizza I've ever had here to shame.
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Would you prefer bionic or magical augmentation?
Magical for sure. So many more possibilities, and so many things that could go wrong with bionic.
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How do you feel about Justin Bieber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DIyqcEDiDk)?
This is pretty cool (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjGh3FVC9GQ).
what sports, if any, are you into?
I used to be really into karate. Other than that, not much, I'm not a big sports fan.
SAPZ GO TO BED
The night is still young!
"* Kuruminut is KIX'D 8D" ?
It's kind of a running gag. :V
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When playing UFO, do you most often go for red, green, blue, or rainbow?
Well, I haven't played it seriously in over a year, but I remember by strategy was reds for the first three stages, and greens for the latter three.
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Do you do Danmakufu?
Nope. I'm interested in creating patterns to dodge, but I know that even if I learned how, I'd still probably never get around to actually making them. I have a terrible procrastination habit.
Other than (Do)donpachi, why bees?
That is pretty much it, really. Honestly, I have no idea how it became such a big thing - I thought DDP was the coolest game ever for half a year or so, and suddenly I'm 'that bee guy'. :V
Is the yellow or black more important?
Yellow, definitely.
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What makes shumps fun to you?
Originally I was in it for the cool patterns, since that's one of Touhou's strengths, and the challenge, which was unlike anything I'd seen to that point. These days it's the challenge, the non-stop intensity and excitement of a good scoring run, and competition. There's nothing as satisfying as studying a game, planning the run, pushing it as high as you can go with it, practicing hard, and finally getting that one perfect run and beating everyone else. Improving a score for its own sake is fun of course, but I find I'm much more motivated when I'm actively trying to beat other people.
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: theshirn on July 08, 2011, 05:19:02 PM
Why can't I get any of your perfect runs if I sink equally ridiculous amounts of time into these games?

Where are the snowdens of yesteryear?

If we were to hang out, what would you want to do?

If we were to hang out, how would you avoid me killing you first?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Pesco on July 08, 2011, 06:25:16 PM
Are you lunatic enough to do a run of any game (any difficulty as well) blindfolded?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Reddyne on July 08, 2011, 11:05:16 PM
How well do you know your shmups? Enough to identify a game from my adolescence whose name I forgot?

What shmups would you recommend to someone who's only played a few and has only mediocre dodging skills?

What's your theme song?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: FinnKaenbyou on July 08, 2011, 11:13:42 PM
I'm having trouble winning over the ladies. I think I need to learn how to speak with a manly English voice like yours. Do you offer tuition?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: theshirn on July 08, 2011, 11:40:03 PM
You have previously stated in the attached file that you do not have a British accent.  What do you say about this now?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Prody on July 09, 2011, 12:50:45 PM
Do you have any interest in any form of Nico Nico Douga culture?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Mimachiro on July 09, 2011, 11:30:11 PM
What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

How much honey do your friends make in a month?

Can your bees combine their minds with yours to make a super hive mind that could out run a supercomputer?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Tamer Anode/Cathode on July 09, 2011, 11:47:22 PM
What do you think of Eddie Izzard?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Hello Purvis on July 10, 2011, 12:53:29 PM
So what am I going to ask?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Iryan on July 10, 2011, 12:55:37 PM
Got any serious and sincere advice for life?

What are your favorite top 5 Monthy Python sketches/movie scenes and why?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Sapz on July 10, 2011, 05:22:59 PM
Why can't I get any of your perfect runs if I sink equally ridiculous amounts of time into these games?
Maybe there's something wrong with your practice, or maybe you're getting burnt out, or maybe you just haven't had that one run yet. There's an analogy that a friend of mine on another forum likes to use; it's a lot like playing an instrument. If you've already mastered a bunch of difficult pieces, you'll be able to pick up another similarly difficult piece with relative ease, whereas if you haven't played anything that difficult or in that style before, it'll probably take you longer to adjust to it and get good at it. So basically, play a lot of different things and play as difficult things as you can manage often, and you'll manage it eventually.

Any games in particular you're talking about, out of interest?
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Where are the snowdens of yesteryear?
I didn't get the reference, so I did a quick search (http://www.faqta.com/snowdens-of-yesteryear/).
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If we were to hang out, what would you want to do?
Mmm, the first thing that comes to mind is just to go somewhere for a drink (if you're so inclined) and talk (largely about stupid things) for a few hours.
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If we were to hang out, how would you avoid me killing you first?
I... guess I'd go find that avatar. :V
Are you lunatic enough to do a run of any game (any difficulty as well) blindfolded?
This is an interesting idea, actually. I've made it to Cirno on Lunatic with my eyes closed after Donut mentioned this kind of fun/stupid challenge, so maybe EoSD Easy would be feasible...
How well do you know your shmups? Enough to identify a game from my adolescence whose name I forgot?
My knowledge is mostly of relatively modern shmups, but I'll give it a try. I'm hardly one of the encyclopedias over on shmups.org, though, so don't be disappointed if I have no idea.[/quote]
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What shmups would you recommend to someone who's only played a few and has only mediocre dodging skills?
Well, really, I'd recommend Touhou - the difficulties are very good for finding something at your level and progressing quickly. With regards to arcade shmups, I'd also recommend Batsugun Special (Toaplan, very fun early bullet hell with ridiculous shot types), ESPGaluda (CAVE, bullet hell, interesting bullet slowing mechanic), Strikers 1999 (Psikyo, manic, very fast paced and fun - a stage including a boss is usually about two minutes long) and Darius Gaiden with autofire (Taito, hori, extremely cool bosses). Honestly though, you shouldn't initially be expecting to 1cc these if you're just starting out, just keep trying to make steady progress - most arcade 1ccs are pitched at at least a similar level to Touhou Hard modes, with many going far beyond Lunatics especially if you start looking at second loops and the like. Keep at it!
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What's your theme song?
If I were to pick one myself... I have no idea, I don't really think you can represent people by something like a single song. If a song I really like works, though, maybe this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOI_XqLiQmE). It's not theme song-y at all, but it'd be cool if more people listened to it - I know there are a bunch of you that like at least similar stuff.

Alternatively, popular opinion seems to suggest this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nxuRwkVPx0).
I'm having trouble winning over the ladies. I think I need to learn how to speak with a manly English voice like yours. Do you offer tuition?
Sure! The main trick is to get lots and lots of sulfur hexafluoride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-XbjFn3aqE).

Disclaimer: I don't actually use sulfur hexafluoride.

Disclaimer 2: I'm not actually any good at winning over the ladies.
You have previously stated in the attached file that you do not have a British accent.  What do you say about this now?
I say, old bean, I'm must admit not quite sure what possessed me to make such a spurious claim. Must have had a little too much champagne that afternoon, what what?
Do you have any interest in any form of Nico Nico Douga culture?
I watch videos there sometimes, but I can't say I know much of anything about any culture surrounding it.
What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
The thing that comes to mind is the night of very drunken silliness going around the campus with my flatmates past 2am on the Friday of the first week of uni. Highlights include going swimming in the fountain, taking pictures on top of the stag, our uni's symbol/mascot/whatever you want to call it, before getting chased off by a security car (which I completely failed to notice; I thought we'd gotten bored and gone off to do something else), and losing my keys and spending the night sleeping in the middle of the flat's corridor.
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How much honey do your friends make in a month?
Too much. :(
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Can your bees combine their minds with yours to make a super hive mind that could out run a supercomputer?
Unfortunately, neither my brain nor the bees come with USB ports, so it's a no-go.
What do you think of Eddie Izzard?
From the little I've seen, I like his stand-up a lot.
So what am I going to ask?
Why am I your favourite?
Got any serious and sincere advice for life?
Not much, I'm afraid, but if I had to say something I'd say to be confident and take a few chances, and to not procrastinate needlessly. Bear in mind I'm terrible at these myself. :V
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What are your favorite top 5 Monthy Python sketches/movie scenes and why?
In no particular order:

Flying Lessons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1oMhMwUbgc) - "OH! AN HOOP!"

The Holy Hand Grenade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOrgLj9lOwk).

Bigus Dickus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPGb4STRfKw&feature=related) - the look on everyone's faces during the second half of this is absolutely hilarious.

Migrating Coconuts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzcLQRXW6B0&feature=related).

...I don't know about a 5th one, there are too many to choose from. :V
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Romantique Tp on July 10, 2011, 05:56:22 PM
How touhou could be improved, in your opinion ?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Mimachiro on July 10, 2011, 10:05:51 PM
What's the funniest name you've ever heard?

If Yukari gapped you into Gensokyo, what would you do?

How about them hornets?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: LHCling on July 11, 2011, 07:38:15 AM
What is your dream sandwich? In other words, describe in as much or as little detail as desired, the best sandwich ever.
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Hello Purvis on July 11, 2011, 12:35:49 PM
Precisely: Get crackin' on that one, doughboy!

Also: let's say I fucking love shooter bosses that transform, and fully believe in more being merrier. Recommend james that would please this craving.
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: theshirn on July 11, 2011, 08:10:27 PM
How can I get a job?

Can you record your answers for at least one of these posts so we can all be in proper awe?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Reddyne on July 12, 2011, 09:19:07 PM
I suppose it's worth a shot simply because I thought it was well done and worth looking into. Still, it's pretty standard, so I'll do what I can.

It was definitely made a little over ten years ago as the graphics were pretty sharp. It was a top-down vertical shooter like Touhou with a total of 8 levels. You pilot a space fighter and the entire thing takes place in space. The power-up system featured a number of semi-color-coded power-ups including a blue laser, orange missiles, and green concussive missiles (a la UFO SanaeB) which all had several levels of power. One of the more distinct features was the bomb, which behaved very similarly to the one in MoF; a large, circular area that moved forward slightly. It didn't feature the stereotypical look of an explosion, but rather featured a deep red color with a pretty uniform look outside of some color variation and some electricity arcing around it.

That... came out more generic than I had hoped, but if it can be identified, that'd be great for myself and anyone listening. I remember dumping quarter after quarter into that machine when I was a teenager.
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Sapz on July 12, 2011, 09:32:50 PM
[Full Voice patch implemented]
How touhou could be improved, in your opinion ?
The thing that comes to mind is that I'd like to see a lot more visual feedback with regards to the scoring systems. By this I mean things like big, shiny counters, or flashy score items, or something like that - my big hold-up with Touhou scoring is that it doesn't really feel very tangible or intuitive to me. With Futari Original, you know damn well you're doing the right thing because you're grabbing a ton of big, shiny gold gems and you constantly see the overall counter climb. In DDP, you know damn well when you're doing well because there's that shiny MAXIMUM BONUS scrolling on your HUD and a big, shiny chain counter. In Crimzon Clover, you know damn well you're doing the right thing because there are x6.4 multipliers coming out of explosions and big shiny stars all over the place. With Touhou there isn't really anything like that, in my opinion - I suppose you could make an argument for graze sparks, but that's a very small thing.

...So, basically, lots of gold, shiny things as a measure for doing well. (http://www.mediafire.com/?5dasuw9t9f5ph28)
What's the funniest name you've ever heard?
...Hmm, I have no idea, honestly. I'll come back and edit this if I think of something.
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If Yukari gapped you into Gensokyo, what would you do?
I suppose I'd go and visit Byakuren's temple; they seem like an interesting bunch. I guess I'd wind up in the Human Village if I were to get stuck there, though. I think I'd also try and annoy Marisa for magic lessons - might as well make a project out of learning danmaku if I have nothing else to do there, right? (http://www.mediafire.com/?lscah1h4ct4flfh)
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How about them hornets?
What are hornets? (http://www.mediafire.com/?mlpcoqi4i1oaonc)
What is your dream sandwich? In other words, describe in as much or as little detail as desired, the best sandwich ever.
Alrighty, white, sliced bread; butter; crispy bacon; cheeses, possibly melted (cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere); lettuce. That's probably it, really. Simple and delicious! (http://www.mediafire.com/?uaxac0525sl68ry)
Precisely: Get crackin' on that one, doughboy!
Because you call me coach. :] (http://www.mediafire.com/?v8t0q2bgm3p8qdq)
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Also: let's say I fucking love shooter bosses that transform, and fully believe in more being merrier. Recommend james that would please this craving.
Alrighty, the developer you want to be looking at here is Psikyo! Almost all of their MAMEable games do this, including Gunbird, Gunbird 2, Strikers 1945, Strikers 1945 II, and Strikers 1999. These generally have eight stages per loop, almost all of which contain a boss which transforms from some kind of mechanical war machine into a mech of some description. Fun stuff all around. I'd particularly recommend the Strikers series, which has a pretty hilarious plot if I remember right; in 1945, both sides in WWII team up to fight invading aliens. It's almost more hilarious playing the games without knowing the plot, because it starts as what looks like a WWII game (albeit with some robot phases in bosses) and suddenly you're fighting aliens on the moon in Spitfires and the like. (http://www.mediafire.com/?ce5wd6qyhh5rill)
How can I get a job?
I'd like to know myself. :< (http://www.mediafire.com/?kij8cpeu4aox9b6)
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Can you record your answers for at least one of these posts so we can all be in proper awe?
But of course, old boy! (http://www.mediafire.com/?60iaqaelx9sqwts)

No voiceover due to ninja:
I suppose it's worth a shot simply because I thought it was well done and worth looking into. Still, it's pretty standard, so I'll do what I can.

It was definitely made a little over ten years ago as the graphics were pretty sharp. It was a top-down vertical shooter like Touhou with a total of 8 levels. You pilot a space fighter and the entire thing takes place in space. The power-up system featured a number of semi-color-coded power-ups including a blue laser, orange missiles, and green concussive missiles (a la UFO SanaeB) which all had several levels of power. One of the more distinct features was the bomb, which behaved very similarly to the one in MoF; a large, circular area that moved forward slightly. It didn't feature the stereotypical look of an explosion, but rather featured a deep red color with a pretty uniform look outside of some color variation and some electricity arcing around it.

That... came out more generic than I had hoped, but if it can be identified, that'd be great for myself and anyone listening. I remember dumping quarter after quarter into that machine when I was a teenager.
Sorry, I'm not really sure, unless you mean Truxton/Tatsujin. I'd recommend asking over at shmups.org though - with a relatively detailed description like that I'm sure someone could help you out.
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: theshirn on July 12, 2011, 09:36:46 PM
I am properly pleased and awe-filled. :V
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Alfred F. Jones on July 13, 2011, 07:34:22 PM
If you could go back in time and change any one historical event to have the outcome of your choice, what would it be and why?

What is your idea of a relaxing vacation?

Will you feed me strawberries on a beach in Malta someday, narrating with your sexy, sexy voice at the same time?
Title: Re: Ask a Staffer Ep. 21 - Sapz
Post by: Sapz on July 14, 2011, 12:41:15 AM
If you could go back in time and change any one historical event to have the outcome of your choice, what would it be and why?
I know pretty much nothing about history so rather than something deep, I'm going to go with my initial silly idea on this one, which would be to avert the death of the dinosaurs. I mean, come on, everyone would love to see a dinosaur, right? I'm sure the world would be a much happier, safer place with a couple of t-rexes around the place keeping the peace. (http://www.mediafire.com/?obam2t8rr7oo217)
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What is your idea of a relaxing vacation?
A relaxing holiday for me would probably be spending a week or two in Malta, as per usual. At this point it's essentially a second home to me; I have relatives and can understand the language but it's far away from home enough that I don't have to worry about any kind of obligations until I get back. (http://www.mediafire.com/?0l6l7kb3ycb1rc0)
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Will you feed me strawberries on a beach in Malta someday, narrating with your sexy, sexy voice at the same time?
But of course! (http://www.mediafire.com/?78yv49nvlbb45w1)

Aaand I think that's the lot. Thanks for participating, people, it was fun answering these. :]