How does the game work?

[KyrosGallade]

Ok, I know this sounds stupid, but I’m still unclear on some of the game mechanics. For reference, I’ve only beat TH17 before this, but the mechanics seem very different, and the Touhouwiki page for the game is still under construction. So I’m asking a few questions.
1: How do I increase the maximum charge? Is it the pickups or is it by destroying targets, or is it something else?
2: Does holding charge do anything other than charging the gauge?
3: In story, I’ve seen my EX activate at the opponent’s side even though I didn’t use charge. Is this story only or does it also happen in VS? If so, when does it happen?

[Eenkin]

Increasing maximum charge for the gauge is from the pickups which can be gained from defeating enemies (more if they were defeated in a chain explosion) or by capturing bullets within your aura’s scope from charging (which you get a ton from against certain patterns sent by your opponent depending on the character). I believe grazing also creates pickups except if it was already captured by your aura’s scope.

Bullets inside your aura’s scope will also slow down which sometimes makes it easier to dodge unless you clumped too many inside that it leaves little to no room to escape.

Your charge 3 and charge 4 will gain additional levels each time you use them (maximum lv 8) or if you lose a life.

Your charge 3 and charge 4 can automatically activate if you defeat a large group of enemies within a short time frame. In fact, multiple charge 3s can be sent out this way at the same time making it from very difficult to nigh impossible to dodge. However, the attacks will not level up from this way but it also doesn’t use up your charge gauge. (Bombing when there’s a ton of enemies is the simplest way to send them, while grouping up a ton of spirits together and shooting them down when there’s a lot of enemies for a lot of chain explosions is another way.)

Charge 3 sends out special shot patterns to your opponent while Charge 4 sends out a boss. Leveling them up will give more complex/denser patterns and increases your character’s boss’s HP and timer.

In addition, if you lost your barrier (which prevents you from losing a heart), a charge 3 or 4 will refresh your barrier as indicated by your gauge flashing.

If you have a boss already out to your opponent, doing a charge 4 will send out a charge 3 instead (but only uses up the difference in meter instead of the full gauge).

In addition, charge 2 or higher will clear out bullets within point blank range (unless you’re Reimu whose charge 2 clears bullets in a greater range). (Not all bullet types can be cleared though, but most do.)

Spirit orbs and spirit animals can be calmed when captured by your aura’s scope which makes them freeze on screen for a few seconds and has less hp making it easier to defeat.

[Tolione]

Continuing on, destroying a certain amount of Spirits activates a full on EX attack (think of sending a Charge 3 attack) without you actually using your guage
If you do it again while your Free Charge 3 is happening, you send a Free Boss attack
This is usefull for sending Boss attacks after getting a free Charge 3 attack, which is only usefull for fighitng against other players, as the AI will probably dodge everything regardless

[Laraso]

Originally posted by Eenkin:

Increasing maximum charge for the gauge is from the pickups which can be gained from defeating enemies (more if they were defeated in a chain explosion) or by capturing bullets within your aura’s scope from charging (which you get a ton from against certain patterns sent by your opponent depending on the character). I believe grazing also creates pickups except if it was already captured by your aura’s scope

Maybe I'm blind but I'm not seeing any pickups? My gauge seems to just increase completely randomly. Sometimes I'm grazing and killing lots of enemies and it's not increasing, and other times it's increasing so rapidly I can throw out full charges back-to-back-to-back-to-back. I don't understand how this works.

[Tolione]

Originally posted by Laraso:

Originally posted by Eenkin:

Increasing maximum charge for the gauge is from the pickups which can be gained from defeating enemies (more if they were defeated in a chain explosion) or by capturing bullets within your aura’s scope from charging (which you get a ton from against certain patterns sent by your opponent depending on the character). I believe grazing also creates pickups except if it was already captured by your aura’s scope

Maybe I'm blind but I'm not seeing any pickups? My gauge seems to just increase completely randomly. Sometimes I'm grazing and killing lots of enemies and it's not increasing, and other times it's increasing so rapidly I can throw out full charges back-to-back-to-back-to-back. I don't understand how this works.

The pickups are super transparent items that are small and circular, if you go to the top of the screen to the Point of Collection, you will get all that are currently falling, and havent dropped past the screen, which should make collecting and gaining guage easier

[ddp]

Originally posted by Laraso:

Maybe I'm blind but I'm not seeing any pickups? My gauge seems to just increase completely randomly. Sometimes I'm grazing and killing lots of enemies and it's not increasing, and other times it's increasing so rapidly I can throw out full charges back-to-back-to-back-to-back. I don't understand how this works.

The pickups can drop from grazing bullets, deleting bullets, killing enemies, maybe other things. If you're ever getting a massive amount of gauge items, it's probably because of you chaining enemies that delete a lot of bullets from a boss attack or something similar.