麻雀の戦略: 上天結論

Continuation of this post


This will be a short post, but it merely concludes what I was discussing last week. Last week we learned how to determine your own Shan Ten. This is a useful technique to learn in order to adjust your play style accordingly.

Now I discuss how to predict your opponent's Shan Ten. Since you cannot see your opponent's hand, the best guess at their Shan Ten range is through their discards. Think about it logically; someone who discards many tiles either has a very low Shan Ten (Close to winning, so they are only looking for one or two specific tiles) or a very high Shan Ten (Less likely, although this may be a sign that they are going for a special hand, i.e. 7 Pairs or 13 Orphans).

Granted, when playing computer opponents, you don't actually get to see them remove a tile from their own hand, which is an easy sign of decreasing Shan Ten (Remember that if you replace one of your potential discards to form a meld, you subtract 1 Shan Ten). Still, let's look at the situation from last week again:

Here we see South player declaring Riichi after their fourth discard. From this, we can ascertain that their Shan Ten count was between 1 and 5. It would be very rare (Probably never) for a computer to not declare Riichi if possible, so then we narrow down to between 2 and 5. The most probable number is either 2 or 3, depending on how you interpret the discards.

Their first discard is 2 Pin. Since it isn't a terminal or honor, we can assume that the computer isn't going for a half or full flush of Pin, and we can also assume that they do not hold 1, 2, or 3 Pin.

The alternate assumption is that they drew that tile during their turn, and discarded as it did not decrease their Shan Ten number. This latter assumption is more likely, but again since we cannot physically see which tile they discard, it is only an assumption. In real life, the former assumption would hold if they kept their draw and discarded the 2 Pin from their own hand.

The next two discards are both honors. Therefore, we can easily assume that these were their draws, and that they are not going for a hand that utilizes honors. Alternatively, these were in their hand from the start, but that would mean they kept drawing tiles that lowered their Shan Ten count. It becomes less probable that they keep drawing necessary tiles when the Shan Ten count is close to 2 or 1.

Finally, their Riichi discard is 4 Man, so they reached Tenpai as of the fourth draw. Then they win by Tsumo on their sixth draw.

I'll end by repeating that against computer opponents, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to know their Shan Ten count just by their discards. Their discards can give you an idea as to what kind of hand they are building. In addition, any melds they form by taking a tile from the pool essentially lowers their potential Shan Ten count by 3 (As a meld is a sequence of 3 tiles, and since the meld is visible, the highest possible Shan Ten is therefore 11, however low a probability that may be).

The next topic will probably be reading hands based on the discard pool; a very important technique to learn if you don't want to deal into someone.

東方Project第13弾 東方神霊廟 ～ Ten Desires

二月なんて無かった。
さて、今年も急に雪が降ったり冷え込んだりしましたが、ようやく春の兆しが感じられるようになってきました。
で、今年も博麗神社例大祭に参加します。
今年の作品は
「東方Project第13弾　東方神霊廟（とうほうしんれいびょう）　～ Ten Desires.」（体験版）


です。

東方も第13弾まで来てしまいました（実際は13作どころの騒ぎではないのですが）。一年に１作品でも結構経っていることを考えると、もう遊んでいる層も入れ替わっている事でしょう。
というわけで今回は難易度抑えめに、システムも程々の複雑さにしました。

ストーリーはざっくり言うと「何か雑多な霊がワラワラと湧いたと思ったら、それは何と神霊と呼ばれる物だった。これは放っておけないと彼女は調査に出た」みたいな感じです。ストーリーなんてあってないようなもの。
主人公は霊夢と魔理沙のいつもの二人と、神霊を有効利用しようとする早苗、管理外の神霊を処分しようとする妖夢の４人です。

難易度は低くても、敵を倒しているだけで気持ちよくなるあの感じ、を目指して現在開発中です。

進化した「いつも通り」に刮目せよ！












＊ゲーム画面は開発中の為、確実に変わります。ほら変わった

あ、書き忘れた。例大祭で配布するのは体験版ですよ？

Source: http://kourindou.exblog.jp/14332117/

English Translation 

There was no February. 

Now then, once again snow has suddenly fallen and it's gotten cold this year, but it's finally starting to feel like spring a little. 

So, I'll be participating in the Hakurei Shrine Yearly Festival (Reitaisai) again this year. 

This year's product will be "Touhou Project #13: Touhou Shinreibyou [Mausoleum of Divine spirits] ~Ten Desires." (trial version) 

Touhou has finally made it to number 13 (not that there's been much fuss about it being #13). When I think how long I've been releasing one work a year, there sure have been a lot of different game systems, haven't there? 

I've added a few things that will make the game system a bit more complicated in order to keep the difficulty level down a bit. 

Basically, the story is "Suddenly a large number of spirits appear - the type that are called divine spirits! A young girl appears to investigate, knowing this can't be left unchecked." The main characters include Reimu and Marisa as usual, as well as Sanae, who's trying to learn to use divine spirits effectively, and Youmu, who's here to deal with any divine spirits that aren't under her control.

One of my goals is to make it fun to just beat all the enemies even on lower difficulty levels, so I'm releasing a trial version to see how it went. 

Watch out for our advanced "business as usual"! 

Power of Dream

One of the first Touhou remixes I listened to, and it's still my favorite one:

Power of Dream - IOSYS

星屑を叩き込め

Hoshikuzu wo tataki kome

弾幕を吹き飛ばせ

Danmaku wo fuki tobase

踊りだせこの夜は

Odori dase kono yoru wa

私たちのステージだ

Watashi-tachi no suteeji da

闇の空で　輝いた

Yami no sora de kagayaite ita

涙、光　恋色の歌

Namida, hikari koi-iro no uta

今更、恋を夢見るお姫様ではいられないから

Ima sara, koi wo yume miru ohime-sama de wa irarenai kara

泣きたいときにも進んで行こう

 Nakitai toki ni mo susunde yukou

素直なままで

Sunao na mama de

探せ未来、必ず奇跡はこの手で掴むぜ

 Sagase mirai, kanarazu kiseki wa kono te de tsukamu ze

がむしゃらに乗り越えて

 Gamushara ni nori koete

ぬかるみを飛び越えて

 Nukarumi wo tobi koete

走り出せこの夜は

Hashiri dase kono yoru wa 

私たちのパレードだ

 Watashi-tachi no pareedo da

雨の空で煌めいていた

 Ame no sora de kirameite ita

虹の希望　夢色の歌

Niji no kibou yume-iro no uta

気楽な生き方なんてさ好みじゃない

Kiraku na ikikata nante konomi ja nai ze

立ち止まるくらいなら一人のままで壊すさ

Tachi domaru kurai nara hitori no mama de kowasu sa

楽しい事を

Tanoshii koto wo

探せ、未来必ず 伝説この手で創るぜ

 Sagase mirai, kanarazu densetsu kono te de tsukuru ze

弱さ　悩み　辛さ 立ち向かえるのも

Yowasa nayami tsurasa tachi mukaeru no mo

強さ　力　勇気　心があるから

 Tsuyosa chikara yuuki kokoro ga aru kara

想い　心　気持ち 夢に向かうんだ

Omoi kokoro kimochi yume ni mukau n da

Power of dream Power of dream Power of dream

全ての明日へと

Subete no ashita e to

永久へ祈りを捧げ 届け私　放つ星

 Towa e inori wo dakae todoke watashi hanatsu hoshi

今更、恋を夢見るお姫様ではいられないから

Ima sara, koi wo yume miru ohime-sama de wa irarenai kara

泣きたいときにも進んで行こう

Nakitai toki ni mo susunde yukou

素直なままで

Sunao na mama de 

探せ未来、必ず奇跡はこの手で掴むぜ

Sagase mirai, kanarazu kiseki wa kono te de tsukamu ze 

Source:  http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Lyrics:_Power_of_dream

ボランティア 八日目

12:42 - Bought sushi lunch nearby. Shift starts at 1, so I'm early. Haven't signed in yet and will take around 10 minute to get there. From now on, I'll only take note of "interesting" things that happen. I'll also note every half hour. After many hours of doing this, there isn't much left to comment on.

 

1:00 - No lunch today; apparently there's been a flood and I need to divert my attention as such. Interesting just got a new name.

 

1:30 - The gist is that elevators aren't working and paths are blocked so I have to redirect and prohibit some elevator usage. Will be busy; little updates as a result

 

2:26 - Had a yogurt break because the cafeteria is right next to where I'm stationed

 

2:52 - Taking a short sit down break because standing for 2 hours straight is tiring. Watching a doctor (At least I think it's a doctor) play the piano in the cafeteria. I notice that the pedal is squeaky; must be a very old piano (Sure looks like it). Due to the lack of commentary, I'll do a small writeup when I get home. Back to work for one more hour.

 

3:01 - Now there's a giant garbage bin in the middle of the place. How pleasant

 

3:45 - Someone stole a sandwich from the cafeteria. Followed him for a bit but lost him in the maze that is the hospital.

 

So here's the small writeup I promised.

Ironically, the day I decided not to only comment on interesting things, this happens. Apparently the situation was that due to a water leak or something of the sort, most of the elevators in the major main building (I normally work in the main building for out patients) ceased to function. The situation had been somewhat alleviated by the time I got here for the shift. I was redirected to help in the major main building, and they sent me to deal with Level 2 (The building has at least 15 floors).

There were only 3 elevators working on Level 2, and my main job was to redirect people accordingly; crowd control in a sense. There were 3 other elevators working, but those are supposed to be for doctors and staff. That didn't stop regular visitors from using them, and they didn't really tell me to enforce that rule so I let it be.

Since this was the major main building, it was more busy for me than any normal day at the out patient building. As a result, updates were few on my part.

The worst part was I bought sushi prior to coming, and I thought it was going to be another slow day, so I could sit down and eat lunch. But it wasn't and I left my lunch in one of the lockers for 3 hours. Suffice to say that I didn't really want to eat it afterward. It was a bit of serendipity that I was sent to Level 2 because there was a cafeteria right next to the elevators. Eating something big would be unprofessional while working, so in the end I had a small cup of yogurt.

Speaking of food, one of the visitors informed me that someone stole a sandwich from the cafeteria. There isn't much I can do about that, so I just followed to suspect. Unfortunately, due to me keeping my distance and remaining incognito, I eventually lost him. At that time my shift was about to end, so I left and signed out.

No volunteering next week due to another midterm. Will think of a filler post for that.

バイアスシャッフル - 最後編

Continuation of this post

For the final part, we discuss the simplest, yet most effective method of randomizing cards relative to their initial position: Pile shuffling.

Pile shuffling is when you take your deck, and deal piles. The effectiveness of randomization is based on the number of piles you create; the more piles the farther apart cards will be when their initial order.

In the interest of time, I won't bother to take pictures, mainly because pile shuffling is the only kind of shuffling discussed so far that you can perform repeated replications without any deviation (in other words, the randomness of pile shuffling is the fact that there is no randomness to begin with). Basically, you won't need visuals to interpret the result.

The best way to explain it is to once again consider our sample space:

Si=[1D, 1C, 1H, 1S, 2D, 2C, ... 10S]

If we did pile shuffling, making 4 piles of 10, and then stacked each pile on top of one another, then we would get:

Sf=[10D, 9D, 8D, 7D, ... 4S, 3S, 2S, 1S]

I am not listing the entire series, as it can easily be derived from the given information.

What happened here? Originally, the cards were ordered from lowest number to highest number, lowest suit to highest suit. After performing the controlled experiment, we find two interesting results:

1) All the suits are together
2) The numbers go in descending order, as opposed to ascending of the original

Both results do one thing in common: They separate all cards from its original position. 

Take for example, 3C. Originally, 3C is relative to 3D and 3H. After the experiment, 3C is now relative to 4C and 2C. Picking any other card from our sample space and we'll notice the same thing: there is a deviation of 4 cards from the original.

Note that this is only the case for all cards because we divided the deck into 4 piles, which is perfectly divisible in a 40 deck. Similarly, if we did 2 piles, there would be 2 deviations, and if we did 8 piles, there would be 8 deviations. If we did a non-divisible number, such as 3, then most cards would be 3 deviations, where the others would exhibit 2 or 4.

Pile shuffling is basically stacking, since you control where each card is relative to another card. Granted, most people don't have an analytical mind that can take full advantage of this, but it's a nice fact to know. The point of pile shuffling for the layperson is to separate their cards close to each other, and then use the other two methods of shuffling (standard and cascading) to randomize the newly separated deck.

Practically, you would only pile shuffle after a game, whereas if you had to search your deck for a card, then you would standard and cascade, in the interest of time.

すべて

Once again, will add content after midterm.

デザート

Will put content later. For now, enjoy this dessert platter:

麻雀の戦略: 上天

And so begins a series of strategy-dedicated posts on Mahjong. Based on my free time, these will range from extremely analytical (probability, mathematics, etc), to just basic practical.

This post is one of many of the latter.

So often we are fixated on attaining a winning hand that we often forget to keep track of not only how many tiles we are away from winning, but also how many the opponent potentially could be.

Shan Ten (上天) is basically the practice of keeping track of that. The ideal Shan Ten is Zero Shan Ten, because obviously when you need zero tiles to win, you win. Then the most familiar Shan Ten is One Shan Ten, which is Tenpai. The pattern follows as such; Two Shan Ten would be two tiles away from a winning hand, Three Shan Ten would be three tiles away ... up to Thirteen Shan Ten (Which is ridiculously rare, but I won't bore you with the math).

Why keep track of such a mundane thing? By knowing how close (or far, if you will) you are from winning, it allows you to play the round in an appropriate style to suit the situation. This is most prominent at the beginning, when you construct your hand from the wall.

Keeping track of your own Shan Ten is child's play; I'll do an example right now:

Note that most (if not all) Mahjong games will arrange your tiles automatically for you, thus making it all the more easier to keep track.

At first, it may be hard to tell how many tiles you are from a winning hand; the best way is to construct melds with the available tiles. The only possible melds for this opening hand would be 4-5-6 Pin (Dots). Next, we construct partial melds; 2 out of 3. There are many here:

- 4-5 Man
- 4-4 Pin
- 3-4 Sou (Bamboo)
- 6-7 Sou

Finally we list our possible discards (The remaining tiles basically):
- 9 Man
- 9 Pin
- South Wind
- North Wind

As an aside, notice that our discards will most of the time (in this case, all of them) be terminal and honour tiles. A probability-based explanation is necessary to elaborate this logic, but that can be another post.

Now we work backwards. Since we have 4 potential discards, that is our initial Shan Ten number. 4 Shan Ten is therefore our maximum, and therefore we are four tiles away from winning. Granted with every new draw the Shan Ten number fluctuates, as of now, this is our Shan Ten number.

This is easy to prove; simply remove the discards, and replace them with tiles that would make melds. For example, I replace them with 6 Man, 7 Pin, 2 Sou, and 8 Sou. This results in an All Simples hand.

It is worth noting that you cannot always assume the number of discards is equal to the Shan Ten number. That is because the Shan Ten number that gives us is the minimum; by changing our melds and partial melds, it changes the potential discards, and therefore gives us a new, higher Shan Ten.

An example here would be our 4-4-5-6. We have listed 4-5-6 Pin as our only complete meld, but we have also listed 4-4 Pin as a partial meld. Since these events are mutually exclusive (Both can't occur simultaneously because if you do stick with the 4-5-6, then the 4 becomes an outlier and therefore a discard) the overall result increases the Shan Ten number to 5 Shan Ten.

But this is a bad example in the sense that you could redo our listing to include 4-4 Pin and 5-6 Pin as partial melds. However, this only simplifies the list; and doesn't change the maximum Shan Ten.

Finally, I'd like to note that after all this, we still have not considered Winning Conditions. Shan Ten does not take that into consideration; if we did however, we would, in most cases, get a higher Shan Ten number. But once again, the minimum Shan Ten doesn't change.

Now that we know we are 4 Shan Ten (Which by the way, is the most common number for a starting hand, with 3 being a very close second), we can draw a few tiles to see if our situation improves.

Unfortunately, the overall situation does not improve, as one player has already declared Riichi after their fourth discard. What can we conclude from this image? Well first let's find our new Shan Ten, without all the explicit work. This may seem harder, with a lot more options to choose from for discards, but just use common sense and pick discards based on the construction of your hand.

After a quick scan, I choose my double 9 Man and my 3 Sou as my discards, thus making it a 3 Shan Ten hand. This hand would still be All Simples, but would allow me to declare Riichi if it remained fully concealed.

We are far from winning (Yes, 3 tiles is still a long ways to go). But someone is already Tenpai. It would be best to play defensively, and hoping in the end that no one plays into their hand, they do not draw the winning tile, and through all that chaos, still get your hand to Tenpai or even win.

Reading the discard and reading your opponent's hand based on the discard will be obviously another post. But for now just note that it is hard to tell what the opponent is aiming for, mainly because their discard pile is so small, and that half of the discards are honour tiles. The safest route to take would be to get rid of double 9 Man, which also helps me get closer to Tenpai.

Indeed the 9 Man were safe bets for discards, but in the end, they managed to Tsumo. No matter how skilled you are in the game, you will always lose to luck. But at the end of the day, luck comes and goes, while skill stays with you until the end.

Next week I will probably expand more on Shan Ten and conclude.

ラブシック スクール ガール 章八

Chapter 8: Water You Waiting For?

            “…and as a result, water molecules can form a weak link called a hydrogen bond.”

            My last class for the day was Biology, and Ms. Yagokoro was teaching us about the many properties of water. The lessoned seemed very interesting, as I was always a scientific kind of girl, but I was more transfixed on my spell card battle with Nitori after school. I knew that Nitori was technologically savvy, but that meant that I had to be prepared for anything she might use against me.

            “No! It doesn’t work at all!” My extremely bad habit of thinking out loud attracted the attention of all the students, as well as the teacher. Inevitably, this led to Ms. Yagokoro scholding me.

            “If you can’t keep up with my lessons, Alice, maybe you should consider after school tutoring!”

            After that unpleasant display of classroom delinquency, the lesson resumed. However, I paid no attention to it, and merely gazed out the window, still deep in thought. The remaining minutes of school passed by almost instantly, and the familiar sound of the school bell broke my train of thought.

            As the students left the classroom, Ms. Yagokoro gave us a friendly reminder. “Students, remember to study for your test next class. It will cover everything that you have learned this unit.” A test was the least of my worries, for now was the moment of truth. Every step I took was a step closer to settling my prolonged dispute with Nitori.

            “Margatroid!” I could hear Aya call for me from a distance, but I ignored her cry for attention and proceeded to the Danmaku Battlefield. My mind was thinking of only one thing, and that was “What the hell happened to Patchouli?”

            The time was now 3:30 PM. I stood alone in the center of the magnificent arena that was the Danmaku Battlefield. Moriya High had one of the most prestigious battlefields in all of Gensokyo, which was one of the reasons I decided to attend this school. The battlefield itself is truly a sight to behold.  At first glance, the battlefield is just an empty, spacious room. However, one can only experience its splendor first hand; through a Danmaku battle!

            “I’m here.” My voice echoed around the room, but there was no reply. Even so, it didn’t seem like I was the only one here.

            Finally, I heard the Kappa’s voice. “I think I’ve kept you waiting long enough.”

            I surveyed the room, but I failed to see anyone else. “Where are you, Nitori? Don’t play games with me.”

            “I’m right here, Alice.” As I turned my back, I could see the staunch, green figure behind me. “You can’t always trust your eyes, Alice. You should know that by now.”

            “Let’s get this over with,” I demanded. “I have a Biology test to study for and I really don’t have time for games.”

            “As you wish.” Nitori slowly walked towards the control panel. The control panel was located at the center of the right wall of the room. It was what controlled the Danmaku Battlefield; a combination of technology and magic. “Since I am the initiator of this battle, we’ll play using my rules. We’ll use three spell cards each; first to win two rounds is the victor.”

            When she finally arrived, she took out a card, and placed it in the appropriate slot. Then she pressed the button that was adjacent to it. A computerized voice announced, “Kappa World, set on,” as the room began to transform. Preparations were now complete.

            What had just been a blank room was now a shimmering valley, Kappa Valley to be more specific. Kappa Valley is located at the base of Youkai Mountain, and obviously it is where the Kappa resides. The main attractions of the valley are the river that flowed through the middle, and the waterfall, which is where the river begins.

            This was an example of a Field Spell Card. Before a Danmaku battle, one of the participants can change the battlefield using their personal Field Spell Card. It adds atmosphere to the room. After all, Danmaku is an expression of beauty. I also have a Field Spell Card, Doll World, but I rarely use it. The reason for that is because as Nitori had already mentioned, the initiator of the battle has jurisdiction over the rules. This meant that they decide how many spell cards, as well as what environment the battle will take place in.

            When Nitori was finally on the opposite side of the room, I shouted to her, “Make your move!” As I spoke those words, Nitori began to disappear until there was no trace of her left. I rubbed my eyes vigorously to remove any residue, and looked again. My original assumption was ascertained; Nitori had vanished.

            “Alice…” The room echoed my name. However, it was a much stronger echo than before, mainly because of the battlefield’s new appearance. Everything that the battlefield generated was real.

           “Your tricks won’t work on me, Nitori.” I knew she was just playing mind games. “You can’t intimidate me like this!”

            “Alice, if you wish to beat me, you cannot rely on your senses alone. You must have a mind as clear as water. But I doubt you are capable of even that.”

            The time for talk was over as Nitori declared her first Spell Card.         

“Water Sign – Hydro Camouflage!”

The water in the river began to shimmer; not much of a surprise as most of the valley composed of the liquid that was necessary for life. The water had now begun to materialize, forming ribbon-like threads of water, which danced in a sinusoidal fashion. It was like one of those fancy water fountains that I saw in Kourindo’s shop a little while back.

I now know the reason for Nitori using Kappa World. Her Danmaku is water, so in an environment lacking it, Kappa World can compensate. I never experience this problem, as I carry all my dolls, which is the source for my own Danmaku.

When in a Danmaku battle, you never really have the time to appreciate the beauty of the patterns that someone can create. Nitori’s Danmaku was no exception. If I was not the one battling her, I would most definitely applaud her creativity.

The ribbons vibrated with increased speed, until finally, they shattered into the familiar shapes of spherical Danmaku, which suspended in the air. It was a beautiful, yet scary, sight. As the water balls headed towards me, there wasn’t much I could do but prepare to graze them. In a Danmaku Battle, whoever hits their opponent first wins that round.

It was clear that I had a huge handicap. Nitori is at home in Kappa World, while my dolls don’t react too well with water. The fact that I couldn’t see Nitori only added to my dilemma.

“Alice, there’s only one question left for you to answer,” Nitori said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?”

“Water you waiting for?”

モーメントに流れるもの

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Sound Duel 3 has some very nice tracks, but this one takes the prize as my favorite. The song speaks for itself; it sets the mood for the final battle, and gives an overall ominous, yet calm atmosphere. This is the kind of song you listen to before going to sleep, or while studying to clear your mind. Simply amazing.

モーメントに流れるもの(That Which Flows Through the Momentum)

ボランティア 七日目

1:01 - I would have been on time if the bus wasn't so slow.

 

1:13 - I officially start now; yes it takes 12 minutes to get there and prepare

 

1:18 - It LOOKS like a busy day, but is it really? For me that is. We shall see.

 

1:28 - The doctor's list doesn't fail; you fail the doctor's list

 

1:48 - Seems like a lot of UBC students have left something in the lecture hall, which is of course locked due to the lack of classes

 

1:56 - As of now I would have to say this is one of the busier days for me. But will it keep up?

 

2:23 - Spent the last 30 minutes shuffling wheelchairs around the 3 major buildings because two of them (One of them being the one I work in) had a deficit of wheelchairs while the last one had an abundance.

 

2:25 - When I returned, I see a tramp making a scene with security. Do not want to get involved.

 

2:31 - "You should need a driver's license to drive this thing". Funny, because I can't even parallel park a wheelchair. Can't think of a time I would need to though.

 

2:45 - "Can you take my coffee up there". That's a new one. What am I, a busboy now? At least I was thanked by name; second time now.

 

3:00 - Building services? That's a new one.

 

3:04 - This is a no smoking zone and I will exert authority to make sure it stays that way!

 

3:14 - While we're still on the topic of coffee, got a Strawberry Frap (Granted there's no actual coffee in the drink, it was still ordered from q coffee shop.

 

3:25 - Not much happens at this time except for UBC students going home and me sipping my drink.

 

3:30 - Someone finally asked for the lab. Rejoice!

 

3:38 - One of the automatic doors is stuck halfway. You can still walk through it, but barely. I had to call higher authorities to deal with it.

 

3:45 - Door is fixed; all they had to do was pull it back in place. Even I could have done that! But I didn't want to be liable if it broke anymore. With the door fixed, I can leave in peace

遊☆戯☆王 三月２０１１禁止カードリスト

禁止カード (Forbidden):
ゴヨウ・ガーディアン (Goyo Guardian)
大寒波 (Cold Wave)
マスドライバー (Mass Driver)

制限カード (Limited):
オネスト (Honest)
ダンディライオン (Dandylion)
ＢＦ－月影のカルート (Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow)
月の書 (Book of Moon)
六武の門 (Gateway of the Six)

準制限カード (Semi-Limited):
カード・ガンナー (Card Trooper)
大天使クリスティア (Archlord Kristya)
魂を削る死霊 (Spirit Reaper)
デブリ・ドラゴン (Debris Dragon)
王家の生け贄 (Royal Tribute)
オーバーロード・フュージョン (Overload Fusion)
巨大化 (Megamorph)
神の警告 (Solemn Warning)
ゴッドバードアタック (Icarus Attack)

制限解除 (Unlimited):
カオス・ソーサラー (Chaos Sorcerer)
終焉の王デミス (Demise, King of Armageddon)
スナイプストーカー (Snipe Hunter)
氷結界の虎王ドゥローレン (Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier)
封印の黄金櫃 (Gold Sarcophagus)
スキルドレイン (Skill Drain)
血の代償 (Ultimate Offering)

遊☆戯☆王SOUND DUEL 3

Spent the day uploading the new Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's Sound Duel 3. Enjoy!

ぴこのスコア楽譜集vol,2 Key Sound Selections

This is probably the second time I've ordered something from Japan (The first also Clannad merchandise), so it's very exciting for it to finally get delivered.

Except unlike the first delivery, I had to go to my local post office to pick it up. The post office where it was delivered to was near King Edward and Main, so it's not that far of a walk, but I did go on a rainy day, because I was impatient.

So after an hour of walking to and back, I get home and open my goods; it is a "Book of Music" and "CD".

 

Let's take a look inside. Open it and we see a list of all the songs in the book (Basically most of the songs from the Clannad OST).

Also a bonus page of cartoon sketches of the Clannad cast:

My favorite song is also the hardest to play; from now on I make it my life goal to be able to play all the Clannad songs in this book! Although it may be easy for those of you who have had years of experience, I consider myself music illiterate.

It also comes with a CD with all the songs so even if I can't play them I can still enjoy their piano rendition.

All this cost about 6100円 with shipping, which is around $65.00, so I'm happy with the purchase. My first purchase was a official DVD of Clannad, and that cost over $100.00. The only reason I bought that (seeing as how Anime is very easy to obtain for free) is that the special edition came with the Dango Daikazoko Music Box. Is it worth that much? To most, of course not. To the fanatic, it's a priceless gem.

バレンタインデー

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.

ラブシック スクール ガール 章七

Chapter 7: The Disappearance of Patchouli Knowledge

For the past week, I had stayed at my abode modifying Remote Sacrifice. I might have been missing out on my course work, but this was important to me. Besides, we all need a vacation every now and then. After many sleepless nights of complex experimentation and calculation, my project had reached completion.

“There, the perfect combination of power, speed, and beauty!” I experienced a satisfaction similar to that of when finishing a major school assignment; the only difference was that Remote Sacrifice would actually be of some use to me.

“Shanghai, this isn’t too dangerous, is it?” Like always, there was no reply. “Oh how I dream of the day that my skills become proficient enough to fabricate an independent doll!” However, that day was not today, and it was early Monday morning. I had missed enough classes already and it was time to rejoin my fellow students in Moriya High.

My homeroom seemed somewhat different. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I was certain there was something missing. Perhaps my week-long insomnia has warped my perception of reality.

The warning bell rung, which indicated that there was only five minutes until class officially started. I saw Marisa walk cheerfully into the classroom; at least that remained the same. But I was positive there was something amiss, something out of the ordinary to say the least. “It could be those new flowers, or maybe a few students had their seating arrangement changed.”

While still brainstorming ideas on what was wrong, Ms. Kamishirasawa approached my desk. “Oh no,” I thought, “I’m going to get it now…”

            “Alice,” she began, but I wouldn’t let her finish.

            “Ms. Kamishirasawa, I can explain everything.” I was ready to bombard her with hundreds of brilliantly concocted excuses.

            “Really?” She asked. “Then could you tell me where Patchouli is?”

            This was one question I was not prepared for. Although I couldn’t answer her query, it did shed some light on my predicament. The thing that disordered the equilibrium I was accustomed to was not something new, but the absence of something old. Every morning, I savored the look on Patchouli’s face when I was getting close with Marisa. The lack of fresh air these past days has really hindered my cognitive skills greatly.

            “Patchouli?” I said in a dumbfounded manner. “What do you mean?”

            “It’s just that she hasn’t been to class recently, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it seeing as you two seem to be close friends.”

            “Well-”

            “While we’re on that topic, why were you absent last week?”

            “I’m sorry sensei; I had a personal issue to deal with at home. Everything’s alright now though.” This wasn’t a lie; I was merely stretching the truth. One thing you should know about me is that I am a master of improvisation. That skill alone has gotten me through the majority of my life as a student.

            “Don’t worry, Alice, I understand.” Sometimes I think Ms. Kamishirasawa is too gullible, but that can only result in benefitting me, so I won’t complain! “Be sure to inform me if you hear anything new.”

            Patchouli was never one to play hooky, so I knew something was out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, all the neurons in my brain could not fathom a reason for her sudden disappearance. Maybe someone else is holding the answer, but whom? As much as I despised to do so, I had no choice but to dance with the devil after class ended.

            The lunch bell finally rang, and I leaned nonchalantly near the door. As she finally attempted to leave, I unleashed some puppeteer string to partially block the exit in the same fashion a spider spins a web. A beautiful show indeed, but the devil was not at all impressed.

            “Nitori” I addressed her while finishing my intricate string pattern.

            “Out of my way! You’re using up the one thing that even my brilliance can’t invent; time!” It seems like her attitude was another thing that remained unchanged during my absence.

            “This is about Patchouli.” I said while increasing my tone with her.

            “What about Patchouli?” Nitori’s reply implied that she didn’t really care.

            “Why isn’t she going to school?” I asked.

            “How would I know?” Again, she didn’t sound like she cared.

            “You two are close, so I thought you might have an idea.”

            “Well maybe I do and maybe I don’t.” She said with her signature smirk. After not seeing that for what seemed like forever, the moment my eyes locked into contact with it, I went berserk.

            “This is important!” The sudden burst of my voice resulted in Ms. Kamishirasawa giving us a queer look. Until now, she was unaware of our little quarrel, and was busy grading our assignments.

            “Alice, Nitori, settle your personal disputes outside of the classroom.” Ms. Kamishirasawa told us.

            “Very well, Margatroid.” Nitori said. “Let’s have a spell card battle.”

            “I don’t have time for-”

            “If you win,” she interrupted, “then I’ll answer one question a hundred per cent truthfully.”

            She had acquired my interest, but I was reluctant to ask what the consequences were if I were to lose.

            “If you lose…” After a momentary silence, she finally continued. “Then you must do anything I tell you to do without question.”

            “How is that fair?” I objected

            “How is it not fair?” Nitori retorted. “If you win, I’ll do anything you tell me without question. I just know that you’ll use that prize to ask me what has happened to Patchouli, so I merely reconstructed the conditions of the competition to better adhere to your needs.”

            I never had a spell card battle with Nitori before, so I’m completely clueless on what she has up her sleeves. I wanted to accept this wager, but I could only imagine what Nitori could ask me to do if she beat me. Nevertheless, this was the only way to acquire the information that I desired.

            “Well?” Nitori pressured me.

            “Very well. After school, at the school’s Danmaku Battlefield.”

            I retracted my puppeteer strings, and with one last smirk, Nitori left the classroom to attend to her own matters. The rest of lunchtime sped right by me; I was too consumed by what I had just done in agreeing to this.

            “Danmaku is about speed, if you hit your opponent quicker than they can react, then you’ve basically won half the battle.  Remember that fact.” Those words kept echoing inside my head. “Well Aya, I guess it’s time to test your advice!”