It's Critter Time!

SWZTCH wrote: Thu Jul 17, 2025 11:04 pm Soundspace
closest thing to osu? its like a mix between osu and beatsaber, i really like it for what it is!! theres no clicking, just mouse movement which would be fun w/ a tablet (i havent tried yet). the beat hit noise is SO SATISFYING. I AM in love. perfect clicks ahfgh. skill goes from like really easy to REALLY hard tho </3 fun for the odd time i hop on!!

Sound Space is fun gameplay wise, but I've never been able to take them seriously since the copyright exodus because the song library was somewhat gutted and my attention was never super there to begin with? When I do feel like hopping on Sound Space, I find myself hopping on Rhythia instead; it's a community-made clone of Sound Space with a wider song selection, though the online version doesn't work on Linux yet and it seems like it's been that way for a while :( Hoping that changes; I don't know too much about the project

SWZTCH wrote: Thu Jul 17, 2025 11:04 pm there was a really stunning sound voltex clone that defo got taken down,

You mean Sound Volblox right? From the looks of it they're still up *and* getting updates? but don't trust me on that because this is a cursory glance of the user page at best

jkap wrote: Sun Jul 20, 2025 4:09 pm SPEAKING OF PROJEKT GODHAND i've been trying to figure out the goofiest possible input schemes for it and last night got to try it with Faith's pop'n controller. single player is hard for me because my hands are too small to hit 4-button chords but two player (one on each "hand") is actually really fun.

other schemes i've considered are an ongeki controller (you have 6 buttons but good luck doing chords) and two IIDX controllers in doubles configuration (just use the white keys) but i haven't attempted them yet.

God I wish I had Projekt Godhand :( Honestly the IIDX doubles setup would go hard I think (though now that I think about it that's probably been done before? idc seeing someone using the turntables for the turntable sections similar to that one demo chart (again???) would be so so cool)

Edit (mostly so I don't double post): oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah I just posted about this in the VRChat worlds megathread but there's a VRChat rhythm game called RESONARK with multiple versions and it's honestly pretty fun? It kills my framerate because the world is so detailed though :( Still very enjoyable; I keep it around in my favorites folder because it's fun to think about

WISH wrote: Tue Jul 22, 2025 2:08 pm
You mean Sound Volblox right? From the looks of it they're still up *and* getting updates? but don't trust me on that because this is a cursory glance of the user page at best

OH MY GOD TY i was actually searching for it for a while, this is half related, but i HATE the roblox search function... it gives you so many random results that are games that have active players or maybe sponsored but i can never find what im looking for with it bookmarking so i never lose this againnnnn ty ty ty

WISH wrote: Tue Jul 22, 2025 2:08 pm God I wish I had Projekt Godhand Honestly the IIDX doubles setup would go hard I think (though now that I think about it that's probably been done before? idc seeing someone using the turntables for the turntable sections similar to that one demo chart (again???) would be so so cool)

Oh yeah, Telperion has been playing godhand on IIDX doubles and it works scarily well lol

Mandrake wrote: Thu Jul 17, 2025 12:51 am What made it even better is that it included a Remix mode where you could create your own custom tracks by placing down samples down, adjust the tempo, and add reverb/stutter, and then you could play back your own levels and upload/download them from the online servers that existed at the time. I made some great remixes the last time I played with it, I should probably record them onto a capture card and upload them to YouTube sometime.

So I was inspired by this thread to connect my PS2 to my computer via a cheap capture card, boot up Amplitude, and record all the remixes that I made in-game over a decade ago so that I had them archived and could listen to them whenever I wanted. I also threw them up on YouTube, which compressed the 480p footage so much that it looks authentically like they were uploaded in 2010. Anyway, this was my favourite remix out of the ten I had saved:

jkap wrote: Sun Jul 20, 2025 4:09 pm holy shit i've never actually seen an EZ2Dancer cab before. i've been so fascinated by EZ2DJ/EZ2ON for a while (very much in the "Beatmania III only existed so that konami could patent troll amuseworld" conspiracy camp) but they remain really rare here, especially EZ2Dancer.

There were all over in the UK during the early 2000s; off the top of my head there were a few in London (one specifically in the Trocadero), one in the Meadowhall arcade in Sheffield (my local), I think one in either Rhyl or Southport. It was a really popular import and did lead to the creation of a UK specific EZ2Dancer! It had more "UK centric" tracks, rather than the K-Pop that all us rhythm gamers wanted, but we were happy for more EZ2Dancer cabs!

lately i've been playing a lot of chunithm (well whenever i get the chance to at least). all of the sega rhythm games are really fun i enjoy them a lot.

ive played sound voltex in the past (even have a controller for it LOL) but i haven't played in a long time. i should probably start playing it again though

Excali wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 10:00 pm lately i've been playing a lot of chunithm (well whenever i get the chance to at least). all of the sega rhythm games are really fun i enjoy them a lot.

ive played sound voltex in the past (even have a controller for it LOL) but i haven't played in a long time. i should probably start playing it again though

ugh i love chunithm so much. i got to experience it once at a Round One near my partner's place and it was sooo magical. I really wish i had an arcade near me so i could play it more. sdvx is also fun!! im discussing with some friends right now if i wanna get a controller for it. the good shit costs $$$ though so i'll have to see

Maagnatism wrote: Thu Jul 24, 2025 7:56 am
ugh i love chunithm so much. i got to experience it once at a Round One near my partner's place and it was sooo magical. I really wish i had an arcade near me so i could play it more. sdvx is also fun!! im discussing with some friends right now if i wanna get a controller for it. the good shit costs $$$ though so i'll have to see

i got my controller for a really good deal but i definitely would think about whether you would actively use it or not. it is one of the cheaper rhythm game controllers at least; probably worth it if you think you'll use it a lot

I say this in the nicest way possible: A rhythm game thread in a community like this was inevitable.

Happy to see a rhythm game thread active! I don't have much experience with the genre, especially because the two games I play most are not on PC and have a small custom community or none at all, those being Rhythm Heaven and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (though RH does have Heaven Studio...). I've also been playing In the Groove 2 recently and been having a lot of fun with that, even though I'm not very good at it yet (I've been struggling to keep up and down inputs straight in my head, blame my weird brain).

I wanted to ask for anyone familiar with the territory: what's the 'main'/most actively supported 4-panel rhythm game for PC right now? While ITG2 has great songs, I'd like one with a large variety of modded songs too - I wanna play some DELTARUNE songs.

DizzyCrisis wrote: Fri Jul 25, 2025 7:35 am I say this in the nicest way possible: A rhythm game thread in a community like this was inevitable.

Happy to see a rhythm game thread active! I don't have much experience with the genre, especially because the two games I play most are not on PC and have a small custom community or none at all, those being Rhythm Heaven and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (though RH does have Heaven Studio...). I've also been playing In the Groove 2 recently and been having a lot of fun with that, even though I'm not very good at it yet (I've been struggling to keep up and down inputs straight in my head, blame my weird brain).

I wanted to ask for anyone familiar with the territory: what's the 'main'/most actively supported 4-panel rhythm game for PC right now? While ITG2 has great songs, I'd like one with a large variety of modded songs too - I wanna play some DELTARUNE songs.

Ooh, I can answer that for you! There are three main Stepmania variants active right now:
- ITGMania is the main version used for competitive play - it has built-in GrooveStats integration for use with ITL and Stamina RPG, as well as a few engine tweaks to make playing on pad a bit less nightmarish. If you wanna play normal Stepmania charts, this is the one to go for.
- Project Outfox is a general-purpose rhythm game archival software that supports eighteen total game modes and all sorts of simfile types. Great for if you like a lot of different types of gameplay, but still generally outshined by ITGMania for 4-panel.
- NotITG is the variant for ridiculous gimmicky modchart nonsense. It adds a bunch of new features for visual effects, including full OpenGL shader support! It's my personal favorite engine, but that's because it is 100% for freaks. If you've ever seen super-flashy visuals like the chart to Analys or ridiculous minigame collections like Mawaru and the Magician's Curse, NotITG is the place to go.

Stepmania versions don't typically come with many charts pre-installed - you'll need to add more packs yourself. Unfortunately, given The State Of The Modern Internet most of these packs are shared through discords.

For non-modcharts (customs that don't use the NotITG style of fancy visual effects), if you want a just a big general selection of charts from mid- to high-level difficulty, check out the International Timing League for tech charts (crossovers, footswitches, and many other kinds of tricky charting) or Stamina RPG) for stamina charts (as fast as possible for as long as possible).

For modcharts, basically all the pack releases are in the official discord linked on the site. We've been looking some other methods of distribution but it's a hell of a lot of work when just about all the devs are busy holding day jobs too.

DizzyCrisis wrote: Fri Jul 25, 2025 7:35 am I say this in the nicest way possible: A rhythm game thread in a community like this was inevitable.

Happy to see a rhythm game thread active! I don't have much experience with the genre, especially because the two games I play most are not on PC and have a small custom community or none at all, those being Rhythm Heaven and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (though RH does have Heaven Studio...). I've also been playing In the Groove 2 recently and been having a lot of fun with that, even though I'm not very good at it yet (I've been struggling to keep up and down inputs straight in my head, blame my weird brain).

I wanted to ask for anyone familiar with the territory: what's the 'main'/most actively supported 4-panel rhythm game for PC right now? While ITG2 has great songs, I'd like one with a large variety of modded songs too - I wanna play some DELTARUNE songs.

As for ITG/4-panel, I'd highly reccommend looking into Stepmania or ITGmania (a fork of SM that behaves more like In the Groove), As there's literal decades of custom content to play through. As for song packs, there's this comprehensive spreadsheet of song packs to go through! I wish you luck in your 4 panel journey!

CrypticNoodle wrote: Fri Jul 25, 2025 8:33 am As for ITG/4-panel, I'd highly reccommend looking into Stepmania or ITGmania (a fork of SM that behaves more like In the Groove), As there's literal decades of custom content to play through. As for song packs, there's this comprehensive spreadsheet of song packs to go through! I wish you luck in your 4 panel journey!

Ooh, thank you for linking this sheet! I'm definitely taking notes of it lol

I could also maybe recommend the Zenius -i- Vanisher simfile collection, though I should note that trends more towards DDR-style charting than ITG-style charting. TL;DR if you don't know the difference, ITG charts expect you to be able to alternate feet to get through the chart cleanly and DDR charts are a lot more freestyle in their execution.

Mandrake wrote: Tue Jul 22, 2025 8:41 pm

Mandrake wrote: Thu Jul 17, 2025 12:51 am What made it even better is that it included a Remix mode where you could create your own custom tracks by placing down samples down, adjust the tempo, and add reverb/stutter, and then you could play back your own levels and upload/download them from the online servers that existed at the time. I made some great remixes the last time I played with it, I should probably record them onto a capture card and upload them to YouTube sometime.

So I was inspired by this thread to connect my PS2 to my computer via a cheap capture card, boot up Amplitude, and record all the remixes that I made in-game over a decade ago so that I had them archived and could listen to them whenever I wanted. I also threw them up on YouTube, which compressed the 480p footage so much that it looks authentically like they were uploaded in 2010. Anyway, this was my favourite remix out of the ten I had saved:

Oh my goodness, this is so good. Thank you so much for digging this chart out and sharing it!!! What a neat little time capsule :3

Faith wrote: Sat Aug 02, 2025 8:02 am Oh my goodness, this is so good. Thank you so much for digging this chart out and sharing it!!! What a neat little time capsule :3

You're welcome, glad that other people enjoyed Frequency and Amplitude! These proto-Guitar Hero games would have been my first experience of music trackers and I'm certain that they led towards people discovering the demoscene and creating their own music.

I've embedded my playlist containing all my Amplitude remixes below, sorted in order of each track's appearance. I'm especially pleased with the remix I made of P.O.D's Boom (which was itself a remix by The Crystal Method), particularly with how the percussion turned out and the energy that resulted from increasing the tempo.

I don't think I've seen anyone mention it, but I've been jumping back on occasion to SpinRhythm XD. It's a little DJ Hero inspired, to the point that people in the custom controller scene have actually modified DJ Hero platters to work with the game. It also supports actual turntables! I'm just a Mouse and Keyboard player myself, but the flow state is still fun as hell to hit.



2 Mello's got a few songs on the OST I really dig. Twist Sound has a great pattern and flow to it once you figure it out, but Cold Rock It is absolutely his best one in the game. There's a sweet tempo change at the end, and it's one of my favorite songs to play through. It took me some time to get used to, but I reccomend it if you've got a DJ Hero shaped hole in your heart.

bumping the thread to join in! i mostly play arcade rhythm games (with a heavy BEMANI lean), and of those i play DDR (washed up, but can flare ex most SP 15s), IIDX (out of practice, but at SP 9dan currently), gitadora drums (occasional player, comfy around 5.50s), and SDVX (my main! 21.909 VF).

there are some PC-based ones that i play -- i might be able to contribute something to EX-XDRiVER! (this is available on steam!)

Recently picked up Groove Coaster: Future Performers as something to break in my Switch 2. I had a blast with Wai Wai Party so I came into this one with high expectations...

Let's list the problems with it

• The song list is paltry. Like maybe 50 songs (compared to Wai Wai Party's 120+) It's also a pretty mixed bag.
• In order to get more songs, you need to play the story mode they added which is such a by the books anime "The Groove Coaster Club is dying. Help our club young teen who is a natural despite never playing before" plot that I've been skipping almost every story beat
• They seem to have removed elements like Ad-lib notes
• The background are aggressively distracting
• It's a full price release

Profound sadness...

baby's first perfect combo

Lolo De Puzlo wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 11:43 am Recently picked up Groove Coaster: Future Performers as something to break in my Switch 2. I had a blast with Wai Wai Party so I came into this one with high expectations...

Let's list the problems with it

• They seem to have removed elements like Ad-lib notes

[...]

this is the first time i heard anyone like the ad-lib mechanic in groove coaster :O

silverhawke wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 8:55 am bumping the thread to join in! i mostly play arcade rhythm games (with a heavy BEMANI lean), and of those i play DDR (washed up, but can flare ex most SP 15s), IIDX (out of practice, but at SP 9dan currently), gitadora drums (occasional player, comfy around 5.50s), and SDVX (my main! 21.909 VF).

there are some PC-based ones that i play -- i might be able to contribute something to EX-XDRiVER! (this is available on steam!)

God I wish I could play IIDX enough to get a dan rating :( I'm sl0 dan in BMS but that doesn't transfer to controller, so my best play is only an easy clear on Summerblue SPA (that I regrettably did not get a photo of). Maybe I'll get something good going the next chance I get.

EX-XDRiVER seems very neat, but doesn't control intuitively to me. Maybe I just need to spend more time on it, and probably not push myself to playing high difficulty charts. It's come a long way from when I first saw it, that's for sure.

Moot wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 12:18 pm baby's first perfect combo

Hidden text.

on normal

Hey, a PFC is a PFC! I don't have the willpower to hunt a (P)FC I'll be proud of in any rhythm game (of any difficulty, even), so if I were you, I'd wear that like a badge of pride. Congrats :)

silverhawke wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 2:37 pm this is the first time i heard anyone like the ad-lib mechanic in groove coaster :O

I'm not a fan of ad-libs either, but I think they're a notable part of what gives Groove Coaster's gameplay charm, so I'd absolutely still mourn them if they were gone. Grinding Groove Coaster without ad-libs probably does not feel like grinding Groove Coaster.

WISH wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 3:06 pm God I wish I could play IIDX enough to get a dan rating I'm sl0 dan in BMS but that doesn't transfer to controller, so my best play is only an easy clear on Summerblue SPA (that I regrettably did not get a photo of). Maybe I'll get something good going the next chance I get.

sl0 is still impressive! though you say it doesn't transfer to controller, so i suppose you play BMS with keyboard? did you play Summerblue because of Camellia or Toby Fox?

WISH wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 3:06 pm EX-XDRiVER seems very neat, but doesn't control intuitively to me. Maybe I just need to spend more time on it, and probably not push myself to playing high difficulty charts. It's come a long way from when I first saw it, that's for sure.

i haven't replayed it again after they updated the interface and tweaked the drift mechanic, but it definitely needed getting used to for myself. i did treat it like an 8K game for a bit though.

WISH wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 3:06 pm I'm not a fan of ad-libs either, but I think they're a notable part of what gives Groove Coaster's gameplay charm, so I'd absolutely still mourn them if they were gone. Grinding Groove Coaster without ad-libs probably does not feel like grinding Groove Coaster.

that's fair, it's kind of ingrained into the game feel at this point. i wonder if there's a way to tweak the scoring so that the game's playable without memorizing all the adlib notes...

silverhawke wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 2:37 pm

Lolo De Puzlo wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 11:43 am Recently picked up Groove Coaster: Future Performers as something to break in my Switch 2. I had a blast with Wai Wai Party so I came into this one with high expectations...

Let's list the problems with it

• They seem to have removed elements like Ad-lib notes

[...]

this is the first time i heard anyone like the ad-lib mechanic in groove coaster :O

There's part of my brain that gets funny good feelings for being rewards for my desire to tap along to the beat of the song in ways I'm not requested.

Don't get me wrong, they suck in terms of being a requirement for score, but I just like the acknowledgement of tapping during off noted bits of the song.

silverhawke wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 4:17 pm sl0 is still impressive! though you say it doesn't transfer to controller, so i suppose you play BMS with keyboard? did you play Summerblue because of Camellia or Toby Fox?

Somehow the answer to both of these questions is yes lol

Yes, I do play BMS on keyboard. It's been my main way of learning 7K. It was my main game for a while, but then I had a god run in Quaver and rotated back there for a bit. I want to keep pushing my limits in the hopes I can get more than two clears at sl1/▼1, but that seems like a ways away.

As for Summerblue, I legitimately just got to the final round of a credit and said "wait what about that timeline breaking toby fox camellia collab" and proceeded to clutch an easy clear on it out of nowhere. I think I'll try more 10s when I play next; I feel more confident now.

silverhawke wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 4:17 pm i haven't replayed it again after they updated the interface and tweaked the drift mechanic, but it definitely needed getting used to for myself. i did treat it like an 8K game for a bit though.

When I settled down in my hotel earlier today, I picked up a bit of the game again and gave it a better try. I'm definitely still figuring it out, but I get it a bit better, too.

There's a psychological thing about this game and games like these to me where I want to compete on the "real" leaderboards if I can, which means I have to play this game on the Steam Deck (the only controller I have with gyro) or I feel like I'm cheating. It seems the drift mechanic has more input options, though, so maybe that'll change? I'll see.

silverhawke wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 4:17 pm that's fair, it's kind of ingrained into the game feel at this point. i wonder if there's a way to tweak the scoring so that the game's playable without memorizing all the adlib notes...

To be fair, aren't most ad-libs just hitting quarter notes anywhere there's a real gap? That's how I treat them, at least; I'm probably wrong.

Y'all there's a demo out for the new Lumines which is very Tetris Effect coded (the series has the same designer after all). I had a blast with the original on the PSP back in the day and my partner picked me up the Steam version a few years back and I found myself getting really into it.

It's got cool chameleons in the demo :3

Lolo De Puzlo wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 4:56 pm There's part of my brain that gets funny good feelings for being rewards for my desire to tap along to the beat of the song in ways I'm not requested.

Don't get me wrong, they suck in terms of being a requirement for score, but I just like the acknowledgement of tapping during off noted bits of the song.

yknow what? valid. if they didn't contribute to the score like that, its definitely a fun mechanic, kind of how IIDX sometimes sneaks in keysounds that you can trigger but are not charted

WISH wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 6:18 pm There's a psychological thing about this game and games like these to me where I want to compete on the "real" leaderboards if I can, which means I have to play this game on the Steam Deck (the only controller I have with gyro) or I feel like I'm cheating. It seems the drift mechanic has more input options, though, so maybe that'll change? I'll see.

oh i get you, before the rework there were two leaderboards, one with proper drift and one with autodrift. iirc now even if you play with keyboard, it's still possible to input drifts without gyro? i need to boot the game up again...

WISH wrote: Tue Sep 02, 2025 6:18 pm To be fair, aren't most ad-libs just hitting quarter notes anywhere there's a real gap? That's how I treat them, at least; I'm probably wrong.

i believe they were toning it down in more recent charts (though probably there are some exceptions). i think the older charts had ad-libs at weird timings, even more so with lv10 charts, but to be 100% sure i need to ask my friends who played the game a ton