Progress in Rhythm Games (November 2024)

The event-filled October has come to an end, and before I knew it, November had arrived. I was extremely busy, but fortunately, my skills seem to be consistently improving. Here, I will summarize the current state.

The previous article (from two months ago) is here.

IIDX/BMS

EPOLIS has ended, and the version has changed. BP (Battle Points) has been reset, the step-up selectable charts have been reset, and it is no longer possible to select a ☆11 chart in the first song. Additionally, it will be some time before we can take the "Kaiden" (Master) exam again. This is just another typical nuisance, but let's keep playing energetically.

Plates

There has been remarkable growth in plate performance. As I play, I find it more enjoyable and realize the fun of rhythm games. Here are the progress updates for the ☆10 charts mentioned in the previous article. Since there was no growth in plate performance previously, this is a dramatic change for me personally.

• Gravitation (H): BP70 -> BP32
• HEARTACHE: Unexhausted -> Exhausted (Single-digit BP)
• Gravitation Pt.2 (H): Unhard -> Hard (BP34)

Additionally, Watch Out Pt.2 and The Chase have also gotten Easy clears. However, since the BP is high, it is necessary to practice more to reach the Hard level.

In BMS, I am filling out the Plate Difficulty Table (3rd). Although I have few charts, I can see progress such as FCing ◎-1 and almost clearing ◎5 Easy. I also managed to get Easy on ◎8, which suggests that my ability to evenly rotate the plates is improving, though it may not be useful for AC (Actual Clear).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fw3_VssNnY

Overall, my sensitivity to the number of consecutive plates has increased, and I can now correctly rotate two, three, and five plates. I will continue to practice and fight against higher-level plate charts.

Soflan

In BMS, I am playing with the green numbers doubled. Initially, I couldn't even get Easy on ☆8 equivalent charts, but now I can easily clear sl0 charts, and some Hard charts as well. It seems that humans can get used to it if they practice.

I also managed to clear AltMirrorBell on Another difficulty. I will continue to improve and aim to clear twinklesky.

In AC, I got a Hard clear on POSSESSION and managed to keep a decent gauge on PARANOiA ～HADES～ at low speed. Compared to before, the stability has improved significantly. However, I still lack the necessary skills, so more practice is needed.

Score

Starting from barely getting AAA on EDEN, I can now get lights on simple ☆10 charts like Silv-er President. Although I'm not tracking accuracy precisely, I feel that my scores have improved overall. I'm not reaching AAA but can consistently get AA scores in the latter half. The feeling of pressing in sync with the rhythm has improved, which also benefits my plate and Soflan performance.

どうして居なくなってしまったの

Random Hits and Volume

There is no noticeable progress here. It's a relief that there's no decline compared to before. Increasing volume practice might be beneficial.

Other

I am also working on the Second Period Consecutive Hit Difficulty Table and the Third Period LN Difficulty Table.
In Blue Archive's Rhythm Game, I encountered high-difficulty charts beyond two digits in the LN difficulty table, which was impressive for a Korean rhythm game.

Challenges

Kaiden Songs

Here is a comparison of the BP for the Kaiden songs I recently played (I forgot to take photos). Since it's all random, it's not very reliable, but it serves as a reference.

• Gravitation: BP233 -> Around 210
• Himiko: BP187 -> Around 160

Gravitation is on another level; it feels disconnected from the plate charts I've been practicing. Given that I haven't cleared all the ☆11 plate charts yet, I'll continue this type of practice for now.

Himiko's BP hasn't changed much, but I didn't miss any notes in the mid-section's low-speed part. However, I couldn't hit the final low-speed section at all, resulting in a BP of over 30. If I hadn't missed those notes, it would have been around BP130, which is close to the Kaiden exam qualification level. The final low-speed part of Himiko is incredibly difficult compared to the rest of the song. It seems I need to improve my ability to hit the extremely dense mid-section and gear change.

Lamp Updates

I'm feeling a bit stuck with lamp updates as well. In terms of CPI (Characters Per Inch), it's tough to reach 1600-1700, and many charts have BP scores between 70-100. It doesn't feel like my fingers can't keep up, so it might be an issue of not accurately recognizing and hitting the notes. Reaching 1700 CPI feels like it requires another level of skill. From what I've experienced, getting Hard on 1700 CPI is close to the data for Kaiden flags; even getting Easy is questionable on such charts. Therefore, I need to increase my endurance for high-density charts.

https://riceplace.hatenablog.jp/entry/2020/12/18/185257

Thus, I will continue to practice plates and Soflan while gradually increasing the difficulty to tackle higher-density charts.

DDR

Here’s a summary of the current state of DDR. I haven’t been able to exercise much recently, and with winter approaching, it will likely become even tougher. However, I want to maintain a regular practice routine for health reasons.

Play Style

Currently, I'm not focusing much on Flare Skills but instead aiming to improve scores on medium-difficulty charts, aiming for FCs (Full Combos), or clearing high-difficulty charts.

With the transition to WORLD mode, it's easier to advance to EX mode, and the LIFE4 limit on EX has been removed, making it easier to tackle high-difficulty charts. Additionally, the introduction of the CONSTANT option has increased the number of high-difficulty charts I can clear, making it easier to see progress. There are still many unplayed charts, so there should be plenty of progress to report here as well.

Score

The highlight is the recent MFC (Master Full Combo). Polaris No Uta is a new song with no lag between the notes and music (probably), and the bass drum is easy to hear, making it easier to sync with. However, ESP and CSP are misleading. The BSP chart had all notes aligned with the beat lines, so there was no need to step on every fourth beat.

宇宙がマベで満たされるように

The current challenge is that I have very few PFCs (Perfect Full Combos) at Lv.12, 13, and only a few AAAs at Lv.14. When the yellow arrows appear or the density increases, my accuracy drops, and even if I FC easily, I get a lot of Greats. I'm not sure of the cause yet, but it might be because my line of sight is too close to the judgment line, meaning I'm only doing timing presses. I'll try increasing the Hi-Speed and stepping in sync with the song.

High Difficulty

At Lv.18, I have cleared 43 out of 87 charts. There are many unplayed charts, so in reality, there are about 30 uncleared charts. Since there are many charts I haven't played since WORLD mode started, selecting them will be a challenge.
Playing once exhausts my physical energy, making it hard to choose charts. DIGITALIZER was particularly tough.

What's going on

The exhaustion is due to recognition issues, so it might be better to build up from Lv.16's recognition.

Summary

Winter is a tough season for improvement, but let's continue to practice diligently.