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8 Oct 2018
Project Loved: Week of October 7th
Project Loved: Week of October 7th
It's the first Sunday of the month—you know what that means? Project Loved is back again with 24 maps ready to hit the Loved section! Make your voice heard and vote for the maps that you'd like to see Loved.
Welcome back to Project Loved! Every two weeks, we pick out a few beatmaps from each game mode that will get their shot at making it into the Loved category. From the maps we selected, you can now vote whether or not you want them to be Loved! Click on each map's header image in this post to be taken to their voting threads.
We unfortunately are having a ton of trouble keeping up with the videos that get included in this post, and it's looking more and more as if we'll just drop the videos altogether. How important are the videos to you guys? Let us know in the comments if the videos are a helpful addition, because we'll do our best to find editors that can be regularly available if that's the case. There's no video this time; sorry!
There aren't any huge developments happening within the project at the moment, so we'll be jumping right into the maps!
In case you don't read the end of this post, be sure to submit suggestions for beatmaps to be added to Loved using the Google form! All of the nominated beatmaps are chosen from submissions on this form, which you can view in the corresponding Google sheet.
Navigation
osu!
osu! Loved candidates were chosen by Toy and DigitalHypno! This week, all osu! beatmap descriptions were written by DigitalHypno.
Aero Chord feat. Anna Yvette - Break Them by olteR
Hey, you! Yeah, you there, scrolling through the Loved map showcase post and checking out the descriptions. Have you been craving a map with not much except all that snappy jump goodness we know and love? Maybe even a catchy trap song to go along with it? If it feels like I'm calling your name, you surely won't want to miss out on this map. At almost 200 favorites, this map of "Break Them" by olteR has already caught the eyes of many. This mid-6-star map flooded with nothing but solid 200 BPM jumps may be exactly what you've been looking for. Check it out!
One can never seem to have enough Nanahira maps, huh? Here's a two-difficulty mapset of Nanahira's "Francium", mapped by T1Y, with both difficulties hovering around low-5 stars. Don't get thrown off by the star rating, though (this is quite the common phrase nowadays, isn't it?)—both difficulties have quite high approach rates, with the top difficulty sitting at an approach rate of 10. Speaking of the top difficulty, who would have guessed a Nanahira song could support so many fun cut streams? If you're a fan of flowy stream aim, you won't want to skip out on giving this amazing map a try. For those of you who are less inclined to enjoy high AR cut streams, the lower difficulty is still an option, as it's based on more symmetry-based patterns at a slightly lower AR. Let's not forget about the song to top it all off, though: after all, it's "simply the cutest".
YUC'e - PUMP by Flare-kun, -Jordan- and yea
Are you feeling PUMPED? Maybe not, but this J-Core banger by YUC'e can certainly help with that! Flare-kun's mapset of "PUMP" features a standard collaboration difficulty between them and -Jordan-, along with an osu!taiko guest difficulty by yea. The standard difficulty is nothing less than a well-crafted technical map, with lots of fun patterns throughout. If you're in the mood for a high-tech banger, you've come to the right place. As a wise man once said, "YUC'e is my wife".
toby fox - Spider Dance Dual Mix by Battle and Raiden
Here's another addition to your list of favorite toby fox maps! Battle's mapset of "Spider Dance Duel Mix", a remix between the original Spider Dance and a metal cover done by Ferdk, contains four standard difficulties by Battle and two guest osu!taiko difficulties by Raiden. The difficulty spread follows a generic Easy-Normal-Hard-Insane, ranging from below 2 stars to mid-4 stars, which makes the mapset very accessible to all kinds of players (including the 180+ who already have this mapset favorited!). If you're a fan of the UNDERTALE soundtrack, be sure to give this mapset a try! Afterwards, as always, don't forget to vote on whether or not it should be included in the Loved category!
sHimaU - SLOTcore Is Dead by Arphimigon, Irreversible, diraimur and Voli
I'm gonna whisper something in your ear, and you have to tell me what I said—ready? Th... n.... ...zie... ps I... er s... n. Oh, couldn't quite catch that? I'll say it louder: this is one of the craziest maps I've ever seen. I'll put it this way: how many of you think 270 BPM jumps are hard? Maybe not all of you, but what if I throw in some bursts at the same BPM? And by some bursts, I mean a lot of bursts. How about some short streams too? Maybe an overlapping pattern here and there? If you feel like you're up for the challenge, get in line to try Arphimigon's map of "SLOTcore Is Dead". The mapset features ten difficulties, one at each star difficulty ranging from a measly 1 star to a jaw-dropping 9, along with a collab bonus difficulty at 4 stars. With 149 favorites, I'm sure some of you already know the map. For those who don't, I'll cut my words off here—check out the map and see the insanity for yourself.
Yunomi - Wakusei Rabbit (feat. TORIENA) by GenDoNL, Shunao, Elcheer and Kami-senpai
The song we all know and love has brought a new candidate to the Loved category, this time with a jumpy twist! GonDoNL's mapset of Yunomi (feat. TORIENA)'s "Wakusei Rabbit" features a full spread of difficulties with guest diffs from Shunao, Elcheer, and Kami-senpai. The top difficulty reaches past 6 stars, making it almost a full star higher than the highest difficulty of Nathan's popular ranked mapset. As such, this map is a bit more jumpy (like a rabbit!) than you may have expected, but it doesn't forget to throw in some streams or fancy sliders when the song calls for it. Overall, the mapset is complete to a T, even featuring custom hitsounding—check it out!
A-F-R-O - Definition of a Rap Flow by Ali-
Anyone digging some rap music? This 7+ star map of A-F-R-O's "Definition of a Rap Flow" by Ali- features 222 BPM jumps and triples to the rhythm of, well, a flowy rap song. Speaking of flow, the map is fittingly made with lots of flowy jump patterns to keep your hands busy. Don't feel too safe though—the long streams at the end are there to keep you company! A CS2 version of the map is available as well. With already 110+ favorites, I'm sure many of you are bound to find fun in this map.
DJ Noriken - Turn It Up feat. Kanae Asaba by Akali and Cassu2
Coming up to the stage is a collaboration map between Akali and Cassu2 of the song "Turn It Up" by DJ Noriken! The mapset for this upbeat future bass song has one difficulty reaching the high-5-star range. The map was made with a perfect mix of DnB rhythm and the tricky technical sections we all know Akali and Cassu2 for, all tied together at a comfortable 175 BPM. The 160+ people who already have this map favorited will definitely agree when I say that this is a great map to fill the niche of anyone looking for something perfectly between a stream map and a technical map... so, check it out!
Camellia - Bloody kiss by Shrukaghn
Another crazy Camellia mapset has made its way to the Loved voting stage! This time, we have Shrukaghn's mapset of "Bloody Kiss", a 3-minute track with two difficulties in the mapset, both at polar ends of the 7-star difficulty range. The map starts off with a long and gradual build-up into a crazy fast 210 BPM kiai section. From there, things slow down for a bit as it begins to build up again into another kiai section. Oh, by the way, did you believe me when I said the 210 BPM section was "crazy fast"? If you did, I'm sorry to hear that—the second kiai section is actually 280 BPM. Maybe the first section doesn't seem so fast anymore, after all... regardless, both difficulties of the mapset can be easily characterized by the extremely fast kicksliders in the kiai sections, along with some various jumps and streams along the way. If that sounds like a roller coaster of fun, check out the map for yourself! Afterwards, don't forget to come back and give this map your loved vote.
Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers - Steamed Hams by ProfessionalBox
Many of you may recognize this iconic scene from The Simpsons; it's an everlasting meme filled with unmatched potential. This map by ProfessionalBox certainly puts that potential to good use: it's a low-4-star beatmap of the entire scene, mapped in a professional style (unintended pun, ok...). The scene begins with the character Principal Skinner inviting Superintendent Chalmers to an "unforgettable luncheon". But... what's this? Skinner burned the dinner in the oven! What will his plan be to make sure his meal with the superintendent is still an unforgettable luncheon!? If you don't already know, check out the map to find out! If you do know, you should still check out the map—I'm sure you'll love it!
osu!taiko
osu!taiko Loved candidates were chosen by Backfire, -[ ix Ishida xi ]-, -Kazu-, iceOC and nyanmi-1828!
U1 overground - Endorphin by ekumea1123 and iceOC
written by -Kazu-
Whether you love tech maps or are just starting out practicing these, this is definitely your map: with both tricky patterns and fun SV usage that will challenge your reading skills, ekumea1123 and his "Eclipse" difficulty will for sure become part of your daily tech training. Not a fan of SV? He made a clean diff, too!. Still too hard? iceOC's diff is a extremely well designed map which was featured in TWC 2018 and for a good reason, as it's easy to read and fun to play. Have fun!
DJ Sharpnel - UNSTABLE SKY AND OTHERS (DJ SHARPNEL MEGAMIX) by Nofool
written by iceOC
This map uses lots of beautiful SV changes, but somehow, it is easy to read them and play for the first time. This is the true gift behind Nofool's SV technique, the ability to convey emotion behind the song with his liberal usage, while maintaining a distinct playability with his maps. The addition of lots of finishers and complicated streams gives the player a great sense of enjoyment, despite the length of the map. This map is a great starting point for SV beginners, and an enjoyable challenge for masters of SV as well!
Aiobahn & Yunomi - Ginga Tetsudou no Penguin ft. nicamoq (Stripe.P Remix) by KitajimaYN
written by iceOC
KitajimaYN is a mapper who maps something almost every day, but at this point in time, he still doesn't have a Loved mapset! How criminal! So we decided to choose this one from him. This map is really influenced by the sensation of the music, and he keeps the patterns simple from start to end. It has been chosen for tournaments a few times, so we believe the map is really enjoyed by the players! Maybe KitajimaYN's mapping will be approved by the Loved players, and the cool penguin will watch over you from the sky!
YUC'e - YUC'e Songs Mapset by yyyyyyyyyyypetu et al.
written by Backfire
This is a wonderful map pack featuring the ever-popular YUC'e! Six great songs from her mapped by six of the osu!taiko mappers who have made her so popular in our community, including the ever so synonymous KinomiCandy! Each mapper has their own styles they bring to this genre of music, with Kinomi's focus on streams and simple 1/6 with Ninjas, and komasy with his focus on even numbered pattern and authentic style mapping. This is the ultimate package for YUC'e lovers!
osu!catch
osu!catch Loved candidates were chosen by Zak, Ascendance, Sartan and Tenshichan!
bo en - my time by -Plus-
written by Ascendance
Coming straight from the "god damn it -Plus- please rank this" category, bo en's "my time" makes its way to Loved voting! An upbeat song combined with some... not-so-upbeat lyrics, the map provides the player with a best of both worlds experience. The slow parts keep the player engaged and remain interactive, and the kiais bring up the pace of the map to a point where it's not even comparative to the rest, so don't fall asleep! Don't let the preview point fool you, either. Some coordinated fingers for wiggles and precise catcher control will be needed to make your way through the last kiai! The entire experience is truly an amazing one, so stay attentive and enjoy the ride!
The Quick Brown Fox - Cloudsmasher by ExGon
written by Tenshichan
Cloudsmasher is a time machine that will bring you back to the year 2012. It has everything you would expect of an oldstyle map—edgedashes, only a little amount of hypers, platewalks, difficult stream patterns, and the list goes on. Most of the old members in the community should know this map, and the osu!catch difficulty of the set is mapped by none other than ExGon. A timeless tour de force of osu!catch history which still has enough potential nowadays to be regarded as a fun and creative map. Of course, the name "ExGon's CTB Hell" is not for show—so be ready to struggle for a good combo and accuracy!
osu!mania
osu!mania Loved candidates were chosen by Kamikaze, _underjoy, aitor98, Pope Gadget, stupud man and TheToaphster!
Fractal Dreamers - Fortuna Redux by Kizuna
written by _underjoy
We are beginning our list with a song by one of our Featured Artists! Kizuna's rendition of Fortuna Redux by Fractal Dreamers has been featured in Semifinals of 4K MWC 2017, and has been slightly revamped since then. The chart is rather straightforward, and challenges players with relentless jumpstreams flavored with long notes. While technically it is a LN-oriented chart, they are mostly used to increase the reading difficulty and change the way jumpstreams are played. This approach allows players who aren't used to LN maps to improve their reading, since most of the long notes are short enough to be just tapped, and release timings are rather simple. Fortuna Redux is a clean chart that has received a hefty amount of recognition, so there's nothing left but to welcome it to the Loved voting!
Darren Styles - Heartbeatz by Leo137
written by TheToaphster
Coming from the way-back year of 2014, we have the return of an old classic by Leo137 in the name of Heartbeatz. The approach used here is about as straightforward as it can get, using jumpstreams to capture the essence of the song, especially found through Leo's use of repetition in the choruses, and some rolls to pair nicely with the vocals, playing like a charm and giving an understandable reason for the community to be so affectionate of it. The chart's amassing of a large amount of popularity paired with a rather clean design gives this chart plenty of reason to be nominated for the Loved section.
Laur - KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL by Valedict
written by TheToaphster
For our next nomination, we have a recognizable face, Valedict, making a return to the Loved nominations with his chart for KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL. The song itself is an interesting amalgamation of a few different genres, drawing most notably from metal and breakcore, splitting the approaches to the music into distinct sections. This musical variation is matched with the expected amount of variety through the technically diverse patterns, digging into broken jumpstreams, bursts, extended streams, and minijacks in each distinct section of the music. Not only does this approach match the song, but it is executed excellently, and draws in both players and charters, most well shown through its use in osu!mania's largest 4K tournament, SOFT3. The quality and variety that is offered through this chart is more than enough of a reason to nominate KILL^5 for Loved.
Camellia - Chirality by Abraxos
written by stupud man
Abraxos makes his re-entry into the loved nominations with one of the more technical maps we've seen in a while. This map might look familiar to those who just recently tuned in to the semi-finals stage of our most recent osu!mania World Cup, but that's nowhere near close to the focus of this nomination (it's the background!). Chirality provides a multitude of patterns ranging from the rough jack-heavy drumstep intro to the smooth stream-oriented melodic second half, nicely fitting with the song at hand. This is definitely one of the more ambitious charts to be nominated as of recent, and its difficulty reflects that. Chirality is easily something suited for higher tier players, but the overall positive playability experience of this chart definitely makes it a more than suitable candidate for a Loved nomination.
Kola Kid - Spaceman by wizardoffail
written by stupud man
Potentially not the most well-known, but definitely appreciated, Spaceman by wizardoffail makes a unique appearance as a nomination this week. The song itself comes in at 203 BPM, which remains constant throughout the song. However, constant is the last word anybody would use to describe the map itself. wizardoffail always finds a way to represent a seemingly fast-paced song through unique technical patterning that can challenge a wide variety of players, and Spaceman is no exception. Whether it be the difficulty of timing certain sections of the map or the density of the patterns, we think it's safe to say that the enjoyability of this chart will be high from many players.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - HARAJUKU IYAHOI by ArcherLove
written by aitor98
Featured in the osu!mania 7K World Cup 2018 group stage mappool, HARAJUKU IYAHOI has made his appearance into the Loved voting process. With a length of 2 minutes and 4 seconds coming up at 128 BPM, this slow-paced chart contains a full set of long note chords, short streams and more. Even though the star rating of the whole set might make you think that this chart is easy overall, do not be fooled by that. Once you start playing it, you will notice how hard those long notes can become to read, especially when they appear with different lengths, and snapping. Nonetheless, if you are a noodle lover, this kind of map is made for you. Definitely good enough for Loved.
S.I.D Sound - Pink Gold by Sorarei
written by Kamikaze
For our next pick in this week's voting, we have a classic LN chart, Sorarei's rendition Pink Gold! This chart is mostly known from being featured in the quarterfinals stage of the osu!mania 7K World Cup 2017 as one of the long note picks, and since then has retained its popularity due to a very interesting varied style of charting it offers. It's a four-minute long chart with plenty of slowdowns, speedups, comfy patterns and visually pleasing sets of noodles perfect for practice and if you just want to enjoy yourself for a bit with this very upbeat song!
osu!mania 7K Dan Course - Regular Dan Phase II by Jinjin
written by Kamikaze
I know that a lot of you have been waiting for this moment, and here it is! It's time for the third batch of Jinjin's 7K Dans to hit the Loved voting!
This time around, we're featuring regular (rice) dans from 4th all the way up to 8th, that is five courses of carefully handpicked and balanced (with recharting done by Jinjin as well) for players to test their skills and possibly make another goal post in their efforts to improve further and further. This batch compared to the previous two which are already Loved is significantly harder, it's intended for already seasoned players, those who are aspiring to be close to the top in future. The balance and variety of the charts make it a really interesting challenge even if don't want to gauge your skill based on the Dans alone, for the best players it might even be a good Double Time challenge!
You've wanted this for a while, so there you go!
From everyone on the Project Loved team, we hope you enjoy this week's selection, and look forward to the next! The winning beatmaps will hit the Loved beatmap listing sometime next week and will be announced via @osugame on Twitter.
If you have any suggestions for beatmaps to be added to the Loved category, please submit them using the Google form! You can view the current submissions on the corresponding Google sheet.
—clayton
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