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26 Jan 2019
Project Loved: Week of January 27th
Project Loved: Week of January 27th
We're so excited for this week's round of Project Loved that we're releasing it a day early! As always, we've selected a handful of maps that you can now vote on to decide whether or not they will be 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 its voting thread.
osu!taiko's back in action this week, and with a new captain! jyake will be helping out with picking beatmaps as well as writing and translating descriptions. For now, there will be four maps per week.
osu!mania is also going to slow down its picks a little bit, with 5 per week instead of 7. They are switching around some captains right now, with stupud man stepping down and Shoegazer returning to lead the osu!mania Project Loved effort.
As always, I'll remind you guys to thank the captains for their hard work in keeping Project Loved running =).
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 BeasttrollMC, Bubbleman, DigitalHypno, SoraRoxas01 and waywern2012!
aran & lapix - KALACAKLA by Ambrew
written by DigitalHypno
Ambrew's map of "aran & lapix - KALACAKLA" is definitely one you should check out if you're looking to test your tech-stream mechanics. At over 100 favourites, this map finds the perfect balance between technical and streamy patterns, all at a comfortable 165 BPM. If you've ever been looking for a new creative technical map to add to your collections, this might be just the map for you!
yuigot - Crazy Sprinkle Friends feat. YUC'e (Yunomi Remix) by CrazyrabbitKGE
written by DigitalHypno
Perhaps a recognizable name at this point, CrazyrabbitKGE's mapping can best be described as innovative, creative, aesthetically pleasing, and enjoyably playable all at once. Their map of "Crazy Sprinkle Friends" is no exception to this unique style—the map is filled with comfortably challenging technical patterns, varying slider velocities, and almost everything else you could ever want in a slider-heavy technical map. If you think you're ready to give your cursor control and reading a spin, this is the perfect map for you!
Kino Hiko - The Noise of Rain by Prinsep
written by SoraRoxas01
For those of you that were at TwitchCon or kept updated with it, you would know that this map was used as a tiebreaker between RyuK and idke at a tournament there. Constant flow in the patterns with regular jump spikes spaced throughout the map makes this quite enjoyable to play, which also compliments the chill song. The map peaks at 7.4 stars, as it really picks up at the end of the song with the 200+ BPM cross-screen jumps which may throw off anyone that isn't paying attention.
Bachelor Party - Kappa Kappa (Forsen Edition) by Doomsday
written by SoraRoxas01
A map not to be underestimated despite the song, "Kappa Kappa (Forsen Edition)" is a map that is full of fast and slow sliders that you might trip over, along with fast patterned jumps within each of the kiai sections, hence why the map reaches over 7 stars in difficulty. It's difficult, but give it a try!
Koji Kondo - Slider by spookem
written by waywern2012
Slides are fun. This map is fun. spookem, with almost 500 favourites on the map of Koji Kondo's Slider, truly shows that this map is high quality and many people enjoy playing it. With its fast paced song from Super Mario 64 combined with spaced streams, this map is made to be very enjoyable to play for those who love streams under 180 BPM! If you feel ready to dive down the slide, then give this map a try! Let's see how good you really are at spaced streams.
trapman featuring CreeperWorks - minefield surfing by ktgster
written by waywern2012
Have you tried this map yet? No? Then prepare for the constant BPM changes while playing this map! If deltaMAX had BPM changes by 1 beat, then this is more complex with BPM changing for more than 50 at times on a single beat! This makes the map very unique with the constant leaps of BPM. Mapped by an elite mapper ktgster, combined with the song makes the map technical, but also very straining at times, especially towards the end. Similarly to how deltaMAX had an increase of 1 BPM on each 2 beats, it has 1 on each of the beat, making it slightly quicker in a shorter time period. Good luck with surfing the minefield!
Powerless feat. Sennzai - Unrequited by VINXIS et al.
written by Bubbleman
A song to kick back and chill out to comes with a map to challenge your mechanics, through VINXIS' map of Unrequited. The song is very atmospheric, and the map goes along nicely, being challenging yet not taking away from the song in any way. The set includes a fanzhen diff too, which is easier in star rating but still as challenging, so this set is definitely one you should be checking out!
F-777 - Space Battle by Hikaru Rose
written by Bubbleman
Back and forths? How about back and forths involving sliders? How about also making it CS2? Hikaru Rose challenges your reading with some intuitive yet still deceptive patterning. With fast sliders, spaced streams and even a CS4 difficulty if you want that extra mechanical challenge, this mapset isn't one you should overlook. Give it a try and see if this battle is one you can emerge victorious from!
BTS - MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) by Syph
written by BeasttrollMC
BTS is known worldwide for being one of the most popular k-pop groups around. They have music videos with hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, and by the look of things, its popularity trickled down to osu! as well.
This mapset by Syph, originally going for ranked, is extremely polished and makes for a great experience for osu! and k-pop fans alike. It also features a full mapset, meaning there's a difficulty for all players looking for a taste of BTS. With over 150 favorites, the community has shown their love for this map and has earned its place here in Project Loved.
TrySail - adrenaline!!! by Koalazy
written by BeasttrollMC
This song gained massive popularity after being featured as the ending theme for the anime ""Eromanga Sensei"", during which had one of the main characters, Sagiri, dance in front of a washing machine as the credits roll. It's a pretty obscure detail, but it sets a very important theme for the entire map: washing machine sliders.
As stupid as that may sound, it's true. During each kiai section, there exists one or more 2B sliders that spins around and around and around. At first it may seem like a small annoyance, but it's quick to become a huge challenge as they fill your screen and obstruct your vision. That alone makes for a interesting gimmick for a map but the reference to the anime only makes it better. With over 100 favorites, check out the map for yourself and vote for its home in Project Loved.
osu!taiko
osu!taiko Loved candidates were chosen by -[ ix Ishida xi ]-, -Kazu-, iceOC, jyake and nyanmi-1828!
LOLIPO - Confused Start -Hinnyuu Tou no Tatakai- by Lundlerol and toara_fict
written by -Kazu-
Truly a relic for the osu!taiko mapping scene, this map is quite old and has seen a lot of controversy and plays in multiplayer. Confused Start is one of those maps that were quite difficult for their time and was well received among most the players back then, so we hope the new generations of players can also enjoy a bit from the amazing mapper Lundlerol.
IOSYS - Tanoshii Yoru no Ochakai - Ringo's Tea Party by katacheh
written by jyake
Compared to the many gimmicky katacheh maps, this one goes very light on the craziness. It balances the difficulty of the map itself with the visually challenging aspects, along with very comfortable pattern placement, making the map very, very satisfying when you snag a high combo. Every difficulty, simply put, is just a lot of fun.
Vertical Gizmo - Nigro by Xay
written by iceOC
It is no news to any of us that Xay is a great mapper, and he proves himself a valuable member of the mapping community with Nigro, a breakcore song with a rather dark feeling to it, mapped with a clean style that leans towards the stamina side. This is simply way too good not to get a shot at the Loved section, and very likely you'll end up wanting more of this.
Kiryu - Hollowness by My Angel Koishi
written by nyanmi-1828
My Angel Koishi(Sar7)が作るこの譜面は、日本のマッパーの中でも奇抜なマッピングスタイルを確立し、曲をありのままに表現しています。プレイヤーは常識にとらわれない数々の配置と配色によって、悲しさと不気味さを帯びたこの曲の世界観に飲み込まれていくことでしょう。また、難易度が低いため、低ランクのプレイヤーが楽しめることも評価のポイントとなります。
This beatmap made by My Angel Koishi (also known as Sar7) establishes a strange mapping style among Japanese mappers and expresses the song as it is. Players will be sucked into song with this map's unique patterns that make it stand out. The difficulty isn't too high, so it's accessible to players of all ranks. It's definitely a weird one, but give it a try!
osu!catch
osu!catch Loved candidates were chosen by Ascendance, Sartan, Tenshichan and Zak!
Kevin.o2SE - Red Sign by ZHSteven
written by Tenshichan
Red Sign is another one of ZHSteven's old classics, which was submitted way back in 2013. It comes with a full spread, so this set can be played and enjoyed by pretty much everyone. But, of course, there is a focus on the Another diff, which is the hardest of the mapset and is pretty much how you would expect an older map to be; the focus is on having a good timing rather than having any kind of speed. Especially the unconventional stream patterns used will surely test your timing skills and your reading. The difficulty being AR8 surely doesn't help to make it easier, but instead, makes it even more challenging. If you are one of these really insane people you might even give it a shot with a mod—either way, it won't be easy!
Imperial Circus Dead Decadence - Yomi yori Kikoyu, Koukoku no Tou to Honoo no Shoujo. by Hareimu, Ascendance and Fii
written by Ascendance
ICDD Featured Artist when? No seriously, the artist has inspired so many great maps and this one is no exception. Hareimu's Yomi Yori is a fantastic stream map targeted at stamina- or consistency-oriented players. At 220 BPM, Hareimu, along with two names that should be fairly well known across osu!catch, managed to create an incredibly structured map that still boasts quite the challenge for even the top echelons of players.
osu!mania
osu!mania Loved candidates were chosen by Lenfried-, Pope Gadget, stupud man and Toaph Daddy!
GTA feat. Sam Bruno - Red Lips (Mendus Remix) by Hydria
The first selection coming in for the osu!mania Loved nominations is one of the most popular maps to come out of the osu!mania 4K World Cup 2018, that being Hydria's Red Lips. Just looking at the patterns, it wouldn't seem particularly special, but the real draw of the map comes from its neat use of SVs in the chorus to make every note look the same distance apart rhythmically, despite the song not matching up to those expectations. That gimmick and the clean design of the SVs to make this effect were adored by many of the spectators and players, giving significant popularity to the chart. This is certainly worthy of being nominated for the Loved section.
Anamanaguchi - Prom Night by Valedict
A pleasant mix of competitive viability and nice pattern usage is what defines the next nomination: Prom Night by Valedict. Throughout the chart, it is common to see differently-snapped streams tied to the different sounds: faster streams tied to both the vocals and the synth, and slower streams in places where these sounds are absent. This is compounded when the sounds become more intense and stack with each other, culminating in the chorus where the streams kick into extended 1/8 bursts and come with it a noticeable directional significance with the vocals, reversing patterns with the changing pitch. The attention to detail throughout these streams makes for a solid finish to the chart. On top of this, the speed of the streams are somewhat approachable while still requiring significant skill to nail, making it very good for competitive use, and gives it a mix of qualities very fitting for the Loved section.
Maurice Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit: Ondine by Xay
Classical music is hard to chart well. Not only does it have subtle tempo changes, but it also has many layering and patterning decisions that are difficult to resolve without notable charting knowledge or playtesting. However, if classical music is charted well, the chart creates an experience that not many charts for different music genres can.
Xay's charting approach, which is heavily reliant on pitch relevance, playtesting, and how a chart plays, fits very well with the general freeform-esque approach that charting classical music requires. Even though the chart may seem a bit heavy-handed in the editor, many charters and players seem to agree that, despite its density, the chart feels notably apposite to the piece at hand, which is notably impressive given how difficult it is to chart classical in general.
In addition to being a strong chart from a charting perspective, the chart itself is a 6-minute dynamic medley of control-oriented patterns that is near incomparable to other charts. Jumpgluts at varying BPMs, jumpstreams of very uneven intervals between notes, grace notes, quick bursts: they're all there, and those patterns feel as if they were made for this chart. That finesse of charting acumen, musical congruence, and a straight up exciting experience makes this chart an easy contender for the Loved section.
Demetori - Kanjou no Matenrou ~ World's End by Hassou Tobii
Making his first appearance in Project Loved, we have Hassou Tobii with a chart that's intense and unrelenting. Coming in at 178 BPM, Kanjou no Matenrou delivers brackety chordstreaming, rigid hybrid patterning, and tricky burst usages. With barely any breaks provided, this chart should pose a sizeable challenge of stamina to anyone wanting to try this out.
For months (possibly a year) people have been requesting Flexo123 to make an appearance in the Loved category, thus there's no question that this selection can be considered overdue. TT delivers a consistent usage of LN streams throughout the entire map, and is definitely something to try out if you enjoy LN maps of any kind. As an added bonus, this chart is great to play on DT if you're feeling adventurous enough!
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.
In addition to all of the Loved captains that choose the maps and write the descriptions, make sure to thank Ephemeral, Noffy and Toy for their miscellaneous help in managing Project Loved.
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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