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12 Feb 2019
Project Loved: Week of February 10th
Project Loved: Week of February 10th
It's time for Project Loved once again! All four modes, lots of picks—all that's missing is your vote!
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!catch Project Loved leader Zak is unfortunately taking his leave this round. He's been managing the osu!catch branch of the project for longer than I can remember, so be sure to thank him if you've enjoyed the mode's content in Project Loved! While there's no replacement "leader" for Zak, Wesley will be stepping in as an osu!catch captain going forward. Welcome to the team!
On the osu!mania side of things, the captains have reminded me to include their submission form and sheet here, since they like to use their own for their mode. In the future, we will have a more intuitive and easy-to-access way to submit maps for all game modes, as well as a better display for browsing through submissions and voting on your favorites. Stay tuned!
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 -Roxas, BeasttrollMC, Bubbleman, DigitalHypno and waywern2012!
EGOIST - Lovely Icecream Princess Sweetie by Deramok
written by DigitalHypno
Hey, overlap fanatics! Looking for some more spice in your song list? Deramok's unique map of "Lovely Icecream Princess Sweetie" should help take care of that for you. Accompanied by quite a catchy song, this map sits just under 6 stars and features a creatively executed overlap gimmick that keeps your cursor dancing throughout the entire map. Be sure to check out this map if you're looking for a refreshing challenge!
DragonForce - The Game by Nattu
written by -Roxas
Something that's a little bit different in terms of style to Sound Chimera, Nattu's "DragonForce - The Game"'s more intense long 240 BPM streams make it one of the faster DragonForce maps. It can be used for stream and stamina training, if that's your thing. With the map peaking at 7.1 stars, will you be able to pass this challenging map?
The Wrecks - Favorite Liar by Kaifin
written by -Roxas
This is a lively song to go with a lively map: Kaifin's "The Wrecks - Favorite Liar" is very aim-heavy, and at 240 BPM, it's geared toward the quick singletapping and alternating players of the community. The map hits over 70+ favorites, which isn't a surprise at all considering how good the song is to go with a very enjoyable map. Give it a try!
IOSYS - Third Eye Ya! by koreapenguin and Fast
written by waywern2012
This is a classic map from koreapenguin with the help of Fast. One of the first maps to feature changing slider movement to the rhythm, this map was one of the big steps forward in techniques we see many mappers use nowadays, although not so extreme. The map is somewhat old, but still lives up to its title with a stable 100 favourites. Can you hit these tricky sliders and jumps?
DatManOvaDer - Busta Rhymes Goes To The Wii Shop Channel by fowwo
written by waywern2012
This is exactly what the title says: When Busta Rhymes Goes To The Wii Shop Channel and fowwo makes a map out of it. It has gained a huge amount of popularity because of the large amount of jumps. Don't let that fool you though, there's not a lot of distance between jumps, rather they are very fast-paced and close. It has gained 370+ favourites, and the number is still growing! This map will truly test your cursor control speed. Good luck!
lapix - NEO GRAVITY (BlackYooh Vs. siromaru Remix) by Cassu2
written by Bubbleman
This is a pretty well-known map on the "hype artist" lineup! Cassu2's NEO GRAVITY map is a very accessible and lightly technical offering on a banger of a song. With streams that change spacing and kick sliders that threaten to throw you off, this is a well-rounded map that everyone can enjoy, with a lot of potential for modded plays. At 185 BPM, it's not too fast either, so what are you waiting for? Give it a go!
t+pazolite - Pumpin' Junkies (Kobaryo's FTN-Remix) by Jounzan et al.
written by Bubbleman
Kobaryo's remix of t+pazolite's Pumpin' Junkies adds his signature speedcore touch to an already vibrant track. The BPM is taken up from 190 to 260, and that's just the baseline, since it spikes to an exhausting 320 at the climax. Jounzan's map goes brilliantly with it, being standard enough to play but having its own style and quirks that make it a joy to sink attempt after attempt into. Can you keep up with this speedy map?
DragonForce - Astral Empire by Bibbity Bill
written by BeasttrollMC
This map is not for the light hearted. It's about time the world has seen Bibbity Bill's other creations, as this is only one of many. Astral Empire is a challenge for players who want to push their limits. Featuring finger-crushing 222 BPM bursts, streams, and jumps, this map is going to leave your hands burning for a while. Good luck.
ryu5150 - Louder than steel by ParkourWizard
written by BeasttrollMC
If you're a big fan of spaced streams, you're going to love this one. ParkourWizard's take on Ryu-5150's "Louder than Steel" pushes players to the extreme on their spaced streaming abilities with a map that gets more difficult as you play. The streams are pretty comfortable for the most part, but the spacing gradually increases more and more as the map progresses, keeping players on their toes.
After clips from various players including Umbre, firebat92, and myself began surfacing, the map quickly gained traction and has garnered over 250 favorites now! Check out the map for yourself and vote for its spot in Project Loved.
osu!taiko
osu!taiko Loved candidates were chosen by -[ ix Ishida xi ]-, -Kazu-, iceOC, jyake and nyanmi-1828!
Sampling Masters MEGA - Kattobi KEIKYU Rider by 7_7
written by -Kazu-
This mapset has been in everybody's sights as a candidate for the Loved category, and what a map this one is! With relentless 1/6 patterning, this goes up to 10 stars, even though it plays really fluently, being one of the most accessible of the difficulties around that star rating. We just can't wait to see how the leaderboard will look like in this map.
Camellia feat. Nanahira - Moji Code o Kakemegure! by KinomiCandy
written by jyake
This map is almost the definition of what a Loved map is to me. It's really astonishing how well someone can just get a beatmap... right. It feels like you're the one playing the music when you hit those notes. It's no wonder that everyone loves it!
DJ SHARPNEL - Marunouchi survivor 140 RUSH by Skull Kid
written by iceOC
Congratulations to Skull Kid for #1 on Community Choice 2018! This time, I'd like to offer a challenging map by them: the song is a sped up version of the DJ Sharpnel remix of Rock Over Japan. The map is very hard due to its high tempo and dense streams, but Skull Kid's very comfortable patterns offer a very exhilarating experience when paired with them. Definitely give this one a try if you are confident in your speed and stamina!
lapix - Carry Me Away (Extended Mix) by HEKUSODASU
written by nyanmi-1828
osu needs more lapix! This mapset by HEKUSODASU is often times recognized and loved by many people in the community, despite recent posts. I guess it is because how fascinating is this song's energetic feeling that really makes you want to dance to it. HEKUSODASU also did a good job at arranging the map really well, while perfectly representing the irregular rhythm of this song in a beautiful manner.
osu!catch
osu!catch Loved candidates were chosen by Ascendance, Sartan, Tenshichan and Wesley!
PinocchioP - Weekly Shonen BYE-BYE by [224]Reol
written by Wesley
This week we're bringing back one of [224]Reol's earlier maps, "Shuukan Shounen Bye Bye". While being submitted back in 2015, and not quite considered an "old" map yet, it sure does contain some patterns that are considered awkward compared to the newer maps. It's filled with constant wiggles, both with hyperdashes and without! Now, of course wiggles are fun and all, but it also contains some tap dashes here and there to increase the overall difficulty just to top it all off. Because the song is so action packed, you don't really get any time to lose concentration, otherwise you will miss right away because of everything going on. Enjoy!
CustomiZ - COOLEST by Ascendance et al.
written by Sartan
Oh boy, despite this map being one of the most popular ones released in 2018, it just wasn't quite able to get ranked. But here we go with the full version of COOLEST! There are many difficulties on this spread, so really, there is something for everyone to play. Also thanks to this big spread, you can apply mods like DoubleTime or HardRock to lower difficulties and make the map rather more spicy, if you are proficient enough at the game that is. All this leads to tons of replayability to be had. I won't delve into all difficulties and how they play individually, due to how many there are, so go check out what's in it for you, oh yeah!
osu!mania
osu!mania Loved candidates were chosen by Lenfried-, Pope Gadget, Shoegazer and Toaph Daddy!
Long Notes can be a very difficult chart element to make both interesting and fun to players, but Skochan has definitely shown his ability to combine both of these qualities in his LN charts. This holds true for his chart of Goldrop, our opening nomination. This selection utilizes LNs in a rather common way, having the density and patterning of the long notes correspond to the tone of the different sections, showcased most clearly by two sections: the choruses, which use near inverse with relatively rigid patterning to match the relative intensity, and the transition into the final chorus, where difficult releases mixed with the quads make for a very difficult but justified buildup, preparing for the ending of the chart. Even with this rigidity, the chart proves to be rather fun and comfortable, and has gained a sizable following, especially with its use in the osu!mania 4K World Cup 2017, all clearly supporting this chart's nomination for the Loved section.
Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter by Zyph
Shelter, to me, feels like walking on clouds, and Zyph's chart for Shelter contains 1/12 bursts and 1/8 handstreams with many breaks in-between streams. While the chart sounds fairly challenging on paper, you would be more than fairly surprised as to how silky smooth the patterns are; the chart feels less like a panic attack and more of a nice stroll through a park. Zyph's straight-forward layering approach (triples to vocals, faster bursts for bass wobbles) also makes the chart easy to figure out despite the chart's difficulty as well, which is a nice plus.
In osu!mania, you would be hard-pressed to find music that is accessible and mellifluous to the average listener. While drumstep and complextro are as infectiously catchy as they are, they can be a bit too abrasive to the average ear. This dearth in accessible music is more pronounced when you're also trying to find charts that are fairly challenging. Zyph's chart for Shelter, however, is an exception to the rule. Zyph's chart also has the plus of complementing the song quite well, which makes his chart for Shelter a no-brainer for the Loved section.
sakuraburst - dragonlands by Toaph Daddy
sakuraburst! Toaph Daddy (also more known as, thankfully, TheToaphster) takes a very common genre that is charted and gives it a fairly modern spin through charting techniques that have been used more recently by prevalent charters today.
The chart has everything that you would expect from a "modern" technical chart: pitch relevance, chord allocation (albeit a modified version of it), different types of burst patterns to differentiate between bass wobbles (pay attention to how rolly some bursts are), tasteful and differentiated LN use, and a few other notable charting techniques. These techniques make for a chart that is clean, musically relevant, and exciting. For charters, dragonlands is, due to the song's simplicity, a good chart to take notes on to understand how certain techniques in charting are used.
The chart also has fairly heavy SV usage that is systematic, consistent, and, more importantly, effective. The SVs themselves don't affect gameplay too heavily, but players who would like a less SV-centric approach can try out the NSV difficulty instead; the NSV difficulty is still a satisfying experience with plenty of nuance to unravel. If you're a player who loves a light technical challenge or a charter who dabbles in more technical charting, this mapset is definitely for you.
yuikonnu - Natsu no Owari, Koi no Hajimari by KenZ
KenZ (formerly Zenonia) makes his return to Loved with Natsu no Owari, Koi no Hajimari. This versatile set features similarly-layered 4K and 7K difficulties, with an emphasis on LN usage. Despite being a relatively longer song, the maps maintain a variety of pattern usage, easily bettering the playing experience some might have. Most notably though, is the ending of each difficulty. It's not uncommon to see KenZ egregiously increase the difficulty at the end of his sets, and this is no different. However, the difficulty increase flows well with the song and manages to add flair to an already unique map.
EBICO - Persephone by Takane6 et al.
For this round, we have Takane6's Persephone as a spread pick. The focal point of this mapset is its differing ways on how the song can be approached. The widely known Enecstacy difficulty mostly comprises of slightly comfy but very dense chordstreams with an LN layer. Maki'nother, on the other hand, poses a different kind of challenge with its rigid chordstream, jack, and bracket usage. In addition to that, the mapset does provide lower difficulties for players of varying skills to enjoy!
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, Toy and Zak 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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