Beatmaps
Contents |
What are "Beatmaps"?
- Beatmaps listing page: http://osu.ppy.sh/p/beatmaplist
Also called map for short, they are game levels in osu!, like the stages in the DS games. In their most basic form, beatmaps have a song and Hit Circles, Sliders, and/or Spinners placed according to the rhythm of the music, but they can also have a background image or video, or even a Storyboard. Creators of beatmaps are called beatmappers or mappers for short. Beatmaps are uploaded for everyone to see and play with using the BSS, and are then modded. If/Once a beatmap is deemed good enough, it is ranked or, if fulfilling certain criteria, approved.
What types of Beatmaps are there?
Ranked and approved beatmaps both are beatmaps that either two BATs or one MAT and one BAT approved of. They can influence the stats on a player's profile, which is what makes them different from pending or graveyarded beatmaps.
Ranked
These beatmaps ideally fulfill all of the ranking criteria to ensure that every player can expect a certain kind of standard when playing them.
Ranked Beatmaps have a heart 
icon on the thread and on the in-game song selection.
Approved
Approved Beatmaps have a flame 
icon on the thread and on the in-game song selection.
Beatmaps are approved for songs that are very long or have very hard beatmaps (including tag difficulties). Most approved maps don't have easy or medium difficulties, although some are uploaded as separate but identical songs, and some are included inside a ranked song that contains ranked maps.
Pending
Pending beatmaps are beatmaps that are usually complete but are awaiting rank/approval status. Mappers must seek out modding from the community and a MAT or BAT. Beatmaps will remain pending until they have been ranked, approved, or graveyarded, the latter automatically occurring after 4 weeks of inactivity on the corresponding beatmap thread. Pending beatmaps, like graveyarded beatmaps do not affect gameplay statistics.
Mod Requests
Mod Requests means that the mapper of the specific map is in need of help (from fixing the possible mistakes to requesting Guest Difficulties). While typically the song is still playable, the only reason you would scroll here if, and only if, you know what you are, and will be, doing and willing to mod the map for them. The maps is incomplete so be a considerate person and (if you had tried the map,) tell them what's wrong with the map (like the hit circles are off the beats).
Graveyard
Graveyarded beatmaps are maps in which have not been updated or it's thread posted in for at least 4 weeks. This kind of beatmap cannot be ranked until the mapper revives it by clicking the "Revive Beatmap" link in his/her own profile under the category 'Beatmaps'. Graveyarded beatmaps behave in the same way as Pending or WiP maps do in the aspect that they do not add to any stat of the player (Achievements, Accuracy, Score, etc.).
Beatmaps packs
Beatmaps packs, as the title suggests, are a .zip file containing Beatmaps. The name of the pack is based on what they contain (for example, "Approved Beatmap Pack #7" would only contain Approved Beatmaps). It is worth noting that the most packs are:
- Roughly 150MB ~ 200MB.
- Always contain videos (if the Beatmap has one).
- Requires a program to open the .zip pack (like WinRAR, 7zip to name a few)
- The beatmaps are either in the form of .zip or .osz file
The files are hosted on an external file storage website, so you don't have to wait for the cool down you get if you download too many Beatmaps within a short period of time at osu! main website.
Beatmaps packs split into 4 categories:-
| Beatmaps categories | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Standard | Chart | Theme | Artist/Album |
| Beatmaps type | Ranked or Approved songs | Fortnightly Chart challenge songs | General theme of the songs | Based on Artist/Album |
If you really want to fully complete your song list (not just downloading your favorite songs only), download all the (Approved/-) Beatmaps Packs in the Standard category and nothing else. The (Approved/-) Beatmaps Packs will contain all the songs in the other 3 categories.
The Beatmaps packs can be found and downloaded from:-
- osu! Beatmaps Packs page [1]
- Beatmaps Packs mirror hosted by nanashiRei. [2]
A rough estimation of how many hard disk space (and your connection quota) you will need is around ~52 GB. (Until Beatmap Pack #257 [15/8/12] and Approved Beatmap Pack #9 [7/7/12])
Questions
How to get beatmaps on osu! ?
For players without osu!supporter tags
- Visit [1]the beatmaplist page or [2]the packlist page
- [1] Log in your osu!account. Server download. [2] Not required. External download.
- Pick your beatmaps/beatmaps pack and save it/open it with osu!.
- Wait for the download to complete.
For players with osu!supporter tags
- Refer above or refer Method C
Comparison between Methods
| Information | Method A | Method B | Method C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum requirement |
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| Advantages |
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| Disadvantages |
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Method A (Direct operation)
Opening it directly (only works on .osz type)
- Double-click the .osz file. Your file will be extracted.
- osu! will start-up if it isn't on and running.
Drag & Drop
- Drag the .osz or .zip (extracted from pack) directly into the osu! application.
BanchoBot command (for answering in chat)
- !faq download
- !faq beatmaps or ! faq install-beatmaps or !faq mp
- !faq how-to-play
Method B (Manual operation)
- Find where you keep the Beatmap (or Beatmaps packs) you downloaded. Usually, they would be founded at Users/Downloads folder.
- If you still can't find it, use your "Search" and key in the Beatmap(/Beatmaps packs) name. Then, remember where the future Beatmap (/Beatmaps packs) would end up in every time you download.
- Drag the beatmaps (or extract the beatmaps in the Beatmaps pack.zip) to your desktop.
- If you can multi-task, you can opt to use two windows (Downloads and osu! program file) without dragging it out to desktop.
- osu! can extract .zip files. You do not need to manually create folders for it.
- Manually find osu! program file [Usually: C:\Program Files\osu!, regarding from where you open the osu!. Because osu! automatically maps .osz, .osk, and .osr extension to the current path.].
- If you did not know, C: is the hard-disk location name that your computer understands. If you can't find it at C: and you have a different hard-disk or portable-disk location name (like D: or H:), then go there and find it.
- If you know how to work your computer, make a shortcut link to the osu! folder by right-clicking osu! folder in the Program Files and press "Create Shortcut". If you did do this, it will save you the hassle and time needed. Just remember where you hide the shortcut in.
- Move the beatmap(s) (either in .osz or .zip) to the Songs file. Alternatively you can drag the beatmaps to the osu! window if you have it open.
- Open osu! (if it's not open) and press a game mode. osu! will extract the data (may take a while) and your beatmaps can be played. Enjoy your beatmap(s).
- Using "F5" is highly suggested especially when you are in a group in Multi mode. osu! will extract the data without leaving the group.
Method C (osu!direct)
- If you are still not a osu!supporter, please log in your osu!account and get the osu!supporter tag here (Payment required)
- Note: In special notable occasions (like Christmas), osu!supporter effect may be enabled for that specific day for everyone, until admins disabled it.
- Open your osu!.exe (your osu! in Desktop)
- Log in your account which has the osu!supporter tag.
- After successful connection to Bancho, osu!direct will stand out at the right of the screen.
- Click on it to open osu!direct's beatmap listing.
- Pick your desired beatmaps (there is no download limit) and download.
- Only two simultaneous download can be done at a time.
- You can do anything other than exiting osu! or disconnecting the Internet while waiting for the download to complete.
- When completed, the beatmaps will be in "Downloads" folder and will be moved to "Songs" folder automatically to be extracted when you enter the Song Selection or clicking "F5" (Refresh key).
The beatmap is corrupted! What should I do?
- Re-download it again.
- The file is corrupted because the data transfer (downloading) is not completed but you (intentionally/unintentionally) close the internet connection and/or your downloading browser, causing the beatmap to be incomplete during the process.
Why I can't download the beatmaps?
- You are not using an osu! account. The server treats you as a guest and beatmaps (except Beatmaps Packs that is) cannot be downloaded from the site until you log in.
- You download too much (like 3 songs) in one time. Cool down and come back (5-10 minutes) later.
- Downloading from the site contributes to server cost. The server cost itself to sustain osu! is not cheap (say, roughly USD$5,000-USD$10,000+ a month) and further increasing it may cause updates and further improvement delayed due to the asset mostly used up by the server cost.
