While I get the idea, I don't really agree with this rule, and here's why.
Here's an example of two identical sliders with different speeds (I've seen a lot of people play this map, and none of them have misread the SV change):
https://osu.ppy.sh/b/268040&m=0 [LC] diff
02:46:171 (4,1) -
As said above, not a single person that I watched try this map hit a slider 100 or broke at that point.
Why might this be readable / intuitive? Perhaps because 02:46:464 (1) - is accompanied by a decreased on-screen note density; perhaps because both are short enough to not break on, but not short enough to trick the player into releasing early. Point is, first-try read/playability of sliders is not just a matter of ticks.
What does it mean for a map to be sightreadable?
Does the player need to 1) understand the timing of every object PERFECTLY on first run in order to qualify a map as sightreadable, or 2) only understand the timing to an extent such that the player has all the required knowledge to (theoretically) SS? The former would have some serious logical flaws--consider two sliders, no ticks on either, one at 1.00x and the other at 1.01x. While this is a strained example, under definition 1) of sightreadability, this might be unrankable, which doesn't really make sense.
Anyway, consider the example i linked above, and consider revising this
Here's an example of two identical sliders with different speeds (I've seen a lot of people play this map, and none of them have misread the SV change):
https://osu.ppy.sh/b/268040&m=0 [LC] diff
02:46:171 (4,1) -
As said above, not a single person that I watched try this map hit a slider 100 or broke at that point.
Why might this be readable / intuitive? Perhaps because 02:46:464 (1) - is accompanied by a decreased on-screen note density; perhaps because both are short enough to not break on, but not short enough to trick the player into releasing early. Point is, first-try read/playability of sliders is not just a matter of ticks.
What does it mean for a map to be sightreadable?
Does the player need to 1) understand the timing of every object PERFECTLY on first run in order to qualify a map as sightreadable, or 2) only understand the timing to an extent such that the player has all the required knowledge to (theoretically) SS? The former would have some serious logical flaws--consider two sliders, no ticks on either, one at 1.00x and the other at 1.01x. While this is a strained example, under definition 1) of sightreadability, this might be unrankable, which doesn't really make sense.
Anyway, consider the example i linked above, and consider revising this