Overall
Slider tick rate = 2
I also was kind of hoping there was tricky patterns in a map I could beat. Oh well. I guess I'm never learning to sighread anything.
Not Very Hard Man00:19:155 (2,1,2) - Do these have to be facing the same way? It looks odd. Maybe flip the middle note horizontally.
01:31:247 (1,2) - Turn off grid snap and center the ends on the vertical line. Note 2 will have to be nudge a little to the right without distance snap.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/12568Kinda Hard Man00:38:435 (2) - Adjust the placement with distance snap on to fix the small spacing flaw.
00:40:950 (1) - ^
00:48:390 (3) - Move this up a unit?
00:50:066 (3) - ^
Pretty Hard ManOD - 1 I might be able to beat it then. It plays a lot better with the extra time to react and identify the notes. Yes it is still tricky to hit the 1/4th notes. This is highly recommended.
Edit: Once doing so, I found that many of the flow and readability issue go with it.
00:08:152 (4) - New combo?
00:09:829 (4,5,6,7) - Although it works. I feel it would be much easier to hit if it was placed above note 3. You know to sort of recreate the triangular pattern that you began it with. I feel this better fits the rhythm as a whole. Adjust the notes around it if you feel it's too high in the grid.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/1256900:14:544 (3,4,5) - How about stacking 3 and 4 and then moving 5 on 2?
00:25:861 (8,9) - Hard to see. Might be fine.
00:26:699 (3,4) - Turn 3 into a slider and delete 4?
00:40:950 (1) - How about start this combo and all the notes after it to the right of the previous note instead on top of it?
00:45:037 (4,5,6) - Although this is meant to trip people up so they will remember it. I don't feel it flows very well moving up and then over. I'm not too worried about it though.
01:27:894 (1,2,3) - How about you make these notes go down and then over? It wont feel as awkward.
01:30:304 (10,11) - How about just making 10 part of note 11?
01:33:867 (1,2,3,4,5,6) - This is most likely unrankable. 3 is barely visible and all the approach circles make it hard to figure out the pattern. Maybe if you shift notes 4,5 and 6 to the right of note 3. i'm not sure about this though. no matter what you do the rhythm doesn't sound like it should be completely straight.
Suggestion: Last six notes be kiai time?
I'll get to Extra hard tomorrow. Right now I'm freezing.
Edit: Okay. Here's my shot at your infamous Extra Hard difficulty.
Extra Hard manGeneral
People wont complain as much if you bring the OD down a couple pegs so that the notes aren't ridiculously hard to hit. Hard to read is bad enough, but hard and awkward to hit too. I think that's asking too much.
OD - 1 is a good alteration. It's not as ridiculous as it was before.
Drain at least - 1. Why the hell is it so high?
00:04:799 (5) - I think it is more intuitive that this be placed in the gap in the blue combo. This might make people cry more fowl, but I think the rhythm feels like it should be going back instead of up. May I also suggest that you make it a new combo? It's hard enough to read already and with the limited window to hit it, you should at least give some lead off. As far as this combo goes, I've seen patterns in other ranked maps like it so it could pass without the combo change.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/12639 (I really reccommend you doing this instead. )
00:08:362 (6) - I would not suggest you stacking this here. I don't think it flows very well having to reverse back.
Actually I'm not sure you should stack anything on that slider. Maybe you should take 00:08:152 (5) - and put it to the right of note 4 and let 5,6,7 be a straight line.
How about placing it here instead?
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/12636Alternate solution
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/12641I still think it requires some memorization to proof read. It's just more intuitive flow wise to play. Remember flow should always trump mechanics.
00:10:667 (8,1) - Are you sure you want to stack these? It doesn't go with the rest of the patterns which are spread out. I feel that you can spread this stack out by shifting the position of these notes 00:07:419 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) - right until there's enough space. I think it will conform to the distance snap.
Another fix is stacking Note 8 on the end of 00:10:248 (7) - , but that also doesn't fit right with the rest of your patterns. It's up to you.
00:16:325 - Add a note? Stack it on the end of 00:15:802 (11) -
00:16:535 (12) - Remove this. I don't quite like how you're trying to map two different rhythms. It sounds and feels off. I think the fast dun dun dunnana should be the only beat you should be following in this case. I think doing this two suggestions and repositioning the notes, this section will bemuch more identifiable.
00:18:212 (5,6,7,8,9,10,11) - I found it extremely hard to find the actual beat while playing it. I think that's because you're mapping to two different rhythms as I stated above. How can you expect someone to ever figure how to play your map right when you mix and match rhythms.
The Fix
00:18:316 (6) - needs to be a repeat slider. The note setup sounded different than the beat and the gap between 6 and 7 was the reason why. There is a dinstinct note between note 6 and 7 if you listen closely. There needs to be a note there. You'll have to figure out how to make it work.
00:18:736 (8) - New combo- This is not a suggestion. It's the start of a new beat. IMO Note 6 should be a new combo, but it can pass without one.
00:19:574 (3,4) - Doesn't flow well in my opinion. You might want to find a better place for note 4.
00:19:888 (4,5,6) - Unintuitive. You are merging two rhythms into one pattern. That is generally not a good idea, because the players expect the same rhythm throughout a pattern. This especially applies to a pattern within the same combo. Note 5 needs to be a new combo and notes 5 and 6 and inevitably note 7 should be repositioned to give players some sort of indication that the rhythm changes.
It's a psychological thing. When I listen to 4,5,6 my mind doesn't think triplet. I think that note 4 is an empty sound when it isn't and the sounds of notes 5,6,7 as the triplet sound. Note 4's sound just isn't loud enough to be presented as a triplet.
The Fix
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/1264600:21:670 (6) - Unrankable. Slider end cannot be covered like that.
00:21:984 (7) - New Combo?
00:22:508 (1) - This should be part of the previous combo.
00:22:298 (10,11,1) - I don't think it's wise to move inward with note 11. Maybe it will play better if you positioned it where 00:22:717 (2) - currently is, then just reposition the other notes over to retain the patterns after it. I think it is possible to reposition 00:21:565 (5,6) - in such a way that you can keep the pyramid pattern centered like you had it while making this adjustment or there are other ways.
00:23:346 (4,5) - (or (3,4) as it should be.) Reapply distance snap to these notes and the previous note in the combo. I think there is a small spacing discrepancy.
00:25:023 (5) - New combo. The rhythm changes and so should the combo. Also does this pattern have to start by going back? I think it should really start with note 5 to the left of note 4
00:25:023 (5,6,7,8,9,10,11) - Cascade pattern downward? It might improve flow and people might be more happy with this design instead. Eh it's a suggestion.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/12654 00:26:699 (5,6,7) - Again does it have to start by going backward? It's awkward to make that kind of movement. Forward is better.
00:27:538 (1,2) - I don't like the finishes. I don't think they fit. You should remove them. IMO I think claps could work better, but not in the same pattern that you had the finishes. Add whistles whereever you removed a finish. Actually the whistle back tones should still be present even on the notes you add a separate hitsound too.
00:28:271 (6,7,8) - ^
00:29:214 (1,2) - ^
00:29:948 (6,7,8) - ^
00:28:690 (8,9,10,11,12) - I have several things to say about this. The sound behind 8 is practically unhearable at full speed. I think you could get away with removing it. I don't think anyone would complain and you would have more space to work with 9,10,11,12 or you can turn it into a slider and delete note 9. Next is I think that 8 should be a new combo. Although that's just a matter of preference.
00:29:214 (1,2) - Manually move 2 until it the same distance from note 12 of the previous combo as 1.
00:29:843 (5) - How about you position this where 00:29:424 (2) - is? I think it will play 10 times better and follows the song's rhythm a lot better. It will benefit my next suggestion.
00:30:157 (7) - Way too hard to see this circle. I think it should be moved outside the clump.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/1266000:34:977 (5) - New combo. (Highly suggested)
00:34:977 (5,6,7,8) - Note: I'm not sure they will allow you to have a 3/4 stack and 1/2th stack in the same combo. However I like how you set the stacks up.
00:35:920 (9) - New Combo. (Highly suggested)
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/1266100:57:925 (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) - Plays awkward to me. It doesn't seem to flow well going up into a tight rectangle. Maybe the pattern will work better if you set the latter half of combo downward instead of upward. That way you would be going down into a tight rectangle instead of up into one. Adjust 00:59:392 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) - these afterward. Maybe it would work. Maybe not.
01:02:221 (8) - New combo.
01:03:164 (2,3,4,5,6) - Feels randomly placed and doesn't accurately recreate the rhythm to notes. I suggest creating an anti jump between 1 and 2 and replacing the notes sort of like this. 01:04:422 (1) - Might have to readjust distance snap for this note afterward.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/1266601:05:470 (6) - Feels out of place. This is the only note that isn't following the high pitched rhythm here. you can't expect people to pick this up. Either map the entire secondary rhythm in this section or don't include it at all.
01:05:784 (8,9,10) - Might flow better if you started these notes to the left of note 7.
01:09:032 (5,6,7,8) - I don't think the rhythm represents a square. The pattern doesn't work. It feels more like a zigzig pattern to me.
01:11:862 (4) - New combo.
01:12:700 (11,1) - Might flow better if the combo started above 11 or beside it.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/12667 (Note I only moved note 1. It is no longer proportional to note 2.)
01:13:538 (5,6,7) - One of the rare moments when you might want to use a reverse slider.
01:14:481 (1,2) - Remove finish. Remember to add whistles to all notes.
01:15:215 (6,7,8) - ^
01:16:367 (6,7) - ^
01:16:891 (1,2,3) - ^
01:16:367 (6) - Maybe it should be placed here instead.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/1266901:16:891 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) - If you're going to have this kind of pattern, I highly reccomend that the notes end in a more flowing way since the player is going to leap to hit note 3. If the notes after it aren't placed in a consistant arc, they are likely to experience a frustrating combo break.. What I'm trying to hint at is Flow > awkward
01:25:798 (6) - New combo? Just a suggestion.
01:28:103 (2) - Put this here instead.
http://osu.ppy.sh/ss/12672 It would very awkward to make such an abrupt turn after a stream like that.
The Prognosis
The easier difficulties are in fairly good shape. It is the harder difficulties that need a little work. Well they need a lot of work actually. Pretty Hard only have a few spots where I think people will question the rankability, but only a few spots. Otherwise it plays fine and it's fairly easy to read.
Extra hard needs a lot of work IMO. It has a lot of sections that don't flow well. I made suggestions the best I could. If you manage to fix the flow issues, then I think it could be rankable. It can be done while still being very hard to proof read and play for that matter. The notes go by so fast, I found it very hard to recognize anything with so little time to react. The drain doesn't help either.