There has been a constant demand for custom hitsounding being optional for many years from various mappers from various communities, and not just ones from other VSRGs. While the most vocal people are indeed people from other rhythm games, there are many many people who started playing osu!mania and played exclusively osu!mania who feel that custom hitsounds are cosmetic at best. This is not to say that hitsounding isn't important, but the addition of custom hitsounding seems redundant when most maps already follow the song quite linearly in comparison to other game modes. Most players who do need hitsounding are usually good enough with default hitsounding (whether it'd be the default default one or a drum hitnormal one) at an audible enough volume. The proposal would still keep default hitsounding at an audible volume.
I also find it extremely problematic that, in general, it's encouraged to half-ass hitsounding. There are numerous people that I know of who spend about 20-30 minutes on the most basic hitsounding for their maps and that, to me, is indicative of how little most mappers value hitsounding to begin with. This is true for even people who spend tens of hours on their mapset making their difficulties the best that they can be. I don't think that this is indicative of laziness but more so the insignificance that mappers put when it comes to hitsounding.
If they don't wish to do hitsounding, they would ask other people to do it. But the fact that there is a very small handful of people who are willing to do hitsounds and they are indirectly responsible for many mapsets getting ranked is extremely concerning. FAMoss and Kanon are doing god's work at the moment by enabling so many mappers to get their works ranked and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a good amount of the ranked ecosystem would collapse if either of the two were to stop doing what they do for this community. I cannot say the same for anyone else in the community at the moment.
The argument of most newer players finding hitsounds to be useful is, in my opinion, moot when hitsounds are already turned on by default. Considering that a new player would not have a strong opinion on hitsounds at first, they will go with the option that is most convenient for them. The fact that most players as they get better turn OFF hitsounds rather than keep them on despite being on by default tells me that, if anything, hitsounding is viewed more negatively than not.
There are also smaller concerns about custom hitsounding, but there have been extremely fervent pushback against hitsounding and has been, for many many mappers, the number one deterrent for osu!mania mapsets not being ranked. This doesn't just apply to mappers who have created content for other rhythm games, but for people who were homebred in this community as well. If your argument is to tell people to move to other rhythm games if you want to subvert this hitsounding requirement, then I legitimately don't think that you're working in the community's interests.
I also find it extremely problematic that, in general, it's encouraged to half-ass hitsounding. There are numerous people that I know of who spend about 20-30 minutes on the most basic hitsounding for their maps and that, to me, is indicative of how little most mappers value hitsounding to begin with. This is true for even people who spend tens of hours on their mapset making their difficulties the best that they can be. I don't think that this is indicative of laziness but more so the insignificance that mappers put when it comes to hitsounding.
If they don't wish to do hitsounding, they would ask other people to do it. But the fact that there is a very small handful of people who are willing to do hitsounds and they are indirectly responsible for many mapsets getting ranked is extremely concerning. FAMoss and Kanon are doing god's work at the moment by enabling so many mappers to get their works ranked and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a good amount of the ranked ecosystem would collapse if either of the two were to stop doing what they do for this community. I cannot say the same for anyone else in the community at the moment.
The argument of most newer players finding hitsounds to be useful is, in my opinion, moot when hitsounds are already turned on by default. Considering that a new player would not have a strong opinion on hitsounds at first, they will go with the option that is most convenient for them. The fact that most players as they get better turn OFF hitsounds rather than keep them on despite being on by default tells me that, if anything, hitsounding is viewed more negatively than not.
There are also smaller concerns about custom hitsounding, but there have been extremely fervent pushback against hitsounding and has been, for many many mappers, the number one deterrent for osu!mania mapsets not being ranked. This doesn't just apply to mappers who have created content for other rhythm games, but for people who were homebred in this community as well. If your argument is to tell people to move to other rhythm games if you want to subvert this hitsounding requirement, then I legitimately don't think that you're working in the community's interests.