i will be short.Kiai time may be estethic,but it have many inconvenients:
-it makes people with not great material like me lagging and fail for no reason.
-i heard many people saying that they could have fced a map if there werent this kiai time beacause it causes visual issues(especially on streams)
-fountain force the sight of the player on itself,and make them miss a beat.

Altough,i do recognize this as a great idea.Please,just let the player choose between having it or not.

I can see both sides of the argument here, I will say it's very annoying when you have white circles against a light background during kiai time, then the star streams get in the way *cough* Every Time We Touch *cough*. On the other hand, it's the mapper's creation and I believe maps should be played the way the mapper intended it be.

If it's making people lag though, i could see how it would be nice to have...

This map has been deleted on the request of its creator. It is no longer available.

A toggle would be nice. Kiai time lags my crappy laptop and has screwed me over a few times ):

As a side note:

People STOP using Kiai time when it is not appropriate. Don't use Kiai time for a generic chorus part of the song. Use it when a song really really benefits from it. Don't use it "just because you can".

Gemi wrote:

As a side note:

People STOP using Kiai time when it is not appropriate. Don't use Kiai time for a generic chorus part of the song. Use it when a song really really benefits from it. Don't use it "just because you can".

I couldn't agree with this more. I've seen Kiai time used more times when it's inappropriate than when it was.

Derekku Chan wrote:

I couldn't agree with this more. I've seen Kiai time used more times when it's inappropriate than when it was. :|

I think pretty much every map can benefit from kiai time when used correctly. After all, it affects scoring in Taiko (the game from which this came from to boot, and it uses it in a buttload of songs... and uses it correctly!), looks pretty, and adds some "oomph" to the part that defines the song (usually the chorus). However...

...Quite a few people suck at using it! Seriously, people, just listen to the mp3, then look for the part that gets stuck in your head, since that's most likely where you should use kiai time. -.-; One particular map had it different for every difficulty, all inappropriately placed. GG on their part.

I don't find kiai time distracting when it's used correctly. However, when it's in a random spot, it then distracts me. Dunno why it's that way. ;P And yes, almost every map can benefit from kiai time and should use it. However, if they use it incorrectly, then they might as well not use it, because it's just plain distracting then and you spend so much time wondering why they just splashed it in a random part of the song. Don't whine if it's in the chorus though; that's like one of the best spots for it. -.-;

Oh, and lots of maps are gonna use it since it's a feature everyone wants to use, so get used to it. :D

@Ekaru, that's exactly what I meant. Some people just DON'T know how to use it correctly. But when used correctly, <3 <3 <3

Ekaru wrote:

I don't find kiai time distracting when it's used correctly. However, when it's in a random spot, it then distracts me. Dunno why it's that way. ;P And yes, almost every map can benefit from kiai time and should use it. However, if they use it incorrectly, then they might as well not use it, because it's just plain distracting then and you spend so much time wondering why they just splashed it in a random part of the song. Don't whine if it's in the chorus though; that's like one of the best spots for it. -.-;

I agree. Kiai should be used sparingly. I really dislike multiple kiai in a shorter song, and lengthy (greater than around 15 seconds) kiai anywhere.

I've seen some really nice use of kiai. One that stands out is in Hatsune Miku - Strobe Nights. It's short, only a few measures, and works wonderfully. The streams on the side are well timed, which adds to the overall experience of the map. It makes the map more fun. That's what kiai is meant to do, right? Why bother adding aesthetics to a game when it doesn't add any fun?

Anyway, often it is used improperly and it's very irritating. I'm thinking either a toggle in the graphics options or a mod similar to No Video. I'd be happy with either, or both.

How about if you disable the graphics for kiai time you don't get the bonus points? It's only fair that you either kill the whole thing and not just part of it.

strager wrote:

I've seen some really nice use of kiai. One that stands out is in Hatsune Miku - Strobe Nights. It's short, only a few measures, and works wonderfully. The streams on the side are well timed, which adds to the overall experience of the map. It makes the map more fun. That's what kiai is meant to do, right? Why bother adding aesthetics to a game when it doesn't add any fun?

Hehehe I was JUST thinking of this earlier. I was playing Strobe Nights and the kiai made the song even more beautiful. I LOVED it <3

This map has been deleted on the request of its creator. It is no longer available.

This map has been deleted on the request of its creator. It is no longer available.

In normal mode, kiai time kicking in has lagged my machine on a number of occasions, it's usually not combo breaking, but similar to when combo-fire kicks in, I always get a brief hiccup. Luckily I can disable combo fire to avoid this.

I know peppy is not a fan of disabling effects, but since there is a toggle for combo fire, maybe some sort of toggle for kiai time might be in order, though I do not know to what extent would be appropriate.

Echo wrote:

How about if you disable the graphics for kiai time you don't get the bonus points? It's only fair that you either kill the whole thing and not just part of it.

This. 'Sides, in Taiko, you wouldn't even be able to tell when you were getting bonus points. XD Or if you guys prevail, make it mode-specific, CTB and standard toggles only.

As far as kiai time usage go, in some cases it's alright to use it multiple times in a shorter song, *if* it makes sense. As in...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Oso-QpcSk

Here's regular kiai time usage (authentic):

http://osu.ppy.sh/?v=kazenofantasy

Here's what I mean by bad kiai time usage:

http://osu.ppy.sh/s/5708

Different on every difficulty, + random spots each time. Just plain distracting IMO.

Taiko was used for the first two examples because it's easily noticeable, and it's where kiai time came from in the first place!

P.S. Dunno how many kiai times there are in strobe lights, but the first one is... weird. Not to mention, they didn't end it soon enough, so you had a random note flashing randomly for a bit after the break. Not necessarily bad usage, just... weird. Like, that part didn't stand out at all to me. *shrugs*

james039 wrote:

I know peppy is not a fan of disabling effects, but since there is a toggle for combo fire, maybe some sort of toggle for kiai time might be in order, though I do not know to what extent would be appropriate.

I think kiai is more similar to video than combo fire. Maybe it's a 'combination' of both. Kiai and videos are specified per-map by the mapper, unlike the combo fire, which is automatic. You could also say kiai is like a storyboard. Storyboards are moderated and insane storyboards (e.g. in Disturbia by Larto) usually result in Approval and not Ranking.

I'm starting to ramble. Good morning. x_x

Anyway, kiai needs to be more moderated, IMO. Every map I mod which has kiai I comment on kiai's use. Most of the time I say "don't use kiai here." I mean to say "here" is a bad place for kiai, not that kiai shouldn't be used at all. (Not my job to pick the right time for kiai...) More people need to mod kiai, I think.

Still, for existing maps with kiai, it'd be nice to disable it.

Feature Requests Guidelines wrote:

Don't request a toggle for disabling [insert new feature here]. What's the point of making new features if you just turn it off?

This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever read on the forums. And I've read word relating where Elvis went to Hatsune Miku. People turn them off because the addons just suck are uncalled for. I need to shut down explorer.exe in my taskmanager to play a map with Kiai. I would kill a guy(pojssiubly sweeatboo)to have this feature.

Really, superbump to top until peppy adds.

This map has been deleted on the request of its creator. It is no longer available.

This map has been deleted on the request of its creator. It is no longer available.

See, what I don't understand is how people lag with kiai time. Here's my crappy computer:

2 GB RAM DDR 1 (AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)
1.8 GHz, AMD kind, so it's more like 3.2
Radeon 9550

Ran at 1024x with everything minus shader effects and combo fire. Runs smoothly. Downstairs:

3 GB RAM DDR2
Some really good processor
Integrated graphics card

Same settings as upstairs, runs at 1440 x 900, smoothly, ect.

So can those who are lagging with kiai time please post their specs? Just to see if there's anything in particular that's lagging you.

If kiai time lags you on a ranked map, name the map please.

Personally, I'm just going to accept that I have a shitty graphics card and all that on my laptop.

I support the option of disabling the stars, since all the polygons can an old machine.

I also have problems seeing my mouse cursor during Kiai Time with spinners, since all the stars and glows turn it into a big white burn. I make small circles, so it's important that I see my cursor so I can keep it centred.

peppy wrote:

If kiai time lags you on a ranked map, name the map please.

This one

I know there's others, but I keep on playing this one so I know my machine always mega-lags when the kiai kicks in. Even after I set the no-video mod, it still lags.

Granted, I'm on a laptop, so my performance is slower than a typical desktop.

Specs:
Core 2 T5450 @ 1.6ghz
3gb Ram
Nvidia 9500M GS w 512MB discrete VRAM

my old compy's specs:

nvidia 7300GT
1gig ram
core2duo E6300 1.8ghz x2
yadda yadda useless other specs
havent formatted since last year. . .

i dont lag even with kiai time. . . .
osu settings has everything turned on except for comboburst (which is waaay distracting) and combo fire.

whats wrong with your PCs . . .

and yeah, dont say lazy has tons of kiai... because the whole song is epic from start to finish . . .

Turn all effects off
Close AVG and end all its processes
Close any file sharing clients
Close Crysis
Close VLC
Open task manager, set osu.exe's priority to either high or realtime

If that doesn't work, get a new PC. Wait, that's retarded. I have pretty much the lowest-spec PC on osu! and I get >40FPS with Kiai Time and all effects on. Something's fucking with your system if it lags you.

This map has been deleted on the request of its creator. It is no longer available.

Don't give us the excuse "OH I HAS LAPTOP WITH 3GB RAM, IT SUX"

I run a laptop with 1gb RAM and I have no problems with Kiai time whatsoever.

RemmyX25 wrote:

Don't give us the excuse "OH I HAS LAPTOP WITH 3GB RAM, IT SUX"

I run a laptop with 1gb RAM and I have no problems with Kiai time whatsoever.

Well for one thing, anything above 1G should make zero difference. More ram does not make things faster, it just gives programs more breathing space. If you have less RAM then you require, things chug like crazy, if you have more than you require, it has little benefit beyond just having enough. In my experience, the osu!.exe process typically sits on about 100mb of RAM, which means that this is a non issue.

Bus speeds, GPU fill rates, background services, CPU speeds/cores are the issues, as well as soft sound devices (realtek audio actually consumes CPU to operate, and I obviously need sound to play osu! ). And looking at the fps thread in General, it looks like my laptop doesn't put out the frame rates it ought to (I could blame Nvidia for refusing to support my video card, but my laptop manufacturer (asus) put out ONE driver version when the laptop was produced, and that's *it*, no updates.

I am simply reporting that when kiai time is on, things happen, like slider balls stuttering across the screen, and the initial activation burst can cause the game to freeze for ~40ms which, while this doesn't seem like much, also means that clicks *do not* register during this time, and if I happen to click on a hitcircle during this freeze window, I break my combo, and had kiai time or combo fire (or hell, AVG for that matter), hadn't kicked in at that moment in time, the freeze may not have occured. Now, maybe I can resolve my own issues with computer upgrades, OS re-installs, or voodoo, but that doesn't change the fact that the graphics processing requirements of osu! increase when rendering effects such as combo fires or kiai time.

On an unrelated note, I suspect windows is selectively denying osu!.exe more CPU cycles, until it's processing requirements actually increase (and sustain this increase for a sufficient number of seconds). I notice when I first turn my computer on, and fire up osu, Every single approach circle is stuttering along for about 5-seconds and then it automatically starts going smoothly. SpeedStep maybe?

james039 wrote:

On an unrelated note, I suspect windows is selectively denying osu!.exe more CPU cycles, until it's processing requirements actually increase (and sustain this increase for a sufficient number of seconds). I notice when I first turn my computer on, and fire up osu, Every single approach circle is stuttering along for about 5-seconds and then it automatically starts going smoothly. SpeedStep maybe?

This is likely caused by CPU scaling. When your computer is under CPU load (e.g. CPU load is above 70%) the CPU multiplier increases, thus increasing the effective speed of the CPU. Of course, the load would go down (if you went from 5x to 10x you'd get 2x the speed and thus 35% load instead of 70%), but there's more room for processes (including osu!) to utilize CPU power. CPU scaling isn't instant, however; if you hit 100% load for half a second, it won't (shouldn't) scale. This is why osu! lags when you start playing.

To fix this, force the CPU to be at its maximum multiplier regardless of usage. For Windows there's often an option called "High Performance" for laptops which does this. "Balanced" enables CPU scaling, and "Power Saver" keeps the multiplier as low as possible.

Resolution may be an issue, too. 800x600 is about 1.6x as intensive on the GPU than 640x480, if you have a crappy fill rate.