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[GUIDE] How to improve in osu!mania

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ReTLoM
i hope they make the score unranked as soon you press ESC
Larc
helpful :D
Lyart
Hello ! First of all thanks a lot for your guide. I am a beginner and I want to improve at Osu!mania.
I play beatmap around from 2 to 3 stars, (4K) and 1 to 1.5 stars in 6K and 7K and I noticed few things :

I managed to end songs without any miss and still got something around 80% in my score. I guess it's because I don't hit the note perfectly, but I don't really know how to improve.

I got something like ~-25ms; + 30ms every time, sometimes it's -25+40 sometimes it's -50;+30 but the average is around ~-25ms ; +30ms.
I think I have to check my 4k.ini and do something with my HitPosition but I don"t really understand what to do.

Thanks :)
Edgar_Figaro
In your options make sure you have your “score meter” setting set to “hit Accuracy”, then watch through some of your replays. Look at the bar at the bottom center. If you are hitting early it’ll be the left of center while if your hitting late it’ll be to the right of center.
Lyart

Edgar_Figaro wrote:

In your options make sure you have your “score meter” setting set to “hit Accuracy”, then watch through some of your replays. Look at the bar at the bottom center. If you are hitting early it’ll be the left of center while if your hitting late it’ll be to the right of center.
Ok I did that, and notice two different things :

First, in beatmaps I am good (~r90%+) I hit around the middle, in equal measure
Then, in beatmaps I am not good (below 90%), I hit more early.

Does that mean something ? Thanks :)
Edgar_Figaro
It’s usually quite common for more challenging maps for a person to rush or hit late patterns they aren’t comfortable with. If on easier maps you are right on average then you don’t need to adjust your offset. For harder songs since you are hitting early try relaxing more. Often hitting early means you are too tense.
Lyart
Alright thanks !
Bobbias
Hitting late can also be a sign you are struggling to read a pattern fast enough. Even if you think you're reading it properly if it's just a bit too fast you can end up hitting a few ms late and losing acc from it.
Lyart
Hey there ! It's me again ! So I am only playing in 7K right now, manage to reach some songs around 2 stars. Which is nice ! (I guess ?)

But I am stuck with something from the very beginning : Every time I have to hit combinaison of Green/Blue or Blue/Green I mess up quite every time.
Two greens are ok and 2 blues too, but something like _ B _ _ G _ _ or _ _ G _ _ B _ ... damn.
I am doing less mistakes now, but still. it's bother me because I feel like I won't improve until I remove completely this bad habit.
Do I have to play easy map until I get rid of this or should I keep trying 2+ stars and it will disappear one day ?

Thanks ~
Bobbias
The color of the notes is different for different skins, so just calling them by colors is a bad idea. Instead you should refer to them by the number of the column they're no. in 7k it would be 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 with 4 being the middle key (usually space bar). When I write down patterns, if the patterns are just single notes, I write them like 2461357 with 1 number for each note. This pattern would be the left hand middle key, then the middle key/space bar, then the right hand middle key, then left hand first key, third key, left hand first key, then third key. If the pattern is chords (multiple notes at once) I write them like this: 246/1357. The slash separates chords.

The patterns you showed there would be 25 and 36.

You're still in the early stage of learning to play mania. This means you haven't learned how the play those chords yet. I'd suggest actually focusing on playing maps that have those chords more often. I don't mean grinding plays on them, just forcing yourself to play them a bit more often than you do right now. Eventually your brain will figure out how to hit them and you can move on to other patterns you have trouble with.

Since mania requires a few different kinds of skills, one of those skills is the ability to recognize a pattern and hit it correctly. In the beginning, simple patterns like this will cause you trouble. Once you get better, you might be able to hit those chords properly, but if they have a few of those in a row, you might still have trouble hitting them. In this stage of learning the thing you want to do is find as many of those tricky chords or patterns and practice them. Eventually you'll notice that there aren't very many kinds of patterns you have trouble with, but the ones you do find hard will be very hard to learn. That's when you know you've got past the early stages of learning and now you're at the point where most of the basic skills are developed.

The thing about mania is that your learning is never over. There will always be something you can't play.
Lyart
Alright thanks, that is quite interesting ! Do you think I should find a skin with different colors for every different fingers regardless the hand ?

Like Blue for left/right hand first key, green for left/right hand middle key and, red for left/right hand third key with extra yellow for space bar ?
It seems a bad idea because I would get in trouble if I want to switch mode like 7K -> 6K or other things no ?
For now I am trying to finish song first, then, after a week, I play again my very first songs, trying to raise the note. Like D -> C , or B -> A
So far I managed to improve almost every songs I played, maybe it's something like 81% -> 83% but still. I think that shows I am improving and "hard" setup I used to have on early songs are now readable and doable almost perfectly (with a big emphasis on ALMOST ;) ).
So I should keep going reaching higher songs until I hit a wall (I mean not be able to pass a song even with multiple tries) ?
I know I am still in the early stage of learning, but I want to be sure that I am not having bad habit by doing this or this. That's why I am asking a lot of questions and I will continue :D (or maybe should I make a new topic ? I feel like my questions could help other too so)
Anyway. Thanks a lot a again !
Bobbias
Skins are basically just personal preference. Some people can read skins where the notes are all the same color, some people need the notes to be different colors. Some players can read arrows best, some prefer circles, and others prefer bars. I personally use an old o2jam skin where the columns are "white, blue, white, yellow, white, blue, white" with very small columns.

I think the way you practice depends on what you want to be good at, at least to some degree. If you're a player who likes to be able to get SS on easy maps, but doesn't care about playing harder stuff, you would probably want to just keep playing the same difficulty of stuff over and over again. But if you want to get better at harder maps, then the key is to keep trying to push your skill level up by playing stuff that's outside your comfort level.

I enjoy playing hard stuff, so I actually practice on some songs that I need nofail for. I also play a wide range of difficulty. Sometimes I play stuff I can get 97-98% on, sometimes I play stuff I can barely pass (usually if I can barely pass it I get somewhere in the 80% range, depending on the hp drain and whether there's a hard difficulty spike in the map).

Some people argue that playing stuff you can't get at least around an A is bad because it means you're "mashing" to get through the song, but I feel like that depends on whether you're a very accurate player or not. I'm not an accurate player, so even getting above 97% on easy maps is hard for me, and my accuracy really gets bad when something is actually hard. I don't focus too much on getting a specific score or accuracy on what I play. I just focus on trying to beat my top score the next time I play it.

I don't replay maps very often either. I personally feel like by playing a very wide range of different kinds of maps and learning to get good at sightreading patterns is better than relying on memorizing songs and replaying the same map over and over to try to get a good score on it.
Lyart
Ok so for now I will stick with the regular skin. I want to improve both in being able to reach SS in songs and beating harder maps so I will take my time Slowly.

For now, I manage to reach around 80%-ish in kinda every song I try, even when I try to beat harder ones. The only "bad" ranks I get are from songs with specific pattern I can't read .. or slow songs. I downloaded a lot of packs and I just playing every song from 1 star to higher one. Just marking "cool" songs and nice music in a specific folder, but I nearly don't replay songs in the very first time. I play them one week later, trying to improve score and accuracy, and so I can notice if I am improving little by little or not. I am aware that I will hit a wall somehow, and I will need to start practicing if I want to reach a specific spot.

But for now, it's play whatever I have on my list until I get smacked by a song, tryhard a bit, then if I fail I try next one or I replay older ones.
Zymasis39

Drace wrote:

Ladders or Trilling stairs
(not applicable to to 4k)


1/4 beats an up

Not applicable to 4K? Seriously?
Bobbias
Good luck convincing drace to log back in and edit the post...
MadriDless
Hi there, i have been playing osumania like 4 months, i play both 4k and 7k. Well, in 4k im getting better and better but in 7k i cant improve :( I was playing songs that 2 month ago i get a S and now only I gets like 92% I don´t know what happens to me... need help.
And also when i play 7k i have 2 big problems:
-I can´t play maps with a lot of LNs
-Sometimes my fingers don´t react to the notes .Im maps that are moreless easy for me, i can perfectly read all the notes but some times my fingers don´t react specialy the one in the keys S and L (i use SDF space JKL)
Thanks for read this and sorry for bad english hope someone can help me :)
ReTLoM
after a 2 month brake from 7k in the early days (you play 4 month) its normal to deprove fast if you dont use it think about it like this
you learn something in school a few weeks write a test and than you never use it will you still remember after 4 month ? most likely not 95% of it only 90% ;). But if you learn it and use every day a bit of it you will still remember a lot of it since it is present for you every day. there is no secret it is just play regular both mods if you want to get good in both of them.
MadriDless

ReTLoM wrote:

after a 2 month brake from 7k in the early days (you play 4 month) its normal to deprove fast if you dont use it think about it like this
you learn something in school a few weeks write a test and than you never use it will you still remember after 4 month ? most likely not 95% of it only 90% ;). But if you learn it and use every day a bit of it you will still remember a lot of it since it is present for you every day. there is no secret it is just play regular both mods if you want to get good in both of them.

Thats true but after i start to play regulary my scores is still decreasing. Last week i played a song and get 630K but yesterday i play it again and get 519K thats so frustrating :o :o
PD: thanks to tell me this xd i feel better
ReTLoM
:) sometimes you have a really really good day you get so many new Personal Bests and stuff and you cant beat your own scores for several month it happens you are still a young bird in the Mania sky just keep playing
Bobbias
Retlom is 100%correct. Some days will be better than others. Some players have really big day to day score differences. I have scores over a year old I cant beat.
MadriDless
Oh ReTLoM so poetic jajaja. Well i think im just was getting some bad, days thanks for the help. I will keep playing mania , im really enjoying this game and i hope some day can become good as you guys are :D ;)
Taadashi
Hey.

I recently changed my keybindings to a new setup that feels more natural and comfortable. Since I've played with my old setup since I started osu!mania my accuracy isn't really the greatest with the new setup, which makes me question whether I should keep on playing with my new one or revert back to the old one.

My question is, how long do you guys think I should try the new settings before determining whether I should keep them or not? I know this would be different from person to person but maybe someone has any experience of this and could give me a hint of how long it would take.

Thanks.
Bobbias
I'd say it also depends on how much you play. For me, I'd give it a week of playing every day, or longer if you play less than every day. If you start to see some improvement in that week, definitely keep with it, and even if you don't, I'd suggest maybe sticking with it a bit longer. Usually what feels more comfortable ends up being a better layout.

I wish I could remember how long it took me to see noticeable changes when I switched to my current layout.
Taadashi
Thanks for answering. I'll keep at it with these settings for a while then. :)
mulraf
wow.

Adjust your speed and where you look: If you're playing while looking at the bottom of the screen, then your scroll speed isn't fast enough. Adjust it until you're looking somewhere around the middle area of the board. You want it to be as fast as you can while still playing good since it spreads out the notes and facilitates the reading. If you're not used to playing while looking in the middle, try a couple easier maps with flashlight on. Now, don't expect to do good, it's just to give an "average feel" of what a good speed and concentration area is. Looking at the center of the playing field with an appropriate speed is crucial to properly read harder patterns.
i'm not gonna lie. this must be the single best tip i ever received in osu!
i was really getting nowhere, stuck in <2.5* where i was still pretty bad. i just tried looking at the middle of the screen for once after reading this and instantly, while i was doing rather bad today, got from my previous best 90% with lots of tries to 98% acc. it's pure wizardry!
thonks <3
eyes
lifehack: don't look at any particular area of the playfield, look at every pattern you see, you should move your eyes from up to down every time you see some piece of pattern (or reverse, if you play with ddr style).
ReTLoM
^LoL

works until you have 10 lines full of pattern when you follow #1 you need to move up with your eyes BAM after moving 1mm up a wild note/pattern suddenly appear and you have no space to follow it to your hit line "OHHHH BOI 0.0001second reaction time inc"!!
If you follow them you will get serious reading problems in higher/denser charts every time you go up with you eyes your scroll speed is basically quadrippelt depend how fast you go up and you have a high chance to Drop/dont see notes while you move your eyes up in dense pattern!!
Example:
you know that news shows with moving txt in the bottom when you stare some where in the middle at it you can read it fine but if you focus EVERY word/letter and follow it until it starts to disappear and start to follow the txt against its moving direction to find the new word/letter you will have a way harder time to read it even when it is slow

i bet you don't really follow it by your self. Its just in your mind you have a view field somewhere in the middle where you follow the notes about 1cm up and down with your eyes but the rest is only by reflex sure you still see notes at the bottom/top on the edge of your focus field of view and react to it by muscle memory like all of us do but following notes is a bad advise in general for newbies i think! because it is not a real following its more a type of muscle memory/reflex you build up by time
Bobbias
Following notes is bad. I have never seen a good player advise anyone to do anything but pick a spot near the middle and focus on that spot only. Following notes down the screen means you dont see whats after them, meaning the time to read that first pattern has cut into the time you need to read the next one. Following notes is either a bad habit, or a sign that you are struggling to read those patterns and are compensating by trying to give yourself more time to read it.
Selegiline
tip: if you have trouble keeping your eyes in one spot, adjust your combo position to be in the spot you want to look at. It will act as makeshift reading aid.
About following notes: it works sometimes in vertical reading, for example if you have a very long anchor, trill or inverted pattern layered with something different (think Agony 7k lvl 44 in 7th LN dan). This way you can identify and "shut out" the pattern that only requires you to stay in tempo and focus on the other one.
Playing SV charts helps with that kind of reading. A lot.
Xcel Conspired
22 hours of playtime, 1k pp, rank 45k. Is that on par for average?
dayuii
What an interesting topic.
_Febrian24
Thanks, this thread is very helpful 😆
HeyImNik
Really helpful thread but it's been 5 years and we need a new one that actually applies to today's beatmaps patterns. :)
And the way you point out the difference between novice and advanced players doesn't make any sense and its way too steep. I've seen people get to ET level in just a year, and some people such as myself will get easily to 5k ranking in just a year, which is an advanced player according to your thread. You generalize the speed of learning of a player too much and too slow which is not right because this thread is suppose to apply to every player individually and not a crowd of players.
M i a u
Really helpful thank u very much :3
ABD007
1) Find a good skin for you understand the notes. Where ? Watch youtube, search google or use skin top player .
2) Set your keybind . Test it for yourself.
3) Recommend to uncheck scale things & remember ... thingy in general settings . Up to you actually :)
4) Adjust the speed. Find your suitable speed. 25-30 maybe ? Experiment it out !
5) Then, set times to play. 1 day - 4 hour ? Play more is really wide sentences but, you really need to play it more . Because ? Your eye & brain need to understand the notes very well ><

That's all from me!
Good luck ^^
WinterIsPretty
The funny thing is, that is exactly what I have been doing since I started playing mania and now I can do 4 stars in 4k, but I've been focusing on 4k the most so I can only do 2 stars in 7k and 3 stars in 5k.

I use an arrow skin but deleted the arrows because it is a lot easier to read because the notes are larger.

I'm also getting a mechanical keyboard to press notes a whole lot easier than my laptop keyboard.

I've only been playing mania for a month and I'm still gaining much skill by learning patterns and slowly increasing my scroll speed by increasing my reaction time/reading skill.

Whenever I'm not on my computer, I play opsu! on my phone (I know it isn't mania but it helps you learn patterns). Everyday when I come back to opsu! I get better at it and that also affects my skill in mania. Right now I can read 9 star songs. I think opsu! helps with hand eye coordination so you can quickly react with really fast patterns because my hand eye coordination is extremely good. I don't play osu!standard but since my hand eye coordination is good, I can aim at the notes perfectly, I just need to increase my timing which I'm doing right now.

I would say I'm a novice but with these techniques I use, I'm gaining on being able to beat 4k songs easily with a lot less effort.

Another way of being fit, (but a terrible way to go) is to probably drink coffee, but there are no shortcuts in life so being fit and active is the way to go!

I would say to make it easier to read patterns in mania you have to change skins to the one that fits you and helps you most, increasing that scroll speed, playing levels you have never played, and just perfecting your hand eye coordination.

I recommend trying other game modes too so then your mind finds it easier to learn the main things for playing a rhythm game. Taiko is very similar to mania, and osu!standard greatly increases your skills once you get good at it. Catch only deals with hand eye coordination, I don't like to play it because it is very easy for me.
ZeroPersona
The Judgement on Osumania is so strict that i literally cried out of frustration..
The fact i played other rhythm games made this much harder for me </3
Brillz
Oh wow, this was very helpful, thanks!
OsuUser2
Thanks!!
zvirtual
Angus
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