Hey dear Osu and other rhythm game players, musicians, teachers, band members!
---[INTRODUCTION]---
This will be long, so only read this part, if you have plenty of time to read this
–
I am learning percussion and other instruments for 7 years now in a music school. I really enjoy playing on instruments, even more with others. It is a great way to socialize, and you know, listening to music is great, but playing and making it, is a euphoric experience.
Not so long ago, I asked some of my classmates, why did they leave their music studies. Their answer was kind of distressing: the main reasons behind quitting was their constant pressure being exerted by their parents, and school expectations. They said it required lots of effort, and it was hard to plan the year accordingly to predetermined lessons, and it’s not even a state supported institution, so it even costs money, which pressures you even more to either perform well, or quit and think about music and teachers with hatred. So they eventually lost interest and motivation after 1-2 years.
I started playing regularly with osu! a one and a half years ago, when the pandemic was In it’s most striking stage here in the EU; We had to stay at home. I was saying to myself, what am I going to do here at home? I wish if I could meet my friends and play again on instruments together! The whole world went even crazier; Electronic goods’ MSRP had risen from relatively normal to extremely insane in weeks… Anyways, I had a lot of time to invent myself, I had a lot of unfinished projects started back then. Facebook lately introduced their affordable VR headset, and changed their company name to Meta, and the news were exploded because this fierce change in direction towards the Metaverse. That was the moment when it just popped out of nowhere: “Spend your free time useful, and enjoy it at the same time? Love listening and playing music? occupy yourself when you can’t even leave your home, and socialize indirectly? Enter the Metaverse?? Combine it with Osu!?” - Yes, I know, my wild ideas. I try my best contribute some good and helpful to this rapidly evolving society! Well, it might worth a try to share my thoughts with you.
---[What am I talking about? What does it have to do with Osu!?]---
You can call this idea a small step towards a more fun way of learning music and playing together in an addicting and fun way, that could replace a small portion of the basics of musical education. Fundamental gameplay elements from rhythm games such as Osu! could be borrowed and put into a productive or practicing workspace where you could do pretty much the same thing as you would gather your friends and play some music together. By features I mean the combo and accuracy game mechanics, and it’s supportive, open-source business model which avoids copyright issues, and has a partly community driven development (both funding, and requested features). It's basically a mix of VR, Synthesia, and Osu!.
The unique part would be an approach which extends on multiple platforms. For example, VR, PC, and ARM devices, and tries to reach a similar way of interaction as VRChat does – you can see each other avatars, and hear each other’s voices (and instruments) in real time. The main gameplay would happen on a stage, where the performers are playing on their instruments. These instruments are electronic devices which can be DIY (blueprints would be issued by devs, wouldn’t it be fun to build your own instruments from a fraction of the price? More on that later), or third party. You could do everything with your instruments as far as you meet some restrictions. You would have the option play in SINGLEPLAYER/MULTIPLAYER STAGE, or LIVE PERFORMANCE. The mapping could happen in the same way as Osu! does; but gameplay channels would be separated into instruments (like vocal, percussion, keyboard, guitar), which could be chosen by a player. In VR, the 3D gameplay scene would be in FPV mode with hand or body tracking, where you sit in front of a (for this instance) drumkit, and you could even look around and see your band members. Or for desktop, you could have a similar environment, except you have restricted view area (only your instrument). Notes could approach you in a similar way as Osu! mania, but it could also have a fade-in effect just as the standard Osu! does. It is important that physical instrument is unavoidable for a good experience. Your band members can be chosen from random people or your in-game friends. This game could be also a great way to perform in front of real people in digital space just like in a real concert, which would attract more people, not only gamers. So, it is not just a game-play anymore. These Live Performances could be viewed by anyone in-game and also on streaming services like Twitch and YouTube, where approaching notes would be only seen for performers (For improvisation).
The game could be also played not just in Performance, but in Multiplayer Stage mode. Which is basically the same idea, but people could play competitive. (Band vs Band, or PvP but only with the same instrument).
Single player practice mode is pretty much self-explanatory; It is for score-grinding, and to get to the top of the leaderboards.
---[ Why would it help today’s society?]---
It helps people learn instruments in a unique and accessible way internationally and virtually. This visual representation of the notes also makes learning much easier since you don’t have to spend weeks to learn reading sheets and you could hop in a match alone, or in a group session in no time. It is also more addicting, since the combo and score will give you a straight insight how you compare to others, and the stamina, which, of course, gives thrill to the gameplay.
It can be also a tool for musicians to practice together. Maybe they cannot afford huge rooms, which are far enough from other inhabited areas, and not to bother them, but are close enough for everyone to meet, or maybe it is just simply impossible to collaborate because of long distances.
---[ Why would it attract people?]---
As I said, it is not only for gamers, and learners, but everyone who wants to see a virtual concert, or cannot afford to go to one. These concerts could be a form of an e-sport, and a great spectacle. If it’s well executed, and eye-catching, with a beatsaber like graphics, it would surely grab a lot of attention.
---[Looking forward to your ideas and opinions]---
I am really bad at describing my thoughts, moreover in English, and god, the idea description is really messy and crude, and my project naming scheme is just trash as I see it. But cheer me up in the replies if you see something in the idea. I will do some renders about my imagined gameplay in the future, so you guys can understand my thoughts easier. For me personally, It really seems to be a viable future for merging gaming and music in a really educational, flashy, and entertaining way. It would be really great to see this project as a branch from Osu! with graphical and gameplay similarities. Please UP the topic if I got your attention, so it can get to others, and eventually, to Peppy soon!
I look forward to hearing from you guys,
Sig
Visual Demo #1: https://youtu.be/trWk3dDGhEk
---[INTRODUCTION]---
This will be long, so only read this part, if you have plenty of time to read this
– I am learning percussion and other instruments for 7 years now in a music school. I really enjoy playing on instruments, even more with others. It is a great way to socialize, and you know, listening to music is great, but playing and making it, is a euphoric experience.
Not so long ago, I asked some of my classmates, why did they leave their music studies. Their answer was kind of distressing: the main reasons behind quitting was their constant pressure being exerted by their parents, and school expectations. They said it required lots of effort, and it was hard to plan the year accordingly to predetermined lessons, and it’s not even a state supported institution, so it even costs money, which pressures you even more to either perform well, or quit and think about music and teachers with hatred. So they eventually lost interest and motivation after 1-2 years.
I started playing regularly with osu! a one and a half years ago, when the pandemic was In it’s most striking stage here in the EU; We had to stay at home. I was saying to myself, what am I going to do here at home? I wish if I could meet my friends and play again on instruments together! The whole world went even crazier; Electronic goods’ MSRP had risen from relatively normal to extremely insane in weeks… Anyways, I had a lot of time to invent myself, I had a lot of unfinished projects started back then. Facebook lately introduced their affordable VR headset, and changed their company name to Meta, and the news were exploded because this fierce change in direction towards the Metaverse. That was the moment when it just popped out of nowhere: “Spend your free time useful, and enjoy it at the same time? Love listening and playing music? occupy yourself when you can’t even leave your home, and socialize indirectly? Enter the Metaverse?? Combine it with Osu!?” - Yes, I know, my wild ideas. I try my best contribute some good and helpful to this rapidly evolving society! Well, it might worth a try to share my thoughts with you.
---[What am I talking about? What does it have to do with Osu!?]---
You can call this idea a small step towards a more fun way of learning music and playing together in an addicting and fun way, that could replace a small portion of the basics of musical education. Fundamental gameplay elements from rhythm games such as Osu! could be borrowed and put into a productive or practicing workspace where you could do pretty much the same thing as you would gather your friends and play some music together. By features I mean the combo and accuracy game mechanics, and it’s supportive, open-source business model which avoids copyright issues, and has a partly community driven development (both funding, and requested features). It's basically a mix of VR, Synthesia, and Osu!.
The unique part would be an approach which extends on multiple platforms. For example, VR, PC, and ARM devices, and tries to reach a similar way of interaction as VRChat does – you can see each other avatars, and hear each other’s voices (and instruments) in real time. The main gameplay would happen on a stage, where the performers are playing on their instruments. These instruments are electronic devices which can be DIY (blueprints would be issued by devs, wouldn’t it be fun to build your own instruments from a fraction of the price? More on that later), or third party. You could do everything with your instruments as far as you meet some restrictions. You would have the option play in SINGLEPLAYER/MULTIPLAYER STAGE, or LIVE PERFORMANCE. The mapping could happen in the same way as Osu! does; but gameplay channels would be separated into instruments (like vocal, percussion, keyboard, guitar), which could be chosen by a player. In VR, the 3D gameplay scene would be in FPV mode with hand or body tracking, where you sit in front of a (for this instance) drumkit, and you could even look around and see your band members. Or for desktop, you could have a similar environment, except you have restricted view area (only your instrument). Notes could approach you in a similar way as Osu! mania, but it could also have a fade-in effect just as the standard Osu! does. It is important that physical instrument is unavoidable for a good experience. Your band members can be chosen from random people or your in-game friends. This game could be also a great way to perform in front of real people in digital space just like in a real concert, which would attract more people, not only gamers. So, it is not just a game-play anymore. These Live Performances could be viewed by anyone in-game and also on streaming services like Twitch and YouTube, where approaching notes would be only seen for performers (For improvisation).
The game could be also played not just in Performance, but in Multiplayer Stage mode. Which is basically the same idea, but people could play competitive. (Band vs Band, or PvP but only with the same instrument).
Single player practice mode is pretty much self-explanatory; It is for score-grinding, and to get to the top of the leaderboards.
---[ Why would it help today’s society?]---
It helps people learn instruments in a unique and accessible way internationally and virtually. This visual representation of the notes also makes learning much easier since you don’t have to spend weeks to learn reading sheets and you could hop in a match alone, or in a group session in no time. It is also more addicting, since the combo and score will give you a straight insight how you compare to others, and the stamina, which, of course, gives thrill to the gameplay.
It can be also a tool for musicians to practice together. Maybe they cannot afford huge rooms, which are far enough from other inhabited areas, and not to bother them, but are close enough for everyone to meet, or maybe it is just simply impossible to collaborate because of long distances.
---[ Why would it attract people?]---
As I said, it is not only for gamers, and learners, but everyone who wants to see a virtual concert, or cannot afford to go to one. These concerts could be a form of an e-sport, and a great spectacle. If it’s well executed, and eye-catching, with a beatsaber like graphics, it would surely grab a lot of attention.
---[Looking forward to your ideas and opinions]---
I am really bad at describing my thoughts, moreover in English, and god, the idea description is really messy and crude, and my project naming scheme is just trash as I see it. But cheer me up in the replies if you see something in the idea. I will do some renders about my imagined gameplay in the future, so you guys can understand my thoughts easier. For me personally, It really seems to be a viable future for merging gaming and music in a really educational, flashy, and entertaining way. It would be really great to see this project as a branch from Osu! with graphical and gameplay similarities. Please UP the topic if I got your attention, so it can get to others, and eventually, to Peppy soon!
I look forward to hearing from you guys,
Sig
Visual Demo #1: https://youtu.be/trWk3dDGhEk