This is a shared proposal with Sanch-KK
Our proposal aims at smoothing the difficulty of ranking sets with high-star difficulties across the different song lengths. It would promote a variety of playable content for mid and high skilled players without negatively affecting newer players.
We are aware that a thread with roughly the same idea already exists, but we’ve decided that it would be better to make a new post, as our proposal stands as a separate set of ideas, with partially different goals and different methods of solving problems.
Definition of the difficulty categories spread
The current category spread is as follows:
As player skill rises over time, we find it useful to redefine the borders of Expert category.
This change is proposed with intent to define, what the lowest difficulty should be in certain cases of song's drain time.
Definition of the term 'Proper spread'
The current definition is as follows:
A “proper” spread for difficulties ranging from Insane to Expert+ is defined as a spread with gaps in difficulty similar to those between lower difficulty levels as specified in the difficulty-specific criteria.
Forces to have an actual progression within difficulties for the sets which will fall under new rules and sets the applicable range.
Rework of the spread rule:
The current spread rule is as follows:
Adjusts spread requirements by just the right amount and smooths the difference between different categories of drain time.
Currently there is a significant problem with spread rules: Ranking high difficulty maps is currently either too straightforward and can be done without consideration for mid-skilled players on >5:00 songs, or too demanding on <5:00 songs, where a barrage of filler difficulties is required to be made.
Many years ago, when the rules we are currently working with were written 7* maps were considered an absolute endgame content, while nowadays maps of such difficulty are very commonly found in 5-digits’ top plays. At this point too many people crave for difficult ranked maps and their demands aren’t being met properly.
Please keep in mind that this proposal is aimed exclusively at osu! gamemode because we’ve fine-tuned all the details specifically for it, but would be interested to see people from other gamemodes sharing an opinion on how something similar would work in their field.
(by “spread” in that context we mean minimal required spread):
Big thanks to Sanch-KK for building upon my initial idea and organizing our thoughts.
We are looking forward to the discussion on this. Both of us will try to comprehensively answer all questions & concerns and work on unaccounted possible edge cases. Thank you for reading all of this, hope it will help change osu! ranked section to the better!
Our proposal aims at smoothing the difficulty of ranking sets with high-star difficulties across the different song lengths. It would promote a variety of playable content for mid and high skilled players without negatively affecting newer players.
We are aware that a thread with roughly the same idea already exists, but we’ve decided that it would be better to make a new post, as our proposal stands as a separate set of ideas, with partially different goals and different methods of solving problems.
Proposal body:
The current category spread is as follows:
Easy: 0.0★–1.99★The category spread would be changed as follows:
Normal: 2.0★–2.69★
Hard: 2.7★–3.99★
Insane: 4.0★–5.29★
Expert: 5.3★–6.49★
Expert+: 6.5★ and above
Easy: 0.0★–1.99★
Normal: 2.0★–2.69★
Hard: 2.7★–3.99★
Insane: 4.0★–5.29★
Expert: 5.3★–7.49★
Expert+: 7.5★ and above
As player skill rises over time, we find it useful to redefine the borders of Expert category.
This change is proposed with intent to define, what the lowest difficulty should be in certain cases of song's drain time.
The current definition is as follows:
All game modes within a beatmap must form a spread starting from the lowest difficulty level dictated by the song's drain time. For difficulties above the lowest required difficulty level, the spread cannot skip any difficulty levels and there cannot be any drastically large difficulty gaps between any two difficulties.The definition would be changed as follows:
All game modes within a beatmap must form a spread starting from the lowest difficulty level dictated by the song's drain time. For difficulties above the lowest required difficulty level, the spread cannot skip any difficulty levels and there cannot be any drastically large difficulty gaps between any two difficulties. This does not apply to Expert+ difficulties.We also propose adding a note as in mania RC with a small tuning
A “proper” spread for difficulties ranging from Insane to Expert+ is defined as a spread with gaps in difficulty similar to those between lower difficulty levels as specified in the difficulty-specific criteria.
Forces to have an actual progression within difficulties for the sets which will fall under new rules and sets the applicable range.
The current spread rule is as follows:
The spread rule would be changed as follows:
- If the drain time of each difficulty is...
- ...lower than 3:30, the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than a Normal.
- ...between 3:30 and 4:15, the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than a Hard.
- ...between 4:15 and 5:00, the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than an Insane.
- If the drain time of each difficulty is...
- ...lower than 3:30, the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than a Normal, OR the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than an Insane and a proper spread of at least 4 difficulties has to be mapped.
- ...between 3:30 and 4:15, the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than a Hard, OR the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than an Insane and a proper spread of at least 3 difficulties has to be mapped.
- ...between 4:15 and 5:00, the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than an Insane, OR the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than an Expert and a proper spread of at least 2 difficulties has to be mapped.
- …between 5:00 and 9:59, the lowest difficulty cannot be harder than an Expert.
Adjusts spread requirements by just the right amount and smooths the difference between different categories of drain time.
Explanations and examples
Currently there is a significant problem with spread rules: Ranking high difficulty maps is currently either too straightforward and can be done without consideration for mid-skilled players on >5:00 songs, or too demanding on <5:00 songs, where a barrage of filler difficulties is required to be made.
Many years ago, when the rules we are currently working with were written 7* maps were considered an absolute endgame content, while nowadays maps of such difficulty are very commonly found in 5-digits’ top plays. At this point too many people crave for difficult ranked maps and their demands aren’t being met properly.
Really important part of this proposal is also the other end of the spectrum - there are cases of solo difficulty 9+ star mapsets, which are basically playable for only a select few people. They are quite often made on songs the community has high interest in and easier difficulties on them could get a significant amount of plays. Few examples of this:
Solo diffs:
9 star Dragonforce
9 star Kardashev
Several diffs:
6.88 star Expert, 8.81 star Expert+
Several Experts and an Expert+ difficulty
Solo diffs:
9 star Dragonforce
9 star Kardashev
Several diffs:
6.88 star Expert, 8.81 star Expert+
Several Experts and an Expert+ difficulty
Please keep in mind that this proposal is aimed exclusively at osu! gamemode because we’ve fine-tuned all the details specifically for it, but would be interested to see people from other gamemodes sharing an opinion on how something similar would work in their field.
Few examples of how this will affect spreads
(by “spread” in that context we mean minimal required spread):
Top difficulty is EX, 9*, 4:20 drain time
How spread has to look now: I, X, X, EX, EX
How spread will look after the proposal: X, EX
How spread has to look now: I, X, X, EX, EX
How spread will look after the proposal: X, EX
Top difficulty is X, 6.3*, 2:49 drain time
How spread has to look now: N, H, I, X
How spread will look after the proposal: N, H, I, X
How spread has to look now: N, H, I, X
How spread will look after the proposal: N, H, I, X
Top difficulty is EX, 10*, 5:01 drain time
How spread has to look now: EX
How spread will look after the proposal: X, EX
How spread has to look now: EX
How spread will look after the proposal: X, EX
Top difficulty is EX, 12*, 2:01 drain time
How spread has to look now: N, H, I, X, X, EX, EX, EX, EX, EX
How spread will look after the proposal: I, X, X/EX, EX
How spread has to look now: N, H, I, X, X, EX, EX, EX, EX, EX
How spread will look after the proposal: I, X, X/EX, EX
Possible concerns
Concern: Mappers will completely quit making difficulties for newer players.
Answer: Mappers won’t convert to high-star mapping overnight. There are only a handful of people who are capable of making rankable high star maps. Other mappers would just continue their business as usual - having 5-6* as a top diff, therefore being required to make Insane, Hard, and Normal diffs on songs with <3:30 time, just as before, so it won’t affect the quantity of low difficulties appearing in ranked section in the long run. This situation is also shown in case #2.
Answer: Mappers won’t convert to high-star mapping overnight. There are only a handful of people who are capable of making rankable high star maps. Other mappers would just continue their business as usual - having 5-6* as a top diff, therefore being required to make Insane, Hard, and Normal diffs on songs with <3:30 time, just as before, so it won’t affect the quantity of low difficulties appearing in ranked section in the long run. This situation is also shown in case #2.
Concern: Skipping expert+ difficulties would harm playcount values.
Answer: By allowing mappers to not map these filler experts we get compensated for that by increasing a number of mapsets with high star difficulties in general. Currently these are extremely scarce anyway.
Answer: By allowing mappers to not map these filler experts we get compensated for that by increasing a number of mapsets with high star difficulties in general. Currently these are extremely scarce anyway.
Big thanks to Sanch-KK for building upon my initial idea and organizing our thoughts.
We are looking forward to the discussion on this. Both of us will try to comprehensively answer all questions & concerns and work on unaccounted possible edge cases. Thank you for reading all of this, hope it will help change osu! ranked section to the better!