I know that’s a basic title so I’ll elaborate here.
I want to learn to play FL as a gimmick and also to attempt to set some top plays with the mod.. who wouldn’t, it’s awesome B)
I have no idea however how to go about getting comfortable playing the mod. I could just “play more” with flashlight but I wanted to reach out here and ask, are there specific things I can do to make learning to play with and memorise maps with FL a smoother process? What kind of maps should I try to learn with FL? Is it even worth trying to learn it at my rank?
I'm in a yapping mood right now so apologies in advance for this wall of text, but here goes nothing!
> "Is it even worth trying to learn it at my rank?
Well, you're about to reach 5 digit, I have a hard time thinking of a better moment to choose a niche for your playstyle. While FL is definitely a more rare choice, as long as you have the dedication to commit to learning it you can definitely have a fun time with the mod.
> "What kind of maps should I try to learn with FL?" > "are there specific things I can do to make learning to play with and memorize maps with FL a smoother process?"
Unfortunately, FL is one of those mods where it really does just boil down to playing a specific diff enough to drill it into your head. Though there are some surface level things that can definitely help, I'd 100% recommend a skin with bright follow points and circles as a starting point.
When it comes to really high star FL plays that you'd see from someone like -GN or FGSky, they'll often put hundreds or even thousands of plays into a single diff, switching between mod combos, and using trainer apps like McOsu. On top of the usual reasons you'd wanna use mods, they can be used to make the monotony of playing the same diff over and over a bit less painful, as well as helping with memorization by keeping it interesting to your brain.
They'll also take segments of the map and create practice diffs to play it section by section, this is a really important tool in general, but especially if you're wanting to do an FL play on a long or difficult map.
As for learning it as a beginner, I'd probably just pick out a few short (~1:30 or so) songs with a low BPM that you really like, and start with a star rating you'd consider fairly easy, but not boring. Specific map types shouldn't matter too much at a low difficulty, but I figure it goes without saying you don't wanna pick something like a sotarks jump map.
Fully play through it a handful of times with nomod, then EZ, then EZHD. By now, you should feel very comfortable playing the map. Ideally the low AR of EZ shouldn't bother you as you begin to rely more on your memory of the song's rhythm than the visuals of the game. From there you can bring FL into the picture.
You can either try it with just FL, or EZFL, as the large circlesize of EZ should help for not getting lost, but if the AR confuses you too much then maybe don't. Just play through the song a few times and note down wherever you get confused, those are the sections you'll want to grab from the editor and create a practice diff for.
From there you just rinse and repeat, and hopefully a couple hours later you'll have a pretty decent FL score... easier said than done though!
this vid can show you how to do it in about 2 minutes.
Try to include some of the gameplay leading in to and exiting from the section you want to practice, 5 to 10 seconds or so on both sides is what I would do when practicing stuff for mania.
I think that about does it, try not to get too frustrated and don't be afraid to take a break and come back a bit later if you feel stuck. At the end of the day, Plz Enjoy Game and good luck, I look forward to seeing you in a cpol video some day
variety player that yaps in IRC and sometimes the forums she/they
The main tips I have for learning FL are to make practice difficulties, memorize specific parts of a map through either lyrics or specific sounds, and use a skin that has visible follow points. As for earning PP and top plays from FL, you have to seriously dedicate a lot of time to FL, most of my impressive FL plays are on my pinned scores with the exception of King Kunta +FL. For inspiration I'd look to players like Lisweira, -GN, aefrogdog, and even geiboi77; some of the best FL players in the game and ironically some of the best reading players in the game (idk about aefrogdog's reading though)
I'm in a yapping mood right now so apologies in advance for this wall of text, but here goes nothing!
Wow, thank you so much! This is super super super helpful I really appreciate it
I’ll do everything you’ve said and I’ll try to work towards some 4 star or 5 star FL plays, and post some progress here in a few days if I get anywhere without necroposting xd
One day maybe youll see me in a cool vid :p again thank you so much for giving me so much advice on FL
