forum

Proper way to host an offline competition

posted
Total Posts
6
Topic Starter
SoonDead
I frequently host DDR at an anime convention, and this summer I might get the chance to also present osu! to visitors.

Usually our DDR setup consists of 2 dance pads, a projector and some kind of sound system connected to a computer running some version/fork of StepMania. This makes a split screen multiplayer for 2 possible, and fairly trivial. It also has an advantage of being easily spectatable since the same screen and sound is visible/audible for the players and the crowd spectating.

osu! has a magnificent online mode far surpassing everything I have seen from every rhythm game. Ever. But for offline event I'm facing some hurdles:

  1. Needs internet connection. Without an internet connection it would be hard to host a competition, the scores would need to be compared manually, the players are not aware of each others progress, etc. I'll probably set up a lan with a 3g uplink connection. Or is there LAN play available?
  2. Needs more than one PC. 8 PCs for example would be much harder to get and set up.
  3. The competition should be visible for the crowd. I'm thinking about setting up a big screen spectating the matches. What is the best way to spectate? Should I just spectate the favourite player? Should I join in to spectate with a separate client or should I just select one video output and clone it to the main screen?
  4. The competition should be audible for the crowd. Furious tapping/clicking is exciting, but furious clicking/tapping with music is even more so. How much is the delay between 2 clients? How perfect is the sync? I'm fairly sure that players would need their own headsets anyway, but if I put up the same music on loudspeakers how much would it disturb the players?
  5. Each player is used to different devices. In DDR there is not much difference between pads. 1-2 rounds of play can get you accustomed to every pad. In osu! there is mouse, pen tablet, touchscreen, etc. The mouse sensitivity differs, the tablet area differs, even the keyboard setup for taps is different for every player. For a fair competition I would need to allow everyone to bring their own stuff. If someone only brings a strange tablet, I might need to mess around with installing drivers on the fly. It could take up more time than it should be.
  6. Since free play is also big part of the event, I would need tablets. Where should I order a bunch of cheap but dependable tablets from? Maybe I should contact peppy about osu tablet availability.
Any kind of input is welcome.
Nathanael
Or is there LAN play available?
osu! is meant to be played online so I doubt there is.

Needs more than one PC. 8 PCs for example would be much harder to get and set up.
Actually 9 along with the tournament client (see below).

The competition should be visible for the crowd. I'm thinking about setting up a big screen spectating the matches. What is the best way to spectate? Should I just spectate the favourite player? Should I join in to spectate with a separate client or should I just select one video output and clone it to the main screen?
There is a tournament client that can let you see all 8 players playing (see some videos on youtube about OWC 2014).
You can request an access to it by contacting a staff (probably Loctav) with a detailed info about the competition.

In osu! there is mouse, pen tablet, touchscreen, etc. The mouse sensitivity differs, the tablet area differs, even the keyboard setup for taps is different for every player. For a fair competition I would need to allow everyone to bring their own stuff.
You should let the participants give you a message regarding the drivers of their weapons rigs so you can download and install them before the tournament.

Since free play is also big part of the event, I would need tablets. Where should I order a bunch of cheap but dependable tablets from? Maybe I should contact peppy about osu tablet availability.
osu!tablets can be purchased here. (More information here).
Topic Starter
SoonDead

Nathanael wrote:

There is a tournament client that can let you see all 8 players playing (see some videos on youtube about OWC 2014).
You can request an access to it by contacting a staff (probably Loctav) with a detailed info about the competition.
This looks very-very good!

However it seems to accumlate quite a big delay from the actual players. I would still need to block the main speakers' noise from the players (with massive sound-proof headphones for example).

Nathanael wrote:

You should let the participants give you a message regarding the drivers of their weapons rigs so you can download and install them before the tournament.
Sounds reasonable.

Nathanael wrote:

osu!tablets can be purchased here. (More information here).
Yes, but it is "out of stock" for a while now. However the end of the forum thread seems promising.
benjanyan
-
Kouya-
Hmm, I'm no expert, but how are you suppose to have an offline competition if the game requires Wi-fi or some type of internet connection to play co-op ?

But, you could all just sit in one room and put on some headphones and play .

At the end, you can all check your scores and jot it down on a piece of paper or some sort .
Topic Starter
SoonDead

benjanyan wrote:

From experience of 3 of us tapping away in a room, the sync between clients is poor, maybe even seconds. Enough to throw people off if they hear each other's clients. So as you've already realised with the tournament client, the audio needs to be well isolated for players.
Thanks, I have suspected this.

SupaWolfTiga wrote:

Hmm, I'm no expert, but how are you suppose to have an offline competition if the game requires Wi-fi or some type of internet connection to play co-op ?
Well since it will be a "booth" in a convention, the whole point is that the players will be phisically there and not just connected through the internet. That is why one of my questions was about the possiblity of LAN play. But since osu multiplayer requires active connection to the bancho server, getting internet is a big priority.

SupaWolfTiga wrote:

But, you could all just sit in one room and put on some headphones and play .
At the end, you can all check your scores and jot it down on a piece of paper or some sort .
Yes, but I would try to avoid this if possible. The built in multiplayer functionality is way too comfortable to neglect.
Please sign in to reply.

New reply