Sometimes there are beatmaps with backgrounds we don't like, for example: the ranked one with a crying girl dying in pool of blood , the very demonic-looking-like face on Apparition , as I heard some people don't like girls in swimsuits, etc. In such case, we can just simply use something else, with the same file name, to replace the background.

The problem is, there are countless maps, especially old ranked maps that came with only video, that doesn't have any background. There's nothing to replace there and if you would like to just add a background, it will be changed by game after updating beatmap status. Changed back.. to nothing? Why not to keep your background then, if there is no background at all?

So, why there is no equality for maps with and without background? Why only the first ones can have background changed, while the people playing the latter ones are condemned to play it on default background? If we can add our own backgrounds to the beatmaps that already have it, shouldn't we be able to do it all the more to the ones that lack of it?

Maybe You could make it that updating beatmap don't neglect the background, when there is no default one?

And no, 100% dim doesn't solve anything, especially as you can't even choose the colour you are dimming to. Many people prefer to play with backgrounds partially dimmed. Nevertheless, I'm one of these people that dislike and find unpleasant this cold, dour and depressing default background, filled with lifeless triangles, which IMO completely don't suit a lively game like osu!. (I know that people have different tastes and I respect that, but after asking some random people I didn't find even one that liked this default background).

And no again, I know I can buy supporter and use other background as a default, but it doesn't change the fact that we could have a different background for every beatmap. Beatmaps that have a background added by creator have it granted. Why the other ranked maps can't have it? Are we really supposed to play without background more that with it?

I think we should be able to add our own backgrounds to the beatmaps that don't have one

I agree with this

Basically it's possible to make online updates on beatmaps if it relates on the background or storyboard but only for a few users in osu! (mostly peppy and Community Managers). Might consider this option to solve this problem.

The main problem with old maps resides into the .osu files.
When adding a background a new line into the [Events] section gets creared into the .osu file. This line contains the BG name.
If we just place a new BG into the beatmap's folder with the same name of the existing one osu won't complain about it.

This doesn't happen with old maps or rather, with maps with no BG because that line isn't there to begin with so we can't bypass it, because osu detects the change into the .osu file.


While I don't really find it useful for my personal use I do understand that someone may need it for whatever their reasons may be, so yeah, why not.

In the event it is not possible, I think older maps not having backgrounds is ok for historical preservation.