Introduction:
As many are aware, there are many maps in Osu that feel more difficult than their actual star rating. This is due to the fact that some maps are more difficult to "read" than others. The purpose of this thread is to discuss some of the ways that we can calculate the "reading difficulty" of maps more accurately.
Considerations:
1. Object density (the number of circles concurrently on the screen at any given moment).
- The main problem with only considering object density as reading difficulty is that you could just put a bunch of streams into a map to abuse this system. One way to avoid this is to also factor in the distance between each circle.
2. Object Distance (the distance between each circle)
- Unfortunately, distance between each circle can also be abused by including a bunch of spaced streams. One way to work around this is to factor in the standard deviation between each circle. A higher standard deviation would indicate a higher reading difficulty while a lower standard deviation would indicate a lower reading difficulty.
3. Object Timing (The amount of time between each circle)
- Similar to above, by factoring in the standard deviation, tricky timings between circles can be considered.
4. Slider Velocity (The speed of the slider ball in a slider)
- Sliders are probably one of the most difficult problems to solve. By using the standard deviation for the timing between each slider and the slider velocity, a general difficulty scale can be created for "wub wub" maps. This idea was not as thoroughly thought out and there are possibly more factors that I have not considered that could be applied to sliders.
5. Object Angle
- I consider this more of an aspect of aim, but there can be some cases where object angle can affect the reading difficulty of a map. In the case of repeating back and forth notes such as the ones in this map https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/501920#osu/1084804, having a high quantity of consecutively repeating and overlapping notes can be difficult to read, especially as the object density increases (try playing on AR5 vs AR10). This can be calculated by creating a positively increasing function as the number of back and forth notes increase. The angle for this type of calculation should be closer to 180 degrees, with angles <180 degrees giving less of a bonus.
Other considerations: These are some other factors that affect reading difficulty that I have not considered.
1. Flashlight (mod)
2. Circle Size
3. Easy (mod)
Discussion:
By using the standard deviations in the calculations in difficulty, a better indication of reading difficulty can be obtained. This is because higher standard deviations would indicate greater variation in circle timings and distances.
Note:
I have not reviewed all of the calculations involved in the current pp system so I apologize if this information is redundant. I am not claiming that this is the best way to calculate difficulty, this is just a discussion to improve the game in an objective manner.
Edit:
Added 'object angle' to considerations.
As many are aware, there are many maps in Osu that feel more difficult than their actual star rating. This is due to the fact that some maps are more difficult to "read" than others. The purpose of this thread is to discuss some of the ways that we can calculate the "reading difficulty" of maps more accurately.
Considerations:
1. Object density (the number of circles concurrently on the screen at any given moment).
- The main problem with only considering object density as reading difficulty is that you could just put a bunch of streams into a map to abuse this system. One way to avoid this is to also factor in the distance between each circle.
2. Object Distance (the distance between each circle)
- Unfortunately, distance between each circle can also be abused by including a bunch of spaced streams. One way to work around this is to factor in the standard deviation between each circle. A higher standard deviation would indicate a higher reading difficulty while a lower standard deviation would indicate a lower reading difficulty.
3. Object Timing (The amount of time between each circle)
- Similar to above, by factoring in the standard deviation, tricky timings between circles can be considered.
4. Slider Velocity (The speed of the slider ball in a slider)
- Sliders are probably one of the most difficult problems to solve. By using the standard deviation for the timing between each slider and the slider velocity, a general difficulty scale can be created for "wub wub" maps. This idea was not as thoroughly thought out and there are possibly more factors that I have not considered that could be applied to sliders.
5. Object Angle
- I consider this more of an aspect of aim, but there can be some cases where object angle can affect the reading difficulty of a map. In the case of repeating back and forth notes such as the ones in this map https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/501920#osu/1084804, having a high quantity of consecutively repeating and overlapping notes can be difficult to read, especially as the object density increases (try playing on AR5 vs AR10). This can be calculated by creating a positively increasing function as the number of back and forth notes increase. The angle for this type of calculation should be closer to 180 degrees, with angles <180 degrees giving less of a bonus.
Other considerations: These are some other factors that affect reading difficulty that I have not considered.
1. Flashlight (mod)
2. Circle Size
3. Easy (mod)
Discussion:
By using the standard deviations in the calculations in difficulty, a better indication of reading difficulty can be obtained. This is because higher standard deviations would indicate greater variation in circle timings and distances.
Note:
I have not reviewed all of the calculations involved in the current pp system so I apologize if this information is redundant. I am not claiming that this is the best way to calculate difficulty, this is just a discussion to improve the game in an objective manner.
Edit:
Added 'object angle' to considerations.