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4 Nov 2018
Project Loved: Week of November 4th
Project Loved: Week of November 4th
Project Loved returns with another set of beatmaps nominated for the Loved category! Check out each one, and vote for your favourites!
Welcome back to Project Loved! Every two weeks, we pick out a few beatmaps from each game mode that will get their shot at making it into the Loved category. From the maps we selected, you can now vote whether or not you want them to be Loved! Click on each map's header image in this post to be taken to its voting thread.
Continuing the slow, steady decline of the quantity of maps we put up for vote, this week the osu!mania captains have decided to only put up seven maps, instead of the usual eight.
In the osu!standard scene, we're seeing a pretty dramatic change in our lineup of captains. After selecting maps for over a year, Toy has stepped down from this position, and opted to invite four new captains to the team: BeasttrollMC, Bubbleman, SoraRoxas01 and waywern2012. Give Toy a huge thanks for all of his work as a captain so far, and a warm welcome to these new guys! Just to be clear, Toy isn't retiring from Project Loved entirely; in fact, he is still leading the project and doing most of the work behind-the-scenes.
In case you don't read the end of this post, be sure to submit suggestions for beatmaps to be added to Loved using the Google form! All of the nominated beatmaps are chosen from submissions on this form, which you can view in the corresponding Google sheet.
Navigation
osu!
osu! Loved candidates were chosen by BeasttrollMC, Bubbleman, DigitalHypno, SoraRoxas01 and waywern2012!
Aika - Sakura Trip by CrazyrabbitKGE
written by BeasttrollMC
CrazyrabbitKGE is a name unfamiliar to most, but I promise you it's a name you'll want to remember. His map of "Aika - Sakura Trip" provides a challenging twist for experienced players and sets the canvas for a unique spectator experience with its Sakura flower pattern structure and various keysounded sections. The map garnered over 100 favorites just through word of mouth, so if you want to know what the buzz is about, check out the map and vote for its place in the Loved category!
Tech N9ne - Speedom (WWC2) (feat. Krizz Kaliko and Eminem) by LukerMaster
written by BeasttrollMC
Some people may recognize this mapper from another Loved map, "Imaginary Places", which is iconic for its boss level difficulty. This map is no different. Clocking in over 8 stars, this alt-styled fast aim map by LukerMaster will push you to your limits. Good luck!
BlackYooh vs. siromaru - BLACK or WHITE? by Akali
written by Bubbleman
If you've been in the tournament scene long enough, you'll have seen this played as a tiebreaker more than a few times, and for good reason. It balances flow and snap aim nicely, includes some cut streams to keep you on your toes, and weighing in at over five minutes, it is the perfect length to test your focus. It's all topped off with a banger of a song, so be sure to give it a look-see!
S.S.H. - F-zero ~ Big Blue by Saten
written by Bubbleman
An iconic song meeting an iconic mapping style, Saten's map of S.S.H.'s Big Blue combines older style patterning with an artist we don't see much of on osu! these days. As such it has a nostalgic feel, but don't let that distract you from the 228 BPM streams and frequent switches between 1/4 and 1/3 rhythms. A lower difficulty has been recently added too, so if you're after a more modern feel with the same Saten style, this is a mapset you don't want to miss—a sentiment shared by at least 60 others.
Virtual Riot - Stay For A While by ProfessionalBox and cRyo[iceeicee]
written by DigitalHypno
Yet another ProfessionalBox map has made its way to the Loved voting stage! This time, it's a control-crazy map of Virtual Riot's "Stay For A While" designed to throw you off with its confusing slider shapes and insanely high slider tick rate of 4. Tied along with quite a catchy and energetic future bass song, this map does an amazing job creating a unique playing experience—I'm sure the 120+ favorites can agree with me on that! So, what say you? Think you've got the cursor control it takes to pass a map like this? If you said yes, I'm going to need you to stop reading this and give the map your best go. Trust me, it'll be worth it! Afterwards, come back to this page and drop a vote on the map's poll!
Chihara Minori - SELF PRODUCER by Startrick
written by DigitalHypno
Known to some as the opening for the anime "OniAi", the song "SELF PRODUCER" has a beautifully crafted osu! map made by Startrick! At a length of five minutes, this energetic and upbeat song is accompanied by an artistically pleasing alternating flow map. If you're a player who prides their flow aim and consistency, why not use this map to prove your skills? Check it out and drop a vote on the map's Loved poll!
KNOWER - The Government Knows by Woey, MomoHD, Ambrew and Hectique
written by SoraRoxas01
This is a great map for people that really want to test their skill with technical maps. "The Government Knows" is a map full of challenging patterns along with both fast and slow sliders which will test how well you can control your aim. This song is unique in its own way with the constant dance beat in the background and humorous lyrics. You may have recognised Woey previously from his map "Soulless 4" that was a candidate for Project Loved before, along with guest difficulties from Ambrew, MomoHD and Hectique. With the map hitting over 120 favorites, this is a map to definitely give a go if you're up for a challenge!
lapix feat. Renko - Concept Of Reality by ProfessionalBox et al.
written by SoraRoxas01
One look into this map and you'll know straight away that this is by the unique mapper ProfessionalBox. Not to mention that the song is an absolute banger! But for real though, I'm sure you didn't expect anything less from lapix! Along with ProfessionalBox, there are guest difficulties mapped by other well known mappers like NeilPerry, Sing, Low Combo FC and Ameth Rianno. With the eccentric slider shapes and changes in slider velocity during the chorus to go with interesting fillers leading to the build up, this is a map that keeps you toes and is something to have a go at if you're into the more technical and nifty maps!
Getty vs. DJ DiA - DropZ-Line- by dima21
written by waywern2012
Do you want to get pumped up? Well dima21 has you covered with a map from Getty's and DJ DiA's song "DropZ-Line-". Aspects from the Aspire contest and 2B maps will test your skill outside of your comfort zone while providing an awesome song to listen to. With BPM ranging from 0 to... -infinity, this map will truly DeSTRoY you if you aren't careful!
Team Grimoire - C18H27NO3 by waywern2012
written by DigitalHypno
I never thought cross-playfield jumps could look so inviting yet so intimidating at the same time. Regardless, waywern2012 proved it to be possible with his absolutely bonkers map of an extended version of Team Grimoire's song "C18H27NO3". When I say bonkers, don't think 7 stars. Don't think 8 stars, either. In fact, don't even think 9 stars. What? That's right. This map clocks in at nearly 9.5 stars, and it's chock-full of all the cross-screen jumps you could ever ask for. If you think you can do this... I'll hold your beer.
osu!taiko
osu!taiko Loved candidates were chosen by -[ ix Ishida xi ]-, -Kazu-, Backfire, iceOC and nyanmi-1828! This week, all osu!taiko beatmap descriptions were written by -Kazu-.
Masafumi Takada - Danganronpa V3 (Full Version) by Jerry
We are starting this cycle with Danganronpa V3, mapped by Jerry in a very particular way: as we've seen before in maps like Gezo's MariannE, this features multiple gimmicks explained through its storyboard. Ranging from speed gimmicks, memorization of patterns and the very infamous donkama gimmick, this map will surprise you for sure. Don't forget to enable it and reduce the background dim!
Next we have Toy Boxxxx, a legendary mapset by Sayaka-. Why? To current standards, this isn't as much impressive, as the spread looks more like a Muzukashii onwards. The top diffs are around the same levels of difficulty of a lot of maps we see getting ranked now, but this map was made in 2015—Sayaka- truly was a visionary and gave us this map way ahead of time, as this was by far the hardest map around. It was really close to getting ranked, too. With truly complex and stamina draining patterns, this is probably one of the hardest maps getting Loved in quite a while. Maybe we will finally get a glance of what would these leaderboards would've looked like back then!
Camellia vs Akira Complex - Reality Distortion (Mitomoro Remix) by un-plugged
Continuing with the theme of maps that inspired a new generation of mappers comes Reality Distortion by un-plugged, a very well-executed map resembling what katacheh maps have introduced to us in the past. Waving patterns, "Yellow notes", glitchy sliders: this map has it all, and un-plugged sure made it look amazingly along with the music. If you really love going for the impressive scores worthy of a YouTube highlight, this is definitely your map.
tofubeats - CANDYYYLAND feat. LIZ (Pa's Lam System Remix) by Myckoll and Ulqui
Finally, we have CANDYYYLAND by Myckoll and Ulqui, a map featured recently in the Taiko Suiji Cup as the challenge pick of Group Stage. This one is a delicious mixture of simple patterns that emphasizes the song further and SV changes that makes the experience a whole lot more rich, as future bass is one of these genres that rely heavily on the creativity of the mappers to stand out, and this map really achieved it. This really serves as a nice introduction to high level sightreading, as the readability of this map is quite into the comfortable side, so no doubts you should give this a shot!
osu!catch
osu!catch Loved candidates were chosen by Ascendance, Sartan, Tenshichan and Zak!
t+pazolite with Kabocha - Elder Dragon Legend by -Izayoi and Pyrozen
written by Tenshichan
This is a clean map without any gimmicky patterns in it, but nevertheless still very fun to play. The map features a high BPM and fast-paced streams and sliders. Don't be fooled by the star rating—the map is way easier than the star rating makes it look like, so even aspiring players can have a good shot at it. Veterans can challenge themselves with HR if they feel like it, but other than that, it should be fairly easy. All in all, it is a pretty cool map that deserves some attention.
Various Artists - JuJutsushi Gachi ver. by Furely and wairo
written by Ascendance
Hoi hoi hoi hoi hoi hoi hoi hoi! Although fairly new, only being uploaded in 2016, renowned meme mapper Furely brings us yet another fantastic map. Similar to to his other famous map, AVALON, this map brings hyperwalks, fast snapping, and several spots where ridiculously precise catcher movements are required. Boasting favorites from several top players and only having a few known plays that have come close to an FC (apart from ExGon's FC), Oracle awaits those who are pressed to challenge it, but only a select few who have truly mastered the art of the catcher will come out triumphant.
osu!mania
osu!mania Loved candidates were chosen by _underjoy, aitor98, Kamikaze, Pope Gadget, stupud man and TheToaphster!
Soko ni Naru - Tenohira de Odoru by Vortex-
written by TheToaphster
A newcomer to the Loved category shows his face in the name of Vortex-, with his map for Tenohira de Odoru being the opener for this week's osu!mania Loved nominations. The chart takes a rather uncommon music genre in the realm of osu!mania, progressive rock, and applies an extremely clean and effective design to it, with rather nice LN usage to complement the exceptional detail of the patterns throughout the chart. This has given many charters a reason to love it, but has also given substantial attention to Vortex- from players due to his charts being so satisfying to play. Tenohira of course is no exception, coupled with the quality that many have now come to associate with Vortex give plenty of reason for its spot in the Loved nominations.
Toromaru - Enigma by TheToaphster
written by _underjoy
TheToaphster is an experienced long note mapper, and he knows exactly how to utilise the song's nuances to create a fun, satisfying map that also proves to be a real challenge. So is the case with Enigma, being probably his most popular LN chart. It is relatively fast and dense, with high amounts of inverse-esque patterning that requires great reading skill. The straightforward LN jumpstream sections are enriched with 1/3 and 1/6 streams and bursts that can throw the player off of his tempo. Enigma is a textbook example of a balanced high-level LN chart done right, and we are happy to give it a shot in the Loved voting!
Lon - Yuru Fuwa Jukai Girl by Wh1teh
written by TheToaphster
Your local StepMania man Wh1teh comes back to the Loved nominations to show his chart for Yuru Fuwa Jukai Girl, a very fun approach to a pretty well-known song among the osu! community, as seen through the ranked charts' popularities. The chart takes full advantage of the fast, upbeat nature of the song, creating an equally exciting and engaging experience through the jack patterns in the verses and the jumpstream patterns in the choruses. This structure allows not only for pleasant gameplay but for an element of intensity that peaks in the choruses and especially toward the ending, which, when paired with the tight-knit layering and patterning, sets it up nicely as a Loved pick.
Camellia - ANOMALY by Lynessa
written by stupud man
It goes without question that Lynessa (formerly Trixta) has been able to push out some of the most popular jumpstream charts as of recent, including ANOMALY. Anybody who has played one of Lynessa's charts should be more than familiar with their heavy one-handed trill usage. In ANOMALY's case, it's what makes it so competitively viable. The BPM range of the rates in the mapset (210-252 BPM) seems to be a sweet spot for any 4K player adjusted to high difficulty jumpstream or handstream, and if anything makes ANOMALY a valuable indicator of skill in both categories.
HHHxMMxST - Oboro by 17VA
written by _underjoy
We are beginning this week's 7K selection with a renowned classic. HHHxMMxST - Oboro by legendary charter 17VA is a map that every O2Jam enthusiast has probably played at least once during his osu!mania journey. It starts off relatively innocent, but the density increases noticeably after the first chorus. The difficulty progression is cumulated in the solo and the last section, both of which contain tricky LN patterns that are a real test of finger independency. With that being said, we hope Oboro will find its spot in the Loved section!
D.J.Amuro - ZZ by Nanatsu and LordRaika
written by Kamikaze
Up next we have a chart very familiar to the older players, Nanatsu's ZZ by D.J.Amuro. This chart first emerged when Nanatsu was known as _S u w a k o_, a top ranked Korean player and it's a pretty big, six-difficulty 7K spread based around chordstreams and general vanilla density all around. It's very clean in structure, being a good test of player's reading and streaming abilities as well as having multiple difficulties featuring two difficulties made by LordRaika for players looking to get into 7K to try! The overall accessibility of the chart combined with it's clear structure and a respectable amount of favourites are in our opinion well enough of a reason to get this chart Loved!
xi - Zephyros by Remillion Cross et al.
written by aitor98
Zephyros from Remillion Cross has been wandering around the community since 2014, and thanks to the guest difficulties from Skalim and Runamii, this map has reached its peak and cannot get any better. With two different key modes, this map gives us a great lookup of how a good old school chart looks. Going from 3 stars to 6.3, this map features almost every single pattern you could imagine. Minijacks, bursts, chordstreams, long notes, staircases, shields, and more. Obviously, this is a general overview of the whole set and every pattern might not be applied to the easier difficulties but if you really want to play the harder ones, especially the hardest 7K difficulty, everything mentioned above will be applied in such a technical way, that you will realize how underrated the chart is. This is definitely good enough for Loved.
From everyone on the Project Loved team, we hope you enjoy this week's selection, and look forward to the next! The winning beatmaps will hit the Loved beatmap listing sometime next week and will be announced via @osugame on Twitter.
In addition to all of the Loved captains that choose the maps and write the descriptions, make sure to thank Ephemeral, Noffy and Toy for their miscellaneous help in managing Project Loved.
If you have any suggestions for beatmaps to be added to the Loved category, please submit them using the Google form! You can view the current submissions on the corresponding Google sheet.
—clayton
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