Becoming a Beatmap Nominator

Users interested in joining the Beatmap Nominators need to go through an application process overseen by the Nomination Assessment Team (NAT).

Applications are conducted via the BN website.

Applicants are required to meet a minimum kudosu threshold, and submit three beatmaps they have recently modded, alongside answering certain questions regarding them. A message from the NAT will be sent once a verdict has been decided. More information on applying can be found on the website.

Basic criteria

Modders aiming to apply to the Beatmap Nominators must:

• Have at least 150 kudosu.
• Not have violated the osu! community rules within the last 12 months.
• Have the ability to recognise beatmaps that should (and should not) be nominated.

Traits to demonstrate in modding

See also: Common modding mistakes and osu!mania modding guide

Submitted mods should show that a user is capable of recognising beatmaps that should and should not be nominated, alongside analysing and improving beatmaps to a standard fit for the Beatmap Nominators.

The following are modding traits expected of Beatmap Nominators:

• Coverage of all common difficulty levels.

  • Most beatmaps will have a spread of difficulties ranging from Easy up to Expert, and so Beatmap Nominators must be proficient in modding such difficulties. Proficiency in modding extremely high level difficulties is not required.
• Identification of unrankable issues, including ones tools cannot detect, such as incorrect timing or metadata.
• Comparison between parts of a beatmap to support issues or suggestions.

  • Referencing other parts of the beatmap is useful for keeping suggestions in line with the original styles and ideas the mapper has in their map.
• Commentary about a wide variety of beatmap elements, such as rhythm, spacing, movement, intensity, contrast, and consistency.

  • While Beatmap Nominators are encouraged to ask for help when needed, they should be able to judge almost all aspects of mapping independently to a decent level.
• Identification of both isolated issues and general map-wide issues
• Consideration of mappers' intentions when identifying issues and giving suggestions.

  • Avoid suggesting your own mapping styles or preferences if they contradict the mapper's intended style. If there is an issue related to the mapper's style, try to frame your suggestions around what they originally intended.
• Ability to make useful suggestions and spot mistakes for mappers of varying experience levels.

  • Beatmap Nominators will often deal with very experienced mappers or high-quality maps which may not require much feedback. It is important therefore to still be able to spot mistakes and suggest improvements for even the most seasoned of mappers.
  • For the application, it is not recommended to submit mods on maps from beginner mappers which lack the fundamentals. Instead, submitted mods should be on maps that are ready for a BN to look at.
• Clear communication with the mapper.

  • Mod posts should explain the issue and the solution as clearly and concisely as possible to avoid confusing the mapper, or even having their suggestion applied incorrectly. Specialised terminology should also generally be avoided.

Application process

Flowchart outlining the Beatmap Nominator application process

Users are required to submit three beatmaps they have modded within the last 6 months, each having a different host.

• A mod on a map that is ready to be nominated (or ready to be nominated after the mod is applied).

  • This intends to show the applicant's ability to conduct the final steps of the modding process and independently evaluate a map's readiness for Ranked.
  • This map should have 0 nominations when the application is submitted.
  • The applicant should briefly describe why the map is ready (or nearly ready) to be nominated.
• A mod on a map that is NOT ready to be nominated without significant improvements.

  • This intends to show the applicant's issue identification skills, communication skills, and understanding of standards for Ranked maps.
  • This map should include a spread with at least Normal, Hard, and Insane difficulties.
  • The applicant should briefly explain why the map is NOT ready to be nominated, while using their modding to back up their reasons.
• A mod on a map that proves the applicant is able to judge map quality and readiness for Ranked.

  • Applicants are free to choose a map they would nominate or would not nominate.
  • This map should have 0 nominations when the application is submitted.
  • This gives the applicant an opportunity to fill any missing gaps in their application, keeping in mind the intentions stated in the descriptions of the previous submissions.
  • The applicant should briefly describe why the map is (or is not) ready to be nominated.

It is good practice to preserve and submit a copy of the map before the mods are applied, as that will notably aid with the evaluation of their modding by giving better context to the evaluators.

Additionally, applications can be marked as available for the public, which will make it appear in the public evaluations archive. Users can freely opt in and out of this by changing the visibility status of any evaluation they have in their evaluations page.

When a user applies to become a BN, the NAT will be notified via the "bnsite" Discord bot in their respective Discord channel. The notification will include the applicant's name and evaluation link, as well as which evaluators have been assigned to the application.

A progress bar in the application page details what step their evaluation is currently in.

Application progress bar

Evaluators can then review the full application on the BN website, which includes any information the applicant submitted, as well as a historical record of past evaluations if the user has applied to or has been a BN previously.

Evaluation is broken into two stages: individual and group.

Individual stage

During the individual stage, lasting at most 7 days, 3 evaluators are randomly assigned to the application. Sometimes, BNs are invited to act as evaluators, but there will always be at least one NAT assigned.

The evaluators will look over the application and evaluate the applicant's modding performance and behaviour. They will typically note down any positive and negative posts in the mods. Each evaluator will then vote "pass", "neutral", or "fail" for the application.

Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Modding:

  • Knowledge of the general ranking criteria and specific criteria of each game mode.
  • Presence of recommended traits in their mods.
  • Answers to the questions regarding each submitted mod.
  • Additional abilities relating to metadata, timing, and other miscellaneous areas.
• General attitude:

  • Tone of delivery of the mods and other behavioural expectations from the Code of Conduct.
  • General behaviour in chat/forums.

Any comments and votes from evaluators at this stage are hidden from other evaluators.

Group stage

The group stage lasts at most until 14 days after the applicant sent in their application, which progresses to this stage when either:

• All assigned evaluators have submitted their individual evaluation.
• The majority of the evaluators have submitted their individual evaluation, where they have unanimously failed the applicant.

At this stage, the comments and votes from each evaluator are revealed to the other evaluators, and in the case of an ambiguous verdict, they will discuss until a consensus is reached.

Additional feedback is then written to add any missing information from the evaluators' comments and the application result is sent back to the applicant by the Nomination Assessment Team bot as an announcement message, after which the evaluation will be archived for future reference. Successful applicants are added as a probationary BN immediately after the result is sent.

Communication post-application

When an application is completed, the applicant is provided with an interface that allows them to chat with the evaluators directly through the BN website in order to ask any questions regarding their application consensus and the evaluators' comments.

The chat is automatically locked after 7 days of inactivity.

The feedback chat interface

Cooldowns

A cooldown for reapplying of 60 days is set on the following occasions:

• Failed applications
• Removals from the Beatmap Nominators
• Standard-term resignations