41/42 Wall

*Arbel* · 04-30-2007, 09:10 PM

How long did it take you to clear this wall? Not just by passing a 42, but actually feeling comfortable playing them without worrying too much about failing.

I know there are only a handful of people on the board that have, but I'm curious to know how long it was for different people, cause it feels like this is a ridiculous jump in difficulty for 1 level. I'm currently in the middle of that transition but its been a long time. I just keep playing and hope one day it will "click". I've passed a few 42's, but I hope it will just come natural at some point.

jonhon0 · 05-01-2007, 07:46 AM

You'll probably have an easier time with 42s once Fever is out. Kenka Drums and Enzetsu aren't as hard as most 42s.

Of course, this all depends on your strengths and weaknesses (chords, scales, jackhammers, etc.)

Edit: Oh, snap, you're in Bowling Green? I go to OSU. I'm totally jealous of the Fever AC in your area.

*Arbel* · 05-01-2007, 08:47 AM

Oh you live in Ohio? Cool didn't know that. You should come visit sometime

Yeah I own the machine so I play a lot, but it seems as though I'm having a hard time getting over the wall. I'm taking 2 days off, hopefully that helps.

jonhon0 · 05-01-2007, 10:40 AM

You own the machine? *geeks out*

I almost bought a Fever machine a few months ago when there was one on ebay, but my money source flaked out on me. I may come over in the Summer when I'm back home, as Freshmen here aren't allowed to have parking spaces on campus.

otaku1313 · 05-01-2007, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arbel

How long did it take you to clear this wall? Not just by passing a 42, but actually feeling comfortable playing them without worrying too much about failing.

I know there are only a handful of people on the board that have, but I'm curious to know how long it was for different people, cause it feels like this is a ridiculous jump in difficulty for 1 level. I'm currently in the middle of that transition but its been a long time. I just keep playing and hope one day it will "click". I've passed a few 42's, but I hope it will just come natural at some point.

I haven't done any on AC yet, but I've passed most on CS, minus Grunge and Punk 0. I think it took me 1 day between passing Vivid EX and passing Hip Rock 3 EX. Besides that, I had passed no 42s at all , except for SCREEN EX, a 43 (on random as well). It took me 2 months to pass all the 41s except for Vivid and Lamento on pop'n 12, so that should give you a good idea of where I was. Vivid came about 6 weeks later, lamento game about 2 months after I passed Hip Rock 3, and I haven't been able to do it again. I passed Cyber Gagaku the day after i got Lamento and I can do it maybe 20% of the time.

I think I have Trauma Punk, Oi Punk, and Symphonic Metal 2 down, but nothing else enough that I can get it every time like I can with those. All the 42s have some way you can cheat on them and clear them (minus Cyber Gagaku and Classic 11), but it's very difficult to replicate each time you do it. Hard PF is also just simple reading/reaction ability, it's really really easy sometimes and others it's disgustingly hard. I've passed it many times with a Fever clear, when I went into the ending 16th chords with LESS than clearing level. Then again, I drop from Fever to 2 or 3 bars sometimes when I go into the same wall of chords.

Oi Punk EX on 7 is a great 42 to start off with, but to replicate the 10+ bar that it uses in the arcade now, you need to change the difficulty level from 2 to 3.

Trauma Punk EX is another good one, but it's considerably harder to pass with the AC bar (again, change difficulty from 2 to 3 on pop'n 8).

Hip Rock 3 EX is also good, but you have a very small chance of passing it on AC. On CS 12, it's not that hard, but the bar isn't exactly the same one as the arcade. Make sure you figure out the positions of the blue-white chords and you're pretty much set for passing the song.

Nightmare Carnival is the other song that's easy for a 42, but it's only on CS 13 as of right now. It would help to work on scales one-handed and practice the jacks at the end.

In all, CS: Oi Punk<Trauma Punk<Nightmare Carnival<Hip Rock 3
AC (non-14 because I haven't played them yet): Oi Punk<Hard PF<Classic 11 OR Symphonic Metal 2 (depends what you're good at)<Trauma Punk

And now I have questions for you: Where did you get the machine, and how much was it? I'm looking into buying one in the future.

*Arbel* · 05-01-2007, 09:13 PM

Thanks for the lengthy advice

I've passed a few 42's that come to mind: Kei-Row Punk , Enzetsu, and Nightmare Carousel. Hip Rock 3 kicks my ass on AC, but I think I would of passed it on CS as I had like a 95k. I have yet to pass Lamento and some other 41's so I think that I should concentrate on nailing those first. I guess I lost a little bit of skill on the conversion from CS to AC so it feels like I've been at this wall much longer than it really has been (considering a good portion of time was used on getting back up to how good I was on CS)

As for the machine, I can't really tell you who I specifically got it from, but if you are seriously interested I can definitely direct you to that person. It cost me a little over 9,000 dollars (no pun intended) after customs and shipping. If you can find an old cabinet (like Pop'n 1) for cheap, upgrading would immensely lower the price. If you have a good place to put it like a school or local arcade and have a decent group of people who would play it, I'd say it's worth it. Realistically it takes a while to pay off (several years probably haha) but the machine can always be re-sold for several grand since the cabinet style hasn't really changed since Pop'n 1.

Random · 05-01-2007, 10:53 PM

I thought the idea was that the old 42's become 41's after a while, the 41's get harder, and the new ridiculous stuff is pushed to 42, with the (real) 43's being reserved for Classic8/Cowboy.

At least that's how it feels to me, with the new mixes they're coming out with. :P

Ichibo · 05-07-2007, 07:33 PM

So you're Arbel? D:
I saw you playing and you seemed to be able to hold your own on the hard songs I saw you try. Thanks for the free games by the way

There is a definite gap between 41s and 42s. Even among 42s there is a huge range of difficulty (Hip Rock 3/Oi Punk 0/Grunge Des/Hardpf/Ubertreffen etc.) Most 42s seem to just focus on one skill, like chords, scales, rolls, etc, and simply throw as much in as they can.

No 41s scare me. I still occasionally fail 42s. All depends on what skill the song is composed of, and how good you are at it.

I guess the only advice I can give is that all 42s aren't equal, and don't feel bad if you can pass some 42s consistently but others make you want to cry. I passed Trauma Punk when I was clearing 40s but couldn't get Grunge-Des until I had passed Classic 8/9, and I still am not very comfortable with it.

41s - Hard, but usually a good spread of the different skills.
42s - Specialized.
43s - Gimmick songs.

Also, on harder songs the scroll speed can really make a difference. It doesn't help that some 42s have really strange BPMs (Cyber Gagaku, Cyber Flamenco, Oi Punk 0). If you are forced to read 100BPM too fast or 100BPM too slow for your comfort level, definitely go with slow.

Hudson · 05-07-2007, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ichibo

It doesn't help that some 42s have really strange BPMs (Cyber Gagaku, Cyber Flamenco, Oi Punk 0).

Kei-Row Punk.

D:

Arctures · 05-07-2007, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaze

Kei-Row Punk.

D:

Move closer to the screen during the slowdowns, but you already knew that :P

*Arbel* · 05-07-2007, 09:41 PM

I tend to look only on the bottom portion of the screen during Kei-Row's slowdowns and that has helped me pass it. I've got a long way to go but I'm gonna keep pushing. Thanks for the advice Brett

Ichibo · 05-07-2007, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arctures

Move closer to the screen during the slowdowns, but you already knew that :P

Cannot stress this enough. On slow BPM songs, literally move a little closer to the screen, it helps. Closest you can get to toweling without rigging something up on a Pop'n Machine.

Arctures · 05-08-2007, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ichibo

Cannot stress this enough. On slow BPM songs, literally move a little closer to the screen, it helps. Closest you can get to toweling without rigging something up on a Pop'n Machine.

Or taping a piece of paper to the screen, that's what they do in Japan.

Hudson · 05-08-2007, 12:23 AM

I actually had some Japanese visual fags mock me when I did that at an arcade in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. (Hip Rock 3) So yeah, I definitely do that at home, but I try to refrain in the AC. Atleast in Japan. I prefer a hat, anyways. Never did use a towel in the arcade. I think I do better without it, somehow. At home though, I towel everything.

Arctures · 05-08-2007, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaze

I actually had some Japanese visual fags mock me when I did that at an arcade in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. (Hip Rock 3) So yeah, I definitely do that at home, but I try to refrain in the AC. Atleast in Japan. I prefer a hat, anyways. Never did use a towel in the arcade. I think I do better without it, somehow. At home though, I towel everything.

And that's why we have .5 mods now :D