Skills on emulator vs. actual game

[MadDogBV]

Is a Beatmania IIDX emulator like BPM a reasonable substitute for playing Beatmania IIDX in general?

For instance, I've been playing IIDX songs entirely with the use of a standard keyboard, i.e. the SDFZXCV keys, since I'm too cheap to go out and buy a CS version of Beatmania, modchip or otherwise. So far I can pass some songs on Hyper difficulty such as Andromeda, B4U, 5.1.1, and (almost) xenon. Does this translate to performing well in an arcade setting with an actual controller?

[Empathy]

Not if you're playing on keyboard... I do believe the life judge on LR2 is harder than AC, though. You're going to need a KOC at the very least to make the substitution comparable to the real thing.

[The Deep Striker]

Originally Posted by Empathy

Not if you're playing on keyboard... I do believe the life judge on LR2 is harder than AC, though. You're going to need a KOC at the very least to make the substitution comparable to the real thing.

I dunno about the life judge but the timing is definately a tad easier than AC

[MadDogBV]

Originally Posted by Empathy

Not if you're playing on keyboard... I do believe the life judge on LR2 is harder than AC, though. You're going to need a KOC at the very least to make the substitution comparable to the real thing.

It is pretty brutal. I've had songs where I've had only 12 or so misses and the game calls it a fail.

And it wouldn't translate? I thought that a keyboard would be more difficult cause the keys are bunched up close together and some quads can't be hit. But yeah, I might look on eBay for a decent IIDX controller that I can plug into my computer with a PS2/USB adapter.

[Jeff Paine]

Hitting the notes is about the same difficulty using a keyboard as it is using a IIDX controller (unless your keyboard doesn't have n-key rollover and you can't press more than 3 keys at a time, which is even worse on Pop'n Music)

The turntable however is much easier when all you have to do is press shift. You need to play a significant amount on at least a KOC so you don't fail at the turntable

[mo126129]

One pretty big thing that took me a while to get used to on a KOC after playing with a keyboard, so much is that the keys are so much more spaced apart if feels odd playing your first few songs if you just finished playing with a keyboard.

With a keyboard (assuming its "zsxdcfv" setup), your hands don't generally have to move, just your fingers do, but with a KOC, your hands are constantly moving. I also find myself pushing the wrong notes often, being lost and having to look down at the controller the first time I played on a KOC.

[Meseki]

Originally Posted by Empathy

Not if you're playing on keyboard... I do believe the life judge on LR2 is harder than AC, though. You're going to need a KOC at the very least to make the substitution comparable to the real thing.

The timing is significantly easier for songs with easy judge rank (which most songs have)

The lifebar, though is considerably harder, since you can hard fail with 8 misses.

Originally Posted by mo126129

One pretty big thing that took me a while to get used to on a KOC after playing with a keyboard, so much is that the keys are so much more spaced apart if feels odd playing your first few songs if you just finished playing with a keyboard.

With a keyboard (assuming its "zsxdcfv" setup), your hands don't generally have to move, just your fingers do, but with a KOC, your hands are constantly moving. I also find myself pushing the wrong notes often, being lost and having to look down at the controller the first time I played on a KOC.

This isn't a problem for too long (assuming you're playing one-handed) but if you don't know where your hands are, you can also press a key and see which one lights up on-screen (if you have the time)

[John Jorell]

Actually, both the real IIDX and its simulators have the same settings so there's no difference whenever I play it (unless you're using BPM and adjust it manually the timings). It may depend on the player's skills anyways...

[Meseki]

Originally Posted by John Jorell

Actually, both the real IIDX and its simulators have the same settings so there's no difference whenever I play it (unless you're using BPM and adjust it manually the timings). It may depend on the player's skills anyways...

The problem is that since I'm assuming no one knows the exact timing for IIDX's judgements, all of the simulators will probably have a bigger or smaller timing window than IIDX, so simulators make you look better or worse than you are at actual IIDX, and this is very noticeable with Lunatic Rave 2 (which may be the most used simulator right now)

Also, some may have stricter or more lenient life bars, so you could end up clearing an official chart on a simulator but then be unable to clear it on the actual game.

[John Jorell]

At least Meseki you've got a point out there. There will come in instances that a player can earn a higher grade or score in a simulator than the real IIDX.

[The Deep Striker]

Originally Posted by Meseki

Also, some may have stricter or more lenient life bars, so you could end up clearing an official chart on a simulator but then be unable to clear it on the actual game.

This.

For instance I can AA Be OK halfway to AAA, but I can't even get near AA on CS, and I probably couldn't clear it on AC (i haven't played AC in a LOOOOOONG time)

[psion0011]

My exscore is about 2-3% less at the arcade compared to LR2. I'd say that's close enough. Plus the joy of not having to swap disks and being able to SEARCH SONGS (all happy hardcore from all styles!) makes LR2 a lot better than CS for me.