Pop'n music Glossary: Difference between revisions

;Bad

:A note either hit too late, or not at all. Hitting notes when you're not supposed to can also get you Bads. You get no points for Bads.

;Battle Mode

:You and one other person play simplified charts of only three buttons each (the white, green, and yellow buttons on both sides of the controller), with the goal being to get the most points across three stages. Score enough points and you can unleash various ojamas at certain levels, with 4/MAX being the highest. Songs originally only had one set of Battle charts, but beginning with [[PnM_AC_8|pop'n music 8]], Hyper Battle charts were added. (Note that not all pop'n music songs, even in the latest games, have Hyper Battle charts.) This mode was not in [[PnM_CS_6|pop'n music 6 CS]], but it was present on all the PS2 installments save [[PnM_CS_Best_Hits|pop'n music Best Hits!]]. [[PnM_CS_7|pop'n music 7 CS]] and [[PnM CS portable|pop'n music portable]] have only one set of Battle Mode charts available. Battle charts do not appear in [[PnM CS portable 2|pop'n music portable 2]], the LONG songs in [[PnM_AC_9|pop'n music 9]], or the URA songs in [[PnM_AC_11|pop'n music 11]].

;Challenge Mode

:An arcade mode where you can gather points determined by the difficulty level of the song (i.e. a level 13 song cleared will earn you 13 points), as well as using mods called ojamas. Netting points was also the ''only'' way in the earlier pop'n music arcade games with Challenge Mode that let you play EX charts (via EXtra Stage). From pop'n musics [[PnM_AC_5|5]] through [[PnM_AC_7|7]], ojamas had to be set before you chose a song. (A maximum of two can be set.) Starting with [[PnM_AC_8| pop'n music 8]], though, ojamas are set ''after'' choosing a song. (This was also the first game to let you set a permanent ojama through the song, worth 1.5 times the usual amount.) In some (earlier) games, getting a certain amount of points unlocks the EXtra Stage or a special pic, though never both in the same round.

;Cho Challenge (超CHALLENGEモード)

:An arcade mode that plays similar to Challenge Mode, but has Cools on the entire game. Certain ojamas can only be used in this mode, and the point requirements for an EXtra Stage are much, much higher.

:How many Goods/Greats/Cools you have going before you get a Bad or miss a note. From pop'n musics [[PnM_AC_3|3]] through [[PnM_AC_6|6]], the combo was displayed in the top center of the screen. Starting with [[PnM_AC_7|pop'n music 7]], though, they are directly displayed above the border line of the individual note hit. Starting with [[PnM_AC_9|pop'n music 9]], the combo slowly fades out after a note is hit.

;Cool

:A note that registers more accurate than a Great. First introduced in courses, but later spun off into its own mode in [[PnM_AC_13|pop'n music 13 カーニバル]] called "超CHALLENGEモード". Cools can also be played in Free Mode in [[PnM_CS_14|pop'n music 14 FEVER! CS]]; scores with/without Cools are stored separately. ([[PnM_CS_13|pop'n music 13 カーニバル CS]] lets you play with Cools on in Free Mode, but doesn't display the scores in Records.) In [[PnM CS portable|pop'n music portable]], [[PnM CS portable 2|its sequel]], and [[PnM_AC_20|pop'n music 20 fantasia]] onwards, Cools are ''always'' on.

;Courses

:Courses are an arcade mode of play where you play four predetermined songs back to back on a single life bar. The bar barely increases during play, and barely fills up between songs. An empty bar results in your immediate disqualification, though you can still enter your name if you got a high enough score on the rankings. In the pop'n music CS games [[PnM_CS_6|6]] through [[PnM_CS_8|8]], certain songs can only be played in Game/Free Mode by playing them in courses. [[PnM_AC_17|pop'n music 17 THE MOVIE]] marks the final appearance of courses to date in the arcade; Expert Courses were dropped in [[PnM_AC_18|pop'n music 18 せんごく列伝]], though a similar mode, Navigate Mode, was introduced in [[PnM_AC_20|pop'n music 20 fantasia]].

:Prior to courses, there was a mode in [[PnM_AC_3|pop'n music 3]] which allowed you to play through three songs back-to-back with Hyper notecharts. This mode was never used again due to Hyper charts being added to the core game the following installment.

;Easy

:A new difficulty level introduced in pop'n music Sunny Park. This mode replaces the old 5 Button difficulty level and features simple charts that use 3-9 buttons. Not every song has an Easy chart.

;Excite

:An early arcade mode where your rival would throw at you certain mods/distractions throughout the song. This mode was removed in [[PnM_AC_5|pop'n music 5]], though some of the mods live on as ojamas in Challenge Mode.

:EX is the name given to the fourth (and highest) difficulty level in the game, typically highlighted in red on the music select screen. EX(tra) stage is rewarded for passing three songs without fail & ranking a certain amount of points up in Challenge Mode. Songs in this category tend to be much harder than their Hyper counterparts, ranging from Levels 23 to 43 (maximum). This mode was originally named because EX charts could ''only'' be played during through EXtra Stage. Starting with [[PnM_AC_8|pop'n music 8]], EX charts can be played in the arcade on any level after being unlocked. To unlock an EX chart in recent arcade games, you have to full combo the Normal chart, get a high score (?) on the Hyper, and then beat the EX on the EXtra Stage.

:Also, up until [[PnM_CS_10|pop'n music 10 CS]], all EX charts had to be unlocked one by one in Challenge Mode in the CS games. From [[PnM_CS_10|10 CS]] onward, though, they're all unlocked after you complete the unlocking system of the respective CS game. (Certain EX charts unlock after certain upgrades are reached in the arcade games as well.)

:Note that if you fail a song and continue in Challenge Mode, you can't get an EXtra Stage.

;Free Mode

:A console-only mode where you can play any song on any difficulty level without stage number restrictions. Up until [[PnM_CS_9|pop'n music 9 CS]], songs had to be played in Arcade Mode before being playable in Free Mode (except for the default beginner song of the game).

;Full Combo

:Every note hit in a song was either a Good, Great, or (depending on the mode) Cool, with no additional missed notes. From [[PnM_AC_13|pop'n music 13 カーニバル]] through [[PnM_AC_19|19 TUNE STREET]], a message displaying "NO BAD!" appears at the end of a song for those who obtain a full combo. (Beginning with [[PnM_AC_20|pop'n music 20 fantasia]], it just says "Full Combo" like in beatmania IIDX.) In addition, in most of the later AC/CS games, a little mark with two crowns/onions/whatever will be displayed next to the song with a Full Combo.

;Good

:A note that barely hits the lane. A Good is only worth 20% the amount a Great is without Cools on.

;Great

:You hit the note perfectly/near perfectly, resulting in 100% possible score for that note without Cools on.

:The name of a course in pop'n music (usually) containing the four hardest new songs in the game. It is often one of the final unlocks in any given pop'n music game. Since [[PnM_AC_8|pop'n music 8]], HELL courses have had exclusively EX charts in them. It is also the name of an ojama that punishes you severely for missing a note when activated. Courses, including HELL, were removed in [[PnM AC 18|pop'n music 18 せんごく列伝]].

;Hi-Speed

:Note that ojamas in Challenge Mode set to a certain speed mod are compounded into the speed mod. For example, using a 2X ojama and turning on Hi-Speed 3 will result in a scrolling rate of 6X. Be careful!

;Hyper

:A level of difficulty higher than Normal, but less than EX. They are highlighted in yellow on most games' music select screens. Songs in this level range between 10 to the high 30's. (The highest to date is [[Concertare]], a 42.) Originally a CS exclusive level of play, Hyper charts weren't introduced in the arcade until [[PnM_AC_3|pop'n music 3]], and even then they were only playable in Hyper mode (a course consisting of Hyper-only notecharts). Hyper notecharts became available for normal arcade play in [[PnM_AC_4|pop'n music 4]]. Since [[PnM_AC_6|pop'n music 6]], all new AC/CS songs (except for a few licenses in [[PnM_AC_10|pop'n music 10]]) have had Hyper charts.

:Over the years some older songs have been given Hyper charts as well.

;Perfect(!)

:Every note hit was a Great, earning you a perfect score of 100,000 (or Great and Cool if Cools are on). Starting with [[PnM_AC_13|pop'n music 13 カーニバル]], a message displaying "Perfect!!" appears for those who do this at the end of a song, along with the result screen announcer congratulating you by saying, "Marvelous!" In addition, in most of the later AC/CS games, a little mark with three crowns/onions/whatever will be displayed next to a song with a Full Combo.

:Exclusive to pop'n music 11, URA songs are old pop'n music songs with brand-new charts and color palettes for the characters in the songs. Most of them are more difficult, but a few songs are slightly easier due to more modern flowing charts. URA songs do not have Battle charts.