IIDX Glossary

4KEYS

Replaced in 3rd Style by LIGHT7, this was intended as a beginner-friendly mode that used only the four white keys. Available only on 1st, Substream, and 2nd style.

5KEYS (10KEYS on Double)

Available for home versions as a specific mode, this plays exactly as 7KEYS, except for the idea that the last two keys farthest from the turntable are not used. This is probably a compatibility issue with original beatmania controllers, so that owners of the original could still somewhat play beatmania IIDX, only having the 5-key controller at hand. In arcade versions of IIDX, 5KEYS has been available from the start as a special gameplay option, most likely as an attempt to help players of the original series make the transition. Starting with 7th style AC (and 10th style CS), 5KEYS was turned into an ASSIST modifier, allowing it to be used with notecharts other than the ordinary 7KEYS mode.

ANOTHER (ANOTHER14 on Double)

The most difficult play mode -- harder than Hyper/7KEYS and much harder than Normal/LIGHT7. Prior to HAPPY SKY, ANOTHER charts did not have their own difficulty ratings and would display as the same difficulty as the HYPER version. Some tracks have an Another that sounds different from the original song. ANOTHER is intended generally for experienced players and usually contains notecharts with a difficulty of 9 to 12. Not every song has an ANOTHER version, though songs without Anothers typically originate from older styles.

ASSIST

A category of modifiers that automatically play notes for the player, including 5KEYS, AUTO-SCRATCH, LEGACY, and any combination thereof. Until GOLD, scores achieved with ASSIST modifiers were not counted. Currently, scores achieved with ASSIST modifiers will be counted, but charts cleared with ASSIST modifiers will be marked with an ASSIST CLEAR until the player achieves an EASY CLEAR or higher. Notes that are automatically played do not count towards EX score, so while ASSIST mods can help in clearing the chart, they will reduce the maximum EX score attainable due to the lower number of playable notes.

AUTO-SCRATCH

An ASSIST modifier that automatically plays scratch notes.

BACKSPIN SCRATCH

A scratch note in which you must continuously spin the turntable and then spin it in the opposite direction at the end of the note. The initial scratch and the counter-scratch are judged separately. Introduced in SIRIUS.

BEGINNER

This mode was added in 9th style (5th style for home version). In the arcade, Beginner limits the list of songs available to only 1-3 star songs, thus severely limiting the number of songs available in a game. In the home versions, Beginner gives an alternate note chart for nearly all songs, rated from 1-3. These alternative note charts are not available in the arcade.

BLACK ANOTHER / KURO ANOTHER

An even harder play mode than ANOTHER difficulty, available on CS DJ TROOPERS and CS EMPRESS only. While not every Black ANOTHER chart is rated level 12, several of them are, and have astoundingly high note counts. MENDES's Single Black ANOTHER chart is notorious for having the most notes of any Single Play beatmania IIDX chart ever, at 2626 notes.

CHARGE NOTE

A note that must be held down and then released when the note ends. The initial press and the release are judged separately. Introduced in SIRIUS.

CLASS / DANININTEI (DAN)

This mode serves as a skill-ranking system for IIDX players. Modeled after the Dan system for many martial arts schools, players are ranked from 7th Kyu (the initiate level; 5th Kyu on Double) all the way through 10th Dan (the highest rank attainable). Each rank consists of a course of four songs (three on Double), each rank being harder than the last. The highest rank a player can achieve can be considered that player's relative "skill level," and is a decent way to gauge player ability. In DistorteD, an extra rank above 10th Dan was added, called Kaiden, that is designed to truly test a IIDX master's skills.

CLEAR RATE

The ratio of clears to total attempts by all players on the eAMUSEMENT network on a given chart. It is expressed as a percentage that is shown for the currently-selected chart.

DOUBLE PLAY

A play mode in which the player uses both sets of seven keys and both turntables.

EASY

A GAUGE modifier that consists of a modified GROOVE GAUGE that sustains lower penalties for misses.

EX HARD

A GAUGE modifier, similar to the HARD gauge but with a higher, 18% penalty for missing a note. It is distinguished with a yellow GROOVE GAUGE.

EXPERT

This mode is one in which you can play a course of songs in a row without stopping. You start with the gauge at its maximum; if it drops to 0, the game is over. The gauge is the same as that used in Hard mode in normal play, but drops at a much slower rate. EXPERT mode was removed beginning in tricoro.

FREE

Similar to Standard/Arcade mode, with the exception that there is no limit on the which songs can be picked for any particular stage. On home versions, play in Free Mode will continue endlessly until the player chooses to return to the main menu. On arcade versions, Free Mode allows for the player to play two stages, but the player can pick any song for either stage without limits on difficulty and without having to worry about Game Over if a song is failed.

FREE PLUS

A variant of arcade versions' FREE mode, but exclusively for two players and with three stages.

FULL COMBO

Clearing a song with the maximum possible combo; in other words, clearing a song with zero BADs and POORs (other than POORs sustained by excessively pressing keys). Beginning in 10th style, achieving a FULL COMBO results in a splash graphic accompanied by the text "FULL COMBO".

HARD

A GAUGE modifier that consists of a modified EXPERT gauge that sustains higher penalties for misses.

HAZARD

A variant of FREE mode, but with four stages and a new restriction: if you break combo at all, you fail the song instantly. In arcade versions, it is accessed by highlighting FREE on the mode select screen and pressing the three black keys simultaneously. In console versions, it is a GAUGE modifier accessed by holding down the key to change gauge modifier as you select HARD gauge.

HI-SPEED

A modifier that affects the scroll rate of the chart. However, the chart itself and the song remain unchanged, with notes spread out to compensate. Early versions of IIDX have only one setting, but newer versions add more options; tricoro and onwards in particular allows adjusting the HI-SPEED multiplier with up to two decimal points of precision.

HYPER / 7KEYS (14KEYS on Double)

This is the standard play mode -- harder than Normal/LIGHT7, and easier than Another. It is intended for intermediate players and usually contains notecharts with a difficulty between 6 and 10.

LEGACY

An ASSIST modifier that converts CHARGE NOTEs and BACKSPIN SCRATCHes to regular notes. If used on a chart with no CHARGE NOTEs or BACKSPIN SCRATCHes, and the chart is cleared, the chart will be marked with a standard CLEAR rather than an ASSIST CLEAR.

NORMAL / LIGHT7 (LIGHT14 on Double)

This mode is a degree of difficulty lower than Hyper/7KEYS. It is intended for beginning players and usually contains notecharts with a difficulty between 1 and 7.

PREMIUM FREE

An arcade-exclusive variant of FREE mode that allows you to play as many songs as you wish for a specified amount of time, similar to console versions' FREE mode but with a time limit; by default, 6-, 8-, and 10-minute modes are available. You can quit a song any time by pressing the EFFECT and VEFX buttons. This is a PASELI-only mode, and costs more than a credit of other play modes in exchange for this convenience.

SINGLE PLAY

A play mode in which the player uses one set of seven keys and its corresponding turntable.

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