GFDM Glossary

ADVANCED

First game: GUITARFREAKS 5thMIX & drummania 4thMIX

The second of the classic GuitarFreaks & DrumMania three difficulty tiers. Songs in this tier typically range from 30-50 (on a 1-99 scale) and peak at roughly 90. This difficulty was renamed as REGULAR in GuitarFreaksXG & DrumManiaXG, but it was reverted back to ADVANCED in GITADORA.

AUTO-BASS/AUTO-PAD

First game: drummania 4thMIX

Game modifier which automatically plays the specified pad(s) or pedal(s) without any input from the player. When enabled, the specified bass pedal(s) or pad lane(s) will be marked with "Auto." Using any Auto modifier will cut the resulting song skill by at least half, depending on the game played.

BASIC

First game: GUITARFREAKS 5thMIX & drummania 4thMIX

The lowest of the classic GF/DM three difficulty tiers. Songs on this difficulty start at 10 (on a 1-99 scale) and increase to roughly 70. This is synonymous with Novice difficulty in GF/DM XG.

Bass

First game: GUITARFREAKS 3rdMIX

One of two alternative playstyles in GuitarFreaks, allowing the player to play the bass guitar portions of the song. Most songs in classic GF/DM have only a Basic and Advanced chart for Bass, with several having an additional chart on Extreme. To date, songs with new charts in GF/DM XG have been given Bass charts on all three difficulty tiers.

BONUS TRACK

First game: GUITARFREAKS 3rdMIX & drummania 2ndMIX

A song longer than the usual ~2 minute GuitarFreaks / DrumMania song. The length of a BONUS TRACK varies, ranging from 3:30 to over 5 minutes in length. Only one or two BONUS TRACKs can be played a game, depending on game settings. Bonus Track songs do not have Bass and Open Pick charts.

DARK

First game: GUITARFREAKS 7thMIX & drummania 6thMIX

Game modifier which darkens the background frame, play lanes, measure lines, and the target timing area. This modifier is typically used to help see notes more clearly, which may clash with the colors of the background or lanes.

ENCORE STAGE

First game: GUITARFREAKS 4thMIX & drummania 3rdMIX

An additional stage earned after performing well on the game's EXTRA STAGE-specific song (refer to each game's information page for specific requirements). When accessed, a new song for the game (and only that song) may be played, with the difficulty of the song typically being determined by the difficulty of the Extra Stage previously played.

Extra Rush

First game: GuitarFreaks V3 & DrumMania V3

A new system where the game's Extra, Encore, and Premium Encore Stages change over time. The current configuration for the game's stages are designated by Extra Levels.

EXTRA STAGE

First game: GUITARFREAKS

An additional stage earned after meeting certain requirements in Standard or Bonus Track Mode (refer to each game's information page for specific requirements). This typically allows for an EXTRA STAGE-specific song new to the game to be selected, though in later mixes the player may also have the option of selecting any other song from the songlist.

EXTREME

First game: GUITARFREAKS 5thMIX & drummania 4thMIX

The most difficult tier of the classic GF/DM three difficulty tiers. Songs in this tier typically range from 40-70 (on a 1-99 scale) and peak at 99. This is synonymous with Expert difficulty in GF/DM XG.

GITADOROCK

First game: GITADORA

A song from another BEMANI game that has been remixed to fit the GuitarFreaks / DrumMania series.

HALF-DARK

First game: GuitarFreaks V4 & DrumMania V4 RockxRock

Game modifier similar to Dark, which darkens the background frame and play lanes, but keeps measure lines and the target timing area intact. This modifier is typically used to help see notes more clearly, which may clash with the colors of the background or lanes.

HI-SPEED

First game: GUITARFREAKS

Game modifier which adjusts the scroll rate of notes. Each scroll rate is constant across all songs; a 65 BPM song set at Hi-Speed 4x will scroll at the same rate as a 300 BPM song at Hi-Speed 4x (although several exceptions exist in early releases of GF/DM). Hi-Speed varies from 1.0x to 10.0x (also known as Hi-Speed MAX in some versions) in increments of 0.5x, with GF/DM V4 introducing a Hi-Speed 0.5x and 20.0x.

MASTER

First game: GuitarFreaksXG & DrumManiaXG

A new difficulty tier ranked higher than Expert tier, available for a song after completing the song on Expert difficulty. Songs in this tier are typically rated above 7.00 (on GF/DM XG's new 1.00-9.99 scale).

Open Pick

First game: GUITARFREAKS 7thMIX & drummania 6thMIX

One of two alternative playstyles in GuitarFreaks. Selecting Open Pick adds Open notes to the note chart, which are strummed without holding down any frets. Many Open Pick charts are nearly identical to their Guitar counterparts, with Open notes merely replacing notes. This mode was removed in GF/DM XG, and Open notes now appear in Expert and Master charts by default.

PREMIUM ENCORE STAGE

First game: GUITARFREAKS 10thMIX & drummania 9thMIX

An additional stage played after the game's EXTRA STAGE-specific song, with more stringent requirements than ENCORE STAGE. When accessed, a new song for the game (and only that song) may be played, with the difficulty of the song being determined by the difficulty of the EXTRA STAGE previously played.

Standard Mode

This mode is the primary selectable mode in the GF/DM series - Standard Mode features all selectable songs for the given mix, and typically allows for 3-5 stages of play, depending on the machine's settings. If the player performs well enough, they may earn an Extra Stage or even an Encore Stage, which allows access to certain songs available only on those stages.