What is beatmania IIDX: Difference between revisions

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''beatmania IIDX'' controls consist of seven (instrument) keys (four white, three black) along with one turntable on each player's side. The turntable for the left player's side, 1Player, is on the left of the keys, while the one on the right player's side, 2Player, is on the right.
''beatmania IIDX'' controls consist of seven (instrument) keys (four white, three black) along with one turntable on each player's side. The turntable for the left player's side, 1Player, is on the left of the keys, while the one on the right player's side, 2Player, is on the right.


Under the 16:9 wide display are the start button, the effector button, and effector sliders. After [[AC 9th style|beatmania IIDX 9th style]], there is also a cardreader, in order to use the magnetic card of [[eAMUSEMENT|e-AMUSEMENT]]. In 9th style, the effector no longer operates, but it has been revived in [[AC 10th style|10th style]] with modified slide switch function. Different versions of the game are traditionally referred to as 'styles', with higher numbers being the most recent machines. The series currently reaches from the first style produced all the way to 10th style. According to [[Goli Matsumoto|GOLI]], 10th style was the last IIDX series with an "n-th style". [[AC IIDX RED|beatmania IIDX 11 IIDX RED]] became the first beatmania IIDX game with a theme and title, followed by [[AC HAPPY SKY|beatmania IIDX 12 HAPPY SKY]], and so forth. Each series produced has a different mix of songs from older styles and new songs, and has a different graphical 'theme'.
Under the 16:9 wide display are the start button, the effector button, and effector sliders. After [[AC 9th style|beatmania IIDX 9th style]], there is also a cardreader, in order to use the magnetic/contact-less smart card of [[eAMUSEMENT|e-AMUSEMENT]]. In 9th style, the effector no longer operates, but it has been revived in [[AC 10th style|10th style]] with modified slide switch function. Different versions of the game are traditionally referred to as 'styles', with higher numbers being the most recent machines. The series currently reaches from the first style produced all the way to 10th style. According to [[Goli Matsumoto|GOLI]], 10th style was the last IIDX series with an "n-th style". [[AC IIDX RED|beatmania IIDX 11 IIDX RED]] became the first beatmania IIDX game with a theme and title, followed by [[AC HAPPY SKY|beatmania IIDX 12 HAPPY SKY]], and so forth. Each series produced has a different mix of songs from older styles and new songs, and has a different graphical 'theme'.


The main differences in hardware between the beatmania IIDX series and the original ''beatmania'' series are the presence of two extra keys, the wide screen and the more powerful speakers.  This hardware difference was never actually intended to become the standard beatmania IIDX cabinet. Originally, KONAMI had planned to develop and release two different versions of arcade cabinets, a version similar to that of its predecessor ''beatmania'' and its ill-fated successor ''beatmania III'', and a 'deluxe' cabinet with a 'DX' suffix on the end of the name. KONAMI scrapped the standard cabinet mid-development, but the 'DX' suffix stuck and has remained throughout the series.
The main differences in hardware between the beatmania IIDX series and the original ''beatmania'' series are the presence of two extra keys, the wide screen and the more powerful speakers.  This hardware difference was never actually intended to become the standard beatmania IIDX cabinet. Originally, KONAMI had planned to develop and release two different versions of arcade cabinets, a version similar to that of its predecessor ''beatmania'' and its ill-fated successor ''beatmania III'', and a 'deluxe' cabinet with a 'DX' suffix on the end of the name. KONAMI scrapped the standard cabinet mid-development, but the 'DX' suffix stuck and has remained throughout the series.
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The difficulty of songs is measured in 'stars', however the system has not remained concrete. The newest styles often contain songs harder than the star system can accurately represent, and as such is constantly revised which each new style. Originally, the difficulty ratings ranged from one to seven "stars". In beatmania IIDX 5th style, a "flashing seven" difficulty debuted, although they would not actually flash until [[AC 6th style|6th style]]. beatmania IIDX 9th style introduced new difficulties by Level, in which "flashing 7's" are replaced with Level 7+. In 10th style, the maximum difficulty was raised from Level 7+ to Level 8. beatmania IIDX 11 IIDX RED debuted Level 8+. As of beatmania IIDX 12 HAPPY SKY, the difficulty system was completely overhauled, and all songs are now rated on a scale of Level 1 to Level 12, Level 1 being the easiest, Level 12 being the most difficult.
The difficulty of songs is measured in 'stars', however the system has not remained concrete. The newest styles often contain songs harder than the star system can accurately represent, and as such is constantly revised which each new style. Originally, the difficulty ratings ranged from one to seven "stars". In beatmania IIDX 5th style, a "flashing seven" difficulty debuted, although they would not actually flash until [[AC 6th style|6th style]]. beatmania IIDX 9th style introduced new difficulties by Level, in which "flashing 7's" are replaced with Level 7+. In 10th style, the maximum difficulty was raised from Level 7+ to Level 8. beatmania IIDX 11 IIDX RED debuted Level 8+. As of beatmania IIDX 12 HAPPY SKY, the difficulty system was completely overhauled, and all songs are now rated on a scale of Level 1 to Level 12, Level 1 being the easiest, Level 12 being the most difficult.


Many players consider a pass to be rather arbitrarily determined, and so the usual focus is on getting as high a grade as possible. Grades (a feature that came about as of [[AC 6th style|6th style]]) are determined by the player's "EX Score", which is the number of Flashing Greats (also known as Just Great) times two plus the number of Greats. 8/9ths of the maximum or above yields a AAA, 7/9ths or above is a AA, and so on down to a minimum of F. Getting the maximum possible EX Score on a song(ie all Flashing Greats) is generally considered an unrealistic goal, if not impossible. Despite this, some very good players have been known to achieve this feat, albeit on some of the easier songs in the game.
Many players consider a pass to be rather arbitrarily determined, and so the usual focus is on getting as high a grade as possible. Grades (a feature that came about as of [[AC 6th style|6th style]]) are determined by the player's "EX Score", which is the number of Flashing Greats (also known as Just Great or Perfect Great) times two plus the number of Greats. 8/9ths of the maximum or above yields a AAA, 7/9ths or above is a AA, and so on down to a minimum of F. Getting the maximum possible EX Score on a song(i.e. all Flashing Greats) is generally considered an unrealistic goal, if not impossible. Despite this, some very good players have been known to achieve this feat, albeit on some of the easier songs in the game.


''beatmania IIDX'' has long been a 'cult' game because of the sheer learning curve of the game for new players, unlike other BEMANI games like DanceDanceRevolution. The machine is often found in Japanese arcades, but they are rare in American and European arcades.
''beatmania IIDX'' has long been a 'cult' game because of the sheer learning curve of the game for new players, unlike other BEMANI games like DanceDanceRevolution. The machine is often found in Japanese arcades, but they are rare in American and European arcades.


==Difficulties==
;<span style="color: #00ff7f;">BEGINNER</span>
:This difficulty was added as a game mode in 9th style (5th style for home version). Designed for newcomers to the game, the BEGINNER difficulty uses alternative note charts that are rated from Level 1 to 3. Not all songs have BEGINNER charts, thus the selection of charts available for this difficulty is limited.
:SIRIUS includes select BEGINNER charts from home versions to the arcade series; since [[AC copula|copula]], these charts can also be played in any non-course mode.
;<span style="color: #0295ff;">NORMAL</span> / LIGHT7
:A degree of difficulty lower than HYPER.
;<span style="color: #e6e600;">HYPER</span> / 7KEYS
:This is the standard difficulty.
;<span style="color: #ff0000;">ANOTHER</span>
:Most players will agree this is the hardest difficulty by far. The key configuration and 'charts' are similar to that of HYPER, but are often harder and not as straight forward. Even if you can complete a song on HYPER, you may not even be able to get too far on ANOTHER. To play a song on ANOTHER on IIDX RED and before, you must select 7KEYS from the menu and then select the song while holding down the VEFX button (for IIDX HAPPY SKY and later, just press the VEFX button to change the difficulty to select ANOTHER). Songs in ANOTHER difficulty were not given separate difficulty ratings in IIDX 1-11, which was often misleading as the difficulty meter showed the same rating as the 7KEYS/HYPER variation. As of HAPPY SKY, songs in ANOTHER difficulty were given a separate rating.  Not every song has an ANOTHER chart.  Some tracks [[IIDX General Info#Why_doesn.27t_.28song_X.29_sound_the_same_as_.28song_X_on_a_different_difficulty.29.3F|have an Another that sounds different from the original song]].
==Game modes==
==Game modes==


;BEGINNER
;STANDARD
: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 were not available in the arcade until at least SIRIUS.
:The typical game mode. Select a song per stage and try to clear the stage with a Groove Gauge of at least 80% (except when using an alternative gauge).
*As of IIDX RED, Beginner Mode's charts are all 1-Star and are impossible to fail out of.
;LIGHT7 / NORMAL
:This mode is a degree of difficulty lower than 7KEYS. On LIGHT7, the game will not end if you fail the first stage. Before 8th style, it was possible to attain the extra stage by playing in this mode. You may play the 7KEYS difficulty for a song by holding down the VEFX button when selecting the song.
:In HAPPY SKY, this difficulty was renamed "Normal".
;7KEYS / HYPER
:This is the standard play mode. When a fixed condition is satisfied on the last song, you can get an extra stage.
:In HAPPY SKY, this difficulty was renamed "Hyper"
;ANOTHER
:Most players will agree this is the hardest mode by far. The key configuration and 'charts' are similar to that of 7KEYS, but are often harder and not as straight forward. Even if you can complete a song on 7KEYS, you may not even be able to get too far on ANOTHER. To play a song on ANOTHER on IIDX RED and before, you must select 7KEYS from the menu and then select the song while holding down the VEFX button (for IIDX HAPPY SKY and later, just press the VEFX button to change the difficulty to select ANOTHER). Songs in ANOTHER difficulty were not given separate difficulty ratings in IIDX 1-11, which was often misleading as the difficulty meter showed the same rating as the 7KEYS variation. As of HAPPY SKY, songs in ANOTHER difficulty were given a separate rating.  Not every song has an ANOTHER version.  Some tracks [[IIDX General Info#Why_doesn.27t_.28song_X.29_sound_the_same_as_.28song_X_on_a_different_difficulty.29.3F|have an Another that sounds different from the original song]].
;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
: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 can be used with notecharts other than the ordinary 7KEYS mode.
;EXPERT
;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.
: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.
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;FREE
;FREE
:Practice mode. You can play to the end of a song and won't fail, but you get one song less than if you were to play LIGHT7 or 7KEYS. (Usually, you'd get 3 songs if you played LIGHT7 or 7KEYS; you only get 2 with FREE.)
:Practice mode. You can play to the end of a song and won't fail, but you get one song less than if you were to play LIGHT7 or 7KEYS. (Usually, you'd get 3 songs if you played LIGHT7 or 7KEYS; you only get 2 with FREE.)
;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
: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 can be used with notecharts other than the ordinary 7KEYS mode.


Furthermore, when DOUBLE is selected in the options selection screen before the game starts, "7" changes to "14", and you use both sides to play.
Furthermore, when DOUBLE is selected in the options selection screen before the game starts, "7" changes to "14", and you use both sides to play.
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==Gameplay modifiers==
==Gameplay modifiers==


[NOTE: Due to the sheer number of modifiers available in beatmania IIDX, this section will divide the modifiers according to the category that each is placed in-game (as of SINOBUZ). Older modifiers no longer seen in recent arcade games are also described here.]
[NOTE: Due to the sheer number of modifiers available in beatmania IIDX, this section will divide the modifiers according to the category that each is placed in-game (as of [[AC SINOBUZ|SINOBUZ]]). Older modifiers no longer seen in recent arcade games are also described here.]


'''BASIC ASSIST MODIFIERS'''
'''BASIC ASSIST MODIFIERS'''
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'''STYLE MODIFIERS'''
'''STYLE MODIFIERS'''


* RANDOM - Notes are assigned to a random key. Scratch notes are unaffected, however.
* RANDOM - Each column of notes is assigned to a random key. Scratch notes are unaffected, however.
* S-RANDOM - Same as above, but individual notes are scrambled instead.
* S-RANDOM - Same as above, but individual notes are scrambled instead.
* R-RANDOM - Notes are frequently rotated.
* R-RANDOM - Notes are frequently rotated.
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* HI-SPEED - increases the scroll rate of the note chart. It is important to point out that the actual notes do not have to be pressed any more quickly; the scroll speed is simply increased and the notes become further apart. Most beatmania IIDX players use Hi-Speed to make the notes easier to read. Most versions of beatmania IIDX have more than one Hi-Speed setting, differentiated by numbers (a higher number means a faster speed.) The Hi-Speed modifier is traditionally abbreviated HS with the number immediately following. For example, Hi-Speed 2 is abbreviated HS2. In styles from DistoreD and IIDX RED CS onward, the player is able to change High Speeds during actual gameplay. Starting with HAPPY SKY and 10th Style CS, Hi-Speed options are expanded to .5 intervals ranging from normal speed to Hi-Speed 4 or 5. Starting in SPADA, the Hi-Speed setting can only be changed on the main gameplay screen.
* HI-SPEED - increases the scroll rate of the note chart. It is important to point out that the actual notes do not have to be pressed any more quickly; the scroll speed is simply increased and the notes become further apart. Most beatmania IIDX players use Hi-Speed to make the notes easier to read. Most versions of beatmania IIDX have more than one Hi-Speed setting, differentiated by numbers (a higher number means a faster speed.) The Hi-Speed modifier is traditionally abbreviated HS with the number immediately following. For example, Hi-Speed 2 is abbreviated HS2. In styles from DistoreD and IIDX RED CS onward, the player is able to change High Speeds during actual gameplay. Starting with HAPPY SKY and 10th Style CS, Hi-Speed options are expanded to .5 intervals ranging from normal speed to Hi-Speed 4 or 5. Starting in SPADA, the Hi-Speed setting can only be changed on the main gameplay screen.
Hi-Speed is traditionally adjusted by holding the START button during gameplay and hitting either a black or white key. Tricoro introduces the Floating Hi-Speed, in which adjustments are done by one-hundredth decimal intervals by spinning the turntable in a corresponding direction.
:Hi-Speed is traditionally adjusted by holding the START button during gameplay and hitting either a black or white key. [[AC tricoro|tricoro]] introduces the Floating Hi-Speed, in which adjustments are done by one-hundredth decimal intervals by spinning the turntable in a corresponding direction. A player can switch between the traditional and Floating Hi-Speed by pressing the EFFECT button while the Hi-Speed window is open.
* RANDOM+ - introduced in IIDX RED AC and 8th style CS, this is similar to Random, except that the scratch column is included in the randomization process, so the scratches usually end up assigned to a key, and a key gets assigned to the scratch. This modifier usually completely changes the character of the note chart, so scores obtained using this modifier are not recorded.
* RANDOM+ - introduced in IIDX RED AC and 8th style CS, this is similar to Random, except that the scratch column is included in the randomization process, so the scratches usually end up assigned to a key, and a key gets assigned to the scratch. This modifier usually completely changes the character of the note chart, so scores obtained using this modifier are not recorded.
* MIRROR+ - introduced in 9th style CS, this is like Mirror, except the scratch column is included. Like Random+, scores obtained using this modifier are not recorded.
* MIRROR+ - introduced in 9th style CS, this is like Mirror, except the scratch column is included. Like Random+, scores obtained using this modifier are not recorded.
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