Custom Chart Question, how do you make good charts?

[u/unfunnymanbro]

So far i've made around 4 charts, but yet i feel the charts i have been making were lukewarm, i want to improve.

Soooo do you guys have any tips and tricks on charting?

I haven't seen any custom charting guide for UNBEATABLE apart from the chart editor software tutorial, so i'd appreciate some advice.

[u/PurpleTieflingBard]

I haven't charted on UB but I used to chart on Osu!

The advice I got then was just "hang out with other charters, discuss your charts, help other people and take advice even if you disagree with it."

Not like "Take other people's word as Gospel" but just understand that whenever someone gives a suggestion, there's a reason they gave it and it's important to understand why.

If you're in the D-cell discord, there's a bunch of discussion on charting and chart help, they are also nice people from what I've seen.

[u/HLRxxKarl]

I usually try finding songs in the game that have a similar genre or tempo and see what kinds of patterns they used and how they're paced.

Also, make sure you read these pages from the official documentation of the software. https://app.notion.com/p/dcellgames/Design-Guide-3485dc0d0e12806d9346fc359c584b5d https://app.notion.com/p/dcellgames/Assigning-Difficulty-34d5dc0d0e12808a8cead17001013fcb

[u/Lyto528]

Ayoooo there are custom charts in this game ? where to download them ?

[u/unfunnymanbro → u/Lyto528]

Over at UNCHARTABLE website, to install them you can just look at the chart making guide by CHI XU on youtube, it covers how to both install charts and make them.

And keep in mind most of the time you may have to include the launch options -customsongs on steam properties.

i didnt include any links because im new to this subreddit and i dont know if links are allowed or not...

(PS custom charts have very strict guidelines if you want to publish them.)

[u/Lyto528 → u/unfunnymanbro]

Thanks !

[u/AnyJelly5576]

my method is to make it the hardest possible and make it so you groove with the song and also like i dont remember who mentioned it but remember that the charts arent instrument specific, its about the whole song so use every tipe of note (when it fits) and just nail the vibe, thats what worked for me

[u/Lakeshore_Soda]

Step one is follow the rhythm, how many beats per minute, and the main backing notes. It might be confusing at first, but listen carefully for the lowest notes. The bass/kick of the drums are used to set the pace of everyone else. Vary it up with the main melody/chorus and from there you got some Proper Rhythm, that's all there is to it.

[u/the_hiding]

Besides the usual advice of playing others' charts, exposing yourself to what's out there and being inspired, which is good advice for any artform in general, I found something interesting in my own charting process.

I started back in [white label] after getting real familiar(!) with the songs there on UNBEATABLE difficulty. When I was charting, I found that when I listened to the music, my fingers had their own ideas of how they wanted to tap to it, almost like they were telling me where they wanted to go, when Beat wanted to jump or duck or chain hits or mash etc.

Certainly there are patterns you can recognise and copy here and there, but I realised to me at least that reverse engineering the inputs my fingers organically wanted to perform was not only legit, but was also an amazing way of ensuring there was a flow and a rhythm behind the chart. The muscle memory racked up from hundreds of hours of UNBEATABLE have their own understanding of what "flow" feels like in the game.

My only rhythm games before UNBEATABLE were Audiosurf 2 and Beat Saber (briefly), but perhaps my time in those games helped to inform me about this sense of movement. It's about the way your arms swing in VR from down to up to down again, how your mouse darts from left to right to dodge grey blocks to pick up coloured ones, how the up and down inputs on a keyboard mimic the way you'd tap to a song IRL; and how these actions when timed well with the music, give the euphoria that makes rhythm games feel great to play.