Nevermind the other tears thread, now it's tears of joy...

[Shinji16]

I did warn the team about the "crazy bemani guys" when we were putting the game together and haggling over how hard to make the top difficulty, but even so, I thought this trophy might take weeks or even months for someone to get.

For what it's worth, I think that the difficulties curve wonderfully well. Removing health for the upper half, and then removing highlights on Master; the pacing feels right as does the challenge.

If you want to see timing that gets really intricate, the latter portion of Switchback and the intro for I Can't Wait are probably the most complex in the game.

Hrm, I haven't noticed any major issues with those. Right now I'm working my way backwards through the tracklist on Master, so it'll be a bit before I get those again, but I might check them out tonigth once I get home (yay posting from work).

This being our first attempt at a rhythm game, I'm sure we've goofed on the scripts/mechanics somewhere (and we had many heated debates about them!) but hopefully they will mostly hold up under scrutiny.

I really couldn't find many issues other than the list of 6 items I posted in that other thread, and they've held up thru my completing the game on Master (lack of red stars aside). You should all be proud of yourselves: For a first time effort, this is fantastically well done. If you look back at the list I posted, most are cosmetic/meta things, no realy criticism on how the engine/timing is handled, which is the most crucial part.

From what I can see with my limited scrutiny your scripting/mechanics seem fine. Trust provided, and perhaps in a private discussion, I would love to talk more in depth about the heart and guts of the game. For what it's worth I have a decade of experience in music games a very deep understanding on how the engine and timing worked for pretty much every game I've played (which, to be honest, I think is everyone put out with only 1-2 limited Japanese arcade games)

[Solitude]

Well, the song is scripted at 180 bpm rather than 90, so those two enemies (which are tied to snare drum hits) are considered as being on the half-beat, which is consistent with other songs' scripting.

If you want to see timing that gets really intricate, the latter portion of Switchback and the intro for I Can't Wait are probably the most complex in the game.

The double-taps are there pretty much for that very reason - the characters and animations introduce some limitations that aren't present in games with abstract cues. That's why at Expert+, almost all the powerups are score. They're just there to make you push more buttons rather than providing some strategic benefit. They are also there to include presses for things that aren't perfectly synched to the rhythm - since the timing on them is flexible, it doesn't force you to learn awkward timings for those off-beat elements. This being our first attempt at a rhythm game, I'm sure we've goofed on the scripts/mechanics somewhere (and we had many heated debates about them!) but hopefully they will mostly hold up under scrutiny.

[Shinji16]

Wow. I did warn the team about the "crazy bemani guys"...

Oh, the things I would have given to have been at that discussion. I'm legitimately surprised another Bemani/hardcore music gamer didn't beat me to it, hence me staying up when I really shouldn't have. I would have gotten it sooner if the two blues at 2:05 weren't syncopated 16th notes, unlike everything else in the game... *mumble grumble*
Took me a while to figure that out; at 1:55 and 1:58 you can hear me beat checking it by slapping my legs.

Congratulations!

Sincerely, thank you. This and being called a "crazy bemani guy" have been more than worth the effort. And the retakes. And the screaming/swearing at the screen.

Also, I forgot to mention this in my huge list of suggestions thread, but I wanted to say that using the power ups as an easy way to sneak in 16th notes without overloading the screen with baddies? Very freakin' smart. Tip of the hat to whomever thought of that.

[Solitude]

Wow. I did warn the team about the "crazy bemani guys" when we were putting the game together and haggling over how hard to make the top difficulty, but even so, I thought this trophy might take weeks or even months for someone to get. Congratulations!

[Shinji16]

One down, seventeen to go...

And a photo and a tweet because why not.