Guitar Hero 360

[Marek]

Okay I've got a question. Maybe miffy or someone else can help me out.

I'm almost done finishing everything at 5 stars in medium, just to give an indication of my skill level so far. I LOVE the song Free Bird, have finished it with 5 stars, but there are parts that for the life of me I just cannot play, even after trying in practice mode.

Specifically there's parts where, for instance, it zig zags between green and red notes like 10 times or more after each other. Is there a way to do these succesfully that I don't know of? I tried doing pull-offs and hammer-ons but I think these notes are too far apart for that?

[Noyb]

I just tried out the xbox version after playing with the original GH1 controller for a while. That controller is tiny. It looks like they fit all five frets in the same area as the first four in the original controller. Did they cave to consumer confusion about having to move their hand too much, or are my fingers just freakishly large?

[miffy495]

I only played Free Bird once through on medium (when it's a game I'm good at, I'll go for the achievements...) so I can't quite recall what part you're talking about. The hammer ons and pulls offs are (I assume you know already, but may as well be safe) dependent upon if there's a black ring around the note. If the note has no ring around it, you can hammer or pull to hit it without strumming. Experimenting with hammer-ons and pull-offs doesn't work if you're just trying it for random notes. The notes can be pretty far apart and still work with that. I've actually been surprised how much they allow you to hammer and pull compared to when you'd need to strum if you were playing a real guitar. The entire intro to Free Bird, for example, only really needs to be strummed after each hold note when you're playing on expert. Everything else is hammered.

If what you're looking at is something like:

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---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o-

-o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---

then you should be able to hammer it without too much difficulty, provided the notes don't have a black border. Just leave your finger on the green and hit the red to the rhythm with your nearest finger. Don't let go of the lowest note until the passage is done, and if you fall out of the rhythm, strum again to get back into it as soon as you can hit a note. Even if they're not hammer and pull notes, you should still be able to do the same thing just strumming up and down with your other hand. If you're not used to strumming up yet, there'll be a few songs when you move up to hard that you'll have no hope of finishing without it so you may as well get accustomed to the technique now.

One last thing, keep using practice mode. That thing is a godsend. I could barely finish Laid To Rest for a 3 star review until I spent an hour with it in practice mode last Thursday. The very next playthrough I had of the song was 5 stars, and I haven't gotten less than that since. Just keep it up, and get ready for the above type of passages to turn into

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----o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---

---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o----

--o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o-----

when you get to hard. Those bits can still kill me, and the long passage of them in Free Bird is the only part of that song I still need star power to survive.

As for the guitar, the buttons are actually the same distance apart, it's just the shape of the controller that takes some getting used to. The buttons themselves are differently shaped, but the button-to-button and button-to-strum-bar distance is unchanged. To illustrate:

(Real guitar shown for scale.)

(Also so I don't look as pathetic.)

Actually, the buttons on the Xplorer look a bit bigger in that photo, but that's mostly because I had to lay the Xplorer on top of the SG to get the fretboards close enough for a snap.

...shit that was a long post. Sorry.

[ThunderPeel2001]

That was a great post! Thanks for posting those pics, it's really interesting to see them side-by-side. I wish the XBOX controller would work on my PS2 so I could buy just the GH1 disc without needing to buy another controller, but I'm guessing it doesn't!

I can't remember who it was that was saying they sucked at Guitar Hero (they failed a song on easy and unlocked their friends achievement), but seriously: EVERYONE is that bad when they first start playing! I can't believe how much I've come on since I first played it!

I can do all the songs on easy in five star now (I've even done a few without missing a single note!), but when I started I could barely do one song on easy. I've now moved on to hard, and it's quite a challenge, but it still feels like fun! So, keep at it and don't get discouraged, I can't see how anyone starts this game with any amazing amount of skill, even real guitar players.

[miffy495]

If you do end up getting GH1 for the PS2, the main warning I have for you is that the strap on the SG is a lot shorter. I play the Xplorer with the strap as long as it will go, which for me means that the top of the guitar is about level with my belt. The SG's strap is short enough that the lowest I can get it is to that the bottom of the guitar is at that height. That does get a little disorienting when I switch between the games, and is something to look out for.

EDIT: Also, incredible swelling of geeky pride. This run got me two of the most difficult achievements in the game.

[Marek]

Dude, thanks for that great post. You went above and beyond the call of duty.

The whole problem with my way of playing, it turns out, is that I never keep the lower note pressed while alternating with a higher note. I just keep one fret pressed at a time. Clearly that's what's causing me to fail at the zig-zags and it's also probably making my hands more tired than they should be.

Also: "OH. MY. GAWWWWD." @ that screenshot. 1337 note streak eh?

[Noyb]

Thanks for the comparison. When I played the 360 version for a song, my fingers were completely lost, even though I'm on the last setlist on expert in GHII on the PS2. I guess I'll get used to it when the new one comes out in fall. (Way too many games coming out this fall. )

Very nice job on X-Stream.

[miffy495]

Well, shit. Today while trying to 5 Star Freya (Only one I haven't before the 7th tier. Grr...) my guitar suddenly stopped registering downward strums. I cracked 'er open as I've done in the past to solve problems, but this time my problem was firmly encased in a plastic box that I couldn't get at. I fear my Xplorer is dead. About 4 days after the warranty period expired too. As I'd been wanting to get a second controller for co-op for a while, I decided to check RedOctane's website for the shipping costs for 2 controllers compared to one. Turns out it's only about $5 different. This takes it from $40 a controller (fucking madness) to $22-ish (a bit more reasonable). I did some quick calculations, and considering the mark-up from US to Canadian pricing and how the Canadian dollar has been doing lately, I'd only be losing about $10 to shipping if I make the order. So I went for it. Still, here's my warning to all. Apparently the Xplorer can't take quite as much punishment as the SG can.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Wow, dude... not only over a 1000, but 1337 ('LEET!).

Hopefully your Xplorer experience was an isolated incident...

[miffy495]

Wow, dude... not only over a 1000, but 1337 ('LEET!).

Yeah, I wouldn't have bothered to take a picture, but that specific note streak is too perfect to not commemorate.

Honestly, I think I just play enough to fuck up my controllers. It's not the first time it's happened. My original SG gave out on me at about the 10 month mark, but that time I was able to find the problem and, with my trusty soldering iron, sort it out. The Xplorer had required some work too, but that was just to fix a squeaky strum bar and loosen up the whammy bar a bit. This is the first time I haven't been able to get at the problem though. If you've taken apart a GH controller, you'll know the area I mean. I think it's just that one of the connectors on the lower button under the strum bar has come loose, but I can't access it without busting open the solid plastic shell it's encased in.

Anyway, yeah. I used that controller a LOT, as did my roommate as he works his way through hard. I think reasonable wear should be fine for it. And now we'll have two controllers, so we can beat the hell out of our own and not worry so much about it.

[ThunderPeel2001]

That's cool. By comparison mine should last forever then!

[miffy495]

Well God DAMMIT. I just got my first ever 5 star run through YYZ on Expert.

...On the PS2. :frusty: Where there are no leaderboards or anything of the like and the only time I play it is now because my Xplorer is on the fritz. I just really hope this doesn't turn out like Free Bird. I swear to god, I've 5 starred that twice, but it's not something I've been able to recreate on 360. That shipment of new controllers can't arrive fast enough.

EDIT: Fuck. Why do I keep on playing? Also just got my first 4 stars on Institutionalized, which given those solos I'm quite proud of.

[miffy495]

A few weeks later and finally some news hits! "Sometime in July" I'm reading as about 3 weeks away. It's kind of a far cry from the monthly DLC they'd promised, but now there's a chance I could get my Cowboys From Hell on in co-op, and that's really all I need. I've also got my fingers crossed for Texas Flood or Crossroads, but I can't see those being as likely for whatever reason. Anyone got some wild speculation on what the next 9-ish songs could be?

Also, finally got 5 stars on Freya, Rock This Town, YYZ, and (despite having had it on PS2 since February) Free Bird. So close to being through the whole playlist. Damn you Jim Heath (AKA Reverend Horton Heat) and your crazy speed!

[miffy495]

Well shit, three posts by me in this thread in a row, but I guess it's better than starting up a new one.

Anyway, had to rant on the newest DLC developments for GHII. First off, no longer are we paying 500 points for 3 songs. Now we're paying 200 points for 1. For me, this means the price just went up 100 points as I'm always desperate for new content. Second, rather interestingly, the new songs are not from english-speaking bands. Really fucking cool. Of particular note for me is Los Rodriguez's "Sin Documentos" which is distinctly free of screaming and is just an amazingly fun song to play. If you're not like me (read: just buy all available songs before actually seeing what they are, then play them until 5 stars. Play more if you really like them. Repeat.) and will actually be choosing specific songs to buy, I'd say "Sin Documentos," followed by "Sept," and finally "Exile." Exile is ok, but really easy and generic. Sept is nice if only for the fact that I found it kind of cool to play French metal. Sin Documentos is just what I've been wanting to be available since GHII started getting original DLC. It's a really nice change of pace.

Now then, where's my all blues DLC pack, Red Octane?

[brkl]

I'd actually prefer that pricing model, but then again I'll probably be a casual GH player, whereas you are some crazy rock god.