toblix

Crock Band

Recommended Posts

Weep! After hours of furious stomping my bass pedal has broken in twine. Anyone else had this problem? I tried to splint it with a bit of old stick, but to no avail.

I imported the thing from America to the UK, so I doubt EA will be prepared to repair or replace it...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Tommy Gunn just did a great article/podcast on modding your equipment. Might be a good place to start looking for replacements/mods?

TG: I'm getting the Euro version of Rock Band as soon as it comes out, so it's going to be interesting to see what drums we get, and if there's any improvement over the US versions. Where's a good place to read up on these sorts of things? I fancy modding my drums for bounce and noise... assuming they're going to suffer from the same problem :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Weep! After hours of furious stomping my bass pedal has broken in twine.

It's really easy to make your own pedal (if you have the money to buy a cheap real pedal). Since your pedal is broken and you're not sending it back, you can even break it apart and use the sensor from it (though the parts only cost $6 to buy separately). Instructions with lots of photos throughout the thread:

http://rockband.scorehero.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2967&sid=893e21d94b1d0f2330af97eca24dd6bb

Also, here's the podcast/video I did about drum modding, if you're interested.

TG: I'm getting the Euro version of Rock Band as soon as it comes out, so it's going to be interesting to see what drums we get, and if there's any improvement over the US versions.

I kind of doubt it. There has been at least one other version of drums (since the two originals), but they're really not any better. Since they need to keep costs down, I don't think you're going to see any significant difference.

Where's a good place to read up on these sorts of things? I fancy modding my drums for bounce and noise... assuming they're going to suffer from the same problem :)

I posted a bunch of links on the podcast page, but the ScoreHero forum has lots of great stuff, especially the Drum Modding 101 thread.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just five-starred Date with the Night and Siva! Gold-starred The Kill! I'm still pretty terrible at Siva...for some reason that song is hard to read. Anyone who's playing drums, get Date with the Night! It's probably my favorite song in the whole game to play. It has a really fun and interesting rhythm (not so much if you're playing on Medium, dunno about Hard).

I went back and played some of the bonus songs since they're actually fun to play now with good drums. Am I the only one who always hears Hellen from Vagiant singing "I'll fuck your next girlfriend if she breaks your heart" in the song Seven? (Real lyrics: "I'll rough up your next...")

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I finally got a Les Paul! I can actually gold-star songs now! I literally haven't played Solo guitar mode since I got the game, but I guess now I'll go back through all the songs. Mostly I got it so we can finally play the "full" game with four people.

I heard there were some issues with the Les Pauls though, because of the detachable neck. Have any of you experienced that? Mine seems fine, the only problem is that sometimes sustains fail but maybe I'm just not pressing hard enough.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hurrah!!! I finally got my hands on Rock Band. First impressions... It's fantastic. :yep: It's such a massive leap forward from Guitar Hero that it really shows GH3 up for being what it is: A small step side-ways (and maybe a little backwards). In comparison to Rock Band, Guitar Hero 3 is an evolutionary mis-step; an inbred stump on the rhythm-game family-tree.

There's so many nice little touches to make the user feel more involved with the music, it's amazing. The fact that on top of that, there's FOUR different "instruments", each with their own perfectly rounded attributes, and their own ways of drawing you into the music, is even more amazing.

How on earth did you do all this, Harmonix, in the time it took Neversoft to re-skin (and de-soul) GH2?!

I was lucky enough to play it four-player on my first go, and the response from everyone playing it (one guy and two girls, all of whom are not gamers) was pure JOY. Soon the girls were making their own characters and forcing me to set up a band. They LOVED it and I can see why Rock Band added the ability to create your own rocker - it really does make it more personal.

The only bad sides I felt were with the instruments themselves, and perhaps the narrowness of the "notes" as they travel towards you (they seem harder to hit than GH's).

The new guitar, which I was really looking to getting my hands on, was a bit underwhelming. Sure, it LOOKS fantastic, I mean it looks almost as good as a real instrument, and I like the idea of the solo buttons that don't require strumming, but the strum bar doesn't have the same "click" as the old GH2 guitar and it was a little off putting -- even for the others who had never played GH before.

The Rock Band guitar seems a LOT harder to play down-strumming only, as the bar doesn't seem to return to the middle quite as quickly, or properly, as you feel it should. The flip side to this is that I was forced to (finally) strum up AND down (a good thing), and I also have to admit it feels more "analogue" and "natural" than my older guitar's "clicks". Still, it didn't take me long to switch back to my trusty, familiar, Fisher-Price GH2 guitar, though.

The drums were SO difficult, even on easy. I've no idea why. None of us have ever played drums before, which admittedly, may have something to do with it. The noise made by hitting them was too loud, almost overshadowing the rest of the music and making it hard to hear the drums you were supposed to be playing. It felt that this also made it harder to find the right rhythm.

(Modding: Here I come!)

Other than that, Rock Band is SUCH a huge leap forward from Guitar Hero in SO many ways, and with the additional tracks being added every single week, I doubt I'll be going back to GH any time soon.

Simply astounding :tup:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The only bad sides I felt were with the instruments themselves, and perhaps the narrowness of the "notes" as they travel towards you (they seem harder to hit than GH's).

The timing window? It's definitely narrow if you compare it to GH3, but probably about equal to GH2 -- advice: CALIBRATE! Again and again. And again and again and again ("from different angles!"). It's now 7 months later and I'm STILL finding that the calibration was/is off, and it makes a huge difference. Mess with the second calibration number a lot, and strum purposely early and late to make sure it's "centered."

the strum bar doesn't have the same "click" as the old GH2 guitar and it was a little off putting

I really wish I had a Strat that actually worked (if those even exist), so I could really compare, but I'm so happy to finally have a Les Paul! I don't know if it's even the click that I like, or just the non-mushiness of the bar, so you can feel when you're actually "hitting." I still love the fret buttons on the strat though.

The noise made by hitting them was too loud, almost overshadowing the rest of the music

Did you watch my little video of my mods? You can hear me drum on my gum rubber (with the game off). It's not as dramatic in the video since I don't compare it to the non-modded, but I'm sure you get the idea.

the additional tracks being added every single week, I doubt I'll be going back to GH any time soon.

Which songs have you bought so far?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Glad you're enjoying it Thunderpeel. I had the same initial reaction to the Strat, but after I started using it for a while (mostly so that I could use the solo buttons) I find that I simply can't go back to the Les Paul. It just feels so wrong to not be playing with that lovely guitar. Try it for a while. For me, it's really enhanced the experience. If I don't have a Strat available, I'll play drums instead because I don't want to play guitar with a GH controller.

My sister graduated from High School yesterday and decided to throw her aftergrad party at my place as I've been deemed just barely responsible enough to oversee such things. Yeah, I'll allow underage drinking, but I'll make sure everyone is safe too. Rock Band was going the entire night. Kinda sucked 'cause I had to work this morning, but they only get that night once so I let it slide. Watching 17 graduates still in their suits and gowns crowd around a screen singing along was kind of fun too.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I really wish I had a Strat that actually worked (if those even exist), so I could really compare, but I'm so happy to finally have a Les Paul!

Have you sent it back? Their returns policy is supposed to be excellent.

I'm a little disappointed to discover that I have EL drums (the first iteration of the kit, with all the issues). How on earth this can be, with a game that's only JUST been released, I have no beeping idea. I'm a bit miffed :hmph: This could explain why only half the notes seem to have been picked up.

I'll definitely get onto the calibration, though. I saw an indepth guide to calibration on the Rock Band forums, so I'll get around to going through it at some point. It could just be a mixture of no talent and bad calibration.

I'm really surprised that the EL kits are still being sold, though. When was it manufactured for Europe?!

I went on a spending spree for the songs: The (Arguably) Punk Pack 01 (this definitely IS punk, I don't know why it's "arguably"!). "Complete Control" from The Clash? Yes, please! The Harmonix Pack (love Count Zero - and I fancied trying out the others, too). That Stone Temple Pilots song from Purple. My girlfriend fiance nearly exploded with excitement when she saw "Still Alive" from Portal on there. B-52s "Roam". The Pretenders one (amazing cover - sounds just like Chrissie Hynd!). All of the Weezer tracks (I love Weezer - I hope they add the Blue Album or Pinkerton in their entirety).

I think that's it, so far!

Miffy: Sounds like you're a good big brother! :tup:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Have you sent it back? Their returns policy is supposed to be excellent.

Not yet...technically it's my roommate's, but I don't know if he'll ever get around to sending it back. Now that I have a Les Paul, we don't have to worry about being guitar-less for a bit (I know you can have them send first though).

I'm a little disappointed to discover that I have EL drums (the first iteration of the kit, with all the issues).

Yeah, definitely send that back.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

How can I send them back? Do I return them to Amazon or what? Such a pain in the ass... the entire box with everything in was huge! Argh. Looks like I need to do some research, and quick.

I still can't believe they're selling us EL kits!!! Wtf?!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh, yeah, I'm not sure how you do it over there in the UK. We just go here.

---

SUCCESS! I finally 5-starred Reaper and "Fooled"!! :tup: :tup: :tup: The only song I have left to 5* in the main setlist is Run to the Hills! Argh! I don't play it often.

I bought "Kool Thing." Even though I'm not a fan of the song, it's ranked as one of the hardest, and I admit it is really fun to drum to. Only 4 stars so far though. I also raised a bunch of my other scores (I didn't realize Bonus songs count towards your solo leaderboard rank!), and am ranked around #552 now (if the freakin' leaderboard would update). Still working my way up. Before today I was at around #690ish, so that's quite a jump from just a few songs.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow, I've never even checked the leaderboards. I'll need to do that next time I go on.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I FINALLY BEAT GREEN GRASS AND HIGH TIDES ON EXPERT GUITAR! :woohoo::clap::woohoo: Took some practice mode and three tries, with careful overdrive usage. I haven't played it since we first got the game, and was determined to finally beat it. I ended up not using any "tricks" at all, just moved my fingers as fast as I could that's what she said.

Then we played some four-player for the first time. It was...difficult. Man, each part is so much smaller compared to only guitar/drums. Maybe on a widescreen it's fine. Or maybe it was just a really bad juxtaposition since I had been playing Solo for a couple hours.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It turns out that these sets are "new" EL sets, and I have to say that since I've calibrated them I've had no problems with them what so ever! (Except for the noise.)

I've ordered the Gum Rubber Composites that you mentioned in your podcast. (I did a lot of research and ended up deciding to take a chance on them.) I hope they work with these "new" EL sets. I've emailed DrumSoft to ask for advice... no response yet.

An excellent resource for information and reviews on all the drum mods: http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49676

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Much appreciated. *sob* I was just planning a Rock Band party for Friday when it happened... how ironic!

Still, I'll have a free fully functioning refurbed one in a week or three. (At least the returns policy is decent.)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Fair enough. Were you able to keep your HDD? The worst part of something like that would be losing all of your game saves...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

*cough*freedisturbed2songpackyouweresupposedtobuytheCDfor*cough* Act now while supplies last! (actually I don't think there's even a way to stop this considering there's no way to tell who actually bought the CD and who didn't, at this point, unless they want to be a total pain in the ass to everyone...)

Not that I condone this sort of behavior. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for even reading this post. :hmph: They're only a buck each, so it's not really a big deal, but you know.

Lots of bass on the drums. Lots. My pedal practically broke.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
xbox_360_kapot_rrod.jpg

*sigh*

You jinxed us! We just got the RROD today for the first time ever! :tdown: :tdown: :tdown: :tdown: At least I got to play the Disturbed songs a few times before it happened, but arrrggghhhh.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The demo one at my work went down too. Full on RROD. Seems like a good week for it. I'm going to stick to PS3 for a while to avoid tempting the gods, methinks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now