Getting bored due to difficulty disparity

[Bob Arctor]

Hi,
When I first started playing this I was pleasantly surprised, especially having played Beatsaber and Synthrider and needing something new and challenging, and this seemed like a natural progression from Synthrider. However after a few weeks of playing I'm getting very bored of it, largely due to the disparity of skill level required between Beginner and Regular - it's too much of a jump and I simply don't have the kind of reflexes or speed of movement in able to play anything in Regular or Cardio.
I'm using VR not just for fun but as an added way to lose weight, as part of a controlled diet, as I have a chronic illness and various health concerns and have been advised I need to shed a few kilos! So far I've been doing an ok job using BoxVR, which is still entertaining enough to play even after a year of having it and is helping to lose weight. Now this came along and it seemed ideal, but even if I became a lot fitter, I would never have the speed necessary to tackle the Regular levels! There also doesn't seem to be much of a connection between the placement of everything between the levels - ie I'd expect to go on the regular version of a song and it to be like beginner in format but perhaps faster and harder, but they are just too different. I have persevered and tried again and again to try to master it but I simply cannot. It's a shame as due to the fact there are so few songs it's becoming very boring and I've mastered all of them, and I'm kind of reluctant to play it now - kind of feels like I paid full price but only got the beginner's edition!
My suggestion would be to have a level that's intermediate between beginner and regular - such as Rookie - and also have a range of difficulty levels within the Cardio part, as these are too hard for someone like myself with a physical condition - especially as I'm largely wanting to use it as a cardio exercise, I could do with this kind of element in the game but just not quite so difficult...
On a positive note, I do think it could be a fabulous game, it's great fun, the graphics are great and the level backgrounds are great too - love the visuals in Mandala - and the 'drums' are very satisfying to hit (I'd like more of them in a level) - although it would also be nice to have a similar feeling with the other triangular drum-like elements, it would improve them greatly instead of just feeling like you've hit a normal triangle...
Hope you can add some kind of extra level, or perhaps the ability to easily edit the speed of the levels - like you can in Beatsaber and other games - or reduce the amount of elements or something. Like I say, I'm primarily using it to get fit, so I do want a challenge and something that forces me to move quickly and reach further so I'm building up a sweat and my heart beat is rising - just not as fast as they currently come at you as I can't cope with it at the moment!

[Punchey]

Thanks for your feedback. We have a lot of gameplay modifiers scheduled for the future that will allow a lot of adjustment in the gameplay. This will all be part of our up-coming full release. Feel free to hop into our Discord as we have a channel there specifically for gameplay modifier suggestions.

Another way to help bridge the difficulty gap is by adjusting either the approach speed of the gems using the editor, or by slowing down the song itself inside the editor. Here's a video that explains a few different ways to practice higher levels in a way that's a little easier:
https://youtu.be/xc-QMgx3slo

[Bob Arctor]

That's great thanks - I'll look forward to the modifiers. Presumably there'll be more songs added as well over time, or will you be relying on community content to add songs? A little more variety in song genres would be good - don't get me wrong, I think there's some really good tunes on there, I have eclectic tastes and like pretty much all genres - the only real bad one imo is the Lady Gaga one, never been a fan she just grates on me, but that's just subjective taste at the end of the day - it would be nice to hear some more funk, rock and metal as well as more hardcore dance stuff...

[doubleagent74]

Originally posted by Bob Arctor:

Hi,
When I first started playing this I was pleasantly surprised, especially having played Beatsaber and Synthrider and needing something new and challenging, and this seemed like a natural progression from Synthrider. However after a few weeks of playing I'm getting very bored of it, largely due to the disparity of skill level required between Beginner and Regular - it's too much of a jump and I simply don't have the kind of reflexes or speed of movement in able to play anything in Regular or Cardio.

I noticed a spike, too. Beginner puts me to sleep while Regular is like playing Synth Riders on Master. This combined with the fact that SteamVR crashes nearly every time I start the game means I'll probably be returning it and sticking with SR for my fitness needs.

[Kaminsky]

Originally posted by doubleagent74:

I noticed a spike, too. Beginner puts me to sleep while Regular is like playing Synth Riders on Master. This combined with the fact that SteamVR crashes nearly every time I start the game means I'll probably be returning it and sticking with SR for my fitness needs.

Would you be able to provide us with your crash logs on Discord? That way we can get down to the bottom of the crashes.

[doubleagent74]

Originally posted by Kaminsky:

Originally posted by doubleagent74:

I noticed a spike, too. Beginner puts me to sleep while Regular is like playing Synth Riders on Master. This combined with the fact that SteamVR crashes nearly every time I start the game means I'll probably be returning it and sticking with SR for my fitness needs.

Would you be able to provide us with your crash logs on Discord? That way we can get down to the bottom of the crashes.

I appreciate the offer, but (a) I wouldn't know where to find the crash logs, and (b) I've already gotten my Steam refund for the game. I'll be sticking with Synth Riders from now on. Thanks anyway.