Awarding Criteria

Awarding criteria The awarding criteria is a list of rules and guidelines that must be followed in order to get your levels ranked. It consists of a Creating-criteria which covers everything relating to placing notes, and a Non-creating criteria which covers everything else such as audio, backgrounds, timing, etc.

These rules and guidelines are subject to change over time as creating expands and evolves.

Rules: These may not be broken in any level. They are to assure a minimum standard of quality for a level and should be thoroughly looked over while creating. Guidelines: These can be broken under the right circumstances. If they are broken, they must be heavily justified as to why breaking them would improve level quality.

If ever confused by certain terms, refer to the glossary. Non-creating criteria This section includes everything that doesn’t involve placing notes such as naming levels, audio rules, timing rules, backgrounds, etc. General Rules There may not be inappropriate imagery in your background. This includes nudity, violence, sexual content, abuse, near-nudity, etc. Levels with flashing colors, strobes, or rapid changes in contrast, an epilepsy warning must be included in the description AND in the map. It can be something along the lines of “Warning: Flashing lights!” it just needs to get the message across. If you’re unsure if the level needs the warning, add it and confirm its necessity during the modding process. If the level may spoil content for a game, movie, or other form of media, include a spoiler warning in the description AND in the level. Something like “Spoiler warning for [thing being spoiled]” works well enough. You must have a background on every level. Guidelines Your background should be of reasonable quality and have a wide aspect ratio. The recommended size is 1920x1080. Anything smaller than 850x450 should be considered bad quality. A tall or square aspect ratio may be used if the image is of high enough quality. Putting the difficulty for the level in the title is recommended. For example, if the level was mapped to be an Advanced difficulty, then putting something like [Advanced] at the end of the title is good practice. Audio and timing Rules Before trying to upload your audio, check if it's in the song database first. Uploading a duplicate of a song is not allowed. If the duplicate is broken or of low quality, you may ask TetroGem on Discord to change the audio. Your audio file must be an mp3 and uploaded to dropbox.com. Refer to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XRdQNLhAlYjLJiK-2nsgK_E5Yp8sCMMTLPF8cPg_Xtw/edit for uploading your audio. A primary source should be used for a song title and artist. Some examples are the artists website or the label they produce for. YouTube and similar platforms are often not a primary source. If a song is a shortened version of a longer song, that should be indicated in the song title. For example, if it’s a shorter version of a song used as an opening/ending/insert in a television series or film, it should have a (TV Size) marker at the end of the title. If it’s shortened by the song uploader themselves, it should have a (Cut Ver.) marker at the end of the title. Use your best judgment for using these markers. The song artist must be a real person. You cannot use a fictional character or program as the artist. If the artist is only known as a fictional character (for example, a vtuber) you may use that character's name. If there is no known artist, you may use “Unknown Artist” as the song artist. The audio file should be of reasonable quality. The bitrate should ideally be an average of 192kbps. The bitrate should also be no lower than 128kbps and no greater than 320kbps. Your level must be perfectly timed when feasible. It is unfeasible to perfectly time a level when there is constant variable timing, such as in a live performance. However, when there are stretches of non-varying timing, that must be perfectly timed. For songs with very odd timeline snaps (such as 1/5), notes that correspond to those snaps must have their hit tick manually inputted. For example, 5.200 would be 1/5 into tick 5. If your audio contains excessive swearing, sexual references, use of drugs, or other inappropriate themes, make sure your audio is flagged with explicit content. To get it flagged, ask TetroGem on discord. (the developer, Tetro#3432) Guidelines Your audio should not have long stretches of silence or ambience before the song starts. Ideally, empty song intros should be 10 seconds maximum. Audio files should not be artificially lengthened. This includes song loops, silence at the end of a song, etc.

creating criteria This includes everything relating to individual levels and placing notes. Specifically delves into each difficulty and should be followed while creating. General These apply to all levels, regardless of difficulty. Rules Two notes are not allowed on the same tile on the same hit tick. This includes notes on the same tile while there is a hold and notes on the same tile while there is a hold release. Notes must not be placed before or after the audio file ends. Holds must have a length greater than 0. Holds with lengths 0 or less are buggy and not feasible to play. Levels must be failable. If HP drain is small enough and there aren’t enough notes, it's possible to pass a level without hitting any notes. Every note must be clearly visible for 250 ms (at least 0.5 fs) or more at a tile opacity of 100 or more before being hit. This is to ensure that every note is properly readable. Levels must be at least 30 seconds long. A level must have an intended difficulty and must follow the criteria for that specific difficulty. For example, if a level is intended to be a Hard, then it must follow the creating criteria for a Hard. Intended difficulty is only determined by the creator, not by star rating. All elements of a level must be representative of the music. Abstract representations like filler rhythm and tap holds are allowed as long as it's justified.

Guidelines Note colors should follow a clear and understandable theme and assist in making the level more readable. An understandable theme can be just one color, different colors for different sections or parts of the song, certain colors for each hit tick, and similar things. Making the level more readable includes separate colors for certain patterns, coloring based on rhythm, etc. Note colors should not be excessively dark or blend in with the background. Notes that blend in with the background are hard to read. Dark colors often blend with high background dims, and certain colors may blend in with a level's background. Levels should use all 9 tiles throughout. Using only some tiles is allowed if it better fits the song. Difficulty for a section should be based around the intensity in the song. If the section is calm, make it easier than other sections. If the section is the fastest and loudest in the song, make it harder than the other sections. Resize for the beat-transition-in and fade for the beat-transition-out should be the main transitions throughout the level. These are the standard beat transitions in Pulsus. Other beat transitions may be utilized in certain cases, such as simplifying reading for certain patterns, differentiating a section from another, or if it better fits the level. Effects that significantly obstruct visibility should not be used. This includes effects like notes on overlapping tiles, harsh vignettes, tiny tiles, very transparent tiles for long periods of time, large and opaque subtitles, and anything similar. Beginner This and the following sections are difficulty specific, meaning they apply only to levels aiming to be at this difficulty. Any rhythm related rules or guidelines apply to 180 BPM songs with a 4/4 time signature. If your song is significantly faster or slower than that, certain variables may be adjusted. Rules Chords are not allowed. Holds cannot have notes during the hold time or during releases. Notes cannot be faster than 1/1. Anchor holds are prohibited. There may be notes during releases. There must be no overlaps. Overlaps are too complex to read at this level. Holds must be at least 4 beats long. This is to give the player enough time to know when to release the note. Using effects to change the foresight is not allowed. Effects that move, rotate, scale, change the foresight, or change the opacity must be subtle. Light vignettes and subtitles are okay. Resize from Center must be used for beat-transition-in. This is to ensure playability. Fade must be used for beat-transition-out. This is to ensure playability. Beginners must be made with 1 hand playability in mind. Newer players commonly use only one hand to play. Guidelines Rhythms should be basic and easily readable. More complex rhythms should be indicated with spacing or colors. Rhythms should consist of mostly 2/1, 4/1, and slower rhythms. 1/1 rhythms can also be used occasionally. Anything more complex can be confusing to read. 1/1 patterns should not contain more than 3 notes. Longer patterns can be too straining for new players. Notes should not randomly change color. Seemingly unjustified color changes may be jarring to newer players. Foresight should be 1.7 to 2.2. Hit Window should be 2.0 to 2.4. HP Drain should be 25 to 49. Easy Rules Chords with 3 or more notes are not allowed. Chords with holds are not allowed. Chords must have at least a 2/1 break before and after them. This is so the player can adjust their hands to hit the next notes. Doubles must be horizontal. More complex doubles (vertical or diagonal) are too hard at this difficulty level. Notes cannot be faster than 1/1. Anchor holds are prohibited. There may be notes during releases. Holds must be at least 2 beats long. This is to give the player enough time to know when to release the note. Using effects to change the foresight is not allowed. Effects that move, rotate, scale, change the foresight, or change the opacity must be subtle. Light vignettes and subtitles are okay. Fade must be used for beat-transition-out. This is to ensure playability. Easys must be made with 1 hand playability in mind. Newer players commonly use only one hand to play. Guidelines Notes should be at least 1/1 apart. Anything faster is likely too difficult for newer players. Rhythms should be easily readable. More complex rhythms should be indicated with spacing or colors. Rhythms should consist of mostly 2/1, 3/1, 4/1 and slower rhythms. 1/1 rhythms can also be used occasionally. Anything more complex can be confusing to read. 1/1 patterns should not contain more than 7 notes. Longer patterns can be too straining for new players. Doubles may be used sparingly. Using doubles too often will be too hard for newer players. Overlaps should be at least 2/1 apart. Anything faster can be confusing to read for newer players. Notes should not randomly change color. Seemingly unjustified color changes may be jarring to newer players. Resize from Center should be used for beat-transition-in. Other beat transitions may be complicated to read so they should be used sparingly. Foresight should be 1.4 to 1.8. Hit Window should be 1.6 to 2.0. HP Drain should be 25 to 49.

Normal Rules Chords with 3 or more notes are not allowed. Chords must have at least a 1/1 break before and after them. This is so the player can adjust their hands to hit the next notes. Notes cannot be faster than 1/3. 1/3 rhythms are strongly ill-advised unless it's a necessity or the song is very slow. 1/2 rhythms are recommended for a baseline. Anchor holds are prohibited. There may be notes during releases. Holds must be at least 1 beat long. This is to give the player enough time to know when to release the note. Using effects to change the foresight is not allowed. Effects that move, rotate, scale, change the foresight, or change the opacity must be subtle. Light vignettes and subtitles are okay. Fade must be used for beat-transition-out. This is to ensure playability. Guidelines Normals should be made with 1 hand playability in mind. Newer players commonly use only one hand to play. Notes should be at least 1/2 beat apart. Anything faster is likely too difficult for newer players. 1/2 patterns should be mostly horizontal. Fast vertical patterns can be tough for newer players. Rhythms should be easily readable. More complex rhythms should be indicated with spacing or colors. Rhythms should consist of mostly 1/1, 2/1, and slower rhythms. 1/2 rhythms can also be used occasionally. Anything more complex can be confusing to read. 1/2 patterns should not contain more than 5 notes. Longer patterns can be too straining for new players. Notes that are 1/2 apart should be spaced closely together. Large and fast jumps like 1 to 9 are difficult to play at this level. Overlaps should be at least 1/1 apart. Anything faster can be confusing to read for newer players. Complex doubles may be used sparingly. Using difficult doubles too often will be too hard for newer players. Notes should not randomly change color. Seemingly unjustified color changes may be jarring to newer players. Resize should be used for beat-transition-in. Other beat transitions may be complicated to read so they should be used sparingly. Foresight should be 1.25 to 1.6. Hit Window should be 1.4 to 1.8. HP Drain should be 20 to 34.

Hard Rules Chords with 4 or more notes are not allowed. Chords with holds must have at least a 1/1 break after them. This is so the player can adjust their hands to hit the next notes. Chords without holds must have at least a 1/2 break after them. This is so the player can adjust their hands to hit the next notes. In a triple, notes must be adjacent and cover all columns. Triples that have splits like 186 or don’t cover all columns like 956 are too hard to read and play at this level. Notes cannot be faster than 1/4. Anything faster is too difficult for players at this skill level. 1/4 rhythms must be adjacent, cover all columns, and rolled. Anything more complex is too hard for this difficulty. Holds must not be shorter than 0.5 length. Anything shorter requires too much reading and finger control for this skill level. Anchor holds can only be single holds. More than one anchor hold at once is too difficult at this level. More complex rhythms must be clearly differentiable. An example can be 1/3 rhythms in a level with primarily 1/2 rhythms. This is done easiest with changing their colors. Notes during an anchor hold cannot be faster than 1/1. It may be too difficult otherwise. Using effects to change the foresight is not allowed. Fade must be used for beat transition out. This is to ensure playability. Guidelines Hards should be made with 1 hand and 2 hand playability in mind. This is to accommodate the transition into 2 handed playing. Rhythms should consist of mostly 1/2, 1/1, and slower rhythms. 1/4 rhythms may be used sparingly. 1/4 patterns should not contain more than 3 notes, and be used sparingly. Longer patterns can be too straining for newer players. Overlaps should be at least 1/1 apart. Anything faster can be confusing to read for players at this skill level. Jacks should be at least 1/2 apart. Anything faster may be too difficult for players at this skill level. Doubles may be used occasionally. Players at this skill level are ready for more complex patterns. Doubles should have adjacent notes. More complex doubles may be used if there is enough time to read it. Resize should be used for beat-transition-in. Occasionally, other beat transitions are okay. Foresight should be 1.1 to 1.4. Hit window should be 1.2 to 1.6. HP drain should be 14 to 25. Advanced Rules Chords with 4 or more notes are not allowed. Notes cannot be faster than 1/4. Anything faster is too difficult for players at this skill level. Doubles must have at least a 1/3 break after them. This is so the player can adjust their hands to hit the next notes. Triples must have at least a 1/2 break before and after them. Jacks may be 1/4 beat apart if there are only 2 notes in the jack pattern. This is to ensure that stamina isn’t drained. Holds must not be shorter than 0.25 length. Anything shorter requires too much reading and finger control for this skill level. Holds shorter than 0.5 length must be clearly differentiable. Done easiest with changing their colors. More complex rhythms must be clearly differentiable. An example can be 1/3 rhythms in a level with primarily 1/2 rhythms. This can be done easiest with changing their colors. Notes during an anchor hold cannot be faster than 1/2. Using effects to change the foresight is only allowed for fly-from beat-transition-ins. For other beat transitions, foresight changes are not allowed. Fade must be used for beat-transition-out. This is to ensure playability. Guidelines Advanceds should be made with primarily 2 handed playability in mind. Advanceds should be made to promote 2 handed play, as that is the primary playstyle for harder levels than Advanceds. Rhythms should consist of mostly 1/2 and 1/1 rhythms. 1/4 rhythms may be used occasionally. 1/4 patterns should not contain more than 7 notes. Longer patters may be too straining for players at this skill level. 1/4 rhythms should be horizontal and rolled. Alternating and more complex patterning may be used sparingly. Doubles may be used frequently. Players at this skill level are ready for more complex patterns. More complex doubles may be used occasionally. More complex doubles (vertical or very spaced doubles) are recommended occasionally for emphasis. In a triple, notes should be adjacent and cover all columns. Effects are encouraged. Effects at this difficulty level can greatly improve the quality of a level as long as it’s clean and readable. Resize from center should be used for beat-transition-in. Occasionally, other beat transitions are okay. Foresight should be 1 to 1.3. Hit Window should be 1 to 1.3. HP drain should be 13 to 25. Insane Rules Chords with 5 or more notes are not allowed. Notes cannot be faster than 1/8. Anything faster is too difficult for players at this skill level. Triples must have at least a 1/2 break before and after them. Holds shorter than 0.5 length must be distinguishable from other holds. This can be most easily done with note colors. Notes during an anchor hold cannot be faster than 1/4. Guidelines Rhythms should consist of mostly 1/4, 1/2, and 1/1 rhythms. 1/8 may be used occasionally. These should be rolled, and only used if the song accommodates it. 1/8 patterns should not contain more than 3 notes. Longer patterns may be too straining for players at this skill level. 1/4 patterns may use combinations of rolling and alternating. Players at this skill level should be able to hit very complex patterns. More complex rhythms should be clearly differentiable. An example can be 1/3 and 1/6 rhythms. This is done easiest with changing their colors. Certain levels may not need this, depending on the style. More complex doubles may be used frequently. More complex doubles (vertical or very spaced doubles) may be used as much as horizontal doubles. Chords with 4 notes should be used sparingly. These should only be used on very loud sounds that need special emphasis. Effects are encouraged. Effects at this difficulty level can greatly improve the quality of a level as long as it’s clean and readable. Foresight should be 0.9 to 1.2. Hit Window should be 0.8 to 1.2. HP drain should be 12 to 24. Expert Rules Holds shorter than 0.5 length must be distinguishable from other holds. This can be most easily done with note colors. Guidelines More complex rhythms should be clearly differentiable. This is done easiest with changing their colors. Certain levels may not need this, depending on the style. Chords with 4 or more notes should be used sparingly. These should only be used on very loud sounds that need special emphasis. Chords with 7 or more notes are discouraged. These are often very tricky patterns that require a lot of setup for the player and are generally not needed. Effects are encouraged. Effects at this difficulty level can greatly improve the quality of a level as long as it’s clean and readable. Foresight should be 0.8 to 1.1. Hit Window should be 0.7 to 1.0. HP drain should be 12 to 24.

Glossary Alternating patterns Faster patterns that require hitting the notes by switching between your hands. An example can be 316497, as you hit the 3 with your right hand, 1 with your left, 6 with your right, and so on. Anchor hold A hold with notes during its hold duration.

Chord Two or more notes on the same tick on different tiles. They have to be hit at the same time and are often used for emphasis. Two note chords are often called doubles, three note chords are often called triples, etc. Crosshand A type of pattern where a hand must go to the opposite column to play. For example, the right hand playing notes on the 741 column. Hit tick Where a note is hit on the timeline. You can see what beat and what timestamp the tick is on in the upper left corner of the editor. Horizontal patterns Patterns that move left or right across rows. Examples can be 123, 657, 159. Jacks 2 or more consecutive notes on the same tile in quick succession. Levelset/Spread Several levels to one song at different levels of difficulty, often by only 1 creator. Recommended for most songs (to help the playerbase), but not required. Metadata Information related to a level. This includes the audio, the song artist, and the song title. Modding The act of receiving or giving feedback on a level, and then having the “mods” (the feedback) applied to the level. Note A general term for beats and holds, playable inputs that make you gain or lose combo in game. Overlap When 2 or more notes are visible at the same time on the same tile. The first note “overlaps” the subsequent notes. Different from jacks, in that other notes may be pressed in between the overlap. Rolling patterns Faster patterns where you hit multiple in a row in one motion. Example: 324598, where you hit the 32 with your right hand, the 45 with your left, and the 98 with your right. Vertical patterns Patterns that move up or down across columns. Examples can be 147, 248, 159. Credits and suggestions Contributors: YouCanNotKnow TetroGem Keldeoroks Quintec n1doking Pongeebob NelFusion mtgufo balisto Creators of the original awarding criteria osu!’s rc was referred to a lot, thank you osu!

If you’d like to suggest a change to any portion of the awarding criteria, be it wording, rules, guidelines, whatever, join the Pulsus discord at https://discord.gg/xGkA4g7BBM and put your suggestions in #creating and ping @Award Nominators. Posting in the chat lets the suggestions be seen by the whole server, meaning further suggestions can be said.