The Strum Limit

[BobDole]

First of all, if you don't think there's a strum limit in this game, check out my video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQmttXptgOQ&feature=channel_page

If you still don't believe in the strum limit after watching that, you're an idiot.

I think it's about time for this annoying flaw that's been present in EVERY Harmonix Guitar Hero/Rock Band game to be fixed. To those who don't know, it's not a concrete "limit" exactly, and it's very mysterious in nature. However, there is one thing that we're sure about: this game does not consistently register strums past a certain speed. Problems (meaning dropped notes) start to happen around Thrasher speed and they only get worse when the strumming gets faster.

Note: The strum limit is the reason why Trogdor is the hardest song in Guitar Hero 2 to FC. It is also the reason why it took so goddamn long for Green Grass and High Tides to be FCed.

Do NOT try to deny the strum limit and just say that we aren't strumming fast enough. I'm pretty sure that the best players have no problem strumming fast enough, as they can all combo the 20 NPS (read: significantly faster than any sustained fast strumming in Rock Band) strumming at the beginning of The Devil Went Down to Georgia in Guitar Hero 3. Also, one of my own examples: I have never, ever hit Trogdor's stupid solo in Guitar Hero 2, but the FIRST time I tried it in Guitar Hero: World Tour (through GH Tunes), I FCed it. Coincidence? I think not.

There should be a patch released as soon as possible to correct what myself and most other high-level players would say is the most irritating thing about this game today. I know that we represent a small minority, but we deserve to be able to FC fast strumming parts without having to manipulate the timing window (this is the only way that FCs of songs like Green Grass and High Tides are possible). The strumming engine also happens to be the only thing that modern Guitar Hero does better than Rock Band (there is no strum limit in any Neversoft-made Guitar Hero game).

[seinman]

I'm confused as to how that video proves there's a strum limit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you got 100% on that. If there was a strum limit, wouldn't you be missing notes?

Maybe I don't get it because I'm not a good enough player for that sort of thing to matter (I can't even complete any tier-6 songs on expert guitar, let alone coming close to FCing anything that hard) but I just don't understand how that video proves anything.

[BobDole]

The fact that I got 100% proves nothing; the fact that I KEPT A 4X MULTIPLIER proves the strum limit. Notice that I strummed twice for every one note on the first and third fast strumming parts at 0:03 and 0:24. If there was no strum limit, I would have overstrummed like crazy and lost my multiplier.

The strum limit causes every other note to be dropped when you strum super-fast (it causes notes to be dropped randomly and unpredictably when you strum moderately fast, like the speed that's required for songs like Aesthetics of Hate, 14-16 NPS*). Super-fast strumming that causes half of the notes to drop is about 19-20 NPS (speed of The Devil Went Down to Georgia intro in Guitar Hero 3, which plenty of people can combo). The limit also decreases with slower speeds in practice mode, as is made obvious in the video. I am playing Almost Easy's verse riff at 50% there and comboing it despite playing twice as many notes as are actually there. At full speed, you really do have to strum exactly that fast and it will register every time, but strumming at twice that speed will cause you to...still combo it because every other note is dropped. Understand?

*NPS = Notes Per Second

I would like to point out that at your level, it doesn't matter at all. However, anybody that plays at a high level (for FCs on expert) is going to hate the strum limit. It simply makes fast strumming WAY harder than it should be, and that's a problem.

[seinman]

Ah, I see what you're saying now. I wasn't playing close enough attention to the clicking of the strumbar to realize that was going on. That definitely sucks balls.

[BobDole]

Why is this topic being ignored? It is a shame that Harmonix obviously doesn't care about fixing the strum limit.

[BobDole]

Bump again to keep this topic visible. The fact that nobody (including Harmonix) seems to care about this is ridiculous. Why is it so hard to address this issue? All we want is a simple patch that makes fast strumming register properly...that's it. I will continue to bump this topic as long as it continues to be ignored.

Also, who's the jackass (I had a slightly different word in mind, censorship fails) that 1-star rated this topic? It must have been some idiot who thinks that there's no strum limit in Rock Band. To that guy and any other non-believers, I say this: go try to hit solo 2E of Green Grass and High Tides on expert guitar (you can even try it on 50% speed since the strum limit decreases at slower speeds). You WILL encounter the strum limit. Better yet, you can watch my video that I posted in the original post where I clearly strum TWICE as many notes as there are in the chart and STILL FC THE SECTION! I defy you to explain that as anything but a strum limit.

[Apples]

You have a good topic, and I happen to agree with you.

However, bumping threads is against the rules, and insulting people (like in your last post) is not the best way to get a positive reaction.