When will HMX and others make the move to a 6-Fret guitar?

[OrdealByFire]

Since Rock Band has been said to be a "platform", I doubt the game will ever have a 6-fret guitar, but what do you think the chances are that there will be a 6+ fret guitar in the future?

[DontShutTheGate]

I dunno about a "6-fret-guitar" but since it looks like they're going to ease the transition from game drums to real drums even more so with new features and singing is already about as real as it can get, I can't imagine them not trying to make the guitar peripheral more realistic in the future.

That's something I wouldn't expect we'd see for years though.

[OrdealByFire]

I dunno about a "6-fret-guitar" but since it looks like they're going to ease the transition from game drums to real drums even more so with new features and singing is already about as real as it can get, I can't imagine them not trying to make the guitar peripheral more realistic in the future.

That's something I wouldn't expect we'd see for years though.

Or maybe not a 6 fret guitar, but a guitar controller with six strings like a real guitar that you strum as notes.

that's almost way too much like a real guitar though.

[coolcool23]

Sure. Lets really tick off everyone who has invested hundreds of dollars in a long established franchise by making almost all old instruments completely incompatible.

No way jose. Harmonix wouldn't do this unless someone over there got drunk on power...

On the other hand, this would porbably seam like a forward thinking, fasible business solution to the execs over at Activision.

[SKooT182]

Sure. Lets really tick off everyone who has invested hundreds of dollars in a long established franchise by making almost all old instruments completely incompatible.

No way jose. Harmonix wouldn't do this unless someone over there got drunk on power...

On the other hand, this would porbably seam like a forward thinking, fasible business solution to the execs over at Activision.

... at which point, they will introduce the use of a chord which uses both the 1st and 6th buttons.

[trg007]

6 buttons? I have a hard enough time with 5! :eek:

[Project_Mercy]

I kinda wonder if GH's slide-pad isn't a precursor to possibly a fully touch-based fretboard.

The first thing I thought off when I saw that was "that would be a way to make a fretboard that worked like a real guitar". You'd have to switch the screen to work in a more tablature kinda notation, but it would work.

[Sonofmogh]

Chances are VERY low that we'll ever get a 6-fret guitar, but we may get a 9-fret guitar someday!

[Flawless]

... no need, ... really no need to complicate the game anymore.


If you want a stupid amount of choices in a video game go pick up Rock Revolution and the 7 pads on the drums.

[xenocide38]

6 buttons? Eh no but I do like the open strum of the bass in GHWT. Except i think it's dumb to be represented as another button. It should be a line like the bass drum symbol.

[csjbosa]

Hmm... I don't think so. But I wouldn't be surprised if they made a guitar trainer, similar to the drum trainer in the future.

[GOLD5]

If we had six buttons we could finally play some Steve Vai tunes!!!!1!

[Project_Mercy]

... no need, ... really no need to complicate the game anymore.

Games have always become more complicated as time goes on. Just look at console controllers (Colecovision aside). First we had a joystick with a button, then a d-pad with 2+2 buttons, then a d-pad with 4 or 6+2 buttons, and now we have tons of buttons and motion control.

[OakTea]

I voted no only because I don't think we'll see one in this franchise, or at least any time soon.
I think Rock Revolution should've done this. Six frets with their drums with seven pads... And a mic that can pick up feeling and emotion, and you're graded on that too, besides pitch!

[CantStopTheHopp]

I voted "Eh" because I can see them doing something stupid like that. They need to keep it simple, though, because that is the draw of games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero; anybody can pick it up and play. If they start adding more frets and strum bars, you might as well play the real thing.

[gamrrpol]

Zero chance of this happening. As one poster noted, it would render obsolete all previously existing peripherals. Improvement that don't interfere with the fundamental gameplay can be expected but nothing else.

To those suggesting strings, or a fully functioning fretboard....they already have those things and they're called guitars.

Realize that both HMX and Activision's goal is to make their games fixtures in homes, bars, partys, anywhere people gather. If you make it so complicated and so extreme that noobs are intimidated you're limiting your potential audiences. THe people on these boards, by definition, are "hardcore" players and while they definitely want to satisfy us, they don't want to do so in a way that turns potential new customers off.

[OakTea]

I don't see what difference a single extra fret would make. Besides, you know, making all the previous songs etc. obsolete.

[AeroZeppelinSevenfold]

I don't see what difference a single extra fret would make. Besides, you know, making all the previous songs etc. obsolete.
I agree. I mean, it only makes us throw away all that money we spent. who cares about that right?

[Brent212]

6 buttons? Eh no but I do like the open strum of the bass in GHWT. Except i think it's dumb to be represented as another button. It should be a line like the bass drum symbol.

You speak the truth.

[moneyp]

Games have always become more complicated as time goes on. Just look at console controllers (Colecovision aside). First we had a joystick with a button, then a d-pad with 2+2 buttons, then a d-pad with 4 or 6+2 buttons, and now we have tons of buttons and motion control.

That's the truth. You need the equivalent of a PhD to play the Madden and NHL games now. Remember when hockey games had three buttons and you only used two of them 99% of the time? Pass and shoot when you had the puck, switch player and hit when you didn't. Now the 360 has two joysticks, two bumpers, two triggers, four buttons, a d-pad and even the select button does something. It's ridiculous.

Keep Rock Band simple. If Steve Vai and Ynwie Malmsteen want to put out a game with 12 buttons to keep the chart-noodlers happy, so be it.

[CantStopTheHopp]

Something more realistic would be if they replaced the 5 frets with a touch pad. The on-screen chart could have higher or lower colors to represent higher or lower strings. You would still only have to fret the certain colored frets in the place they used to be, but you could get higher scores for hitting the right "string" sorta speak on the pad.

[FastFastGo]

When you're playing a real guitar you have the ability to look at the fretboard to make sure your fingers are in the right place. This is somewhat impossible if you're staring at the screen.

So I expect it shouldnt get too more complicated than the 5 frets we have now.

[CantStopTheHopp]

When you're playing a real guitar you have the ability to look at the fretboard to make sure your fingers are in the right place. This is somewhat impossible if you're staring at the screen.

So I expect it shouldnt get too more complicated than the 5 frets we have now.

That's why they could design it to where you still get credit for hitting the note as long as you're within the green or whatever color fret. Just get a higher score for matching the string placement on the fret board.

[patronise]

Why? Five buttons is the standard across the board and the game is plenty fun with that. I hate to sound like a snob, but if you want more frets just play guitar. That said, the open note thing in Guitar Hero World Tour is pretty cool.

[baseclef516]

Rock Band 12 Special Edition Featuring:
16 String 30 Fret Double Necked Premium Guitar

[Blackened15]

Why? Five buttons is the standard across the board and the game is plenty fun with that. I hate to sound like a snob, but if you want more frets just play guitar. That said, the open note thing in Guitar Hero World Tour is pretty cool.

If you wanted this 6-fret guitar, then I could understand the point of bumping a 5 months old thread, but bumping it just to say "no" seems a little weird.

[Overdrive]

Open note strumming would probably come first on the hypothetical "expert plus" difficulty. Assuming it's purple, I wonder what color a sixth fret would be. I mean, we've got the whole rainbow now, unless you're weird enough to include indigo.

Anyway, it would completely change my finger positioning strategies, I would probably have to keep my fingers on the four lowest frets and leave green and red uncovered.

Other than that, implementation would just be too complicated. But I have to give credit that it's not as dumb an idea as the guy who suggested there be a 24x6 matrix of buttons.

Sorry I didn't realized this was one of those resurrect-o's.

[thesicklyill]

... at which point, they will introduce the use of a chord which uses both the 1st and 6th buttons.

now taht would f*** suck

[thesicklyill]

I kinda wonder if GH's slide-pad isn't a precursor to possibly a fully touch-based fretboard.

The first thing I thought off when I saw that was "that would be a way to make a fretboard that worked like a real guitar". You'd have to switch the screen to work in a more tablature kinda notation, but it would work.

wat really pisses me off about this guitar is that, there are no bumps to know where ur fingers are on the touchpad, its really annoying

[revczar]

i hated the open strum on GHWT i didnt know what it was for the first few times

[Magik_Tek]

Zero chance of this happening. As one poster noted, it would render obsolete all previously existing peripherals. Improvement that don't interfere with the fundamental gameplay can be expected but nothing else.

To those suggesting strings, or a fully functioning fretboard....they already have those things and they're called guitars.

Realize that both HMX and Activision's goal is to make their games fixtures in homes, bars, partys, anywhere people gather. If you make it so complicated and so extreme that noobs are intimidated you're limiting your potential audiences. THe people on these boards, by definition, are "hardcore" players and while they definitely want to satisfy us, they don't want to do so in a way that turns potential new customers off.

Exactly.

People still have difficulties doing 5-frets let alone do 6-frets. The appeal of these games has always been its simplicity, but once you start adding more and more features and/or additional inputs, it becomes way to complex to the point where your average joe will just not play it. That is something neither HMX or Activision wants to do since they know that the average joe is the person that made these games as popular as they are.

The only way I can think of to get around 6-frets while using a 5-fret guitar is for the chart to compress from 6 inputs to 5 inputs similar to what GHWT did when RB drums were connected but even that will be a difficult sell since people would want the full experience instead of a diluted experiene.