HOPOs - D'oh!

[KMO_2000]

I've just realised I've been making this too hard. I'd been playing assuming that hammer-ons and pull-offs had to be performed as real hammer-ons and pull-offs, if you didn't want to strum them.

But they're not really implemented like that, are they? You can just treat them as "fret-tappable" notes.

I was assuming that a red->yellow hammer-on had to be performed by pressing yellow while red was still down.

And that a yellow->red pull-off had to be performed as a pull-off - you had to be releasing yellow with red down as the red gem hit. That was the thing I was particularly stumbling over.

But no, you can just tap the frets for the gems, exactly the same as using the lower frets in a solo.

Well, that makes it a bit easier. (Although real HOPOs will be the easy option in some cases).

[ricecake]

This is true. However, if you ever go back and play the first Guitar Hero on PlayStation 2, you actually did have to hit them like real hammer-ons and pull-offs, making them much more difficult, which is why a lot of people just strum everything in that game.

[cherokeesam]

(Although real HOPOs will be the easy option in some cases).

^Agree with this 1000%.
Playing the HOPOs like HOPOs actually *should* be played feels a lot more natural, and is more conducive to teaching some actual guitar technique (something HMX and Neversoft have been trying to tout for awhile).

[Bront20]

I stum a lot of HO/POs, but it depends on the song. If it's a pacing issue (string of notes at the same speed), I usually just strum along. If it's a half-way pickup (HO/PO in between two normal strums), I don't as it will likely throw me off.

I struggle with timing on a lot of them though. Without strumming, I start moving too fast or too slow. It's why GG&HT kills me at the end on X

[KMO_2000]

Thanks for the comments - interesting to know that back in the mists of time, they really were hammer-ons and pull-offs.

The in-game tutorials go through hammer-ons, describing real hammer-ons, and then just say "pull-offs are the same in reverse". Which seemed a bit glib to me - releasing yellow as a red gem passes seemed like a complex enough skill to be worth describing and practising...

I'd say that doing them properly is worth some sort of recognition - maybe like the trophies involving upstrumming on bass...

[jimbury]

I struggle with timing on a lot of them though. Without strumming, I start moving too fast or too slow. It's why GG&HT kills me at the end on X

exactly the same, unless i strum the start note of a chain my timing goes totally out of the window, and things like panic attack and the bass of cuz u r next i have to strum everything or i lose the rhythm entirely

[ricecake]

I'd say that doing them properly is worth some sort of recognition - maybe like the trophies involving upstrumming on bass...

Well, on The Beatles: Rock Band, there are 3 trophies you can earn by hitting all the hammer-ons and pull-offs without strumming on certain songs on expert.

EDIT: Oh, I think I see what you are saying. You mean recognition for hitting them as real hammer-ons and pull-offs instead of just tapping.