From Rhythm Game Beginner to Intermediate: Tips Learned from 20 Years of Experience

I read a post on the blog of someone with about 20 years of rhythm game experience about "tips for improving from beginner to intermediate," and it really made sense to me. Apparently the tips fall into three categories: settings, practice methods, and mindset. Settings come first: if you raise the note speed until it feels "maybe a little fast?", the charts become easier to read. Adjusting the judgment timing (audio offset) and turning off effects, cut-ins, and character voices is the safe bet, and I can confirm that from experience.

The most important thing in practice is to "play lots of songs, lots of times." Instead of obsessing over a full combo on a single song, you expose yourself to all kinds of charts so your body learns the patterns. When you hit a wall, the efficient approach is apparently to watch play videos of skilled players, focusing "only on the parts you can't do."

As for mindset, when you can't figure out a chart, listen to the song with your ears instead of your eyes. Rhythm game charts are always built around the music, so using the song's sounds as cues helps you understand faster. If you're tired or plateauing, just take a break. Coming back the next day feeling fresh and suddenly being able to do it is so relatable.

I put this into practice right away. I just cycle through all sorts of songs, check fingerings in videos when I get stuck, and if it still doesn't work, give up for the moment and go to sleep. In the end, I really feel that "keeping at it while having fun" is the best way to improve.

Source: なもろぐ