User:TanvirAlam2/IIDX

beatmania IIDX
A cabinet running Beatmania IIDX 15: DJ Troopers
Genre(s)	Music
Developer(s)	Konami
First release	Beatmania IIDX JP: February 26, 1999
Latest release	Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress (arcade) JP: November 19, 2008

beatmania IIDX (ビートマニア ツーディーエックス, Bītomania Tsūdiekkusu) (alternately beatmaniaIIDX or just IIDX, pronounced "two dee-ecks" or "two deluxe") is a series of rhythm video games that was first introduced by Konami in Japan on February 26,1999. IIDX has since spawned over 15 arcade releases and over 10 console releases on the Sony Playstation 2. It is the sequel to the beatmania game series, and part of the Bemani line of music games.

Gameplay

In IIDX games, players recreate the musical score of songs available to them through the use of a DJ simulating controller. The player must coordinate their hands in order to hit the correct keyboard buttons, spin the turntable, or a combination of both in correspondence to color coded notes that approach the judgement bar displayed on screen. Notes are divided on screen by columns which separate them accordingly to match the seven buttons and the turntable on the DJ simulating controller. As a result of hitting notes, different sounds are then produced throughout a songs duration. Correctly hitting notes will produce an accurate musical score, while incorrectly hitting notes will produce inaccuracies and mistakes in the music.

Upon completion of a song or set of songs, players are then assigned a letter grade and numerical score based on their accuracy and efficiency in properly hitting the notes that appeared on screen.

Groove Gauge

The "Groove Gauge" is a meter used to judge whether or not the player passes or fails a song. Hitting notes accurately increases the Groove Gauge, and vice versa. In order to clear the stage, the Groove Gauge must be filled up to at least 80% at the end of a song. Regardless of performance, results are given at the end of the song, with a breakdown of lifebar status as a line graph, a letter grade, and how many of each judgement the player received. Grading is based on the "EX" score, a calculation using how many Greats the player received in relation to any other judgment (2 points for each Perfect Great, 1 for every Great).

Judgement Bar

The judgement bar is used as a measure of accuracy and correct timing whenever the player presses a button. Players can be assigned several different words to reflect the level of accuracy they have achieved. From best to worst, these ratings are "Perfect Great" (or "Just Great"), "Great," "Good," "Bad," and "Poor" (for out of turn presses or missed notes). Perfect Greats show up in gameplay as a "flashing" Great (which is also used as a term for the judgment). The U.S. version of beatmania displays them in-game as "Perfect".

During the course of a song, the player is judged based on their accuracy and efficiency of hitting notes displayed on the screen. The closer a player is to the judgement bar, Players are shown A total score is also along with combo blah blah...

Effectors and Modifiers

Modifiers available during song selection can make a song easier to play (Auto-Scratch, 5-key, Hi-Speed, Easy), change the note chart entirely (Mirror, various forms of Random), or make the song harder (such as the "HARD" modifier which removes the 80% requirement, but fails the player when the Groove Gauge reaches 0%).

Difficulty

Songs are rated on a scale of 1-12 on 4 difficulties, Beginner (on home versions), Normal, Hyper, and Another, in 7-key and 14-key (double) modes.

Game modes

IIDX features several different game modes, each with its own objectives. Games modes have been added during new installments of the series. Most IIDX versions feature the following modes:

• Beginner, which often uses simplified charts or makes the game easier in other ways. As of Distorted, Beginner Mode classifies the charts as either "very easy, "easy", or "hard".
• Standard or Arcade on home versions, where a set number of songs (usually 3) is played, each stage must be passed in order to advance. Extra stages can be accessed by meeting certain conditions.
• Expert, where the player plays a themed course of 5 songs without stopping. The Groove Gauge begins at 100% and does not refill between songs. If the gauge drops to 0%, the song ends.
• Class mode, also known as Dan mode or Dan'inintei (段位認定, Step Rank Recognition) is similar to Expert mode, though each course has four songs (three in Double play), and only the HI-SPEED option may be selected. The purpose of this mode is to allow IIDX players to compare their skill with each other, as each Dan course is designed to be significantly harder than the one beneath. Players compare themselves based on the highest Dan course they are able to complete. Newer versions that use e-Amusement can save a player's rank to their profile, and may also restrict access to certain difficulty levels of songs at specific stages unless a specific rank is reached.
• Free mode, where one less song than standard mode can be played, but the player cannot fail. In CS versions, Free mode acts more like an "event mode", where the player can play as many songs as he wants.
• The Hazard mode is available as a separate game mode on Empress and a hidden modifier on the PlayStation 2 version of DJ Troopers, the mode forces a sudden-death mode where one combo breakage automatically fails the player.

Cabinet information

The beatmania IIDX cabinet has many standard features that are found in traditional arcade cabinets such as a widescreen display, powerful speakers, and start buttons. Also, unique to IIDX cabinets are the effector buttons and sliders, a bass platform transducer, marquee, and DJ simulating controller. The effector buttons and sliders allow the player to control the volume levels within the game and manipulate the music by adding additional sound effects. The bass platform vibrates beneath the player's feet to the beat of the music being played. The marquee is a series of sixteen-segment display LEDs, used to display game information and song titles during gameplay.

Originally, the game was named beatmania II. The beatmania II cabinet was similar to the beatmania cabinet, save for the presence of two extra keys (one white, one black) that form the familiar 7-key panel. A standard BeatmaniaII cabinet also has a shorter distance from the 7 keys to the turntable compared to the BeatmaniaIIDX cabinet. Konami had planned to develop and release two different versions of arcade cabinets: a standard beatmania II cabinet, and a 'deluxe' cabinet with a 'DX' suffix on the end of the name, hence "IIDX". Konami scrapped the standard cabinet after the release of 2nd Style, but the 'DX' suffix stuck and has remained throughout the series. The original Beatmania II can be seen in the tatsujin videos included with BeatmaniaIIDX 6th Style CS, and some older generic videos still contain references to beatmania II in them,

Controller Information

beatmania IIDX controls consist two sets of seven keys on each player's side, along with two turntables. The turntable for the left player's side is to the left of the keys, while the one on the right player's side is to the right.

Each set of keys is arranged in a pattern of four white keys beneath three black keys. The black keys are offset from the white keys so that each pair of adjacent white keys has a black key above and in between them. This arrangement mimics the F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B keys on a musical keyboard, though beatmania keys, being about twice as long as they are wide, do not resemble piano keys. The keys are commonly numbered 1 through 7, from left to right. The four white keys are numbered 1, 3, 5, and 7; the three black keys are numbered 2, 4, 6.

e-Amusement

Since 9th Style, the game has featured integration with Konami's e-Amusement platform, which uses a card inserted at the beginning of the game to save stats, scores, allow customization, and track scores in comparison to previous plays and against others over the internet. From 9th Style to Happy Sky (12th), this was by way of a magnetic card and reader. From Distorted (13th) onwards the newer type Contactless smartcard Konami e-Amusement Pass system has been used. 9th Style did not require an internet connection to use a subset of the e-Amusement functionality, but 10th and on required an internet connection to function, which must be provided by a subscription from Konami. e-Amusement is not available outside of the primary markets for IIDX (Japan and Asia), which has left imported machines outside of Asia without full access to hidden songs and extra stages due to the increasing functionality and integration of e-Amusement in more recent styles. However, new songs from e-Amusement enabled styles can still be accessed on console versions (which can be imported from Japan).

Music

Music is an integral part of the beatmania IIDX series. Featuring a wide selection of genres and artists, both licensed and in-house, the beatmania IIDX series is well-known for its original music. Konami produces an original soundtrack of each game, usually a few months after release, due to the appeal of the music. Konami also releases original albums by beatmania IIDX artists through its online store, Konamistyle.

Each new AC release typically features around 60 new songs, with a selection of songs returning from previous versions. The current release, Beatmania IIDX 16: Empress, features a library of over 500 songs. CS releases feature all of the songs of their corresponding AC versions (with limited exceptions), 5-10 CS exclusive songs, around 25 "revival" (returning) songs, and 1-3 preview songs, for a total of around 90-100 songs. Arcade versions run from a hard drive, rather than a DVD, and thus have more space in which to store data.

Songs often include music videos when played, although only some songs contain dedicated videos. Some songs contain generic videos shared by multiple songs, and some of these have additional animated graphics overlaid atop them.

Releases

Main article: List of Beatmania IIDX games

The beatmania IIDX series has produced over 15 arcade releases from 1999 to 2008, with the large majority of releases occurring in Japan. In addition, there have also been over 10 releases on the Sony PlayStation 2 for the video game console market. All PlayStation 2 releases have been in Japan with one exception; the American Beatmania.

The Beatmania IIDX series has been released in the home video game market in addition to its arcade releases. To date, the only video game system to have seen a IIDX game is the Sony PlayStation 2. All versions of Beatmania IIDX have been released on the Japanese PlayStation 2 with one exception; the American Beatmania.

Home versions

Konami Official Controller(s)

Aftermarket arcade style controllers are readily available, sometimes made to order with customizable options such as lights.

Home console releases of IIDX are similar to arcade releases in both content and gameplay. They have predominantly corresponded to a previously released arcade version of IIDX, containing music featured in the corresponding arcade release, as well as old and console exclusive songs. Home versions can be played with either PS2 dualshock controllers or specially made DJ simulating peripheral controllers made by Konami or other third-party producers that recreate the arcade experience.

Konami has manufactured two forms of home controllers, which are known as Konami Official Controller (KOC) and Arcade Style Controller (ASC). The KOC, pictured above, is much cheaper than the ASC, but is smaller than the ASC. In addition, KOCs look very different from ASCs and have a smaller space between the turntable and the keys. Konami purports the ASCs to be "arcade-accurate," in that they both resemble and feel like a controller on an arcade machine. For example, the controller itself is much larger and has the turntable further away from the keys. Both styles have a detachable key panel that can be placed to the left or the right of the turntable as the player desires. Aftermarket controllers are also readily available, often containing lit turntables and keys.

Each CS style corresponds to an AC style of the game and contains every song that debuted on its respective AC style, with the exception of certain licensed songs on 1st-3rd AC (released collectively as 3rd CS) that Konami was unable to secure the rights to again. In addition, CS styles may feature a selection of "revivals" - songs that appeared on previous AC or CS styles, "preview songs" - songs that appear on AC styles that do not yet have corresponding CS styles, and "CS exclusive" songs that appear only on CS styles.

See also

• Beatmania
• Bemani
• Dance Dance Revolution
• Pop'n Music

External links

• (in Japanese) beatmania IIDX GATEWAY – official website
• (in English) TanvirAlam2/IIDX at the Killer List of Videogames
• (in English) BemaniStyle.com – A popular website for news about official games and simulators, as well as other music games
• (in English) Outphase.com – Another website for news about upcoming games and IIDX simulation
• (in English) VJ Army – US-centralized scorekeeping site for home version of beatmania IIDX
• (in Japanese) IIDX Notecharts