Custom Map Blues.

Recently I purchased the Oculus Quest 2, a VR headset console that works as a standalone device. You do not need a computer in order to play games on this headset, all you need is the Oculus App on your smartphone and you're ready to start playing. The number one reason why I ordered one of this gaming devices on release was to play Beatsaber.

For those who do not know, Beatsaber is a rhythm game where you slice blocks in half to the beat of a song. Think Dance Dance Revolution for Jedi Knights. It is an incredibly fun game that is also very active, so you don't end up feeling like a couch potato after playing for a few hours. For those looking to both relax and stay active, this game is a great choice.

The biggest con to this game, however, is the lack of selection in songs. They have no major pop songs in the base game except for POPSTARS by KD/A, which is a song written to promote cosmetic skins for another game, League of Legends. Any notable songs are only available as add-ons that cost extra. Because of this, the community took matters into their own hands and started creating custom maps which can be modded onto your headset fairly easily. A couple downloads here and there, and you have all of the custom maps your heart could desire at your fingertips. Sounds great, right?

Wrong.

At first this sounds great, because suddenly you have maps for all of your favorite songs loaded onto your VR headset, ready to go. However, what I have come to notice about the custom maps for Beatsaber is that all of them are either a hit or a miss. Some maps are fantastic, others are horrible, and the only way to find out is to play them.

I'm not saying I'm the best Beatsaber player since sliced bread (pun intended), but I do mostly play expert level maps. Hard level maps have become too easy for me, so I feel I have a decent grasp on the game. I like a good challenge, because I will practice over and over until I get that SS or that 478/478 boxes. The challenge I do not appreciate, however, is trying to navigate through a map that makes no sense.

This is what I mean by a 'horrible map'. A horrible map is a map that does not follow natural movement. A well designed custom map will follow the natural movement of your body and have you following patterns that make sense to your natural flow. The harder maps, like expert and expert+ levels, will demand more movement, a sharper reaction time, and more boxes to slice through, but they will still follow natural movement patterns. These designs trigger muscle memory. They aren't meant to be completed perfectly on the first play through, they are meant to challenge you and keep you coming back for more practice until your muscle memory kicks in and you can finish the map with 100% completion.

Often times I come across maps that simply do not make sense to my body, and I end up smashing through boxes the 'wrong' way. I follow the natural pattern my body inclines to and get completely thrown off by all of the missed box sound effects. It's jarring and frustrating at best, especially for someone who has improved at the game. If I play a map that has a great design and I miss some boxes here and there, I still feel good about the map because I still enjoyed myself, plus I have a new challenge to come back to. It is hard to describe the disappointment I feel when I play a new map and feel so awkward trying to struggle bust my way through a map that has 15 down blue boxes in a row per chorus.

I wouldn't be so annoyed by the unpredictability of these custom maps if there was a better ranking system in effect for them. Currently, there is only a like/dislike function for the custom maps on the website where they can be downloaded from. What I would love to see? A comment system, for starters. I would like to see what other players have to say about these maps: why is it good or bad? Is it too easy? Is it unnatural? Too hard? I have no clue, please give us a way to explain.

Mostly, though, I would love to see a proper review system. Beatsaber, like with any online game, has a competitive side with top players in the world. I would love to see an option for high-ranking Beatsaber players to have verified accounts where they can post official reviews for different custom maps. If anyone knows what makes a good or bad map, it's the top players. A trustworthy source for quality assurance would help so much in weeding through the bad maps.

These are simply my thoughts on the custom maps. It's a process trying to download all the custom maps onto my headset, I just want it to be worth it.