Rocksmith Impressions

[Boudreaux]

Well, yeah okay. I didn't mean I had doubts about how it would work technically. I just think it might feel somewhat awkward. Maybe not. I have not played much bass. I'm sure from a technical standpoint it will work fine.

[Smoove_B]

This game fell off my radar until I heard about the pending re-release of the base game with all bass guitar tracks. After seeing the Fretmute crush various songs on guitar I'm really looking forward to getting the new version in the fall.

[noxiousdog]

I've been trying this again lately and ran into some serious issues. I'm wondering if I suck (possible, but not likely as bad as the game indicates) or I have a fixable hardware problem (likely lag related).

Symptom 1
When I run the guitar tuner, there is a very noticeable lag between when I pluck the string, and when it displays and sounds from the TV. I currently have it wired on old RCA jacks directly into the TV audio and video.

Symptom 2
I cannot consistently play the 1st section of Tom Petty's "Good Enough" on 20% skill. It's only a handful of notes (no slides or bends) all on the 2nd string, and yet I can't get through it without error through 30 tries. Failure seems to be non-registering of notes.

ideas?

[Fretmute]

When I run the guitar tuner, there is a very noticeable lag between when I pluck the string, and when it displays and sounds from the TV. I currently have it wired on old RCA jacks directly into the TV audio and video.

I had to run my audio jacks into my (old school) stereo receiver and play it through my stereo speakers. Even when I had RCA audio into my HDTV, there was lag between the video and the audio. I was using component video, though. Not sure if that makes any difference.

Symptom 2
I cannot consistently play the 1st section of Tom Petty's "Good Enough" on 20% skill. It's only a handful of notes (no slides or bends) all on the 2nd string, and yet I can't get through it without error through 30 tries. Failure seems to be non-registering of notes.

ideas?

That certainly sounds like it's counting you as late, given symptom one. If you play in the super annoying make-you-do-every-note mode, does it never let you move on to the next one? That's the only proof of total non-registry, as far as I know of. I have issues on detecting frets 13 and 14 of the B string for some odd reason, but only when they're played with other notes. I think my pickup is just wimpy there.

[edit] - The tuner should operate in real time, just like the free amp mode (X button).

[noxiousdog]

[edit] - The tuner should operate in real time, just like the free amp mode (X button).

Ugh. that sucks. I have some serious audio AND video lag then.

[Boudreaux]

Are you playing with the new patch? I just went through a few songs last night and was noticing that I was missing a lot of notes in Accelerator on 85% speed. I finally deduced that the audio lag for me actually decreased after the newest patch. I had to go into the game options and set the audio lag from 300ms back to 0. No more trouble.

I hadn't used it probably since I got the game at launch, but the delay option actually has a little tool similar to what rock band uses. You might go back into settings and just see if it needs to be adjusted.

[noxiousdog]

Are you playing with the new patch? I just went through a few songs last night and was noticing that I was missing a lot of notes in Accelerator on 85% speed. I finally deduced that the audio lag for me actually decreased after the newest patch. I had to go into the game options and set the audio lag from 300ms back to 0. No more trouble.

I hadn't used it probably since I got the game at launch, but the delay option actually has a little tool similar to what rock band uses. You might go back into settings and just see if it needs to be adjusted.

I tried a few things tonight that seemed to help a ton. I was able to decrease my lag further (down to 4ms). I tweaked my guitar volume, and changed the pickups. The latter two were suggestions from the Rocksmith forums. I did better on Good Enough, but I haven't been playing for a while so working on slides the last few days has been painful.

I switched to House of the Rising Sun and enjoyed that.

[Teggy]

Is there a way to just have part of a song play at some speed without it failing out early? I'm trying to learn Satisfaction at 100% mastery, but something about the timing of the notes is throwing me off. I'd like to just watch the notes go by slowly without playing. But if you skip too many notes it stops early.

I'd love it if they posted all of the tabs on their website (they could require a code so only people who bought the game could use it) so you could look a them at your leisure.

[Fretmute]

Is there a way to just have part of a song play at some speed without it failing out early? I'm trying to learn Satisfaction at 100% mastery, but something about the timing of the notes is throwing me off. I'd like to just watch the notes go by slowly without playing. But if you skip too many notes it stops early.

If there is, I haven't found it yet. The fail out decision is among the more boneheaded in game design history, as far as I'm concerned. Failing in practice (at which you're more or less bad by definition) is insane.

[Boudreaux]

Yeah, I don't think there's any way to do that. On the plus side, you ought to be able to set a speed in Accelerator that is rreeaaallllyy sslllooowww, and maybe have better luck at reading/playing the notes? Of course, the slower you go the harder it is to feel the rhythm.

I went ahead and bought the bass DLC even though I don't have a bass. I've just been using bass emulation on my guitar, and it works surprisingly well. I can't really play it like a fingered bass, as the strings are a little too close, but with a pick it's quite fun. Hopefully I'll find the funds to pick up a bass at some point in the future.

[Fretmute]

According to the played count for Me and the Bean, I have spent slightly under three hours of my life on that song.

I'm sure I'd be incredibly depressed if Rock Band and Guitar Hero had obvious play counts. I'm reasonably certain that I played Psychobilly Freakout about 200 times in order to 5 star it.

I still haven't purchased the bass DLC. I could play it on my guitar, but that seems uninteresting, and my bass is the first instrument I ever purchased. It's a short scale Fender jazz knockoff, painted appliance green, with the worst action ever. I ought to just light it on fire and put it out of its misery.

[lildrgn]

I have the basses, is it worth getting Rocksmith if I already know how to play bass?

[Boudreaux]

I have the basses, is it worth getting Rocksmith if I already know how to play bass?

Rocksmith will give you full notation/tablature as well as a "backing band" for roughly 50 songs, plus steady DLC. There are also technique lessons and mini games that are fun for practicing. I already knew how to play guitar (beginner to intermediate level) but mostly wanted it for something to practice and play along with. In that respect, it is brilliant.

In short, it's probably not going to teach you much, but it does make practicing a blast.

[Fretmute]

They've confirmed the following, but haven't given dates:

Avenged Sevenfold “Afterlife”
Avenged Sevenfold “Beast and The Harlot”
Avenged Sevenfold “Nightmare”

Rush “Limelight”
Rush “Headlong Flight”
Rush “Red Barchetta”
Rush “Subdivisions”
Rush “Tom Sawyer”
Rush “YYZ”

That's pretty salty.

[Exodor]

Rush “Limelight”
Rush “Headlong Flight”
Rush “Red Barchetta”
Rush “Subdivisions”
Rush “Tom Sawyer”
Rush “YYZ”

That's pretty salty.

JUST TAKE MY MONEY. ALL OF IT.

[Fretmute]

JUST TAKE MY MONEY. ALL OF IT.

They could release Coheed and Cambria tunes for 800 points per song and I'd still buy them all.

With the PC release imminent, I'm curious how long it will take an adventurous hacker to reverse engineer the song files and release a homebrew toolkit.

[Exodor]

With the PC release imminent, I'm curious how long it will take an adventurous hacker to reverse engineer the song files and release a homebrew toolkit.

Do we know if the DLC songs will be released for the PC on the same day as Ps3?

Or anything about the PC version, really...?

I enjoy it on the Ps3 but the loading times are tedious. It would be a lot easier to play it on the PC.

[Fretmute]

I haven't heard. I suspect that new DLC will be simultaneous; I really don't see a reason why they wouldn't do it that way.

[noxiousdog]

Anyone do this with an electric acoustic? Does it work better? Worse? Depend on the song?

I think i'm buying a Takamine EG530C today for under $150, and am curious it's worth using in RS.

[Fretmute]

Anyone do this with an electric acoustic? Does it work better? Worse? Depend on the song?

I think i'm buying a Takamine EG530C today for under $150, and am curious it's worth using in RS.

I played a song with mine to prove it could be done, but I don't recall any specifics. I'll run through a few this evening and report back to you.

[edit] - Of course, if you're buying the guitar today, that doesn't help. I seem to recall that the main issue was the distraction of hearing the acoustic over the top of the electric effects from Rocksmith.

[noxiousdog]

Anyone do this with an electric acoustic? Does it work better? Worse? Depend on the song?

I think i'm buying a Takamine EG530C today for under $150, and am curious it's worth using in RS.

I played a song with mine to prove it could be done, but I don't recall any specifics. I'll run through a few this evening and report back to you.

[edit] - Of course, if you're buying the guitar today, that doesn't help. I seem to recall that the main issue was the distraction of hearing the acoustic over the top of the electric effects from Rocksmith.

Oh, that would be a problem. I was just curious really. It wasn't a selling point or anything.

[Fretmute]

The Avenged Sevenfold pack came out yesterday. I spent about two hours on Beast and the Harlot and only made my way up to 56k points. This one might take a while.

[Exodor]

I was just thinking about this game during the drive this morning.

Any word on the PC version? I guess it was due to be released October 16.

I have it for Ps3 but it would be worth another $50 if the PC load times are faster.

I need to figure out which version I'm going to be using going forward before I buy that Rush song pack.



EDIT - I guess there's a demo so I can try it out tonight (or tomorrow night - stupid Halloween) to test loading speed, latency, etc.

[Fretmute]

I was just thinking about this game during the drive this morning.

Any word on the PC version? I guess it was due to be released October 16.

I have it for Ps3 but it would be worth another $50 if the PC load times are faster.

I need to figure out which version I'm going to be using going forward before I buy that Rush song pack.

Yeah. I'm married to the 360 version now because I bought 80% of the DLC.

[Exodor]

Played around with the PC demo last night.

The menus are still wonky but there's some mouse support which helps. Loading times are better than then Ps3 but not as fast as they could be. It would probably be better on a SSD but my 80GB drive is already almost full.

I didn't experience any audio lag which was nice.

I played sitting in my desk chair which got uncomfortable after about 30 minutes. Standing in front of the PC leaves me looking down at the monitor. Standing in front of the TV is more comfortable.

Playing position may be enough of an issue that I stick with the Ps3 even though I'd rather have it on Steam.


There's a goon on SA working to import guitar tabs from the 'net into the PC version of Rocksmith. If he gets that worked out I'll jump all over the PC version.

[Boudreaux]

From what I've heard the PC version improves load times dramatically, but is otherwise identical to the console versions. No changes were made to take advantage of the PC platform.

If somebody figures out how to mod new songs into the PC version of Rocksmith, that would be hard to pass up. Otherwise, I can't see any reason to switch to the PC version over 360.

[Exodor]

Rush DLC is out next week.

[Exodor]

Spent the evening learning "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight", "Red Barchetta" and "YYZ"


Best. Night. Evar.



But YYZ is a very humbling experience.

[Fretmute]

All of them? Fast learner!

[Exodor]

All of them? Fast learner!

Learning. It's an ongoing process.


Although nothing makes me feel like more of a rock star than the single-note version of "Tom Sawyer" Fairly easy to plan and hella fun.

[Fretmute]

I can't put down a Rocksmith song (that I really like) until I can hit 100k. This is why I may never play another song after getting the avenged sevenfold pack.

[Ibby]

Just picked this up for the PC. I do have some slight lag using my USB headphones so I've been thinking about trying to use my receiver to see if it helps. It's not unplayable, but it sure is irritating.

[paulbaxter]

I just ordered this (for PC), along with a Yamaha Pacifica guitar. I'll try to post some impressions once it arrives and I get started.

[Boudreaux]

I just got the chance to play the bass side with an actual bass guitar. The only thing I can say definitively is that I suck at bass. Hurts my fingers in entirely new ways, and a four-fret fingering stretch is painful.

[FishPants]

Spam

[paulbaxter]

My guitar arrived in the mail Monday and Rocksmith today. Eager to get started, but I have work and a class to get to first. May be able to fit in an hour tonight.

[Fretmute]

My guitar arrived in the mail Monday and Rocksmith today. Eager to get started, but I have work and a class to get to first. May be able to fit in an hour tonight.

Have you ever played at all, or are you going in blind?

[paulbaxter]

I've had an acoustic for three years. I can't claim to be especially good, but I can read all the notes in the first position, play all the basic chords, etc.

I tried to play every day over the summer, but really haven't played at all during the fall, so my callouses are pretty much gone now. I've been messing around a bit the last few days with my new guitar, but I don't have an amp for it yet, so it's pretty quiet.

[Smoove_B]

Whoa, whoa whoa -- as of yesterday I can purchase "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" by Parliament and learn to play it on my bass? Oh funk yes.

[paulbaxter]

First impressions:

A few problems off the bat. Game didn't want to acknowledge the USB input. Appears that you have to start the game with the cord unplugged until the game prompts you to plug in, at least according to others who've had the same problem.

I wasn't too bothered by the tutorial on which hand to hold the pick in, etc. I'm sure some folks are starting from the very beginning, but it might have been nice to be able to skip that part. However, the initial tuning seemed rather buggy. The game wouldn't register any of her the notes I was playing. Took me around two minutes per note just to get the game to "hear" them. Don't know what was going on there.

The game itself was pretty fun. I kinda sucked at reading their tablature system, but then I kinda suck at guitar, so that's OK. Look forward to progressing on Satisfaction, and the Black Keys song. My only other complaint is with the third song they introduced for me to play as an encore at my second gig. Angelo, or something. That song just sucks in an objective way. Did the band sleep with the game producers?