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| − | {{comic | + | {{ComicHeader|70|March 1, 2006}} |
| − | | number = 70 | |
| − | | date = March 1, 2006 | |
| − | | title = Guitar Hero
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| − | | image = guitar hero.jpg
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| − | | titletext = And then do it again in a moment now that they're out of Star Power.
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| − | }} | |
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| − | ==Explanation==
| + | [[File:Guitar hero.jpg]] |
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| − | ''{{w|Guitar Hero}}'' is a series of video games (originally a single game) distributed by {{w|Activision}}. In the game, players simulate playing the guitar on famous guitar songs using a plastic guitar-shaped controller with five color-coded buttons on the neck representing guitar frets and a rocker bar on the body simulating a strumming motion. The game now includes other instruments such as drums and vocals, although not at the time this comic was published. | + | == Image Text == |
| | + | And then do it again in a moment now that they're out of Star Power. |
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| − | While the player plays the game, an animated band is shown on the upper half of the screen, and an extended guitar neck is shown vertically on the bottom half of the screen with horizontal frets, often called the "note highway." As the song progresses, coloured markers or "gems" indicating notes travel down the screen in time with the music; the note colours and positions match the five fret keys on the guitar controller. Once the notes reach the bottom, the player must play the indicated notes by holding down the correct fret buttons and hitting the strumming bar in order to score points. The image in the comic is similar to what is shown when playing ''Guitar Hero''.
| + | ==Explanation== |
| − | | + | Okay, to start: ''{{w|Guitar Hero}}'' is a series of video games (originally a single game), currently distributed by {{w|Activision}}. In the game, players simulate playing guitar on famous guitar songs using a plastic guitar-shaped controller which has five color-coded buttons on the neck (representing guitar frets) and a rocker bar on the body (simulating a strumming motion). The game now includes other instruments such as drums and vocals, although not at the time this comic was published. |
| − | In this comic, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] suggests that, were he in a real rock band, he would perform a mellow song, but intentionally put a complicated guitar solo in, not for musical value, but solely to antagonize ''Guitar Hero'' players with an impossible solo. As the comic suggests, a random flailing would likely make for a very difficult passage to play in ''Guitar Hero''. This is highlighted by the previous statement that the song would otherwise be mellow, lulling the player into a false sense that the song was easy to play and relaxing. Even worse for Guitar Hero players, if there was anyone who is good enough to play the solo, they would still have no fun playing the song if it is otherwise very mellow.
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| − | Probably, the "impossible solo" proposed here would turn useless, as there are some songs where the artist actually flails the guitar, and the developers translated that in gameplay as a bonus where the players can freely spam their controller/guitar for extra points, similar to the spinner circle in ''{{w|osu!}}''.
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| − | The title text refers to a mechanic in Guitar Hero called "Star Power." Normally, when a player misses too many notes in a short time, their character is booed off the stage, and they have to restart. Using Star Power temporarily boosts the score from each note, so the player can clear a difficult section of the song even if they haven't hit most of the notes. So, when faced with Randall's impossible guitar solo, most players will immediately use Star Power to survive it. However, it takes time to build up Star Power, and it all gets expended at once, so if the song has a second stretch of wild flailing, the player won't be able to escape and will fail. (Also note that in ''{{w|Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock}}'' and many other titles of the series, a full meter of Star Power lasts for eight measures, so as long as the song is mildly fast (80BPM would more than suffice for a 4/4 or 12/8 time signature), 30 seconds would be enough already.)
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| − | ==Transcript==
| + | During gameplay, the screen is typically split as shown in the comic with a computer animated band shown on the top half, and the actual musical "chart" on the bottom as a song plays. The chart is written as depicted in the comic as a track shown in perspective, broken with horizontal lines to indicate beats of music. As the song progresses, the chart comes towards the foreground. Notes that must be played are shown as the colored circles. when a colored circle reaches the foreground and overlaps the empty circle at the front of the chart, the player must hold down that colored fret of the controler, and strum (YouTube would give you a clearer picture of what it looks like). The game's creators attempt to be as accurate as is possible with five buttons to the actual hand movements required to play a song. |
| − | :[On a stage, Megan is in the background as a singer holding a microphone. In the center is Hairy with an electric guitar. The catwalk has bumps to resemble the tracks of Guitar Hero.]
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| − | :[Caption above the stage]:
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| − | :When I'm in a rock band, I'm gonna do a cool, mellow song. Then in the middle I'll stop, announce "this part is just to be an asshole to people playing Guitar Hero," and then flail wildly on the strings for 30 seconds.
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| − | ==Trivia==
| + | In this comic, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] suggests that, were he in a real rock band, he would perform a mellow song but intentionally put a complicated guitar solo in, not for musical value, but solely to antagonise ''Guitar Hero'' players with an impossible solo. As the comic suggests, a random flailing would likely make for a very difficult passage to play in ''Guitar Hero''. |
| − | *Randall's idea seems to have come true coincidentally a year after this comic was made in the ''Guitar Hero'' sequel ''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.'' The song ''Because it's Midnite'' is considered very easy except for a 13-second guitar solo containing over 170 notes.
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| − | {{comic discussion}}
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| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
| + | Another element in ''Guitar Hero'' is "Star Power: Playing certain sections accurately in their entirety adds to a player's "Star Power" meter which, when full, can then be used at an opportune moment to double one's points for a period of time. This is most advantageous during passages with the most notes (commonly during solos). It can be frustrating to get to a solo and not have Star Power available to double your points. Thus, to do a second solo right after the first one would mean that players who wisely use their Star Power during the first solo would never have Star Power available for the second solo, frustrating them. |
| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
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| − | [[Category:Music]]
| + | [[Category:Comics|0070]] |
| − | [[Category:Video games]]
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| − | [[Category:Rhythm Games]]
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| − | [[Category:Comics with color]]
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| − | [[Category:Guitar Hero]]
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| − | [[Category:Comics with lowercase text]] | |
