Rock Band: Battle of the Bands
It’s the end of term, and that means it’s time for Rock Band – Battle of the Bands! If you already know how this event is run because you were here last term, there have been a few changes so you might want to read this anyway. The event starts at 3:00pm July 30th, in the SLC Great Hall (if you’re participating, you’ll need to show up then, or notify us of your planned ETA), and runs until we’re finished which completely depends on the number of bands that sign up. You’ll play three songs, and bands can range in size from one to four people, but if you’re a band of one you’re going to be losing quite a few points unless you can play all four parts at once!
Contents:
*Our final event is coming up, Rock Band 2 – Battle of the Bands.
*What this event is all about
*Technical Score (400/800)
*Costume Score (80/800)
*Stage Presence (240/800)
*Team Presence/Tilt (80/800)
*Rental tracklist
Entrance fee is $15 per band, so fill up that roster! The prize will be a gift certificate to the store of your choice, and the value will be determined by the number of competing bands. More information about the scoring and technical stuff is below.
Signups for this event can be found here:
http://uwgamers.org/signup/rockband
Facebook event link:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105346894769
(Top) == What this event is all about ==
This event is not just about being a good Rock Band 2 player, it is about being in a Rock Band (that happens uses plastic instruments). We’ll have a whole stage set up complete with speakers and stage risers. Your technical score (how good you did on the song according to the game) is only a portion of your final score. The rest of your score is decided by a panel of judges who grade you on Stage Presence, Costume, and Team Presence. The combination of all factors decides how you do. If you really don’t want to get up on stage and jump around, don’t worry! First of all, you could get someone you know to join your band and do the jumping around for you. If that’s not an option, be creative! Some bands don’t move around a lot while on stage, and your band could be one of those!
The next bits of information will be talking about scoring. It’s a bit complicated, but after running a few of these things, we’ve put a lot of thought into it. Here’s a brief rundown of the mathematical scoring, followed by descriptions of what you have to do to score best:
(Top) == Technical Score (400/800) ==
First of all, your band will need to select three songs from Rock Band 2 to play. You can pick three songs from the “Rental Tracklist” at the bottom of this email, or you can bring in your own 360/PS3 with the songs you want to play already downloaded. After each song, each part will be given a score out of 100, based on percentage of notes hit. A difficulty penalty of up to 30 points will be deducted if you play on anything less than expert! (10 points for hard, 20 for medium, 30 for easy.) These scores across the band are added for a total max score of 400. Then depending on your Star Rating at the end of the song, another deduction is made. Aim for 5 stars to avoid deductions, use those Star-Power combos! Your score for the three songs are then averaged as your final Technical Score.
(Top) == Costume Score (80/800) ==
Now comes the fun stuff, as the technical score only accounts for 400/800 total points. These next three categories are overall, and not per song. First up is costume, and it is worth 80 points of your total (20 per part). Costumes can be very subtle to incredibly obvious. If your costume selection is subtle, you can make it more obvious by choosing the name of your band or track list strategically. If your ‘costume’ is just what you happened to be wearing that day, you probably won’t get a lot of costume points. If all of your clothes are torn and have holes in them and you wear those, you would probably get points if you band was named “The Homeless” or similar. Be creative! You don’t have to spend money to make an amazing costume.
(Top) == Stage Presence (240/800) ==
Next is Stage Presence, and is worth 60 points per part for a total of 240 points! This is everything you do while on stage, your entire performance helps contribute to this score! Things as simple as moving to the music as the song is playing can get you points here. This is the main section where creativity comes into play. Use of props, playing off your other band members, putting the guitar behind your head and playing, really anything you can think of to give a more entertaining performance can add to your Stage Presence. The more unexpected it is, the better! Be sure to read the code of conduct before you bring in fireworks to end your final song though.
(Top) == Team Presence / Tilt (80/800) ==
Team Presence is the final scoring category, and is worth 80 points. This category rates how well you all did as a band, and also functions as a judge’s “tilt”, or how much they liked you. Everyone knowing how the song works is vital to Team Presence, as it allows you to work together by using multipliers at the proper time, and it helps you revive teammates at a safe time. All of these scores come together and give you a score out of 800. Highest score wins.
(Top) == Rental Tracklist ==
At the event, we will have the following songs:
*Rock Band 2
*Rock Band 1 DLC
*Harmonix Track Pack
*Punk Pack 1 and 2 (on the PS3)
*20 free downloads (if the owner of the console is feeling generous)
If you have a song that you’d like to play, and it isn’t on the above list you can bring your own 360 or PS3 and play your song from that. We will also have a complete set of instruments, so don’t worry about bringing them unless you prefer yours, or have modified it to add to your costume or stage presence score.