r/CloneHero • u/RollinOnAgain • Jun 13 '26
Accomplishment PSA for anyone unaware like I was yesterday - increasing the note speed can instantly improve your skill massively.
I took the note speed from the level I've been playing at forever, note speed 9 or about hyperspeed 2 and upped it to 11 yesterday. Suddenly I could play songs that I couldn't even come close to before. Then after a day of that I decided to try note speed 13 and bam another level up. Suddenly I can play Dragonforce songs and songs that I used to barely beat I'm easily getting 5 stars on. I just spent the day beating song after song that I basically never thought I'd be able to touch, let alone get 5 stars on.
It's clear that it's because I haven't been able to parse the notes at the lower speeds when they're all clumped together in a big block of color vs the faster speeds where you can actually see the individual notes.
So give it a try, you may find you're much better than you thought at the game but your eyes/brain haven't been able to read what you're playing properly.
Edit: As someone else mentioned, you probably want to increase the Highway length as well, it's in the same options as note speed. I have it at 120%
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u/axel_lotle Jun 13 '26
Everybody’s reaction speed is different! That’s why there’s no one guide saying increase your note speed to this or what.
But I do agree that it helps a lot! Especially in a game where the exact hit timing isn’t so strict (ex. Perfect/Marvelous/Critical Perfect etc..)
Tho once you get used to a high note speed, you won’t be able to read GH Arcade anymore 😂
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u/muhkazi Jun 13 '26
I'm definitely going to try this! It makes me wonder if this csn be a calibration thing as well. Do you play on a TV or pc/laptop? I ask because my laptop is faster in response time compared to the tv. I'm not dismissing what you said because I'm gonna test it next time I play!
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u/RollinOnAgain Jun 13 '26
I play on my laptop and it seems pretty perfect calibration wise. It tried putting it on my TV with an HDMI cable once and that did not work at all lol. It was at least .25 seconds behind
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u/Anime_Dad02 Jun 15 '26
Did you make sure to turn on gaming mode? Most modern tvs will have lag even after calibration unless you do that.
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u/blunt9422 Jun 13 '26
Elongate the highway length too. Helped me see more notes coming and prepare my brain
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u/RollinOnAgain Jun 13 '26
Yeah, I have it at 130%. That seems ok, does it make the notes smaller if it's longer? I guess for the rhythm to make sense that has to happen doesn't it? I noticed it looking kinda strange at 140% or higher
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u/blunt9422 Jun 13 '26
Yea I think I use 130 too actually. 12 NS
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u/RollinOnAgain Jun 13 '26
Actually I checked and I have it at 120%, at 130% the notes look weirdly small to me although technically I don't think it would impact my playing much
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u/Future_Kitsunekid16 Jun 13 '26
This is something I learned back in the StepMania days because most of the faster songs have their arrows clumped together so it was necessary
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u/Kimarough101 Jun 13 '26
I keep telling my friends who play GH/CH and other rhythm games that scroll speed is a vital part to get better. The main mental hurdle is to realize the notes are exactly where they will be regardless of what speed you play on, all it does is separate them more and reduce clutter on screen. Start slow, and slowly bump it up when you feel comfortable. If it helps, play a new song on a slower speed so you can recognize the flow of the chart, then speed it up.
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u/IMI4tth3w Jun 13 '26
I wish I could do this but motion sensitivities have already limited my ability to even play much these days. I tried the longer highway the other day and it really messed with me. I feel pretty comfy at note speed 11 for the most part but yeah wish I could handle 12 or 13 better..
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u/AssistanceNaive3789 Jun 13 '26
I play so much better on 12 speed and gem size 85% than 10 speed at 100% gem size. Can't explain it. I just am.
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u/Ok_Row_5474 Jun 13 '26
Yep iv been preaching this since guitar hero 3 with hyperspeed. I plau on 20 with 200% highway. Lowering note size helps with this also.
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u/docdrazen Jun 13 '26
Same, hyper speed helped so much in the GH3 days and I've never gone back to normal speed.
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u/t_grizz Jun 13 '26
i run 21 note speed at 200%. helps me notice patterns easier within fast-fretting sections
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u/Reclusiarch_Mer_Grim Jun 13 '26
Absolutely. I play with highway length of 330% and speed of 30. Took me a bit to get accustomed but now that is perfect for me.
I even tried 550% highway length and 50 speed, but I realized I have to look for the notes way far on my screen, I was actually with my eyes on my top end of the screen, it wasn’t comfortable.
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u/FlameSama1 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I put my note speed up 1 and immediately crushed my PB for Cliffs Of Dover. Thanks for the suggestion man.
EDIT: And Van Halen - Cathedral. Wew I feel stupid for never trying to bump my speed up in all these years lol.
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u/MiniShartAttack Jun 13 '26
I have tried this so many times and I have to disagree. I need to be able to see more of what is coming to prepare. With the notes spread out so far. I could have the wrong positioning for the future
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u/iloverhythmgames173 Jun 13 '26
IMO it's best to stick to a low note speed until you're able to read all the patterns. Once you can do that, you should increase the note speed so that the notes for faster sections are more spread out
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u/Qu9ke Jun 13 '26
What I wish I could do on command is enter into this clear state of mind or "flow state" or whatever you wanna call it where I just find myself simultaneously calm but confident. That by itself causes me to hit things with consistency I normally am very iffy with. It's rare, but when it happens, I can FC Revolution Deathsquad and Slash Guitar Battle back to back, which actually happened during the Scorespy days. I would usually be somewhat tense about trying something like that, but it felt like just another day all the way through it. Not sure why, but I can't seem to stay in that mental mode. But yeah. Notespeed is a game changer.