DLC
The RPG is open once again now that ECS9 has concluded! The songlist has been expanded to include
the Stamina RPG 3 in its entirety-- including unlocks. This should be great for you if you missed out
on SRPG3 previously, or if you want to see if you can pass some content that you weren't able to when it was
running in 2019.
You can download the DLC here: Stamina RPG 4 DLC - Full Pack
There's also a couple of new quests, some new unlocks, and a relic that will carry forward into Stamina RPG 5!
If you've played any SRPG3 charts after 05/19/2020, or if you played SRPG4 content while the RPG was closed during ECS9,
don't worry-- you can submit those scores! Scores from before that date are NOT allowed, however.
SRPG4 will close permanently sometime after the New Year, most likely just prior to the beginning of ECS9.5 in 2021.
Rules/Info
Stamina RPG 4 is an online competition for In The Groove 2 that, in addition to being a
tournament in its own right, serves as the qualifier for ECS9. Difficulties range
from 11-footers to songs so challenging that almost no one can pass them. To participate, you must
register on Groovestats first. Once you've done that and you've downloaded the songs for the event,
after logging in, you can go to the Your Scores page to view
your current status and enter in any new passes.
Using Stepmania 5 and the newest version of db2k's Simply Love theme is HIGHLY recommended. It adds
support for scanning QR codes, which will greatly simplify the process of entering scores for you.
The newest version can be found here: Simply Love.
If you prefer, another theme called Digital Dance (by Aoreo) is available now that will also handle
QR submissions-- you can download it here: Digital Dance.
Once you have one of those themes, all you need to do is switch to that theme on SM5 and download a QR scanning app on your phone. After
each song, a QR code will display on one of the panes on the results screen, and you can scan that to
automatically enter your pass along with the score and rate mod.
If you choose to enter scores manually, you have the ability to enter your score percentage and
rate mod in addition to updating your pass to indicate you cleared the song. Your score and rate mod
do not have to come from the same attempt on the song-- you're intended to track your best of each (so
if you play a song at 1.0x rate and get a 90 and then play it at 1.1x rate and get an 80, you would
enter 1.1x for your rate and 90% for your score). Increasing your rate mod increases the EXP yielded
by the pass, while increasing your score increases the amount of Gold that is
obtained by clearing the song. Gold can be exchanged for relics in the Border Shop.
In addition to Gold and EXP, you will gain Skill Points towards specific BPM ranges for each song you
pass (which impact ECS9 in addition to being involved in certain quests). Most importantly, Tournament Points
(based purely off the difficulty of the pass) and Length Points (based off the length and
difficulty of the chart) will determine your qualifying rank for ECS9. Only your ten best passes count towards your
qualifying rank for TP and only your five best passes count towards your qualifying rank for LP. Score and rate
do not matter for TP or LP and the top 24 that get to compete in the upper division will be based on the rank for
their combined values.
Finally, Stamina RPG 4 introduces Affinities and Nature Points. As you gain life levels, you will obtain Nature
Points, which can be assigned in the Settings menu.
These can be assigned to any of four affinities which will impact point calculation at East Coast Stamina 9:
- Endurance Points (EP) - Assigning NP to this affinity will give you more of a bonus on songs that are dense/have higher total measures of 16ths (relative to other songs in the block).
- Dexterity Points (DP) - Assigning NP to this affinity will give you more of a bonus on songs that are a higher BPM (relative to other songs in the block).
- Rating Points (RP) - Assigning NP to this affinity will give you more of a bonus on songs that are of a higher block difficulty.
- Accuracy Points (AP) - Assigning NP to this affinity will give you more of a bonus on songs that you score well on.
Much like with relics, affinities allow you to strategically approach your set for ECS and play to your strengths.
You can view the current rankings by going to the Ranking
page. The Quests page will provide a log of quests that
participants can undertake for rewards, and hints on how to complete them-- you may also view a
list of Relics that are available as prizes for the quests.
These relics will be usable in ECS9, in both the lower and upper divisions.
There are a few rules to note:
- Fail scores DO NOT count, regardless of how good the score is or isn't. Do not submit anything that is not a pass.
- Backing out of a song does not count as passing a song. Do not submit passes where you backed out of the song in a break/etc.
- Bracketing/mashing is strictly prohibited for any songs in the qualifier.
- You may play with way offs/decents disabled, but these will be enabled for the actual tournament.
- You must play on the normal judge and lifebar settings for ITG (Judge and Life difficulty 4). If you're playing on the Simply Love theme on SM5, you'll need to ensure that you're using a version that has accurate life mechanics ('Competitive Mode' handles that on the most recent versions).
- No scores obtained prior to 05/19/2020 will be accepted.
- Make sure that you have screenshots of every score you manually enter (if you submit via QR scanning, that's sufficient validation). If a pass is questioned and you can't provide a screenshot, you'll lose credit for it. I reserve the right to request video proof of play if you're not already an established player (though that would only likely happen if you manage to qualify for ECS9).
- Rate mods below 1.0x rate are not acceptable.
Prizes
The 24 players WORLDWIDE who have earned the highest total TP + LP by August 30th, 2020 at 11:59 PM EST are invited to compete in the upper division for East Coast Stamina 9. ALL SHOPPING AND AFFINITY SETTINGS MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE STAMINA RPG ENDS!
Acknowledgments
I'd like to give a special thanks to the following individuals who helped to make Stamina RPG 4. Everyone on this list either created content specifically for SRPG4 or
contributed it at my request (though this list doesn't cover the full spectrum of people who have content featured in the pack):
- Dom (Dev work assistance)
- Pluto (Logo art, relic art, cloud art)
- Evocait (Shop art)
- CardboardBox (Bulk .sm update code)
- dbk2 (Groovestats QR theme integration)
- Teejusb (Groovestats QR theme integration)
- Levitas (Song selection, charts)
- Rust (Song selection, charts)
- Aoreo (Song selection, charts)
- Arvin (Song selection, charts)
- glory limited. (Charts, ??????, ??????)
- ITGAlex (Charts, ??????)
- Okami (Charts)
- Rems (Charts)
- StarrySergal (Charts)
- Zaia (Charts)
- StoryTime (Charts, Big Waves)
- Admiral M&Ms (Charts)
- Kyy (Charts)
- Tuuc (Charts)
- ExJam09 (Charts) (WHO IS EXJAM09!?)
...and thanks to everyone who has been a part of what has become a truly global stamina
community. Thank you all for continuing to participate in my events.
--Ian