Tomorrow will mark the day that Rocksmith was first announced by Ubisoft. If you ever have some spare time, go to the various gaming forums and observe the skepticism on March 15th, 2011 and compare it to the general commentary now. Quite a contrast don’t you think?
Regardless, the game as it is right now could definitely use some work. There are numerous issues with our Sony friends, Cable recognition issues with PC, and yes even the XBox has its fair share of issues. In fact I crashed last night twice (making the total number of crashes for me three) just scrolling through the setlist during multiplayer.
This article isn’t about lamenting over the unpatchable problems of Rocksmith, but more-so an exploration of some recent evidence that causes me to believe the sequel is on the way.
XML File Reflects New Techniques
When Anna Molly mysteriously appeared on every Rocksmith PC setlist we weren’t sure what to think. Did an upcoming song slip through? Or was it just a test that came through with the Steam updates to prepare for monthly content? In any case members of Rocksmith Custom Song Project were on the case. What they discovered was a plain text XML file inside the Anna Molly package that detailed an interesting string of code.
<arrangementProperties represent=”0″ standardTuning=”1″ nonStandardChords=”0″ barreChords=”0″ powerChords=”0″ dropDPower=”0″ openChords=”0″ fingerPicking=”0″ pickDirection=”0″ doubleStops=”0″ palmMutes=”1″ harmonics=”0″ pinchHarmonics=”0″ hopo=”1″ tremolo=”0″ slides=”1″ unpitchedSlides=”0″ bends=”1″ tapping=”0″ vibrato=”0″ fretHandMutes=”0″ slapPop=”0″ twoFingerPicking=”0″ fifthsAndOctaves=”0″ syncopation=”0″ bassPick=”0″ sustain=”0″ />
I’ve bolded the techniques that are not present in the incarnation of Rocksmith we play now. For a more indepth look at the findings from this you can read this thread. Could this be Ubisoft preparing DLC for techniques present in Rocksmith 2?
Social Media
It’s fun to stalk Paul Cross (@crossiers) and Nao Higo (@naohigo) on twitter! They’ve both been a bit quiet lately until Paul decided to open up the gates of hell on Ubisoft’s forums by replying to an individual asking for a “patch” to solve some of the various menu and crashing issues that customers have been dealing with since August 14th, 2012.
Of course this started an uproar on the Ubisoft Forums.
With me, being an optimist about these sort of things, I see “no patches planned” to mean “we’ve fixed the issue with the sequel,” that remains to be seen though of course.
It wasn’t ALL bad though. Nao Higo tweeted this last night:
We can’t wait either!
Competition
As much as we may deny it, BandFuse and Rocksmith are in direct competition with each other. With each video preview and interview the game looks more and more interesting and although there’s no release date as of yet, the signs point to a possible Fall release (they say Spring 2013 and I say nope).
Hopefully Rocksmith 2 will be out worldwide in the fall for a good old fashioned music game battle!
So that’s the gist of it folks, there is something afoot at Ubisoft SF we just aren’t sure when we’ll hear about it. What do you think? Do you want a Rocksmith 2 or would you rather have a third patch released? Let us know!
seems to me like however this game was designed just can’t play correctly after a while. It plays perfectly and never freezes/crashes right after a new patch. About a month later, though, it just goes back to being basically unplayable. I say start over fresh and make a sequel that works.
I definitely agree with the sequel part Alex, but rocksmith is still going strong for me. Just played an 8 song concert flawlessly (xbox 360). I even managed a double encore with no freezing or loading problems.
The one problem i have is sometimes the lyrics go too fast and get highlighted before the bar to the left of the screen. Other than that, i hope the sequel comes out SOON, and makes everyone happy.
that’s the thing though. The game doesn’t seem to be as buggy on Xbox. I play on PS3, and it literally freezes up on the save screen after every song I play
I had this problem too. One thing that seems to minimize this problem (though it doesn’t completely eliminate it) is to never play the guitar while on the “free play” parts. Whenever a song ends I just turn the volume down to 0. Still have some freezes though, and it appears the official solution is to delete your save and start over, but I’m not ready to do that yet because I still have to reach level 11 on bass.
I’ve said from pretty much day one that Rocksmith is a great first effort, but there’s definitely room for improvement. The actual gameplay works great, and admittedly this is the crucial part, but the UI needs a serious overhaul. The song selection interface in particular needs to be much easier to use, and it really needs to remember your sorting a filter options between songs. In fact, you know what? Just copy RB3′s UI. Seriously. It works, just do something similar to that.
I am very much in favour of a Rocksmith 2, however there are two very important things that need to happen:
1. The on-disc songs from RS1 need to export, or somehow be available as DLC for RS2. I’ll pay the stupid re-licensing fee like the RB games for a giant pack with all the songs, but this needs to happen.
2. The existing DLC must work in RS2. This is not optional, and there is no excuse for not doing it, other than pure greed. I wouldn’t put it past big, stupid publishers to pull a stunt like charging a fee to make them available in other individual games, a la the cross-game disc export clusterfuck of the Guitar Hero franchise. So I’m telling you now, Ubisoft, don’t do that. Make all the existing DLC work instantly in any future games in the series. Rock Band set the gold standard for this, so you better follow it.
Are you referring to the “Guitar Hero Would Tour DLC Upgrade”? Because that was free.
Besides, the GHWT stuff added Expert+ and Band Moments.
Yeah, you’re right. The DLC typically worked with all the newer games. I was thinking of the problem with the large number of disc-based releases and how you could export from multiple discs into multiple other games, which is a separate issue.
Well the DLC still needs to work in RS2 regardless.
What he said^^^^^^
There are a few issues that need fixing, the not picking up fret 1 E strings on a few tunings pisses me off to no end. DLC must transfer, the song interface needs to remember sort listings, and remove the lives on riff repeater ffs. I dont know why they dont patch the existing software issues they have, and are known common bugs while working on the new game. Reviewing and rewriting the code should have helped them become aware of workarounds and fixes that could be implimented in the short term.
Hey bro, try not pressing hard on the strings on the first fret if it’s not picking up correctly. Most of the time going easy on your guitar really helps and makes your hands tire less. If you’re like me – squeezing the neck like your life depends on it – don’t worry, it will go away with time as soon as you get used to the instrument more. Cheerz!
D00d is exactly right, Chris!
I thought that it was my shitty £80 Fender Strat knockoff that was at fault but, as I’m not the only one with the fret 1 E string issue, it can’t be!
As a non-guitar player I, too, grip the guitar like my life depends upon it, and have realised that I’m pressing too hard and it’s pitch bending the note.
I think I should take proper lessons so I can work on my grip & fingering
yep. i was getting so frustrated in Drop D when the E string wouldn’t send the right note to the game, it was always off by one fret. the trick is not to press so hard.
i think because when you get so low in tuning, or even notes for that matter, the ability to pick up a wave that begins to look more and more subtle as it stretches begins to have an effect on the precision of the engines ability to pick out specific strings.
if your “gentle” with a down tuned e string it picks it up every time. this is the only way to get a high score on Paralyzer.
Besides the bugs (I’m playing mostly on PC now and it hardly gives me problems, but the PS3 is another story), there are many features that could be added or improved, one of the most important in my opinion is notation for additional effects like pinch harmonics, multi-string bends, multi-string ghost/muted notes, and so on. Practice modes need to be better as well, and much more.
So a Rocksmith sequel is clearly needed. I don’t have a problem paying for a sequel, considering my money spent on Rocksmith has been very worth it (played hundreds of hours, much more than most other games I buy). However, it is important that they support transfer of DLC from the first game. I’m not in the mood to pay for them again.
I’m also eager to try Bandfuse, it seems really interesting and they solve some of the problems I see in Rocksmith (like the lack of notation for some effects). It looks more like “instructional software” than a game, but that may be good too. If Bandfuse and RS2 release at about the same time I don’t care, I’ll buy them both.
Really? I think Bandfuse looks more like a game than Rocksmith, despite the use of actual guitar tablature. There’s an overdrive-type system I believe and discreet difficulty levels, which seems more game-like to me. I don’t know if discreet difficulty levels counts as solely a game thing, but I found Rocksmith’s lack of such to be an inspired design choice, personally. I think there’s also a combo/score multiplier system as well? I mean, Rocksmith does count your combo too but it doesn’t do anything to your score, as far as I’m aware. The actual score is really the only game-like thing in Rocksmith I can see, and I like that.
My concern with Bandfuse is that it may try to straddle the line between game and practice tool, where Rock Band is clearly on the game side and I would describe Rocksmith as a practice tool rather than a full-on game. If they do that, they may end up pleasing nobody. I could be totally wrong on this, though. We’ll have to wait and see what the final product looks like. In any case, I don’t think more competition in the space is a bad thing.
Oh, and presentation-wise there’s a pretty clear difference. Rocksmith is basically just you and your guitar (except for that horrific-looking crowd for the events…*shudder*) although that may just have been for budget/time constraints. Bandfuse looks like it’s going for a live concert or a music video look. It doesn’t seem like a practicing mindset to me. I like Rocksmith’s sparse approach personally.
i would also like to see competition so this genre makes fast progress. seems the main goal of this game was to prove concept. that a game using real instruments would sell, licensing and dlc show a niche for this style of game, and even beginners pick it up. using the basic guitar techniques they filled a library of almost 100 songs that are fun to play of all genres and styles. ultimately i’d like to see online multiplayer but internet will never be that fast to nullify a lag of less than 10ms.
Mike wants me to requests that RS2 have bands like The Scorpions and Black Sabbath
Oh Dave.
DO NOT LEAVE ROCKSMITHERS 1 BLOODY AND WOUNDED, patch and band-aid-fUse it, talk about undone work.
The idea of Rocksmith 2 coming out does get me excited. Though I’m also looking forward to Band Fuse. Nothing wrong with 2 music games right?
Is there any way to create your own setlist in RS? If there is I can’t figure it out. I play on PS3.
You can only edit existing event setlists unfortunately.
You guys need to stop looking up porn on your system’s web browsers. I play rocksmith on my ps3 4-5 times a week and I’ve got lots of DLC installed on my HDD as well. I’ve NEVER had crashing issues. With this game or any others to be honest…
For me it didn’t start until the 2/19 dlc, I downloaded carry on wayward son and you’ve got another thing coming.
If that’s the case I would just re-download the content so it can reinstall to your HDD. I’ve only had one issue with DLC crashing and the error code given was stating that the files were corrupted while installing. Plug in with an ethernet cable to ensure you won’t have any connection issues and re-download your DLC
I definitely think a sequel should be made.
What a great article! It’s really cool to see how you guys investigated a mysterious new song to come to the conclusion that a sequel is likely in the works. I’m really pumped for the sequel and, to me, I’d rather deal with a lack of patches so they can streamline work on the new game than just keep patching the old one, which despite its awesomeness has some distinct deficiencies that no amount of patching is likely to solve (I KNOW I’m playing those upper-register double stops right; it just isn’t reading them!). I really enjoy your website, especially since it’s one of the few gaming websites not blocked at work. Keep up the good work, and keep us posted on news of a sequel!
Thanks for the kind words David!
Hope you join us on our new website TheRiffRepeater