Add SFX for kiai/star fountain activation

[nekodex]

2025-03-06.12-27-53.mp4

2025-03-06.12-30-55.mp4

Went back and forth quite a bit on how audible to make this. I felt that adding low-end to the impact helped it cut through better on louder/busier beatmaps, resulting in something that sounds closer to 'fireworks' than the original 'confetti cannon' direction I started with.

Doesn't play if "Star fountains" are disabled under options. As usual, will monitor feedback and adjust as necessary.

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• depends on Add sample for kiai/star fountain activation osu-resources#355

[kelinimo]

How does this work on maps that spam kiai flashes like this?

Probably a good idea to make some sort of cooldown for cases like those.

Here's an example of a ranked map using this technique
https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/813036#osu/1705176
at 05:20:496 -

[nekodex]

Each time it's triggered, the sample playback is reset to prevent overlapping playback. It will still 'machine-gun' play the sample if kiai is spammed though.

The beatmaps I tested with that spammed kiai, didn't spam it as rapidly as the one you've linked though, so that's... not ideal.

I don't think just throttling playback is the best solution though... If this mapping technique is commonly used enough, it might be worth splitting the sample up into impact + tail and having subsequent triggers just play the tail part if triggered close enough or something.

[kelinimo]

I'd say it is common enough. I wouldn't be able to point out more maps (because i'm incompetent in the ranked section), but some people use it religiously.

[Walavouchey]

i've tested this on a few maps and i think it adds some personality to the game (but not enough imo... i'll wait for skinning support). i think of it similar to e.g. fevers in muse dash

[Bryceed]

The prolonged sound of the Kiai Time entrance interferes with the experience of the maps, as mentioned by @kelinimo, except that the initial drum would already be good enough not to disrupt the style and vibe of each map. In calmer maps, even if the chorus is a bit more energetic, the prolonged sound feels somewhat exaggerated.

Even in faster maps, especially the sound of fireworks burning in the air feels very thematic, which would be perfect in maps like Fireworks and Brain Power (the first due to its theme, and the second because it has a chorus intentionally "hyped" for the song, to convey a sense of adrenaline) but definitely strange in maps outside theses scenarios.

kiai.sound.mp4

Of course that's an extreme scenario to show up, but this reinforce, and I believe the sound need to be shorter and more neutral, so that osu accommodates, even if not perfectly, but at least tries to englobe all types and styles of maps made by the community.

Edit.: An example of "Kiai Time," which visually marks the beginning and audibly the end (https://youtu.be/zb5N443w1Lk?t=184), would be an example of how it could be done, even without demarcating so much with visual effects (more processing, less performance - depending on the hardware), but neutral sounds at the beginning and/or in the end of the last hitsound within the kiai time would be very interesting to mark Kiai Time - something we don't have clearly today.

[yizhepku]

Just a random player here. When I first encountered this, I thought my kitchen exploded...which is to say, this is quite a disruptive change for me.