[DossarLX ODI]

*Updated 03/03/2022 - gold stinger*

Rules/Submission Guidelines

DESCRIPTION
Here you will find everything you need to know about submitting files to be considered for the game. Please be sure to read through each section and make sure you understand prior to submitting. Everything is broken down into sections so you can easily find what you’re looking for. If for any reason this thread does not answer your question please do not hesitate to reach out to Dossar or myself (psychoangel691) with any questions. We can be reached via DM here on FFR or on Discord.

WHAT IS A BATCH?

FlashFlashRevolution is a 4 key game compiled of simfiles (also known just as files or maps) created by users and approved by a team of judges for release into game. A batch is simply a collection of these files over a period of time that is submitted to us for consideration. Regular batches run for a two month period at which time users may submit any files that fit within the rules for review. We will also on occasion have special batches that may run for a shorter period of time and will have specific requirements attached to them. You can find all the current batches here

SUBMISSION RULES

For every Regular Batch Period and Special Batch a Simfile Artist has a submission cap of 5 files unless otherwise noted. Users that are not part of the Simfile Artist group have a submission cap of 2 files. If the user exceeds the submission cap, the excess submissions will be prohibited from review. Users that continuously provide improper submissions, attempt to abuse the batch system, or be disrespectful to others will have their cap reduced at the discretion of the Game Management Staff.

Judges have the right to automatically reject a file with a 0 rating if the file does not match the minimum requirements, as it is an improper submission. A proper submission at minimum consists of:

• A folder in the format <songname> (<username>). An example is Magical 8bit Tour (jimerax). This folder must contain the two files specified in the next list item below:
• It must have one .sm file with one difficulty. If your .sm file has multiple difficulties, your submission will receive a rating of 0/10.
• It must have one .mp3 file with at least a bit rate of 128kbps, stereo. If the sound quality is poor we may request a better mp3.
• Have a SM file that properly identifies the song artist and the song name. Be sure that you do not have extra text in your song name that does not belong, this includes the subtitle field. If it’s not in the title of the song, do not include it in the song name. Please also be sure to include your FFR username in the credit section.
• If your song title uses something other than alphanumeric characters you must provide a transliteration of that title. The engine currently cannot handle anything outside of alphanumeric. So for example, if you have a Japanese title you will need to get the transliteration for that title.
--- We have seen an increasing number of submissions whose .sm files are not supplying the necessary metadata (song name/song artist) for a completed submission. Please keep in mind that Unknown Artist is not an acceptable song artist, nor is a title like 64842_newgrounds_infern for the song title of a submission. Please make sure that you appropriately fill in the fields of your SM file to the best of your abilities. Incomplete metadata for your submission will result in a [0/10] rating. If the information is present but is not certain to be correct, staff will use their best judgment to ensure that the song titles and artist fields are proper.

The points above are the bare minimum requirements. In addition to the points above, a proper submission also satisfies the points listed below.

• The song artist must be created in the .sm file. If we see "Unknown Artist", we may request you to give us the song artist so we can also check for valid permission.
• If you only use a part of the mp3 for stepping, cut unstepped parts of the mp3. This will reduce the size of the level. For instance, don't use the full 4 minute mp3 of a song if you only step the first 2 minutes.
• An incomplete submission will be automatically rejected. This means that the file has large portions of empty space either at the beginning, ending, or in between the file. If there are noticeably long empty spots when the song is running with noticeable elements for no justifiable reason, it will be classified as an incomplete submission. When submitting a file to FFR you are agreeing for it to be judged “as is” so please do not submit works in progress.
• Do not include graphics or cdtitles in the submission.
• Again, multiple difficulties are NOT allowed. If you want to submit multiple difficulties for one song, submit them as separate files.
• Holds, Mines, Rolls, and Attacks are NOT allowed. If any of these are found in your submission it will receive a rating of 0/10.
• Stops are not allowed. You can use any (4th to 192nd) notes and BPM changes, but stops make DDReam unusable.
• A judge can set a 'Fixes Required' status to a file if the audio quality is harsh or poor, even if the chart itself is accepted. If no fixes are applied on the Stepartist's end in regards to said 'Fixes Required', then it may be rejected. In addition, the GM Team has the right to lower the volume if it is deemed necessary.
• Upon a file submission, the Stepartist agrees that the file can be judged as is. Regular batches are open for two months, please only submit once you are satisfied with what you're submitting. You should not be making updates until a judge has looked over your file and left notes.

*Please note that once a file is accepted it will be queued for release. If you intend on making any changes please make them within two weeks of acceptance. If you need more time for fixes please request it by contacting the batch manager.*

PERMISSION GUIDELINES

• Simfile judgment and game management teams are not expected to have every single artist that we have permission for memorized off of the top of their head. It is imperative that all submissions adhere to permissions as listed as in the Permissions List and Information v8 thread. Be sure to check conditions for content that you are submitting for inclusion into the game.

• Users are now expected to indicate the source of their permissions in the comment section of their submission. Users can cite the Permissions List and Information v8 thread as proof. Submissions that adhere to limited permissions should list the contingencies behind the permission for the purpose of verification by Game Management. If permission is granted by an artist/group and not accounted for in this thread, users are expected to cite their reasoning behind why the permission is valid (example: Creative Commons Licenses), and, whenever applicable, are expected to post screenshots as proof.

• If you submit content that is not covered by permissions listed in the aforementioned thread, but have a screenshot that includes correspondence between you and the artist in question, supply the screenshot inside of your simfile. This way, we can verify that a permission in question does in fact exist.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Be wary of sites whose permissions are occasionally implied. An important example: Newgrounds, a site whose permissions used to be a fully covered blanket due to its Terms of Service, which included a clause stating that all content uploaded to the site could be used non-commercially with credit, has since changed its ToS to accommodate for their various revenue sharing programs. As a result, some users who have submitted newer content have stipulated that there are no granted permissions of use -- therefore, this content cannot be used on FFR.

Usage of these songs typically falls under what are known as Creative Common Licenses.

Some websites that are responsible for holding content from large numbers of artists will have their permissions defined on the given page.

Note that it is your responsibility as the Stepartist to indicate what license is used on the site if you are relying on a Creative Commons License for a file submission.

JUDGES

Judges are users who review file submissions in a set and assign it a rating/status.

Primary Judges:
• gold stinger
• visD
• Gradiant
• Pizza69
• Monkeyz
• storn42
• trumaestro
• ositzxz369
• WirryWoo

Backup Judges:
• DossarLX ODI


Backup judges are judges who don't regularly judge but will come in at times as needed, or under special circumstances.

TRACKING YOUR SUBMISSIONS

Over the years most tracking has been done within threads. However, we now have a new batch submission section located here where you can keep track of the status of your file. It will start with a status of "open" while in this state you are still able to update, once the files have been downloaded to prepare for judgment they will go to "unjudged" status and be locked from a further update until the reviewing process is complete. If your file is accepted or requires fixes, you will be able to re-submit right within that batch submission section.

REVIEWING PROCESS

*Thanks to updates in the batch submission system judges are assigned files right within the system and can leave their notes there. Once notes and a rating is assigned you will receive a site notification. You can then read the notes, comment back if necessary, and re-submit if your file meets the criteria to do so.

Files will be broken down into sets, the size will be determined by how many files have been submitted for that batch period. Once the set is created a judge will be assigned to those files. You'll be able to find these sets in the Active Sets subforum.

Once a set is completed it will be moved from the Active Sets subforum to the Completed Sets subforum. A set is completed when the Judge decides the status of all the files in a specific set. When this happens, the final results and primary judge notes will go to the corresponding thread for the set in the Completed Sets subforum.

A judge may pass a file in a set for any of the following reasons:
• Own file.
• Had stepped their own version of the file and can’t review someone else’s without feeling biased.
• Outside comfortable difficulty range.

If the original Judge for the set encounters any of the above three scenarios, a different Judge will be assigned to those specific files.

When both judges have independently finished their notes (for sets involving two judges):

Both judges compare their file ratings and 'Fixes Required' flags before posting.

-Discuss reasoning on any 'Fixes Required' flags. Try to come to a mutually agreeable conclusion on them. If both judges can’t agree on a conclusion, the file and Fixes Required reasonings are Direct Message'd to a third judge. (Ideally a Head/Senior Judge but can be any judge) The third judge will review Fixes Required reasonings and decide whether to apply the requirement.

-If the difference between both judge ratings on a file is 2 or more points, where one judge has given a reject rating, the file is Direct Message'd to a third judge (Ideally a Head/Senior Judge but can be any judge). The third judge will give a brief judgment, reviewing the differing opinions and deciding a course of action.

When these cases are resolved, notes are posted as usual. If applicable, the third judge's notes are included as well.

RATINGS AND STATUS

The ratings assigned to a file determine whether it goes into the Queue. The Queue is a collection of files that have achieved either an Accepted status and are ready for release. A file may also receive 'Fixes Required' status or rejection status.

• Rejected: 0 - 6.5
The file is not accepted and requires much more work before it can be considered for acceptance. This cannot be re-submitted during the same batch period. The simfile author will have to wait until the next batch and submit as a new submission.

• Change Recommended: 7 - 7.5
The file is accepted but the fixes recommended by the judges are highly recommended. The file at a minimum must receive feedback from the Stepartist in the form of reading/acknowledging the judge notes before acceptance.

• Accepted: 8 - 10
The file is accepted as is, although it is still encouraged to look over any notes and take into consideration changes that may improve the file.

The above ratings assume there are no 'Fixes Required' flags. The Fixes Required flag is indicated by a star after the rating (e.g. 8*). A file usually receives this if there is one egregious error that must be fixed but the rest of the file is acceptable.

In the event, there are two accepted files for the same song and they are of similar difficulty, we will determine if the structure is different enough to have a v1/v2 or "another" if not the file with the higher rating will go into the queue and the other will not.

After a file has been flagged for Fixes Required, a Stepartist has four weeks to resolve any remaining notes:

- 'Fixes Required' files whose required notes have not been addressed will be considered rejected past four weeks - even if the rating is above the passing threshold.

*For Accepted files, we ask that you try to get any fixes in within two weeks as it will be queued for release. If you need more time let us know so we can push it back in the queue.*

RATING APPEAL

Ratings that are 6 or above are eligible for a rating appeal if and only if they aren’t Accepted files. In the event that a Stepartist feels a review for a file is unfair, a civil response to the judge can be provided with the concerns through either a PM or discord. A file’s rating can only stay the same or be improved through this process.
• If there is disrespectful behavior from the Stepartist then the Judge has the right to reject the file.
• If there is disrespectful behavior from the Judge, the Stepartist has the right to request a different Judge.
• If after discussing with the Judge the Stepartist still feels a concern, the Stepartist can bring the review to a game manager to be reviewed by another judge. Details from the review in question must be provided with adequate explanations. No more than three Judges can be involved with a rating appeal.

SPECIAL BATCHES AND TRANSFER POLICY

Special batches run concurrently with the regular batch and have specific criteria. For files in the regular batch that meet submission criteria for the special batch, a Stepartist may request to transfer any qualifying files from the regular batch to the special batch up to that Stepartist’s submission cap. The transferred files do not count towards a Stepartist’s submission cap towards the special batch, although the transferred file still counts as a submission in the regular batch. An example is given below to illustrate this concept. The special batch must still be open for this transfer policy to be applicable.

Example:
- Stepartist has a submission cap of 5, and submits a file for July 2015. The Stepartist can submit four more files to July 2015.
- Stepartist feels like the file fits the 27-29 difficulty range, so the Stepartist makes a request to transfer the file from July 2015 to the Official Tournament Batch.
- The file is looked over for a rough difficulty estimate and if it does fit the difficulty range, it is moved to the Official Tournament Batch with an update stating it was a transfer from July 2015. The submission cap for the Stepartist in the Official Tournament Batch is still 5, although July 2015 the Stepartist can only have 4 more submissions.

Staff can go through regular batches to make all potential transfers to a special batch, ignoring a Stepartist's cap in the process. Afterward, Stepartists may no longer request transfers to that special batch, because all relevant transfers will have been made. In addition, if the staff member(s) find it necessary to also include files past the Stepartist's original submission cap, that may be done as well at the discretion of the staff running the special batch.

SIDE NOTES

Please keep in mind that the rules and submission guidelines presented in this thread may change over time, and the GM staff will make an effort to reduce the number of changes. It is recommended that users check this thread periodically for any changes, and front page posts will be created when these changes occur.

As a history archive, the previous threads that described submission rules are listed below.
• Queue/Batch Discussion Thread v1
• Queue/Batch Discussion Thread v2
• Queue/Batch Discussion Thread v3