Also I want to point out that I've submitted an extremely easy file in the past,
one that I thought was rather well-constructed, and only one judge gave it a passing rating:
The National Anthem of Japan (hi19hi19) - [?] 3/10
- I really don't know about accepting charts that have a very low NPS, this one weighing in at approximately .67.
- It just really becomes questionable at this point to what novice players will enjoy, I certainly don't believe they should be limited to just slow music and 4th notes.
The National Anthem of Japan
5/10
- Any file with a lower TPS than Power is pushing it. If you want users to listen to a relaxing song, just let them listen to it -- don't have all that empty space.
- The file was easy to follow.
The National Anthem of Japan
pros:
- It's pretty good technically, I guess! There wasn't much difficulty involved in stepping this chart, though.
cons:
- Feels like we're waiting for something that never happens in the song...
note: 6.5/10
The National Athem of Japan (hi19hi19)
7/10
- looks fine as an easy file
So after getting these responses I basically gave up on submitting <1 NPS files, even though I think the game needs them. I think that "too low NPS" only becomes a valid criticism when there are long stretches of zero arrows on the screen at default size and 1x scroll rate. Until then, having files where there is only ever a single note you have to think about is what many beginner players require.
Unless more judges are exposed to the reality that files like Free Space are still too hard for some new players, I think you can just expect comments like these.