BSMG Wiki

# Mapping

Too many anime maps? Not enough anime maps?
Take matters into your own hands and learn to map here!

INFO

If you have feedback on how we can improve the mapping resources fill out this form (opens new window)!

You can also visit #mapping-discussion on the Beat Saber Modding Group Discord (opens new window) to get involved!

# Mapping Quick Start

The wiki is your building blocks, the community is your inspiration, and you are the creativity.

Great mappers are not made in a day. It takes dedication with no one really able to hold your hand. The best we can do is provide you the tools with this wiki and clarify any questions you have to succeed in your mapping career!

  1. Download the necessary tools for mapping: an audio editor (opens new window) and a map editor.
  2. Set up your audio file, find and confirm the BPM, and export in OGG format.
  3. Set up your song in your mapping editor (steps vary by editor but here's the user guide for MMA2).
  4. Get mapping! Review basic mapping practices before you start. Playtest your own work early and often while mapping.
  5. Get lighting! Review basic lighting information. Simple manual lighting is easier than you think!
  6. Get your map playtested! Third-party playtesting via the BSMG Discord (opens new window) is highly recommended to get constructive feedback and to get past your own "map blindness."
  7. Once your song has been mapped, lighted, and playtested you’re ready to release your song to the world on BeatSaver.

# Video Tutorials

Text guides aren't your thing? Checkout these video series!

Remember:

The text guides on this wiki are always more up to date as it is easier and quicker to change.

I watched this video by Elite Eric, but I got stuck/it didn't work. What gives?

We at BSMG strongly suggest against using any tutorials by Elite Eric. After reviewing much of his content, they contain a large amount of incomplete, erroneous, or straight up incorrect information. Attempts to reach out to him to correct these errors has unfortunately been met with silence and new (also incorrect) tutorials.

Instead, you should follow the written guides here on the wiki, watch the vetted tutorials made by BSMG members linked above, or seek out help in the BSMG Discord (opens new window).

# Legacy Videos

WARNING

These series use older editors in their tutorials (Mediocre Mapper and EditSaber). The UI and some processes have changed in the latest recommended editor, MMA2 but the rest of the content is great!

# Audio Editing Resources

Before mapping, you need to get your audio file ready so that it works with your map editor. This section will walk you through how to set up and edit your audio file using a free program called Audacity (opens new window).

# Basic Audio Setup

Can't make a map without audio. Learn how to setup your audio for easy mapping!

# Advanced Audio Editing

A deeper dive in adjusting audio files such as making shorter versions or working with variable BPM.

# Map Editing Resources

# Community Editors

WARNING

Community editors often have more features and don't require a VR headset, but they can be buggy, so use with caution.

Keyboard shortcuts for these editors are available inside their respective in-editor menus with a cross-reference between all of them available here.

# Mediocre Map Assistant 2

MMA2 is the most feature rich 3D editor and is used by the majority of the mapping community.

# Beatmapper.app

A 3D editor that runs in the browser, allowing anyone with a web browser to map. It works best for standard mapping without any extensions, but new features are being added.

# ChroMapper - Coming Soon

A 3D editor that has stellar support for lighting, Chroma RGB, and shares similar assets with Beat Saber, allowing for a more accurate preview. ChroMapper is currently in closed beta with no planned public release date.

Interested in making your own editor or converter?

You may find the Map Format Page and the SongCore Readme (opens new window) helpful!

# Official Editor

The official editor is developed and supported by Beat Games and pre-installed with the Steam VR or Oculus PC versions of Beat Saber. It makes playtesting convenient with one-click access to your work-in-progress in-game. The official editor is 2D and requires good visualization skills to translate well to a 3D play space, which can be challenging for new mappers. The vast majority of mappers use a Community Editor.

Keep in mind the following features that official does not have compared to the Community Editors available.

  • Uncommon Precision such as 1/5 and associated multiples.
  • Regular autosave and recovery (Editor only autosaves when testing or saving)
  • Flexible mass select, copy, and paste
  • Edit in place (Change the direction of notes without needing to delete)
  • Chroma RGB Support
  • Actual audio offset for syncing. (The parameter in official offsets/delays not only the song but also hitsounds)
  • Error Checker
  • Contributor Fields
  • Mapping or Noodle Extensions Support

# Migrating from Official Editor to a Community Editor

Although it is recommended to start setup again following the Quick Start guides with a Community Editor, it is possible to transfer your work in the Official Editor over.

  1. Install a Community Editor
  2. Locate your map files in your game's CustomLevels folder.
    • Steam Example Location: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Beat Saber\Beat Saber_Data\CustomLevels
    • Oculus Example Location: C:\Program Files\Oculus\Software\Software\hyperbolic-magnetism-beat-saber\Beat Saber_Data\CustomLevels
  3. Move it to the folder your editor is looking in. This is commonly the CustomWIPLevels in the Beat Saber_Data folder.
    • Steam: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Beat Saber\Beat Saber_Data\CustomWIPLevels
    • Oculus: C:\Program Files\Oculus\Software\Software\hyperbolic-magnetism-beat-saber\Beat Saber_Data\CustomWIPLevels
  4. Convert your audio file to the .ogg format from .wav if you have not done so.
    1. Download and Install Audacity (opens new window)
    2. Open the .wav file in Audacity
    3. Click the File menu -> Export -> Export as OGG.
    4. Name your file song.ogg and click Save.
    5. Place the song.ogg file into the map folder.
      • You no longer need the .wav song file in this folder
  5. Open the map in the community editor and change the song file name to song.ogg and click the save button.

You are now ready to continue editing your map!

# Additional Mapping Tools

  • BS Viewer (opens new window) by +1 Rabbit
    A convenient way to see how your map might look in game without the game.
    • IOS and Safari are currently not supported
  • +1 Rabbit's Mapping Tools (opens new window) by +1 Rabbit
    A suite of tools for mappers that includes:
    • Schema Fixer: Easily fix maps made in Mediocre Mapper Mk4.1 and Mk5 for upload to BeatSaver.
    • Tempo Changer: Change the BPM of an entire map and shift block placements accordingly.
    • Offset Remover: Removes editor offset and snaps notes/obstacles/events to common precisions to try and mitigate floating point error.
    • Note Sorter: Sorts unordered notes/obstacles/events in the map file to fix stack spawning.
    • Copy Timing: Moves notes in one difficulty based on another within a certain window. Useful to apply small timing changes across all difficulties for specific sounds.
    • Copy Lighting: Copies all of the lights, with the option to include/exclude custom events from one difficulty to all other difficulties.
    • Map Diff: Compare between two versions of a map. Useful for testplayers and Ranking Team members to see if any changes were made.
  • Parity Checker (opens new window) by GalaxyMaster
    An error checker tool that focuses on finding issues with parity in a map.
  • Map Check (opens new window) by Kival Evan
    An error checker tool that is much more versatile than the one built into MMA2
  • BeatMapper Tools (opens new window) by Darkuni
    A utility for users of Mediocre Mapper and Mediocre Map Assistant 2 to easily convert, test, and package their maps
  • noodleLister (opens new window) by Bloodcloak
    Easily compile a game playlist from a txt file containing BeatSaver map keys.
  • BeatMerge (opens new window) by DarkGrisen
    Ever thought that it is a lot of annoying work to make big maps with other people or to perfectly cut the audio files so you can merge them manually later? This tool allows you to merge two or more maps into one single super long map.
  • Cinder (opens new window) by zhaey
    Python program that converts stepmania .sm files to Beat Saber .dat files for timing notes.

# Legacy Tools

# Useful Mods

Here are some mods that might make your mapping workflow a little easier.

  • SiraUtil by auros
    With the First Person Flying Controller (FPFC) launch parameter, this allows you to control the game while a map is playing with your keyboard and mouse without using a headset. See the section in Basic Lighting for links to the mods and how to set it up.
  • PracticePlugin (opens new window) by Kyle1413
    Plugin for Beat Saber to control playback speed, seek through songs and set up looping sections. Install the latest version from ModAssistant (opens new window)!
  • ReLoader (opens new window) by Kyle1413
    Allows you to hot reload beatmaps in practice mode without needing to return to the menu to refresh. Really convenient for wall mapping.

# Mapping Practices

"You have to know the rules before you can break them."
- Uninstaller

There is no holy bible of mapping but this section of the wiki includes a lot of tribal knowledge from the community on best practices at all levels of mapping. Our advice is to follow these rules until you're comfortable with your skills and then get creative, experiment, and innovate!

# Basic Mapping

All new mappers need to read this, no exceptions!

# Intermediate Mapping

A more in-depth look at many mapping topics (This page is still a work in progress!)

# Extended Mapping

Mapping Extensions, Extra Characteristics, and 360°/90° mapping

# Mapper Roles

To apply for the Mapper role on the Beat Saber Modding Group Discord (opens new window) you must have released three solid/playable maps (collaborations are acceptable) and complete the Mapper Role Submission Form (opens new window). Your application and maps may take a decent amount of time to be reviewed and approved.

# Modding & Ranking

Maps that meet specific Ranking Criteria (opens new window) and go through an intensive review process called "modding" have the potential to become ranked, awarding players Performance Points (PP) toward global leaderboards. More information and an in-depth FAQ is available on the ScoreSaber Discord (opens new window)

Want an even more detailed look?

Review the Ranking Criteria (opens new window) for some of the more ambiguous ranking considerations.

  • Once your map has been modded and revised, it’s ready to be presented to a ranking team member or recruit to review.
  • If the ranking team member deems the map acceptable it will be added to the ranking request queue to be voted on by the full ranking team.

# Lighting Practices

A map is not finished until some form of lighting is included. Lighting can range from very basic to incredibly detailed using additional mods to enable more features.

# Basic Lighting

Learn the various aspects to lighting your map manually

# Intermediate Lighting

Take your lighting skills a bit further into strobing, ring spins, and contrast practices

# Advanced Lighting

Advanced and nuanced techniques, lighting for custom platforms, and Chroma RGB (This page is still a work in progress!)

# Additional Resources

Older guides linked here as we migrate their content over to the wiki pages.

# Automated Lights

Not ready to make your own lighting? Here are some programs to do it for you. Keep in mind, creating simple manual lighting is not difficult and will always be better at expressing the atmosphere of the song than using these programs.

  • Lolighter (opens new window) by Loloppe#6435 - Standalone program for automated lighting and has other features to modify your map.
  • Lightmap - It is integrated into Mediocre Map Assistant 2 and can be accessed in the error checker menu.

# Playtesting

Testing your work is a critical part of mapping. Testing as you work helps you adjust for major playability issues and get a feel for your map. Third-party or "outside" playtesting is when someone other than yourself tests your pre-release map and provides constructive feedback and is helpful in highlighting issues to which you may be "map blind."

WARNING

You DO NOT need to upload your map to BeatSaver in order for you or anyone else to test.

# Testing on a PC

Follow these steps to test any of your maps made with a community editor using PC-based VR.

  1. If your WIP song folder isn’t already in Beat Saber_Data\CustomWIPLevels then place a copy there.
  2. Access your map in-game via the CustomWIPLevels category in the song pack menu. Use practice mode to play (the button next to the play button).

Made changes to your map while the game is open?
Click on the game window. Then while you are on the Main Menu or Song Select Menu press Ctrl + r on your keyboard. Your changes will be loaded without needing to restart the game!

NOTE

  • You will need to have the SongCore mod installed in order to see the CustomWIPLevels category and use the Ctrl + r shortcut.
  • Having duplicate map files in CustomLevels and CustomWIPLevels can cause problems.
  • Using Online Websites to convert audio to .ogg may result in your audio file being treated as invalid and will not be loaded by the game! Using Audacity and following the steps in Basic Audio Setup is the easiest way to ensure your map loads in-game.

# Testing on a Quest

Follow these steps to test any of your maps made with a community editor using an Oculus Quest. You must have SideQuest (opens new window) and BMBF (opens new window) installed.

  1. Zip up the song as normal, only zipping the files and not the folder itself. How to Video (opens new window)
    • If you are using MMA2 there is a Package To Zip button you can use in the song info screen to do this for you.
  2. Establish a connection to your Quest from your PC. This can be done in two ways, wired and wirelessly.

# Connect Wirelessly

  1. Open BMBF on the Oculus Quest. BMBF must be running for the connection to succeed.
  2. Inside BMBF go to the Tools tab. There you should see a web address and a version number similar to what is shown below.
    ip
  3. Open a modern web browser on your PC and type the address into the search bar. You should be greeted with this screen below.
    BMBF Web
  4. You are now connected! Continue on to the Upload Test File to Quest steps below.

# Connect Wired USB

  1. Connect your Oculus Quest to the PC via USB and keep SideQuest open
  2. Open BMBF on the Oculus Quest. BMBF must be running for the connection to succeed
  3. Look at the top of SideQuest, which will give you the IP to get into BMBF. You can also access your IP through the Tools tab of BMBF.
  4. Type into any web browser: "192.168.X.XXX:50000" with X being replaced with the IP displayed in SideQuest, or the Tools tab
    Quest IP
    For example, from the picture you would enter 192.168.0.19:50000 into a web browser of choice (Chrome, Firefox, etc.).
  5. You are now connected! Continue on to the Upload Test File to Quest steps below.

# Upload Test File to Quest

  1. Drag and drop the files into BMBF's upload page (indicated by /main/upload at the end of the link)
  2. Once uploaded, click Sync to Beat Saber at the top right corner of the page
    BMBF Browser
  3. Access your map in-game via the Custom Songs playlist in the song pack menu. Use practice mode to play (the button next to the play button).

NOTE

  • If after deleting an old copy of a map and reuploading it with a new version on a quest still results with the old version being played, rename the zip file before uploading it through BMBF.
  • BMBF may have issues importing your map if your song file or cover image name contains - or spaces. You may need to rename these files and update the song info accordingly for a successful upload.
  • Using Online Websites to convert audio to .ogg may result in your audio file being treated as invalid and will not be loaded by BMBF! Using Audacity and following the steps in Basic Audio Setup is the easiest way to ensure your map loads in-game.
  • If your song audio file was automatically converted to .egg, you may run into issues when uploading onto BMBF. Try renaming the .egg back to .ogg.

# Community / Third Party Testing

The #testplays channel in the Beat Saber Modding Group Discord (opens new window) makes it easy to have your work checked by knowledgeable mappers. Playtesters will provide constructive feedback on how to improve your map in either video or text format in a DM or in the #mapping-discussion channel.

Some things to note...

  • Maps with less than 1 minute done will not get much feedback or be tested. Consider asking in #mapping-discussion to see if someone will take a look instead.
  • Challenge/Super High difficulty maps may take longer to get feedback since there are not many playtesters at this skill level.
  • Please keep to serious posts where you are looking to improve your mapping skills. Meme or Shitpost maps do not belong as they end up wasting the testplayers time.
  1. Create a compressed .zip file of the individual song files.
  2. Upload your map to #testplays using the following format:
  • Map: The name and artist of your map
  • Length: The length of the song
  • BPM: The BPM of the song
  • Difficulty: Which difficulties are included
  • NPS: The notes per second of each difficulty available
  • Feedback: Any requests for feedback (specific difficulties to be tested, things to look for etc.)
  • Status: What state is the map in? (i.e., First draft complete, no lights; 1:45 mapped; release candidate w/ lighting; etc.)
  1. Testers will usually look at your map within 1-7 days and will use a number of reaction emojis (listed in #testplays pinned posts) to track testing status.

Remember: If you make changes after posting or getting feedback

React with a 🛑 :octagonal_sign: to indicate stop testing this version

You can copy and paste the following template into Discord:

**Map:**
**Length:**
**BPM:**
**Difficulty:**
**NPS:**
**Feedback:**
**Status:**

# Help Playtest

Do you like the idea of playing new songs before they are ever released on BeatSaver? Do you want to help shape the mapping community? Consider becoming a testplayer! Check out the How to Testplay guide to get started!

# Publishing Songs

Once your song has been mapped, lighted, and playtested and it’s a finished product you’re ready to release it to the world!

# BeatSaver

BeatSaver (opens new window) is the public repository for all custom Beat Saber maps. Songs must be in the 2.0 song format (files are .dat and .ogg/.egg/.wav) to be uploaded.

# How to Release a Map

WARNING

  • Please DO NOT upload an incomplete WIP map to BeatSaver!
    • Uploading to BeatSaver equates to "Putting it on the store shelf" and should only be your final version.
    • See the Playtesting section for instructions on testing your map.
  1. Create an account (opens new window) on BeatSaver.
    • If you did not receive a verification email, fill out this contact form (opens new window).
      Note you must provide a valid username and the email used to sign up in the form to complete the verification!
  2. Click the Upload link in the top-right.
  3. Add your BeatSaver map name and map description. Only the map name is searchable so be sure to include song name, song artist, and other terms that might make it easier to find your map.
    • *Use "tags" like (Chroma), (OneSaber), or (Mapping Extensions) if your map uses some special modifications or characteristics you want to highlight.
    • *Putting a link to a playthrough video in the map description can help you get more downloads as it is easier to share your map to others and lets people know what to expect.
  4. Add your .zip file and click the Upload button.

NOTE

Map files currently cannot be updated on BeatSaver. If you need to upload a new version of your map you will need to delete the old one and re-post.

# BeatSaver Troubleshooting

Here are solutions for some common errors when uploading a Beatmap.
Encountered something not listed here? Drop into #mapping-discussion for assistance.

Remember:

  • You should have your map playtested before uploading!
  • You do not need upload maps created by auto-generation software such as Deepsaber or Beat Sage to install them in your game. If you are on PC, you can unzip the files into your CustomLevels folder. If you are on Quest, follow the Testing on a Quest steps to install the map.

Something went wrong! Try again later. This is the default error message, causes include:

  • An upload that is close to or over the actual file size limit of 14.3 MB. The 15 MB listed is not accurate at this time. Reduce the audio export quality slightly to make space.
  • Unsupported characters are present in a file. Make sure your metadata and bookmarks don't contain special characters such as, Japanese (日本語/にほんご), Kaomoji (٩(◕‿◕｡)۶), Chinese (汉语/漢語), Arabic (اَلْعَرَبِيَّةُ‎), and accented characters (Ä/é/õ/Æ/ø/ß/Œ/Ð/ƒ).
  • Expired web session. If you refresh the page, you should be logged out. Login and try to upload again.

Field ._customData._customEnvironment cannot be blank.

  • Your files are not compliant the map schema. See Schema Change for solutions.

Beatmap zip contains an illegal file!

  • Usually caused by extra/unsupported files, such as gifs, in the zip.

Beatmap already exists!

  • The exact map files were uploaded previously. You must change something small in your map (i.e., remove a light block, save the map, replace the light block, and save again) to be able to upload.

Beatmap does not contain an Info.dat file!

  • Usually caused by having the files in a subfolder. You need to zip the files instead of the folder. How to Video (opens new window) Or use the handy export button in your editor instead. NOTE: MMA2's export button does not include contributor images in the zip.

One or more beatmap difficulty files cannot be found!

  • You might have forgotten to include all of your difficulty files are in the zip.
  • A difficulty's "_beatmapFilename" in the Info.dat might be using a different file name than what is present in the folder.
  • A deleted difficulty is still being referenced in your Info.dat file. Check to make sure you do not have unintended difficulties in the "_difficultyBeatmaps" cluster of each present characteristic.

Error in MapDifficulty.dat. Root should NOT have additional property: _time.

_time is the common error for this type of message. However, the same solution applies if a different property is flagged.

  • Your files are not compliant the map schema. See Schema Change for solutions.

Beatmap could not be parsed!

  • This could be caused by extreme server load. Try again later or ask in #mapping-discussion.

Field ._customData._contributors[]._iconPath contains an invalid filename.

  • Utilizing the contributors field requires all aspects to be included. Make sure all 3 aspects (Role, Name, iconPath) are filled and there is a unique square image for each iconPath entry in your zip.

# BeatSaver Data Schema Change - October 27, 2019

BeatSaver now enforces a schema in order for your maps to be uploaded, of which public MediocreMapper is not compliant with. The most breaking change happened in the difficulty data files, where MM-specific fields were moved inside a _customData object.

Resolution #1:
Switch to the Mediocre Map Assistant 2 editor. Open each difficulty file and save it to correct the schema. Use MMA2 going forward.

Resolution #2:
Use the Schema Updater Utility (opens new window) by +1 Rabbit to fix your files before uploading. Then switch to a supported editor.

Resolution #3 (The Hard Way):
If you wish to fix this yourself, here is a quick template which shows you where everything should go in order for your map to be compliant with BeatSaver's new schema.

Alternatively, since _customData is NOT a required field, you can go ahead and remove everything that would be placed in there, and upload that result.

{
  "_version": "2.0.0",
  "_notes": [],
  "_obstacles": [],
  "_events": [],
  "_customData": {
    "_bpmChanges": [],
    "_bookmarks": [],
    "_time": 0
  }
}

To be compliant with the new schema, please also find and remove or fill in any blank fields in your Info.dat or difficulty files.

# BeastSaber

BeastSaber (opens new window) is a song review and curation site with a social side for member profiles, forums, news, and tutorials. All songs published on BeatSaver are mirrored to BeastSaber within 10-15 minutes. Additionally, maps deleted from BeatSaver may take up to a day to be removed from BeastSaber.

# Mapping Anxiety

If you're finding it difficult to muster up the courage to upload your map, or are finding it emotionally taxing coping with a lack of downloads or a lot of dislikes, you're not alone. Many mappers have experienced these feelings. You can read more about it on the Coping with Mapping Anxiety page.

# Credits

Over thirty different mapping guides and tutorials have been combined into this wiki so that it can be maintained by the community as a whole. Many many MANY thanks to the mappers who blazed this trail and contributed content. Check out the whole list here!