Rock Band - Impressions...

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:42 pm

Well, I busted my drum pedal today. First time playing in a while, and was doing the 9-song set of the bonus songs on hard. Some of the songs are pretty tough and fast, and I guess I was a little spastic at times even if I was doing okay score-wise. After some furious kicking the plastic broke off at the swivel point, like this guy's. Gonna get a replacement from EA online, assuming they cover such damage.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:36 am

Naples39 wrote:Well, I busted my drum pedal today. First time playing in a while, and was doing the 9-song set of the bonus songs on hard. Some of the songs are pretty tough and fast, and I guess I was a little spastic at times even if I was doing okay score-wise. After some furious kicking the plastic broke off at the swivel point, like this guy's. Gonna get a replacement from EA online, assuming they cover such damage.

Thats why I posted what I said about reinforcing below the pedal at the points where it will cave in and break. All it takes is some heavy duty felt (2 layers) cut into pieces that fit below the pedal so it doesn't have any weak points. I can stand on mine with all my weight (190) and it won't break. Cost me $5 extra. If you look at you pedal closely ...close it down until it hits the 2 ribber stoppers.....now imagine if you would keep putting force on in in the middle where it would cave in and snap. The felt underneath the pedal evens out the pressure.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:03 pm

JackB1 wrote:Thats why I posted what I said about reinforcing below the pedal at the points where it will cave in and break. All it takes is some heavy duty felt (2 layers) cut into pieces that fit below the pedal so it doesn't have any weak points. I can stand on mine with all my weight (190) and it won't break. Cost me $5 extra. If you look at you pedal closely ...close it down until it hits the 2 ribber stoppers.....now imagine if you would keep putting force on in in the middle where it would cave in and snap. The felt underneath the pedal evens out the pressure.

I'm not sure that reinforcing the pedal would prevent what happened to me. Sure, it would help those people whose pedal snapped in half, but that's not where mine broke.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:15 pm

Naples39 wrote:
JackB1 wrote:Thats why I posted what I said about reinforcing below the pedal at the points where it will cave in and break. All it takes is some heavy duty felt (2 layers) cut into pieces that fit below the pedal so it doesn't have any weak points. I can stand on mine with all my weight (190) and it won't break. Cost me $5 extra. If you look at you pedal closely ...close it down until it hits the 2 ribber stoppers.....now imagine if you would keep putting force on in in the middle where it would cave in and snap. The felt underneath the pedal evens out the pressure.
I'm not sure that reinforcing the pedal would prevent what happened to me. Sure, it would help those people whose pedal snapped in half, but that's not where mine broke.

Where exactly did yours break? That's too bad. It IS a very cheap piece of plastic. There are some replacement pedals made of metal or wood popping up all over Ebay. So are you sending it back? That sucks...now you have no pedal until you get a replacement back

If anyone could quickly sell a after-market sturdy foot pedal for this game...they would clean up.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:34 pm

Naples posted a link to what his looks like:

Naples39 wrote: After some furious kicking the plastic broke off at the swivel point, like this guy's. (

That's a shame.

It's also a shame that I have to play games wondering what is going to break first, my Rock Band equipment or the 360 itself.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:35 pm

webdanzer wrote:Naples posted a link to what his looks like:

Naples39 wrote: After some furious kicking the plastic broke off at the swivel point, like this guy's. (
That's a shame.

It's also a shame that I have to play games wondering what is going to break first, my Rock Band equipment or the 360 itself.

I have replaced my Rock Band guitar, the 360 itself, and now the Rock Band pedal all within the last month. Fun times...

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:15 pm

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=490586

That pedal plus and alarm sensor and mono stereo cable would make a very nice inexpensive, but probably quite reliable, replacement for the RB setup.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:16 am

James_E wrote:http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=490586

That pedal plus and alarm sensor and mono stereo cable would make a very nice inexpensive, but probably quite reliable, replacement for the RB setup.

that is a good suggestion. I like the "adjustable tension" part. You attatch the alarm sensor below the pedal so when it's "almost" closed, it triggers the signal. I will try and find the thread on rockband.com forums with step by step instructions on this mod. It looks really easy.

I have also seen real "used" pedals on Ebay for under $30-40. You then need something that the "beater" can strike (instead of the bass drum) so you get a nice rebound off it. Some folks use a bass drum practice pad or they improvise and attach some padding to a solid, stationary object.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:51 pm

Some good stuff on DLC this week:

Siva by Smashing Pumpkins
Working Man by Rush
Ten Speed by Coheed and Cambria

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:17 pm

where are the f***in albums!

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:55 am

Naples39 wrote:Some good stuff on DLC this week:

Siva by Smashing Pumpkins
Working Man by Rush
Ten Speed by Coheed and Cambria

Has anyone tried these yet? Any good?

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:39 pm

I have to share this story of an exchange I had with one of the students at work today. One of the students was playing Rock Band and a bunch of other students and I were crowded around him watching. The group was all between 18 - 25 and they were saying that Rock Band blows away Guitar Hero but they thought the GH guitar was much better than the RB one.

I said "I actually think the RB one is much better since it's easier to play chords and slide back and forth on the neck. The strum bar also feels more natural. More like playing a real guitar."

After I said that one of the smartass kids said "Man, guitars are for old people."

Without missing a beat I said, "Yeah, well from personal experience playing guitar will help you get lucky, video games will not. You might want to play the solo career but I'm all about the multiplayer."

The others all laughed but he got really quiet.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:51 pm

ScoopBrady wrote: "Yeah, well from personal experience playing guitar will help you get lucky, video games will not.

I heard some of these video game pros in Japan have groupies following them around, so apparently video games CAN get you laid. However, I still like my chances with a real guitar slung down low and a Marshall stack screaming some Hendrix lick

Sadly, the days of the "real" guitar heroes are almost behind us. These kids with their plastic guitars might have a better chance with the chicks in the near future. Ask some random 20 year olds who are today's best guitarists? Don't be surprised if he tells you "Schitzoid" or somebody like that from YouTube

WillHunting · Post by **WillHunting** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 2:48 pm

I like the Les Paul a tad more than the Strat myself. I could pass the harder songs with the LP than the Strat in RB.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:53 am

March DLC schedule:
March 4 - Thrash Pack
At The Gates: Blinded By Fear
Evile: Thrashes
The Haunted: Shadow World

March 11
Bad Company: Shooting Star (COVER)
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Simple Man
The Police: Message in a Bottle

March 18 - NIN Pack
Nine Inch Nails: March of the Pigs
Nine Inch Nails: The Collector
Nine Inch Nails: The Perfect Drug

March 25 - Metal Pack
Iron Maiden: Wrathchild (COVER)
Black Sabbath: Supernaut (COVER)
Metallica: Fuel

Not too much to excite me there, though playing the drums on Perfect Drug should be pretty wild.

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 1:55 pm

RB is really killing it n the DLC department. Now if they'll only start releasing their full album DLC and they'll be one of the first music-game developers to live up to their promises.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:02 pm

The Police: Message in a Bottle

I will definitely snag that one...love the Police and that song.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:23 pm

Airdog wrote:RB is really killing it n the DLC department. Now if they'll only start releasing their full album DLC and they'll be one of the first music-game developers to live up to their promises.

I'm not counting on that happening anymore. They are making a killing selling these IMO overpriced at $2 a pop. So why sell whole albums?

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 5:33 pm

Danimal wrote:
Airdog wrote:RB is really killing it n the DLC department. Now if they'll only start releasing their full album DLC and they'll be one of the first music-game developers to live up to their promises.
I'm not counting on that happening anymore. They are making a killing selling these IMO overpriced at $2 a pop. So why sell whole albums?

While I'll admit $2 a song is a little steep, with Rock Band I see it as getting at least two games in one, as I've been playing guitar and drums for every song. With my ham-fisted fretwork and Caucasian sense of rhythm, it takes me probably at least an hour of gameplay to get through a song that is relatively hard, and I probably have put in at least 2-3 hours on songs I really like. And I like that they give you the option to purchase individual songs in the packs instead of forcing you to buy a whole pack.

I'm grabbing Working Man tonight and giving it a whirl. Maybe they'll offer Rush's "2112" for 2112 MS points

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:39 am

Obviously the market will bare a $2 price point so why not. I just know I get a song off of iTunes for 99 cents and get a lot more value out of it then I will a Rock Band song. I understand it is apples to oranges but I just fidn the price a bit steep.

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:42 am

Danimal wrote:where are the f***in albums!

Where is f***in TOOL?!?! I would kill to play one of their songs in this game:)

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 1:18 pm

By the way, I have an extra set of (4) precut Vic Firth drum mutes if you want an easy mod for your drums. These things are all the rage on the rockband.com forums. They give you great bounce while decreasing the sound more than the foam/felt mod. I bought a multi pack of them and was able to make 2 sets of pads, so if you want them, send me a pm. $15 including shipping. Just peel and stick em on.

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 2:46 pm

Got a replacement guitar yesterday.

THere's something rattling around inside it. WTF? I asked ea on they "my questions" site what they want me to do.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:11 pm

James_E wrote:Got a replacement guitar yesterday.

THere's something rattling around inside it. WTF? I asked ea on they "my questions" site what they want me to do.

I got my replacement guitar about 4 weeks ago, and it also rattled out of the box. Fortunately it still works better than the original guitar ever did, so I haven't worried about it.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 5:15 pm

My guitar crapped out today. The strum bar occasionally double strums, which I noticed while playing a relatively easy song and kept getting penalized for notes I was hitting. I will hand it to EA, they make replacing it pretty easy.

The upside is I plugged in my GH II guitar instead, and found that playing the larger RB guitar had made it easier to play the GH guitar. I had much less difficulty with sliding or stretching to the orange button. In fact, I'm not sure I will go back to the RH guitar when my replacement comes.