Descriptors

• gimmick
  Focused on a single unique design or gameplay idea.
  • 2B
    Includes gameplay elements with two or more objects placed simultaneously. The term originates from a Chinese transliteration of 'idiot'.
  • slider only
    Restricts object choice to sliders only.
  • circle only
    Restricts object choice to circles only.
• swing
  A map that uses the 1/3, 1/6, and 1/12 snap divisors for most/all of the objects.
• meta information
  Category for information that doesn't refer to the map's contents.
  • collab
    A map with two or more associated mappers.
    • megacollab
      A map with 8 or more associated mappers.
  • marathon
    A map with a drain time of over 5 minutes.
    • gungathon
      A map with a drain time of over 10 minutes.
  • multi-song
    Contains multiple songs within the audio.
  • variable timing
    Contains multiple timing points, usually required for songs not recorded to a metronome.
    • accelerating bpm
      Features progressively increasing tempo.
  • time signatures
    Audio contains many changes in time signature or uses an uncommon time signature.
  • storyboard
    Contains a storyboard that enhances gameplay experience.
    • storyboard gimmick
      Includes a storyboard that changes how the map is played, usually by changing a map's visuals by using storyboard elements in place of showing the map's hitobjects.
  • keysounds
    Contains hitsounds that use various pitched samples to create a melody, typically following one within the song.
  • download unavailable
    Cannot be downloaded from the osu! website, often due to a DMCA takedown notice.
  • custom skin
    Utilizes custom skin elements and graphics.
  • featured artist
    Features song(s) composed by artists in osu!’s Featured Artist listing
  • custom song
    Maps a song made specifically for the map. This includes songs created for a mapping contest which the map participated in.
• style
  Category for the visual style of a map.
  • messy
    Visually chaotic and intentionally disorganised patterns, often involving many overlaps and unequal visual spacing between objects.
  • geometric
    Incorporates geometric shapes within the map's visual design.
    • grid snap
      Objects are placed along a square grid, typically using osu!'s in-built grid snap feature.
    • hexgrid
      Objects are placed along a hexagonal grid.
  • freeform
    An unrestrained and loose approach towards visual structure.
  • symmetrical
    Employs symmetry within the map design, often mirroring elements along the horizontal centreline.
  • old-style revival
    Emulates a style closely associated with early mapping, typically to pay homage or invoke nostalgia.
  • clean
    Visually uncluttered and organised patterns, often involving few overlaps and equal visual spacing between objects.
  • slidershapes
    Uses a large variety of slider designs.
    • slider animation
      Succession of sliders as individual frames to create the illusion of fluid motion.
  • distance snapped
    Uses osu's in-built distance snap feature for most/all of the map.
  • iNiS-style
    A [Descriptor3] style originating from the original DS games. Recognizable by its emphasis on vocal rhythm, constant slider velocity, and easily understandable [Descriptor7] patterns.
  • avant-garde
    Employs boundary-pushing and experimental philosophies to map design, often foregoing gameplay and aesthetic conventions to extreme measures.
  • perfect stacks
    Features perfectly overlapped stacked notes using low stack leniency.
  • ninja spinners
    Features spinners that are very short in duration.
• song representation
  Category for how a mapper interprets the music through gameplay.
  • simple
    Accessible and straightforward map design.
  • chaotic
    Unpredictable map design, often testing unusual skillsets.
  • repetition
    Features the use of recognizable identical patterns or gameplay elements.
  • progression
    Contains a gradual advancement in difficulty or concept across the map.
  • high contrast
    Uses flashy ideas to follow changes in the music, creating stark differences between different sections of the song.
  • improvisation
    Uses patterns that do not correspond to sounds in the music, often using hitsounds to add sounds in.
  • playfield usage
    Includes deliberate use of the playfield within the map design.
    • playfield constraint
      Restricts object placement to a certain part of the playfield.
    • video gimmick
      Employs patterning that closely references the included background video.
  • difficulty spike
    Contains a sudden and significant increase in challenge within the map's gameplay.
  • low sv
    Features prominent low sv usage as a key part of map design.
  • high sv
    Features prominent high slider velocity usage as a key part of map design.
  • colorhax
    Features intentional use of combo colors aligning with the intensity, structure, or other traits of the song. Often used to create a more visually immersive experience.
  • high tickrate
    Utilizes a high slider tickrate setting, requiring players to aim sliders more accurately to avoid breaking combo.
• skillsets
  Category for the main sources of difficulty in a map.
  • tech
    Tests uncommon skills.
    • slider tech
      Tests uncommon skills involving sliders, such as heavy use of kicksliders or aim on complex slidershapes.
      • tag [tech]
        A style of [Descriptor6] [Descriptor18] that notably uses complex slider designs inspired by graffiti tags.
    • complex sv
      Changes slider velocity by large amounts in order to test the player's reading ability.
  • reading
    Tests a player's reading skill, i.e. patterns that obfuscate note order and/or timing.
    • visually dense
      Contains patterns where the amount of visible notes makes determining note order and/or timing difficult.
    • overlap reading
      Contains patterns where overlapped objects make determining note order and/or timing difficult.
  • alt
    Colloquial term for maps which use rhythms that encourage the player to alternate notes. Typically distinct from burst or stream maps.
  • aim
    Category for difficulty relating to cursor movement.
    • jump aim
      Focuses heavily on jumps, i.e. circles spaced far apart that require the player to move towards, slow down to hit, then speed up to move towards the next object.
    • sharp aim
      Patterns with heavy use of sharp angle movement, either between circles or into sliders.
    • wide aim
      Patterns, usually jumps, with heavy use of wide angle movement.
    • linear aim
      Patterns, usually jumps, that require the player to move continuously in a straight or nearly straight line.
    • aim control
      Patterns with velocity or direction changes which strongly go against a player's natural movement pattern.
    • flow aim
      Patterns with fully continuous cursor movement, usually due to a combination of wide angles and little time between objects.
    • precision
      Colloquial term for maps which require fine, precise movement to aim correctly. Typically refers to maps with circle sizes above and including 6.
    • large circles
      Uses larger-than-usual circles. Typically refers to maps with circle sizes below 3.
  • tap
    Category for difficulty relating to tapping input.
    • finger control
      Uses complex applications of rhythms in order to test the player's tapping ability.
      • complex snap divisors
        Uses mixed or unusual snap divisors in order to test the player's tapping ability.
    • bursts
      Patterns requiring continuous movement and alternating, typically 9 notes or less.
    • streams
      Patterns requiring continuous movement and alternating, typically more than 9 notes.
      • spaced streams
        Streams with large spacing, typically ones where the notes don't overlap.
      • cutstreams
        Streams in which the spacing of certain notes is much larger than the rest of the stream.
      • accel/decel streams
        Style of [Descriptor28] which use gradual increases or decreases in spacing.
    • stamina
      Tests a player's ability to tap dense rhythms over long periods of time.
    • double taps
      Patterns that require tapping on both keys simultaneously, through 2B or very fast doubles.
• scene
  Category for terms associated with specific origin or sources.
  • aspire
    Uses glitches to provide gameplay or visual effects that are otherwise impossible to achieve, originating from the annual Aspire mapping contest.
  • mapping contest
    An entry for a mapping contest.
  • tournament custom
    A custom map for a playing tournament.
  • tag [playstyle]
    Includes gameplay designed for the multiplayer tag mode, where multiple players complete a map co-operatively.
  • port
    Originally created for other media and later imported into osu!, usually through using conversion tools.
  • aimslop
    Refers to a wave of aim farm maps, coinciding with less strict ranking standards circa 2024, characterised by highly optimised aim patterns, simple rhythm and occasional embrace of cross-screen aim.
  • taikosu
    A map intended to produce an osu!taiko map when automatically converted via hitsounds.