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Shagrath · 05-30-09, 06:23 PM

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Downloadable Content

What's this Pepsi thing I keep hearing about?

Pepsi and Rock Band are currently running a promotion together. Specially marked 20oz and 1L bottles of Pepsi products (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, etc.) will have either a red or yellow cap with one of the Rock Band instrument logos on them. Under the cap is a code that can be used for a chance to win a downloadable Rock Band song of your choice from a select list. So far, pretty much every cap has been a winner.

For more info about the promotion and the place to enter your cap codes, go to www.pepsirockband.com.

pinata242 has made a spreadsheet with a list of all of the songs currently available (Green for songs just added, Red for cover tracks).
pinata's spreadsheet

When are new songs announced?

New downloadable songs are announced every Friday. The official announcement can usually be found first on the Rock Band Official Forums in the Announcements section.

However, someone will more than likely post the information in this thread seconds after it has been announced. If you're not on the boards right when the announcement hits, the easiest place to find it will more than likely be the "Official DLC Post", which is post #2 of this thread, and it will be located near the bottom of that post.

When are new songs released?

New songs are released weekly. The three systems that support DLC release them at different times during the week.

XBOX 360 - Tuesdays at 5:00AM Eastern
Playstation 3 - Thursdays at 5:00PM Eastern
Wii - Tuesdays at ??

How come a bunch of the links in the DLC Post are dead?

The main user that I looked to when linking to the charts for guitar was Npeaen. This YouTube user was shut down by a combination of UMG (Universal) and WMG (Warner) complaints for usage of their music in his videos. I will be working on re-linking everything to working videos in the near future.

How do I redeem the 20 free songs for Rock Band 2?

The first step is going to register.rockband.com and entering the redemption code found on the back of the instruction manual, along with the rest of the information. You will then be sent an email with a code for your specified system. Input that code wherever you normally redeem codes on your system, and the download should start automatically.

Instruments and Accessories

What instruments are compatible?

Harmonix strives to maintain compatibility across all instruments (whether intended for Rock Band or Guitar Hero or otherwise). However, there are a couple of incompatibilities. According to this matrix, there are the following incompatibilities:

Guitar Hero: World Tour drums do not work with Rock Band 1 on the Playstation 3

Guitar Hero: World Tour drums do not work with Rock Band 1 on the Wii
Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar does not work with Rock Band 1 on the Wii
Guitar Hero 3 guitar does not work with Rock Band 1 on the Wii

Lips microphones do not work with Rock Band 1 or Rock Band 2 on the XBOX 360
* Harmonix have stated that they are bringing compatibility for the Lips microphones to Rock Band 2 in an upcoming patch.

Going the other way around (using Rock Band instruments for Guitar Hero) is a little more inconsistent, and I would recommend checking the linked matrix before purchasing any instruments if you are interested in playing both games.

Which guitar is best for Rock Band?

This ultimately comes down to preference. Both guitars have their positives and negatives.

Guitar Hero guitars
* Clicky strumbar - Some people like the feel of this strumbar. It has a very distinct up and down position.
* Raised fret buttons
* The Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar also has a Select/Back button near where your palm would rest on your strumming hand. This can be used to activate overdrive instead of tilting the guitar

Rock Band guitars
* Silent strumbar - This strummer is a lot quieter than the Guitar Hero ones.
* Flush fret buttons - The fret buttons are flush with the neck of the guitar, making the guitar look and feel more like a real guitar instead of a game controller
* Solo buttons - There are a second set of frets located near the base of the neck that can be used during the "Solo" sections on guitar charts.
* The Rock Band 2 Stratocaster comes with a calibration tool (consisting of a microphone and a light-sensing camera that can be used to get a near-perfect calibration on any display device

Which drums are best for Rock Band?

It is generally agreed that the Rock Band drums work best for Rock Band and that while the Guitar Hero: World Tour ones are compatible, it is slightly unnatural playing them in RocK Band due to the configuration they pads/cymbals are in.

If you want to get heavy into the drum experience, the most realistic option is the ION Drum Rocker. This is a professional-grade kit four high-quality heads and two cymbals (with an option for a third).

If you don't want to spend that much on a kit, but still want a more realistic experience, there are cymbal upgrade kits (1, 2, or 3) for the official Rock Band 2 drum kit.

What other accessories are available?

Already mentioned are the optional cymbals for the officialRock Band 2 drums. There are also some other options to liven up your rocking experience The cymbals are universal, however [b]these additional accessories are currently only available for the XBOX 360.

* Stage Kit - Have lights and (optional) fog in your living room! The cool thing about this is that every song has its own unique sequences programmed in. So it's not just a generic set of lights going off, but specific to the song.
* Fender P-Bass Replica - A *wired* bass guitar. The build is very similar to the official Rock Band Stratocaster, with the silent strumbar and the flush fret buttons. The feature that sets this apart from other guitars is that it has a split strumbar for two fingered upstrumming like a true bass player.
*a wireless version will be available soon in the standard black/white, as well as red/white, and seafoam green/white version
* M.I.C. - A premium wired microphone with a built-in XBOX 360 controller, so that the vocalist doesn't have to have an additional device tethered to them for picking songs and difficulties.

Gameplay

What are gold stars, and how do I get them?

Gold stars (GS) are attainable only on Expert difficulty. The general guideline for the GS cutoff is 1.52x the 5-star cut-off on Expert.

If I play Endless Setlist on Expert, and my friend is playing on Medium, will I still get Platinum Artist?

The short answer is no. You are only awarded Platinum Artist if everyone in your band is playing on the Expert level. If someone is playing on Medium, then you will only be awarded Vinyl Artist.

How come they don't log how many stars I got in quickplay?

Your guess is as good as mine as to why this was taken out in the transition to Rock Band 2. It will be added back in with the next patch, but it is doubtful that the stars will be assigned retroactively. This means you'll probably have to play through everything again to get the stars to show up.

What's the fastest way to unlock all of the on-disc songs in Rock Band 2?

The fastest way to unlock songs is through the "Tour Challenges". Start with any of the instrument-specific challenges in the Warmup section. By doing one of those, it should unlock one of the "Decades" challenges. Doing each of the "Decades" Challenges will unlock the one for the next decade. Continue doing these until you have unlocked the last one (don't even have to play it). This will unlock every song on the disc, and you will have only played 21 songs, with very little duplication.

Challenges

What is this Challenges thing all about?

A couple of months ago, I came up with the idea of setting up some "Battle of the Bands" style challenges for the users. A different challenge was sent out each week with different songs and criteria to be met. These were not meant to be a competition, but a way for the regulars (and lurkers) to play the game in a way that they may not have tried, and for us to play together during the week, although not in the truest sense of the word.

Why are they on hiatus?

I'm trying to come up with a way to make the challenges better. Several users have given me feedback and said that longer than a week would give more time. I've also toyed around with the idea of prizes. They will come back at some point, and this thread, obviously, will be the first place to find out about it.

05-30-09, 06:23 PM	#1
Shagrath DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 5,637	Rock Band: Official Thread Thread Map FAQ DLC Tiering, Videos, and Marketplace Links DVDTalk Challenges (Currently in hiatus) FAQ Downloadable Content What's this Pepsi thing I keep hearing about? Pepsi and Rock Band are currently running a promotion together. Specially marked 20oz and 1L bottles of Pepsi products (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, etc.) will have either a red or yellow cap with one of the Rock Band instrument logos on them. Under the cap is a code that can be used for a chance to win a downloadable Rock Band song of your choice from a select list. So far, pretty much every cap has been a winner. For more info about the promotion and the place to enter your cap codes, go to www.pepsirockband.com. pinata242 has made a spreadsheet with a list of all of the songs currently available (Green for songs just added, Red for cover tracks). pinata's spreadsheet When are new songs announced? New downloadable songs are announced every Friday. The official announcement can usually be found first on the Rock Band Official Forums in the Announcements section. However, someone will more than likely post the information in this thread seconds after it has been announced. If you're not on the boards right when the announcement hits, the easiest place to find it will more than likely be the "Official DLC Post", which is post #2 of this thread, and it will be located near the bottom of that post. When are new songs released? New songs are released weekly. The three systems that support DLC release them at different times during the week. XBOX 360 - Tuesdays at 5:00AM Eastern Playstation 3 - Thursdays at 5:00PM Eastern Wii - Tuesdays at ?? How come a bunch of the links in the DLC Post are dead? The main user that I looked to when linking to the charts for guitar was Npeaen. This YouTube user was shut down by a combination of UMG (Universal) and WMG (Warner) complaints for usage of their music in his videos. I will be working on re-linking everything to working videos in the near future. *How do I redeem the 20 free songs for Rock Band 2?* The first step is going to register.rockband.com and entering the redemption code found on the back of the instruction manual, along with the rest of the information. You will then be sent an email with a code for your specified system. Input that code wherever you normally redeem codes on your system, and the download should start automatically. Instruments and Accessories What instruments are compatible? Harmonix strives to maintain compatibility across all instruments (whether intended for Rock Band or Guitar Hero or otherwise). However, there are a couple of incompatibilities. According to this matrix, there are the following incompatibilities: Guitar Hero: World Tour drums do not work with Rock Band 1 on the Playstation 3 Guitar Hero: World Tour drums do not work with Rock Band 1 on the Wii Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar does not work with Rock Band 1 on the Wii Guitar Hero 3 guitar does not work with Rock Band 1 on the Wii Lips microphones do not work with Rock Band 1 or Rock Band 2 on the XBOX 360 * Harmonix have stated that they are bringing compatibility for the Lips microphones to Rock Band 2 in an upcoming patch. Going the other way around (using Rock Band instruments for Guitar Hero) is a little more inconsistent, and I would recommend checking the linked matrix before purchasing any instruments if you are interested in playing both games. Which guitar is best for Rock Band? This ultimately comes down to preference. Both guitars have their positives and negatives. Guitar Hero guitars * Clicky strumbar - Some people like the feel of this strumbar. It has a very distinct up and down position. * Raised fret buttons * The Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar also has a Select/Back button near where your palm would rest on your strumming hand. This can be used to activate overdrive instead of tilting the guitar Rock Band guitars * Silent strumbar - This strummer is a lot quieter than the Guitar Hero ones. * Flush fret buttons - The fret buttons are flush with the neck of the guitar, making the guitar look and feel more like a real guitar instead of a game controller * Solo buttons - There are a second set of frets located near the base of the neck that can be used during the "Solo" sections on guitar charts. * The Rock Band 2 Stratocaster comes with a calibration tool (consisting of a microphone and a light-sensing camera that can be used to get a near-perfect calibration on any display device Which drums are best for Rock Band? It is generally agreed that the Rock Band drums work best for Rock Band and that while the Guitar Hero: World Tour ones are compatible, it is slightly unnatural playing them in RocK Band due to the configuration they pads/cymbals are in. If you want to get heavy into the drum experience, the most realistic option is the ION Drum Rocker. This is a professional-grade kit four high-quality heads and two cymbals (with an option for a third). If you don't want to spend that much on a kit, but still want a more realistic experience, there are cymbal upgrade kits (1, 2, or 3) for the official Rock Band 2 drum kit. What other accessories are available? Already mentioned are the optional cymbals for the officialRock Band 2 drums. There are also some other options to liven up your rocking experience The cymbals are universal, however [b]these additional accessories are currently only available for the *XBOX 360. Stage Kit - Have lights and (optional) fog in your living room! The cool thing about this is that *every* song has its own unique sequences programmed in. So it's not just a generic set of lights going off, but specific to the song. * Fender P-Bass Replica - A wired bass guitar. The build is very similar to the official Rock Band Stratocaster, with the silent strumbar and the flush fret buttons. The feature that sets this apart from other guitars is that it has a split strumbar for two fingered upstrumming like a true bass player. a wireless version will be available soon in the standard black/white, as well as red/white, and seafoam green/white version M.I.C. - A premium wired microphone with a built-in XBOX 360 controller, so that the vocalist doesn't have to have an additional device tethered to them for picking songs and difficulties. Gameplay What are gold stars, and how do I get them? Gold stars (GS) are attainable only on Expert difficulty. The general guideline for the GS cutoff is 1.52x the 5-star cut-off on Expert. If I play Endless Setlist on Expert, and my friend is playing on Medium, will I still get Platinum Artist? The short answer is no. You are only awarded Platinum Artist if everyone in your band is playing on the Expert level. If someone is playing on Medium, then you will only be awarded Vinyl Artist. How come they don't log how many stars I got in quickplay? Your guess is as good as mine as to why this was taken out in the transition to Rock Band 2. It will be added back in with the next patch, but it is doubtful that the stars will be assigned retroactively. This means you'll probably have to play through everything again to get the stars to show up. What's the fastest way to unlock all of the on-disc songs in Rock Band 2? The fastest way to unlock songs is through the "Tour Challenges". Start with any of the instrument-specific challenges in the Warmup section. By doing one of those, it should unlock one of the "Decades" challenges. Doing each of the "Decades" Challenges will unlock the one for the next decade. Continue doing these until you have unlocked the last one (don't even have to play it). This will unlock every song on the disc, and you will have only played 21 songs, with very little duplication. Challenges What is this Challenges thing all about? A couple of months ago, I came up with the idea of setting up some "Battle of the Bands" style challenges for the users. A different challenge was sent out each week with different songs and criteria to be met. These were not meant to be a competition, but a way for the regulars (and lurkers) to play the game in a way that they may not have tried, and for us to play together during the week, although not in the truest sense of the word. Why are they on hiatus? I'm trying to come up with a way to make the challenges better. Several users have given me feedback and said that longer than a week would give more time. I've also toyed around with the idea of prizes. They will come back at some point, and this thread, obviously, will be the first place to find out about it. __________________ My Library - DVDProfiler XBox360 GamerTag: XShagrath Official DVDTalk Rock Band DLC Info & Videos Last edited by Shagrath; 07-03-09 at 04:50 PM.