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Guide for "The Final Countdown" trophy (Tips & Methods)


conkervertex

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Okay, I'm going to provide a brief tutorial on how to get good at the solo on "The Final Countdown". Keep in mind that I'm explaining this to the best of my ability, so bear with me as I explain it all...

 

It took me about 45 minutes to get it the first time around. Then the second time, 10 minutes. Finally the third time (AFTER I got my new PS3), it took only a minute because I got it on my first try. Easy stuff if you really know what you're doing. Anyway, on with the tutorial.

 

FOREWARNING: If you're not good at music games, then I suggest you start learning the basics of being coordinated with timing of notes. I grew up on Dance Dance Revolution and carried my skills over to Beatmania. So eventually, I've learned to get better and better at music games. So in this case, it just takes practice. So with that in mind, let's get started.

 

There are two methods that you can take when attempting this solo: Alone or with a friend. But before I go into each method, allow me to provide a few steps before choosing a method.

 

STEP 1: STUDY THE SOLO CHART - It's always good to be prepared. So, I've provided the solo for The Final Countdown here. Study it well so that you'll know what you're up against (Note: It's not the best quality, but still visible):

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juUEL255z0M]YouTube - The Final Countdown Solo FC 100%[/ame]

 

STEP 2: CHOOSING YOUR PLAY STYLE - If you're working with a Guitar Hero guitar, then you won't have many options available to you. However, the Rock Band guitar has several options: You can either play with the fret buttons or the solo buttons. I recommend the Rock Band guitar and using the solo buttons. That way, you don't have to worry about strumming for the entire song. When the solo part comes up, all you have to do is tap the solo buttons for it to register. The GH guitar has a solo strip on later models, but unless you're a whiz at using it, then I would suggest not to. Some people prefer to have the guitar strapped over their shoulder while others would lay it in their lap or on a flat surface. Again, I would suggest laying it flat so that you could use both hands freely to manage all five solo buttons, but it's all based on preference here. See which style fits you best.

 

STEP 3: PREPARE, PRACTICE & PULVERIZE - Again, if you're not so well at this solo, prepare to drop a few hours into this one. Work on it on a day off, get up early eat breakfast and mentally prepare yourself for it (NO, THIS IS NOT ROCK BAND 2's STEEL BLADDER AWARD!!! lol). I suggest entering Practice Mode via Story Mode and choosing the song and the solo part and practice, practice, practice. Keep practicing until you're comfortable and the 100% count is consistent. Then give it a go in Tour or Free Play. Best of luck!

 

Here are the two methods that you can try when attempting this solo:

 

METHOD 1: Going it alone - If you're by yourself on this one, it's going to be a little tough to tackle the solo. My suggestion is to play with a Rock Band guitar using the solo buttons with the guitar placed in your lap or a flat surface. You can use both hands to give you better control of the solo buttons. This is called "keyboard mode." I personally would rather play this solo in "keyboard" mode.

 

METHOD 2: With a partner - This is probably the best method to do when attempting this solo and I highly suggest this one over going it alone and in "keyboard" mode. Now, have your partner positioned to the left of you and let him/her PRESS AND HOLD the FIRST note of the chart (it should be a green note) while you hit the other notes. You'll notice that the pattern moves to the right (from yellow-blue-yellow to blue-orange-blue). You should be focused on hitting these notes while your partner should be focused on hitting and holding the lone note. So basically when you switch from yellow-blue-yellow, your partner will slide his/her finger from green to red, then from red to yellow. Each time your partner switches, make sure that he/she is holding down the button. When that pattern clears out, allow your partner to go back to green and hit every green note that he/she sees. The aforementioned pattern will come up again. Just follow the same procedure and make sure your partner goes back to green while you clear out the rest of the notes. This will take time, patience and practice, but it's one of the easiest methods I've found. Again, best of luck!

 

Don't be too focused on getting this trophy. If you still have others to work on, then don't waste time on this one. However, if this is your last one, work on it for about 30-45 minutes, then quit. Nothing's more frustrating than to work on something for a few hours only to achieve nothing. Space out your practice time and eventually, you'll get better and better at it. I hope this information is useful in some way to you all! Good luck! If you're able to get over time, congratulations! Enjoy your (S)!!!!

Edited by conkervertex
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Thanks Conkervertex - just in time! (I should get Veteran performer tonight and was planning on working on this next).

 

No rush for me because I still won't be able to get the "Practice makes perfect" trophy (very annoying to be put in a game with no online play imo) for a while. I might have to buy my nephews Rock Band for Christmas so that they get good enough to help me on these things when I go visit! (it's not child labour if it's fun right?) :)

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Zeds, you can get "Practice Makes Perfect" with only two people as a full band if you follow this method:

 

- Set a guitar in your lap and have the drum set near you.

- In one hand (either left or right) have a drumstick

- In the other hand should be the strum bar on the guitar in your lap.

- Put the microphone near a fan, speakers or something that emits a loud noise.

- Let another player play the second guitar (either guitar or bass....guitar recommended)

- Pick "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)" as your song and set it to SUPER EASY. If you do not have Charlene, choose "Song 2". It's a short one, but Charlene is the shortest.

- Microphone will always 100% because of the fan/loud noise. With the drumstick in one hand, just hit ANY of the pads on the drum set. It doesn't even have to be the right note as long as you hit anything as it crosses the note line. Same as Guitar/Bass. You don't have to hold any of the fret buttons. Just strum as soon as the note passes the note line.

- Easy 100% without the use of more than two people. :)

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just hit ANY of the pads on the drum set. It doesn't even have to be the right note as long as you hit anything as it crosses the note line.
I did see another post with something like that but I missed the part where you could hit any pad for drums - that makes it way easier, thanks for mentioning it! I'll start practicing my part (I do have the Charlene song) so that I'm ready for my next visitor.

 

This guy is inspiring me to take on a REAL challenge though:

YouTube - Arthur Nakane, 73 ~ America's Got Talent 2010, Final auditions

:D

 

Zeds

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I thought I would post this here instead of making a new thread...

 

A friend of mine came up with something which might work. There's going to be a keyboard peripheral for Rock Band 3 and he said it might pick it up as a guitar on other Rock Band which might make this trophy much easier. I don't think it will work but it's just something you might want to try when Rock Band 3 comes out.

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I thought I would post this here instead of making a new thread...

 

A friend of mine came up with something which might work. There's going to be a keyboard peripheral for Rock Band 3 and he said it might pick it up as a guitar on other Rock Band which might make this trophy much easier. I don't think it will work but it's just something you might want to try when Rock Band 3 comes out.

 

How would that make it easier though? The RB guitars already have the solo buttons which act as a keyboard if you lay it down flat, bu it's still hard as hell.

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Or you could do something called practice and get this:

http://www.ps3trophies.org/forum/members/grimydawg-albums-rock-band-guitar-hero-accomplishments-picture10774t-final-countdown.jpg

How about you practice and fc this:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp_qeGrcfa0]YouTube - (Team KOX) Infected Nation Expert Guitar 5 Stars[/ame]

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

This may come as a shock to you (and believe me when I say this), but grimydawg can do that chart. He's already got the plat on ALL of the Guitar Hero games which are some the hardest music game plats to achieve.

 

Or you could do something called practice and get this:

 

Not everyone can do it, man. It's true that you can get it after practice, but for some people, it just won't happen. It took about 45 minutes for me but that's because I had prior Guitar Hero experience. To each his/her own I say.

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This may come as a shock to you (and believe me when I say this), but grimydawg can do that chart. He's already got the plat on ALL of the Guitar Hero games which are some the hardest music game plats to achieve.

 

 

 

Not everyone can do it, man. It's true that you can get it after practice, but for some people, it just won't happen. It took about 45 minutes for me but that's because I had prior Guitar Hero experience. To each his/her own I say.

Yeah that's true. Some people just won't be able to do it. That's unfortunate for them

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Not everyone can do it, man. It's true that you can get it after practice, but for some people, it just won't happen. It took about 45 minutes for me but that's because I had prior Guitar Hero experience. To each his/her own I say.

I'd say the amount of hand-to-eye co-ordination needed to play other games is far more sheer because most games have an element of randomness about them. Lego Rock Band (and in fact all the rhythm games) has no randomness about it - you ALWAYS get the same chart, you ALWAYS play the same notes.

 

I think what probably happens is that people panic when they see a screen full of notes. I remember seeing Through the Fire and Flames the first time, I didn't last 5 secs. But after breaking it down to essential parts (e.g. holding down green, and doing HOPOs the whole way for the intro), it's slightly more palatable.

 

I remember learning the piano when I was 18 (quite late to start, but hey). It took me 5 weeks before I could comfortably play with both hands, which was just 1 or 2 notes per hand. At that time, I was horrified whenever I looked at anything like Chopin. But a two years later, I tackled two pieces by Liszt (concert pianist standard, basically). So I reckon if people really want something, they can do it.

 

I don't have this trophy yet, but that's because I sent the game back (the disc came up with errors, which reset the game in mid-flow). I'm confident that I'm one of the few who might be able to get the trophy when I buy the game again. I only played the song twice when I had the game, and I recall getting about 50% for the solo on my first sightread.

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I don't have this trophy yet, but that's because I sent the game back (the disc came up with errors, which reset the game in mid-flow). I'm confident that I'm one of the few who might be able to get the trophy when I buy the game again. I only played the song twice when I had the game, and I recall getting about 50% for the solo on my first sightread.

 

Well, I got about 80% on my first try just because I have this method of fast fretting and strumming that always help me PASS those songs, but makes almost impossible to FC anything beyond average difficulty.

 

That's what makes this trophy so, so hard.

 

I can PASS virtually any song on Guitar Expert after a few tries, with some luck and wise use of SP/OD. That's how I was able to pass Visions, Green Grass, Raining Blood, Free Bird, Cowboys From Hell (GH1) and other hard songs.

 

But to actually get a FC you can't rely on luck or SP/OD, you have to be really good and precise.

 

It's not something that you'll get eventually if you keep trying (like a hard trial on SFIV), you'll only get it if you practice A LOT, FOR DAYS OR WEEKS.

 

I keep saying to myself that I'll get that trophy someday, but sometimes it seems like it's out of reach for me.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Well, I got about 80% on my first try just because I have this method of fast fretting and strumming that always help me PASS those songs, but makes almost impossible to FC anything beyond average difficulty.

 

What's your method so maybe it can help some others out with this trophy. I'm still no where close to getting this one. I can get 100% on 60% speed but that's about it.

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What's your method so maybe it can help some others out with this trophy. I'm still no where close to getting this one. I can get 100% on 60% speed but that's about it.

 

It's just something that I always do at those solos since GH1. I try to press the right buttons on time and keep strumming fast, but not too fast.

 

I can't really explain, but it's something that I do naturally.

 

Like I said, it won't help me (or anyone) get 100% at anything, since it envolves a lot of random fretting and random strumming, so it's impossible to get FC doing that.

 

On the first time that I get to Final Countdown's solo, I was able to keep a FC through the first zig-zags (starting on green), but I lost it when the zig-zags changed to red.

 

Since my method is nowhere near consistent, I was never able to repeat that feat again.

 

BTW, I can get 100% at 70%, maybe even 80% percent, but that's the maximum speed I can move my fingers at the moment.

 

I'll try and practice more to see if I can get them moving a little faster...

Edited by atirador
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JUst watching the solo I can picture how I'd FC most of it... But in practise it's a harsh bitch.

 

for the fast G-Y-B-Y bits and the similar bit where it's all 1 frt higher, I'd just hold down G (or R) and focus on the triple notes inbetween.... The rest is fairly straight forward except the part that joins those sections together...

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to bad theres no online or a way to boost with someone that can do it

Dude even if the person did it, it wouldn't matter. On other music games that have to play a section of a song or whatever. you have to do it on solo mode, by yourself, and last but not least, there are no TIPS, SHORTCUTS, or ANYTHING ELSE! You can either do the thing or you can't. It takes something called practice.

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  • 5 weeks later...
They say that you can play guitar and bass parts with the new keyboards coming out for rock band 3. I have got to think that playing this solo on the keyboard will make it so much easier. Guess we'll see.

 

 

oooh ya soooo much easier ... lol [/sarcasm]

 

ive done it w/ RB guitar' solo buttons, which is kinda your idea - it still took me 4 hours ;P

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They say that you can play guitar and bass parts with the new keyboards coming out for rock band 3. I have got to think that playing this solo on the keyboard will make it so much easier. Guess we'll see.

Aren't you one of the "top 150" players on Rock Band 2? You mentioned that somewhere on the Guitar Hero Metallica thread. If you were that good, you'd get this solo no problem. I know I'm not ranked in any instrument and that's because I usually play in a band, but I'm VERY capable of being in the top 100, maybe top 50 in every instrument. I just play too many other games. In fact, I'm one of top players on music games period. If I can be no.1 on Brain Stew on drums, then turn around and have a top 10 score on Raining Blood on guitar what does that say? I just think this really funny because people are n00bs and they can't just spend some time and practice.

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It will be easier with the keyboard for the fact that I have man hands not child hands. My fingers do not fit on the Strat solo keys. So yes it will be easier than using the solo keys. If you have hands of a woman or child then you should have no problem with the strat keys, good job sir.

 

As for being a "top 150" player. Yes, I said that. That is what I am ranked on the leaderboards. That means I play alot, and has no bearing on me being superior to anyone, however it should show that I can hold my own and know how to play.

 

These threads seem to be about you two guys wanting to show off about how superior you two are to everyone else and not about helping people with the trophy. If you already have the trophy then ignore my comments about the keyboard tips cause they are not for you.

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It will be easier with the keyboard for the fact that I have man hands not child hands. My fingers do not fit on the Strat solo keys. So yes it will be easier than using the solo keys. If you have hands of a woman or child then you should have no problem with the strat keys, good job sir.

 

As for being a "top 150" player. Yes, I said that. That is what I am ranked on the leaderboards. That means I play alot, and has no bearing on me being superior to anyone, however it should show that I can hold my own and know how to play.

 

These threads seem to be about you two guys wanting to show off about how superior you two are to everyone else and not about helping people with the trophy. If you already have the trophy then ignore my comments about the keyboard tips cause they are not for you.

 

That means you're in the top 1% of people on Rock Band. That means you should be more than capable of FC this solo. I used the GH guitar BTW. I have man hands also. So the solo key mean nothing. The people that are that high up should be damn near FC every song on RB2, so Panic Attack, Peace Sells, etc. I find that hard to believe that a person in the top 150 guitar would have trouble FC a solo on The Final Countdown. Yes, I also understand about the keyboard. One color represents several keys on no "pro mode." If your fingers aren't that fast on guitar, then it won't make a difference.

Edited by grimydawg
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Since you think I'm lying to you grimy here is a link

 

Leaderboards // RockBand®

 

I am no longer in the "top 150", I'm at 166. The only reason I am telling you this is to show you that I'm not a "n00b" as you put it. I do kind of take offense to you insulting my intelligence.

 

I am telling you I can't do this solo and it has nothing to do with lack of practice or me being a "n00b". I have no doubt that you, as well as many other people are much better at these games than me, even though you are not rated. And you know what? I don't care. When I stated that it was only to show that I didn't pick up this game yesterday. It was not meant to turn into a pissing contest.

 

The only thing I was offering was the keyboard tip, but apparently unless you have the trophy you can't share bits of info that might make it easier for someone else to get without getting cut down by you guys. Am I correct?

 

While I don't know how the keyboards are going to work at release, I was speculating that it will be easier for the fact that you only have to press the buttons and not concentrate on strumming (kind of like the strat keys, but for people with big hands). My fingers are not fast enough however it would stand to reason that if I am using two hands then I would be able to press the buttons faster, and not have to concentrate on strumming.

 

I'm not saying this will be some miracle and everyone will be able to get the trophy. This is just a tip and speculation that may make it somewhat easier.

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Since you think I'm lying to you grimy here is a link

 

Leaderboards // RockBand®

 

I am no longer in the "top 150", I'm at 166. The only reason I am telling you this is to show you that I'm not a "n00b" as you put it. I do kind of take offense to you insulting my intelligence.

 

I am telling you I can't do this solo and it has nothing to do with lack of practice or me being a "n00b". I have no doubt that you, as well as many other people are much better at these games than me, even though you are not rated. And you know what? I don't care. When I stated that it was only to show that I didn't pick up this game yesterday. It was not meant to turn into a pissing contest.

 

The only thing I was offering was the keyboard tip, but apparently unless you have the trophy you can't share bits of info that might make it easier for someone else to get without getting cut down by you guys. Am I correct?

 

While I don't know how the keyboards are going to work at release, I was speculating that it will be easier for the fact that you only have to press the buttons and not concentrate on strumming (kind of like the strat keys, but for people with big hands). My fingers are not fast enough however it would stand to reason that if I am using two hands then I would be able to press the buttons faster, and not have to concentrate on strumming.

 

I'm not saying this will be some miracle and everyone will be able to get the trophy. This is just a tip and speculation that may make it somewhat easier.

That leaderboard is messed up. Maybe you didn't know that, but they are. I think only the elite players know that. It's not common knowledge. The leaderboards from the game were intended to be designed for the on-disk songs only, but clearly they're messed up. All other music games' leaderboards for career totals are based on the on-disk songs, yet this is the only one that's messed up. This is the actual NON-GLITCHED leaderboard site for Rock Band 2: Rock Band Stats - Leaderboards I'm not saying you're not good, but you're not top 150 at all. People that are actually that high SHOULD be able to beat that solo without many problems. You shouldn't have ANY problems with guitar related trophies if you're actually that highly ranked. You don't necessarily have to be ranked that high to achieve that trophy though. I do know that people who are really that high won't have a big problem with that trophy, and the one's that aren't just have to work at it a little more.

 

Like I mentioned earlier, I play in bands generally, which is why I'm not on the leaderboards for Rock Band 2 for a lot of stuff. I am on individual leaderboards for most songs that a trophy is involved with on most music games, however. Example: Leaderboards « Green Day: Rock Band Guess who's tied for 1st on ALL systems on Brain Stew on drums? I'm also ranked pretty high on the other songs for Green Day Rock Band, even Guitar Hero games. So like I said, if I REALLY wanted to, I could be in the 100 career leaderboards for pretty much all music games and all instruments, well except for maybe vocals. I would definitely be in the top 10 in drums because that's my best instrument, I'm even a pretty decent guitar player. I think I'm still in the top 100 on bass and guitar on Green Day Rock Band, which isn't too bad.

 

 

I'm telling you the keyboard isn't going to make that solo trophy any easier. I promise you that. I've personally played the keyboard a few months ago. It's nice, but won't make this trophy any easier. If you don't have the speed to move your fingers, you simply won't get the trophy The only really easy way to do it is simply practice. You, of all people, should know this. These games aren't exactly easy, but with a little practice and CONFIDENCE you can do it. Generally there's really no easy way of achieving a trophy for getting 100% on something on a song. You just have to practice. The only thing that's really good is that you can actually break the combo, and as long as you get 100% on the part, you'll get the trophy. You just have to put some work AND effort. Nothing comes overnight, and that applies for everything you do.

 

You can use the keyboard for the older Rock Bands because one color represents several keys on non "Pro-Mode" for RB3. You can generally use they newer peripherals on the older games. If you think about that it's actually more work.

Edited by grimydawg
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