FAQ and Troubleshooting

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Contents:

General Frequently Asked Questions
Technical Frequently Asked Questions
beatoraja Troubleshooting

General Frequently Asked Questions

How do scores work? Why am I failing charts with a AAA or getting full combos with a B?

See: Scores and Clears

Where do I find beatoraja skins?

See: List of beatoraja skins

Where do I find LR2 skins?

See: Lunatic Rave 2 skins

Can I use LR2 skins in beatoraja?

See: Using LR2 skins in beatoraja

Which skins do you recommend?

Ultimately the skin you choose depends on your personal preference on aesthetics. The list of beatoraja skins can be used to make a choice in that regard as screenshots of the skins are displayed on the page. The recommendations below are based on other practical uses some specific skins may have beyond aesthetics.

For the play skin (i.e. while playing a song), I highly recommend Simple play. Simple play is an extremely customizable skin - the positions and dimensions of every element of the skin can be individually configured, so the skin can look like anything you like. For example, the lanes can be made wide and placed in the center of the screen. Even things like individual note heights and colors can be configured.

For the decide skin (the splash screen before a song plays), Rogan is a good one because it displays information about the chart before the song is started. Project Shoko's and LITONE5's decide screen also displays table information, which can be useful to check if a selected song is in a table.

Some result screens also display the average timing offset, which can be used to adjust your offset for the next song. Project Shoko and LITONE5 are examples.

How do I make beatoraja play song previews? Why are there previews on some songs but not on others?

See: Song Previews and how to use the Preview Audio Generator

Can I search this guide?

In fact you can! This page (scroll down) contains instructions on how to search this wiki.

I downloaded a BOF event pack and the folders are sorted by team. How do I make it into one single folder with a flat list of songs?

See: How to flatten team folders in BMS events

What should I set my Max FPS to?

Max FPS (the FPS cap) should be set as high as possible. Setting it to 0 leaves the FPS uncapped, which is usually the best option. Do NOT cap the FPS to your monitor's refresh rate (like 60, 120, 144 etc.).

Typically, you'd want beatoraja to be running at at least 300-400 fps.

Why am I missing long scratch (BSS) notes?

Long scratch notes require you to constantly rotate the turntable. On CN or HCN mode, you need to reverse the turntable at the end of the note. On a keyboard, this means you need to hit the other scratch key (note that you have two scratch keys binded).

See: LN, CN and HCN mode

Technical Frequently Asked Questions

What is beatoraja.jar?

You might notice that beatoraja uses a ".jar" file instead of an ".exe". What does this mean?

beatoraja was written in Java, and Java programs are typically packaged as .jar files. In other words, beatoraja.jar is the beatoraja game program itself.

To run JAR files like beatoraja.jar, Java is used. Java can either be installed into your PC so that .jar files can be run directly, or a portable version of Java can be used to run beatoraja.jar. If you had downloaded the "-jre-win64" version of beatoraja from the Mocha website, a portable version of Java can be found in the \jre directory in the beatoraja folder (specifically, \jre\bin\java.exe).

beatoraja-config.bat and beatoraja.exe (if you had downloaded the "-jre-win64" version) are not the program itself. You might notice this from how small these files are. All they do is use Java to run beatoraja.jar in the same directory, after setting a few important options. You can open up beatoraja-config.bat in notepad to see exactly what it is doing.

Therefore, if you are using beatoraja-config.bat to run beatoraja (which is recommended to use the UTF-8 fix), beatoraja.exe is not needed and can be deleted.

Note: Do not run beatoraja.jar directly by double-clicking it. It can run that way, but it is not recommended and also would skip the UTF-8 fix.

Which version of Java should I download?

As of beatoraja 0.8.8, Java 17 and up is required. For older versions of beatoraja (0.8.7 and below), Java 8 can be used.

The best option for Java is Liberica OpenJDK, as it comes with JavaFX included. JavaFX is required to run beatoraja. We suggest downloading the "Full JRE" for either Java 17 or Java 21.

For older versions of beatoraja (0.8.7 and below), Oracle Java was a possibility, but unfortunately Oracle Java does not come with JavaFX included for versions after Java 8.

Note: It is possible to run beatoraja without installing Java to your PC. See: Setting up beatoraja without installing Java

Option 1: Liberica OpenJDK

Download From: https://bell-sw.com/pages/downloads/ (Java 17 or 21 recommended)

Before downloading, make sure you change the package from "Standard JDK" to either "Full JDK" or "Full JRE".
Recommendation for simplest setup: Full JRE, Download MSI.

Note: If you downloaded Standard instead of Full, you will get the "Could not find or load main class bms.player.beatoraja.MainLoader" error as JavaFX is not included with the Standard version.

Liberica - JDK or JRE?

JRE = Java Runtime Environment, and JDK = Java Development Kit.

Download "Full JRE" if all you care about is running Java (for beatoraja). Download "Full JDK" if you are also a Java developer.
Full JRE is a smaller download.

Liberica - Download MSI or ZIP?

MSI is an installer, ZIP is a portable version of Java (no install required).

Downloading the MSI makes it easier to set up. After installing Java, beatoraja can simply be run from beatoraja-config.bat.
If you download the ZIP instead, you will need to either configure your PATH environment variable or edit beatoraja-config.bat to run the portable version. More details below.

ZIP Option 1: Editing beatoraja-config.bat

Do this if you want a portable setup of beatoraja. More information on this page: Guide: Setting up portable Java + beatoraja

ZIP Option 2: Configuring PATH environment variable

Downloading and installing the MSI version does this step automatically for you. If you downloaded the ZIP instead, you will need to configure the PATH environment variable yourself.

Let's suppose that we have extracted Java to D:\jre1.8.XXX\. This means java.exe will be found in D:\jre1.8.XXX\bin\.

What configuring the PATH environment variable does:

Notice that when you open command prompt in an arbitrary location and type java in it, nothing happens, because the computer does not even know whether you have Java installed, or where you have placed it if you have installed it.
The PATH environment variable specifies the "default" folders for the computer to look into when you type a command straight into command prompt.
In other words, after you have added your Java path D:\jre1.8.XXX\bin\ from before to PATH, when you type java in command prompt, the computer will check the D:\jre1.8.XXX\bin\ folder, find java.exe in it, and run it.
Why does this matter? This is because when you run beatoraja-config.bat, it types "java" into the command prompt to run Java to run beatoraja. You can see this by opening beatoraja-config.bat in notepad.

How to configure the PATH environment variable:

Open the start menu, and type "environment variable" into the search box. You can choose to open "Edit the system environment variables" or "Edit the environment variables for your account". Either works.
Now look for an environment variable named "Path". There should be one in the box for environment variables for your account and one in the box for environment variables for the system. Either works.
Double-click the "Path" environment variable to open it. You should see a list of folders. Click new, and add your Java path (e.g. D:\jre1.8.XXX\bin\) to the list. Press Ok.
Note that you will need to restart command prompt before changes will apply, if you are trying to type "java" into the command prompt.

Option 2: Oracle Java (For beatoraja 0.8.7 and below only)

Download From: https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp (Java 8)

Note: Make sure you select a version marked as 64-bit

If you did not select a 64-bit version of Java, you will get the "invalid maximum heap size" error message when you run beatoraja.

You can technically run beatoraja on 32-bit java. This can be done by removing the -Xmx4g flag from beatoraja-config.bat. However, this is not recommended as the -Xmx4g flag is what allows beatoraja to run with a memory cap of 4GB rather than the default 1GB cap.

beatoraja Troubleshooting

Discussions Page

If you need help and the section below does not answer your questions, please visit the Discussions Page. I can try to provide a bit of tech support / answer questions there.

Can't start up beatoraja - beatoraja-config.bat opens and closes instantly

Just before the .bat file closes, it actually displays an error message telling you what went wrong. Unfortunately, it closes too quickly to view the error message.

There are two ways you can view the error message:

Open command prompt in the beatoraja folder, and type beatoraja-config.bat to run beatoraja from the command prompt. This lets you view the error message because the command prompt doesn't automatically close.
Open beatoraja-config.bat in a text editor like notepad, and type pause on a new line at the bottom of the file. The "pause" command will prompt you to "Press Any Key to Continue" before the command window closes. You can remove the pause command after you're done diagnosing errors.

Here are the common errors you might see:

1. java not found

Then java is either not properly installed, or is installed but has not been added to the PATH environment variable. If you are not sure how to add java to PATH, reinstalling java should automatically add it to PATH for you (refer to this section for more info).

2. Invalid maximum heap size: -Xmx4g

Then you are currently using 32-bit java. 64-bit java is recommended for running beatoraja.
For help on downloading the correct version of Java, see Which version of Java should I download
To check whether your current java installation is 32-bit or 64-bit, open command prompt (windows+R, type "cmd", enter) and type java -version. If you are on 64-bit java, it should say something along the lines of 64-Bit Server VM. If you don't see that, you are on 32-bit java.
You can technically run beatoraja on 32-bit java. This can be done by removing the -Xmx4g flag from beatoraja-config.bat. However, this is not recommended as the -Xmx4g flag is what allows beatoraja to run with a memory cap of 4GB rather than the default 1GB cap.

3. beatoraja.jar is not found

There should be a beatoraja.jar in the same folder as beatoraja-config.bat. If there is no beatoraja.jar, you probably downloaded the source code for the game instead of the game itself. beatoraja.jar is the main game executable, and so is definitely necessary.

4. Error: Could not find or load main class bms.player.beatoraja.MainLoader

If you see this error, it is most likely because JavaFX isn't included with your Java installation. You need a version of Java with JavaFX included.
For help on downloading the correct version of Java, see Which version of Java should I download

I added songs, but I can't see the folders in game

Try restarting beatoraja first. The songs might show up after a restart.

If the songs still don't show up, there are a few possible causes.

You placed your songs in the beatoraja folder

i.e. you did something like this:

beatoraja 0.8.2
 '-> etc etc (beatoraja files)
 '-> songs
     '-> BOFU2016
     '-> BOFU2017

If your songs are in the beatoraja folder, beatoraja may not be able to read the songs. In general, I recommend having your song directory be separate from your beatoraja directory. Something like this:

BMS
 '-> BOFU2016
 '-> BOFU2017
 '-> MISC

beatoraja 0.8.2
 '-> etc etc (beatoraja files)

In general it is a good idea to keep your song folders separate from the game client. This is because you may upgrade or change your BMS client, but you will still be using the same BMS songs.

An error occurred while adding songs

This might have happened if you notice a bunch of errors in the command window and the song adding process halts suddenly.

If this indeed happened, try to find out which is the offending BMS that caused the song adding to crash.
If you can figure out which BMS is causing the issue, it would be nice to report it to the developers so that the problem can be identified.

A BMS folder is placed next to a song folder

This might have happened if you only see a few songs in your songwheel, and don't see any subfolders.

Don't put song folders next to subfolders in your BMS song folder. We may not be able to differentiate between song folders and subfolders when this happens.

This is an example of song folders next to subfolders. Don't do this.
```
BMS
|-> BOFU2016
|-> song1
'-> song2
```
You can organize your BMS folder like this instead:
```
BMS
|-> BOFU2016
'-> Misc Songs
    |-> song1
    '-> song2
```

My skin settings are not saving

This is usually a symptom of locale issues. See Fixing locale issues for more information, and make sure the UTF-8 fix is applied.

If you had applied the UTF-8 fix manually, there is a chance that you did not apply it correctly.
Also, do not run beatoraja through the beatoraja.jar file. The UTF-8 fix does nothing if you are not running beatoraja by starting beatoraja-config.bat.
It is possible that you have also somehow corrupted your player config file. In that case, you might want to reset your player config file.

My scores are not saving

Scores will always save after exiting the song (as long as you have hit at least 1 note in the song before exiting). If your scores aren't saving, it is most likely because you have some assist option on. Check out the following pages:

If your scores have suddenly vanished, it may simply because you switched between LN, CN and HCN modes. Scores are saved separately between the modes, for charts that have at least one long note in them.

Why am I getting Assist clears?

You will get an Assist clear if your currently selected gauge is Assist Easy. Assist Easy is the default gauge. Hold START in the Music Select menu to bring up the options panel to change your current gauge.

See Gauges for more information on the different Gauges.

Alternatively, you may have an assist option on. In this case, see: My scores are not saving

I connected my controller but my turntable does not work!

You probably did not bind the controller in the key config. Even the turntable needs to be assigned to F-SCR and R-SCR in the key config for it to work. Press 6 on the keyboard to open the key config in game.

If that was not the reason, there are a few other possible causes:

Take note that the controller must be plugged in before starting beatoraja.
If you have multiple controllers connected, make sure the correct controller device is selected in the key config. Press 2 on the keyboard in the key config menu to change the controller selection.
Take note that the key config is set separately for each key mode. Notably, 5Keys and 7Keys have separate key configs. Press the left/right arrow keys on the key config menu to switch key mode.
If the controller only does not work in the music select menu, this may be because you have the wrong "Music Select" setting in the key config menu. Press 1 on the keyboard to switch the "Music Select" setting. "2dx sp" means the 7Keys key config is used for music select. "2dx dp" means the 14Keys key config is used, and "popn" means the 9Keys key config is used.
If the turntable is behaving wierdly, this may be due to analog scratch being set incorrectly. See: Analog Scratch