Hello, this is Kang Hyeokjin (Coupy), the developer of URLATE.
This is my first update since early access began.

It's already been a year and a half since my last post.
Since joining the Navy last June, I've tried hard to keep development going, but it turned out to be harder than I expected.

The biggest obstacle was making patterns.
Since early access began, only three patterns have been made.
I talked about how hard pattern production is in a post from 2024, but now I really think I need to find another way.
At this rate, I might end up making patterns for the rest of my life..

But it wasn't all obstacles.
Thanks to advances in AI, I was able to keep improving the game even with so little time.
v1.0.0-rc.1 was released when early access began, and since then there have been 789 commits.
Considering that the whole project has 1,451 commits in total, that's a huge amount.

That was a long introduction.
As of writing, v1.0.0-rc.6 is live.
Let me go over what has changed since early access began, and what's left before the full release.

Landing Page​

• The landing page has been completely redesigned!
  • You can see the latest announcements and blog posts right away.
  • A short introduction to the game has been added.
  • The version of the game you're on is shown in the top left corner.
• One-click sign-in is now available through the FedCM API.
• The info, privacy policy and error pages have been redesigned as well.

Gameplay​

Judgement and Score​

• Judgement windows have been redefined in frames, and the combined accuracy and score multipliers have been recalculated.
• Hold notes now have release judgement and ticks.
• Timing judgement is back for wheel notes.
• For details, see Refactored Judgment & Note Handling Mechanics.

Effects and Sound​

• Judgement effects have been reworked.
  • A lens flare effect appears on Perfect judgements.
  • FAST/LATE text is shown depending on your timing.
  • A dust effect that scales with the judgement has been added.
  • A wave effect has been added to the text.
  • The ripple effect has been slightly tweaked.
• I made six hitsounds you can choose from.
  • Each hold note tick plays a tick sound that matches your hitsound.
• The bullet destruction effect has been improved.

Controls​

• AUTO PLAY has been added.
• You now have to click where you paused to resume the game.
• The cursor is locked during play using the Pointer Lock API.
• A Raw Input option has been added.
• Input through pointerrawupdate is supported, so the cursor is tracked more quickly.
• Sensitivity can now be set anywhere from 0.25x to 3x.
• Playback speed can be set from 0.5x to 2x in steps of 0.1.

Sync​

• A V-Sync option has been added.
  • When V-Sync is off, the screen switches to low-latency mode.
• A visual sync offset has been added.

Song Select​

• Mod settings such as sort order and difficulty are remembered.
  • They're saved to your account, so they carry over when you play from another device.

Bug Fixes​

• Fixed frame drops when the AP/FC effect was shown
• Fixed the combo text causing performance drops
• Fixed the explosion effect appearing multiple times
• Fixed the bullet destruction effect appearing in the wrong place
• Fixed the visualizer on the song select screen not displaying as intended
• Fixed several songs playing at once when switching songs quickly
• Fixed bullets moving along a different path than the angle they were drawn at
• Fixed three issues with retry

Settings​

• The settings screen has been redesigned!
  • The offset and visual sync pages have been redesigned with it.
• Sliders and dropdowns can now be adjusted with the mouse wheel.
• Slider values can now be typed in directly.

Editor​

Test and Preview​

• AUTO PLAY has been added to both test and preview.

Timeline​

• Triggers and hold notes now have a bar showing their duration.
• Scrollbars have been added for easier navigation.
• Filters by element type have been added.
• Note and trigger types can now be told apart.
• The overlap prevention algorithm has been improved.
• Fixed various small but annoying issues.

Selection and Editing​

• Horizontal, vertical and point reflection have been added.
• Multi-selection has been added.
  • Select or deselect with Ctrl/Shift + Click and Drag.
  • Drag selected elements together, move them by the beat division with Alt + Arrow keys, or reflect them.
  • When elements of the same type are selected, their properties can be edited all at once in the settings panel.
• Range Copy/Paste has been removed and merged into Copy/Paste.
  • Combined with multi-selection, it gives you a familiar editing experience.
  • The clipboard is saved, so you can paste the same elements after reloading, switching songs or moving to another tab.
• With the File System Access API, saving a pattern now overwrites the existing file instead of downloading a new one each time.
  • As of writing, this only works in Chromium-based browsers such as Chrome and Edge.
• Unsaved changes are marked with *, and you're warned when leaving the page.
• A metronome plays along with the beat.

Pattern Version 1.1​

• Triggers that change gradually toward a target value over a set duration are now supported.
  • They're available for Speed, BPM and Opacity.

Road to the Full Release​

With this many changes, I think the game's fundamentals are now mostly in place.
From judgement and controls to effects and the editor, I was able to fix most of what had been bothering me.

The biggest task left is, of course, patterns.
So that you can enjoy a range of difficulties on every song by the full release, I'm rethinking the pattern production process itself.
The big editor overhaul this time is part of that preparation.

Here's roughly what's left to do.

• Making patterns
• Improving the song select screen
  • Reorganizing mods (playback speed, etc.)
• Adding profile reporting
• Security review and improvements

Closing​

Balancing development with military service, it took me over a year to share an update.
I'm sorry for the wait, and grateful to everyone who stuck around.

Going forward, I'm thinking of running MIRAI more like a tech blog.
I plan to write about stories from making the game, the choices I wrestled with, and the technical side of things.
I'll try to come back more often with all kinds of stories.

I'll keep going and keep making URLATE better, so I can give back to all of you.
Thank you, as always.

Stay Connected​

If you have thoughts from playing, ideas for improvements or bug reports, please feel free to share them in our Discord server.

• Discord
• X (Twitter)
• YouTube

Hello, this is Hyeokjin Kang (Coupy), the developer of URLATE LITE.
Thank you so much for your patience. At last, URLATE LITE is now officially in Early Access!
Early Access begins at the time this post is published. Please see below for the full details.

🕹️ Overview​

URLATE LITE is a rhythm game built on an older client base.
Due to this, the current build lacks optimization and polish in many areas, and a full-scale rework is planned.
However, as this will take considerable time and effort, we’ve decided to launch the current version in Early Access
to share with those who have been waiting, even if it’s still rough around the edges.

🎯 Purpose of Early Access​

This Early Access release is intended to:

• Gather player feedback to improve the overall quality of the game
• Involve players in shaping the direction of content and difficulty tuning
• Collect foundational data for future updates and the full release

Your insights will play a key role in how URLATE LITE evolves going forward.

🔧 Early Access Roadmap​

During the Early Access period, we plan to continuously update the game with a focus on:

• Adding new patterns
• Adjusting difficulty and pattern design
• Improving UI/UX
• Fixing bugs and enhancing stability
• Performance optimization

📅 Early Access Schedule​

Early Access officially begins on May 17, 2025, at 11 PM (KST).
It will continue until the official release. All gameplay records and data during this period
will be preserved after the full launch.

🚀 How to Play​

URLATE LITE is a browser-based game that runs on any platform (except mobile).
You can start playing right now by visiting URLATE LITE.
We recommend using Google Chrome, as other browsers may not function correctly.

🎵 Available Patterns​

As of the start of Early Access, 18 patterns are available to play:

Album Art	Title	Artist	EZ	MID	HARD
	Bittersweet Adventure	Greenstar	3
	Bring Me Up	mkhito	2
	曖昧サイボーグ	Neko Hacker	1
	ピポピポ-People People-	Neko Hacker	2
	Exogenesis	Geoplex	2	4
	Yeah!	fusq	3
	ジェリーフィッシュ	Yunomi		5
	VIVIDVELOCITY	Synthion	2
	Waltz Capriccio	Synthion	1
	Love Squad	Kunaru		4
	Destr0yer	Sakuzyo		6
	Arcade Blaster	Author Wind			8
	MARENOL	Leaf		6
	Direction 2 the Night	Rabbit House			7
	계절범죄	Miiro	3
	SHOUT OUT!	Miiro		4
	Panorama	fishisuso		6

⚠️ Notes on Early Access​

• While all data recorded during Early Access will be retained after the full release,
  some data may be reset in the event of pattern changes or technical issues.

• As this is a development build, bugs and other issues may occasionally prevent normal gameplay.

📝 Final Notes​

The last update was all the way back in August 2024.
At that time, I had mentioned that the early version would likely be released by the end of 2024.
I'm truly sorry to have kept you waiting this long.
Balancing personal responsibilities and development took more time than expected.

There are still many missing patterns and system shortcomings,
but I will continue working hard to improve the game with your help and feedback.
Thank you sincerely for your continued interest in URLATE LITE,
and I hope you’ll stay with us on this journey.

📣 Stay Connected​

If you have any feedback, suggestions, or bug reports,
please feel free to share them in our Discord server!

• Discord
• Twitter

Hello, this is Coupy, the developer of URLATE.
It has been 10 months since the last update on the development of URLATE LITE.
I informed you in the article published last year that URLATE LITE would be released earlier this year, but the release was delayed. I am writing this article to inform you of the detailed progress of the project and the expected release date.

Detailed Project Development Progress​

Based on the records of Github Projects and the history of the URLATE Repository, I will guide you through the development progress so far.

• Game-related
  • A tutorialtailored to the new system has been released.
  • The achievement and reward system has been developed.
  • AP/FC, new record effects have been added.
  • An NSFW filter has been added to the profile system.
  • Details such as screen transitions have been modified.
• Game system-related
  • The bullet position calculation algorithm has been modified.
  • The operation of the Speed trigger has changed.
  • A new trigger to end the pattern has been added.
• Editor-related
  • The copy multiple elements function has been developed.
  • A circular grid has been added.
  • Editor convenience features have been added.
• Song-related
  • Miiro's Seasonal Crime and SHOUT OUT! have been confirmed for inclusion.
  • Fishisuso's Panorama has been confirmed for inclusion.
• Pattern-related
  • 13 patterns have been developed, achieving 15% of the target.
• Other
  • A new intro video has been added.
  • Performance improvements have been made.
  • Various bugs have been fixed.
  • Some SFXs have been replaced.

Summary of Project Progress​

The rework of the game system is complete, and much of the feature development has been completed, with v1.0.0-beta.2 released. The following are the additional tasks that need to be completed.

• Development of a new index (pre-login) page
• Enhancement of the achievement system
• Completely new tutorial
• Profile reporting feature

The game development is almost complete, but there are obstacles to the game's release.

Pattern Production Progress​

URLATE LITE patterns consist of three elements: notes, bullets, and triggers. Compared to other rhythm games, URLATE LITE has a much higher difficulty in creating patterns. The density of bullets must be high to increase the visual completeness, so thousands of bullets must be planted for each pattern, and notes that match those bullets must be placed. The pattern production took much longer than expected, so the delay in the release of the game was inevitable. Thirteen patterns have been created so far, which accounts for 15% of the total 84 patterns that need to be created. We decided to hold a pre-open before the release because we thought the project would be delayed too much if we continued at this pace.

Pre-Open Schedule​

URLATE LITE will be pre-opened when at least one pattern is created for each of the 28 songs in URLATE LITE. The records during the pre-open period will be maintained even after the official release, and the expected pre-open date is the end of 2024. We are making every effort to present patterns of various difficulty levels, so we ask for your support and interest.

Conclusion​

URLATE LITE has become a non-profit project, and it has been deprioritized in my personal affairs, but I am making every effort to release the game with high completion. It may take a little longer, but I will do my best to repay you with satisfactory results. Thank you.

Communication and News​

Meet URLATE on Discord and Twitter for more information.
You can see the patterns of URLATE LITE in advance on the Coupyworks YouTube.

Introducing URLATE LITE​

URLATE, a community-driven rhythm game project.

URLATE LITE is a community-driven rhythm game project based on URLATE, a rhythm game project that was in service until 2022.
We aims to create a rhythm game that can be played by anyone, anytime, anywhere, and is a project that has been in development since June 2023.
We are currently preparing for the official release, and we are planning to release it in early 2024.

How URLATE LITE is different from URLATE​

URLATE LITE is a non-profit game, so we have redesigned all aspects of finance in accordance with the characteristics of non-profit games.
Thanks to the fact that we do not generate any revenue, we were able to be free in terms of the number of songs and resource usage, and all the songs that are currently confirmed to be included are in a situation where free use has been agreed upon with the copyright.
The server is also supported by Megazone Cloud and Oracle Cloud's Free Tier, so there is no operating cost, and there are no other costs.

URLATE LITE has solved the biggest problem of URLATE, which was the financial problem, so we can promise that there will never be a sudden closure of the game.

New features​

URLATE LITE has been developed for about 4 months since June 2023, when this article was written, and 336 commits (changes) have been made, so URLATE has changed rapidly and many parts have been changed or improved.
If you are familiar with GitHub, you can visit the URLATE repository to see more details.
If you are looking for more systematic information, please refer to the official documentation.

New UI​

Especially, the in-game UI has been completely changed to a more modern and simple design.

Deletion of all revenue-generating elements​

In order to operate the game as a non-profit game, all revenue-generating elements such as stores have been deleted, and the content is kept open to the public.

Strengthening of online functions​

In order to make the game more fun as an online game, we have strengthened various online functions.

Online profile​

Online ranking​

New songs​

We have added a lot of new songs to the game, and we have confirmed that all the songs included in the game are free to use by contacting the composers directly.

List of songs included in the game​

Detailed information about the songs can be found on the Info page.

New chart system​

In addition to the existing chart system, the chart system inside the game has been changed a lot, making it possible to create more creative charts.

Development status​

URLATE LITE is still in development, and the official release is scheduled for early next year.
For the development status, please refer to GitHub Projects.
We still have a lot of work to do, but we'll do our best.
Please look forward to it!

Social​

Discord Twitter

What is MIRAI?​

MIRAI means 'future' in Japanese, and is the name of URLATE's blog.
A post about URLATE's history and future directions will be written primarily.
Mostly, URLATE's current development contents and past development stories will be uploaded.
This is an official blog, but it may have interesting stories and private conversations.

Contents of MIRAI​

MIRAI's contents are divided into two categories: Blog, Docs and Announcements.
If you're interested in contributing or want to see dig into the URLATE's architecture, please visit the Docs section.
If you're interested in URLATE's history or want to see the URLATE's future direction, you can just read the Blog section, which is the section you're reading now.
There's also an Announcements section where you can see the latest announcements about URLATE.
Maybe you came here by pressing the notice in the game :P

Other ways to get news from URLATE​

X(twitter) is the best way to get news from URLATE.
In the future, it will be uploaded mainly with large articles on MIRAI and simple and small news on Twitter.
If you want to learn more about what you encountered on Twitter, please visit MIRAI!