Add Locus 2025: Voting Open news post (#13572)

* add locus voting news post

* add demo and udpate dates

Author: Walavouchey

news/2025/2025-08-01-locus-2025-voting-open.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Locus 2025: Voting Open"
+date: 2025-08-01 12:00:00 +0000
+---
+
+42 teams have created beatmaps with original songs and visuals, and now is your turn to decide which did it the best!
+
+![](/wiki/Contests/Locus/2025/img/banner.jpg)
+
+In case you missed the previous news posts ([#1](https://osu.ppy.sh/home/news/2025-01-31-locus), [#2](https://osu.ppy.sh/home/news/2025-04-14-locus-2025-update-1) and [#3](https://osu.ppy.sh/home/news/2025-06-03-locus-2025-update-2)) or have forgotten, Locus is a multi-layered contest launched in early 2025 to bring the creative circles on osu! closer together.
+
+During the entry phase of January 31 to June 30, participants formed teams to create an *original beatmap experience* from scratch, in order to be judged on song quality, map quality and visual presentation.
+
+The ones to deliver that judgement will be anyone who receives this message, and you have until **Saturday, August 16 (12:00 UTC)** to contribute with your vote! If you're interested, read on! If you first need a sample for what the entries have to offer, read no more (but then please continue reading afterwards):
+
+<div align="center" class="osu-md__paragraph">
+    <video width="95%" controls>
+        <source src="https://assets.ppy.sh/media/news/2025-08-01-locus-entry-reel.mp4" type="video/mp4" preload="none">
+    </video>
+</div>
+
+### How to vote
+
+Simply head to the [**Locus voting website**](https://locus.yui.tv/vote) created specifically for this contest and log in with your osu! account. You will be assigned **5 random entries** to rank across 3 categories: *music*, *visuals* and *mapping*.
+
+<div align="center" class="osu-md__paragraph">
+    <video width="95%" controls>
+        <source src="https://assets.ppy.sh/media/news/2025-08-01-locus-voting-demo.mp4" type="video/mp4" preload="none">
+    </video>
+</div>
+
+This means you don't need to look at all 42 entries in order to vote (but feel free to [check them all out](#entries) anyway!).
+
+Before voting, you'll need to **select a difficulty level to vote for** between Easy, Normal, Hard, Insane and Expert. Then, you'll need to **pass the 5 maps assigned to you** at the difficulty level you selected, without any difficulty-reducing mods. Note that since mapping quality tends to take more creative form at higher difficulties, votes for the higher difficulties will be weighted more in the mapping category.
+
+For people who prefer to play the maps without distractions and experience the music and visuals separately, there is a video preview of each map on the voting page. For everyone else, please **enable storyboards and videos** for the full experience!
+
+Finally, reorder the entries on the voting page from best to worst in each category according to your opinion. Please consider carefully, as you won't be able to edit your vote after submitting.
+
+[![Voting page](/wiki/shared/news/2025-08-01-locus-2025-voting-open/voting-banner.png)](https://locus.yui.tv/vote)
+
+### The Elo rating system
+
+When you've casted your votes, they will be ranked according to an [Elo rating system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elo_rating_system), similar to how chess or *most* competitive games rank players (but not our beloved circle clicking game... *yet*)
+
+This involves a lot of complicated math, but it essentially works based on wins and losses between entries. The more an entry is consistently ranked higher than other entries (as determined by voters comparing 5 entries at a time), the higher it'll appear on the final ranking!
+
+While the teams were busy creating their maps, we did a test run to illustrate how this system would work, where voters were tasked to rank osu! World Cup tiebreakers. You can read more about it and check how the leaderboard turned out on the [Locus 2025 wiki article](/wiki/Contests/Locus/2025#trial-voting).
+
+### Entries
+
+As spoiled at the top of this page, we have 42 teams who managed to submit an entry! If you want to dive right into the content they have to offer, check the beatmap pages linked in the table below.
+
+Before you get lost though, be sure to visit the [voting website](https://locus.yui.tv/vote) in order to vote for this contest!
+
+| Team | Entry |
+| :-- | :-- |
+| Taiko World Cup | [Heart of Epitaph](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412283) |
+| Meteors | [Lost Night Meteor](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412691) |
+| Demiurge Zero | [Eynohr](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412250) |
+| Team RGB | [Brainfryer](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412287) |
+| Gumiho | [Paint The Ocean Blue](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412259) |
+| moonleaf++++ EXTEND | [Along the Cycle](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412269) |
+| hdm enjoyers | [unbound](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412346) |
+| Miku Fan Club | [Prism Fall](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412267) |
+| metamorphosis | [kinetic flux](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412316) |
+| Hexagram | [Locus of Hexagram](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412260) |
+| we do well with deadlines | [Pondering Magic](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412293) |
+| Picardia | [Asphyxia](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412274) |
+| The Abyss | [Neon Rebellion](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412288) |
+| "we couldn't agree on naming" | [Become One Again (feat. Hatsune Miku)](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412365) |
+| Meguro | [Datura Shva](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412263) |
+| osu2vn | [Starry Comet](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412271) |
+| Angevin Eulogy | [it doesn't feel like home to me](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412237) |
+| Sylenth2 v7.2769420 "Unlimited Synth Works" | [Haiboku no Altra Vita](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412331) |
+| Crychic ghost | [Inochi](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412248) |
+| we need a poll | [Dahlia](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412294) |
+| Vocaloid Lovers | [Locus Amoenus](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412292) |
+| Lazy Seals | [The Epiphany](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412261) |
+| Limerence | [Be with you](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412323) |
+| Drumstep4 - LYRICS! | [Maelstrom](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412254) |
+| :owoyay: | [against cacophony (feat. Mai)](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412236) |
+| fruit salad | [H1GH D!VE](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412255) |
+| church of ppy | [LONG LIVE THE KING](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412245) |
+| 5pc chicken mcnuggets | [Free Your Heart](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412235) |
+| Team Divergence | [Replay](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412321) |
+| Team Red but Blue | [First Adventure](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412285) |
+| Augment:Nova | [ENC0DEDENTR0PY](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412246) |
+| 1head | [Ryuu no Majo](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412231) |
+| Ocskai | [Almom](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412270) |
+| AXIOMA | [Rift Walker](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412244) |
+| Vespera | [Vespera Stella](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412328) |
+| CN2K | [distance of -RADIAL-](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412247) |
+| 5Head | [Of Our Time](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412232) |
+| The Microwaves | [untitled_1](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412290) |
+| aniteam | [NatsuUtsu feat. Kasane Teto](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412239) |
+| s-sigma... | [Vitality Charger (feat. Hanakuma Chifuyu)](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412277) |
+| Fetchquest | [Super Kitten Travel Hex](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412252) |
+| Shiny morning | [Shiny Day Roam](https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/2412281) |
+
+### Prizes
+
+The following prizes will be awarded for the **top 5** entries:
+
+- The entry will be **bundled in the game for new installations** for at least one year.
+- Team members receive a unique profile badge themed around their entry.
+- Team members receive a *Locus* user title befitting of their role.
+
+In addition, ::{ flag=AU }:: [peppy](https://osu.ppy.sh/users/2), osu!'s lead developer, will pick out his favourite entry which will be awarded a mystery prize.
+
+---
+
+Thank you to all participants for pouring your hearts into your creations, and for being patient with us as we organise the first iteration of this contest.
+
+The results will be premiered on the [osulive Twitch channel](https://twitch.tv/osulive) on August 17. See you there!
+
+—the Locus Team