[In Progress] 4thMIX Theme

Stepmania Theme
Dance Dance Revolution 4thMIX
By SpyHunter29/BemaniMike
Available on FileFront: http://www.filefront.com/16514799/DDR%204th%20Mix%20Theme%20Beta%202010-05-22.smzip

Note: This is a working... work in progress. Anyone who is able to help, I encourage you to please do so.

Version Beta 3 (2010-05-04) (link)
+ Separate Gameplay screen for Solo mode.
+ Added Select Link screen for Battle, Nonstop, etc.
+ Updated lifebar to not scroll anymore.
+ Fixed position of scores.
+ Replaced evaluation banner frame.
+ Switched to banner music wheel in Select Music screen. (For song backgrounds to display, go to Data\Stepmania.ini and set BackgroundCache to 1.)
+ Fixed not being able to get to the Select Group screen.

Version Beta 2 (2010-04-26) (link)
+ Cleaned up unused graphics from Select Style screen.
+ Adjusted position of options on Select Style screen.
+ Solo Select Style screen works.
+ Separate Select Music screens for 1- and 2-player games.
+ Lyrics font and metrics borrowed from 3rdMIX theme (by Takeru).

Version Beta 1 (2010-04-05) (link)
Updates from the original BemaniMike version:
+ Select Style screen now uses ScreenSelectMaster format from DDR 5thMIX theme (by PatrickDDR et. al.).
+ Select Music screen now uses a horizontal music wheel with angled title cards. It is possible, with a custom 3.9+ build, to use a banner wheel instead, but doing so will prevent the banner from being displayed up top.
+ Some graphics borrowed from 3rdMIX theme (by Takeru) and re-done to match 4thMIX's resolution.
+ Evaluation screen fixed.
+ Some fonts replaced.
+ Long story short, IT WORKS.

To do:
- Re-do animations to match the game.
- Rip some graphics.
- Fix Select Style screen so that only one set of options appears per page.
- Re-do course selection screens. May not be arcade-accurate.
- Lifebar is all black in Solo Gameplay.
- Can we just display the song title in evaluation instead of the banner?
- Re-do gameplay screens so that only one player's life/score frames are shown.

---

If you need Logos or some graphics, Let me know...//

---

Thanks for the offer. I used your 4thMIX logo for a redo of the title screen, but I just plunked it onto a video still instead of having the actual background. The only other things I can think of are the pads on the Select Style menu, and the in-game lifebars.

---

I'm glad to hear that there's a 4th mix theme in the works. There is one already out there, but its totally buggy. So I hope this works out for you.

SpyHunter, which version of StepMania does this theme need?

I really would want to try this; 4thMIX has one of my favorite interfaces of DDR =D

---

I actually used that old theme as the basis for this one.
Version 3.9. I use custom builds of 3.9+ - and there are a couple of optional features in the metrics just for those versions - but it should work properly on the original 3.9.

---

The 4th mix theme has been already created by the other person but I think that you can change somethings

http://www.bemanistyle.com/forum/f90/theme-dance-dance-revolution-4th-mix-25191/

---

That link is broken. And if it's the one I'm thinking of, that's the point - I'm fixing it. Lurkmoar.

---

Kickass. See... this kinda makes me wonder if it's possible to make a mixed theme, too... so that each mode presents a different interface.

Would this mode include the updated options and so forth, and support for Beginner/Challenge charts? Or DDRX/ITG ratings over 10? IIRC, the banners ~were~ the cards on the bottom, and the top displayed the song's BG instead... unless you're talking about the PSX's "All Music Mode" (3rd Mix style) interface. In that case, all you'd have to do to "fakie" that effect is reverse the dynamic, and then copy an elliptical disc-shape's negative to the song BG.

If it's doable, I would suggest one possible revision... a scrolling tracklist that can support more than 30 tracks. While this was workable back in the PS1 days, more modern mixes like EXTREME and SuperNOVA aren't even half-represented by that. If that's not doable, then perhaps a way to order them via their Player's Best ranking instead of alphabetically might be nice.

This and a DDR SOLO theme would be the winnest.

---

That's already supported - you can collapse and expand group folders like in any other theme. Did you even download this one?

Update 2010-04-26: New version released. For download link, read the first post.

Version Beta 2 (2010-04-26)
+ Cleaned up unused graphics from Select Style screen.
+ Adjusted position of options on Select Style screen.
+ Solo Select Style screen works.
+ Separate Select Music screens for 1- and 2-player games.
+ Lyrics font and metrics borrowed from 3rdMIX theme (by Takeru).

---

I meant on the bottom of the "Group Select" screen, when enabled. I do know about the collapsable "All Music" grouping option.

---

Pardon me. I haven't looked at that screen while testing this theme. Now that I'm finally recording footage of Konamix (which uses the same engine as 4thMIX), I'll be able to look into this and more stuff for the next update.

---

Hey, I did notice a couple of gamebreakers; but overall the theme is pretty workable. I also like how you utilized many of the 4th Mix graphics for other things, like the modifiers screen. Well played. I also love how loading time is practically non-existant! Even in Nonstop/Challenge mode. If it's possible to keep that effect as this project continues, that will factor HUGELY into this becoming more popular.

The biggest issue being that the sample loop continues playing after the modifiers screen. And into the actual gameplay itself. In Nonstop/Challenge mode, it plays the looping menu music instead, but still bleeds it into the gameplay unless you ESC-exit the song, and then restart it. This pretty much kills the functionality of the mods screen - if a fix can't be applied easily, simply loop the mod-screen back to the song select. In such case, you may even consider going from start/group select to the mods, and from there to the song select - letting everybody get set up first and foremost.

Other suggestions include:

Either showing parts of the banners for the neighboring songs, or utilizing the new "empty space" beside the current banner for Groove Radar/BPM info. That is, assuming you don't diagonalize the banners, and display the BG's on top, instead (ala 4th Mix).

You have the right text/font for song titles, but they're usually displayed just below the difficulty display, going straight across. It may be redundant, but particularly long song titles are hard to read in these auto-generated boxes downstairs; and though not "exact," I wouldn't complain at a "display artist" appearing just below that, too.

Potentially rescreening Nonstop/Challenge Mode's course select to better resemble 4th Mix/Konamix; and possibly consider using the "Link Mode/Main Mode" approach for those (though not absolutely necessary); maybe shift "Magic/Battle" to it's own mode as well. You'd have to rework the course display a bit, since 4th only supports a limit of 5 songs per course, and clearly other mixes, well... don't.

I tried enabling the "Group Select," and the screen for it is practically non-existent - it jumps immediately into All Music Mode/Song Select phase. Assuming you retain this All Music Only approach (nothing wrong with that), you could use that screen for mode-sorting (which contains all blank labels so far, btw!), and default the "nextscreen" string to begin there. So the "group select" will just be the new sort select:

(Group 1) = Folder by Group
(Group 2) = Folder by Genre
(Classics) = keyword is "Preferred," it sorts all songs the way the older mixes do: then then , grouped by folder
(Pop Music -side A-) = ABC by Title
(Pop Music -side B-) = ABC by Artist
(Calorie Burner) = BPM
(Downtempo Jams) = Rating
(Fun Factor) = Rating
(Special Selection) = Rating
(Hidden Collection) = Rating
(Player's Best) = Self-Explanatory

(Indicates the text) = Indicates the sorting method

---

New version now available at the top of this thread.

And sorry Nightime, I was unable to resolve the options menu issue (wish I had seen your temporary solutions before posting the update). That will be my priority for Beta 4, along with the Course modes. In the meantime...

Version Beta 3 (2010-05-04)
+ Separate Gameplay screen for Solo mode.
+ Added Select Link screen for Battle, Nonstop, etc.
+ Updated lifebar to not scroll anymore.
+ Fixed position of scores.
+ Replaced evaluation banner frame.
+ Switched to banner music wheel in Select Music screen. (For song backgrounds to display, go to Data\Stepmania.ini and set BackgroundCache to 1.)
+ Fixed not being able to get to the Select Group screen.
To do:
- Lifebar is all black in Solo Gameplay.
- When starting a song after going through the player/song options, the preview music does not stop.
- Can we just display the song title in evaluation instead of the banner?

---

Just tested the theme. I found the word "Marvelous" display is spelled "MARVELLOUS". And preview song play still play during gameplay.

Just for suggestions:
- reduce the diffuse gamma highlight in some images (banner highlight, grade display etc.)
- include a fallback banner when the highlighted song in select music screen has no song banner.
- animation for bg song banner (the big one in select music screen) when returning to select music screen.
- update the player option screen content modifiers to DDRX standards but the display still the same as what you did (Max to Extreme style) ---- optional

But anyway, you're doing a nice job and neat (especially with graphical images).

Keep it up! You can do it! Keep the theme updating.

---

I would assume so; but if not, you can always simply "place" the banner somewhere off-screen where it's not visible. *shrugs* I kinda like it this way better, however.

---

New update. I know I've been putting off the Course modes as less of a priority, but if you guys say it works, then I can at least feel better about it. That said, I've prepared a new update.

Version Beta 4 (2010-05-22)
+ Player/song options screens loop back to the Select Music screen as a temporary fix.
+ Fixed lifebar.
+ New sorting features and icons.
+ New style and stage icons.
+ Updated title screen.
To do:
- Fix Select Style screen so that only one set of options appears per page.
- Re-do gameplay screens so that only one player's life/score frames are shown.

---