Which simulator is best for you? Why?

Putting this here to get the StepMania version debate out of someone's theme thread.

StepMania 5 is the newest version of StepMania. It has the latest bells and whistles and features that have been a long time coming. But like all development software it has its share of problems that make it hard for some people to use it at their primary simulator. Especially for simfile creation.

StepMania 3.9 (and its many derivatives) is pretty much the mainstay for dancing game simulation. Because it's been around so long many people know it inside and out, tons of content is available for it, and coding for it pretty much ensures that most everybody will be able to use what you make. It's also showing its age, and because it was programmed very differently from the current StepMania trying to make changes to the code itself has been described as a nightmare.

There's give and take in both directions. Personally I prefer to use what's current. To have access to the latest development and to become familiar with where StepMania will be in the future. But it's not all the way there yet, so I do go back to older version from time to time to make a fix or test what I've made to make sure it's backwards compatible. If I had to choose one I'd go with 5 with mild reservation. It can function on its own well enough now, but some days it just doesn't want to cooperate.

What about you? 5 or 3.9? Or another version of StepMania? Or another program entirely?

I like SM5, even if it's a tad buggy, but I really only use it for jackets.
I'll use SM3.9 for chart editing/creation.




I swear to god if this turns into a SM5 vs 3.9 debate...

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If it does, at least here it won't be off-topic.

cross post since discussion is in a proper place now:


That's really too bad. I was of a similar opinion for a long time until I realized that the new features of SM5 were something to be excited about.


Not even close to the same thing but ok. Apple maps does not have nearly the same amount of features as Google Maps, so why would anyone rationally switch? SM5 has a radically larger set of features for steppers, players, and themers.


Yes I do know who Jousway is, and personally I think this thread was blown way out of proportion. The response he gave to the user answered his question, with only two sentences that indicated he did not like 3.95. His second post was simply frustration, but there was very little active harassment or persistence. Compare to the shitstorm that hit when people discovered the SM5 scoring bug, which was considerably more volatile.

I've said my piece, and I really don't want to come across as insulting or hurtful or any of that! I just want to calmly and effectively express my opinion on the internet. Surely nothing can go wrong here?

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I use Dance With Intesity.

Okay, several of my reasons.

SM3.9 -> SM3.9+ redux
for rolls support and whatnot, I pick this. (I heard 3.95 is unstable so I never gave it a try IIRC)
pretty much robust, this is what I mainly use, be it stepcharting or playing normally.
Also somehow SM3.9 only support DivX AVIs, I learnt this the hard way. But thanks to this now I know how to standardize my AVIs.

SM5
I don't often use this, tends to be heavy on my computer (even with waiei lite)
Pretty much why I use it is because of what waiei has to offer. (used to be CS7 but somehow updating fucked up the score display)
^ basically the first reason I was using it was jackets.
Sometimes it's confusing, I don't use its editor at all.
For reviewing files I use this ONLY when someone put a SSC special file (like Ryan's Remain file).
Also from what I know, this has minimal documentation...

Despite SM5 having more features for steppers, I don't use them cuz my files stick to DDR style, which was pretty much included wholly in 3.9. IIRC 3.9+ added some ITG support. What was added in 5 was for supporting pump charts more.

Oh, one time I happened upon ssc IRC. they keep shoving SM5 on me, much like what Jousway and Rubes did on that thread (they insisted). this is out of the scope of this thread tho.

I think forgot other reasons but in the meantime this will do.

oh i forgot to mention that if I have ZIv chat (and not hiding that tab) or any kind of 'heavy' web pages open, SM3.9 stutters... so SM5 is definitely kinda heavy.

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SM5 > everything except maybe oITG.

okay you can all go home now

But for serious, I prefer SM5 for both editing charts and playing charts. The edit mode keyboard shortcuts, while resting on a steep learning curve, are so helpful, and I can easily lay down a set of steps twice as fast as in any other version of Stepmania. I also delve a bit into PIU and Technomotion stepping so it's nice to have full support for the features of those at my fingertips as well (e.g., proper PIU hold behavior). The default SM5 noteskin is sort of ugly, I'll give you that, but there are a bunch of other options out there now. I only keep oITG around for FG/BGchange files and courses, and for an ITG experience for files I plan to take to the arcade.

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QFT

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Reasons I use SM5:

The editor is functional for what I want to do, which is mostly DDR-styled stuff with a few notable exceptions.
The ability to type in BPM and Stop values has been a godsend to me.
.ssc is more robust with additional tags that can be changed in editor
Theming is going to get really exciting with the advent of lua and this is already starting to show with things like waiei's boss folder

Reasons I liked SM3.9 (and + redux):

The editor was stable.
A veritable plethora of engine content (themes/noteskins)

Reasons I dislike SM3.95/oITG:

Seems incredibly proprietary for the small number of changes
The ITG theme aesthetic, which there's very little other than ITG engine content available for it

[/opinions]

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o_itg

SM 3.9 for simfile editing, SM 5 for playing.

I've been told that the SM 5 editor is good enough, but I haven't had the time to check it out throughly.

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Here are the SM versions I most prefer and why:

SM5:
-I use SM5 to play the different gametypes that are greatly supported on the system.
-If I want to make a different style chart with different timing data, I'll use SM5, SM5 has more, and better tools to work with than previous entries.
-One of the few versions with lots of widescreen support which 3.9 didn't have.
-SM5 is incredibly stable, with the exception of a few crashes, unused gametypes, and some editor bugs, but gameplay is perfect.
-Calibrate Audio Sync is extremely useful, and much easier to use than have to sync your system while in a song.
-Overall, if you're more of an advanced user at this point, then SM5 is for you.

OpenITG:
-Is a much more stable 3.95 than 3.95.
-Simulates ITG perfectly including % scoring, ITG arcade videos, accurate noteskins (including 3D on install), and an awesome, ~impossible to recreate in other versions~ theme.
-Uses ITG timing making it easier to play than DDR, and SM.
-Editor is simple to use, and doesn't crash unless you select certain options.
-Introduction of Rolls added for ITG2 style gameplay.
-If you're more of an ITG gamer than DDR, this SM version is the one for you.

SM3.9:
-Easy to use, widely supported, and easy to get into thanks to the .smzip system on stepmania.com.
-Incredibly stable stepchart editor for tweaking certain sections without fail.
-Supports other gametypes, but usually only DDR.
-Great for DDR players since it most accurately simulates DDR.

That's all I can really think of in these versions.

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I use Stepmania 4 CVS to edit my songs. Not sure why people have such a gripe with it.

But to play songs themselves, I usually use Stepmania 5.

I really haven't used SM4 yet, so I wouldn't be able to tell you about that version, but that version has been abandoned due to SSC, then SM5 taking over.

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StepMania 3.9 for everything.

SM5 works for me. I've never had any issues, the editor does what I need it to do, and the jackets are a nice addition.
Even with the minor flaws people find, it still runs well.

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StepMania 5 lags on my computer, since I'm using Intel onboard graphics, so I have no choice other than 3.9+. Tried OpenITG and immediately dislike it; the loading time takes eons.

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SM 3.9

Because fuck you that's why.

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I play SM 5, SM 3.9, and OpenITG. All at the same time.

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I use stepmania 3.0 for everything.

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