Stepcharts vs. Step Ratings

A lot of people seem to disagree on what steps constitute what rating on the higher end of the foot rating scale. To that effect, I've prepared a test designed to see how you would rate stepcharts.

Here are three stepcharts of various BPMs that supposedly rank high on the foot rating scale. Two of them are my edits to DDR songs while one is taken from a simfile. In order to avoid adverse initial perceptions, I am not revealing the songs they correspond to, although you can try to guess (and I do encourage you to guess, especially on the last one).

Stepchart 1- BPM: 144
Explanation:This is a Challenge Edit to a song - it's a cranked-up version of its Expert chart.
Num. of steps: 500
My rating: 9
What SM thinks: 8.588924

Stepchart 2 - BPM: 190
Explanation: This is what I call the "573 Edit", because you can guess why.
Num. of steps: 573
My rating: 10
What SM thinks: 8.825723

Stepchart 3 - BPM: 168
Explanation: This could be thought of as a Challenge Edit, but this song already has Challenge steps, so this would really be an expanded version instead. This is the one that is not a DDR song - it is, in fact, the opening theme for a manganime. (hint: main character is a bit of a stretch)
Num. of steps: 611
My rating: 10
What SM thinks: 8.555299

What about you? How would you rate these songs? And while we're at it, what kind of steps should constitute these ratings?

P.S. - Since I don't have a personal photospace, these images are hosted on temporary photospace - I'd suggest you save them and rehost them later, if you could.

P.P.S. - Oh, I realize this is my first post here, so if you want to welcome me and all that, thanks.

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I'd give:

Stepchart 1 - 9.5
Stepchart 2 - 10
Stepchart 3 - 10

This is just at first glance though, I haven't played the charts. They look quite easy to full combo in stepmania, but tough for a pad song, which is what I would call a 10. The first is a little easier, it could go either way. StepMania is totally messed up up in how it rates songs, by the way. It doesn't take into account the length of a song, just step density, etc. My first simfile (never uploaded it anywhere) is a 4.5 minute long edit for Rhapsody's Dawn of Victory, about 1000 steps. StepMania tried to rate it an 8, I gave it a 10 because it had mostly fourths. (380 BPM), and it's so long that it tires you out.

To give your charts accurate ratings, I'd have to actually play them, though.

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My guesses

1 - 9 Might be Tomorrow Perfume?
2 - 9 Oh yes, this has gotta be Exotic Ethnic.
3 - 10 No idea whatsoever!

They're all in that '9.5' funk that Konami seems to like at the moment with PH, NGO, Unreal and Arribbiata. They all could go either way, yet I agree that 1 is the easiest and 3 is the hardest. I think 2 is a 9 just for the fact that there doesn't appear to be any 16ths, except for the jumps at the ending. Then again, the stream might make it a 10.

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1. 9
2. 9
3. Borderline 9/10

I'd say a good 9 should both drain your stamina and test the techniques you have learned thus far. A good 10 should take that to the next level without being BS.

I never knew stepmania could rate songs.

BTW, number 2 is Exotic Ethnic. The ending gives it away.

My ratings were a little high because I'm just used to Konami's high ratings for easy stuff like Sakura, Bag, Max 300, etc.

In light of SN2 though, Oni-91 and xenon are definitely more accurate.

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Quote: Oni-91
They're all in that '9.5' funk that Konami seems to like at the moment with PH, NGO, Unreal and Arribbiata. They all could go either way, yet I agree that 1 is the easiest and 3 is the hardest. I think 2 is a 9 just for the fact that there doesn't appear to be any 16ths, except for the jumps at the ending. Then again, the stream might make it a 10.

why do so many people rate unreal so high when its no harder than wakalaka(8), or stoic(9)? its a pretty solid 9 imo.

also, stepmania always rates things like 2 feet lower, you cant trust it.

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I know. I'm also like that with Arrabbi...Arribbi...whatever. Anyway, the SM auto-rater is alright with mid-tempo songs that aren't 10s. Mainly because the difficulty won't go higher than 11.0.

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1. Mid-range 9
2. High-end 9
3. High-end 9

Don't trust SM's rating system. It only looks for the weird things (i.e. the ones exaggerated in the radar specials), not the things that matter the most when judging a rating.

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all should be 9's.