I'd like to start playing IIDX

It's fine, the learning curve is insane. We all started at 4s and 5s on Normal. I started playing a few months ago.

I think either yesterday or 2 days ago, I had been playing for a year.
I think I started passing 7s around October/November... then i hit a wall and didn't pass an 8 (Nageki) until late January.

HAPPY SKY is a winner, you can't go wrong It was my next game after BMUS and really helped me improve. I found it quite beginner friendly
Bloody Tears is on DistorteD, but I wouldn't recommend that as a first JP syle.

---

That's funny you recently passed Nageki. I can pass that (heck, I can almost B it) but I can't even pass Xepher.

I agree that the learning curve is ridiculous, but once you start passing 5s or 6s, you'll be glad you started. It's such a hard game...hard enough that you'll feel proud of every new song you pass or every new accomplishment, regardless of how insignificant it is.

---

Agree on the ridiculous learning curve.
Also the jump from 5+ on BMUS is hard.
I started on January and can barely beat some 7 and only thanks to the green number on Gold.

Speaking of learning curve. I'd suggest getting Gold and Happy Sky/DistorteD. Gold has a lot of easier songs (in Normal/Hyper) and almost no intermediate (in Hyper anyway). I got DD first, and it took me a while to rise to its difficulty. When I got Gold, every song was either really easy or really hard.

You can pass Nageki no Ki? I believe that's the hardest 8 on Normal... and not be Xepher... :\ Well I started in March and now I can beat 10s, most recently I C'd Mei (Hyper). ;D

Frankly, I think CONTRACT[n] is much harder than Nageki no ki[n]. And this Nageki clear was without EASY. Just a normal clear. Funny thing is I can clear MENDES[n] as well. Maybe I'm just bad at scales or something.

---

I suck more at chords.

That explains why--I'm pretty good at chords so long as they're all on the white keys or all on the black keys. That's probably why I'm so bad at stuff like CONTRACT--one of my big weaknesses is moving from white to black and back quickly. Shame, since CONTRACT is my favorite CG song.

---

It's easy. When I play scales it's mostly "sliding." Move your hand in a fluid motion and it'll be fine. Although chords are more broken so they're harder.

wut about stoic?? shit's hard

---

Also I'm guessing, if you're bad at scales then Ganymede is hell for you.

Yep, it is hell. A 24th note stream for that long in a [n] chart, let alone a 5, doesn't seem right to me. It seems harder than any other 5 I can think of.

---

Hey guys I recently started playing IIDX like a week ago on Lunatic Rave 2. I've been reading this thread and now I really want to play more! I've been looking on ebay because I want to get Beatmania US for my Playstation 2 and also because I have an adapter for my computer for PS2 controllers so I would like to use the BMUS controller for Lunatic Rave. What do you guys think? I have the "non-slim" PS2. Will that Swap Magic work on it and also I don't understand the "flip top" and sliding card that comes with that Swap Magic.

Oh! one more thing...it's HARD to play IIDX im a DDR guy, but IIDX is soooo much FUN as well! I REALLY want to play it so I'm not giving up ...and I imagine that it's even harder if I'm playing on the keyboard right? Would playing on the turntable make it a little easier?

I believe it's a 6.

Try to use your thumbs in your playing, this will make scales alot easier. Also when you start getting to the 9-10 levels (8-8+ 7keys on RED) try using random on lower leveled songs, at first you won't do as good as non random but it will expose you to new and interesting patterns, and this will improve your sight reading ESPECIALLY on harder songs which have really screwed up patterns.

As for which one to start with, I would say Happy Sky, Distorted or Gold are good. I find the easy songs in those aren't that hard, and they have a good curve of difficulty. RED is good when you become better, start RED when you are around the level 5-6 normal or are making the jump from normal to hyper.

If you hit a wall in one version, take a break from that version and play another version and see if you can clear songs that you couldn't clear before. Or, play some lower leveled songs and see if you can improve your grade.

EDIT PLEASE READ:

Here is a good guide for IIDX players that i found on vjarmy while i was looking up ways to increase stamina (especially in AA 7keys, after about half way my arm just cramps up too much and it seriously screws my performance)

http://vjarmy.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3176&hl=stamina

A little dated, at least pre-10th style as it talks about flashing 7s as the top difficulty, but it still covers many fundamental aspects of IIDX and how to hit common patterns like rolls and staircases, as well as scratching.

I got the games and I'm playing a lot, I love Beatmania! I can now do about any 7s on Hyper, and I managed to pass Vanessa on Normal which is an 8. I also passed Pink Rose on Another(But I think that it's not that much of an accomplishment...)

BTW, could anyone help me with the unlocks? I have unlocked everything in Gold except The Least 100th Seconds and Mnemoniq, I unlocked three songs in Happy Sky(which I think is all) but for DistorteD and Red, I don't know how to unlock everything.

Distorted unlocks: http://vjarmy.com/wiki/index.php/CS_DistorteD#Unlock_Information

RED unlocks: http://vjarmy.com/wiki/index.php/CS_RED#Unlock_Information

Well i'm a DDR player too and I have been playing beatmania for like 6 months. I started with beatmania US, to me beatmania US is a great game to start because it has the begginer difficulty for all the songs in normal play (arcade - free), and has a lot of great songs.
About 2 months ago I played my first JP beatmania and it was RED.
When I got this game I started to play with 2 hands, I was tired to get bad scores playing with one hand (I only could do 4s on 7 keys). Now I can do some 7 on normal and hyper , RED helped me so much!
Now I have distorted too.
I have a fat PS2 and i didn't want to mod it, So what I did was the hdloader "softmode".
You only need:

-A computer hard disk (any size).
-PS2 network adapter.
-Ps one game.
-memory card.
- ask to a friend for a modded ps2 (for install).

There are a lot of tutorials just google "hdloader tutorial".
With this you can have your JP beatmanias on a hard disk.
It works 100% (if you need more information just PM me)
So, here is an option for those who dont want to mod a ps2.
me seria mas facil explicarlo si entienden español

pd. sorry if I have grammar or spelling mistakes my native languaje is Español

Hope this is not too late.
But doesn't Action Replay have something like a freeloader or something like that which enables the US PS2 to play JP games?