Z-I-v Freestyle Showcase 2021

The next-generation simfile contest for DDR players is back and (hopefully) better than ever! A true test of your chart-making skills across multiple difficulties with plenty of updated rules and a new division!

Yes, I know the 2021 Summer Contest has just ended, but I'm opening this thread early so that anyone who wants to sign up as a judge has enough time to do so. If you're feeling burnt out or want to participate in a way that doesn't involve making simfiles, please read on!

OVERVIEW
This year, there is now a singles division and a doubles division! Each division will consist of two rounds, with participants submitting up to two simfiles each round. After the first round, the judges will review all of the submitted files, and the results will be announced at the end of the judging period. At the end of the first round, a minimum score threshold will be enforced, meaning that only participants who submitted files above the threshold can submit files for the second round. At the end of the contest, the participant with the two highest-scoring simfiles wins.

THIS YEAR'S JUDGES:
Singles Division: led_light (aka ledgam3r1279), RaverAce, tsugaru7reveng
Doubles Division: led_light (aka ledgam3r1279), RaverAce

CONTEST RULES
1. There will be two rounds in this contest, with each participant submitting up to two simfiles per division per round. The submission period for each round will be three weeks long; this should give everyone enough time to work on their files.
1.5. Participants in both divisions can submit a maximum of 4 simfiles per round with full singles and doubles difficulties, but they must specify the division(s) in which each simfile will be competing.
2. The judges will then have two weeks to review the files and provide comments for each chart.
3. The scores/results for all round 1 files will then be announced, and all participants who meet the minimum score threshold will be eligible to participate in round 2.
4. After the conclusion of round 2, the scores/results for all round 2 files will be announced, and the participant with the highest combined score from their two highest-scoring simfiles across both rounds will win the contest.

SIMFILE RULES
1. For each division, you must provide at least 3 charts in the - difficulty slots, with and being optional but recommended.
2. Charts must be rated on the X-Scale (out of 20).
3. Songs must be at least 1:00 and less than 2:30 in length (e.g. no "long versions" allowed).
4. Pad charts only, no keyboard charts.
5. Automatically generated steps are not allowed.
6. No rolls, hands, fakes, scrolls, or other gimmicks not found in DDR. Mines are allowed, but only in the form of shock arrows in the difficulty slot.
7. Split timing is allowed.
8. New simfiles only. You can't re-release a simfile you've already published (i.e. made publicly available for download).
9. Simfiles must be uploaded within the submission period.
10. Files must be uploaded to the simfile contest category using "Round 1" or "Round 2" as the section name when appropriate, and files must be named according to ZIv standards (e.g. if a simfile does not load in StepMania due to invalid characters, it will be treated as a non-submission and disqualified). See the FAQ for details on proper formatting.
10.5. If two or more participants step song(s) with the same song title (across all rounds), the participant's username in square brackets must be appended to the song title (e.g. "Party Rock Anthem [led_light]").
11. Graphics/BG videos are not required but recommended. If you do not have graphics, someone else can make some on request or you can use the contest banner and jacket.

SCORING CRITERIA
1. For each file, each judge will rate all charts on a scale of 0 to 10 (whole numbers only for the sake of simplicity) and provide feedback for all charts in their division. The overall score for each chart will be determined by removing the highest and lowest scores among all judges (if there are at least 3 scores given to that chart), and averaging the remaining scores. The overall score for each file per division will be determined by a weighted average of all charts in the file. The weights for each difficulty are given as follows:
= 2 (if stepped, singles division only)
= 4
= 5
= 6
= 6 (if stepped)
2. If the scores of the or charts would bring the total score for the simfile down, then the weights of each affected chart shall be halved (to reduce the penalty for under-performing, but optional charts).
3. At the end of round 1, participants will receive a preliminary rank based on the score of their highest-performing simfile. Any participants whose highest-performing simfile scores less than a 5.0/10 will not be eligible to participate in round 2.
4. Round 2 eligibility is considered separately for each division (e.g. there can be participants who can advance in one division but not the other).
5. At the end of round 2, participants will be ranked based on the combined score of their two highest-performing simfiles, regardless of which round the two files were submitted in (so both eligible files could be from a single round). The participant with the most points will win the contest. In case of a tie, the third highest-scoring simfile will determine a winner, followed by the fourth highest if needed.

DEADLINES
The deadline for submitting files (along with the announcement of results) will be on MONDAYS at 6AM PST / 9AM EST / 2PM UTC / 11PM JST.

SIGN-UPS
Sign-ups are open until the end of the round 1 submission period (but preferably at least 24 hours in advance so that I can add you to the contest category on time). Sign-ups for judging, however, are open until the start of the round 1 submission period. You can sign up by posting in this thread or sending me a DM on ZIv/Discord, saying which division(s) you want to participate/judge in.

SCHEDULE
18 Oct: Round 1 Submissions Open, Judge Sign-ups Closed
08 Nov: Round 1 Submissions Closed, Participant Sign-ups Closed
22 Nov: Round 1 Results, Round 2 Submissions Open
13 Dec: Round 2 Submissions Closed
27 Dec: Round 2 Results


FAQ

Why this contest?
As someone who has been been making and reviewing charts over the widest range of difficulties for years now, I wanted a contest where all difficulties actually matter as well. But, only a small fraction of the simfiling community actually plays or reviews all difficulties, so a judging format only makes sense to me in this case.

Are judges allowed to participate (submit simfiles) in this contest too?
Being a judge and a participant at the same time in the same division is not allowed (so a singles-only judge can participate in the doubles division and vice versa).

I want (or am eligible) to participate in only one division; can I still submit charts for the other division and receive feedback on those charts?
Yes, but the additional charts will not be eligible for competition; all of the judges are free to provide additional scores/feedback if they wish, but that is completely optional (contest files take first priority).

Is everyone eligible to be a judge?
Technically yes, although if there are too many sign-ups for judging (say, more than 6 per division), I may vet only those who have the most experience making and playing charts of all difficulties. Also, be warned that judging is a serious time commitment (perhaps even more so than being a participant), with around 12 hours of work per round in last year's contest (and that's just for singles). I would advise only signing up if you are willing and able to put in the time and effort into thoroughly playing all contest files; any scores I do not receive before each round deadline will not be factored into the final scores.

What exactly are you looking for in a good submission?
As long as the above rules are followed, almost anything goes, really (it's in the name of the contest). You can make each difficulty as easy or as hard as you want, but I will personally lean towards charts that are playable (but especially more fun to play) without the bar. You can include as many crossovers, spins, etc. as you want--even doublesteps or steps that don't always go with the music--as long as they are appropriately executed for whatever song you step. If you need any references, there are plenty of good simfiles out there to start with, including most official DDR charts, winning charts from previous years, or maybe even the majority of my recent simfiles.

Do the judges have to adhere to some specific criteria? What do the scores mean in terms of chart quality?
No, and the specifics can differ between each judge, but this scoring system by Telperion from last year is a good place to start.



What are the formatting requirements when uploading a simfile to ZIv?
You can follow this handy guide made by Ben Speirs (the username part is optional unless it is required by the rules).

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Hey, I'd like to participate in the singles division

Out of curiosity, why is there a cutoff score after the first round to participate in round 2? It just feels weird to me, considering how short the competition is, that we would restrict participation for the second round. Obviously it's your competition and it can be run how you want, but it just seems bizarre.

The cutoff is to discourage low-quality submissions, which I want to make sure there isn't too much of in the pack. Other people who might download this pack in the future might be turned off by it if there are too many bad apples. Plus, the cutoff is low enough that I don't think anyone will actually be affected by it (other than maybe anyone new to making simfiles). I am always open to suggestions, though, if there is anything better.

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Very glad to see this contest return. I'd like to participate in both the singles and doubles division.

However I'd like to have a little clarification on this rule:


The way I understand the last part of this is "both singles & doubles charts (to be judged)", so If I am participating in both divisions and I want to do 4 different songs (2 singles, 2 doubles) in one round I can't have the other difficulties still be available, but not to be judged, i.e. I can't do this?

File 1 - Full Singles & Doubles, only Singles to be judged
File 2 - Full Singles & Doubles, only Singles to be judged
File 3- Full Singles & Doubles, only Doubles to be judged
File 4 - Full Singles & Doubles, only Doubles to be judged

would like to know this beforehand as it might influence my decision whether I go with 4 different files or 2 across both divisions.

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Yes, you can do that, although I'd then be wondering why you'd give yourself twice the work for just one round when you could save two of them for round 2 instead. Personally, I'd rather people use the same song for both divisions if possible, but that's your choice. I guess the singles and doubles divisions should be treated as separate competitions, after all.

APPEND: Updated the rule to clarify this and moved it under "Contest Rules".

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Alright that's good to know. IDK, personally when I submit a file to any contest at all I want it to have full Singles & Doubles or else it just doesn't *feel* right. 😅 Since my style is aiming to be very close to modern-day DDR after all. But I will definitely keep this in mind.

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Can I be a judge at Singles yet also be a participant in Doubles?

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Yes, you can!

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I'll throw my hat in the ring for singles.

Can you submit the same file to both divisions if it has both singles and doubles charts?

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Yes, and it will count towards the 2 songs per round limit for both divisions.

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I've been waiting for this contest for a while...

Sign me in for the Singles division! >

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I'd like to join the singles division

Hopefully I end up doing better than last year

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I just realized there is only 13 hours left until the start of round 1! Although, there doesn't seem to be as much interest in the contest so far compared to last year, so I may have to make a few changes a week into round 1 depending on how the next few days goes. Regardless, everyone who signed up as a participant so far should be added to the category now.

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I’ll give this a shot! Sign me up for the doubles division!

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Added!

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Hey yo, feels like I'm kind of slow to say this. I would like to test my best on making a DDR Freestyle-esque chart, so sign myself up for the singles division. Thx.

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Got it.

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hi !
may i join this round if it's not too late? :0

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