Post #1 · Posté à 2025-07-29 05:58:46pm il y a 1.6 mois
Over the last year I have been working on and off on this project and thought it would be best if I share it, rather than just keep it to myself.
What is this project?
In short:
I downloaded the ZiV (Zenius-I-Vanisher) DDR Arcade simfiles for DDR 1st Mix thru SuperNova 2, I then revised each song to restore their true (original) legacy difficulty ratings (10-step ratings instead of 20). I patched in the correct BG Video scripts into each SM file and reorganized the placement of some songs to be historically accurate versus the "altered history" locations they are currently in. I also upscaled all the banners, backgrounds and RandomMovie content for a true legacy DDR experience that looks decent on modern resolutions. All of these are still compatible with GrooveStats score tracking leaderboards.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the long story:
I wanted a collection of "official" legacy DDR charts that were as true as possible to the original DDR experience from the DDR Max through SuperNOVA era as it was "back in the day".
[ Fixing inaccurate legacy difficulty ratings ]
I had been using the DDR UK simfile collection for years, but when Groovestats started tracking charts universally, I found that many of those DDR UK charts had little or no other player participation. Conversely, the ZiV (Zenius-I-Vanisher) packs are much more popular with players and have better tracking on Groovestats. So, I downloaded these for use and quickly ran into an issue; modern ZiV DDR simpacks are an inconsistent mess. Also, almost none of the simfiles have BGScript callouts to support the legacy background videos. While those are inconveniences, the biggest issue is that they mix legacy and modern rating scales in the same packs. For example; DDR 3rd Mix has almost 1/3 of the charts saved in the modern (20 rating) scale, but the other simfiles are the legacy (10 rating) scale. This is just...bad.
There are tools out there that can "de-convert" the modern 20 scale back to the 10 scale. But it's irritating for a legacy player like me to see a song rated a "7" by the converter tool, when it's true legacy rating was an "8" on DDR Extreme and SuperNOVA. This is just one example, but it applied to hundreds of legacy charts in the ZiV simefile packs. The "original" difficulty rating has been lost because of the upgrades to the modern 20 scale. So, I invested a huge amount of time manually setting the difficulties for the ZiV simfiles to give the charts their proper legacy ratings, defaulting to what it was in DDR Extreme or SuperNOVA era. I won't claim it is 100% correct, but it is close and will make old-school players happy to see the correct ratings for some of their favorite charts.
[ Reorganizing song locations to be historically accurate ]
Another issue is that the current ZiV packs have relocated songs to different groups based on how they have been categorized in modern DDR arcade mixes. Example: Songs like PARANOiA Evolution and Hysteria are placed in the 4th Mix packs because that is what DDR A20 says they're from, but in reality, they debuted in DDR SOLO. Or, if a song came out on a console release and then later came out in arcades, the ZiV database pulled it from the console pack and put it in the arcade pack instead, because this is what modern arcade DDR mixes (like A20) classify the songs under. I don't disagree with ZiVs method on this, because there is no ideal solution to this issue. However, I also don't like re-writing history so that a song that "debuted" in one mix shows up as part of some other mix.
What I did in this pack is this; If a song came out on an arcade mix, then then I placed it in the arcade pack where it actually debuted. So, in the example above for Pranoia Evolution and Hysteria, you can find those in the SOLO song group. However, for songs that debuted on a console release (like The Shining Polaris), I decided to duplicate it and have a copy in both the SuperNOVA AC and the DDR Max CS (console) folders. (Note: As of 2025.07.29, I have not released the CS packs yet. I am still working on those.)
Why did I do this? Because, I suspect most people will be grabbing the DDR AC (arcade) collections for use on their setups, but not everyone will be grabbing the CS release packs. This is why I decided to duplicate the CS songs in both folders. Note: this only applies to songs that first appeared on a CS release before an AC release. So, something like Max 300 isn't going to show up in DDR Max CS, because it debuted on DDR Max AC. But (as referenced earlier), The Shining Polaris debuted on DDR Max CS (PS2) years before it showed up on DDR SuperNOVA AC. So that song can be found in both the DDR SuperNOVA (AC) pack and the DDR Max CS (PS2) console pack.
If you're confused by all of this, then here is a simple take; The group I placed a song in is based on whatever release that song debuted on in the arcade. Modern DDR has tried to rewrite history by saying "Song X" was released in "Group Y", when in reality this is not true. My corrections mostly apply to songs that debuted in the PLUS and SOLO arcade releases. If you don't like these changes...sorry. But, I am making this pack for myself and my goal is to make a legacy-accurate build of the DDR collection based on the DDR Extreme and SuperNOVA era of the game and that's how it was back then. I suspect if you're interested in this pack, you'll agree with my logic. If not, then you're probably not the target audience for this pack and don't really care about any of the changes I am making here anyway.
[ Upscaled all the banners, backgrounds, and graphics ]
The original graphics files for the DDR content from this era are absolutely tiny when displayed on anything except a 480p CRT monitor. I have gone through every song in these packs and used upscaling tools to increase the size of these graphics 4x their normal size so that it doesn't look like a blurry mess on a modern screen. The original files are so small that it's hard to upscale with good results. I'm happy enough with the end product, but maybe in a few years AI tech will make it possible to upscale with better results. For now though, it's the best I can do and I think it looks much nicer on HD monitors. Oh, I also created new group banners for each song pack. I think they're much better than the originals and much higher resolution.
[ Added full background scripts to all applicable stepcharts and RandomMovies ]
I am a preservationist. I like new DDR content, but want to preserve the legacy content and play it "as it was back in the day". As such, I feel that experience would be lacking if it didn't have the classic (and weird) DDR background videos playing during the song. Lots of other people have already spent a lot of time generating BGScript info for a lot of these songs, but unfortunately, there was no place to grab simfiles with the scripts already included. A person (me) had to copy/paste each script one at a time into each and every applicable song, and then adjust it to be at the right starting time. It took forever, but the results are great. While not flawless, it will definitely give you that feeling of really playing DDR back in the early 2000's. Also, as part of this effort I took the current collection of RandomMovies that the BGScripts call out during gameplay and upscaled all of those, too. Just like the graphics, the resolution of these video files was literally the size of a postage stamp on a modern monitor, so upscaling makes them look SO much better.
Here is a list of things I have completed so far:
- Corrected the difficulties to match legacy rating based on their DDR Extreme-SuperNova era ranks. Verified using RemyWiki.
- Relocated most songs to their proper original arcade releases (example: Songs like PARANOiA Evolution and Hysteria, which were previously placed in 4th Mix are now placed in the DDR SOLO collection).
- Added "corrected" BGScript timings for the charts that have included AVI files, but where not correctly synced to the song. Example; Songs like Butterfly have "baked in videos", but were not timed to start at the correct marker. I have added the correct timing to these charts so the background videos play correctly at the right time.
- Added BG Scripts to all applicable stepcharts from the BGSCripts thread, here:
https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/thread?threadid=4519
(I have made hundreds of corrections to the scripts so that they work properly on modern Stepmania platforms (ITG Mania, Outfox). I am not claiming it is 100% "fixed", but I did go through a LOT of charts to see if there were any glaring BG Script issues. If you discover any that need correcting, please feel free to contact me.)
- I upscaled all song related graphics for the banners, bg backgrounds, etc. The results are good, but could use improvement.
- I have upscaled the graphics and videos in the MAX-EXTREME background videos pack, as well as adding graphic files that are called out in certain songs that were previously missing (example; some of the ninjaXX.pngs for Tsugaru).
This "upscale" project was a massive undertaking and could have been considered an entire project endeavor in its own right. I highly recommend you download and install the background package into the Random Movies folder for the true "legacy" gameplay experience.
Note: It seems that ITGMania is really bad at processing video files, so it doesn't handle RandomMovies well and these enhanced video files may introduce arrow stutter in older computers. If your PC is powerful, it won't be an issue. But if you have a more bare-bones setup, you may need to stick with the original, low-rez files.
- Added fan-submitted banners to 5th Mix songs that did not have them.
- Replaced low-rez stock Group banners with new, hi-rez banners.
- I created a DDR Extreme era BG Script mod pack, which can be installed over the existing ZiV Legacy pack. This will overwrite some SM files with versions that have BG video scripts seen in DDR Extreme. This is an optional pack for those who want the DDR Extreme era background videos to play instead of the baked in videos or DDR Max era videos.
- Even after these modifications, this Legacy Collection is still compatible with Groovestats and will track like the standard ZiV stepcharts.
Things I still want to do:
- Finish the Console Pack updates.
- Need to add jacket PNGs for console packs.
- Do all of the stuff above for the ITG 1 and 2 packs.
Downloads:
https://tinyurl.com/ddrlegacy
I'm currently hosting this on my own (ancient) website and I have no idea how it'll hold up if lots of people try to download this. I would love it if someone wants to setup mirrors of this. If you do, please just make sure to include a link back to this thread so people can check for updates.
Installation Steps:
1) Download the song packs you want from the ZiV DDR Legacy Simfile Collection (example, DDR 7th Mix -MAX2-.zip)
2) Extract the files to the "Songs" folder inside your Stepmania directory.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\Songs\DDR 7th Mix -MAX2-
3) Once you have installed all the songs you want, I suggest you clear your cache. Go to your stepmania directory and delete the Cache folder.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\Cache <---delete that folder
4) Start stepmania and let it re-cache all the songs. You should have all the updated "legacy-accurate" stepcharts in your collection.
[ Optional Step - Installing RandomMovies ]
1) Download the "MAX-EXTREME (RandomMovies).zip" file.
2) Extract the contents to the RandomMovies folder in Stepmania.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\RandomMovies\MAX-EXTREME
3) Once you have installed all the songs you want, I suggest you clear your cache. Go to your stepmania directory and delete the Cache folder.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\Cache <---delete that folder
4) Start stepmania and try playing a song (like Breakdown or Cowgirl from DDR Max/Max2) and you should see background videos playing within 20 seconds of the song starting.
[ Optional Step - Installing DDR Extreme BG Scripts MOD ]
1) Download the MOD-DDR Extreme BGScripts.zip file.
2) Copy the song file over the existing files within your Songs directory. You can do all at once, or individual songs. This will overwrite the original SM file with a new one which has the BG Scripts for DDR Extreme.
3) After doing this, you will need to clear your cache for the changes to take effect. Go to your stepmania directory and delete the Cache folder.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\Cache <---delete that folder
4) Start stepmania and let it re-cache all the songs. Now you should see the DDR Extreme era BG videos when you play the songs included in the MOD pack.
If you want more information about BG Scripts, or want to download the original (super low rez) DDR RandomMovies because you are still running a CRT and/or your PC cannot run the newer, hi-rez video files, they can be found in these two threads:
https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/thread?threadid=11334&page=1
https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/thread?threadid=4519&&page=1
What is this project?
In short:
I downloaded the ZiV (Zenius-I-Vanisher) DDR Arcade simfiles for DDR 1st Mix thru SuperNova 2, I then revised each song to restore their true (original) legacy difficulty ratings (10-step ratings instead of 20). I patched in the correct BG Video scripts into each SM file and reorganized the placement of some songs to be historically accurate versus the "altered history" locations they are currently in. I also upscaled all the banners, backgrounds and RandomMovie content for a true legacy DDR experience that looks decent on modern resolutions. All of these are still compatible with GrooveStats score tracking leaderboards.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the long story:
I wanted a collection of "official" legacy DDR charts that were as true as possible to the original DDR experience from the DDR Max through SuperNOVA era as it was "back in the day".
[ Fixing inaccurate legacy difficulty ratings ]
I had been using the DDR UK simfile collection for years, but when Groovestats started tracking charts universally, I found that many of those DDR UK charts had little or no other player participation. Conversely, the ZiV (Zenius-I-Vanisher) packs are much more popular with players and have better tracking on Groovestats. So, I downloaded these for use and quickly ran into an issue; modern ZiV DDR simpacks are an inconsistent mess. Also, almost none of the simfiles have BGScript callouts to support the legacy background videos. While those are inconveniences, the biggest issue is that they mix legacy and modern rating scales in the same packs. For example; DDR 3rd Mix has almost 1/3 of the charts saved in the modern (20 rating) scale, but the other simfiles are the legacy (10 rating) scale. This is just...bad.
There are tools out there that can "de-convert" the modern 20 scale back to the 10 scale. But it's irritating for a legacy player like me to see a song rated a "7" by the converter tool, when it's true legacy rating was an "8" on DDR Extreme and SuperNOVA. This is just one example, but it applied to hundreds of legacy charts in the ZiV simefile packs. The "original" difficulty rating has been lost because of the upgrades to the modern 20 scale. So, I invested a huge amount of time manually setting the difficulties for the ZiV simfiles to give the charts their proper legacy ratings, defaulting to what it was in DDR Extreme or SuperNOVA era. I won't claim it is 100% correct, but it is close and will make old-school players happy to see the correct ratings for some of their favorite charts.
[ Reorganizing song locations to be historically accurate ]
Another issue is that the current ZiV packs have relocated songs to different groups based on how they have been categorized in modern DDR arcade mixes. Example: Songs like PARANOiA Evolution and Hysteria are placed in the 4th Mix packs because that is what DDR A20 says they're from, but in reality, they debuted in DDR SOLO. Or, if a song came out on a console release and then later came out in arcades, the ZiV database pulled it from the console pack and put it in the arcade pack instead, because this is what modern arcade DDR mixes (like A20) classify the songs under. I don't disagree with ZiVs method on this, because there is no ideal solution to this issue. However, I also don't like re-writing history so that a song that "debuted" in one mix shows up as part of some other mix.
What I did in this pack is this; If a song came out on an arcade mix, then then I placed it in the arcade pack where it actually debuted. So, in the example above for Pranoia Evolution and Hysteria, you can find those in the SOLO song group. However, for songs that debuted on a console release (like The Shining Polaris), I decided to duplicate it and have a copy in both the SuperNOVA AC and the DDR Max CS (console) folders. (Note: As of 2025.07.29, I have not released the CS packs yet. I am still working on those.)
Why did I do this? Because, I suspect most people will be grabbing the DDR AC (arcade) collections for use on their setups, but not everyone will be grabbing the CS release packs. This is why I decided to duplicate the CS songs in both folders. Note: this only applies to songs that first appeared on a CS release before an AC release. So, something like Max 300 isn't going to show up in DDR Max CS, because it debuted on DDR Max AC. But (as referenced earlier), The Shining Polaris debuted on DDR Max CS (PS2) years before it showed up on DDR SuperNOVA AC. So that song can be found in both the DDR SuperNOVA (AC) pack and the DDR Max CS (PS2) console pack.
If you're confused by all of this, then here is a simple take; The group I placed a song in is based on whatever release that song debuted on in the arcade. Modern DDR has tried to rewrite history by saying "Song X" was released in "Group Y", when in reality this is not true. My corrections mostly apply to songs that debuted in the PLUS and SOLO arcade releases. If you don't like these changes...sorry. But, I am making this pack for myself and my goal is to make a legacy-accurate build of the DDR collection based on the DDR Extreme and SuperNOVA era of the game and that's how it was back then. I suspect if you're interested in this pack, you'll agree with my logic. If not, then you're probably not the target audience for this pack and don't really care about any of the changes I am making here anyway.
[ Upscaled all the banners, backgrounds, and graphics ]
The original graphics files for the DDR content from this era are absolutely tiny when displayed on anything except a 480p CRT monitor. I have gone through every song in these packs and used upscaling tools to increase the size of these graphics 4x their normal size so that it doesn't look like a blurry mess on a modern screen. The original files are so small that it's hard to upscale with good results. I'm happy enough with the end product, but maybe in a few years AI tech will make it possible to upscale with better results. For now though, it's the best I can do and I think it looks much nicer on HD monitors. Oh, I also created new group banners for each song pack. I think they're much better than the originals and much higher resolution.
[ Added full background scripts to all applicable stepcharts and RandomMovies ]
I am a preservationist. I like new DDR content, but want to preserve the legacy content and play it "as it was back in the day". As such, I feel that experience would be lacking if it didn't have the classic (and weird) DDR background videos playing during the song. Lots of other people have already spent a lot of time generating BGScript info for a lot of these songs, but unfortunately, there was no place to grab simfiles with the scripts already included. A person (me) had to copy/paste each script one at a time into each and every applicable song, and then adjust it to be at the right starting time. It took forever, but the results are great. While not flawless, it will definitely give you that feeling of really playing DDR back in the early 2000's. Also, as part of this effort I took the current collection of RandomMovies that the BGScripts call out during gameplay and upscaled all of those, too. Just like the graphics, the resolution of these video files was literally the size of a postage stamp on a modern monitor, so upscaling makes them look SO much better.
Here is a list of things I have completed so far:
- Corrected the difficulties to match legacy rating based on their DDR Extreme-SuperNova era ranks. Verified using RemyWiki.
- Relocated most songs to their proper original arcade releases (example: Songs like PARANOiA Evolution and Hysteria, which were previously placed in 4th Mix are now placed in the DDR SOLO collection).
- Added "corrected" BGScript timings for the charts that have included AVI files, but where not correctly synced to the song. Example; Songs like Butterfly have "baked in videos", but were not timed to start at the correct marker. I have added the correct timing to these charts so the background videos play correctly at the right time.
- Added BG Scripts to all applicable stepcharts from the BGSCripts thread, here:
https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/thread?threadid=4519
(I have made hundreds of corrections to the scripts so that they work properly on modern Stepmania platforms (ITG Mania, Outfox). I am not claiming it is 100% "fixed", but I did go through a LOT of charts to see if there were any glaring BG Script issues. If you discover any that need correcting, please feel free to contact me.)
- I upscaled all song related graphics for the banners, bg backgrounds, etc. The results are good, but could use improvement.
- I have upscaled the graphics and videos in the MAX-EXTREME background videos pack, as well as adding graphic files that are called out in certain songs that were previously missing (example; some of the ninjaXX.pngs for Tsugaru).
This "upscale" project was a massive undertaking and could have been considered an entire project endeavor in its own right. I highly recommend you download and install the background package into the Random Movies folder for the true "legacy" gameplay experience.
Note: It seems that ITGMania is really bad at processing video files, so it doesn't handle RandomMovies well and these enhanced video files may introduce arrow stutter in older computers. If your PC is powerful, it won't be an issue. But if you have a more bare-bones setup, you may need to stick with the original, low-rez files.
- Added fan-submitted banners to 5th Mix songs that did not have them.
- Replaced low-rez stock Group banners with new, hi-rez banners.
- I created a DDR Extreme era BG Script mod pack, which can be installed over the existing ZiV Legacy pack. This will overwrite some SM files with versions that have BG video scripts seen in DDR Extreme. This is an optional pack for those who want the DDR Extreme era background videos to play instead of the baked in videos or DDR Max era videos.
- Even after these modifications, this Legacy Collection is still compatible with Groovestats and will track like the standard ZiV stepcharts.
Things I still want to do:
- Finish the Console Pack updates.
- Need to add jacket PNGs for console packs.
- Do all of the stuff above for the ITG 1 and 2 packs.
Downloads:
https://tinyurl.com/ddrlegacy
I'm currently hosting this on my own (ancient) website and I have no idea how it'll hold up if lots of people try to download this. I would love it if someone wants to setup mirrors of this. If you do, please just make sure to include a link back to this thread so people can check for updates.
Installation Steps:
1) Download the song packs you want from the ZiV DDR Legacy Simfile Collection (example, DDR 7th Mix -MAX2-.zip)
2) Extract the files to the "Songs" folder inside your Stepmania directory.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\Songs\DDR 7th Mix -MAX2-
3) Once you have installed all the songs you want, I suggest you clear your cache. Go to your stepmania directory and delete the Cache folder.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\Cache <---delete that folder
4) Start stepmania and let it re-cache all the songs. You should have all the updated "legacy-accurate" stepcharts in your collection.
[ Optional Step - Installing RandomMovies ]
1) Download the "MAX-EXTREME (RandomMovies).zip" file.
2) Extract the contents to the RandomMovies folder in Stepmania.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\RandomMovies\MAX-EXTREME
3) Once you have installed all the songs you want, I suggest you clear your cache. Go to your stepmania directory and delete the Cache folder.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\Cache <---delete that folder
4) Start stepmania and try playing a song (like Breakdown or Cowgirl from DDR Max/Max2) and you should see background videos playing within 20 seconds of the song starting.
[ Optional Step - Installing DDR Extreme BG Scripts MOD ]
1) Download the MOD-DDR Extreme BGScripts.zip file.
2) Copy the song file over the existing files within your Songs directory. You can do all at once, or individual songs. This will overwrite the original SM file with a new one which has the BG Scripts for DDR Extreme.
3) After doing this, you will need to clear your cache for the changes to take effect. Go to your stepmania directory and delete the Cache folder.
Example: C:\Program Files\ITGmania\Cache <---delete that folder
4) Start stepmania and let it re-cache all the songs. Now you should see the DDR Extreme era BG videos when you play the songs included in the MOD pack.
If you want more information about BG Scripts, or want to download the original (super low rez) DDR RandomMovies because you are still running a CRT and/or your PC cannot run the newer, hi-rez video files, they can be found in these two threads:
https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/thread?threadid=11334&page=1
https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/thread?threadid=4519&&page=1
Post #2 · Posté à 2025-07-31 05:59:35pm il y a 1.5 mois
 n00b_saib0t | |
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What is the major perk to this project over using the already converted DDR for ITG packs?
Post #3 · Posté à 2025-08-11 07:55:39pm il y a 1.1 mois
I made this primarily for me, but with how much work I put into it, I felt it would be worth sharing for anyone else who wants legacy accurate charts for Pre-DDR X with background scripts, upscaled graphics, correct song placement, etc. I feel like I describe the "perks" quite well in my original post. I am not meaning this in a derisive manner, but after reading that post, if you do not see the point of this pack, then it is not for you.
And if you have a link to the packs you mention, I would like to see them. I am curious if they rescaled them to the true legacy ratings per Extreme/SN era, or if they just used a tool to approximate their difficulties based on the modern scale rating.
And if you have a link to the packs you mention, I would like to see them. I am curious if they rescaled them to the true legacy ratings per Extreme/SN era, or if they just used a tool to approximate their difficulties based on the modern scale rating.
Post #4 · Posté à 2025-08-12 10:22:59pm il y a 1.1 mois
| n00b_saib0t | |
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AFAIK, DDR for ITG did neither with the ratings. It rated them as if they were ITG charts. So Fascination Maxx ESP isnt a 10, it’s a 12, just as one example.
But I didn’t see anything about the charts themselves being legacy accurate in the initial post, I thought you were using the charts as is from here not making them match how they were in Max-SN2. The DDR for ITG packs don’t do anything with the charts themselves. Yeah, preserved pre-DDR X charts is big.
A lot of players don’t care about upscaled banners or having backgrounds at all, which is why I said major perks. I wouldn’t consider BG scripts or upscaled banners to be a major perk to be honest.
But I didn’t see anything about the charts themselves being legacy accurate in the initial post, I thought you were using the charts as is from here not making them match how they were in Max-SN2. The DDR for ITG packs don’t do anything with the charts themselves. Yeah, preserved pre-DDR X charts is big.
A lot of players don’t care about upscaled banners or having backgrounds at all, which is why I said major perks. I wouldn’t consider BG scripts or upscaled banners to be a major perk to be honest.
Post #5 · Posté à 2025-08-13 01:36:58am il y a 1.1 mois
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what's a ZiV?
Post #6 · Posté à 2025-08-13 04:29:54am il y a 1.1 mois
Quote: n00b_saib0t
A lot of players don’t care about upscaled banners or having backgrounds at all, which is why I said major perks. I wouldn’t consider BG scripts or upscaled banners to be a major perk to be honest.
You are correct that most people don't give a damn about the background videos. Which I find truly unfortunate. But, for those of us who do like the Legacy experience, with the background videos, this pack is a game changer. I realize that's only 1 out of every 10 players, if that. But for those 10% of players who care, having all the background scripts added to all these step charts is a huge deal and took an enormous amount of time to get them all on their correctly, timed right, and I even went through a lot of them and cleaned up some of the scripts so they work correctly on modern stepmania platforms.
Like you said "most" won't care. But a handful (like me) will really appreciate having these scripts added to the appropriate simfile.
Post #7 · Posté à 2025-08-13 03:41:53pm il y a 1.1 mois
| Dancefreak | |
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Quote: Suko
Quote: n00b_saib0t
A lot of players don’t care about upscaled banners or having backgrounds at all, which is why I said major perks. I wouldn’t consider BG scripts or upscaled banners to be a major perk to be honest.
You are correct that most people don't give a damn about the background videos. Which I find truly unfortunate. But, for those of us who do like the Legacy experience, with the background videos, this pack is a game changer. I realize that's only 1 out of every 10 players, if that. But for those 10% of players who care, having all the background scripts added to all these step charts is a huge deal and took an enormous amount of time to get them all on their correctly, timed right, and I even went through a lot of them and cleaned up some of the scripts so they work correctly on modern stepmania platforms.
Like you said "most" won't care. But a handful (like me) will really appreciate having these scripts added to the appropriate simfile.
I would like to point out I was really pleased this had been done because I was having a nightmare having to explain to new players why ratings were always off in classic packs they'd found, then why the ITG/DDR packs were all slightly offsync (0.009 offset) and again why some of the ratings still didn't map up correctly. So it's nice to have it all in one place for a start, plus i'm also one of the minority who really enjoy seeing the background videos and everything running as intended so thanks for sorting that out! Will give them a look when i get chance for sure
Post #8 · Posté à 2025-08-14 03:14:33pm il y a 1 mois
| Suko | |
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I'm glad to hear at least one person finds this useful. If you encounter any notable issues, let me know.
Post #9 · Posté à 2025-08-15 10:19:42pm il y a 1 mois
| sanchny | |
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Well this is amazing and way up my alley, and you are my new favorite person. Thank you for doing this and sharing!!!
I've always wondered why no one had done this yet. There have been efforts here and there with the bg scripts, but it's been incomplete and spread out over different places. Beyond the obviously important song and steps, there's a certain charm to the old bgvideos that help complete the package. I strongly prefer bgvideos to characters and stages, so I'm very happy to see this.
The different difficulties between legacy and X scale is a whole other issue, and it's been a poor experience finding consistent high quality simfiles from the official games because of this.
[Side note: is it too late to add a #LEGACYMETER field to the ssc file format? Simfiles should be able to have difficulty ratings both scales if they exist and themes should either display both or give users the option.]
Looking forward to the CS packs!
I've always wondered why no one had done this yet. There have been efforts here and there with the bg scripts, but it's been incomplete and spread out over different places. Beyond the obviously important song and steps, there's a certain charm to the old bgvideos that help complete the package. I strongly prefer bgvideos to characters and stages, so I'm very happy to see this.
The different difficulties between legacy and X scale is a whole other issue, and it's been a poor experience finding consistent high quality simfiles from the official games because of this.
[Side note: is it too late to add a #LEGACYMETER field to the ssc file format? Simfiles should be able to have difficulty ratings both scales if they exist and themes should either display both or give users the option.]
Looking forward to the CS packs!
Post #10 · Posté à 2025-08-16 02:21:08pm il y a 1 mois
| chewi | |
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| "♪ A Never-Ending Midnight Sun ♪" | |
Last updated: 2025-08-16 02:21pm
Thank you for compiling this, I love the old-school bg scripts. Will check it out eventually, I just am so busy these days. Just wanted to let you know I appreciate you!
Also, I was poking through your website and I noticed that in the DDR X & DDR X2 video folders, there's some of my simfile music vids in there
just random also just letting you know in case you want to clean up the directories!
Also, I was poking through your website and I noticed that in the DDR X & DDR X2 video folders, there's some of my simfile music vids in there
just random also just letting you know in case you want to clean up the directories!
Post #11 · Posté à 2025-08-16 08:05:57pm il y a 1 mois
| Lord Toon | |
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Quote: n00b_saib0t
A lot of players don’t care about upscaled banners or having backgrounds at all...
Pardon me while I clutch mah pearls! *faints* //
Post #12 · Posté à 2025-08-21 03:39:02pm il y a 3.6 semaines
| Suko | |
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Quote: sanchny
[Side note: is it too late to add a #LEGACYMETER field to the ssc file format? Simfiles should be able to have difficulty ratings both scales if they exist and themes should either display both or give users the option.]
I can probably write a script to get this implemented, but I have no clue when I can get around to it. Might be a few weeks, may be a year, lol.
Do you have a link to where I can read up more about this callout and how it works?
Post #13 · Posté à 2025-08-21 08:34:38pm il y a 3.6 semaines
| sanchny | |
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Quote: Suko
Quote: sanchny
[Side note: is it too late to add a #LEGACYMETER field to the ssc file format? Simfiles should be able to have difficulty ratings both scales if they exist and themes should either display both or give users the option.]
I can probably write a script to get this implemented, but I have no clue when I can get around to it. Might be a few weeks, may be a year, lol.
Do you have a link to where I can read up more about this callout and how it works?
I brought it up as a suggestion in the Project Outfox discord-- you can read the thread here.
The quick summary is:
a) No, they won't add this as a field to the ssc file format
b) Because you can add whatever new fields you want in the #METADATA field. e.g.: #METADATA:#LEGACYMETER=4,#DDROLDMETER=5,#ILIKEOLDSCHOOLDDRSCALES=5
c) This then becomes a chicken and egg problem with themes: this LEGACYMETER metadata isn't a standard, so themes won't display the information because no simfile has it, and simfiles (official or otherwise) won't have this alternate data because no theme supports displaying them.
Post #14 · Posté à 2025-08-21 10:54:42pm il y a 3.6 semaines
Quote: sanchny
I brought it up as a suggestion in the Project Outfox discord-- you can read the thread here.
The quick summary is:
a) No, they won't add this as a field to the ssc file format
b) Because you can add whatever new fields you want in the #METADATA field. e.g.: #METADATA:#LEGACYMETER=4,#DDROLDMETER=5,#ILIKEOLDSCHOOLDDRSCALES=5
c) This then becomes a chicken and egg problem with themes: this LEGACYMETER metadata isn't a standard, so themes won't display the information because no simfile has it, and simfiles (official or otherwise) won't have this alternate data because no theme supports displaying them.
Honestly, the community needs to adopt SOME method for stepcharts to have both difficulty ratings in a single stepchart and we should have done it a decade ago. I am not a programmer, but I can't see it being that hard. Just add a new line to the stepchart meta data and then have whatever theme wants to implement it look for that line. If one of the bigger groups (say ITG Mania and the Simply Love guys) adopted a standard dual-rating metadata tag and the theme utilized it, then it would gain traction and eventually get universal support by other groups. We just need SOMEONE (some GROUP) to take the lead on this and implement it and then others will follow.
P.S. It took literally a decade, but ITG Mania and SL are FINALLY incorporating Group.ini stuff into the theme. So, it can be done. They just need to get motivated to choose something, ANYTHING and just move forward.