Timing windows on older arcade versions?

I've heard a fair number of times that timing windows for older arcade versions (before DDRMAX) were rather uneven, with a few mixes having particularly tight timing windows and other mixes having timing windows based on the speed of the song.

Can someone provide more details on this?

The only thing I can say is that, apparently, timing windows have been essentially constant since DDRMAX, at the following:
Marvelous = 1 frame
Perfect = 2 frames
Great = 4 frames
Good = 5 frames
Boo = 8 frames
O.K. = 15 frames (1/4 second)

If this were true, then wouldn't 1st-4th Mix Plus have much easier timing windows, since they run at only 30fps?

that was on 1st/2ndMIX IIRC (timing based on BPM). moreover they're analog mixes, making them inconsistent. AFAIK the timing has been somewhat consistent ever since, but the 30FPS rate is one thing that makes things somewhat harder. MAX brings in 60FPS then, with speed mods, making things easier.

I might be wrong about the technical stuff though, feel free to correct me.

(ugh typing on phone is effin' hard >.>)

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Not really sure about frame/timing equivalence, but I clearly remember 5th Mix & DDRMAX (both running at 60fps) having harder timing windows than DDRMAX2 and newer mixes. Can someone confirm this? My PS2's broken

Basically, that. 5th mix was also 60FPS but there was no difference in the actual timing windows. Syncing and polling methods were an issue, though. The AC windows have always been consistent, with the CS windows being 1 frame larger per timing window to compensate for input lag from the home controller (mat). The exception is the Marvelous window, which is the same on both AC/CS for some reason.

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Hmm, this makes me wonder how the timing windows are organized on the GBC games. I know Oha Sta has score grading similar to 3rd mix while the others are like 2nd... Tricky part is, none of the games have a BPM display so comparing the window to the BPM would have to be done with Dam Dariram (in GB1/GB2).

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Three things:

1. I believe that an O.K. is required to be held for a quarter note measure; is that what you mean with 1/4 second?
2. DDR (first mix) would give a miss if you hit an arrow when there was no arrow on screen to be judge, so there would be no ending frame for a Miss/Boo (mix judgments change).
3. There was a distinction between an Almost/Boo or a Boo/Miss (I might have this confused), so at least on pre-SN mixes (maybe SN itself?) there is another judgment not listed here.

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1. No, 1/4 sec would be correct. Or else people would be having N.Gs like it's Halloween candy on high speed songs when they try to bail out from the freeze. And it'd be kinda imbalanced on sooper slow songs.

2. No, it was only on the CS version, and only on a special mode called Arrange Mode. I believe Aaron can explain about this with greater detail.

3. Then make that 8 frames an Almost/Boo, on old mixes Miss = missed the arrow completely as the name might imply.

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I have 1st Mix CS, so I can explain it. Its basically exactly what both of you said. Its CS only and if you step where there is no arrow, you get a miss. There HAS to be an ending frame for a miss though, otherwise it wouldn't know when to give you a miss for stepping where there is no note and when to give you a miss for just missing the note.

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That ending frame is the same thing as the Almost window. Look:

Assuming you hit an arrow late:
0f..................1f.............2f...........3f...........4f...........5f...........6f...........7f...........8f
Marvelous--|-Perfect-|------Great------|-Good-|---------Almost---------|---Miss...

The bar to the right of each judgment is its window. So 1 frame is the Marvelous window, 5 frames is the Good window, etc.

The "ending frame" is not the Miss window, it is the Almost window.