DDR X2 (AC) (International)

All they really have to do is ship the Japanese STAGE globally. No LED pillars? Fine. Cheaper screen and speakers? Whatever (bugger). Just give English players stages that at least match the quality level of all those bootlegs still hanging around and I don't think we ever would have complained in the first place.

You would know the answer to this Chi, can a 573 stage be attached to a SuperNOVA or X cabinet? If so, that's our chemo.


That was the intent with 7thMIX at least, at least compared to the songs they were based on. I wish Konami would adhere to that way of thinking. It's good to have Expert charts that are more expert than Expert, like "COLORS(for EXTREME)", but I'd also like to see more alternates that are just fun.

I don't, in fact

I've not seen the schematics for a Japanese DDRX cab at all (and the schematics for the US cab are incomplete {and poorly laid out} and don't mention the stage part at all), but I don't believe it is plug and play for a US/EU DDRX cab, given the one grainy picture I've seen of the cabling between pads and cabinet.

It may be the case that one could be re-wired quite easily, though. I'd highly expect so, but can't confirm until I've seen the wiring or a decent schematic.


Well, 7thMIX was a bit odd in that the challenge steps were only seen in the Oni courses, and were all remixes of old songs (and didn't have other difficulty ratings - though many were subsequently added - EuroMIX 2 added light and standard charts for B4U ~B4 Za Beat Mix~, and retconned the Oni steps as Expert f'rinstance).

And the modern "challenge" difficulty has it's origins in the Maniac-S steps of 4thMIX (or at the very least they dragged these into Extreme and stuck them into the same difficulty level as the Oni-only stuff), which were not always harder per se.

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So that I don't go crazy, this is just a public service announcement... MANIAC-S is the edit label Konami gave all the older charts that were updated in 4thMIX PLUS. S stands for Single, some of the songs got new Doubles charts and the old ones were retained as edits labelled MANIAC-D. Some people regard MANIAC-S (sic, S-MANIAC) as an old name for the Challenge difficulty. No. No it is not.

...Unless you play TRUE KiSS DESTiNATiON, with the one-off "Super Maniac" setting.

Yes, they did retro a few of those charts to give some of the older songs Challenge charts in EXTREME but that was not the first or last time Konami changed a song's charts (But likely their best efforts in keeping older songs interesting).

*rhythmic breathing*...

Edit: To make this marginally on-topic

For example, what Konami is doing to the old Dancemania licenses in X and X2 seems more of a nod to 4thMIX PLUS than Challenge Mode. Keeping old content yet reinvigorating it for a new generation of players.

I'm really curious about Bag, could it be an edit maybe? Also nice find on Nijiiro, but too bad it's still the same steps, though I'd still love to hear it!

THIS THIS THIS ! I don't know how many times i explained that to players/friends...
Even for me it was SN area when i started, the gap beetween 9' and 10' is just meh...
Also, when SN2 came out (not in Europe but anyway). I saw things like Pluto Relinquish...

How the hell are players suposed to play that ?
The best stramy song was Super max me mix. But the bpm is 160.
FaxX was a killer with short 16th at 200bpm but we couldn't pratice it (because it was ES/nonStop only) and it was only short stream (more like burst).

So how people could do the 160 -> 200 bpm 16th stream gap ?

I didn't had to answer because no SN2 near me like i said.

Then, came out X. And one day, i tried PR.
Even i leveled up since this question, i was totaly raped by the ending stream.

It's lilke there is at least 2 big gaps now...
The 9 -> 10 (old scale) gap and the 10-11 -> ridiculous hard/speed song gap.

Anyway, like you said, more good 14' with variety (not only high bpm or 16th) but a good 14'.
Also, more good boss songs that are in the 16-17 rannge could be nice (see the 2nd gap that i explained).

We have so much easy songs already.
I'm not agaisn't easy songs but if one chart deserve a kick ass 17, they should do it. Also, this 17 should have a 13-15 (and not a 16-17 too like they did sometimes. Exemples : FaxX/Felm). So the song is still accessible for the "ok" players and they can enjoy a good .

Yeah. This goes well with what i had said above about / hard songs.

I laughed a lot because i pictured myself playing this at x1 nobar and getting shocked a lot.

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There's no Air on the Groove Radar; shock arrows increase the Air value... I'm wondering if this is just a glitch? How strange...

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There's not too much air because there's only one jump in Bag, and that's in the very end.

I do believe it's just a glitch. I don't see why there's so much hype about it.

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That's a fair point, and you are absolutely correct. However, since the Maniac steps from that mix were "promoted" to Challenge steps (and the original Maniac steps from 1st-3rdMIX reinstated as Heavy) when it became a selectable difficulty in EXTREME, it's understandable for that mistake to be made.

The point still remains though - the idea of new heavy charts (with the old one retained somehow - back in those days as a built-in edit stepchart) started with 4thMIX, and they weren't always more difficult in all cases, they were sometimes just different (Stomp to my beat single comes to mind).

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Well we'd like to see some new information, because that debate on difficulty curve, or whatever it is, is pretty boring, and not very X2 related...

Do you have any new information then? If so, post it.

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I don't and I know there probably isn't as of now, I was just answering xRGTMx's post about the hype for the possible bag's challenge steps. Though I was also wondering, since we're Tuesday, was Fire Fire unlocked again?

Well, we still have no new 16s or 18s; I'm gonna guess that New Decade, POSSESSION, and Anti-Matter have 18 Challenge charts. But some 16s need to come from somewhere too...

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I wonder when they will announce the JP X2 CS. =_=

Anyways, this year's licenses seem to contrast the Supernova-X licenses in that the Japanese licenses for the most part have their own BGMs. Also, it seems some are suffering from lazy stepcharts. On the other hand, they did exceedingly well with the new KOs.

Also, on a side note, are the new simfiles finished yet? It seems there are a few links in the thread, but no one has added them to the beta simfile pack yet. >> Good job on them so far, though. (love how Possession gives the FC splash at the end even when I can barely pass it XD)

I'm glad they didn't pull off another X CS JP, because they rushed that one out just for the EDIT mode function.

By the way, how many stages does the game have? I've seen only 3 (1 2 3) and I have still yet to see this one.

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Song wise, it didn't really hurt them at all to release it a month after the AC release. The only issues really were the new stages, accessories, and the new choreography.

Anyways, I wonder if they will have a pack again for X2? I'd love to get a 2GB USB and some OSTs. = )

I agree, bringing up MANIAC-S just tickled a nerve is all. I'm fine... really... *twitch*

However unless my memory fails me ALL the new HEAVY charts in 4thMIX PLUS were in fact harder than the old ones. Stomp to my beat was definitely harder (and definitely more fun) on 4thMIX PLUS.

I say they just rename Challenge as ANOTHER. That way anything they do it's considered well another chart. Much like what ANOTHER really meant in the old days of IIDX and not just "oh hai guys! looky we put 3573 note presses in one and a half minutes of muzik! Aren't you happy to wanna play this???" So when they have ANOTHER in DDR it can be anything they want. Maybe the Expert/Heavy chart with Shock arrows, for it to be a completely redone chart for say deltaMAX Challenge or something so it can have a real meaning. I mean Sexy Planet (Momo Mix) isn't really that much of a challenge chart any more. They don't even have to rename it. It could just be Challenge then Another (then 黒Another for the really crappy stuff)

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I could try this if i have the time to play tomorrow, but no promises ^^
Maybe i'd try 1 credit of 虹色& see if there's anything new or not

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Around 0:31.......

Oh ya! Confirmed stepchart from Bemaniwiki:

bag
Second Heaven

Second Heaven might be the location test S-

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