Z-I-v Summer Contest 2016

+3 - Psychedelic Tokyo Underground [Gameoson]
+2 - もすかう (DIGIMIND REMIX) [brunobg24]
+2 - 강남거리 [brunobg24] (!!i wanted to step this so bad but as soon as i thought to you posted your file and i was like welp i cant compete and i was right in letting you take it bc wow gj!!)
+2 - Help Me!! [chewi]
+2 - Paris [Benpai]
+1 - DM★STAR ~関西 energy style~ [DDRDAIKENKAI]
+1 - American Idiot [mf32892]
+1 - FloriDada [Birdwards]
+1 - ロンドンは夜8時(LON 8PM - TYO 4AM)
HM - Vegas Lights [DDRDAIKENKAI]
HM - Fun Fun Pharaoh [Vinylyarou] (ok imo this is one of your best files yet and this very well could have gotten at least a +2 out of me BUT the player faces the left for what feels like over 90% of the chart; this has been my personal main issue with your most recent files, so I thought you should know.)
Tokyo [Lisek]
Night In Paris [Nezemarth]
New York City Boy [Nezemarth]
Siberia [ohaiimian]
Delhi [KevinRocker10] (MUCH IMPROVED WOW usually it takes people weeks to improve that much gj)
Kashmir [Feraligatr]
The Things We Lost In The Fire [The Legendary DJXYZ]
America's Sweetheart [AngeledLuffa] ("Based on the comments I've seen I get the impression it was okay but people aren't a fan of cheesy pop music and are looking for songs faster / harder than a 7 foot." I'm not sure if this is necessarily true. I'm a sucker for Heavy charts in the 7 and below range, but I do think it's just generally harder for one to engage the player with a slower paced/"easier" song. Personally, with America's Sweetheart, you followed the vocals for a large portion of the song, which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but as a result I only really felt engaged during the choruses because those were the most interesting rhythms this specific melody lent itself to in the entire song.)
A Geisha's Dream (Ruffage Remix) [hooky]
Viridian City [Braeden47]
LAS VEGAS [Spirit of Nightmare]
Belt Parkway Nights [The Legendary DJXYZ]
Lose It (feat. Vic Mensa) [Astroman129]
I Took A Pill In Ibiza (SeeB Remix) [HealingDMax300]
Arizona Cowboy [usaminseijin]
Tokyo: Midnite Runners [5l1n65h07]

Psychedelic Tokyo Underground +3
Help me!! +3
American Idiot +3
DM★STAR ~関西 energy style~ +2
もすかう (DIGIMIND REMIX) +2
Dancing☆Samurai -english cover- +2

Psychedelic Tokyo Underground [Gameoson] - 38
もすかう (DIGIMIND REMIX) [brunobg24] - 30
Help me!! [chewi] - 29
American Idiot [mf32892] - 21
강남거리 [brunobg24] - 20
Dancing☆Samurai -english cover- [ddrstepper] - 19
FloriDada [Birdwards] - 18
DM★STAR ~関西 energy style~ [DDRDAIKENKAI] - 17
ロンドンは夜8時(LON 8PM - TYO 4AM) [Scarz] - 15
Paris [Benpai] - 9
Tokyo [Lisek] - 9
Vegas Lights [DDRDAIKENKAI] - 9
LAS VEGAS [Spirit Of Nightmare] - 8
Fun Fun Pharaoh [Vinylyarou] - 7
Belt Parkway Nights [The Legendary DJXYZ] - 6
Kashmir [Feraligatr] - 6
Things We Lost In The Fire [The Legendary DJXYZ] - 6
Delhi [KevinRocker10] - 5
Siberia [ohaiimian] - 3
Lose It (feat. Vic Mensa) [Astroman129] - 2
New York City Boy [Nezemarth] - 2
Night in Paris [Nezemarth] - 2
A Geisha's Dream (Ruffage Remix) [hooky] - 1
Tokyo: Midnite Runners [5l1n65h07] - 1
Viridian City [Braeden47] - 1

+!!- Cream of the Crop, a flawless example of a proper simfile (or very close...)
+!?- Also a very good simfile! Sometimes the difference between this rating and '+!!' lies merely on personal opinion, though sometimes it could be due to less subjective minor flaws.
+??- A good simfile, though some minor flaws (or an occasional moderate flaw) is present.
..- Okay, but moderately flawed.
-?- Some good parts, but needs some work. Frequent and inappropriate doublesteps fit well in this catagory.
-!- Sheer horror, please overhaul immediately. (Thankfully this didn't need to be used...)

+!! = American Idiot, FloriDada, I Took A Pill In Ibiza, Lose It (feat. Vic Mensa), もすかう (DIGIMIND REMIX), Paris, Psychedelic Tokyo Underground, The Gangnam Avenue, Tokyo, Vegas Lights
+!? = Dancing Samurai, Delhi, DM STAR ~KANSAI energy style~, Kashmir (Paradesi Version), Fun Fun Pharaoh, Help Me!!, Las Vegas, Things We Lost In The Fire, Viridian City, ロンドンは夜8時(LON 8PM - TYO 4AM)
+?? = A Geisha’s Dream (Ruffage Remix), Arizona Cowboy (to be honest, the instrumentation pushed this song up in my book, and if the syncing was given a little more care, this would be higher…), Belt Parkway Nights, Siberia
.. = America’s Sweet Dream
-? = Tokyo: Midnite Runner

Judging by the fair amount of good files, I think a new rating scale will be in order for the future...

A Geisha’s Dream (Ruffage Remix)-I love the basic chart! My only substantial concern is the single 8th step-jump near the end of the song; I feel that making the jump into a single left note would have worked out much better, considering the rest of the chart. (+!?)

For the most part, I liked the standard chart, but the spins in measures 31-33 don’t flow too well and tends towards doublestepping, especially for a standard player. A simple way to improve this would be to move the direction of the right arrow at beat 124 to face down instead. (+??)


America’s Sweet Dream: The basic chart was… very weird in its patterning, but not bad. (Some more 4th patterns would have been nice, though.) However, the up-down jump in measure 27 is very ambiguous, as it’s a 50/50 chance that the player will have to doublestep later on; I would either make it an up-left jump, or make the next 4th/8th notes face left/right, respectively. (+??)

As for the standard chart… The beginning freeze arrow patterns were a little repetitive (and personally, I would have preferred plain 4th patterns for this section), but worse is how little cohesion there is between freeze arrows; it screams obnoxiously, “I’m too lazy to take my time and chart this properly, so let me just fill this section with a bunch of random freeze patterns!” (Also, the 4th note omission on beat 17 came off as fairly strange.) Other than that, I feel that changing the up arrow in beat 78 into a down arrow would flow better into the next section, and in a similar vein, changing the up arrow in beat 91 into a right arrow would also improve the flow. Additionally, changing the down-right jump in beat 101.5 into a left-right jump would help the flow noticeably. Furthermore, the left arrow in beat 115 could be changed into a right arrow to increase the flow. The ambiguous jump in measure 48-49 is also pretty terrible, and I would remedy it by changing the down arrow in beat 195 into a right arrow. That should cover this chart, as far as glaring flaws go. (-?: Stilted patterns, not very good flow, and a freeze arrow section that didn’t seem to have much thought put into it.)


American idiot- The basic chart was great, nothing to say about it. (+!!)

The standard chart was also very nice, nothing to say about it. (+!!)


Arizona Cowboy- I know the sync isn’t at all good, but to be honest, at least it’s still moderately playable. Also, this song doesn’t need to have the steps started immediately, as there are several points early on in the song where it would be appropriate to start them. Finally, I noticed what seemed to me as a little bit of copy/paste in the beginner to basic chart, and the standard to heavy chart. It could possibly be coincidence though, as the copy/paste seems to be less plausible later on in the song…

Personally, I loved the basic chart, though maybe it was a little repetitive with its constant 4th streams (which didn’t bother me personally). (+!!/+!?)

I liked the patterns in the standard chart, though the chart is definitely a 6 footer in my opinion. However, I encountered a doublestep in measure 19 (made worse by the left freeze arrow), which can be fixed by changing the arrow in beats 71.5 and 72 to up/right (respectively), and the right arrow in beat 74 into a left arrow. (+??)

Belt Parkway Nights- The basic chart plays pretty well. Personally, though, I feel that the first stop doesn’t give enough time for basic players who play this chart without practice beforehand but that is probably just me. (+!?)

The standard chart is pretty nice, but there’s a fairly terrible doublestep in measure 33, which comes out of nowhere and doesn’t matchup at all with the previous arrows in the slowdown. To fix it, I would mirror measures 33-35 (at least the left-right arrows). (+??/..)

Dancing Samurai- The basic chart is great, though I would consider it a 4 footer. My only comment is that I would have preferred that the left-right jump in measure 31 be a freeze arrow that lasts 1.5 beats, not too differently from the jump in measure 50. (+!?)

The standard chart is great, nothing to complain about. (Maybe a little easy for a 7, but I can see why you rated this chart with that number. (+!!)

Delhi- The basic chart was pretty fun, though there were a few doublesteps. The first one is very easy to spot and compensate for, so I don’t mind it too much. (If it wasn’t intentional, change the up arrow freeze in beat 12 into a right arrow freeze.) The second one is not quite so clear cut in my opinion (though far from the worst), and I feel it would be better to change the right arrow in beat 148 into a down arrow. (+!?/+??)

The standard chart was nice, but like the basic chart, it also had a few strange choices. The first one, in measure 5, seems intentional, and I doubt needs eliminating. Measures 54-58 had some strange spins, but they ended moderately well. The pattern in measure 60 felt a little too ambiguous, and forced me to doublestep. I would suggest placing a freeze arrow on the on the panel that you don’t want to use to hit the next (down) arrow, if that makes sense. (+!?/+??)

DM STAR ~KANSAI energy style~- I liked the basic chart, except for the very ambiguous step in measure 9 that forced me to doublestep. Maybe change the arrow after the jump from a down arrow to a left arrow? (+!?)

The standard chart is quite nice in my opinion. The beginning 8th jacks, though, didn’t feel very intuitive, though. (+!?)


Kashmir (Paradesi Version)- The basic chart was very nice, though a little harder than necessary. (+!!)

The standard chart was also very nice, and there’s nothing bad about it. (I felt that the rhythm during the long 16th stream had a bit more nuance to it than what you stepped. Maybe a break in the middle would have worked out better for this chart.) (+!!/+!?)

FloriDada- The basic chart was very fun and well stepped; nothing to say here. (+!!)

The same can be said of the standard chart! Nothing to say here. (+!!)

Fun Fun Pharaoh- I love the basic chart! The only concern here is a minor doublestep in measure 24, which can be eliminated by changing the left arrow in beat 94 into a right arrow. It’s not a big deal since it’s easy to spot and compensate for, but I feel it isn’t necessary. (+!!/+!?)

The standard chart was also mostly excellent! There were, however, two doublesteps I found. The first one in measure 49 (which I guess is like the one in the basic chart, but not as easy to spot and adjust to), which can be eliminated by changing the up arrow in beat 192 into a right arrow. The second one is undoubtedly worse, which can be fixed by making the right arrow in beats 242-243 face left instead, changing the direction of the triplet pattern. (Swapping the arrow directions in beats 237-238 would also help.) (+!?/+??)

Help Me!!- I like the basic chart, but the freeze arrows in measures 45-46 feel a little… imprecise. I think it would be better if you had the left freeze arrow stop when the right freeze arrow starts, or a beat earlier than that, to better go with the vocals. (+!?)

I was also a big fan of the standard chart (especially the beginning freeze-steps), but I would have preferred if measures 14, 16, 18 actually followed the synthesizer; having just two 4th notes in each measure came off as somewhat iffy. (+!?)


I Took A Pill In Ibiza- I liked the basic chart quite a bit, thought the 32nds were an interesting choice. (+!!)

I actually liked the standard chart too, though I was a little thrown off by the freeze patterns that transition from the 4th-16th-8ths to the finger snaps. Maybe make the sections with the latter release the freeze arrow? (+!!/+!?)

Las Vegas- I like the basic chart a lot! The only thing I can say is that for measures 12-18 (first 8th freeze to before the 2nd 8th freeze), the freezes would be better off ending right on the new measure, rather than stopping early (at least in my opinion). (+!?)

The standard chart is also very good! I think that there were some missed opportunities for some great freeze arrow in measures 37-41, though. (+!!/+!?)


ロンドンは夜8時(LON 8PM - TYO 4AM)- The basic chart was pretty nice, but this is much harder than it needed to be. The final jump pattern borders on ridiculous for a 5-footer! (+!?)

As for the standard chart, I liked it, but personally, the flow of measures 63 and 71 felt a bit iffy, and maybe not suited for such a high BPM. (+!?)


Lose It (feat. Vic Mensa)- The basic chart is quite good and well structured! Nothing to say here. (+!!)

The standard chart was also great, so nothing to say here. (+!!)


もすかう (DIGIMIND REMIX)- The basic chart was very nice! Nothing to say here. (+!!)

The standard chart was also great! I do think this chart was a good opportunity to step the early vocals (which seems to go by 6ths), but that would probably distract from the beat that this chart maintains. (+!!/+!?)


Paris- You included a beginner chart this time? Oh my… I don’t know what to say :blush: (Maybe I had nothing to do with this decision, though.)

I love the basic chart, and there isn’t anything to say about it. (Dare I say, it seems a little toned down compared to your songs from last round.) (+!!)

The standard chart plays like a heavy chart, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, considering that the heavy chart in this song is a 10! I do have to wonder about the mines in the beginning, and personally, I think that changing beat 355.5’s note (from the second to last pattern in the song) from an up arrow to a right arrow would have looked and flowed a little better. (+!!/+!?)


Psychadelic Tokyo Underground- The basic chart was great, nothing to say here. (+!!)
The standard chart was also great, with nothing for me to say here, (+!!)

Siberia- Unfortunately, the audio quality is noticeably not very good.

The basic chart was pretty fun, so nothing I can say. (+!!)

As for the standard chart, I didn’t like how the triplets didn’t go exactly to the vocals, which should be easily audible. Also, I felt that the triplet in measure 22 would fit better with the song if it was moved down a beat. Other than that, it was pretty nice. (+??)


The Gangnam Avenue- For the basic chart, I felt that some of the freeze arrows, particularly in the beginning, should have connected (like in the harder charts), but other than that, I found this to be enjoyable. (+!!/+!?)

The standard chart is pretty nice, so nothing to complain about. (+!!)

Things We Lost In The Fire- I like the basic chart, but in Stepmania 3.9, the hold completes before the stop is enacted; this means that the vocal hold seems to go unaccounted for. I would give the benefit of the doubt, but honestly, I don’t feel that this is the best place to place a stop. (+!?)

The standard chart is great, and there’s nothing I can say about it. (+!!)


Tokyo- You can’t go wrong with such an easy basic chart, and you didn’t go wrong! (Honestly, though, this could be a beginner chart; a little more variety would be welcome.) (+!!/+!?)

The standard chart feels very nice, and feels just like a harder basic chart! (+!!)


Tokyo: Midnite Runners- Unfortunately, the basic chart has a few lazy doublesteps. The first one (assuming you start the chart with the left arrow, which seems more intuitive) is in measure 14, which can be fixed by changing the left arrow on beat 47 into a down arrow. The next one occurs in measure 22, which can be fixed by swapping the directions of the left/right arrow in beats 84, 88, and 92. A third one occurs in measure 37, which could be fixed by changing the left arrow in beat 146 into a down arrow. Finally, I felt that the final freeze section was a little repetitive, and should have had changing patterns every 4 measures, instead of every 8 measures as it is now. (-?)

For the standard chart, I felt that the beginning is a little more ambiguous than that of the basic chart, so I would start on the right arrow instead of the up arrow. There’s a doublestep in measure 10, which I would fix by changing the right freeze arrow into a left one, and changing the left arrow in beat 39 into a right one. Either way, there’s a confusing spin that I think should be modified or removed. The rhythm playing from measure 41 all the way to the end is just… wrong! (Unless it has to do with Stepmania 3.9/5 differences… In that case, I would suggest adding any SM5-exclusive gimmicks after creating the base file, making sure the .sm isn’t affected by the gimmicks, or not releasing the .sm at all…) That aside, there’s a doublestep on measures 48-49, which can be fixed by switching the directions of the up-down arrows in beats 194.5-195. Also the ending seems to be a 12th stream, so I would suggest ending the final freeze note on beat 229.67 (a 12th note before beat 230) instead of beat 229.5, as it is now. (-?)


Vegas Lights- The basic chart is great, and there’s nothing that needs to be said. (Though the speedups after the slowdown could be a little mean…) (+!!)

The standard chart is also great, so nothing to say here. (+!!)

Viridian City- The basic chart is quite nice. The only thing I can say is that the freeze arrow in measure 41 should definitely be a beat longer. (Also, maybe the freeze arrows from measures 43-36 weren’t necessary…) (+!!/+!?)

The standard chart is much the same, with the only flaw (in my opinion) being the slightly short freeze arrow in measure 41. I think some use of the 4th-1th-8th pattern would have worked well here, though. (+!!/+!?)