Z-I-v Simfile Shuffle 2015 — thank you for playing!

TSUBAKI [The Legendary DJXYZ] - 8
Mario Kart 8 Main Theme [mf32892] - 7
So Excited (feat. Khia) [Telperion] -6
Voyage [ledgam3r1279] - 6
Cake House [HealingDMax300] - 4
That Don't Impress Me (12" Club Mix) [chewi] - 3
Porta Vista [Gameoson] - 3
魔カい造ﾖd STEAMPUNK Frankenstein [SupremeX] - 2
Flowlight [CuzcoBlocko] - 1
Remember Remember [Lisek] - 1
SING [Nezemarth] - 1
The setting sun [usaminseijin] - 1
The Trooper [Braeden47] - 1
Wicked Irie [Spork!] - 1

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ledgam3r1279 gets Miami Sunset Drive! Good luck!

Perfect. I assure you it's all straightforward once you get your footing right and know the speedup/slowdowns. The side footswitches into rolls and the held freezes with forced doublesteps into crossovers are probably my favorite parts
Seriously though, thanks for giving it a shot and not ranking it at the bottom automatically because you were confused. I don't like the super straightforward files, the more you have to play it to get it down perfect while maintaining a fun feel the better. It's what I aim for, even if it hurts my comp performance.

May I ask which patterns in question gave you the most trouble? I'm pretty sure I checked the heavy over pretty thoroughly but I totally make mistakes.
As for the gimmicks, the speedup goes with the stop to simulate a slowdown (they both would play at the same rate essentially) but it had a loud vocal WHOO to go with it. All the little one beat slowdowns go with the beat of the music - whenever the beat stops for a beat I slowed it down. As a result, it switched from starting each section on the 4th beat to the 8th, then back. It's more constant for the second half of the song, but that's because the cut I was provided only had the beat breaks every few measures for the second half. Gotta work with what you get ^.^ The actually does a half-decent job of showing what I mean by all of this if you take a look. I aimed to help teach the slowdowns with it.
And as for the blue-yellow jump with the slowdown - I'm rewarding people for both playing the song more than once to get it down and trying to stay consistent with the karaoke stepping patterning I had going.
Thanks for the review!

If it's too confusing, I can upload a video of me playing it on pad for clarification. Just gotta deal with my hippie-ponytail.

Votes

Votes are for and if available

+5 Porta Vista - Love the song. Charts do it justice
+5 Wicked Irie - Very creative patterning in both charts.
+3 Voyage - Nice and simple.
+2 Mario Kart 8 Main Theme - Flows very nicely despite the complexity of the rhythms. I also like your first draft more than .
HM's: So Excited, That Don't Impress Me, Flowlight, Remember Remember

Totals

Mario Kart 8 Main Theme [mf32892] - 9
Voyage [ledgam3r1279] - 9
TSUBAKI [The Legendary DJXYZ] - 8
Porta Vista [Gameoson] - 8
So Excited (feat. Khia) [Telperion] - 6
Wicked Irie [Spork!] - 6
Cake House [HealingDMax300] - 4
That Don't Impress Me (12" Club Mix) [chewi] - 3
魔カい造ﾖd STEAMPUNK Frankenstein [SupremeX] - 2
Flowlight [CuzcoBlocko] - 1
Remember Remember [Lisek] - 1
SING [Nezemarth] - 1
The setting sun [usaminseijin] - 1
The Trooper [Braeden47] - 1

Well, maybe I should've called it "First Rendition" (idk if that even makes a difference) and described it as an alternate Expert chart or as the "original" Expert chart.
I ended up not using it as the final Expert chart because I felt the patterns were somewhat awkward (more in terms of turning, not double-stepping) and that the chart was a bit lopsided in terms of difficulty (with the 24ths and the longer 16th streams all in the first half). I wanted to make something that flowed better for my liking. My original chart felt like it had too many breaks. EDIT 2: Okay maybe breaks isn't the right word here. Basically, the flow felt off for me.

I think all he meant was that none of the charts have jumps or Freezes, like SANA MOLETTE NE ENTE. (Yes I went and checked the other day to see what he was talking about).

EDIT: I'm also wondering whether having the bg videos made any difference in terms of some of your votes (for Mario Kart and for Sky is The Limit)

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That's something that I've always admired about your stepping style. You're willing to take risks even if they don't go over so well. I picked up on a lot of the footswitches, even the sideways footswitches, but the file usually ended up going into overkill mode for my tastes with the footswitches and whatnot.


I'd actually be really interested in seeing you play it. And don't worry, back in middle school our principal was a gray-haired balding guy with a ponytail. I don't think it's possible to have a worse hairdo than he did.

I figured that was what he meant, but outside of that it didn't feel similar to SANA MOLETTE's rhythms/patterns.

BG videos don't make a difference in my votes. Cool if they're there, but it's not something I factor in. I did notice however during Mario Kart that my SM lagged a couple of times, and that doesn't normally happen to me even in files with BG videos.

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Well, recuts are allowed, but they are recommended to be used sparingly. I think Lisek is the only person who has actually recut (about 2 times, possibly 3).


Hm. Yes, there are places that holds could be used without using two feet. I guess I just wanted to see how far I could go with tap notes only. It's not necessarily the SANA MOLETTE NE ENTE of the contest, just the same thing going on in both files, sub-120 BPM songs with tap notes and nothing else (not even mines). Glad you were okay with the no jumps gimmick, though. I got this idea all the way back when I watched this video.



He claimed this as the only chart in DDR history to have no jumps at all. (Turns out it's not true, Remember You, Something Special, and Matsuri Japan^ also have this factor as far as I know.)

^The standard chart has jumps.

I look through the files and every / chart have two things in common.

1. At least one jump
2. No lifts whatsoever

So I just waited for an opportunity to see if I could pull off such a feat. And it looks as though I have, but I have competition with files like Mario Kart 8, TSUBAKI, and Voyage. Of course, any of those three, I'd be happy to win. There are some files I'm not all about (Cattleya/Nigra Ludia/Sky is the Limit) that won their respective rounds (of course, they're still good), while the runner ups (groovin'/DATA SUPER HIGHWAY/sister's noise) are files I felt deserved it more.

In any case, thank you for calling it my best file. I actually had confidence problems while writing it, and I feel like I may have rushed the lower difficulties ( in particular). I'm not sure what to do with werewolf howls. I know it's gonna be a tricky file, but I'm not sure what experience I should use for that one. I might be the first person to use lifts, unless there's a reason they're being avoided.

I was hoping to get my own file for this round (seriously, the song I submitted here is so good) but I think that chance has already been used up with TAKE A LOOK AROUND. Oh well. It was grabbed by another one of the Core 6, so I hope to see great steps from them.

I'll get back to Spork! on the odd areas of Wicked Irie later.

[ROUND H]- a week of very strange circumstances.


Your evening totals update.
Mario Kart 8 Main Theme [mf32892] - 12
Porta Vista [Gameoson] - 11
Voyage [ledgam3r1279] - 9
TSUBAKI [The Legendary DJXYZ] - 8
Cake House [HealingDMax300] - 7
Wicked Irie [Spork!] - 7
So Excited (feat. Khia) [Telperion] - 6
That Don't Impress Me (12" Club Mix) [chewi] - 3
Flowlight [CuzcoBlocko] - 3
Remember Remember [Lisek] - 3
魔カい造ﾖd STEAMPUNK Frankenstein [SupremeX] - 2
SING [Nezemarth] - 2
The setting sun [usaminseijin] - 1
The Trooper [Braeden47] - 1
Beautiful Beachfront Properties [Dreamland200] - HM

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Oh, lol. You submitted Mario Kart 8.

I actually plan on submitting VGM for Round J, so it'll be difficult for someone to tell which one's yours and which one will be mine... heh heh.

Anyway, I have 3 active guesses for this round.

brunobg24 submitting TSUBAKI
chewi submitting So Excited (feat. Khia)
mf32892 submitting SING

Not sure about the others, one brought in, the other two veto'd, and 5 songs never got stepped (I think Nezemarth's is one of them).

Indeed, my song (which was from the early Super Eurobeat series) never got stepped.

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Considering it's a Pentatonix song I'm willing to bet it was DDRDAIKENKAI's submission. It tends to usually be Pentatonix or K-Pop. It's a shame he didn't get a file out before the deadline, I was looking forward to seeing what he stepped.

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I really doubt that this is the case, since the skeleton only contained an sm file, without any sight of an ssc file.

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I don't think I'll be able to do anything interesting with the song I got. I'd like to use my first veto.

Anyway, here's the first file I really go in depth of.



The chart has more irregular tricks and I mess up 2 times in the recording because of the massive uncertainty left by some of the tricks in it. I didn't showcase myself playing the chart, but I have played it. As it turns out, 's patterns weren't as wacky as I remember them.

Anyway, I'll use the seeded background movies as "chunks" of the chart to examine. I did not add that last one on purpose.

On the pentagon tunnel and red shard star backgrounds, everything is fine. I like how at the beginning, the mines go with the bells.

On the rainbow squares background [0:33], that speed up was unexpected, but at least it's a symmetrical BPM change (I like those, lol, they're rampant in TRICKL4SH 220), even though it still happens in the file anyway [0:50].

Things are fine on the tan circles and triangles background.

On the squishy hearts background, there were initially what I believed to be doublesteps, however, I realize that they are actually footswitches, and just like FIGHT!!, they are marked with mines, which I find nice. However, starting here, I start getting hesitant to do crossovers because of how ambiguous some of them are (will you still avoid facing backwards, or is it a footswitch?).

On the symbols wheel background [0:48], that gimmick is one that's very obtrusive to me and it's not immediately obvious that the LR jump is supposed to be an 8th. It looks somewhat like a jump and then step jack. Scrolls definitely would've been helpful here.

On the same background and then the vacation background, there are some REALLY unusual footswitches such as [0:53]. A DR jump, and then footswitching so that you're facing backwards-left, which I have a hard time pulling off, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

The red ship fusion background had a slowdown gimmick that I felt didn't work at all. This section is one that stands out the most to me for how confusing it is. Granted, there's no bass drum on that beat, but it still felt really arbitrary. It's especially even more obvious on the chart, note the rhythm at [0:58] that goes X--X--X-. At [1:02], it looks like the exact rhythm, but it's not, which makes it really confusing.

I mess up on the squares background for some reason. Anyway, throughout that, the fractal room, and cactus backgrounds, there was more nice use of the mines going to the synths, however, I felt that in , some of the 4ths that come before the 8ths should've been 16ths instead. There's nothing going on where the wrong 4ths are placed. In , 16ths are used instead, which is correct.

There was nothing wrong when the clashing lights background played, though there are more marked footswitches near the end.

On the bracelets background, that slowdown was a lot better and fit the track (and so do the similar parts). Nothing was immediately obviously out of place here.

On the heatud up (yea, it says heatud), this is when things start getting out of whack again (note I get three NGs in total). There are freeze arrows that are just so weirdly placed (similar to this one mission for i feel... in DDR EXTREME US). I think pitch relevancy has to do with something here, though.

The disturb and CYBER backgrounds repeat the bracelets background. However, there appear to be spins in at this part.

But the rolling cube background, I am almost certain that you HAVE to face backwards or doublestep to pull this section off. I guess there's a place to footswitch somewhere here?

Things got fixed once the rolling eggs and HTF disco backgrounds came (although I mess up between both again).

So, with that, the problems I ran into with your file is that some of the speed gimmicks were really unfitting (not all, though; some of them were cool) and there were really wacky patterns in that, if not done correctly, made you spin a lot, and less notably misrhythms at one part. Playing FIGHT! would help figure out what's really going on with some of the jacks, although there are still the wacky foot switches involving left/right arrows.

Here you go: Minimal Synthesizer. Good luck!

Footswitches indeed. Good rule of thumb with the footswitches in this chart - don't do one unless I marked it. In this cases, as long as you use the marker as a point to turn yourself around you will only have to crossover for the L/R Footswitches that I use as sparingly as I can because they are just rough and probably the hardest part of the chart to get right. The rest of them for the first half of the chart are set up to keep you facing forward at all times. I do agree the side footswitches would appear ambiguous and frustrating for someone who isn't used to them, so your point is not moot.

Oh yeah, I know. I did that intentionally to try and get players to put a little thought into their play. As I've stated before, adding replayability to a chart means a ton to a player like me. Yeah, they focus on a less obvious facet of the song, but I felt they needed to be marked like most of the other elements. On scrolls - Yeah, they would probably have helped a little, but I felt using old-fashioned speed changed benefitted the song a little more, especially since not everyone plays on a newer version of Stepmania.

Those are the L/R Footswitches mentioned above in the first point above ^.^ They are tough for even seasoned players, and definitely hard to predict. I don't think I know anyone personally who can rock them out unless they know they are coming. Since footswitches were a major theme to this chart, I felt it added to it in a "variety/potpourri" sort of way. Plus I didn't want to bore everyone with nonstop front-facing ones when an opportunity like this presented itself which actually works.



Fair enough. I see your point, and you see why I added it. If I hadn't added it, it wouldn't have really affected the rest of the chart minus keeping everything on the 8th beat instead of back onto the 4th, which would have looked horrible, especially through the synth-minefield. I guess trying to avoid a complaint about "Blue Arrow Syndrome" pushed me to include it as well. At least it goes with the lyrics on Heavy, on challenge I kinda expect you know it's coming, and even though it's the only set of 16th freezes in the song it's kind of sudden. Adds replayability though lol

I actually did that on purpose. The mines on follow the synth line, while the steps are supposed to go with lyrics. Meanwhile on I placed the steps with the synthline and mostly ignored the lyrics. Just subtle differences adding to make more of a difference between the two charts and justify the inclusion of the challenge instead of stopping at Heavy. I hate repeating the same patterns when others are available.

This part I am actually really proud of lol. I essentially tried to use the same type of patterns as the section before, but added the extra arrows in the form of forced double-steps to position yourself for the next upcoming pattern. It is absolutely a recipe for ruining a FPC, and again adds replayability. Also removes some of the guesswork for what the next arrow is going to be by closing the gap for those who like to play on ridiculously fast speeds. Also, makes the chart seem less copy-paste and I've had complaints about not switching up the patterns a little.


Yes. There are two spins. They are pretty obvious though, and they mark the 1st and 3rd slowdown of the second half of the song. It alternates between the spins and the 3-note 16th bursts like the music, and I felt it added to the chart. I know some people hate spins though.
The footswitches came back, all marked by individual mines that aren't marking the second-half slowdowns. I also only used them for the second half of the second half to add variety and make it less repetitive, and to create a bit of a build-up effect. For the first section (cyber/disturb), you immediately switch your feet where the mine is during the break between the beat-long 8th freeze. The same goes when for the middle footswitch of both sections, but it just straightens you out for the two jumps an 8th apart. For the second part (rolling cube), you can do the footswitch on either of the jacks leading up the mine to straighten yourself out. You can use the mine as a reference if you want, but you can happily do your switch earlier if it's more comfortable to you. Also, why the heck do footswitches need to be two notes long? Switch it up! Live a little! Whoever heard of a SAD clown?!


Thank you so much for taking the time to go into depth. I understand I will never be able to fully please everyone, especially with the hectic nature of most of my charts. The best I can hope for is the willingness for people to think outside of the box and try something new - after all, everything is new at one point or another. Hopefully I'm not coming off rude or anything lol, I was so excited to have a large post to respond to, especially since I considered most of the points you brought up before I released it. I also would be so happy if any of my explanations helped you or anyone else on here to think of new patterns or rhythms. There is so much potential in just about every song, after all - you just have to get creative and let it out!

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Not gonna lie, hearing this feels AMAZING. It's somewhat discouraging to regularly place lowly just because of a silly gimmick or pattern, but just seeing that some people appreciate what I do from time to time makes it all worth it. I certainly go into most rounds expecting a few bad reviews, but I definitely try to go a somewhat different/unconventional route when possible. I know it's a 17 year old game, but I wouldn't put as much effort and energy into these if it didn't mean a lot. (Have I really been playing DDR for 14 years now? I feel so old )

You got it. Lemme figure out a way to set up my ancient camera and I'll try to at least capture my feet from behind. I am no good at video editing though, so I probably won't be super awesome at showing the screen or the chart at the same time. May take me a day or two, my roommates have some odd schedules and I try to respect them since they respect mine.

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I'm pretty sure this just became my longest single forum post. What is happening to me?! I gotta go back to lurking lol

I actually have some ideas for a song with absolutely insane and creative gimmicks, but I need to get the right song to pull them off without them being too arbitrary.... I'll probably get 0 points for doing it (if a chance for it happens), but I'll have lots of fun doing it. :P So I feel you on this one, Spork!. And you're welcome. I've actually never reviewed a file more than just brief thoughts, this one, I reviewed because it seems like you had some tricks up your sleeve from this one and I wanted to tell how I saw them.

Spork, thank you for making something like this. I don't know what I missed or how I missed, but that was very enjoyable. Twisty charts are a guilty pleasure of mine to play.


votes to come tues/wed/when I get to it

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BTW, what font did you use for Wicked Irie also, i like it.

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The King of Lost Towel, my good lady. With lots of random blending effects.

Thanks XxMakouxX ^.^