Z-I-v Simfile Tycoon Deluxe

Baqeela (Silver Spirit)

- This chart as a whole has a tendency to face right for very long periods of time (see: m5-8, m47-55) Be mindful of player comfort and make sure you're not leaving them facing one way for a while (unless the music specifically demands it so!). Step with movements in mind, not just how it looks!
- The other major point I would work on is in patterning consistency/symmetry. If a pattern goes a certain way, keep it consistent for subsequent sections. This can be something as simple as making the gallops on m71 all go off on different arrows than the previous one or making the patterning at m40-41 match each other.
- Flow errors at b130, b154, b208, b257

Boys (TonyAkita)

(ESP)
- I would rerate this to a 10 or 11
- Sync is about 8ms late (change to -0.148)
- I like the crossover sequences for the most part; they feel pretty smooth
- Good use of doublesteps starting at m41
- I would work on ironing out little nuances in the patterning of this chart - e.g. m17's stepjump would be easier if the subsequent sequences started on U, not R; as it is it's a bit of a weird spike in patterning difficulty; m13's crossover sequence now includes candles when the previous ones didn't; the repeated 'I was busy thinkin' 'bout boys' lines are charted differently in every repetition for no real reason. Since you've got all the important basics of charting covered, these kinds of things are what I would put my attention towards

CALAMITY PHOENIX (t7r)

(ESP)
- Rhythms at m7 seem like they're shifted an 8th late?
- 'Arbitrary' crossover patterning executed well in this chart. Even though the 16th crossovers don't go to any strong musical cues, they build with the music and the difficulty curve of the chart well. Reminds me of a good modern DDR chart!
- Personally don't really like the 8th laterals -> 8th spins phrasing near the end
- I dig the ending crossover doublesteps. Cool and unique stuff
- Nice clean fun overall!

CASKADE (peterw)

(ESP)
- Well-made chart. The difficulty buildup, gradual layering of different rhythms, and use of freeze doublesteps and rolls was generally on point. You made good work out of a repetitive song.
- Good flow, although my personal preference would be to make the crossover runs a little smoother and easier rather than sandwiching them with candles
- Keep in mind the difficulty of candle runs vs. mono-directional runs. I would try and ease the patterning around the 24th rolls as much as possible in particular.
- Like in my other feedbacks this round, this chart could be improved with some pitch-relevant patterning and repeated 'motifs' in mind. There are some of the latter already in the song (with the 24th rolls and crossovers) but I'd like to see things cleaned up a little more and patterning 'symmetry' (making equivalent sections in a song charted the same way, with the same steps mirrored or modified as you see fit) considered a little more.

dreamland (Random)

- I like the rhythm choices that switch between the vocals and the synths, but I would've used more freezes to match the vocals and distinguish when you're going to which cue
- As I stated in the other reviews, adding some pitch-relevant patterning here would improve this chart even more. E.g. at b141, make the crossover patterning even harder than the repetition before it, since the vocals go even higher
- I think spins should be used with more intentionality. Have them go to a specific lyrical cue or melody (see: Luminous Days ESP, More One Night CSP as examples of officials that do this well) and if you're going to use them randomly make the spin patterning easier
- Nice patterning during the chorus! I like the stepjumps
- Incorrect rhythms at b50, b66

Flip-Flap-Flop (Pandy)

(ESP)
- I like the stepjump patterning motif in this chart a lot! I wish there were more consistent musical cues like this. A lot of the patterning in this feels like it's just... there, when there are a lot of repeating musical patterns that could make for cool tech.
- I think the next step up for this chart would be to chart with some pitch relevance in mind. Some examples:
- If a melody goes up or down, don't chart it as a drill or box unless there's a difficulty-related reason to do so (see: m79's burst and m9's burst both being charted differently and inconsistently)
- Save candles or harder patterning for when melodies get higher or more intense than in previous phrases. This can be applied to a lot of the 8th patterning in this chart
- This also ties into my first bullet point: when there's a distinctive repeating melody or musical phrase, make something out of it!
- Overall enjoyable chart. But since you're a skilled simfile veteran my expectations are that much higher for you lol

Heavenly caress (darkanine)

- Use SM5 scroll gimmicks if you want to change scroll speed by a factor other than 1/2 or 2 please!!!
- Not really a fan of the 480BPM speedups; they make all the 240 portions rather miserable to play and out of place for the intensity of the song

(CSP)
- To be frank, I was a bit disappointed by this chart. There are lots of opportunities for spicier 16th rhythms in the chaotic piano and drum runs, but most of them were either heavily truncated or ignored. This looks like a 16, not an 18 - it's just not dense or fast enough
- That being said, this chart is fine on its own. There are a lot of crossover runs that look fun to execute, and gallops this fast are a unique experience not unlike flams in ITG
- The way you picked up rhythms (as well as your use of jumps) seem weird to me; some places where it differed from both the backing percussion and the main piano/strings and it made me confused as to what you were going to

(ESP)
- Looks more like a 15, sort of like ENDYMION DSP but a bit easier
- Similar thoughts to CSP, since most of the patterning is the same

Ievan Polkka (HDM)

(CSP)
- Personally don't like stepjumps where the arrow before and after the jump are on the same arrow, so you have to hit 3 notes in a row with the same foot... but at the same time, this is slow enough that it's not very much of a problem
- m32 This bit is so sexy
- I think you could be a little more accurate in picking up rhythms, but no complaints overall
- Footswitches feel a little forced since they come out of nowhere and only happen 2 times in the tail end of a musically repetitive section. If you want to use them, go all the way
- Would personally remove the lateral, but the crossovers in the 2nd half look like they'd be otherwise fun to execute
- Good consistent use of freezes to go to that 'whoo' sample lol

(ESP)
- Good use of slow spins in the buildup; the ones near the end feel a little forced
- Love that you kept certain patterning cues like m32's up crossovers consistent with the CSP
- May be a 12, not an 11

JOMANDA (Zekk Remix) (Jared)

- As a general note, I would work on matching patterning and rhythms to the song better (whether that be in 'overcharting'/'undercharting' to match the song's intensity or picking up specific rhythms in the song). There were a lot of moments when I thought 'you charted it like THIS?' both rhythm and pattern wise. Here's what stuck out to me the most:
- Overusing jumps during sections without prominent backing beats (like m17~, m57/b230 in CSP)
- Incorrect rhythms that ignore loud percussion/melodies (like m69 in CSP, m72, m94 in CSP/ESP)

- I would take a look at more DDR officials and DDR customs to get a better feel for how certain musical elements are patterned

(CSP)
- Generally good flow. A few doublesteps here and there.
- Personally I would've liked to see a difficulty spike during the key change, and for the ending to be charted a little harder (there are a lot of 16ths you skipped!)
- Ending stream is really obnoxious lol

(ESP)
- Similar opinion to CSP. Good use of 16th rhythms during the climax of the song though

Mr. Fixer (Gameoson)

(CSP)
- Nice consistent rhythms! I like how you kept things consistent by going to the drums and not the piano
- Like the crossover stepjump and footswitch patterning during the chorus a lot
- I personally feel that 16th up arrow footswitches are too much of a difficulty spike for a chart this easy. I'd adjust them to be on down

(ESP)
- Similar thoughts to CSP. Well-constructed chart, and I like that it adapts many of the same cues from CSP

Mulch (Daffa)

(ESP)
- Too easy for a 15 imo. Needs more 16ths or difficult stepjump patterning to be a 15
- Crossovers going to the chopped up vocal samples are great! I would shake things up a little for the other sections though
- I can't help but compare this to Gameoson's chart for this from SC2019. While this chart has its moments, I do feel like it lacks a little in impact having seen a file for this already...
- Adding some gimmicks to this chart would've been a good way to differentiate your file (e.g. stutter gimmicks at places like m43; scroll gimmicks at the very end) Feels like a missed opportunity to me

RAINBOW EXPRESS (Forced)

(ESP)
- A surprisingly restrained effort coming from you!
- Personally would've kept patterning more/completely symmetrical in places where the music repeated (like the beginning and end)
- Great crossover and gallop flow
- Hope you make a challenge chart for this; this song could be even spicier

Sen Olsan Bari (Tikal)

(CSP)
- Good flow and patterning. I like the use of lateral movements to accent higher pitched lines
- Would've personally liked to see more layering with the instrumental track and different patterning to distinguish the chorus from the verse before it. The chart just gets... easier here
- The brief bit with footswitches is a very harsh difficulty spike. Not much reason to have the footswitches there specifically in the first place when the rest of this section is charted as jacks, plus this pattern is awkward (sideswitch going ULLU when it would be easier to go ULLD; footswitch into a crossover)
- On point use of freezes and rolls
- Overall good chart that just falls apart a bit for me towards the end; most of these are nitpicks I'm making because I know you're already a skilled stepper

(ESP)
- I like the use of pitch-relevant crossovers (spins) being retained from CSP
- Good, inoffensive chart

WE ARE THE DREAMERS (vonafroa)

(CSP)
- Those shock arrows are unnecessary man they don't even go to anything or do anything super creative
- See ESP for my thoughts on this chart basically

(ESP)
- Unmarked footswitch / doublestep at b58
- Not really a fan of the jumpstreams at b67 and b211. They're made even harder since they're at half speed and they're right before a speedup
- I like the vibe of this chart. Personally I would take a page from ITG tech and stamina charting when writing streams this long to prevent things from getting too monotonous or random-feeling. Chart according to the sounds; when the sounds are higher, put in crossovers or candles. The higher or more intense the sound is, the more intense the patterning should get. If a sound repeats on the same pitch/note, make those drills or anchor patterns
- I have the same gripe that I have for the second half as I do for Kusare Gedou / Rotten Chocolate CSP: there are 16ths in the song but the 16ths in the chart don't go to them. I'd take a second look at the beat in the background and change the patterning so the 16ths go to those cues
- Overall I would probably enjoy this chart if it were a DDR official though. It's a very unique one for sure. Good job!

YAOYOROZU LANDS (PenTA)

(ESP)
- Would personally wait until m8 to start the steps for player comfort, but this is a nitpick
- (b79) Don't do this to me man I would go into that the wrong way on pad 100%
- Nice use of gallops starting at m22. Although I would have charted the second set as laterals too... 270s aren't meta, plus the rest of the gallop sequences are laterals
- (b162) Sounds more like 12ths/24ths
- Patterning starting at m46 is good shit. I love that shit
- Would personally chart the bit starting at m56 differently; gallops don't really fit the vibe here and there are lots of juicy rhythms
- Tbh this could have a really juicy challenge chart. Feels like you held back a bit
- Overall good chart with a few spicy bits. Could use a little bit more attention to pattern symmetry and I'm a little sad at the lack of 24ths, but if this were a DDR official it would be one of the nicer 15s