Dance Station Thread

 
 


Call for contributions:
This preservation effort is still ongoing, and every piece of information matters!

Valuable information include:
• Official song lists
• Official game assets
• Gameplay screenshots or recordings
• Or anything else you consider useful for this project

Information could refer to Dance Station 3DDX, Dance Station Stepper, or Digital Dance Station. Even information or files from bootleg games (such as the King Of Dancer franchise) or files used by the Dance Station 3DDX D-TECH Viewer program (.mp/.dat/.alz) could be very useful.


About the Song Packs:
The Dance Super Station 4DSS pack was recovered directly from an arcade dump, specifically from the .pk files (a zip-like file), with the stepcharts already in .sm format and includes original banners, music, and videos. The pack includes the base song list (119 songs), and also two patches (adding 40 new songs).

The Dance Station 3DDX pack was converted from a dump of a Chinese bootleg called 手舞足跳2008 (Dancing2008) (by PikoMonkey). This is essentially a reskin of 3DDX D-TECH that preserved the original music, stepcharts, and most banners (some with modified backgrounds). The stepcharts are defined in .mp files (a proprietary format) and were converted to .ssc to handle songs with BPM changes across difficulties.

The Dance Station Stepper pack was created by converting the original .msd files (a predecessor format of .dwi) provided by NGG, which supported both 4 and 5 panel pad formats. The step data was translated using the 🌐 official documentation, with some manual adjustments in offset (f*** with the #GAP tag) and measures cuts to stay in sync with the song. The banners are original assets, and most of the music files comes from the 3DDX and D-TECH series, with the remaining songs being custom cuts adjusted as closely as possible to the intended charts. Original resources (.msd files, banners, and song previews) used to create this project can be found at 🌐 this link.


Game style lore:
The Dance Station 3DDX was a dance rhythm game developed by the Korean company 🌐 NGG (Next Generation Games) and released in 2000, containing 34 songs. The game featured 4 foot pads (↙️↖️↗️↘️) and 4 hand sensors (⬅️⬇️⬆️➡️), which was pretty innovative back in that time. It supports 3 game modes: EASY, HARD, and CLUB (doubles), and players can unlock mods (such as 2x, 4x, etc.) by entering 8-move pattern codes. The 3D in the name comes from the inclusion of hand sensors, while DX stands for "deluxe," referring to the game’s cabinet with a massive 52-inch screen.


The same year, NGG also released a "non-deluxe" (cheaper) version called Dance Station Stepper (with a SX cabinet), which later received a 🌐 CS version for Windows. The game was meant to compete with other rhythm games of the time (notably PIU). Initially, the AC version featured a 5-panel layout (↙️↖️⏹️↗️↘️), looked almost identical to the original 3DDX in terms of interface, and had four regional variations (Korean, American, Indonesian, and Brazilian). The CS version featured the original 5-panel mode but also added support for 4-panel mode (⬅️⬇️⬆️➡️) and two mini-games that use all 9-panel, with the most notable change being a redesigned interface, including 4 play modes (single, versus, double, and couple) across three difficulties (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced).


NGG also released another Windows game for the US market, Digital Dance Station, essentially a home version of Dance Station Stepper. It was built on a modified version of DDR’99, an early DDR simulator, using .msd files for step charts with customizations for supporting both 🌐 DDR/PIU modes. The game included most Dance Station 3DDX tracks along with other popular western songs, and was sold with its own dance mat. It offered 4 play modes (single, versus, double, and couple) across three difficulties (BASIC, ANOTHER, and MANIAC).


In 2002, NGG released a sequel titled Dance Station 3DDX 2 D-TECH, adding 26 new songs. The game modes were renamed as PRETTY STEP (easy), POWER STEP (hard), and DUAL STEP (double). The step charts are encoded in a proprietary format with a .mp extension (details provided in a following section), also used by the 3DDX D-TECH Viewer program which was distributed by the developers back then as their first attempt to release a home version for practicing 3DDX gameplay. There was also a SOLO version of the game (with just one dance pad) sold with a SX cabinet.


In 2004, an upgrade for D-TECH was released under the name 3DDX 2 D-TECH Plus and was promoted on 🌐 NGG’s official site. While the full song list has not been documented, this release is known for adding several new tracks to the existing D-TECH game. Also, in the same year, an European version was released, replacing some existing songs with popular western titles, mostly from SAIFAM Group. However, due to the lack of online records, most of these titles remain unknown, but a few pictures from the CZ community show that banners were translated into English (e.g., “경고” appearing as “Caution”). Probably, some of these western songs later appeared in other NGG games released outside Korea (such as Digital Dance Station in the United States). On the other hand, according to a post on 🌐 nggworld’s Daum Cafe, a patch titled 3DDX 2 D-TECH Final was also planned, including new 20 additional songs as confirmed by IceZero (one of the developers). However, the official release of this patch remains unclear; some posts suggest that only a few machines received the update before the 3DDX cabinets disappeared from Korea. According to the specs, every AC game released by NGG came on both CD and HDD and with some luck, someone out there still has a copy of the CD.


The 3DDX game style went really popular in China, and after NGG went bankrupt around 2004, the Chinese company 🌐 AAM (Advanced Amusement Machines), also known as Ez2Dance back then (not related to Ez2Dancer game by AmuseWorld), continued the franchise by releasing Dance Station 3DDX 3 D-TECH, which replaced some existing songs in 3DDX 2 D-TECH by Chinese songs. Most of the videos still found online are from this version.


In 2007, the same Chinese company released a bootleg version called Dance Super Station (4DSS, Passional), built on the StepMania 3.9 engine and sold as an "upgrade" of the D-TECH serie. As a consequence, many original 3DDX/D-TECH cabinets were repainted (mostly in green or red), some received a Dance Station 5 D-TECH marquee (jumping straight from 3 to 5 with no known 3DDX 4 D-TECH in between), and the original hard drive was replaced, likely lost forever. There are also other cabinets manufactured by Huayi that run the same game engine, similar to a D-TECH cab, but their side LED bars closely resemble those found on the E5 cab. The game supports 4 modes: EASY, HARD, CLUB (double), and introduced a new game mode called REMIX (which only includes long version songs). Mods in this versions are unlocked by entering a 6-move pattern codes. The initial release included 119 songs, followed by two patches that added 20 additional songs. These updates are commonly known as 4.5 DSS by the Chinese community.


Also, back in the day, AAM released a 🌐 3DDX 2 (D-TECH) simulator and a 🌐 4DSS (Passional) simulator in the official website, both based on StepMania 3.9 engine. Luckily, I had both builds in an old HDD and now they have been preserved in 🌐 Jose Varela's SM Archive website, both available in the Stepmania 3.9 section. The simulators themselves were pretty buggy and low-quality, and only came with a handful of songs — but still, they were an official attempt to bring the game home.


 
Consequently, unofficial home setups started appearing in China, as some manufacturers began selling hand sensor kits with mounting stands (e.g. 🌐 Shouwuzudao's Ez2Dancer Dance Mat). Initially, players with a single kit of two hand sensors could simulate the Ez2Dancer experience at home, as shown in 🌐 this video. The sensors were typically placed on the floor in front of the player, allowing hand movements to be tracked alongside the foot steps on a dance mat. Using two kits, players could place all four sensors on each side of a Pump It Up soft pad, creating a full-body setup that closely resembles the 3DDX/E5 arcade gameplay experience, as shown in 🌐 this video.

 
Continuing the parade of weird bootlegs, there’s also another obscure game likely titled 疯狂舞曲 (Crazy Dance) ~ Classic Rock Dance, though I’m not completely sure since the logo is heavily stylized and hard to read. It uses the same cabinet design as the D-TECH series, but repainted in blue. There’s no official information available online, the developer remains unidentified, no gameplay footage, and the song list is unknown.


Following the rise in popularity of the gameplay style in China, the company Xiongye made a new bootleg called King of Dancer (舞王争霸, KOD), a franchise that eventually had three releases. The cabinet from the first release resembles a violet D-TECH version with a rounded top marquee and smaller speakers. There isn't much information about this game online, but it preserves the same 3DDX game modes (EASY, HARD, and CLUB), and mods are still activated using foot/hand input codes. Some pictures show that several songs from 3DDX and 4DSS are included, with new tracks labeled "五代歌曲" (5th generation) and those from 4DSS labeled "四代歌曲" (4th generation).


At some point, the cabinet for the first release was redesigned with a different look, possibly to avoid confusion with the D-TECH series. Unlike the original KOD release, this new cabinet was the first to incorporate a 19-inch touchscreen display for selecting songs, difficulty, and mods. Just like NGG did back in the day, Xiongye also released a 5-panel variant of the game with no hand sensors (yet another PIU bootleg) titled King of Dancer X.


As of the second release of KOD, the game engine added support for freeze arrows and a front-facing camera that shows you dancing in the background while you play. Just like the first version, there's not much info online about this sequel, but it seems like a bunch of 3DDX and 4DSS songs made it in (check out 🌐 this video). Based on the numbering shown in the song wheel, the game might have around 400 songs (e.g. "Sexy" by Black Eyed Peas appears as entry #370).


The third and last known release of the KOD features a rebranded cabinet and probably added several new songs, but it’s still unclear if there were any other changes since no updated builds or media have surfaced beyond just a few pictures and gameplays (like 🌐 this video).


Another cabinet that frequently appears online is Hand Dance 4 (手舞足蹈IV代加强势 Dance Station) — yeah, the Chinese full title is a little bit longer 😅. There’s not much info available about this version, but it seems it was also developed by Xiongye, which suggests it might have been a prequel or beta release of KOD. The cabinet is the same used by the D-TECH series repainted in pink, and the game features almost the same song list as 4DSS keeping the classic 3 game modes: EASY, HARD, and CLUB (double). There's also another release of this frachise called Hand Dance 5 (手舞足蹈5代) that features the same cabinet repainted in dark pink, but there's still no solid info about this game online.


One last related but distinct case is Dance Core (舞者之星), developed in 2011 by the Korean company Krenova (크레노바) and distributed by WAHLAP (华立科技) in China. The game features 4 foot pads (⬅️⬇️⬆️➡️) and 4 hand sensors (↙️↖️↗️↘️), a clearly "mirrored" variation of 3DDX gamestyle (same concept but flipped). Unlike 3DDX, a typical VRG (Vertical Rhythm Game) where notes move along a vertical axis, Dance Core moves notes from the edges toward the center.


All of these cabinets began disappearing in 2010 after the release of D-Dance Master (D舞达人), also developed by AAM. The game featured 200 songs and was popularly referred to as Dance Master Station. Similar to KOD, the cabinet included a touchscreen display and supported freeze arrows, but also introduced a 5th center foot pad (↙️↖️⏹️↗️↘️) in addition to the four hand sensors (⬅️⬇️⬆️➡️). There’s not much information about this specific title online (only a few videos like 🌐 this one), but the noteskin used in this version curiously resembles the PIU arrows.


However, shortly after, AAM redesigned the cabinet and rebranded the game as e-Dance Fame (e舞成名, also known as E5), with tons of videos online, featuring new arrows on both the pad and gameplay. With the addition of online update support and cloud-based custom step charts (created with the Dancer Studio program), the game became popularly known as E5Online. Just like NGG did back in the day, AAM also released a SOLO version of the cabinet.


The game’s still very popular in China, receiving monthly updates and currently featuring over 5K songs at the time of writing. On average, around 70 new charts (not songs) are added each month. There are 6 game styles: FANCY (for freestyle players), SPEED (for score players), PARTY (for beginners), DIY (for custom charts), and WEF (for online competition). After selecting a style, players can choose from 6 modes: EASY, HARD, DEVIL (heavy), CLUB (double), LOVER (couple), and REMIX (long version songs). Some charts are exclusive to VIP members through a paid NFC card system, similar to Andamiro’s AM PASS or Konami’s e-Amusement Pass. Gameplay mods can be selected directly via the touchscreen. The interface has changed over the years (and probably will keep changing), mostly in terms of the song wheel, but the core gameplay concept has remained unchanged.


Of course, as expected, there is (at least) one bootleg of E5 titled Oriental Dancing Queen (东方舞后), developed by Guangzhou Hongguan Animation Technology. The songs included in this version remain unknown, and no pictures or gameplay videos have been found online. The only certain thing about this bootleg is that it preserves the same styles and modes as E5 game.


There's also a StepMania-based simulator for E5 called E5MNQ, but it's been inaccessible from some countries outside China (probably due to Great Firewall stuff). By subscribing, you gained access to a wide selection of song packs, which include audio, banners, and empty stepcharts. As your subscription remains active (and not banned like mine 😅), the simulator is able to download the actual stepcharts on the fly when you select a song. However, these simfiles don’t support hand sensors, making it essentially a PIU simulator with an E5 up-to-date songlist (because also receives monthly updates). This limitation comes from the StepMania build used in the simulator, which doesn’t support E5 mode — a feature later introduced in OutFox (ds3ddx-single5 and ds3ddx-double5).


In 2021, AAM also released a home version of this game called Dance Home E5+, which includes a dance mat, a 3D camera for motion tracking, a remote control, and a USB stick containing the game. The front end is built with HTML/JS and communicates with a local server acting as a proxy to download and decrypt the songs. Curiously, the game database contains references to two types of step chart files (hosted on public URLs), .sm and .aimss.en, but only the last one seems to be used by the engine. This file appears to be encrypted using an AES CBC-128 method, where the Key and IV are derived from each file’s header, resulting in a .json file after decryption. Sadly, the files referenced from this game only contain single charts; probably because the home edition doesn’t support two pads, though the AC version may use the same format.


In 2025, the cabinet for E5 was rebranded with a minimalist style, featuring a new dance pad and the removal of the top structure for the hands tracking, which now seems to be tracked by software using a camera like the E5+ Home Version (not so accurate for score players). Also introduced a new game mode named DYNAMIC, aimed for freestyle players (as seen in 🌐 this video), which curiously resembles Konami's Dance Evolution.


Just to clear things up, Dance Station 3DDX, Dance Super Station (4DSS), Dance Master Station (E5), and King Of Dancer (KOD) are all different games, even though their cabinets look pretty similar. The only game currently known to be based on StepMania is 4DSS; the rest use their own engines (unless proven otherwise).

In summary:
Game                    Developer       Hands  Dual  Center  Holds  Platform
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DS 3DDX                 NGG (KR)        ✅    ✅    ❌     ❌     AC
DS 3DDX 2 D-TECH        NGG (KR/EU)     ✅    ✅    ❌     ❌     AC
DS 3DDX 3 D-TECH        AAM (CN)        ✅    ✅    ❌     ❌     AC
DS 3DDX 4 D-TECH        AAM (CN)        ✅    ✅    ❌     ❌     AC?
DS 3DDX 5 D-TECH / 4DSS AAM (CN)        ✅    ✅    ❌     ❌     AC
DS Stepper              NGG (KR)        ❌    ✅    ✅     ❌     AC / CS*
Digital DS              NGG (US)        ❌    ✅    ✅     ❌     CS*
CD                      ??? (CN)        ✅    ✅    ❌     ❌     AC
HD4 / HD5               Xiongye (CN)    ✅    ✅    ❌     ❌     AC
KOD / KOD 2 / KOD 3     Xiongye (CN)    ✅    ✅    ❌     ✅     AC
KOD X                   Xiongye (CN)    ❌    ✅    ✅     ✅     AC
E5                      AAM (CN)        ✅    ✅    ✅     ✅     AC
E5+                     AAM (CN)        ✅    ❌    ✅     ✅     CS
E5MNQ                   MNQ (CN)        ❌    ✅    ✅     ✅     CS
ODQ                     Guangzhou (CN)  ✅    ✅    ✅     ✅     AC
D08                     PikoMonkey (CN) ✅    ✅    ❌     ❌     AC?
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
*supports 4 and 5 pads

Is that all? Probably not. There are some weird and obscure bootlegs out there that aren’t listed here. All that remains are a few promotional images online, and there’s no solid evidence they were ever officially released or ever caught on.


Chinese classification by game generation:
One interesting thing in Chinese communities is that dance games (跳舞机) are often categorized into “generations” (代), an informal classification based on both chronological release and gameplay evolution.

1st Generation (1代)
Includes Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) by Konami, Pump It Up (PIU) by Andamiro, and TechnoMotion (TM) by F2System. These games established the foundation for pad-based rhythm gameplay

2nd Generation (2代)
Includes Ez2Dancer by AmuseWorld, and some wired bootlegs like Dance King (舞林至尊): GoGo Dancer by KenYanYou Electronics (check 🌐 this link) or, why not, the mysterious Dance Machine 18 (DM18) by Eolith (check 🌐 this link). Introduced front-mounted hand sensors marking a key shift toward more immersive and full-body dance gameplay. The “2” in the most popular game under this category directly refers to the generation number.

3rd Generation (3代)
Includes Dance Station 3DDX by NGG and the D-TECH series. Known for combining 4 foot panels and 4 hand sensors, allowing a three-dimensional gameplay experience. The “3” in the game title, in addition to 3D experience, also references this generation number.

4th Generation (4代)
Includes Dance Super Station (4DSS) by AAM and King of Dancer (KOD) by Xiongye. Although they follow the 3DDX game style with no notable gameplay changes, they are considered a new generation just because they were developed in China, gaining popularity in local arcades, and incorporating Chinese songs.

5th Generation (5代)
Includes Dance Master Station by AAM, as well as wired bootlegs like Oriental Dancing Queen (东方舞后) by Guangzhou Hongguan Animation Technology. They all feature a new fifth center panel as a novelty and are commonly grouped under the E5 umbrella, both concepts directly refers to the "5" in the generation number.


About MP file format:
This binary file format seems to have been introduced with the D-TECH release of 3DDX, and it's likely used in other bootleg or unofficial versions of the game as well. It stores metadata, timing info, and note data.



FILE HEADER (248 bytes)
OFFSET  SIZE  CONTENT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
0x00    20   Signature "3DDX 2ndStep" (string)
0x14    148  Song audio file name (string)
0xA8    40   Song title (string)
0xD0    40   Song artist (string)
0xF8    36   Chart header (see below)

CHART HEADER (36 bytes)
OFFSET  SIZE  CONTENT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
0x00    8    Initial BPM (double)
0x08    8    Audio offset in ms (double)
0x10    8    Difficulties (uint32)
             Positions:
             • 0    Easy (single)
             • 1    Hard (single)
             • 2-3  Easy (versus)
             • 4-5  Hard (versus)
             • 6-7  Dual (double)
0x18    2    Padding (null bytes)
0x1A    4    Unknown values (bytes)
0x1E    4    First note offset in ticks (uint32)
0x22    2    Padding (null bytes)

NOTE DATA (48 bytes per note)
OFFSET  SIZE  CONTENT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
0x00    8    Segment BPM (double)
0x08    8    Stop duration (double)
0x10    8    Unknown values (bytes)
0x18    16   Column flags (see values below)
0x28    2    Next note offset in ticks (uint16)
0x2A    2    End flag (00=continue, FF=end)
0x2C    4    Next chart offset (uint32)

COLUMN FLAGS (uint16 values)
VALUE   DESCRIPTION
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
0x0301  Left Hand (←)
0x0501  Down Left Pad (↙)
0x0601  Up Left Pad (↖)
0x0101  Up Hand (↑)
0x0201  Up+Down Hands (↑↓)
0x0001  Down Hand (↓)
0x0701  Up Right Pad (↗)
0x0801  Down Right Pad (↘)
0x0401  Right Hand (→)

REMARKS
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
• Notes are defined in 52th (instead of standard 48th)
• Numbers are encoded in little-endian format
• Strings are encoded in EUC-KR


Dancer Sudio for DIY style in E5:
For the DIY style, AAM provides an official chart editor called Dancer Studio (舞者工作室), which allows players to create and upload their own step charts. The software is Windows-only and requires a WeChat account to log in. Once logged in, you get access to an up-to-date catalog of E5 songs and you can start making your own stepcharts. Curiously, the software allows to import .sm files.



Dance Station 3DDX D-TECH Viewer:
A freeware program that allows users to practice ds3ddx at home back in the 2000s. This program spacifically reads .dat files, which are essentially a concatenation of .mp (step charts) and .mp3 (audio) files, and those .dat files were commonly shared among users in .alz archives (a Korean zip-like format) sometimes accompanied by additional segmented files with extensions like .a00, .a01, etc.



Some files can be found at /nggworld (Daum) but unfortunately many of the official files haven't been preserved. Some known but now unarchived examples include 🌐 ozings' links and 🌐 nggworld's links. If you come across any of these files on the Wayback Machine or any other website, I’d really appreciate if you share them.


Songlist by release:
Songs are listed based on their first appearance in each release, except when later updates introduced changes in the stepcharts, in which case the updated version is also included. For detailed information, including chart difficulties, banners, and missing content, check out this GSheet. Everyone is welcome to leave a comment if you spot anything that could help improve the project.


Dance Station 3DDX (AC) (Korea) [complete]


Dance Station 3DDX 2 D-TECH (AC) (Korea) [complete]


Dance Station 3DDX 2 D-TECH (AC) (Europe) (incomplete)


Dance Station 3DDX 2 D-TECH Plus (AC) (Korea) [complete]


Dance Station 3DDX 2 D-TECH Final (AC) (Korea) [complete]


Dance Station 3DDX 3 D-TECH (AC) (China) [complete]


Dance Super Station 4DSS (AC) (China) [complete]


Dance Super Station 4DSS ~ Upgrade 1 (AC) (China) [complete]


Dance Super Station 4DSS ~ Upgrade 2 (AC) (China) [complete]


Dance Station Stepper (PC) (Korea) [complete]


King Of Dancer (AC) (China) [incomplete]


King Of Dancer 2 (AC) (China) [incomplete]



Unlock hidden mods codes:
The way modifiers are unlocked varies depending on the game.




References:
• Dance Station 3DDX (by NGG)
• Dance Station 3DDX 2 D-TECH (by IceZero)
• Dance Station 3DDX 3 D-TECH (by AAM)
• Dance Station 3DDX (GAMICUS article)
• Dance Station 3DDX (Arcade Museum article)
• Dance Station 3DDX (Namu Wiki article)
• Dance Station 3DDX (CoinExpress publication)
• Dance Station 3DDX (ChannelBeat publication)
• Dance Station 3DDX D-TECH (ChannelBeat publication)
• Dance Station 3DDX (Czech MusicGames post)
• Dance Station 3DDX (Czech Community post)
• Dance Station 3DDX (Livejournal, Stasie post)
• Dance Station 3DDX (BeatmaniaIIDX website, Stsung post)
• Dance Station Stepper (Kotaku screenshots)
• Dance Station Stepper (Windows game, by NGG)
• Digital Dance Station (by NGG)
• Dance Super Station (by AAM)
• Dance Super Station (by ANZHENG)
• Dance Master Station E5 Online (by AAM)
• Dance Master Station E5 Online Solo (by AAM)
• Dance Master Station E5 Online (Baike Baidu)
• Dance Master Station E5 Online (2025 version) (Bilibili introduction video)
• Dance Home E5+ (by AAM)
• Hand Dance 4 (by Amunion)
• Hand Dance 4 (by Xiongye)
• Hand Dance 5 (by Xiongue)
• King of Dancer (by Xiongye)
• King of Dancer 2 (by Xiongye)
• King of Dancer 3 (by Xiongye)
• King of Dancer (Baike, Baidu)
• King of Dancer (ChannelBeat publication)
• King of Dancer 2 (Wenky Baidu)

Ooooh! We use to have a Dance Station 3DDX cab in the UK nearby in the early 2000s, I remember playing Genie In A Bottle I won't be able to play on pad/with sensors, but I'm looking forward to seeing these! good work

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Thanks! Hope you enjoy it

I was able to play 3DDX just once around 2007 in my country, and since then I wished to port it into SM. I remember to play "Mambo No.5" as my first song and didn't clear it 😅 Hope somebody out there could have more resources or information to keep expanding this project.

I just uploaded a batch of pictures such as taken at IBA (a.k.a International Bowl Arcade a.k.a. International Bowling and Arcade) from August 10th, 2001. My batch starts at image id 67753 and goes through 67767. For the record, they had 7 dance machines in a row - a very primitive DDR (probably O.G, maybe USA?), 3rd Mix Korean v2, Dance Station Stepper, and 4 Pump It Up Cabinets. I'd been trying to remember the name of this game for years. I finally excavated these pictures and found the name... which immediately led to this post, so hopefully this helps.

I definitely can say that our cabinet had the DJ Doc's classic "Run to You" as well as a version of "Tarzan Boy". We also definitely played WAY more DDR 3rd Mix Kv2, so it's quite possible that I didn't even play every song on that machine.

Wow. It wasn't a myth at all. Thanks for sharing!

I found the data from the Windows version of Dance Station (though I’m not sure whether it's the Stepper or Digital version). According to Kotaku's article the banner I got matches the Stepper version, but who knows how reliable that source is. The data is in encoded .msd files (predecessor to .dwi) with some customization to support pump mode. Sadly, I only have a 10-second preview of the songs.

I hope someone out there still has a copy of it.

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Just for the record, I added the spec of the .mp file format (used by the D-TECH version) in the first post.

I'm still trying to find the .dat files (which act as containers for the .mp and .mp3 files) that were shared by the Korean community back then, but no luck so far. The PC versions of the game sold by NGG in Korea (Dance Station 4th) and in the USA (Digital Dance Station) may contain many of the missing audio files. If anyone has them or know where can I find them, DM me.

Also, I noticed that King of Dancer 2 includes several songs from the D-TECH series (as seen in this video), so a copy of that game could be very helpful as well.

Thanks,bro.I had enjoyed play these pack and enjoyed your good work that takes me back to my unforgettable memory.
However I got those problems meets:
Missing simfile:Girl(E,H,C),Hitsong(E,H,C),ICEBABY(E,H,C)
Missing Songs:纯情(E,H),精舞门(E,H),眉飞色舞(H,C),美丽新世界(E,H,C),绿光(E,H,C),动感音乐DJ(H)
Incorrect Media and simfile:本草纲目(E,H,C)
General Problem:
Remix song are unplayable,Maybe is in a case of simfile problem.
Background Video aspect ratio should be in 4:3.
Some songs displays song background incorrectly.
Other Problem:
Some songs still missing while downloading full pack,and some song simfiles completely missing file names.
Also I had used arcade dump to make noteskins working fine.(Not so perfect yet.)

Hey! Thanks for pointing that out.

It seems I messed up when I first uploaded the files (too many songs 😅). I've just upload the missing/incorrect songs and made a repack. The zipping option is provided by ZIV in the simfile category and should work, but I’m not sure how reliable it is (mostly because of the chinese characters). If you're still having issues, I can try another alternative.

Just to clarify, the song you labeled as "动感音乐DJ" is actually 现在跳舞 by 动感音乐DJ.

As for the remix songs, they’re defined with Challenge difficulty, what do you mean by unplayable? Are they not loading at all?
Idk about the issues you're having with the bg videos, might it be a problem with your StepMania/OutFox setup?

I tried that Challenge difficulty unplayable is a problem while playing in Project Outfox that I found out the log says"Couldn't load the Hard Chart's NoteData from song...".
While playing that no any notes appears...

Oops! Looks like there was a typo in the "Challenge" mode for the REMIX songs in the 4DSS pack, they were written as "Challange" in the .sm files. That should be fixed now!

I don't really have anything to contribute except: thank you for caring enough about this game to do all this research, archive the songs and make this thread. I didn't even know this game existed, so even now i'm still learning stuff about old rhythm games. 😄

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Hey! Thanks so much 😊 That really means a lot!

I'm always updating the post whenever I find new stuff, hoping it helps more people discover (or rediscover) this game style, especially since they're pretty much forgotten from western players.

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Just for the record
[25/06/15]
- Added links to 3DDX and 4DSS simulators based on StepMania 3.9
- Added Dancer Studio for E5 section
- Added hidden mod unlock codes section
- Added Chinese classification section for dance-based rhythm games
- Added evidence of the existence of 3DDX 2 D-TECH Plus (simfile categories were also updated)
- Added info about the Hand Dance 4 (手舞足蹈4代) and Hand Dance 5 (手舞足蹈5代) cabs

Am I able to play this using a standard 4 panel dancepad using Outfox? How would it work without the hands input?

edit: just realized it is diagonal arrows, darn.

You can always rotate your pad by 45° 😅 Or simply enable Autogen in your Outfox settings

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[25/07/20]
– Added screenshots from KOD (first release), with notes on 3DDX/4DSS song inclusion
– Added preliminary info about the .aimss.en file format used by E5+ Dance Home
– Added a “Songlist by release” section for a quick overview of the song list
– Added a GSheet link with progress on songs from 3DDX, D-TECH, 4DSS, KOD, and DS Stepper (CS)
– For those interested in contributing, the GSheet is open to comments; help with untranslated Chinese banner will be appreciated

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[25/08/08]
- Added Lies (by Big Bang) simfile from 3DDX D-TECH 2 Final; decrypted from the only .dat file available in nggworld Daum cafe

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[25/08/24]
- Added missing DS 2 D-TECH European version songs (*):
⠀ • Butterfly [E]
⠀ • Gimme Hope Jo'Anna [E]
⠀ • Witch Doctor [EH]
- Banners from DS 2 D-TECH European version songs were recreated from low-quality pictures using Gemini AI.

(*) Charts copied from CZ Community gameplay videos (thanks Xsoft!). Sadly, these are the only full charts recordings I have from this version; if you know of any other gameplay videos, please let me know in the comments!

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[30/08/24]
- The DS Stepper (PC) songpack is now public with 55 songs
⠀ • Includes DDR/PIU charts in single/double/couples, each with basic/another/maniac modes
⠀ • There are 8 songs still missing; sadly, unarchived from ngg website
⠀ • Keep in mind:
⠀ ⠀ ○ Many audio files were reused from 3DDX / D-TECH, remain audio files are custom cut
⠀ ⠀ ○ Source .msd files are from early 2000, don't expect extra hard stepchart
⠀ ⠀ ○ Offsets were fixed by hand, so sync may not be perfect
⠀ ⠀ ○ Some songs place the first note immediately as the music starts, so they may start abruptly

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⏳This project will remain on hiatus until new resources surface

Or until I could find a way to decrypt the E5+ songs 👀 In the meantime, I have no choice but to wait for new resources, which may include dumps, assets, gameplay videos, or any other material related to DS 3DDX/D-TECH (AC), DS Stepper (AC/PC), Digital DS (PC), or KOD (AC) series.

The article has been updated to include the new DS Stepper (PC) pack, along with some additional details uncovered during research.

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[25/09/14]
– Fix double mode in DS Stepper (PC) charts; corrected faulty conversion