How do you define a versatile player?

I started playing a lot lately and personally I play various ways (Bar, No Bar, Mods, No Mod, Slow, Fast Songs, NonStop, Doubles etc) all depends on how I feel.

So I asked my self what is versatile player, cause a lot a of players are bar players since standard mode, or don't try out slow songs and stuff like that.


How do you define a versatile player?

Well you seem quite versatile already.

How about not playing bracket.
Being able to Great Attack.
Being able to pass 13 footers, singles and doubles.
Being able to pass ITG Marathon courses with all those crazy mods.
Using Hands always when a third/fourth arrow appears.
Being able to play PIU.
Being able to play slow songs on 1x.
Being able to compensate for pad damage (sticky / nonresponsive arrows).

That's all I can think of that you haven't mentioned. I'm the complete opposite of versatile, but I only play for exercise so I play songs that maximize my workout (mines off, I suck at mods, and I constantly pick 10-12 footers [13's tear me up and my goal is to keep playing so I only choose them when I'm almost done for the day]).

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honestly, versatile doesnt matter. if the screen says AAA 5/5 times, it doesnt matter if you played bar, mods, no bar, no mods, etc. slow/fast doesnt matter because we have speed mods for that. if someone can read bag x1 but not max300 x1, they can play max300 on x.5 to solve that problem, right? read the back of your DDR instruction manuals, it suggests using different speed mods to play at your best. the game also doesnt save scores using "DQ" mods, just like IIDX and ITG, so screw "versatile" and just find what puts the best score on the results screen at the end. also the end of needing to be versatile was cemented when home versions started letting you use mods for oni mode, and X removing oni as a separate mode.

any tournament where the person running it knows what they are doing will allow the player their choice of mods/bar use, after all konami has deemed these things okay and they made the game, its nooneelse's job to decide if its an okay thing. on that note, if you DO find a player that isnt good at slow songs, exploit it, but a good player wont have that problem because he should be smart enough to realize he can change his options and put bag at x8.

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i swear to god ill punch someone in the face if this turns into a bar/nobar argument

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I consider a versatile player someone that can sightread just about any good chart at their level, do it right (properly step crossovers, Afronova walks, half-spins, hands, etc. instead of doublestepping or bracketing*), and get a decent score on it.

In my case:
"at my level" = 11's on DDR/ITG (singles and doubles) and 16's singles/15's doubles on PIU.
"decent score" = over 85% (ITG), a high B (DDR), or an A (PIU).

Score doesn't really have to matter much. I think it's great that some people have razor-sharp timing, but you tend to see those people trying to PFC/quad while bar-raping, and they simply can't be having that much fun. Good score =/= good play. I play mostly to have fun, but I enjoy getting high scores, too.

Also, being able to play doubles, even if you're at half the level you play on singles (typical), automatically makes you more versatile. DOUBLES FTW

Bar use has its place - in the charts that warrant it (ones that are designed for bar). For example, if you use the bar in Pandemonium, I'm OK with that, but if you use it in exotic ethnic I will hurt you
I think most mods are OK. Even C-mods and no-mines/-hands have their place (which admittedly is almost nowhere )

*Notice how I didn't mention any common futuring practices.

Also this

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"do it right" means you have a good score. it doesnt freaking matter if they double stepped, spun, or afronova walked. the guy who plays afronova x3 solo and double steps got a better score than the guy who played it x1 vivid no bar and afronova walked. guy #1 did it right, you cant argue with the results screen.


yeah... 11s on DDR arent the same as 11s on ITG, and while PIU is played based on number of misses and on some songs less than 30 misses is amazing, the same isnt true for DDR. a good score in DDR, generally, is something that gets you ES. a B, 85%, wont get you ES.


you dont determine what is fun. you go ahead and play "the right way" as you put it, i'll play x3 solo with the bar double stepping and enjoy doing GOOD, taking machine scores, etc. to some people, getting the high score is fun. you say you enjoy it but if you think 85% is a good score i doubt you do, that or you dont have good players in your area. i get laughed at because i'm the only one here that hasnt AAAed kind lady, our group enjoys getting scores. we dont enjoy ourselves when the pads dont work because we cant do that, i'm guessing you're one of those guys who will play on busted pads just because you find playing DDR in general to be fun, arent you?


i've passed all the DDR boss songs on doubles up to SN1, i lost interest in doubles at SN2. my brother has over 100 AAAs while i have 1. i might be "versatile" but he is better at DDR than me despite having trouble with 6s on doubles.


the guy with the better score wins, regardless of what mods he used unless they DQ. c-mods, no mines, no hands, etc DQ your score, yet you say they are okay? but people shouldnt use the bar, a perfectly legal play style, for 9s? i dont get it. not at all.


yeah i already covered this little contradiction

and really i dont care how people play, its like pad vs stick for fighters. whatever gets you the best result, use that. just dont tell me how i should be playing.

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I would consider someone a versatile player if they could not only do all or most of those things you guys mentioned, but could maybe also do other intense physical activity like running and swimming. I do a lot of mile running in the summer, and it makes a difference when I play DDR.

Also I don't care either about the bar/ no bar thing. It's there, so it can be used.

I've never played DDR for the sake of scoring, and I go out of my way to do everything "properly", but I can't argue with N00b. This isn't Ice Skating, and there aren't judges to score you on your form. The only way to compare 2 players competing against each other is by their scores.

I'd like to be proud that I play without the bar, always hit 3s with my feet, can pass Arabbiata without double-stepping, can pass Slam on Stage Break and what-not, but nobody really cares. The game is judged solely on scoring, so getting the highest score possible, by any means necessary is all that counts for the vast majority of people.

On that small note, would I be able to corner bracket a triple-step in PIU with size 8 feet?

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There's no point corner bracketing on Pump. You can stamp on the metal bar that runs between the 2 panels, and it'll trigger both adjacent panels. Corner Bracketing it how Andamiro intended players to hit 3 arrows at a time, but hitting between the panels is more likely to trigger them on anything but a new (Pump Pro / NXA) machine.

I had absolutely no idea about that, thanks.

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Protip :

You can trigger all 5 panels at once, by jumping and landing dead-wright on the bar that connects Left-Up with Left-Down, and the bar that connects Right-Up with Right-Down. Makes Slam and Miss S Story much easier to full combo.

Honestly, I don't think any of these rules on what regulates on what makes someone a versatile player matter at all. There is only one rule I ever go by and I have always followed it from the very beggining of my journey as a DDR player:

JUST HAVE FUN.

That's it.

This.

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That's great (and I agree entirely that one should play however they like so long as they are having fun), but this doesn't answer the question the OP presented. He specifically asked what makes a player "versatile."

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I realize that, Chi, but honestly, it does not matter to me one bit.

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Then don't post.

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I meant 85% on a sightread. I would naturally expect some improvement. I tend to 94% / AA / S songs I've done more than a few times (not so much on the higher levels, but whatevs).

And sure, 11's on DDR aren't the same as 11's on ITG, but for what it's worth, that's where I'm stuck right now


"versatile" doesn't necessarily have to mean "better". I know I'm not exactly a "good" player, but dammit, at least I look good playing Dragostea Din Tei D-Expert and nailing the half-turns

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dont get me wrong. DO be proud of your personal achievements. i'm not THAT big of a dick to tell you not to and that only the AAA matters, my point to telewhateverhisnameis whas that he was talking about playing "the right way" and all that crap when there is NO right way, theres just your preferred method of play that puts the best result on the screen. i'm proud of my personal achievement of passing determinator expert doubles on ITG2, i got a 65%, i was the first in AZ, and now the score is about 20% short of being on the machine's top 5, its not a good score, but dammit its mine! when i play oni, i've already done as good as i feel i'm going to do with the bar so i try courses no bar, and its fun to challenge myself, but i wont tell anyone that they're doing it wrong when they beat any of my scores with the bar. so have fun above all else, my point was that the game scores who is good so dont tell people they play wrong when they are getting better results than you.


how do i break this to you... bro, no one looks good playing DDR. no one. its the nature of the beast.

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Oh, I beg to differ...//

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Free-styling the Lord Toon way is sexy...

Edit: ninja'd