What you value most in Simfiles

I was thinking about this the other day and thought that many people would have different ideas as to what they would like to see in simfiles. The obvious is that there should be music, charts, and so on, but what do you value more in a simfile? What exactly are you looking for in this fashion-

Song - The music. I think this is really the most important part. If my foot isn't moving to it (expression), then I am most likely not going to like it. There is also the fact that a song could be great, but a chart for it would not be worth playing to.

Chart(s) - This is second to me, yet really critical. The chart should flow with the song and be enjoyable to play. Preference and opinions would be all over the place here (chart is overstepped, understepped).

Graphics - Third on the list for me. It does give the viewer an amazing impression, yet, it doesn't compensate for the music or charts that would justify keeping the simfile from being thrown to the recycling bin.

In the end, they all go for the goal to create synergy.

In my opinion, in numbers-
Song - 46%
Chart(s) - 44%
Graphics - 10%

There are other things that contribute to this, though, like if the simfile was for a course (see WinDEU and courses).

Anywho, what do you guys value in simfiles?

Mostly the charts for me. I can tolerate songs that aren't amazing or in a genre I don't really enjoy if the steps are good, though if the song is so bad it causes me physical pain or something silly like that it wouldn't really work. Of course, there are some charts I enjoy because of the song, but there aren't many.

But I think one of the most important things for me is that the chart does something interesting. While I have a few standbys for testing the limits of how fast I can move or how good my stamina is, and I have a bunch of well-made charts for general play, interesting patterns and well-executed gimmicks will usually get me to play and enjoy a file even if it's not technically perfect.

And as long as the graphics aren't revolting I usually don't care one way or the other about them.

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Song - 75%
Graphics - 15%
Charts - 10%

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songs : 45%
charts : 50%
grapics : 5 %

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Song 50%
Chart 50%

I really don't care about graphics, I wanna play a song, not look a a beautiful banner and background... Though, it feels like a simfile was more carefully made when there are nice graphics.

I think I lean somewhere around
60% song
37% chart
3% graphics

It is hard to quantify for me since I find myself reluctant to even try something if the music does not interest me, but generally the chart is what keeps me playing them. I usually do not care much about the graphics, but sometimes they add something I will notice. I guess it works better for me to work with a flow chart.

Do I like the song ---> do I like the chart ---> do I even care about the graphics in this case.

What usually happens with me
by: Aegis

I am attracted by the graphics like a sucker (a bird with shiny objects) and then unzip the pack, proceed to open the files and hear the music, delete the ones with bad music (imo), play the charts, delete the sims with bad charts (imo), end up with one or two simfiles in the end (maybe none ), then admire the graphics again.

I think presentation and musical taste are realistically 75% of what makes an enjoyable simfile. I personally don't like cookie-cutter ITG charts, but I think most people put the final 25% down to how well the song follows their favorite formulas.

When I make a simfile, I usually go all-out on presentation, and adhere to certain formulas. When I concentrate more on interesting steps than the presentation, and/or switch up the formulas, those simfiles are usually not very well received.

this

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Firstoff, I will use Holofernes' example There are a few variations for me when it comes to making simfiles. The only thing that remains constant is my take on the use of graphics. My values on song and charts will change, but will be usually balanced.

Variation #1: Balanced
45% - Song
45% - Charts
10% - Graphics

Variation #2: Musical Focus
55% - Song
35% - Charts
10% - Graphics

Variation #3: Visual Focus
35% - Song
55% - Charts
10% - Graphics


However, I believe there is more to simfiles than these three basic values. I'll be a little more in-depth and break up these values into sub-values.

Song:
50% - Attention-Grab
40% - Suitability
10% - Tempo Technicality (a.k.a. speed)

Charts:
33.3% - Fun Factor
33.3% - Technicality
33.3% - Replayabilty

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Important
Chart fun - would I play this again? (25%)
Chart technicalities - On sync, follows music. (25%)
Song itself - Do I like the song? (30%)

Somewhat important
Song Novelty - How overstepped is the song? (10%)
Graphic quality/Presentation - If there are graphics. (5%)
Audio Quality/Cut (5%)

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33% Song
33% Chart
33% Graphics
1% The person who made it.

I prefer balance across the board as far as simfiles go. If everything meshes well, that leads to a good simfile.
I also pay attention to the person who makes the files. If they've been consistently good/bad in the past, I assume each file will be of some similar quality unless proven otherwise.

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As long as the person makes a chart that flows well to the song they chose, I'm fine.

1. The chart. I prefer the chart over anything. Does anyone remember Max Failure by James Reiner? The song was bullcrap, but the chart was insanely fun.
2. Song. F*** CHIPMUNK "REMIXES"!! Nightcore, Chipmunk, and most mashups sound terrible! Why do people even do that? One thing I just love, is Chromatic Blitz. The Hard chart isn't the best thing ever, but the song sounds great!
3. Graphics. Those random anime girl backgrounds make me delete the file and give it a bad review. For example, MAXIMIZER. Not the one from DDR, but some other poorly charted song. When the song has a background video to it, I hold on to the file forever.

Things I hate in some files:

1. Difficulty gaps. For example, Digital Abuse. So you have a choice from Very Easy (3), Quite Hard (9), or "The-mode-with-retarded-brackets-and-sh!t" (13).
2. Dump files. Why.
3. Rediculous slowdowns. For example, The Error Song. Why did they slow it down to 45 BPM? Wouldn't 90 be fine?
4. Heavy mode 13's. I don't know why, but when somebody makes a Heavy chart rated 12 or 13, it pisses me off.
5. No double charts. People still play them!
6. Gimmicks. I can't stand them! Tsu*insert random words here*gamush is so annoying. Especially when you hold down a freeze arrow and it speeds you into 573,000,000 mines or whatever.

TL;DR, I am a SimFile Nazi.

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Fun, rhythmical accuracy and song choice are usually what I look for in simfiles to play. I usually do not factor gfx in to it since I can't play on pad with them anyway, but they are nice to have.

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I'd say my actual personal taste differs from what I would consider a "good" simfile - I have too many guilty pleasures.

Among simfiles I'd play often:
50% music choice — if it's a track I really enjoy, I'll do better on it and play it more often even if the chart is not as good as it could be
40% charts (+ sync and gimmicks) — single and/or double
> 10% technicality
> 15% novelty
> 15% fun factor
10% presentation (graphics) — I like pretty things, not gonna lie

Among simfiles I'd recommend to other players:
30% music choice — my taste isn't necessarily other people's taste
55% charts — charts make or break the simfile, as they should, but I'm personally more tolerant than I am when suggesting to others
> 15% technicality
> 15% novelty
> 20% fun factor
15% presentation

The ratio that I personally strive for when creating simfiles:
40% music choice — I like to find tracks of unusual genre or origin
40% charts — my top two difficulties in both styles usually get 90% of my attention
> 10% technicality
> 10% novelty
> 20% fun factor
20% presentation — gotta draw people in, ya know?

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I will generally play any song of any genre when it comes to simfiles, much more so than on real DDR games, unless it's a song I absolutely hate, which usually only covers 1 - 2 songs in a pack. I usually am looking for songs that are in the difficulty range I enjoy ( 8 - 9 on the non-X scale), and that have interesting charts that I couldn't have come up with myself (and since I don't step songs myself, that requirement isn't too difficult). Ridiculous hi- or low- speed changes and super hard gimmicks are a big turn-off. As for graphics...I would say songs with good graphics or videos probably get played about 25% more often than those which don't. Low audio quality marks the file for deletion.

50% Song Choice
-Meh I'll admit im really picky but then again who isnt. Although as long as it isn't any mainstream license(or something with horrible vocals) I'll give it a look. Also an easy way to please me is with anything just bouncy in general (yellow head joe, nanahoshi & electro peaceful are good examples)
40% Chart
-I mostly just look if there are fun patterns and how well it flows and follows the song. Honestly song choice ties in allot with my opinion of the chart as I cant really enjoy a good chart with horrible music.
10% Graphics
-Yea dont really care much for graphics, as long as there are graphics im fine.

If the chart isn't impossibly hard it's fine by me. I'm not picky about songs or graphics.

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IMO, Graphics play an important role for songs because it gives a particular song an individual identity. The song banner also gives out a first impression on the presentation of how professional the simfile looks.

For simfiles, I don't particularly like songs with no graphics or choppy banners made in MS Paint. It makes the simfile artist look like they don't care enough to put fourth maximum effort into making "the complete package" (movies are optional). Meaning that simfiles with missing graphics are incomplete in my eyes. And MS Paint-style graphics look lazy and forgettable. I take simfiles more seriously if the song banners are made with GIMP or Photoshop (on par with official DDR and ITG-style graphics, or better! )

And the banners don't have to be absolutely perfect neither. A few mistakes, such as jagged edges or text being off-center doesn't really faze me.

Song backgrounds aren't an absolute requirement, but should be included for completion purposes. CD Jackets are still optional at this point because not everybody plays on SM5.

Here's an example of why song graphics are important:

PARANOiA ~HADES~: The red song banner, font used, and especially it's background movie make this song look and sound absolutely evil & demonic, more so than say, PRevo. Hades isn't as hard as PRevo, but the graphics & movie for Hades makes the song to be feared more so than Revo. 888's banner actually looks *MORE* evil than Hades (as there are actual demons on it), but Hades *STILL* sounds scarier overall. not to mention that creepy child's laughter, what's that all about?
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So here's what i'd say that what makes a good simfile:

50% Song Choice
25% Stepcharts
25% Graphics

Song choice is still the most important aspect because even professional graphics can't make a bad song fun. And as for stepcharts, if I like the song but not it's stepchart(s), I could make a new "Edit" difficulty for myself (for personal use only).