Which way is correct?

So I've been going through some of my old songs trying to make them more consistent with general SMfile rules, but I'm not sure which motion is typical in this situation:


Is the correct movement this:

Or this?:


Also, is there a way to indicate which type of movement I want?

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That would be a tricky one to answer, so I shall try to answer it the best I can.

The main factor to consider is where the next arrow is after the jumps shown on the op. For example, if the next arrow is a Ledt and Down jump, then the second movement would be better (more efficient); however, if the next arrow is another left and up jump, then you might want to go for the first movement.

Basically, the best way to determine it (movement) is looking at the chart as a whole because not only will it help you in deciding the movements you would prefer or is most efficient, but also gives you more possibilities in the number of movements that can be made.

I hope this might be able to help you answer your question.

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Hi PaperBag!

Haven't written to you in a long time. That's an excellent question, and to be honest, I really don't think one movement is considered more "correct" than the other in that case. I'll make a case for both.

Case 1: Movement 1 is correct
If a player treats the jumps as very tightly compressed crossover gallops where the up arrow comes after the left/right arrow, they'd probably cross their feet over to hit the sides.


Case 2: Movement 2 is correct
Most players would opt to do the second movement since it is usually more comfortable. You could suggest that the player treat the up arrows as footswitches, and that they come in this order:


I don't really know if you can actually try to indicate which one you'd prefer the player do without making your stepchart messier. But you could probably coerce the player to prefer one foot on the up arrow over the other by putting freeze arrows on whichever foot should be on the up arrow next.

For example, if you have it like this, Movement 1 might be more comfortable.


As for Movement 2, you might try something like the following, since it gives the player has less time to cross over:


Or use Mines or Shock Arrows (not recommended):


Without indicators, most players would typically assume you'd want movement 2, but I think both are okay (and frankly, better) without the use of holds or mines. If you want to avoid ambiguity, though, the easiest thing to do is to put a left arrow after these jumps, with the intention of having the player start with his or her left foot.

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Thank you for the response.
I figured that the general rule tends to be 'whichever way is most efficient', but having to look far ahead seems kind of demanding to me. Maybe I just suck. I tend to want the jumps/steps to lead into each other even if you're making the decision at the last millisecond, because that's often how I end up playing. Maybe I just have the problem that I can't look too far ahead all the time.

First of all, hello.
Second, I'm not opposed to using holds/mines when needed. I've seen they're regarded a little poorly around here if they don't match the song, so I avoid them when I can, but I do use them and prefer them for clarity, even if no one else does.
But as I responded to DDRNGGin, I find it far more difficult to look ahead and predict what movements you'll need to do than just seeing that a hold step here or there is guiding your feet.
It's a pretty big problem. I've been changing a lot of songs, like in this pic:

I had to mirror all left and right steps after the orange line because I figured that doing that jump with a crossover was more intuitive than quickly jumping to switch feet.

I mean, basically what I'm being told is do whatever I want and hope people look ahead, lol. I'll be honest though, I definitely lean towards having messy charts for the sake of clarity.

I wish there was a coding and assets edit that let you choose a color for right steps and a color for left steps... Even then, you can't force people to adhere to them, but it would be more clear. Maybe a bit too 'hand-holdy' for a lot of people.
Thanks for your response.

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No problem, PaperBag!

Yeah, I just wanted to list a few things you could do, although they're not exactly necessary to complete a file. I personally do not mind and even enjoy a little bit of ambiguity at times, more so than most of the other users on this site. I do keep their tastes in mind, though, so I find it pretty nice to make patterns that could be started and completed with either leg.

Just a couple of examples:


If you do personally like making messy charts that are direct and clear to you, by all means, go ahead and make them! There's really no "rule" on correctness in SM, so you can do as you please. While not everyone may enjoy your files, it's also technically impossible to create files that get liked by everyone. As long as it's your own project, no one will or should tell you what to do as far as charting goes. So enjoy!

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Huh... So if I start that pattern with putting my left foot on that left arrow, I end up with putting my left foot on the right arrow and my right foot on the left arrow, is it normal to have a full twist like that? Of course, you're not doing a full spin, but a twist like that seems hard...
That makes a lot of other SMfiles I've played make more sense though... I was just doing quick switch foots all the time...

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These patterns are actually quite common. You're only turning to your right, up to 90 degrees, such that your left foot is in front of your right foot. You don't really have to face away from the screen. In fact, we've seen this one all the way back in DDR 1stMIX, on TRIP MACHINE's S- chart DDR 2ndMIX, on SP-TRIP MACHINE~JUNGLE MIX~ (oops, wrong chart, my apologies ). It was popularized in 3rdMIX, with AFRONOVA S- having several of these. Since then, many players have called this crossover the "Afronova walk".

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So I guess I'm just ignorant, lol.
Also, I just checked a song I've played before that made no sense to me, and it has a whole bunch of full spins where you have to face away from the screen (enforced by hold notes), so I guess all rules really are just sort of out the window... Good to know.

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There really aren't any "rules" as far as stepchart patterns go. There's just patterns and tricks that people in general prefer over others because they either make more sense or are just more comfortable. That's all there is.

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Ah, okay. We'll see if I use this knowledge wisely. Not the type to leave my comfort zone. Not quickly at least.

Thanks a lot!

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You're welcome. Have fun out there!

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