![]() But if you ever want to pursue DDR on like, a high level, authenticity is the key. So yeah, if you're playing for fun, by all means, go for it, the steps will be the same. Even if you do show timing windows, it isn't genuine - the framerate for Stepmania is a bajillion times better than arcade versions. DDR A STEPMANIA WINDOWSYou can easily manipulate the timing windows to make every arrow a Marvelous and there's no way to verify it. If you ever play on a competitive level and attempt to submit scores from Stepmania even with accurate version timing windows on score tracking sites you will be reported and laughed at. If you want to get a score on DDR, in my eyes, it is more authentic to get a score on the game it was designed for, rather than on a simulator. When I practiced on Stepmania, I used the official DDR Extreme arcade windows someone got from hacking a game disc years ago, but the syncing was still different than what I was accustomed to. There are "accepted" values for timing windows floating around on the internet that you can probably get from Stepmania communities. To be honest, many of DDR's windows fluctuate between versions of the game console versions have a huuuuge window to make up for the technical inferiority of DDR pads. Another thing with Stepmania is that traditionally many of the default timing windows (Perfect, Great, Good, etc.) are wide. You'll have to have good enough rhythm where you can discern how off the timing is and fix it. If you plan on porting out Stepmania to a TV, you have to make sure there is no lag on the television, which can be caused by the A/V output as well as the USB converter for a pad. Some issues with Stepmania are syncing and timing. It's identical enough to DDR that unless you play on a level where you meta-game DDR's files for competition you won't notice a plum difference. There are entire communities built around writing & playing keyboard-only files on fingers and on feet. Stepmania is awesome for practicing files and charts. There are a lot of ~90-110 lb incredibly good competitive players out there who do it all the time.Ĭan anyone else vouch for the quality of stepmania? ![]() Also, if you do a search on DDR Freak, you can find some great techniques to hold freeze arrows on machines. The upside is, it's fantastic exercise to play at an arcade because the panel spacing is larger and you really have to step as opposed to sliding to get your arrows. There are four sensors on the edges of an arcade panel as opposed to home pads where you just kind of have to touch them to get a response. With that said, the only way to get super-good at arcade DDR is to play arcade DDR or have a heavily modded metal pad at home. The vast majority of DDR machine hardware was built from 1998-2002 and Konami stopped making official hardware parts for a long time so unless you go to an arcade with a dedicated hardcore group of competitive players the quality of the machine will more than likely blow. I've always been terrible at the arcade machines and really good on a pad- I don't step heavily enough / weigh enough to activate the arcade sensors, particularly when they've had the crap beat out of them. They're pretty good for home players, though. It retailed for $80 but it felt like I was playing on a pillow. ![]() I owned a Red Octane Ignition pad I won in a tournament once, foam and all. Also, if by any chance you or your girlfriend ever plan on playing competitively or become arcade players, playing on foam pieces does not help at all for increasing stamina. The more expensive ones are useful if you get better, but they do also break after wear and they don't tether as well as the cheap ones. I had the same cheap $15 MadCatz pads for a year and a half and got up to 9's and 10's on them before they started to show wear. When I played at home back in the year 200*cough*, I duct taped them immediately to a hard tile floor. The more it slides, the faster it'll break. ![]() If it slides, the paint wears down, or one or more of the layers will be destroyed. When you step on it, you connect a circuit. If you cut a cheap DDR mat open, you'll notice it's two vinyl sheets, two clear plastic sheets with conducive paint lines, and a piece of holey foam. The key is to tether them to something, whether it's plywood or a floor, with something strong like duct tape around all the edges (but not too tightly that the arrows trigger by themselves). 2.) What pad should I get? Are one of those flimsy plastic-mat ones ok if you tape it to some plywood? Or is there something else I should get? Probably not going to spend over 100 on a pad, though.įlimsy plastic-mat ones are okay provided you take care of them well. ![]()
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