I have to say, there's this guy. He's mature and quiet, proud of what he does, and more than happy to share his hard work with you to make you enjoy a simple game called StepMania.
Exige.
Yup.
There was something about the first time I played an Exige file that I had to get the rest of them as quickly as possible. The first Exige file I ever played was in the F4 simfile pack, called Empathy. Empathy took me by so much surprise that it changed the style that I play stepmania. It's got incredible sync, artwork, great steps no matter your playing style, it's a real great file and sad that not many people see it as I do.
Anyway, it was that same day that I instant messaged Zaghurim and asked him for some Exige files. Boy, was I in for it. Not only did I get a few from Zaghurim, but I ended up talking to Exige and getting some of his other simfiles that I couldn't find but from him. Well, as this story goes on I ended grabbing a pretty extensive collection that only a few could match of Exige simfiles. And to this day, I have been inspired to share what I know of a concise and fun style that has come out of Exige simfiles.
If you've played End of the Moonlight and Empathy back to back you can notice the most obvious example of an Exige file. The patterns, and the attention to detail.
First off, Exige is a spread player. And simfiles are generally made FOR the person that makes them, I know that I play my files mostly because I find them to be the most fun because its how I would play it. The difference in an Exige spread pattern is that they can be indexed. If you have ever tried to double step, it takes no more than a week of trying to get used to it. I enjoy his patterns, and I index most of the time.
The attention to detail is the other part that really captivates a person. While playing Empathy, the steps follow distinct patterns that are the marks of a good simfile. The patterns change when the song changes, and therefore it's a great file. The artwork and sound quality, and syncing are excellent. Though it's just icing on the cake, for me it makes the perfect simfile.
Now, End of the Moonlight was a bit different for me. Honestly, when Exige sent it to me and I played it, I thought it was only mediocre at best. However, I replayed it and it grew on me, extremely. It's now my #4 on my most played files, which considering how long I've had it and how long I've played SM, it's been played A LOT. End of the Moonlight is a technical masterpiece. It has great artwork and the attention to detail that you would expect from an Exige file. The difference that is worth noticing is the fact that nothing is wasted. There are no extra steps, no missing steps, and once you realize that, you can really understand why this is such a great file.
Now, besides boasting about Exige's Empathy and End of the Moonlight files, I have a mission with this. To better other simfile makers by getting them to understand why Exige makes simfiles and how he makes simfiles. He makes them because he wants people to enjoy what he enjoys. He makes them with care because he plays with care. In order to advance as a player and a simfile maker, one must be exposed to all sorts of files. Exige's files are definitely some to be exposed to.
-cat?
Recommended files:
Empathy
End of the Moonlight
Love Revolution
Aztec Templing
Inazuma
Mind Parasite
Revolution
Zero-One
All are available at
http://otfd.co.nr/