Doing the 3-to-4 Step Boogie

[Master Hakuoh9872]

We all love DDR, right? That's why we joined this site in the first place.
Playing DDR is like making love with your feet, adding your own style and
flavor to every move. Yeah...

But there's a dark side to playing DDR, at least for me.
You see, I'm a noob. Or rather, a half-noob, cause I play the game at a
moderate pace. I enjoy simfiles with lots of holds and a creative structure
to their steps, but I despise simfiles with insane amounts of chaos and
voltage steps. I can't handle pressing keys so fast, seeing all those steps
streaming up the screen, and those repetitive left-right steps that people
usually affix to a rock and roll guitar solo. A simfile with a common level of difficulty that I can relate to is what I admire.

So why, oh why do some of you guys make simfiles with triple or
quadruple steps at a time? The steps are almost always on sync with
them, but why the 3 steps? Why the 4 steps? There have been so many
simfiles I wanted to ace and was willing to but it would be impossible
because of this. I wanted to edit them out, but it wouldn't feel right
tampering with the author's original work. So I gave up and deleted them all.

We've all seen these kinds of simfiles around. Sometimes in the form of
a really good song with all difficulties, with Heavy or Challenge having the
triples. Other times, its in the form of songs with only one difficulty level
labeled with only a Level 1 difficulty setting, but the steps show up as
quadruplets and triplets streaming in the worse possible places.

While I'm on the subject, how about those simfiles with so many holds that
continue going past other hold steps that are doubles? You know what I
mean! Those double steps that show up while your on a hold step and you
can't hit them? Also, don't you hate it when there's single steps in the
middle of a double step hold? You're stepping on two steps, and there's
a stream of single steps coming your way during the hold. Its just so wrong.

So tell me all of you (whether you do this kinda thing or not), is there
some kind of Stepmania you can download that lets you hit these
impossible steps? I've used Stepmania 3.9 for a long time and its never
let me down. But for those guys making these insane step pattern arrays,
I'm guessing they're using something else. Even by keyboard, I can't hit
those steps, so please tell me why?

That's all I wannna know. Why kill off such good simfiles by adding such
maddening steps in them? Why?! I don't get it!

[ViViK]

A good amount of the users on this site don't play DDR.
Skip the rest because I didn't feel like reading it all I just saw some stuff about intense files and 3 or 4 steps at a time. The most elite playing style is called spread, which is 4 fingers, more commonly both index and middle fingers on keys such as A S K L. And as for the intense files, they're all playable once you get better (well practically all off them).

Edit: read a bit more

It may kill a file to you, but there are players that don't see what you find hard, hard at all. For example, the best players are capable of things like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxloIDsb9No

Just because a simfile is maddening, doesn't make it bad. You just simply need to get better to find it enjoyable for yourself. Not being able to play a file isn't fun, which is why we don't play dumb impossible to pass type files, but rather we play files we can do and find enjoyable, so I understand your reasoning.

Some keyboard can't register 4, sometimes 3 keys or more at once. Try different setups, while my keyboard can hold 7 keys at once, there are certain keys I can't even hit 3 of at the same time without my keyboard not being able to register it.

My guess is that you're playing with your two index fingers on the arrow keys. To hit 3 or more steps at once, you'll have to quickly slide your finger from one key to another while hitting the 3rd arrow with your other finger, making all 3 register around the same time and therefore registering the arrow as hit. This is why index is a inferior playing style now, though it's still fun to play sometimes. Though, while playing index, files with 3 or 4 steps at a time will be very annoying, and most index players avoid these files for the same reason you do, they're unfun while playing index, and were made for spread most likely being that's the dominant playing style.

[emerald000]

Stepmania 3.9 has no problem with triples. I am guessing it is a keyboard problem on your side. Play around in the configuration to find four keys you are comfortable with and that accept being pressed all at the same time.

[StepmaniaGod6969]

It's a keyboard problem. My keyboard doesn't let me hit more than 2 arrows at a time either. I have never known why.

[MinaciousGrace]

you sigged yourself

[Patashu]

Hit two of the keys then slide to hit the others.

[Gray Fox]

Sorta agree with you, I'm a casual pad player and don't really want to bother learning hands/quads. All I can say is just turn off the hands thing in the player options and you're set.

If there's too many jumps, then just turn off jumps all together.

[Master Hakuoh9872]

Originally Posted by ViViK

My guess is that you're playing with your two index fingers on the arrow keys. To hit 3 or more steps at once, you'll have to quickly slide your finger from one key to another while hitting the 3rd arrow with your other finger, making all 3 register around the same time and therefore registering the arrow as hit. This is why index is a inferior playing style now, though it's still fun to play sometimes. Though, while playing index, files with 3 or 4 steps at a time will be very annoying, and most index players avoid these files for the same reason you do, they're unfun while playing index, and were made for spread most likely being that's the dominant playing style.

Sorry, but I downright hate that style of playing. I'm with the old school all
the way. Just as I've played DDR in the past with using 1 pad and my own
2 feet, I now play the game with my index fingers and the 4 arrow keys as my
guide. Yeah, I'm a stubborn fool, but I love using only 4 keys to hit single
and double steps, not triples ands quads. Trying to play that way...makes
me feel dirty and unclean about the way I'm playing. Using 7 or 10 keys
at a time....it makes me sick.

And if that's really the dominant style of playing nowadays (for FFR
anyway), I won't give up on my way of playing, no matter what. A
simfile that is simple and clean, yet challenging in its steps in a special
way (not the insane voltage way) is what I love. There has to be a
better way to playing the game than this, but I choose the common
one over the new one.

btw Voltage and chaos is fine with me. But it'll take me years to catch
up to the learning curve of those sims with insane voltage and
maddening chaos. I'm old fashioned that way.

[Master Hakuoh9872]

Yes, lots of people love insane amounts of voltage and chaos and some
tricky hold patterns, but I stand by my statement on the triples and
quads. They're just not right in any simfile cause it makes someone have
to use their brain 25% more than when you're playing Heavy difficulty steps.

To add to that, is everybody sure the bigger majority of players for
FFR, Stepmania, and DDR in general prefer playing the game with 3 or 4 steps
coming at them at a time?

Cause the last time I checked, simfiles with this kind of scheme rarely get comments or downloads unless there's a MP3 involved.

Isn't that right?

[Patashu]

People are going to make the kind of files they like to play, it's only natural.

[TC_Halogen]

I'm going to leave this thread before I discuss how ITG players can destroy 3/4 panel hands.

[ViViK]

Spread players don't use 7 or 8 keys, in fact, that's cheating. Spread uses 4 fingers assigned to 4 keys, one for each arrow.
Index isn't the common playing style anyone, in fact, it's pretty much dead now, few people play it anymore. I'm not dissing it or anything, I played straight up index only for 5 years of my SM/FFR career, I still go back and play index for fun some times.

FFR simfile database, lol.

There's nothing wrong with you still playing index, there's still an index community that exists, it's just not nearly as dominant as it was years ago. Older simfile packs like kbc1/2, f4/f5, cmkbmp1/2 are filled with practically nothing BUT index files, while the packs released nowadays like dcp, xoon, ffrcp, odi have like 2 index files or less in each.

All in all, it's not going to be easy to find index files anymore that are considered high class when none of the elite steppers make index files anymore. Of course there's still tons of files made from back then that are 100% index friendly and fun.

[Master Hakuoh9872]

Originally Posted by ViViK

There's nothing wrong with you still playing index, there's still an index community that exists, it's just not nearly as dominant as it was years ago. Older simfile packs like kbc1/2, f4/f5, cmkbmp1/2 are filled with practically nothing BUT index files, while the packs released nowadays like dcp, xoon, ffrcp, odi have like 2 index files or less in each.

All in all, it's not going to be easy to find index files anymore that are considered high class when none of the elite steppers make index files anymore. Of course there's still tons of files made from back then that are 100% index friendly and fun.

*I look away into the distance, a tear slides down my cheek*
I have been betrayed....by the very ones I thought to be my kin.
If what you say is true...my people are almost extinct, and I may be one
of the only index players left. The heroes who used to make my kind
of simfiles have changed sides, leaving the few of us who play index
alone on the darker side of the FFR Simfile Database. That explains
why most of the good simfiles with synced steps are sadly now in
triple and quad form....all is lost.

*sighs heavily* just point me in the direction of those last index simfiles you
mentioned and I'll be on my way. List every link if needed. I gotta go
sit down and ponder the reason why I joined FFR again...

Maybe I should quit all of this and resign to join MapleStory instead.

[Cloud0005]

Originally Posted by Master Hakuoh9872

*I look away into the distance, a tear slides down my cheek*
I have been betrayed....by the very ones I thought to be my kin.
If what you say is true...my people are almost extinct, and I may be one
of the only index players left. The heroes who used to make my kind
of simfiles have changed sides, leaving the few of us who play index
alone on the darker side of the FFR Simfile Database. That explains
why most of the good simfiles with synced steps are sadly now in
triple and quad form....all is lost.

*sighs heavily* just point me in the direction of those last index simfiles you
mentioned and I'll be on my way. List every link if needed. I gotta go
sit down and ponder the reason why I joined FFR again...

Maybe I should quit all of this and resign to join MapleStory instead.

Overdramatic much?

[Patashu]

relax lol

lots of people play index they're just all over on bemanistyle or stepmania.com or w/e I dunno