The "How did you step that?" Thread

[Vote4Nixon]

**If this is the wrong forum, or if it has been done before, then I apologize. Feel free to move/delete this thread.**

I thought it would be a good idea to have more discussion about simfile theory. Inspired by the awesome comment about Bloodmeat on dore's profile, I figured one way to do this would be to have people talk about what goes into making their files. Maybe if beginner stepfile authors saw what more experienced people do/don't do when making stepfiles, they would learn some things and grow to be a tru stepman.

So, let's begin the discussion! This is open to anyone and everyone wanting to discuss their files...even if it's just asking for help regarding their stepping techniques on a certain file. You can be as detailed or as concise as you want when discussing your file .

Also, you don't have to discuss a file in its entirety, rather you can just bring up certain things that you find interesting/creative. Finally, feel free to post requests for stepfile descriptions too, like "Hey dore, how did you step Bloodmeat?"

I'll start it off with something simple...

Description of The Cracking Sky

Overall Notes:
- This song is amazing IMO. Props to Tom Haid .
- I wanted the file to be a "trainer" file, meaning a file that would be good for noob FFRers to practice on, to learn certain patterns, etc.
- PR and consistency were important, but pattern variation was more important as fun > technical for the average FFRer. I will admit that I had a pretty bad sense of PR back then :-/.

Cool things about this file:
- There is a section for practicing trills, another for rolls, another for jumps, and even another for 8th streams (index-friendly patterns mainly).
- The "bell/chime" noise is always stepped as 1 2 3 4 throughout the file.
- In the trill section, whenever the trill pattern changes, only one of the two arrows changes (no real reason haha, just thought it was interesting and played well).

EDIT:
This is open to SM files as well . In fact, it would be really awesome to have those descriptions because you can simply link the file here and have people play it, then read your analysis.

[L0NEvvolf]

Ok I am usually told in my files I missplace jumps and jacks, when I could almost swear that I am placing them correctly according to the music. So my question is where should I place jumps and jacks? I know jacks you should place when its a recurring sound, and jumps should be where its a load beat, or you are following 2 patterns. So then why do I always seem to have trobble in this area.

V4N Is that the kind of questions you are looking for? Or does it have to be a specific file?

[bluguerrilla]

Neat idea.

Most of my recent simfiles have been an exercise in simplicity.

I Hate 80s has only jumps to bass drum and the only PR is in the intro and outro synth as well as PR in the bass drum. The rest (32nds/16ths) I just had to make as easy to PA as possible because of the song. Probably shouldn't have stepped the 32nds but what are you gonna do?

Even more simple is Nomina Nuda Tenemus, as the only thing PR is the violin and the patterns during the JS have the correct shape for the rhythm and only jumps to snare (and a couple hands to rly loud bass). The Violin Parts I put jumps to the two violin noises.

Both of these files are geared towards more expert players that now hate me for my hard to PA patterns. NNT is supposed to be like a boss song. Like, HOLY **** WHAT IS THIS **** /fail

So, those are the easier ones to explain.

Most of the rest of my files are also easily explained except for The Space Between.

I'll post the explanation of that one later as I'll have to play it a few times to remember.

Originally Posted by L0NEvvolf

V4N Is that the kind of questions you are looking for? Or does it have to be a specific file?

The neat thing is that people can respond with an explanation in their own file or something.

Like, 3020 has jacks to piano and the reasoning there is that when you're playing the piano the sounds are actually corresponding to jacks. Obviously, that's not the only reason to use jacks. I put jacks to BD in document13b because I thought that'd be fun and hard even though it's not like actually playing the drums.

[Vote4Nixon]

Originally Posted by LONEvvolf

V4N Is that the kind of questions you are looking for? Or does it have to be a specific file?

Hmmm, I was hoping for discussion about certain files, because you can always ask about overall stepping techniques in other threads (or perhaps there should be a thread for that too haha).

If you have a specific file in the DB, you can definitely link it in this thread followed by a description like "ok, I put jacks in __ section to go with the __ and jumps in __ section to go with the __. Is this a good way of stepping it?"...or something along those lines.

Hope this helps!

[Zybanthia]

Cool thread.

Originally Posted by bluguerrilla

Most of the rest of my files are also easily explained except for The Space Between.

I'll post the explanation of that one later as I'll have to play it a few times to remember.

Looking forward to this, just because I like the file, but never analyzed it a lot myself. I can tell it was one of your older files, but I still think it's loads of fun (as pretty much all of your files are, really).

I'll share as soon as I get some files into the game, even though my techniques are so easy a baby could analyze them.

[bluguerrilla]

Originally Posted by Zybanthia

Looking forward to this, just because I like the file, but never analyzed it a lot myself. I can tell it was one of your older files, but I still think it's loads of fun (as pretty much all of your files are, really).

I'll share as soon as I get some files into the game, even though my techniques are so easy a baby could analyze them.

Yeah that file is so weird, imo. It's like I got very lucky (it was my 3rd file) and just changed the layering all the time to whatever was taking precedence at the time. Most files that have a good plan behind them end up being pretty fun as long as it's a good formula and as long as you don't let yourself do stupid ****.

Most people use a really simple formula (sharpnel files) and there's v4n who has a good reason for why he puts any arrow anywhere and some people just step everything.

For me, the most enjoyable part of a file is figuring out exactly why the author did what. Hence sometimes I'd like to know what some of the earlier artists were thinking (Reach, Moogy, Kit-, etc.) or were they just trying to make the simfiles fun?

[Zybanthia]

Yeah, that's a really good point about the earlier stepfile artists. Everything Kit- has made I understood for the most part, but Reach can be really out there sometimes. Jello too, although not as much. It would be cool to know if there was some science to what they did.

Also, V4N, when I played The Cracking Sky, I noticed the multiple patterns you put in there and thought it was a pretty cool newbie file. A good one to get used to different things on, since none of it's too fast.

dore, however, writes the most amazing newbie files in my opinion. Come with Me and especially Zodiac are awesome.

[bluguerrilla]

p.s. tass pls explain free space i can't figure it out ?_?

[dore]

If anyone has any questions about my files I'd enjoy explaining them. I'm Glad that I can inspire a cool thread like this (even though my intentions were slightly different for my Bloodmeat comment).

[who_cares973]

very cool idea v4n


there really isn't much to say about indigo. it was one of my first files before I even knew aboout PR or anything. I pretty much just put arrows played it and if it was fun moved on to the next measure.

[-KIDTHONG-]

Hmm.

[trumaestro]

my kirby pack 2 files:
idk lol i made them in one night each and they're probably the best 2 files i ever made and i don't even know how i pulled them off. somebody tell me?????????

xoon 2 files:
overworked dumps p. much. over da rave is my fav tho.

ffrcp file:
lol no. i was just desperate to get a file into a pack and it turned out bad.

everything before that:
Hey cool stepmania has a step editor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nightrain: prob. way overlayered in the middle rofl. prob. rejected from ffr

in before nobody cares

[PsYcHoZeRoSk8eR]

I try to make my files fun for me. See Skeletor.

[who_cares973]

I want to know what was going through synth's mind when he was making files

[giganutsauce]

ctrl+r was what was going through his mind

[giganutsauce]

and his stepmania

[bluguerrilla]

He didn't use StepMania.

[kommisar[os]]

how i make files.


single note to percussions, layer melody, 90% of the time resulting in drum kick beats being jumps on 4th notes. everything else is pretty much in between.


see master maid.

[robertsona]

300: rofl.

uh idk stepped the sounds and when there was that hard hit sound stepped it as a double. in one spot i messed this up and started stepping accented sounds as jumps instead .

ending is gay but not bad for a replacement for sixteenth streams.

but wait till you see The Black Monster ;D

pattern relevance woooooo

[HighAndr0id]

My simfile method in flowchart form: