Xero's Tips/Guide for Stepping Easier Charts

[ddrxero64]

I wrote this tutorial on Vocamania. The original thread can be seen here:

http://vocamania.net/single/?p=8084058&t=7360006

Here are some of my own tips for creating easier charts. Opinions.

These are for all styles, though anything pad specific will be in bold.

Beginner Charts

• Holds/Freeze Arrows - These should be used sparingly in Beginner Charts. They are not exactly easy to learn for beginners, even if that's hard to believe. But putting yourself in the mindset of someone new to rhythm gaming, learning to hold and release an arrow along the path of a hold can be very difficult, it puts the focus on holding while looking out for other arrows. It is better to use these without using streams during them, even if it's only one arrow. It's much more effective to learn holds seperately from streams, as later on the use of light charts can start to make patterns that are easy to learn once some experience is gained.
  
  
• Jacks, Mini Jacks and Column Changes - When creating the beginner charts you need to be very wary of the patterns you place. One of the first things beginners will have a hard time doing is reading different columns, and jumping between them will be hard for the first couple of times playing. When placing patterns, you generally want to put mini jacks, or even jacks of 3 arrows or more, closer than your streams.
  
  
  
  In this picture you'll see that in the red boxes 4th mini jacks are along the beat at a comfortable BPM of 137. When the use of different directions comes up, as noted by the blue boxes, it's better to space them out, giving the player more reaction time to switch to a different column associated with a different button. This is common in pad files seen in DDR, it's one of the building blocks for newer players.
  
  For pad files, make sure none of your streams in beginner files have spins. Though many players just double step them, for the sake of learning to spin later on it's better to refrain from them. If not the player will learn bad habits of just double stepping them, and will have trouble later on learning to spin or freestyle when they get to standard and heavy charts.
  
  You DON'T want to:
  
  
• Rolls/Mines - Don't use them. I do believe PIU used rolls in Beginner charts, but I strongly recommend not to use them. At Judge 4, the standard timing, rolls can be difficult to keep up for beginners. Beginner players tend to be a bit nervous, and they will have trouble keeping rhythm due to small anxiety. Giving them something to aggressively tap will break their concentration, and most files that have rolls nowadays are above a 7 or 8 difficulty. Don't use them at all, new players will need to learn the different elements of gameplay at a progressively slow place for the first couple of songs.
  
  As for mines, I think it's self explanatory. But players should focus on what to hit before learning what NOT to hit.
  
  
• Jumps/Hands/Quads - This applies to both pad and keyboard files. These patterns make the use of multiple columns, which can be difficult to keep an eye on for the new rhythm gamer. A new player needs to get in the habit of associating each finger or foot with their corresponding button, and making use of more than one finger, or foot, can be difficult.
  
  
• Crossovers - This is specifically for pad. If a file is genuinely meant for keyboard, I assume it is safe to use these, but even then it wouldn't be smart for beginner index players. Crossovers will create bad habits for the new players as 99% of the time they will double step these to keep their body facing forward. These should be used later on when players start to become familar with body direction. Some ITG players have no trouble double stepping these, but for the purpose of learning to play in all forms it is better to teach these correctly, and to leave it up to the player to decide how to hit them.
  
  Tips
  
  -Look at the BPM of your song before stepping it. Most beginner charts will lie between 1-3 in terms of difficulty, and in some cases 4. If a song's BPM is over 140, consider the speed of the patterns, and make more gaps if the patterns seem to be extended. The faster the song, the more jacks you may want to use. Remember, a beginner chart should rarely reflect the song's pitches, and should focus on the patterns and the rhythms. It should be more synced than anything.

Light/Easy Charts

• Holds/Freeze Arrows/Freeze Stream - At this level you are encouraged to use these! Some easy files may even overuse them, because they are one of the best elements to learn at this stage. Holds are an important and more common part of simfiles, more so than mines or rolls. Freeze arrows should be used when possible, though you need to make sure their length are appropriate according to the song. It would be wise to use some easy 4th patterns during holds as well, though depending on your BPM you may want to space them apart. You don't want to consider it actual streams, at least not for more than 3 or 4 arrows. Here's an example below of some comfortably paced freeze arrows that stream together. For those who are expert simfile artists yes, there are crossovers in here, but this is what I would call the one of the peaks of the song. In terms of voltage this would be the second hardest part.
  
  
  
  
  
  In this picture above you'll see I used some comfortably paced holds (light blue boxes). They are moderately short in length, and I combined the ease of mini jacks (red boxes) with the end of a hold (where the boxes intersect) to encourage the focus of keeping an eye on the patterns. It's also apparent I kept an eye on body direction, so an expert simfile artist may note that this is probably a pad file, which it is.
  
  
• Rolls/Mines - Once again, I wouldn't suggest using them. They are somewhat easy to learn at this level, but the focus should rely more on newer patterns, and the mastery of holds. The only time I would suggest using rolls is the climax of a simfile, or when the rolls significantly compliment the sound of the song. They're not exactly a DON'T, but they are to be used sparingly, they are not priority at this level.
  
  As for mines, I really wouldn't suggest using them, at least other than decorating the simfile between gaps. Players should know what mines are, but shouldn't necessarily have to worry about them. They are still very much learning at this point, so don't try to introduce elements that could easily confuse them.
  
  
• Jumps - You should start using jumps at this level of stepping. They should be used moderately, and have equal importance with holds/freeze arrows. They should never be used closer than a 4th apart at BPM's over 70. When stepping a song at a BPM of 140, it is good to consider the overall difficulty of the file, and to lessen the use of jumps the faster the song is.
  
  One thing to note for pad files is parallel jumps, meaning left and right or up and down, are easier to hit than corner style jumps. So if a file is a bit difficult or fast parallel jumps may be more plausible. Remember that this slight difference in difficulty of learning can make a significant difference when stepping a chart.
  
  
• Column Changes/Spins/Crossovers - At this level of charting it is good to start straying from the jacks and to start laying column changes, AKA easy streams. 4th arrow streams of up to 140 BPM are fine for light/easy charts, and are encouraged. It is also preferable to start associating pitches in rhythm with changes in direction, especially with keyboard charts (since you're not restrained by body direction).
  
  For pad simfile artists this is where you need to keep an eye on body direction, where it matters most. It's crucial that players learn to use one foot after another, this way they learn to hit crossovers and spins correctly as they get better. Spins are also a good idea for pad files, as long as they are used sparingly and introduced at a comfortable BPM. Crossovers can be introduced as well, but the pattern should not last too long, and like spins they should be used sparingly and at comfortable BPM's.
  
  
• Gallops/Off Beat 8th Patterns - These are one of the last things you want to start introducing into your light/easy charts. Gallops should be used with 4th and 8th arrows at BPM's up to 140, and with 8th and 16th arrows at BPM's up to 70. Higher BPM's should be taken into consideration in accordance with the overall difficulty of the chart.
  
  
  
  In this picture you will see some offbeat patterns at a comfortable BPM of 137. In the red boxes you'll see off beat (though on rhythm) 8th arrows. They correspond to the rhythms in the song, and you'll notice after two of them I used a 3 arrow jack, allowing the player to get back into a comfortable and familiar pattern before hitting another off beat 8th arrow. Of course in the song these patterns do make sense, they aren't just randomly put in.
  
  
  
  Here are some friendly paced gallops. The gallops are in the blue boxes, but you'll notice in the red boxes I placed a connecting mini jack to each gallop. This allows the player to comfortably set themselves up into the gallop. This is a pad file after all. For the expert simfile artists you'll notice the second red box connecting into the third gallop is stepped a bit different then the first, with the arrow NOT being in the same column as the previous 8th arrow. Usually this may be seen as a mistake if the song is consistent, but in this file there is a significant change in the sound, which is why it's like that. There are always things to think about when creating patterns for newer players.
  
  You DON'T want to:
  
  
• Hands/Quads - You should still refrain from using these, as they are the more complicated patterns to hit on keyboard. These should DEFINITELY not be used for pad, as they are some of the hardest patterns to hit on your feet (and hands).
  
  Jump Holds/Freezes - Don't start using too many jump holds, holds that use more than one column. Unless it is near the end of the song or there are fair sized gaps, they are hard to get out of without losing concentration, especially for pad players. These are preferably not to be used, as simple jumps are introduced at this stage.
  
  Tips
  
  -Start associating pitches with your stepping at this level, not just rhythms.
  -Stray from the rigid jacks and move around the columns more.
  -Introduce holds moderately, and use crossovers and spins sparingly. Keep rolls to a minimum.
  -It is a good idea to put small hints of freeze stream.
  -Use less gaps between patterns. This will start to set the player up to learn how to hit 8th arrow patterns.
  -Remember to keep an eye on body direction for pad files!

Standard/Medium Charts

• Holds/Freeze Arrows/Freeze Stream/Jump Holds - At this level freeze streams are encourage and at times are plausible to be over used. This is a good point to learn some of the faster streams that will be used in heavy/hard charts. Holds that are started as jumps should also be introduced, especially if it starts as a jump but only continues as a single hold. This is a great way to use freeze stream, since the stream will start as a jump and will continue as a single arrow freeze stream.
  
  
• Jumps/Hands/Quads - Jumps should be used a bit more, and should start being introduced in a different manner, such as offbeat 8th jumps. At this level you should start combining some of your patterns to start introducing the expert styled charts. Hands and quads should only be used for keyboard charts though, please take note. Jumpstreams of 4th arrows are encouraged. Do not use 8th arrow streams with jumps in between. 8th arrow streams should only contain jumps at the beginning and/or end of a small stream. Furthermore if you do it at both the beginning and end it should be used sparingly and at relatively low BPM's of 130 or less (for 4th and 8th arrows).
  
  Note: Hands and Quads should not be used at this level for pad files. They are intended to require the use of hands, which involves bending down. Players may lose balance, so this is a hard technique. I am aware that ITG players may use their heels to hit two arrows with one foot, but for the sake of learning to play in all forms it is better to stay strictly to the book then to learn shortcuts or habits that may not be complimentary to all forms of pad playing.
  
  
• Rolls/Mines - It isn't conventional/traditional to start using rolls at this level, but in my opinion this level is good for learning to hit rolls. They are to be used carefully though, and unlike holds you never want to have streams during rolls, at least not at that standard/medium level of charting. These should be used at a low to moderate level. This also applies to mines, it's better to focus on the basic arrow patterns than to introduce yet another element to worry about. As said before, these elements are to be used at a low to moderate level.
  
  
• Spins/Crossovers - These should be the bulk of many of your charts. Standard charts, especially in pad files, are used a lot in freestyle, and tend to have many spins, with moderate crossovers. Spins can be longer, but should not be used at a fast BPM of over 160 (4th arrow). Crossovers are encouraged to be longer, and at slower BPM's it's encouraged to switch body direction in crossovers. You need to pay attention to how you make the crossover switch though. Take a look at this screenshot:
  
  
  
  In this picture there are two crossovers.The red boxes note the first switch, both taking the person to rotate 180 degrees clockwise. In the left side the blue box shows that the person must rotate 180 degress counterclockwise, since the foot that initiates the spin is the back foot. On the right side the green box shows the crossover two steps earlier on the front foot, signaling the player to spin 180 degrees clockwise, causing a full spin when they come out of the crossover. Generally speaking full spins are harder than returning back to to the 0 degree mark, so keep this in mind when stepping faster BPM's. the faster the song the harder spins are to perform, as they will cause you to lose balance easier.
  
  You DON'T want to:
  
  
• Fast Streams/Chaotic Streams - At the standard level you don't want to go all out with stepping. It is better to lay off some of the jumps, but more importantly you want to lay off the chaos. It is at this point the player learns to start streaming patterns. This also means that at higher BPM's the streams should not be as long. Keep in mind the BPM, and look at how long each of your streams last. These charts are not heavy/expert charts, so even in a consistent song you do NOT want to have long streams.
  
  
• Jumpstream/Handstream - This should not be introduced in keyboard charts until the heavy/expert charts. I speak of the real 8th streams of BPM's over 160, or in the harder cases the 16th streams. The person is still learning to play, you have to remember the average/regular player does play heavy charts and simply chooses easier songs over the pro simfiles. Be very careful with jumps/hands inside streams.
  
  For pad files this should not even be considered, as jumpstreams/handstreams are not pad friendly at moderate to high BPM's.
  
  Tips
  
  -Use less jumps than your heavy/expert charts.
  -Step your standard/medium charts from scratch. It's a great habit to step your standard/medium charts as you would your heavy/expert ones, with a creative mind. Doing this will allow you to put fun patterns, and you will learn to personalize these charts for the soon to be regular player. It's preferable to do this versus dumbing down the heavy/expert chart.
  -Use crossovers, spins, and hold/freeze streams more often at this level. This is where the player will learn to maneuver the standard elements of gameplay they are sure to find in heavy/expert charts.
  -Use rolls and mines when you can, it's good to hint at these before players start to enter heavy/expert charts.

I hope you learned something from this small tutorial. If you are aiming to gain new and loyal fans/players, you need to cater to their skill level as much as you do our own. So make sure to put some thought into your easier charts~

[ddrxero64]

I meant to write this in the upper level forum. Kindly appreciated if it could be moved out of the simfile subforum. This post can be deleted too.

Thank you~