Stepmania Skills

[leonid]

As you all know, we can't just downright rank stepmania players based on how "good" they are, because there are so many different kinds of skills each player is particularly good/bad at.

How would you classify skills, and which of them do you want the most to master?

[icontrolyourworld]

mine dodging
ma
speed
vibrating
holds
sream/jumpstream/handstream

I want to get good at solo

[AlexDest]

Skills I have:

MA
Speed (stream and jumpstream)
Mine Dodging
Index
Holds

Skills I want to master:

Bracketing (Solo)
Chordstream (Solo)
Ring-Finger Trills (Solo)
Vibrating/Wrist Jacking

[LongGone]

+Bracketing
+Jumpstream
+Freezes

?Onehanded
?Semi-Pettanko

-Speed
-MA
-Jacks
-Vibrating
-Minedodging(?)
--TRILLS

[leonid]

sure lemme post too

+Speed
+PA
+Stamina
+Jacking
+Dodgeball

-Bracketing
-MA
-Vibrating

?Xmod
?Trilling

[sakura080789]

-Ma
-Speed
-Jumpstreams
+Jackhammers
+Endurance
-Solo

[Phlegmatism]

+
JS
Trills
Speed
Jack
MA
Colors
-

Improve:
Get more sleep
Faster Reading Ability
Bridge the gap between wristjack and vibra
Colors

[ddrxero64]

Interesting thread. Edit: The best part is when I started typing this there was only one post here haha

Jacks/Trills

In terms of keeping a fast and constant speed when mastering a jack or trill, I'm somewhat above average. I know I could get better at this, it's something I want to work at.

Jump Stream/Hand Stream

As a pad and index player, single stream skills for me has become very good. But the only way to master fast jump/hand stream for anyone (up to this day) has been with the spread style. I've actually started to improve on this skill. But I classify it into two sub skills.

[ONLY] Jump/Hand Stream

This is where the stream only consists of jumps, hands, or quads. Usually done with arrows an 8th apart. Some difficult songs will actually put small bursts of 16th streams of this. This is actually done for me easily on index (8th jumps), if only jumps and jumps alone. But once hands and quads are put in, I need the spread style.

Single Stream + Jump/Hand Stream

(Refer to this idea, usually associated in music when explaining 16th notes. Pronounce the "+" as and, and say it in your head)

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

This takes the sixteenth stream index players seem to enjoy and puts jumps and hands in them, usually on the "1/2/3/4" of every measure, sometimes on the "1/2/3/4" and the "+" of every measure too. Sometimes they're easier and are only placed on the "1/3" of every measure, even sometimes on simply the "1."

Vibro

It took me a while to learn what vibro is, but in my opinion it's a spammed part of a song that is trying to make you lose a combo. Lots of songs have taken advantage of this, making the focus of the song not to be AAA'd but to be passed. I think this is where the term quadbait may have started to get popular, because as the bar was set higher the MA became better on older songs. Now songs may be styled to get quadded, some are meant to be attempted to pass because of sheer difficulty in vibro.

Acccuracy

The most common skill in Stepmania/FFR, this is what most rhythm games are built on. Like music, being on beat is very important. With technology over the years, people have been able to see just how "on beat" a person can be.

I used to be somewhat good at this and constantly improving, but at one point I hit a wall and had actually stopped playing for a while due to computer problems. I don't think I've reached that peak again, but I don't think I could ever reach my full potential. Tourette's usually makes my MA bad because I tense up impulsively (Tourette's is very much a worse form of OCD). Stress and anxiety affects my Tourette's Syndrome too, and I can't help but get anxious when I get close to AAA'ing a song. This is where my Tourette's seems to become noticeable, so completely MA'ing a song well has been the most difficult for me. Though for someone dealing with this I think I'm doing pretty well.

Speed

This is one of the easiest things to get better at because it only takes practice. It's like physical sports or the olympics, practice makes perfect. Everyone has a different peak, and some are more suited for this than others. I do believe this, because not everyone can run as fast as the fastest man. Every once in a while someone may break a world record in life that is based on speed. I'm sure no one will ever know the max potential of a human, because we are always improving.

Alertness/Sightread

I categorize this as the ability to read mines well and sightread well. I grouped them together because the qualities are very similar. Even if you played the song before, if you are good at avoiding mines you may be very good at sightreading. Being able to break away from a constant stream and watch the arrows carefully while listening to the music attentively is an important quality. I may as well group people who can pass and do well at chaotic (as described in the DDR groove radar) songs here too.

Holds/Rolls

These used to be easy for me when playing pad, but upon picking up stepmania the holds and rolls have become a very difficult thing to pick up. I wouldn't actually consider it a skill, but more of an element that can be put into most other skills to increase the difficulties. They usually represent sustained notes, and can make an easy stream a tough one to tackle. The only thing holds/rolls aren't usually associated with is jacks/trills, and vibro. Well, unless you're just holding a freeze arrow/roll while hitting a jackhammer. Rolls can actually be used to replicate a trill when used with a jackhammer.

Uh...I think that's it? There might be more I'm missing...

[leonid]

Why is every single post of you a fuccen essay

[icontrolyourworld]

he writes more long posts than i do posts

[ddrxero64]

Originally Posted by leonid

Why is every single post of you a fuccen essay

Haha, I laughed. It's really because of how annoying discussions gett. Have you ever had a discussion where you thought something was painfully obvious, and yet someone argues against it?

Some people don't argue to defend their point, they argue to just make you look bad. So when I write like this, people don't go

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Troll

lol, you spelled get wrong idiot

Pessimistic person who only really wants to argue.

I don't agree with you, what do you mean painfully obvious? Some people in the world that have nothing to do with this argument can't understand things that are obvious through simple text.

People who scan your post to find something to make fun of, but get tired and say

tl;dr

People in a bad mood who read a really good post with a lot of valid points and post

What do you mean "haha?" You act like some know it all, stop getting big headed and acting like you have infinite respect

People who read my post, see what the person after said and say Edit: lol good job Icy haha :P

Yea man, you write fuccen essays.

I can define so many people, and I choose the way I write because it works out the best. The people who don't like it tend to be people who aren't posting for the benefit of the thread, and the people who read them appreciate and reply to a good discussion.

[leonid]

hey calm down..

[Wineandbread]

Originally Posted by ddrxero64

replies to post with essay

okay.jpg

[ddrxero64]

Originally Posted by leonid

hey calm down..

Thanks for the concern, I was sad because I stepped on an ant today. Thanks man, I feel a whole lot better.

Oh man, you too Wineandbread? I'm getting a lot of love out here, I luv youz gaiz <3

[sakura080789]

snap gone off

[samurai7694]

pros:
stream MA
jumpstream MA
mini jack MA

cons:
stamina
vibrating/jacking (long jacks overall)
one hand trilling

[colt.45]

I'm okay at:
+ MA/PA
+ Jumpstream / Hyper Jumpstream
+ Mini jacks
+ Hands
+ Holds

I am horrible with:

- One handed Trills
- Jacks /Vibrate
- Anything over a certain BPM
- Stamina
- Speed
- Rolls
- Mines
- BPM Changes (No Cmod)
- Any semi-hard file D:

EDIT: I think alot of this might be hard because of my really low C500 speed lol

[DJMAYYYNE]

Pros:
MA
Jumpstream MA
Speed (eh)

Cons:
Vibrating
Stamina
Mini jacks
Solo
Jacking (kinda)

[DJMAYYYNE]

Pros:
MA
Jumpstream MA
Speed (eh)

Cons:
Vibrating
Stamina
Mini jacks
Solo
Jacking (kinda)

[AsphyxZero]

pick souble dost, yaboy