i need help with stepfiles

Go to the simulator files forum. Then read the stickies.

http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...ewtopic&t=4278

no pics, so don't bother trying to see the pics. Thisjust apeared on my computer for somme odd reason. Helped me alot, although i haven't seen Arch0wl's guide.

Nestlekwik’s guide to stepfile making v 2.0


I get asked a million times a day how to make stepfiles. Even though there is an FAQ on the main site, here is an updated, easier way to make them.

Adding personal files
-------------------------------
You can categorize your files from the other song files on the simulator by creating your own folder.
1) Open the DWI folder
2) Open the "Songs" folder
3) Right-click inside the window, but not on an exisitng folder
4) Select "New," then "Folder"
5) Name your folder

Choosing a song
-------------------------
You will need a song to play along with your step chart. The simulators will only run .WAV or .MP3 music files. When choosing a song:
1) Make sure no one else has used the song for a .dwi file
2) You can use any song you wish, but songs that people can dance to make the best .dwi files.
3) Try to choose a song that is of reasonable length. A single song that is 5 minutes or over should be clearly marked "Long Version." Two minutes is a good target time; you can either find a two-minute song or edit an existing one to fit the limit.
Save this song to your computer.
See the FFR Satellite’s song submission policies to get a further idea of which songs are welcome for submission
.
Preparing a code
------------------------
Once you have a song, you will have to add it to its own song folder.
1) Open your personal files folder (as made in section III)
2) Create a new folder for the song
3) Name the folder after the song
4) Place the song file in the new folder
The folder arrangement should go as follows from where you saved the simulator: DWI folder -> "Songs folder" -> Personal folder -> Song folder Now, you will finally get to start coding your .dwi file:
1) Open a new notepad document
2) Click on File in the toolbar
3) Scroll down and select "Save As"
4) Name the file after the song and append the suffix ".dwi" to the end of it. For example, "dynamiterave.dwi"
5) DO NOT CLICK ON SAVE YET
6) Go to the "Save As" scrollbar, which should currently say "text document," and scroll down to the only other option, "All formats." The .dwi file will not work if you save it as a text document.
It should look like this:


All right! Now that we have a fresh, new, blank document, we're ready to get to business!

File head (#functions)
--------------------------------
Starting at the top of the document, you will need to create the "head" of the file, or the general information used for the .dwi file. If I were creating a file for Drop Out, the head would look like this:
#FILEROPOUT.MP3;
#TITLErop Out;
#ARTIST:NW260;
#BPM:260;
#GAP:0;

FILE:
--------
The file name of the MP3 or WAV file goes here. To find the file name of the track, right-click on the audio track icon in your folder and select "Properties." Copy the file’s path location and paste it front of the #FILE: header.
Look at this pic:

In the picture, the file location is circled using my mad paint skills. Copy and paste this entire field in front of the #FILE: header.
After pasting the file name a semi-colon ( must follow the name. The semi-colon acts as a termination value when developing .dwi files and seperates all of parts of the file from each other.

TITLE:
----------
Type the title of the song here. The title of the song on the simulator's song selection screen will be whatever is typed in this field. Don't forget the semi-colon afterwards.

ARTIST:
-----------
Type the artist, or band, who performs the song your .dwi file will be based on. This is the song artist; your name does not go here. The semi-colon comes after the artist's name.

#BPM:
--------
The BPM, or Beats Per Minute, of the song. You need to list this accurately so the simulator knows how fast or slow to scroll the arrows of your step chart. The BPM can be easily be calculated using a program such as WINBPM, which can be downloaded for free, or even by counting the number of beats emulated by the song in six seconds and multiplying that number by 10. Don't forget the semi-colon at the end.

#GAP:
--------
The gap function of the .dwi file controls the sync of the arrows for each song. For beginners, I recommend setting this function to 0 and cue the step chart by manually coding it into the body of the file since the FFR convertor works this way. And, yes, this needs a semi-colon to end the function. With that, the head is completed.

File body
-----------------
The body of the file is where the step chart is developed. The file body follows this format: #"PLAYER TYPE":"DIFFICULTY SETTING":"FOOT RATING":"STEP CHART";
My latest DWI looks like this:
#SINGLE:MANIAC:7:00000000........;

PLAYER TYPE
----------------
The type of step chart being made for the song. The most basic player types used in simulation are: SINGLE - The single player or verses mode step chart. DOUBLE - One player uses both sides to play. SOLO - One player uses the special 6-panel setup. Type the type in just as listed above: SINGLE, DOUBLE, or SOLO and place a colon ( afterwards. But, of course, FFR only accepts SINGLE files.

DIFFICULTY SETTING
--------------------------
You may have three step charts per player type, usually varying in difficulty. Usable difficulties include, from easiest to hardest: BASIC/LIGHT
ANOTHER/TRICK/STANDARD
MANIAC/SSR/HEAVY
Some simulators allow for custom difficulty titles. Check your simulator's web page or text document information to see if it supports the custom feature.

FOOT RATING
-----------------
The foot rating, indicating difficulty, of the song. A numerical value ranging from 1-10 may be entered to indicate the rating.

STEP CHART
---------------
Right now just enter some digits, it doesn’t matter right now since we have the wonders of editors. Just enter something like 00000000000000004;

Your file will look something like this:


Now, if you have a stepmania version, 3.0 final or higher, you can use the editor function to edit and complete the stepfile. Just load the application and if SM recognizes your song, you can choose the edit option from the main menu to work on your song! So much easier than using all those wordpad digits, isn’t it?

Re: i need help with stepfiles

im new at this stepfile makin stuff, but what programs will i need to start a basic stepfile, and how. thank you.

Re: i need help with stepfiles

You will need a program called Stepmania which can be downloaded at http://www.stepmania.com/ and the guide to making a stepfile has been provided for you infinite times.

Re: i need help with stepfiles

thank you, i will check it out. yea i make my own beats so i want to create one for my songs. yup yup, you can look on my myspace for an example of the songs i write. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...4-97bb4169edfc is where you will find them.

Re: i need help with stepfiles

your not a bad guitarist AoD good luck wit the sims.