Inspired by the art unit we're doing in English class and the recent release of Stepmania Nostalgia Pack...
thinking of some names for each era might be a good idea, too.
Arch0wl's History of Stepmania PRE-KBMP, very good resource
As far as I know...
Prekeyboard Era
Difficulty Renaissance I
-BMR releases V and Gravity, sparking keyboard play for the first time
Keyboard I
-First "explicit" keyboard file w/ FotB
Index I/Packism (the beginnings of index; I guess both CKMPs fall here)
-Release of Yanah's Club divides index and one-hand communities
-The release of KBMP (and the beginning of packs, thanks Icy!)
-Slow trend towards technical files (led by Toph, according to Arch)
Index II (PPPera files)
Difficulty Renaissance II
Hyperelitism (around SMGpack2)
-SMGpack2 was, by far, one of the most controversial releases in (recent) Stepmania history. The sudden transition from the PPP-style files which were technical but still relatively clean to the 100% technicality-centric files of SMG2 took the community by storm.
-A huge debate occured about what made a good file: whether it had to be fun to hit, technically accurate, or just representative of the music.
-The release of SMG Community Revival Pack only worsened the split; critical "advanced" and amateur stepartists tangled themselves into a huge DRAMAFEST regarding whether the elites' harsh criticism was valid or even deserved.
-Elites argued that the harsh conditioning was something EVERY successful artist had to go through, while amateurs (and several community members) argued that this conditioning was driving newbies away from the game.
-Who's right? Who really knows. But elitism would reign for a long time yet; arguably it's still prevalent in the community TODAY.
Expressionism (2008)
-RFpack and ODIpack2 are released, both critically acclaimed
-Technicality takes a backseat to playability as a whole
-FFR Community Pack is released, reception mixed but npv/Puppet are both recognized positively. also introduces a load of new artists that will play a big part in the next few years of Stepmania.
Mine Renaissance (early 2009)
-The release of DCP (formerly RFpack2)
-Mines had been used before this era (sometimes to great effect: see Tora's Bowser Castle) but never to the extent that they were used in DCP.
-Huge backlash from players and stepartists alike; can be seen as either a subset of Expressionism or its own movement
-Meanwhile, in a still-minor sector of the Stepmania community...
Xoonism (early 2009 - mid-2010)
-Because f*ck you, that's why!
-Bluexoon had been making keyboard packs as early as 2008, but the beginning of the Xoon Mini Packs can be seen as the beginning of this movement.
-Elitism still exists, but generally more diverse files were made and played (much more lenient standards than...well, everything from SMG2 to DCP, really).....
-Leading to the belief that nothing should matter in a file than its fun factor. Not everybody agreed, but this idea would be crucial to opening the doors to new stepartists who weren't megaprodigies once again
-I'm still not sure what effects this had on the community at large; as I recall it was a much happier time for most. Compare the release thread for Xoon 3 with the thread for SMGCRP, and the discussion is much more open-minded, civil, and friendly.
-Xoon 4 was the peak of this movement
-Sadly died out with Bluexoon, but Xoonism would greatly influence the next big step in stepcharting history.
Expressionism II (late 2009 - late 2010)
-Sort of a return to square one, as Rebirth took control of the Xoon 5 project and more traditional quality standards were reimplemented
-Xoon 5 is still the best-regarded of all of the Xoon projects, so maybe it worked.
-Actually, this movement can be seen as the reconciliation of Xoonism and elitism. There were still traces of hierarchy (this was circa the creation of the LIGHT CHANCELLORS) but as a whole there were many, many more chances for stepartists of all forms to chip in. Is there any other era when two projects as different as LCP2 and the Community Keyboard Megapack 4 could come out...and both be generally well-received among the community?
-Furthermore, ideas about stepping had grown much, much wider, so even the elitist factions were much more diverse, thanks to the efforts of one Dude named Gundam
Diversity Revival (2011)
-
if people add more to this it can be awesome and a great history reference for new players!
thinking of some names for each era might be a good idea, too.
Arch0wl's History of Stepmania PRE-KBMP, very good resource
As far as I know...
Prekeyboard Era
Difficulty Renaissance I
-BMR releases V and Gravity, sparking keyboard play for the first time
Keyboard I
-First "explicit" keyboard file w/ FotB
Index I/Packism (the beginnings of index; I guess both CKMPs fall here)
-Release of Yanah's Club divides index and one-hand communities
-The release of KBMP (and the beginning of packs, thanks Icy!)
-Slow trend towards technical files (led by Toph, according to Arch)
Index II (PPPera files)
Difficulty Renaissance II
Hyperelitism (around SMGpack2)
-SMGpack2 was, by far, one of the most controversial releases in (recent) Stepmania history. The sudden transition from the PPP-style files which were technical but still relatively clean to the 100% technicality-centric files of SMG2 took the community by storm.
-A huge debate occured about what made a good file: whether it had to be fun to hit, technically accurate, or just representative of the music.
-The release of SMG Community Revival Pack only worsened the split; critical "advanced" and amateur stepartists tangled themselves into a huge DRAMAFEST regarding whether the elites' harsh criticism was valid or even deserved.
-Elites argued that the harsh conditioning was something EVERY successful artist had to go through, while amateurs (and several community members) argued that this conditioning was driving newbies away from the game.
-Who's right? Who really knows. But elitism would reign for a long time yet; arguably it's still prevalent in the community TODAY.
Expressionism (2008)
-RFpack and ODIpack2 are released, both critically acclaimed
-Technicality takes a backseat to playability as a whole
-FFR Community Pack is released, reception mixed but npv/Puppet are both recognized positively. also introduces a load of new artists that will play a big part in the next few years of Stepmania.
Mine Renaissance (early 2009)
-The release of DCP (formerly RFpack2)
-Mines had been used before this era (sometimes to great effect: see Tora's Bowser Castle) but never to the extent that they were used in DCP.
-Huge backlash from players and stepartists alike; can be seen as either a subset of Expressionism or its own movement
-Meanwhile, in a still-minor sector of the Stepmania community...
Xoonism (early 2009 - mid-2010)
-Because f*ck you, that's why!
-Bluexoon had been making keyboard packs as early as 2008, but the beginning of the Xoon Mini Packs can be seen as the beginning of this movement.
-Elitism still exists, but generally more diverse files were made and played (much more lenient standards than...well, everything from SMG2 to DCP, really).....
-Leading to the belief that nothing should matter in a file than its fun factor. Not everybody agreed, but this idea would be crucial to opening the doors to new stepartists who weren't megaprodigies once again
-I'm still not sure what effects this had on the community at large; as I recall it was a much happier time for most. Compare the release thread for Xoon 3 with the thread for SMGCRP, and the discussion is much more open-minded, civil, and friendly.
-Xoon 4 was the peak of this movement
-Sadly died out with Bluexoon, but Xoonism would greatly influence the next big step in stepcharting history.
Expressionism II (late 2009 - late 2010)
-Sort of a return to square one, as Rebirth took control of the Xoon 5 project and more traditional quality standards were reimplemented
-Xoon 5 is still the best-regarded of all of the Xoon projects, so maybe it worked.
-Actually, this movement can be seen as the reconciliation of Xoonism and elitism. There were still traces of hierarchy (this was circa the creation of the LIGHT CHANCELLORS) but as a whole there were many, many more chances for stepartists of all forms to chip in. Is there any other era when two projects as different as LCP2 and the Community Keyboard Megapack 4 could come out...and both be generally well-received among the community?
-Furthermore, ideas about stepping had grown much, much wider, so even the elitist factions were much more diverse, thanks to the efforts of one Dude named Gundam
Diversity Revival (2011)
-
if people add more to this it can be awesome and a great history reference for new players!
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