[Concluded] StepCon 2025

**gold stinger** · 09-13-2025, 09:13 PM

Welcome to the Official FFR StepCon.

What is a stepcon you might ask? It’s a Simfile-creating contest open to Steppers, Mappers, Charters, Simfile Artists and Stepauthors of all skill levels and styles.
*all times listed are servertime*

The Second Public Voting Period has Ended!

Here's the Final StepOff results!

1st - Lights [1]
2nd - jh05013 [6]
3rd - M0nkeyz [4]

A final huge congratulations to Lights for placing 1st in the Final StepOff, as well as everyone whom played and voted for their favorites! I will be getting prizes (credits, badges and the such) out momentarily to our finalists to reflect their position! Extraordinary that this is actually a partial redemption arc on Lights' behalf, since coming 2nd in last years StepCon coming 2nd to M0nkeyz!

Participants and voters are now open & free to talk about which file is theirs in-order on the StepCon 2025 engine (if they prefer), and talk about which specific songs they voted for (again, if they prefer).

And of course, to Lights, you will have an extra week in-batch to submit any fixes or changes related to feedback or discussion on your file. Then it be moved to Difficulty Consultants for another week to rate the difficulty of the file and then released.

Thank you all once again for participating in another year of StepCon! Looking forward to seeing everyone else and participation in next year's StepCon!

v A few procedures for songs have changed compared to previous years v
v (For those that participated in 2024, this is the same for now), so please read carefully! v

Depending on how much interest/signups we get, we will split sign-ups into Classes. Each Class will be assigned a song with a pre-made .sm file set up for you. You will get two weeks to step and submit the song to FFR under the 'StepCon 2025' Batch. The batch will be made available at: https://www.flashflashrevolution.com...mission/batch/

We will be taking sign-ups from now until October 2nd, 11:59pm.

On September 19th, songs will be made public, and another Google form will be made for attendees to submit their song preferences using "Ranked-Choice Voting". Songs least voted for will not be used.

People will be sorted into classes on a first come, first serve situation based on their ranked-choice. Those that do not fill out a Ranked-Choice Voting form for song preference will instead be at the mercy of filling Classes that need participants, in order of sign-up.

On October 3rd, you will find out which Class you are in, and the song that your Class is stepping will be available to download privately. Submissions must be submitted by 11:59pm on October 16th, 2025 (Before October 17th).

After the deadline, submissions will be converted and anonymously uploaded to a private FFR Engine for the public to openly play/test/preview, and public voting will commence for each Class on their favorite Stepfile from each Class. (Voting will happen on a Google Form but conversation can happen in-thread with thoughts on submissions.)

Public voting will last one week, and finish at 11:59pm, October 23rd, 2025. At that point, winners of each Class will be announced. If there is a tie between two or more submissions within a Class, they will be judged and the higher scoring submission will win. Voting will be done via a Private Google Form, so that voters cannot view each-others votes until voting is complete and results are tallied.

Winners of each Class will be invited to compete against one another in a 'Final StepOff', where winners will be placed into a single Class, and everyone will be provided the same song to step (in the same fashion as the previous round). The 'Final StepOff' will last two weeks, and end at 11:59pm, November 6th, 2025.

Public voting will commence again for the Final StepOff on November 7th, 2025 for one week and end at 11:59pm, November 13th, 2025. At that time, StepCon 2025's Champion will be declared, marking the end of StepCon 2025.

Image guide of dates & times provided below for simpler browsing:

Instructions for accessing StepCon Engine & Previewing Songs:

Final StepOff Prizes

Prizes (each Class)

Participants whom submit a song that follow all submission rules and qualify for voting will receive a Participation Badge on their Profile.

*May add more prizes to Final StepOff in the future to spice up the prize pool for Final StepOff. Final StepOff prizes are added on top of Winner's prizes for each Class.

**At any time, event token winners may choose to either exchange a token for 20,000 credits, or provide the token unlock to any other individual, regardless of participation. Event tokens given away in this fashion that would allow for unlock of Strangeprogram v0 or vROFL, will not be allowed to unlock Strangeprogram v0 or vROFL.

Sign-Ups

Some clarifications/rules:

-After sign-ups are finished, you will receive a Direct Message on FFR of which group you are in, along with a .zip file of everything you need to participate within your Class.
-You ARE ALLOWED to make cuts and edits to any song during the StepCon.
-You MAY NOT collaborate with another Stepartist/Simfiler/sign-up/out-of-tournament individual.
-Submissions should meet Submission Rules requirements (listed here: https://www.flashflashrevolution.com...d.php?t=154634 )
-You ARE NOT allowed to solicit votes or reveal information regarding which submission is yours during the public voting process. Doing so will result in immediate disqualification and ban from future StepCon's.
-As a participant, you MAY NOT vote during public voting within your own Class. YOU MAY vote in any other Classes of which you are not directly participating in.
-Songs submitted to the 'StepCon 2025' Batch that are not part of this event will be automatically rejected. Please don't submit random songs to it. Spamming the batch may result in disciplinary action.
-Treat your fellow participants and public voters with kindness. Actively putting down someone's submissions or anonymously calling people's submissions "shit" is a good way to get yourself disqualified as a participant, and banned from public voting. Feedback & Criticism is welcome during the public voting periods, but do so in moderation with respect to newer Stepauthors.
-I think it goes without saying, but please DO NOT CHEAT OR ATTEMPT TO CIRCUMVENT THESE RULES. Doing so may result in disqualification from the current StepCon and ban from future events and StepCons.

Added clarifications:
-Class placement is determined on first sign-up, and number of sign-ups. There will be more songs provided for picks than ones used, and the 'least-liked' songs across everyone's picks will be removed, so it is recommended to make sure you are comfortable with at least your top 2 or top 3 songs on your pick. This will not be an option for participants that reach the Final StepOff, as finalists will all participate on the same final song.
-All metadata, Simfile properties, and sync will be provided before-hand in the .sm file you receive during this event. You are more than welcome to change any of it to however you see fit, this is just to make the event more approachable for new Stepartists. (This includes but not limited to BPM changes, Signature changes, Colorization, etc.)
-Judges reserve the right to reject a winning file from going in-game due to incompleteness of a file in extreme situations (such-as, a joke dump file, only half of the file done and silence for the other half, 0/10-worthy files after judgment, etc.)
-1st Place Class Winners will get 1 week to submit any fixes they would like from feedback on their submission after voting results, and then song will take another week for Difficulty Consultants and finalizing for release for a total of 2 weeks between end of voting and release. Otherwise, songs submitted and processed this way will we be done so under the Batch "Accepted" status. For more information, please refer to 'Ratings and Status' in the Submission Guidelines.
-There's a 5,000 credit bounty and a 'thank you' from me for those that happen to spot an instance of incorrect dates provided in this post (Correct dates should not be referencing 2024 and should always land on a Thursday or Friday).

**storn42** · 09-13-2025, 10:43 PM

Stepping time baby

**baq12** · 09-14-2025, 01:57 AM

You know, I tried participating in the first Stepcon 13 years ago, and then completely forgot to get the chart in. Good thing I got back into the game last month, and I'm dying to work on something new...

I'm down. Hoping the song selection is fire!

**Tru** · 09-14-2025, 08:14 PM

Can't wait to get 2nd place in the first round again

If I can find time to make a submission

chis2 · 09-15-2025, 03:58 PM

**gold stinger** · 09-18-2025, 11:29 PM

The Ranked-Choice Voting Form for Song Preferences in this year's StepCon is now open & available to everyone!
vvvvvv
You can access the form here!
^^^^^

Typically, based on previous StepCons, there are roughly 8-10 people assigned per song (Although I am possibly thinking of 7 per group this time around). So, expect anywhere between 4-6 groups for this StepCon. 2-3 songs will not be used based on sign-ups currently.

If there's a large influx of sign-ups, then the full set of 7 songs will support 56-70 players. More than that, and we'll be adding bonus songs last-minute to accommodate.

Filling out Song Preferences is not mandatory, but highly recommended. It will help sort you into a group closer to what you've selected as a favorite, and keep you away from groups that involve songs you dislike.

StepCon 2025 officially starts on October 3rd and sign-ups officially close October 2nd 11:59pm Server Time! Groups and placements will be announced at that time.

Song Choices:

[1] Halv - Lotus in Nightcity

[2] telebasher - struggle

[3] Polyphia feat. Sophia Black - ABC (Explicit)

[4] TsugiEdgi - Shakunetsu Line

[5] femtanyl feat. ISSBROKIE - NASTYWERKKKK! (Explicit)

[6] Qumu Music - Bubblegum K.K.

[7] *wakadori - Unit:Squash!

**gold stinger** · 09-21-2025, 02:58 PM

Thank you and public shoutout to an anonymous individual for catching the spelling error in the Song Preferences sheet and fine-reading the rules. Slightly richer in credits you are.

**Lights** · 09-21-2025, 09:05 PM

we out here femmin our tanyls

**botchi246** · 09-23-2025, 08:32 PM

ABC is incredible. Awesome song
Shakunetsu Line. Slappin' that bass so right
Bubblegum is a robot singing through a vocoder playing a xylophone piano
and its really cool
Unit:Squash has that jazzy piano that I like and it is a bop. Easy win there

Others...playing the files will probably improve my listening experience

Cannot wait to see all the new files!

**gold stinger** · 10-3-2025, 01:46 AM

The First Stepping Period has Begun!

During this time, all participants will have received a Direct Message from me containing their Class, Song for Round 1, and their Pre-built .sm File to begin Charting, and links to all songs currently active in this round. For the public, that list is available below in the spoiler.

All participants will have until the end of Thursday, October 16th Server Time to complete their submissions and submit it to the StepCon 2025 Batch located here.

If you need the other song's files or folders / can't get them from whom you are trading with, please contact gold stinger either on the FFR Official Discord, or in DM's here.

PLEASE NOTE, that unlike the previous StepCon, there is NO CHANGING SONGS.

PLEASE ALSO NOTE: that unlike the previous StepCon as well, due to the lower level of groups/sign-ups, TOP TWO PEOPLE WILL BE MOVING TO FINALS INSTEAD OF ONLY THE WINNER IN EACH GROUP.

Best of luck to all those involved in StepCon 2025! Looking forward to some of the patterns and choices that go into these submissions, and may the best StepMan (or StepWoman) win!

**xXOpkillerXx** · 10-3-2025, 02:46 AM

Since I cannot participate this time around, I will try and make some predictions on the results!

Class A:

1. -Tim-
2. Storn
3. Jacob

Note: Song is repetitive at times and probably requires great fundamentals to make the drums and melody feel cohesive while not being boring.

Class B:

1. Snupeh
2. Znow
3. Axith

Note: Song gives a lot of stuff to put your own charting touch here and there. Still watch out for the alphabet sections, those will probably be memorable, good or bad. Solo will be interesting too.

Class C:

1. Zoobin
2. Newson
3. Lights

Note: This song seems to allow for a decently wide difficulty range on a first listen. It has neat elements here and there, but can easily become repetitive or spiky if not thought out carefully.

Class D:

1. M0nkeyz
2. Zeta
3. jh

Note: This song is quite straightforward and not that eventful, but has fun motifs and highlights. I'm fairly confident this will be a matter of how polished the layering is and probably very few techincal errors allowed, especially given who's in that group.

Good luck to all participants, looking forward to playtesting the charts on my phone in a hotel room haha.

**devonin** · 10-3-2025, 01:33 PM

If somebody in class C or D really wants to be in Class A, since the numbers aren't balanced, they can have my spot, as I won't be submitting.

**gold stinger** · 10-17-2025, 01:47 AM

The First Public Voting Period has Begun!

During this time, all participants (including and especially people not participating in the event), can vote for songs submitted for the First Round of StepCon 2025. No further submissions for the event will be accepted at this time. You can re-visit the Google Form link in the future to change your votes (until the end of the Public Voting period), and you can vote for multiple options across all Classes (Pick any & all that you like!).

You may fill out the form at https://forms.gle/T6kCbGH1TnZhxeaX9 to submit your votes.

Please be advised, participants CANNOT vote for their own Class. Votes for that class will not count for said participants.

Everyone will have until the end of Thursday, October 23rd 11:59PM SERVER TIME to complete voting and submit their forms at the above google link.

Furthermore, discussion is allowed in-thread during voting. But please do not deliberately attempt to sway votes/vote brigade particular submissions, and treat your fellow Stepauthors with respect. People of all skill levels participate within this event, and there is going to be good/bad matchups for people's skills and preferred genres. Keep it civil and respectful. There's also the #events channel in FFR's Official Discord for discussing the event as well!

**M0nkeyz** · 10-17-2025, 05:55 AM

My opinion, I have my preferences when it comes to charting style so don't take this as an objective measurement of quality. I also left out who I'm voting for as to not influence anybody.

Struggle 1: The starting piano felt nice, the transition into the other elements felt a bit weird it felt like the layering was thinning while the song was getting more dynamic and intense. I felt some of the layering was a bit random at times in the middle like when the guitar section suddenly transitions into a fully layered drum section. This chart is really well made though there's alot of attention to detail and I really liked the ending.

Struggle 2: Overlayered, didn't follow the dyanmics of the song all to well and it suddenly ends. I don't mind harder versions of songs, but this just felt like a bunch of random notes to make it harder.

Struggle 3: Beginning felt a bit overlayered at times, but man from the moment the calmer sections started I was on board with pretty much everything. The ending was mean lol.

Struggle 4: Fun chart, layering was a bit off for me tho. Big crashes stepped as singles/jumps or not stepped at all, randomly being stepped as hands at unintuitive times. I think this chart had all the right dynamics in terms of chart density and following the music, but it was hard to understand the layering.

Struggle 5: Almost felt like this chart had sync issues strangely enough, I also detected quite a few missing notes from just playing the chart, I feel the layering was a bit all over the place with certain spots being very empty and others being super dense with the music not really warranting such changes. It's tough because I do understand most of the decisions made for this file, but some sections really didn't feel right to me I can't flaw them from a technical standpoint but I would've personally done some of these sections so differently.

Struggle 6: The start with the ''normal note'' highlights in the white notes felt really off, I'm pretty sure you didn't highlight the right notes, it's a good idea executed poorly imo. This chart felt overly jacky and glutty, a good portion of the file felt like I was playing ghost notes because the patterns were so aggressive, the color gimmicks were cool, but it wasn't clear to me what they represented. The ending was nice though it had a good build up.

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ABC 1: I've opened up to dumps a little bit, but this is just ugh. Difficulty is all over the place with most of it being these insane trills and gluts, chart doesn't follow the music super well, it probably has a place in a dump pack.

ABC 2: This chart had all the right dynamics, I actually really liked the part with the hands and quads, they made for some unique patterns you don't see that often in files. I think I detected a few miss timings from just a few playthroughs, I'd have to take a look in an editor, but my first impression was that it's a decent chart with a few parts that could be cleaned up.

ABC 3: Man, some parts in this were absolutely fantastic. Initially I thought it was going to be an easier entry, but then the ABCDEFG part came in lol. I think other parts though felt like real missed opportunities the song is super dynamic but then you had these long jumpstream sections that just felt like they didn't really highlight anything. I felt like I was playing jumpstream when there was so much more going on in the file. I liked the more tech-y sections near the ending.

ABC 4: I feel like you captured the dynamics of the song pretty well, the little tech parts to the vocals were fun. Following the chords with hands made the more streamy section feel more dynamic, I wasn't a huge fan of most of the minijacks in this, but I could sort of understand why they were there, I probably would've chosen a different pattern though.

ABC 5: I'm not a big fan of dumps in FFR, but I feel this is an excellent dump chart. The patterns were fun, the dynamics and layering were coherent and it actually felt like I was playing a chart that went along with the music. I think a few parts could use clean-ups and I don't know if the dump approach is the best one for a song like this since it already lends itself well to tech-y patterns with the guitar parts and hi-hat rolls, but regardless this was well made.

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NASTYWERKKKK! 1: Strong entry, I feel this is a level above anything I've seen so far from the other groups in stepcon. Fun patterns throughout, some pretty gnarly bursts, but they weren't too spiky, every pattern made sense though I think I did find some missing notes. I'd have to take a closer look in the editor. Very good chart to start off the group.

NASTYWERKKKK! 2: Too hard for me to play, but something like this would never get my vote. It just doesn't follow the music well and I don't think this fits FFR.

NASTYWERKKKK! 3: Another really solid entry. A bit heavy on jumps, but the layering made sense. I REALLY liked the white notes to the screams it felt very similar to entry 1 just more jump heavy which is a taste thing.

NASTYWERKKKK! 4: A bit too heavily layered in my opinion, just not a super dynamic chart as a result. You're mostly just doing the same glutty patterns over and over again.

NASTYWERKKKK! 5: Second half in this was super fun to play, it almost felt like the first and second half were made by 2 different people lol. I did not care much for the first half, it felt very jumpstreamy and pretty spiky at times, second half really nailed the dynamics of the song and the patterns were super fun, but yeah if only the first half was as good as the second.

Niala · 10-17-2025, 10:34 AM

I just wanted to share that I really enjoyed this event

It was lot of fun charting something new for the first time in years, reminded me of how enjoyable and creative the process is. Thanks for hosting, and good luck to all charters!

**Lights** · 10-17-2025, 02:30 PM

Hi. heres my feedback on the stepcon files this year. Files rated on a scale of 1 to 5 based entirely on my opinion.

Struggle 1 (5/5) - This file is excellent. Pattern feel is great, especially the reserved usage of minijacks. does a great job of focusing on what the song wants to be emphasized. Pacing and difficulty curve are good. This is basically the file i was hoping to see come from this song.

Struggle 2 (1/5) - Sorry chief, this ain't it for me. I can't really tell whats going on here. It seems like difficulty for the sake of difficulty at the cost of representing the music. The intro was pretty solid, but i don't have much positive to say past that point. Consider a more refined approach in the future and carefully consider what it is you're trying to follow and represent with a particular section of music.

Struggle 3 (4/5) - This is good. It executes well on some of the things i liked about 1, however imo it falls a little short relative to 1 when it comes to focusing. in particular the decision not to slow things down and focus on that little guitar solo was a bit disappointing. however the minijack usage was mostly pretty strong, the patterning felt nice to play and the emphasis was properly placed most of the time. This is a strong file, good work.

Struggle 4 (3/5) - Solid file. The minijacking felt a bit heavy handed relative to the context of the music (though i think i could see your reasoning) and it, like 2, fell a little short on where the chart placed its focus imo. those complaints aside, its an enjoyable file to play and it captures the essence of the song. I think with a touch more polish it'd make a strong addition to FFR.

Struggle 5 (4/5) - God, what a file. Theres a lot to like here but a few decisions irked me quite a bit. like in 4 the minijacks felt a little heavy handed at points and i don't love some of the decisions made with what the chart focused on. that being said, i loved the use of onehand trilling and outside of my complaints with minijacking at a few points, this was very fun to play and in some ways unique from the other entries. Part of me wanted to give this a 3/5, another part wanted to give it a 5/5. So reluctant 4/5 it is.

Struggle 6 (3.5/5) - So despite my complaints about minijacks and gluts in the other files, i think this uses them relatively well. Its a structure that is established early and maintained pretty well throughout the file such that it doesnt feel jarring. I do however take issue with how much this approach takes the spotlight from the more melodic elements of the song. Where Struggle 1 opts to 'zig', this file 'zags'. In my opinion it results in a file that comes off as too overly focused on the percussion when theres so much more going on. From a playfeel and difficulty curve perspective I can get behind what this file tries to do, but from a stepartist perspective this file really misses the mark for me.

EDIT: it has since come to my attention that this file has color theory which addresses my concerns about lacking clear representation of the melodic elements of the song. While my other complaint still holds, I do think the approach to color theory here is quite a neat way to "have your cake and eat it too" with regards to the percussion fighting for the spotlight against the melodic stuff. Might be a tad excessive for some, but i dig it.

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ABC 1 (X/5) - I can't play this and I'm not going to get too heavily into reviewing it. In my opinion the approach to vocal dumping is too intense for what the music calls for and its immediately apparent from the intro. I'm sure theres an audience for it, but I don't much care for the intensity of the approach.

ABC 2 (5/5) - Very good file. A few things felt vaguely 'off', but realistically this file checks all the boxes i could've possibly wanted in a file for this song. This file really shines in terms of its restraint. Tough act to beat.

ABC 3 (3.5/5) - Fun to play and a solid approach. I was a bit disappointed by the choice to follow the steady 16ths in the choruses, creating a steady jumpstream. despite it being a bit of a difficulty spike, i actually like the execution on the ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ bit in this file- felt quite fun to hit. I feel like a bit of tweaking on the chorus could've put this at a 4/5 for me.

ABC 4 (3/5) - Reminds me of ABC 3 with a bit more intensity. Much like that entry, the verses are solid, but i found myself a little disappointed in the choruses. I did kind of prefer the handstreamy approach here versus the simpler jumpstream, but the relatively lack of intensity of the ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ kinda soured it for me. Still, a solid file and I enjoyed playing it.

ABC 5 (4/5) - Alright so like... I did quite enjoy the approach to vocal dumping here. For a harder approach to the song, i think it has the right idea. I have some gripes about playfeel (mainly around the handbiasing on some minijacky bits) and there were a few smaller instances where i wish the file would've slowed down a bit, but i liked this

EDIT: amended my rating to 4/5, 3.5 is a little harsh

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FUCK YOU MEAN "I AIN'T HER"?

BOY THATS NASTY WERK!

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Unit-Squash 1 (4/5) - Good file, I had fun. Everything seemed to make sense, the patterning felt good to play, and there was nothing glaring to complain about (though something felt vaguely off about the ending?) That being said, I didn't exactly adore it? It lacked any kind of 'hook' or wow factor to make it particularly memorable for me. Nothing in the file really got any kind of strong reaction out of me and for that reason I can't give it a 5/5 despite it being good overall.

Unit-Squash 2 (5/5) - Really enjoyed this. Well placed cut and 3jacks give the file a nice bit of spice to it. Tasteful use of onehanding as well. Aside from that, it does pretty much everything i'd want to see, good job.

Unit-Squash 3 (3.5/5) - Part of me liked this file the most, part of me was pretty unimpressed. This file has exactly the kind of hook to it that i was missing with 1 with some memorable sections that nicely capture the music while being interesting from a player perspective. My issue is that the execution on everything in between didn't resonate with me quite as well as the first 2 files. All in all its pretty good though, I liked it

**Tru** · 10-23-2025, 09:09 PM

# - charts I didn't play (too hard), reviewed the preview instead. My hands aren't 100% so I didn't want to risk pushing too much or even trying rates.

struggle 1 - I get why the guitar solo is the way it is, it just seemed a bit underwhelming for it's length and placement in the song. Ending makes up for it a bit. Overall this is a pretty well constructed chart
struggle 2# - seems like a brave attempt at dumping sustained notes. Not sure how effective it could be when the piano is so distinct overall. Chart is clearly unfinished
struggle 3 - felt similar to 1 at first. Would have been my only vote if the ending was more like 1's, felt like the chart was late to the build up
struggle 4 - ok wait did I make this chart lol. For better or worse this is pretty much exactly how I would have stepped this
struggle 5 - Gets bonus points for the OHT hi-hat shenanigans. Chart feels a little messy, might be trying to capture too much or has an unclear layering structure. Seems like the stepper wasn't quite sure what to do once the guitar solo came in until the very end.
struggle 6# - While I respect the effort it took to make this, the colour theory is definitely over the top. It's often not overly clear what colours were representing what. Seems like colour theory is a thing that's only effective in either small doses or the just recolourizing the entire chart. Pattern-wise, this has kind of the same jack issues as some of the ABC submissions

ABC 1# - not entirely sure what the goal was with this one. I think it's dumping the guitars? Maybe? That idea could work but the execution here seems lacking. Probably needed to simplify the chart a bit more by reducing a followed element
ABC 2 - decent. Some pattern choices were a bit yikes but not a huge deal overall
ABC 3 - seems like glut patterning will be an issue for this group in general. Interesting to include soooo much hi-hat, not sure it was overly effective
ABC 4 - difficulty emphasis seems a bit off. eg. making the main alphabet parts so comparatively easy feels anti-climactic. Needs a fair bit of pattern clean up, noticed heavy left hand bias and other unnecessary jank.
ABC 5 - I want to like this one a lot, but it needs a fair bit of polish. Those 1[12]2-and-similar-s really disrupt the flow more than may have been intended. Some pattern clean up and this would definitely have my vote.

Nastywerkkkk 1 - playtest playtest playtest. Felt pretty spiky in some spots (especially some rolls) and some rough jack transitions to watch out for - you'd probably catch them in a playtest. Otherwise pretty decent jack approach.
Nastywerkkkk 2# - Definitely going to encourage this stepartist to compare the other charts in this group. This chart doesn't seem to reflect the music nearly at all at times, and has some yikes patterns. Regardless, this should be a good learning experience for this stepper.
Nastywerkkkk 3# - Was actually the last chart I looked at and one I would probably be able to play if I had any stamina left. Seems pretty polished, would need to actually play to test the jack patterns. Might be a missing note here or there. White notes were smartly placed and effective. Seems like a very strong submission.
Nastywerkkkk 4# - Seems to have consistency issues with layering or following sounds here and there. Also sufferes from somewhat awkward jack patterning like 1. Good attempt
Nastywerkkkk 5 - Seemed to randomly increase the layering without much justification somewhere in the first half? Would need to look closer in editor. Otherwise seems fairly solid overall
Nastywerkkkk 6# - uh... This seems to have better structure than 2, but I have a really hard time commenting on something this hard without rates/editor. Takes stones to send something this hard for a stepcon entry.

**gold stinger** · 10-24-2025, 12:07 AM

The First Public Voting Period has Ended!

Here's the results for the First Round:

1st - storn42 [3]
2nd - Niala [1]
3rd - jacobvl39 [4]

1st - Deamerai [3]
2nd - ambi. [5]
3rd - Snupeh [4]

1st - Lights [3]
2nd - XxNewson1234xX [1]
3rd - woker-X [5]

1st - jh05013 [1]
2nd - M0nkeyz [2]
3rd - Tru [3]

A huge congratulations to everyone that participated, played and voted for their favorites! It was quite a riveting battle over the week from every Class for the coveted 1st Place and 2nd Place to participate in the Final StepOff! Very forward and back with many 1st & 2nd Place swaps. I will be getting credit prizes out shortly while juggling the rest of the swap-over period as we transition into the Final StepOff. Badges will come out at the end of StepCon.

Participants and voters are now open & free to talk about which file is theirs in-order on the StepCon 2025 engine (if they prefer), and talk about which specific songs they voted for (again, if they prefer).

Stay tuned for the Final StepOff announcement.

**gold stinger** · 10-24-2025, 12:10 AM

The Second Stepping Period has Begun!

During this time, all participants will have received a Direct Message from me containing the Final StepOff song, and their Pre-built .sm File to begin Charting.

All participants will have until the end of Thursday, November 6th 11:59PM SERVER TIME to complete their submissions and submit it to the StepCon 2025 Batch located here.

Final StepOff: Kou! / Sanzui

storn42
Niala
Deamerai
ambi.
Lights
XxNewson1234xX
jh05013
M0nkeyz

3 participants will be walking away with an extra-special StepOff profile badge (plus a hefty bonus of credits), and the winner will also have this song released to FFR.

Best of luck to the Finalists! To other participants, I will be sending out 2nd & 3rd place prizes, and participation prizes in a bit. The Second Judging Period will begin on November 7th.

Also a reminder to those that won 1st place in their respective classes: You will have until the end of next week (October 30th, 11:59PM SERVER TIME) To get in and submit any fixes for your files, before they are sent to Difficulty Consultants and are difficulty rated for release on November 7th! Your hard work is greatly appreciated on that front!

**gold stinger** · 11-7-2025, 12:09 AM

The Second Public Voting Period has Begun!

During this time, the community can vote for the Final round of StepCon 2025. No further submissions for the event will be accepted at this time. You can re-visit the Google Form link in the future to change your votes (until the end of the Public Voting period), and you can vote for multiple options across this Final StepOff (Pick any & all that you like!).

You may fill out the form at https://forms.gle/LfiSyKQMFE6UZPxH8 to submit your votes.

Please be advised, participants CANNOT vote for their own Class. Votes for that class will not count for said participants.

Everyone will have until the end of Thursday, November 13th 11:59PM SERVER TIME to complete voting and submit their forms at the above google link.

Furthermore, discussion is allowed in-thread during voting. But please do not deliberately attempt to sway votes/vote brigade particular submissions, and treat your fellow Stepauthors with respect. People of all skill levels participate within this event, and there is going to be good/bad matchups for people's skills and preferred genres. Keep it civil and respectful. There's also the #events channel in FFR's Official Discord for discussing the event as well!

09-14-2025, 01:57 AM	#3
baq12 FFR Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Dallas, Texas. Posts: 186	Re: StepCon 2025 You know, I tried participating in the first Stepcon 13 years ago, and then completely forgot to get the chart in. Good thing I got back into the game last month, and I'm dying to work on something new... I'm down. Hoping the song selection is fire!

09-14-2025, 08:14 PM	#4
Tru e Join Date: Jun 2022 Posts: 111	Re: StepCon 2025 Can't wait to get 2nd place in the first round again If I can find time to make a submission

09-15-2025, 03:58 PM	#5
chis2 FFR Player Join Date: Dec 2023 Location: Russia Age: 20 Posts: 10	Re: StepCon 2025 epic

09-21-2025, 09:05 PM	#8
Lights Spooky Password: Demon6 Commuwunity Manager Join Date: Jun 2020 Posts: 439	Re: StepCon 2025 we out here femmin our tanyls __________________

09-23-2025, 08:32 PM	#9
botchi246 Keepin it Real since '05 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Raleigh, NC Age: 36 Posts: 601	Re: StepCon 2025 ABC is incredible. Awesome song Shakunetsu Line. Slappin' that bass so right Bubblegum is a robot singing through a vocoder playing a xylophone piano and its really cool Unit:Squash has that jazzy piano that I like and it is a bop. Easy win there Others...playing the files will probably improve my listening experience Cannot wait to see all the new files! __________________

10-3-2025, 02:46 AM	#11
xXOpkillerXx ✘ Forever OP✘ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Canada,Quebec Age: 30 Posts: 4,207	Re: StepCon 2025 Since I cannot participate this time around, I will try and make some predictions on the results! Class A: 1. -Tim- 2. Storn 3. Jacob Note: Song is repetitive at times and probably requires great fundamentals to make the drums and melody feel cohesive while not being boring. Class B: 1. Snupeh 2. Znow 3. Axith Note: Song gives a lot of stuff to put your own charting touch here and there. Still watch out for the alphabet sections, those will probably be memorable, good or bad. Solo will be interesting too. Class C: 1. Zoobin 2. Newson 3. Lights Note: This song seems to allow for a decently wide difficulty range on a first listen. It has neat elements here and there, but can easily become repetitive or spiky if not thought out carefully. Class D: 1. M0nkeyz 2. Zeta 3. jh Note: This song is quite straightforward and not that eventful, but has fun motifs and highlights. I'm fairly confident this will be a matter of how polished the layering is and probably very few techincal errors allowed, especially given who's in that group. Good luck to all participants, looking forward to playtesting the charts on my phone in a hotel room haha.

10-3-2025, 01:33 PM	#12
devonin Very Grave Indeed Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 41 Posts: 10,120	Re: StepCon 2025 If somebody in class C or D really wants to be in Class A, since the numbers aren't balanced, they can have my spot, as I won't be submitting.

10-17-2025, 05:55 AM	#14
M0nkeyz Simfile Judge Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 482	Re: StepCon 2025 My opinion, I have my preferences when it comes to charting style so don't take this as an objective measurement of quality. I also left out who I'm voting for as to not influence anybody. Struggle 1: The starting piano felt nice, the transition into the other elements felt a bit weird it felt like the layering was thinning while the song was getting more dynamic and intense. I felt some of the layering was a bit random at times in the middle like when the guitar section suddenly transitions into a fully layered drum section. This chart is really well made though there's alot of attention to detail and I really liked the ending. Struggle 2: Overlayered, didn't follow the dyanmics of the song all to well and it suddenly ends. I don't mind harder versions of songs, but this just felt like a bunch of random notes to make it harder. Struggle 3: Beginning felt a bit overlayered at times, but man from the moment the calmer sections started I was on board with pretty much everything. The ending was mean lol. Struggle 4: Fun chart, layering was a bit off for me tho. Big crashes stepped as singles/jumps or not stepped at all, randomly being stepped as hands at unintuitive times. I think this chart had all the right dynamics in terms of chart density and following the music, but it was hard to understand the layering. Struggle 5: Almost felt like this chart had sync issues strangely enough, I also detected quite a few missing notes from just playing the chart, I feel the layering was a bit all over the place with certain spots being very empty and others being super dense with the music not really warranting such changes. It's tough because I do understand most of the decisions made for this file, but some sections really didn't feel right to me I can't flaw them from a technical standpoint but I would've personally done some of these sections so differently. Struggle 6: The start with the ''normal note'' highlights in the white notes felt really off, I'm pretty sure you didn't highlight the right notes, it's a good idea executed poorly imo. This chart felt overly jacky and glutty, a good portion of the file felt like I was playing ghost notes because the patterns were so aggressive, the color gimmicks were cool, but it wasn't clear to me what they represented. The ending was nice though it had a good build up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABC 1: I've opened up to dumps a little bit, but this is just ugh. Difficulty is all over the place with most of it being these insane trills and gluts, chart doesn't follow the music super well, it probably has a place in a dump pack. ABC 2: This chart had all the right dynamics, I actually really liked the part with the hands and quads, they made for some unique patterns you don't see that often in files. I think I detected a few miss timings from just a few playthroughs, I'd have to take a look in an editor, but my first impression was that it's a decent chart with a few parts that could be cleaned up. ABC 3: Man, some parts in this were absolutely fantastic. Initially I thought it was going to be an easier entry, but then the ABCDEFG part came in lol. I think other parts though felt like real missed opportunities the song is super dynamic but then you had these long jumpstream sections that just felt like they didn't really highlight anything. I felt like I was playing jumpstream when there was so much more going on in the file. I liked the more tech-y sections near the ending. ABC 4: I feel like you captured the dynamics of the song pretty well, the little tech parts to the vocals were fun. Following the chords with hands made the more streamy section feel more dynamic, I wasn't a huge fan of most of the minijacks in this, but I could sort of understand why they were there, I probably would've chosen a different pattern though. ABC 5: I'm not a big fan of dumps in FFR, but I feel this is an excellent dump chart. The patterns were fun, the dynamics and layering were coherent and it actually felt like I was playing a chart that went along with the music. I think a few parts could use clean-ups and I don't know if the dump approach is the best one for a song like this since it already lends itself well to tech-y patterns with the guitar parts and hi-hat rolls, but regardless this was well made. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NASTYWERKKKK! 1: Strong entry, I feel this is a level above anything I've seen so far from the other groups in stepcon. Fun patterns throughout, some pretty gnarly bursts, but they weren't too spiky, every pattern made sense though I think I did find some missing notes. I'd have to take a closer look in the editor. Very good chart to start off the group. NASTYWERKKKK! 2: Too hard for me to play, but something like this would never get my vote. It just doesn't follow the music well and I don't think this fits FFR. NASTYWERKKKK! 3: Another really solid entry. A bit heavy on jumps, but the layering made sense. I REALLY liked the white notes to the screams it felt very similar to entry 1 just more jump heavy which is a taste thing. NASTYWERKKKK! 4: A bit too heavily layered in my opinion, just not a super dynamic chart as a result. You're mostly just doing the same glutty patterns over and over again. NASTYWERKKKK! 5: Second half in this was super fun to play, it almost felt like the first and second half were made by 2 different people lol. I did not care much for the first half, it felt very jumpstreamy and pretty spiky at times, second half really nailed the dynamics of the song and the patterns were super fun, but yeah if only the first half was as good as the second. Last edited by M0nkeyz; 10-17-2025 at 06:29 AM..

10-17-2025, 10:34 AM	#15
Niala (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Fredericton Age: 35 Posts: 1,697	Re: StepCon 2025 I just wanted to share that I really enjoyed this event It was lot of fun charting something new for the first time in years, reminded me of how enjoyable and creative the process is. Thanks for hosting, and good luck to all charters!

10-17-2025, 02:30 PM	#16
Lights Spooky Password: Demon6 Commuwunity Manager Join Date: Jun 2020 Posts: 439	Re: StepCon 2025 Hi. heres my feedback on the stepcon files this year. Files rated on a scale of 1 to 5 based entirely on my opinion. Struggle 1 (5/5) - This file is excellent. Pattern feel is great, especially the reserved usage of minijacks. does a great job of focusing on what the song wants to be emphasized. Pacing and difficulty curve are good. This is basically the file i was hoping to see come from this song. Struggle 2 (1/5) - Sorry chief, this ain't it for me. I can't really tell whats going on here. It seems like difficulty for the sake of difficulty at the cost of representing the music. The intro was pretty solid, but i don't have much positive to say past that point. Consider a more refined approach in the future and carefully consider what it is you're trying to follow and represent with a particular section of music. Struggle 3 (4/5) - This is good. It executes well on some of the things i liked about 1, however imo it falls a little short relative to 1 when it comes to focusing. in particular the decision not to slow things down and focus on that little guitar solo was a bit disappointing. however the minijack usage was mostly pretty strong, the patterning felt nice to play and the emphasis was properly placed most of the time. This is a strong file, good work. Struggle 4 (3/5) - Solid file. The minijacking felt a bit heavy handed relative to the context of the music (though i think i could see your reasoning) and it, like 2, fell a little short on where the chart placed its focus imo. those complaints aside, its an enjoyable file to play and it captures the essence of the song. I think with a touch more polish it'd make a strong addition to FFR. Struggle 5 (4/5) - God, what a file. Theres a lot to like here but a few decisions irked me quite a bit. like in 4 the minijacks felt a little heavy handed at points and i don't love some of the decisions made with what the chart focused on. that being said, i loved the use of onehand trilling and outside of my complaints with minijacking at a few points, this was very fun to play and in some ways unique from the other entries. Part of me wanted to give this a 3/5, another part wanted to give it a 5/5. So reluctant 4/5 it is. Struggle 6 (3.5/5) - So despite my complaints about minijacks and gluts in the other files, i think this uses them relatively well. Its a structure that is established early and maintained pretty well throughout the file such that it doesnt feel jarring. I do however take issue with how much this approach takes the spotlight from the more melodic elements of the song. Where Struggle 1 opts to 'zig', this file 'zags'. In my opinion it results in a file that comes off as too overly focused on the percussion when theres so much more going on. From a playfeel and difficulty curve perspective I can get behind what this file tries to do, but from a stepartist perspective this file really misses the mark for me. EDIT: it has since come to my attention that this file has color theory which addresses my concerns about lacking clear representation of the melodic elements of the song. While my other complaint still holds, I do think the approach to color theory here is quite a neat way to "have your cake and eat it too" with regards to the percussion fighting for the spotlight against the melodic stuff. Might be a tad excessive for some, but i dig it. 1, 3, 5 ------------------ ABC 1 (X/5) - I can't play this and I'm not going to get too heavily into reviewing it. In my opinion the approach to vocal dumping is too intense for what the music calls for and its immediately apparent from the intro. I'm sure theres an audience for it, but I don't much care for the intensity of the approach. ABC 2 (5/5) - Very good file. A few things felt vaguely 'off', but realistically this file checks all the boxes i could've possibly wanted in a file for this song. This file really shines in terms of its restraint. Tough act to beat. ABC 3 (3.5/5) - Fun to play and a solid approach. I was a bit disappointed by the choice to follow the steady 16ths in the choruses, creating a steady jumpstream. despite it being a bit of a difficulty spike, i actually like the execution on the ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ bit in this file- felt quite fun to hit. I feel like a bit of tweaking on the chorus could've put this at a 4/5 for me. ABC 4 (3/5) - Reminds me of ABC 3 with a bit more intensity. Much like that entry, the verses are solid, but i found myself a little disappointed in the choruses. I did kind of prefer the handstreamy approach here versus the simpler jumpstream, but the relatively lack of intensity of the ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ kinda soured it for me. Still, a solid file and I enjoyed playing it. ABC 5 (4/5) - Alright so like... I did quite enjoy the approach to vocal dumping here. For a harder approach to the song, i think it has the right idea. I have some gripes about playfeel (mainly around the handbiasing on some minijacky bits) and there were a few smaller instances where i wish the file would've slowed down a bit, but i liked this EDIT: amended my rating to 4/5, 3.5 is a little harsh 2, 5 ---------------- FUCK YOU MEAN "I AIN'T HER"? BOY THATS NASTY WERK! Mine, if i was allowed to :c ---------------- Unit-Squash 1 (4/5) - Good file, I had fun. Everything seemed to make sense, the patterning felt good to play, and there was nothing glaring to complain about (though something felt vaguely off about the ending?) That being said, I didn't exactly adore it? It lacked any kind of 'hook' or wow factor to make it particularly memorable for me. Nothing in the file really got any kind of strong reaction out of me and for that reason I can't give it a 5/5 despite it being good overall. Unit-Squash 2 (5/5) - Really enjoyed this. Well placed cut and 3jacks give the file a nice bit of spice to it. Tasteful use of onehanding as well. Aside from that, it does pretty much everything i'd want to see, good job. Unit-Squash 3 (3.5/5) - Part of me liked this file the most, part of me was pretty unimpressed. This file has exactly the kind of hook to it that i was missing with 1 with some memorable sections that nicely capture the music while being interesting from a player perspective. My issue is that the execution on everything in between didn't resonate with me quite as well as the first 2 files. All in all its pretty good though, I liked it Realistically, all 3 of them if i could. But 2 takes the edge for me __________________ Last edited by Lights; 10-17-2025 at 06:57 PM..

10-23-2025, 09:09 PM	#17
Tru e Join Date: Jun 2022 Posts: 111	Re: StepCon 2025 # - charts I didn't play (too hard), reviewed the preview instead. My hands aren't 100% so I didn't want to risk pushing too much or even trying rates. struggle 1 - I get why the guitar solo is the way it is, it just seemed a bit underwhelming for it's length and placement in the song. Ending makes up for it a bit. Overall this is a pretty well constructed chart struggle 2# - seems like a brave attempt at dumping sustained notes. Not sure how effective it could be when the piano is so distinct overall. Chart is clearly unfinished struggle 3 - felt similar to 1 at first. Would have been my only vote if the ending was more like 1's, felt like the chart was late to the build up struggle 4 - ok wait did I make this chart lol. For better or worse this is pretty much exactly how I would have stepped this struggle 5 - Gets bonus points for the OHT hi-hat shenanigans. Chart feels a little messy, might be trying to capture too much or has an unclear layering structure. Seems like the stepper wasn't quite sure what to do once the guitar solo came in until the very end. struggle 6# - While I respect the effort it took to make this, the colour theory is definitely over the top. It's often not overly clear what colours were representing what. Seems like colour theory is a thing that's only effective in either small doses or the just recolourizing the entire chart. Pattern-wise, this has kind of the same jack issues as some of the ABC submissions ABC 1# - not entirely sure what the goal was with this one. I think it's dumping the guitars? Maybe? That idea could work but the execution here seems lacking. Probably needed to simplify the chart a bit more by reducing a followed element ABC 2 - decent. Some pattern choices were a bit yikes but not a huge deal overall ABC 3 - seems like glut patterning will be an issue for this group in general. Interesting to include soooo much hi-hat, not sure it was overly effective ABC 4 - difficulty emphasis seems a bit off. eg. making the main alphabet parts so comparatively easy feels anti-climactic. Needs a fair bit of pattern clean up, noticed heavy left hand bias and other unnecessary jank. ABC 5 - I want to like this one a lot, but it needs a fair bit of polish. Those 1[12]2-and-similar-s really disrupt the flow more than may have been intended. Some pattern clean up and this would definitely have my vote. Nastywerkkkk 1 - playtest playtest playtest. Felt pretty spiky in some spots (especially some rolls) and some rough jack transitions to watch out for - you'd probably catch them in a playtest. Otherwise pretty decent jack approach. Nastywerkkkk 2# - Definitely going to encourage this stepartist to compare the other charts in this group. This chart doesn't seem to reflect the music nearly at all at times, and has some yikes patterns. Regardless, this should be a good learning experience for this stepper. Nastywerkkkk 3# - Was actually the last chart I looked at and one I would probably be able to play if I had any stamina left. Seems pretty polished, would need to actually play to test the jack patterns. Might be a missing note here or there. White notes were smartly placed and effective. Seems like a very strong submission. Nastywerkkkk 4# - Seems to have consistency issues with layering or following sounds here and there. Also sufferes from somewhat awkward jack patterning like 1. Good attempt Nastywerkkkk 5 - Seemed to randomly increase the layering without much justification somewhere in the first half? Would need to look closer in editor. Otherwise seems fairly solid overall Nastywerkkkk 6# - uh... This seems to have better structure than 2, but I have a really hard time commenting on something this hard without rates/editor. Takes stones to send something this hard for a stepcon entry.

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