How do I make a new stepfile?

[Acidic Rage]

I need to know how to make a new stepfile. I was planning on making stepfiles that I and other people around the world would like. But the only problem is that I have no idea how to create the stepfiles.

Is there a certain software you have to use for it, or can I go somewhere on the FFR website and make one?

Please help and give any advice/information that may or may not be useful. Thanks.

[Patashu]

Okay. If you're new to making simfiles, go to www.stepmania.com and download stepmania 3.9 for your platform of choice. (Not 4.0, the bugs haven't been worked out yet)

When it's installed, go to the /Songs/ folder. Make a folder with any name, this is now your group folder. Any song must be in its own folder within a group folder, and it has to include an .mp3 or .ogg plus a .sm file (you can just make a blank text file and rename it blah.sm and it'll register). Then when you next run stepmania go to edit/sync songs and it'll show up. You can make a chart and go from there, but first you need to set the bpm and gap.
(F1 shows controls for -everything-, btw)
To find the bpm, I recommend the program called Mixmeister BPM Analyser. Download it and feed the song into it and it'll tell you what bpm it is at assuming the song is a constant bpm. If it's not quite a whole number, just round it, sometimes it's a bit off. Now, use F7 and F8 to adjust the bpm change at the very first beat so that it matches this number.
Now, you need to find the beat 0 offset, how far into the song the very first beat is. Hit escape then play entire song to make it play the song (stopping a measure after the last note you've placed, so scatter a few if it ends early. Also, the first time you do this hit F8 to turn on autoplay so it hits the notes for you). Listen for where the first beat comes and go up/down and place a beat roughly where you think it is (using left and right to change the quantization and snap). Once you think you have it roughly, hit escape and go to song options. Lower the rate to 0.3x and turn assist tick on. Play the song, and listen to the clap in relation to where the first beat is. Get rid of the note and put it closer and repeat until you have it spot on (going down to the finest quantization if needed).
Once they are exactly together, move the targets onto that note and look up at the right corner. Note what second it's at, then go back to the very beginning of the song and use F11 and F12 to adjust until the second of the very first beat equals the second of the very first beat of the song. Now, place some notes on 4ths to ensure your notes match the beat perfectly. If they do, you're good to go. Move the rate back to 1.0x and step away. Don't forget to set the song name, artist and difficulty of the chart at some point, too.

[Professor Raine]

How come I have a feeling that he'll only follow 62% of the guide and the missing 38% is crucial to good simfile making?

I'm just saying, that's all.


@Acidic Rage: Read every ****ing word there, go to the simfile forums and read the stickies. Then go at making simfiles. It might take ya a year to get good, or a few months, but simfile making is a tricky art to master young padowan.

[Patashu]

That's the bare minimum you need to know to not be absolutely confounded by simfile making. And if you keep assist tick on you'll know if you misstep patterns.

[Acidic Rage]

There isn't a /Songs/ folder that shows up. I open the file from My Documents, and it has 7 different options.

1. Go To StepMania web site
2. README-FIRST
3. StepMania Tools and Package Exporter
4. View Machine Statistics
5. Open StepMania Program Folder
6. StepMania 3.9
7. Uninstall StepMania 3.9

Haha.

[Patashu]

After you install stepmania, go to C:\Program Files\Stepmania\Songs\.

/ is for urls \ is for directories, btw

[Acidic Rage]

Okay. I did that. I'm now in a spot that has one option, "Information."

Is this where I make a group file?

[Patashu]

Huh? No, you make a new folder when you're viewing \Songs\ and call it whatever you want. Don't go into any programs yet.

[Acidic Rage]

This isn't working.

I opened the folder C:\Program Files\StepMania\Songs\

I got to a screen with just the file "Information" on it. I then created a new folder titled "Through the Fire and Flames."

I then opened the folder I created, and made another folder with the same title. I opened the 2nd folder, and copy/pasted my sound track into it as "01 Through the Fire and Flames"

Then I saved a blank notepad.exe document as "blah.sm" as you told me to along with the song in the second folder titled "Through the Fire and Flames"

I went to Stepmania, and it's saying that I don't have any songs.

[Acidic Rage]

The song isn't saved as a .mp3 or a .ogg

It is saved in there as a MPEG. How would I change that?

[Patashu]

Do you have extensions visible? If they aren't what you ended up making is a file blah.sm.txt
As for the music file, I don't know of any formats that work for sure besides .mp3 and .ogg. Isn't an mpeg a movie file?

[Acidic Rage]

I'm pretty sure itis, but when I open the file all it does is open iTunes and play the track. I copy/pasted the track from iTunes into the "C:\Program Files\StepMania\Songs\StepMania File 1\Through the Fire and Flames\" folder I made. in that same foldfer is the blah.sm file.

[xCANDLEx]

noooo your doing it wrong bud. you dont just "copy and paste" the song into the folder. 1st step. if possible drag the song to the desktop (or just download the song). if the song is in MPEG. you need to convert it to .ogg or .mp3. i suggest downloading an mp3 or ogg converter. after thats done. go to C:\Program Files\Stepmania\Program. youll see a red arrow and some thing idk what it is thats holding the arrow it says "smpackage" click on that. and youll see alot of stuff like metric changing options and stuff. on the way bottom you will see "create song" click on that and a little window pops up. then find the song you want to step. click on it once. then click open. you will get a message saying "Success. Created the song 'Songs/My Creations/whatever song' . then you open stepmania. then go to "edit/sync songs" and..... i think your good from there

EDIT: go to audacity.com and downloas the program to convert any song that is not in .MP3 or .ogg format

[Strider11o7]

I'd highly suggest against using TTFATF as your first stepfile considering it's length and technical difficulty, that and it's the most overstepped song ever made, pick something from your music library that is shorter and would be easier to make.

If you're confused about how you create the song file yourself, here's something you can do: Go to "All Programs" in your start menu and look for Stepmania, then select "Export song packager" or something like that, i'm not sure exactly. Click "Create Song" at the bottom and pick your song. It will automatically create the file and put it in the right place, you just have to go make it from the Song Editor in the game and be sure to save it when you're done.

Also, i know this is a little bit late but... wrong forum >.>

[jimerax]

Originally Posted by Strider11o7

Also, i know this is a little bit late but... wrong forum >.>

yes

[Acidic Rage]

Originally Posted by Strider11o7

I'd highly suggest against using TTFATF as your first stepfile considering it's length and technical difficulty, that and it's the most overstepped song ever made, pick something from your music library that is shorter and would be easier to make.

If you're confused about how you create the song file yourself, here's something you can do: Go to "All Programs" in your start menu and look for Stepmania, then select "Export song packager" or something like that, i'm not sure exactly. Click "Create Song" at the bottom and pick your song. It will automatically create the file and put it in the right place, you just have to go make it from the Song Editor in the game and be sure to save it when you're done.

Also, i know this is a little bit late but... wrong forum >.>

I went through your instructions and everything, but I don't get the "Create Song" option.

[DarkAdrian]

O.K, I will help you out on this, follow my steps.

1. Your song choice for a first time song is well, a very difficult task for a first time stepper so I would recommend any song with the following aspects.

- A short song ( at least 1 or 2 minutes )
- A song with the same beat throughout the whole song.

Once you have picked out a song that fits into those categories, you should have a program to calculate its BPM. The best program that calculates the BPM is called MixMeister BPM Analyzer, you can find a download to it by going to google and search for it. Open the BPM Analyzer and open the song on the program to get the BPM of the song, remember it for when you actually begin stepping it ( writing it down on a piece of paper is useful if you forget a lot ).

2. So you have found everything needed to start editing the song, cool now your able to begin stepping the song but you have to create it into StepMania. First off go to All Programs > StepMania > StepMania Tools and Package Exporter. You should have a window of a bunch of options pop up, you then select Create Song and select the song you want to step and once you have successfully created the song go to All Programs > StepMania > StepMania 3.9. You should have the game loading, once it has finished loading you can go to Edit/Sync Songs and find the group My Creations, once you have found that under it should be the song you want to step, select the song you want to step and select the StepsType and Difficulty the way you want it and once you have accomplished all that in the bottom of the list it should say Create with Blank, select that and it should have created the data for the song to be edited under, select Edit Existing to begin editing the song. You should be at a step editor, hit F1 to show some keyboard shortcuts used when editing the song.

Additional Information

http://www.stepmania.com/wiki/Create_Your_Own_Songs - read this to learn how to step properly.

http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...05&postcount=1 - a lot of tips that you should follow, follow those and you could get really good at stepping.

Remember, the first few songs you step won't be as good as you have wanted them to be, don't give up continue practicing and the more you make the better you get. Also let others try them out and get some tips from them on how you can improve on the song.

Hope you find this very useful, and I wish you luck on making that first song.

[Patashu]

Just so you know, if you use the stepmania tools program to put the song in successfully you don't have to do the steps I listed for it.

[kommisar[os]]

just to warn you in advance, never step dragonforce

[Reknarock]

Originally Posted by Patashu

When it's installed, go to the /Songs/ folder. Make a folder with any name, this is now your group folder. Any song must be in its own folder within a group folder, and it has to include an .mp3 or .ogg plus a .sm file (you can just make a blank text file and rename it blah.sm and it'll register).

i've a problem... because it doesn't register

what can i do?

I have
Stepmania/Songs/My Creations/Funky/funky.mp3 and the
Stepmania/Songs/My Creations/Funky/funky.sm (empty textfile)

but i can't edit it in SM Oo but why?

edit: got it...

just used the smpackage programm to create the files