let's try dividing Stepmania chart trends into eras

[TheNoSoMan]

Originally Posted by XxMidigamixX

What? Has rythm gaming gone religious ?_? *sike* Anyhow, I would figure out if there was another era that went on but I'm not too sure myself.

Nah. It's a joke. They're trying to retell RoXor's lawsuit in a biblical fashion.

[dAnceguy117]

hahah, I just recently redownloaded SMG2 and played some of it. I kept thinking, "man, these files are so new." way to make me feel like I live under a stepmania rock.

Originally Posted by icontrolyourworld

2007-
-"You're BS" begins

nahhhhh dude, that's been around forever

Originally Posted by Arch0wl

Stepmania's popularity was tied in part to DDR's. the DDR community pretty much died in 2009, and that hurt Stepmania a bunch.

probably the biggest factor of the recent decline imo. issues related to the (existing) communities honestly seem pretty negligible in comparison.

Originally Posted by moches

I've had countless times where I've listened to a song and the steps just came together in my head...it's something that's ingrained into my mentality now, not something that I can just turn on and off like a switch.

this effect has finally started to fade for me after having been pretty out of the game for a few years. it's a nasty habit... or a really neat one, depending on your perspective.

[FFR4EVA_00]

it's really bad for me because i never remember what i actually saw
that is why i don't make simfiles anymore

[MetzgerSM]

noone ever mentioned me in this thread, I quit lol

[Arch0wl]

doesn't mean your impact wasn't felt

I've played your charts a ton

[XxMidigamixX]

Originally Posted by MetzgerSM

noone ever mentioned me in this thread, I quit lol

Originally Posted by XxMidigamixX

Other packs that weren't mentioned:
-any more that I forgot to mention-

I didn't leave you out Metzger :3

[ddr_f4n]

PS: Is it sad that my touhou pad pack files get more popularity in general than most decent keyboard packs made today?

[moches]

Originally Posted by TheNoSoMan

Nah. It's a joke. They're trying to retell RoXor's lawsuit in a biblical fashion.

ahahaaa amazing

Originally Posted by MetzgerSM

noone ever mentioned me in this thread, I quit lol

I haven't mentioned anybody specifically yet (other than Gundam Dude), it's everybody's history, not just one person's history.

Originally Posted by ddr_f4n

PS: Is it sad that my touhou pad pack files get more popularity in general than most decent keyboard packs made today?

I think it's just because those sections of the community are bigger. Most of the people I know who play Stepmania are either in it for 1) anime or 2) touhou. Nowadays the faction of Stepmania that gives a poop about artistry, technicality, or whathaveyou is the vocal minority.

Still struggling with the earlier sections of the timeline, but hopefully we can pull this together.

[Gundam-Dude]

Originally Posted by ddr_f4n

PS: Is it sad that my touhou pad pack files get more popularity in general than most decent keyboard packs made today?

1. multiple charts make for easy beginner appeal
2. touhou fan base is huge. it's easy to find someone who actually likes your song choice
3. the pad side of stepmania is way more prolific than keyboard, so most people would download pad packs -first-
4. playing stuff on pad is more appealing than mashing keyboards to casual players. keyboard play is looked upon as a complete joke, sadly

[ddr_f4n]

Obviously making my own Vocaloid pack will bring in the same or even MORE response looking at their ever-growing fanbase :V

[XxMidigamixX]

Originally Posted by moches

Still struggling with the earlier sections of the timeline, but hopefully we can pull this together.

Originally Posted by couple of posts back by moi

I don't know much about Dadaism/Midare era that's mainly the era where the dump packs/files started to rise (especially with midare's packs 1-5) I'm not sure what year they were released but all I know that at first, dumps were placed at a near-impossible but now it has leveled down to technical/expressionism dumps that could be up to level with a hard, regular kb file.
Packs that were released during that period: The Midare packs, the Minitaka pack, Rebound's Vibrajacking packs (and his dump collection) and probably some other dump pack that I can't seem to recall.
Prominent stepartists during that era: Midare, Minion, Cetaka, not sure about others but that's all I know for now...

Another era: The OD era (the era where japanime files made its name on the SM community)
Started out as mere weaboos until around OD4 (which I think Nick [lyricalnick] started out) when they became more acceptable to the SM community. They also release other types of mix besides japanime. But eventually everybody but Niko, Tweety, and someone else I forgot, quit SM and has become the japanime of ODI. Oh, did I mention the controversial QED rose up during that era in OD5.
Packs that was released during that era: Anything that had OD in it.
Prominent stepartiost: ~JaPaNiMe artists~

Theories:
Kil theory
color note theory
mine theory
jack theory

Other packs that weren't mentioned:
VGMP 1-3
Subjectivemanias pack
UEMP (sip)
G-pop's touhou pad packs
Cetaka's technical dump piano pack
PMOE
IIDX 17: SIRIUS Megapack
BMCP 1-5 (6 is in progress)
the beginner solo packs (both patashu's and xaio's)
Leonid's Single Songs Pack
-any more that I forgot to mention-

Just putting it up again just in case but I doubt its of any use due to my lack of Stepman History knowledge...

[moches]

I just found this again, hehe. anybody up for reviving it?

[Shikari]

You know, I'm not a Stepmania sage or something, but considering how people evolved either in gameplay and stepping styles, I think that people nowadays (Keyboard players mainly) are focusing on harder, more technical files. Compared to previous trends, from packs like Keyboard Megapack and Community Keyboard, where people just throwed shitloads of 16th notes just fo "fill" the song, but we all loved like **** anyway, this actual trend tends to explore people's skill more than ever. Sadly, funf actor is no longer the main subject to make a file, but evenwith this technicality, some stepartists can pull some fun stuff from their minds.

On topic: 2010/2011 can be called "The Technical Era".

[who_cares973]

I'd like to think I balance out technicality and glow pretty damn well. More to this when I get home

[Gundam-Dude]

Personally speaking, I'm not so sure if you can define this era as -pure technical- files. When I step files, I will break technically accurate layering conventions for the sake of file flow. For example, if anyone actually bothers analyzing any IOSYS songs I've stepped, I break all restrictions of technical accuracy whenever I do chaotic RaiNBoW vocals. I never layer vocals by itself (like most people do), I will always continually layer what goes on in the song at the cost of breaking technicalities and avoiding awkward ass polyrhythms. I guess if you can even classify this as a "theory" then this is exactly one of the perks that makes me as a simfile author distinct and unique from everybody else. Notable people like Kommi and Detrimentalist have even picked up on this so-called theory, sacrificing all technical layering restrictions to improve a file's flow. It's technically inaccurate but it flows and feels awesome to play is the point of it essentially. If I had to name this theory though, I guess I'd call it IOSYS theory because it works exceptionally well for any of their songs, lmao.

Anyways, it's not just me either. Everyone at some point in their time stepping will have to break technicalities in a file unless the end result is supposed to be a thoroughly layered hard file. Technicalities these days aren't nearly as strict as they used to be in the past where someone would be at your throat if you missed layering in some jumps or something. No one cares as long as the file is fun to play in the end, today's standards are way more lax in comparison to the past. That's not to say file quality has been deprived though, on the contrary file quality has actually improved on an overall basis probably thanks to both the strict and lax eras of modern day stepping. The strictness in the past kicked new aspiring simfile authors down, but somehow managed to bring them back to their feet, while the present day laxness boosts stepping moral in general. Why else would I be flooded with simfile submissions whenever I start a pack? People are much more confident with their stepping nowadays, especially knowing when I, as a judge, am neither too lenient nor too strict.

Keep in mind though, this is speaking from my observational view. I've always been observing how SM has changed over the years ever since getting myself deeply involved with this whole shenanigans.

[Choofers]

I would love to see 2012 as a decent revival for stepmania, even if it's just for singles.

Maybe I'll start my DDR Solo Beginner Pack but take out the solo aspect. Everyone knows DDR songs, and it'd be relatively easy to make KB charts for them.

[who_cares973]

i agree with gdude for the most part. up and coming stepartist, thanks to all the veterans lending out a helping hand and the huge amount of resources that are available now, are picking up on stepping a lot quicker than before. everyone seems to be getting the hang of everything very well and have adopted what gdude calls IOSYS theory(tm). there are very few files ive played from new steppers that have that rigid feel to them that im use to seeing when playing files from new people and its a good thing. looks like we're heading in the right direction and i like it, maybe with the spark of new stepartists there will be a revival because people wont be playig the same files from the same artists anymore

[hi19hi19]

2010 and especially 2011 is DDReam perfect sync technicalmanias era, no question.

Also dump era, dump files becoming a legit form of file because people are just way too good these days so for many songs you HAVE to dump to make it even fun for the top level players.

[who_cares973]

2010 and 2011 definitely saw a huge boom in ddream users but that doesnt mean every file that was made with ddream was technical >____>

[hi19hi19]

meh close enough. There's been an increased focus on technicality and precision that we haven't seen before.
Definitely the DDReam era though, gotta give me that- it's gone from a cute fringe project to a pretty integral part of stepping for many.