Arch0wl's DWI making FAQ (better than nestlequiks ohsnap)

Arch0wl · 10-19-2003, 01:55 AM

Since people will mostly make simfiles to submit to FFR instead of making them public to other sites or trying to make them uber awesome, I'm just going to make this FAQ with FFR in mind.

The first thing an accomplished DWI maker needs, is an editor. You can use notepad, but that takes months of experience and only a master can make a great DWI in notepad. And it takes a long time of testing out your DWI over and over.

So since you're new, I bring you the stepmania editor.

This is a very flexable editor. It's tons better than the XStep one and if used right can make some awesome songs. The only flaw in the SM editor is that you can't place 48ths and 64ths, sometimes when you play a song at an odd point in the song it becomes offbeat for the portion you play it, and the recording feature is messed up. But other than that, it's great, and trust me, this is the best editor besides notepad, XStep has way more flaws.

You can get the stepmania editor at http://www.stepmania.com but be sure to download the newest version and not the 3.0 final!

So now, you need to set up the DWI file.

Make a .dwi file, and have .dwi set to always open in notepad.

Put this in as a basic template.

#TITLE:Your Title Here;
#ARTIST:Artist of the music here;
#BPM:BPM Here;
#GAP:0;
#SINGLE:MANIAC

ifficulty here:
;

Now, you're asking. How do I find out the bpm?

That is a question that has been plaguing my IMs I get ever since I started making simfiles.

For BPM, I recommend winbpm. Type that in google or something, there's tons of different versions.

What I do to find the bpm, is headbob to the song. I often get it right too.

As for what gap is, since you're making a simfile to submit to FFR, you will not have to worry about that. Chances are, your simfile will have all yellow arrows or all orange arrows, but that's fine. Just remember to go over it to find out if it should be yellow arrows or orange arrows.

So now that you have the DWI file, create a folder for the song, and put the DWI and mp3 in there. Put it in your SM group folder (example, I always put my songs in Stepmania>Songs>Arch0wl Originals) and load up SM. Go to the editor, and load up your song, now it's time to start making arrows!

Your arrows are assigned by numbers. This is NOT on your numpad.

1 = left
2 = down
3 = up
4 = right

And then you can change the notes from 1/4ths to 1/8ths to 1/12ths 1/16ths to 1/24ths to 1/32nds by moving the left and right arrow key.

Red = 1/4th
Blue = 1/8th
Purple = 1/12th
Yellow = 1/16th
Pink = 1/24th
Orange = 1/32nd

So just start placing arrows.

Since you're making a song for keyboards, try to make the arrows go exactly to the melody or instruments. That's how all the good keyboard songs are done.

So now you're ready to start making your own simfiles!

One big mistake though is to add a spin. This is basically up-right-down-left or any variant thereof. It's really annoying for most of the players because you have to double step, you can't spin on arrow keys.

And don't use freeze arrows/hold arrows! Synth will just have to remove these when you submit your file to FFR as FFR does not support freezes.

Also, although you can, do not use quadruple and triple note presses. FFR can't handle those correctly. I know I did them on holy night but that was a test.

Arch0wl · 10-19-2003, 04:49 AM

Oh yes. And if you wish to make simfiles that aren't for FFR, and are serious about it, check out this Tutorial, it's similar to this one but with alterations:

http://www.bemanistyle.com/forum/vie...?p=25936#25936

10-19-2003, 06:51 AM

On the topic of wave editors - Goldwave is nice. It's shareware, but the unregistered version is full-featured and i believe unlimited - just an annoying "buy the program" box at the beginning. www.goldwave.com

Never tried Cool Edit.

**Moogy** · 10-19-2003, 10:48 AM

Bemanistyle forum hurts my eyes. :C

Good tutorial, though, on both bemanistyle and here.

**Spazzbite** · 10-19-2003, 10:52 AM

And an added note, if you are making a stepfile SPECIFICALLY for FFR, DO NOT insert freeze arrows. Since FFR does not yet support freeze arrows, all freezes will need to be removed before Synth can convert it into FFR.

QreepyBORIS · 10-19-2003, 11:32 AM

And remember, kiddies! Quadruples and triples are retarded and suck.

Brainmaster07 · 10-19-2003, 04:35 PM

And don't submit a stepfile unless it's good...

Nice FAQ btw.

**Hyrogashi** · 10-19-2003, 05:49 PM

I could make a better one but i quit thxbai.

QreepyBORIS · 10-19-2003, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hyrogashi

I could make a better one but i quit thxbai.

But at least you didn't quit being a retarded whiner!

**Hyrogashi** · 10-19-2003, 11:55 PM

My sarcasm meter is going off the charts!

**SuperGreenX** · 10-20-2003, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chardish

On the topic of wave editors - Goldwave is nice. It's shareware, but the unregistered version is full-featured and i believe unlimited - just an annoying "buy the program" box at the beginning. www.goldwave.com

Never tried Cool Edit.

Agreed. Any wav editor will be able to do this as zooming is a pretty basic function. I use Goldwave myself for various music making related stuff. (OMG vocals for 4F73R M3 were recorded with Goldwave!!!)

For finding the tempo, If you have Acid, those programs have a beatmatching function that works pretty well.

Yanah_God · 10-23-2003, 02:25 PM

roxxorz

nickjt · 10-23-2003, 03:04 PM

*cough*uselesspost*cough*

blahblahblah17 · 11-18-2003, 09:39 PM

I'm just wondering, what do you do with the bmp once you have it, and what do you put for #GAP

**Moogy** · 11-19-2003, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arch

To find the gap, you need to get a sound editing program. I prefer Cool Edit, this is the best program for finding gaps. Now, it's a pay program, so you can either pay for it or pirate it off of KaZaA.

Remember, the gap is when the arrows start, and it goes by milliseconds. So put your cool edit to view by minute/second/millisecond. Then, zoom in, and find the exact spot where you want the arrows to start. This doesn't always work on the first try, sometimes the song can be odd or something.

DO NOT USE 0 GAP! I can't stress this enough. The arrows will be yellow and the song will be offbeat (offbeat and offsync are two different things). This is a huge flaw in file making and you should NOT do this. I did it when I first started making simfiles so don't make the same mistake I did.

Arch0wl · 11-19-2003, 05:20 PM

Fuck. I have to change that now that I realised this is for people wanting to make stepfiles to submit to FFR.

Flash can't handle gaps correctly because of the difference in framerate.

QreepyBORIS · 11-19-2003, 06:10 PM

So, if you want to make an FFR file, set gap to 0.

Then you will be okay.

If its not for FFR, find the correct gap.

EmperorSteele · 12-19-2003, 01:59 AM

Mmm.. somethings wrong. I followd your tut to the letter, and yet, stepmania refuses to aknowledge that i have any songs in my stepmania songs folder =/

In NKs tutorial, he mentions some other things which need to be placed in the head of the .dwi file which you neglected. Need i enter these values, as well (such as the dos name of the mp3)?

EDIT: Neeeevermind... notepad kept adding .txt at the end of .dwi, cuz its a bitch. Fixed that, though ^_^

**Moogy** · 12-19-2003, 09:19 AM

#FILE: isn't needed unless you have more than one MP3/WAV/OGG in the folder.

Kamoa_Han_Senzui · 02-7-2004, 05:48 PM

i know how to make em and all but i have trouble making awesome ones...i make ok ones i guess becuase ive been doing them for a while...but i do NOT know how Arch gets his simfiles so dead on...

10-19-2003, 01:55 AM	#1
Arch0wl Banned Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: fb.com/a.macdonald.iv Age: 37 Posts: 6,344	Arch0wl's DWI making FAQ (better than nestlequiks ohsnap) Since people will mostly make simfiles to submit to FFR instead of making them public to other sites or trying to make them uber awesome, I'm just going to make this FAQ with FFR in mind. The first thing an accomplished DWI maker needs, is an editor. You can use notepad, but that takes months of experience and only a master can make a great DWI in notepad. And it takes a long time of testing out your DWI over and over. So since you're new, I bring you the stepmania editor. This is a very flexable editor. It's tons better than the XStep one and if used right can make some awesome songs. The only flaw in the SM editor is that you can't place 48ths and 64ths, sometimes when you play a song at an odd point in the song it becomes offbeat for the portion you play it, and the recording feature is messed up. But other than that, it's great, and trust me, this is the best editor besides notepad, XStep has way more flaws. You can get the stepmania editor at http://www.stepmania.com but be sure to download the newest version and not the 3.0 final! So now, you need to set up the DWI file. Make a .dwi file, and have .dwi set to always open in notepad. Put this in as a basic template. #TITLE:Your Title Here; #ARTIST:Artist of the music here; #BPM:BPM Here; #GAP:0; #SINGLE:MANIACifficulty here: ; Now, you're asking. How do I find out the bpm? That is a question that has been plaguing my IMs I get ever since I started making simfiles. For BPM, I recommend winbpm. Type that in google or something, there's tons of different versions. What I do to find the bpm, is headbob to the song. I often get it right too. As for what gap is, since you're making a simfile to submit to FFR, you will not have to worry about that. Chances are, your simfile will have all yellow arrows or all orange arrows, but that's fine. Just remember to go over it to find out if it should be yellow arrows or orange arrows. So now that you have the DWI file, create a folder for the song, and put the DWI and mp3 in there. Put it in your SM group folder (example, I always put my songs in Stepmania>Songs>Arch0wl Originals) and load up SM. Go to the editor, and load up your song, now it's time to start making arrows! Your arrows are assigned by numbers. This is NOT on your numpad. 1 = left 2 = down 3 = up 4 = right And then you can change the notes from 1/4ths to 1/8ths to 1/12ths 1/16ths to 1/24ths to 1/32nds by moving the left and right arrow key. Red = 1/4th Blue = 1/8th Purple = 1/12th Yellow = 1/16th Pink = 1/24th Orange = 1/32nd So just start placing arrows. Since you're making a song for keyboards, try to make the arrows go exactly to the melody or instruments. That's how all the good keyboard songs are done. So now you're ready to start making your own simfiles! One big mistake though is to add a spin. This is basically up-right-down-left or any variant thereof. It's really annoying for most of the players because you have to double step, you can't spin on arrow keys. And don't use freeze arrows/hold arrows! Synth will just have to remove these when you submit your file to FFR as FFR does not support freezes. Also, although you can, do not use quadruple and triple note presses. FFR can't handle those correctly. I know I did them on holy night but that was a test.

10-19-2003, 10:48 AM	#4
Moogy 嗚呼 Join Date: Aug 2003 Age: 36 Posts: 10,303	Bemanistyle forum hurts my eyes. :C Good tutorial, though, on both bemanistyle and here. __________________ Plz visit my blog ^^^ vintage signature from like 2006 preserved

10-19-2003, 11:32 AM	#6
QreepyBORIS FFR Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: It is a mystery. Age: 35 Posts: 7,454	And remember, kiddies! Quadruples and triples are retarded and suck. __________________ Signature subject to change. THE ZERRRRRG.

10-19-2003, 04:35 PM	#7
Brainmaster07 FFR Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: My house Posts: 2,891	And don't submit a stepfile unless it's good... Nice FAQ btw. __________________

10-19-2003, 05:49 PM	#8
Hyrogashi FFR Simfile Author Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The Netherealm Posts: 961	I could make a better one but i quit thxbai. __________________ Dont take life so seriously, You\'ll never escape it alive anyways. Hyrogashiroth - Born on DWI, Raised on Stepmania

10-19-2003, 04:49 AM	#2
Arch0wl Banned Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: fb.com/a.macdonald.iv Age: 37 Posts: 6,344	Oh yes. And if you wish to make simfiles that aren't for FFR, and are serious about it, check out this Tutorial, it's similar to this one but with alterations: http://www.bemanistyle.com/forum/vie...?p=25936#25936

10-19-2003, 06:51 AM	#3
User6773 Guest Posts: n/a	On the topic of wave editors - Goldwave is nice. It's shareware, but the unregistered version is full-featured and i believe unlimited - just an annoying "buy the program" box at the beginning. www.goldwave.com Never tried Cool Edit.

10-19-2003, 11:55 PM	#10
Hyrogashi FFR Simfile Author Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The Netherealm Posts: 961	My sarcasm meter is going off the charts! __________________ Dont take life so seriously, You\'ll never escape it alive anyways. Hyrogashiroth - Born on DWI, Raised on Stepmania

10-23-2003, 02:25 PM	#12
Yanah_God Banned Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: posting for gb sweep Posts: 1,330	roxxorz

11-18-2003, 09:39 PM	#14
blahblahblah17 FFR Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hell Posts: 10	I'm just wondering, what do you do with the bmp once you have it, and what do you put for #GAP

11-19-2003, 05:20 PM	#16
Arch0wl Banned Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: fb.com/a.macdonald.iv Age: 37 Posts: 6,344	Fuck. I have to change that now that I realised this is for people wanting to make stepfiles to submit to FFR. Flash can't handle gaps correctly because of the difference in framerate.

11-19-2003, 06:10 PM	#17
QreepyBORIS FFR Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: It is a mystery. Age: 35 Posts: 7,454	So, if you want to make an FFR file, set gap to 0. Then you will be okay. If its not for FFR, find the correct gap. __________________ Signature subject to change. THE ZERRRRRG.

12-19-2003, 01:59 AM	#18
EmperorSteele FFR Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 112	Mmm.. somethings wrong. I followd your tut to the letter, and yet, stepmania refuses to aknowledge that i have any songs in my stepmania songs folder =/ In NKs tutorial, he mentions some other things which need to be placed in the head of the .dwi file which you neglected. Need i enter these values, as well (such as the dos name of the mp3)? EDIT: Neeeevermind... notepad kept adding .txt at the end of .dwi, cuz its a bitch. Fixed that, though ^_^

12-19-2003, 09:19 AM	#19
Moogy 嗚呼 Join Date: Aug 2003 Age: 36 Posts: 10,303	#FILE: isn't needed unless you have more than one MP3/WAV/OGG in the folder. __________________ Plz visit my blog ^^^ vintage signature from like 2006 preserved

02-7-2004, 05:48 PM	#20
Kamoa_Han_Senzui FFR Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,607	i know how to make em and all but i have trouble making awesome ones...i make ok ones i guess becuase ive been doing them for a while...but i do NOT know how Arch gets his simfiles so dead on... __________________ I left the forums, but if you want to talk to me, hit me up on AIM SN = SickCatBodySpray

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)