Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

[Patashu]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

@V4N: Actually setting it up like a university would be insane. As it is we can do it as a 'commune', just telling people what they need to know when they need to know it; the structure of a typical university is only needed when you've got thousands of students to handle and you need systems in place. The more popular/successful this gets the more I'll have to think about it

Xx{neon}xX: Pretty much, yeah. You don't have to be new to it, you just have to have potential left to be realized.

P.S. as a litmus test, I'd like all aspiring tutors/professors to submit to me what they consider to be their most 'artful' work. (or just tell me what it is if it's in a pack) By artful I mean required the most amount of creative energy and thought behind specific pattern placement to make it work; for example I wouldn't submit something like glove's Not Again because that chart 'rides along' with the song's solos and just has to add pr really.

[moches]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

You also might want to edit the opening post with who's tutoring and who's learning. Just in case tomorrow, like 40 people reply. Speeds up organization.

[Xx{neon}xX]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

ive always wanted to make simfiles but it all just seems way to confusing ):

[Patashu]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

What about it is confusing, neon? The process of setting up a stepchart with the right bpm, gap, etc and laying down them notes or making those steps good?

[Xx{neon}xX]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

the whole making of a stepchart not like making it good

[rzr]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

Agreed with neon. In as student.

[Patashu]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

Alright then.

First off, you need a song, obviously. If you have no idea I'd recommend looking through the OSTs of your favourite video games; look for things with a prominent, 'obvious' main melody. It's your first stepchart, it doesn't need to be the best thing in the world, you just have to get how it works. (Make sure it's constant bpm!)

Second step: Run smpackage.exe in \Stepmania\Program, use the create song button and get the song you want to step. Now run stepmania, go to the edit/sync songs option and look for the song under the My Creations group. Make a new singles chart and edit it.

Third step: For your notes to fall on meaningful parts of the song you need to set two things: The beats per minute and the beat 0 offset (how far into the song the first beat sounds). These are set with F7/F8 and F11/F12 respectively.
For the bpm, download Mixmeister BPM Analyzer and run it on the folder with the song in it. Round the bpm it gives you to the nearest 0.05 (it's a bit off most of the time) and set the chart's bpm to this number. Save.
For the beat 0 offset, lay out some random 4th notes then hit escape. Scroll down to song options and set the rate to 0.3x and turn assist tick on. Now, play the song, and listen/watch to see roughly where the song's first beat plays. Move to a smaller note interval (hit right and watch the colours change), place a note where you think the first beat plays, play it again to see how far off you are and repeat until you can't get it any more inaccurate. Look up in the top right and record the exact second it plays at. Now, move to the first bar of the chart and use F11/F12 until that beat's timestamp matches the timestamp of the first beat. Play it one last time to verify. Save.

Fourth step: Just step it! The basic commands you'll need to know are:
Up and down: Move up and down
Left and right: Change the note interval used
1, 2, 3, 4: Lays down a left, down, up, right step respectively or removes it. (hold down while moving to make a hold note)
Page up, page down: Moves you a measure backward/forward respectively. Handy.
Home/end: Moves you to the start/end. Also handy.
F1: Tells you all the shortcuts!

If you have no idea what to step, focus on whatever is the most prominent. Have assist tick on and check to see if the claps sound at the same time as the song's notes, and use a lower rate if you absolutely can't figure it out. Don't worry about PR or layering or being technical yet, my first file didn't have any of that either.

And last but not least: Not all songs were created equal. If you can't figure out what to do with a song, it might just not be the right kind of song to step. I know I'd never go near some music.

If you finish anything, just upload it in my thread; I (or someone else for sure) will tell you if you're doing it right so far, and what you can think about for your next chart. Baby steps encouraged.

[Xandertrax]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

I'm definitely interested in this. Not sure whether I'd be a student or a tutor though. I know the basics, but don't really pay that much attention to layering, etc.

P.S. that second step is totally different than how I make new files. How many ways are there to do that?

and some sm history: what ever happened to .smzip? how come everyone seems to use plain .zip now?

[kommisar[os]]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

i could teach advanced stepmania theorem calculus aka the list of dark chancellor stepmania theories perfected by kil

also here's a little tutorial i made a while back http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...28748355&hl=en

[Patashu]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

can you really kommisar? can you really.

@Xandertrax: I'm thinking about a tiered system where it's 'kosher' for upper level students to help out lower ones. Still need to think about it.

e: Oh, thanks for reminding me, haha. I need to make a video that's just me stepping a song for 10-20 minutes sometime

[gnr61]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

divisions seems like a good idea (advanced vs. beginner "theory") because i know plenty of people -- moches/xander/who_cares -- have already mastered all the purely technical elements of stepping.
also i'd like to tutor but idk what file to send you ;D

[Patashu]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

that's okay, haha. I'm not sure what I'd send myself!

a lot of the stuff I've been thinking about lately with regards to high-end stepmania theory I don't think I've ever actually put into practice. I guess I'll have to try stepping some things to challenge myself

thinking about things like how you can use specific subsets of pattern space to designate a particular aspect of music, beyond just pr or this column equals this. like you might have a song with two different instruments playing stream; when instrument A streams you put down stream patterns that, say, tend to face left, while instrument B gets stream patterns that tend to face right. in a similar vein you might put bass-derived jumps as 12, 23 or 34 while snare-derived jumps get 13 or 24 and the almighty cymbal crash gets 14

another good area of research would the best ways to 'pack' various instruments in together where layering them all together would get too crowded and too chordsmashy. stuff like kil's infamous snare-goes-on-the-right streams

[marioGP87]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

This is a neat idea. I'm in as student and I'm currently working on a file (pokemon Maemuki Roketto Dan; 2:55 long; author = pokemon) right now (Oni = 12 currently; may change later on the file, may not...).

(P.S.: relating to the first question, I think that you should first assign each student to their proper professor and then they'll give the feedback to the students. But, that's imo)

[Patashu]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

yeah professor/student relations will definitely come in at some point. for now just post everything relevant in here.

damn I'm tired. peace for 8 hours yall

edit: LOL and as far as artistic files go...anyone remember my 'Ghosts' file from SMG2?

[t-rogdor]

Re: Stepmania University: We'll make your files suck less (under construction)

I need this like a Lawyer/Mathematician needs some kind of proof. Sign me up.