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

[kommisar[os]]

yeah there will be scheduled times for lessons and such. i'll try and be present for puppet's hands-on talk. next week i'm going to make a seminar on jack theory

[kommisar[os]]

first assignment is this song, measures 1-20. Send them back to the instructors for a review, and as the lessons progress, you will all keep working on this simfile. We'll give you tips so that you may develop your own style. Every file will be different and this'll keep things interesting. We'll also suggest things you can add or change to improve your chart, as well as explain certain theories that can be used. Aite go nuts.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/pzby5s

#BPMS:0.000=141.000

[Oubliette]

This looks like a pretty cool idea, I will join in as a student.

[gnr61]

WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED your 20 measures, upload the .SM FILE ONLY to a file hosting website of your choice and send it in a PM to gnr61, Patashu, and kommisar[os] with the subject title "Stepmania Assignment 1"

[skyfox_]

Originally Posted by NinjaFoxX

can i be studentz?

xD

[Patashu]

oh cool, stargroup actually does want to help. say hi to stargroup students. he'll be writing lectures and stuff it looks like

[meno_rocks123]

I'm joining up as a student, I'm already 11 bars through the song

[midare]

i should be a stepmania professor (the one that is eccentric~)
hmm......................................

i suppose you could sign me up maaaaan

[Patashu]

not so fast midare~

e: or did you mean as a student

[-paexaea-]

Had to see this for myself. I really like this idea. I've been meaning to step something for a long time, but I keep procrastinating and like being a perfectionist, thus not like getting help from others. However, I'd like to see how this goes and join in on this. What the hell, right? All stepman players turn into some sort of stepping artist eventually.

[meno_rocks123]

Sent mine in, but forgot to mention that I stepped it on challenge and I don't know how to delete the empty steps on heavy.

[Patashu]

Here's something most people might not notice:

In Stepmania, chords are treated as cohesive holds. That is, if you miss one note you miss the whole thing, and when you hit the last note it judges the whole thing. This is because Stepmania was originally built to emulate DDR.

In FFR, however, chords are not cohesive and treated as a bunch of notes that happen to share the same timestamp. This means that you can hit one and miss another, or hit one late and the other on time.

What are the consequences of this? In Stepmania, it is far easier to mash through chained jumps accurately, while in FFR you'll find yourself rushing ahead since most of your keytaps aren't suppressed. (This doesn't matter so much since FFR has no 'you hit it but break combo' timing window, however.) A pattern to pay attention to is the jack; while you are hitting a jack, any other notes also on the jack can only be registered as fast (or slow) as you are hitting the jack itself. Any keytaps that are redundant won't count against you. For example, the pattern
12
1
12
1
12
can be hit as
12
12
12
12
12

Lastly, hold notes in Stepmania, no matter how short they are, do not obey this convention; they are treated FFR style, like separate notes. Any notes attached to a hold's start will still act as though part of a chord.

(Mines in a sentence: Mines prevent keytaps from 'passing' through them to apply to a note that's beyond them (for example, a note with a mine a 64th before it can't be hit early) and will explode if you have that key held down the instant it's over the targets.)

[Patashu]

hey guys. stargroup has this to share with all of you:

Lecture 0 - Understanding the Basics

DISCLAIMER: This lecture is a first draft that was improvised in little time. Expect edits and possibly overhauls if needed.


Okay, obviously we're all here to step files, but you have to ask yourself some questions first.

Why do I want to step files?
What do I want to accomplish by stepping files?
What makes a good file?
How can I express my voice in my files in the best way possible?
What is the meaning of rhythm simulation?

They may sound really philosophical and stuff but actually I'm just looking for a simple answer. (Well, 3-5 aren't THAT simple unless you really understand them.)

"I love music, I love games, and I love making stuff."
"Have people enjoy the best files possible."
<I'll explain the rest.>

So let's start.



Ultimately, StepMania and FFR are rhythm simulation games, which means the purpose is to create a game which will emulate the music, make you feel like you're playing the music, or at least following the music in some way. StepMania is special because there is no limit to the amount of expressive techniques you can use, where as commercial rhythm games have to adhere to standards and technicality to a certain degree.

So what makes a file good? Depends on your goal. I have no idea what the distribution is, but some of you will want to make files for scoring, others for fun. The majority, however, will want to step for spread styled play. The problem is, since StepMania originates from DDR, most spread files have adapted their style from index, which doesn't make sense at all. Spread files should be spread, and that's why the play styles are different. I will focus on the spread aspects. Other professors such as Kommisar will explain other play styles such as pad.

Since we are no longer playing index, different keys will no longer feel the same. So when a file is said to be generic, that is because they place the notes in ways that are easily interchangable with other patterns, resulting in a simple file that could even be generated by a computer program, hence having no significant value in feel or playability. We want to avoid that.

For example, notice how a 12 jump feels different from a 34 jump, which feels different from a 14 or 23 jump. 12 jumps will primarily be used for bass sounds, and 34 jumps will primarily be used for treble lines or snare hits. You generally don't want to use 12 jumps for snare hits (although there are exceptions obviously) because they don't feel like they are following the snare. As a result, you should take much consideration in the patterns you choose, as they will be the primary factor for your own expressive approach and for the spread feel in general.

Other topics of mention include freeze abuse, jacks, and triple/quad usage. You don't want to abuse freezes, especially putting arrows around freezes of the same hand, because these will result in awkward patterns that don't work well as spread. You want to FOLLOW THE MUSIC and create a fun file, not hold down a thousand keys while mashing with your unoccupied fingers. And since we can hit more than 2 keys at a time now, feel free to use a healthy dose of triples and quads. They will really add a lot of color to a spread file and will open a new dimension of possibilities.

Now the issue of expression. If you give everyone the exact same song, I guarantee you that they will all step it differently. What you want to do is find your voice (specifically, develop your own style in choice of patterns and layering) and create the best file that you can out of that style. That will make your files distinguishable, enjoyable, and playable. This is what makes a good file.

Of course, if you're making a file for scoring only, just layer as much crap as you want in there and you're done. But chances are, if you here, you don't want to just do that. If you want your files to be taken somewhat seriously and actually create something that's fun and not dumpy, these rules should be adhered to to a basic level. (Again, most of the above applies to spread. Other styles have different rules.)

Here's an idea I like to use to picture your own voice. Everyone steps differently for a reason. Even though we listen to the same concrete sounds, they still sound different to different people, and different sounds in relation to others will be even more dynamic. You should listen to how the song sounds to you, highlight the parts of the music that you want to emphasize (pick effects and melody lines that are significant) and find someway to express it. In order to make a good file, you also want a good interpretation of the music, so make sure you know the song well. Also realize that since you are limited to 4 keys, you can extend your techniques and create some interesting patterns without having to shove in notes just for the sake of layering. In other words, find CREATIVE ways to layer.

So when you are creating your files, you should have a clear focus of your goal, find your own way of expressing the music through these keys, and optimize it. But most of all, have fun with it. If you have fun, then chances are the people playing your file will have fun. Good luck.



Assignment #0 -

Get a basic understanding of your style of play (probably spread) as well as rhythm simulation in general, and focus your goals and your own voice. Then answer the 5 questions above to yourself, possibly asking yourself some more questions of your own.

Once you have focused your mind to a set goal for your stepping, you can begin to pick songs to experiment from, and continue reading other lectures. You should be able to understand the other lectures much better, have an easier time stepping, and be able to focus your energies to creating a solid file with practice and a few tips.

[dag12]

Also, I don't know if you guys have brought it up, but could you guys make a brief synopsis of what you talked about on IRC (after the lesson or something), for those of us who miss a particular lesson / can't get on? I think it would be really helpful.

[moches]

Yeah. Giving summaries would be nice because IRC WON'T WORK FOR ME would be a good idea.

[trumaestro]

1. get firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/)
2. get chatzilla (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/16)
3. join irc (after you install chatzilla, restart firefox, then go Tools -> Chatzilla. choose a nickname, then type "/attach irc.chatspike.net". then type "/join #smu")
4. ?????
5. PROFIT!!

[moches]

I tried registering on ChatSpike, but the friggin' bot said <insert email here> is not a valid email. Damn.

[-paexaea-]

just get chatzilla on mozilla

[operationstrawbarry]

Originally Posted by gnr61

WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED your 20 measures, upload the .SM FILE ONLY to a file hosting website of your choice and send it in a PM to gnr61, Patashu, and kommisar[os] with the subject title "Stepmania Assignment 1"

Is Dwi. ok? Ive already started and it seems like I only have dwi in the folder. (I think I know the answer to this though)

[Patashu]

Stepmania will read dwis as well as it'll read sms so it doesn't matter. Just be aware that dwi doesn't support edit charts, mines and maybe not 192nds (have no clue on that one)