is there anywhere that actually states the timing windows for anything post extreme, because as far as i know all i've heard is conjecture. marvelous window seems much easier than itg2 fantastic on x and up. i've played: it's super fucking hard to get perfects on x/2. seeing your scores on gk's extreme and seeing these scores i highly doubt that this is the same game timing wise. not calling you out or anything. this isn't a personal attack, but a commentary that can help you re-evaluate your stance. dam dariram is on one of the gk's ex player's best courses atm, you should try to sdp that there if you honestly think the timing windows are a perfect analogue.   

also yes suko, that is correct. i forget the exact differences (haven't really played/paid attention in years)  but ddr's marv is significantly (6+ ms) harder than itg's. everyone is also correct in that perfects are the new great in itg.

Timing does feel a bit easier on X and X2. I can't say for X3 though.

I admit that answer was too simple, sure, but there are other factors to consider; I think I can recall there are slight differences in how the marvelous window is programmed between Extreme, SN, SN2, and X onwards, but I'm not sure of the details. You can try searching these forums if you want: http://aaronin.jp/boards/index.php
Or just skip to page 207 of this pdf: http://aaronin.jp/JDDR_book_5x8_update_2013b.pdf
Keep in mind that the pad quality of many DDR machines in the US varies a lot, but are still vastly inferior to those in Japan or even Singapore, and, in addition to the sync and quantization issues on Extreme/SN, make scoring on US machines artificially much harder. If you can play SN2 or onwards on a good machine, then of course it would much easier to time.

Also keep in mind I did pick and choose my best scores to post here (this is an accomplishments thread, after all). My accuracy isn't that good for every single song I play (see the first score I posted).

I never though the day would come (within these two months). I finally fucking passed this 13.

(One set later)


OH MY GOD
THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE

I ACTUALLY PASSED MY FIRST EVER 14-FOOTER

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS
IS THIS THE REAL LIFE?

(Video to be uploaded soon)

Go hard? 

"it's super hard to get perfect" and "marvelous window being tighter" are not mutually exclusive. it's super hard to get perfects since the timing windows for marvs are enormous in x and higher. i can't speak for sn2.

"programming" of windows is irrelevant, only the end result, which is that it's easier. that's like saying 1x0+4=4 is different from 2+2=4. the issue at hand is not that the internal logic of the game is/n't frame based, but that they are simply easier in later games. the new games do not have timing windows with difficulty equivalent of 1 frame. you're unnecessarily complicating things by linking irrelevant facts. the fact of the matter is the x/2 machines i have played on are american, while i've played ex only on korean and japanese. even within your paradigm of american machines being inferior, my scores are always better on american x/2's than on extreme. obviously the construction is worse, so we can't attribute poor/good build quality to this.  if i play the same song that i do on ex on x/2 i get significantly less perfects on x/2, every single time. syncing has nothing to do with your ability to score after you have adapted to the timing, so talking about timing is really irrelevant. ddr has always had timing issues in some shape or form and there's not a mix that isn't plagued by this. on that note, the x/2 machines i played on had screen latency issues and i was still getting higher scores. another thing to mention is that later games are not as well synced as max 1 or extreme, supernova in particular. supernova even had a timing patch, which is absurd for a supposedly finished game.

yeah, that's why i recommended playing the player's choice courses at gk, since those are songs available on both games. it's a better reference point to have the same stepchart.

Dance Game Accomplishment! Bought a Japanese DDR machine that is most likely the most perfect condition cab I've ever laid eyes on.



All lights work including pads which I didn't take a photo of yet.


header is official


came with some goodies inside



and the pads work and I haven't even cleaned them yet

okay here's a video

ITG Beasting

Hey all kinds of players and peeps on the forums: I'd like to ask what each of you do to improve in your favorite aspect of the game. E.g.: getting better at reading, doing gimmicky/technical stuff, having better stamina for a difficult song.

Particularly stamina-related stuff. How does one stand (or repeatedly step) for such a prolonged period of time? I probably won't be able to pass W again (especially since I have to wait a while until both my legs heal up - they're both really sore, sprained, and covered blisters), because I was only so lucky that time.

How do I stamina, guize?

Played today at ACME and was beast mode! Got some scores for you guys!

@Kevin

Stamina comes with time. Don't rush it. Keep playing and you will improve. People who are able to crush stamina 16's, 17's, 18's, etc., have worked very hard to get to where they are. It took me 2 years of dedication to work on my stamina, FA, and speed, hell...I'm still working on my stamina! It doesn't happen over night, that is not possible. It is simple, there is no magic formula that will somehow increase your stamina. It is a matter of time, dedication, and practice. Kevin, you are doing good... there is no doubt, just enjoy the process and enjoy the game.  

ANYWHO! Here are some scores!

Got the tri-star on this one. Pretty happy about how I felt after the song more than I am happy about the score. I was tired but not as much as I would've been couple months ago... I am improving! I wish I had FA'd a little harder towards the end, but obviously the chart got more demanding as the song went on.


This song was pretty much a straight stream at 182BPM. For being a sightread, I'm very happy with the result. Going to shoot for a SDE on this one soon.


Improved on this score! I really like the way this song sounds and how the chart plays out. Going to try to aim for the 20's in terms of my excellent count!


Not really sure why this is labeled a 14! It definitely felt more like a 15! 200BPM streams for about 2:20, very similar to Love Wars (15) and Memoria Reborn (15).


This one is for you Travis! You asked me to play it for you and I did!   I was hoping to score better on it but I'll take a 99.15% on this one. I wish I didn't get those 3 greats and the 1 decent but a good sightread nonetheless!

[Is there some kind of tag we can use to condense long posts?]

@Iori241 Adapting to a specific song is not fun, especially if you have to pay more per credit just to play one song, but if you have a machine of your own, I can see why it wouldn't be a problem for you. Not every song has perfect sync, but they can be fixed through constant online updates, which is why the latest version doesn't have a lot of issues at all. I believe DDR X was also a major sync update especially for songs with triplets (12ths/24th/etc.). Try bag on X/X2 and Extreme and of course you should theoretically get a higher score in X/X2 without any adapting.
When I specified cabinets by country, I was referring to machines that are located in a certain territory, no matter if they are intended to be released in that territory or not. Extreme never had an official American release, but they are found all over the country regardless. When I played American X2 and Extreme, either machine could have better pads one day or worse pads on another day, so I cannot compare them if the results are not repeatable. And even if what you said is true, the point is that I can't make any comparison for myself (at least a fair comparison) if there are too many other variables that can affect the results.

In the end, all I care about at the moment is enjoying the latest music on the latest versions with the best possible scores; besides the exclusive songs, I really just don't care about Extreme or SN as a mix anymore. With that, I'm done with this topic.
If you want a definitive answer, which I apparently don't have, you should ask this guy instead:
http://aaronin.jp/boards/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2&sid=ce96877d684489842e0d7d7340d84153
(although he might disagree with "the new games do not have timing windows with difficulty equivalent of 1 frame")

@Kevin I'm not a stamina player; I'm a dance player. 
But no matter which aspect you want to improve on, the one-word answer I can give is: practice.

How about any insight on techniques for FAs? Moves for stylish ITG-gameplay? Etc.

Any random tip you'd like to give

Good shit Chris

@Kevin - AS Chris mentioned its about practice. When I started to work on my timing it was back on DDR Extreme and my buddy DarkSyde made me go thru the entire song selection constantly playing every song and if there was one song I struggled with I would do multiple sets of that one song.

(Example) I worked on foot speed and took three songs chris mentioned to me and did back to back sets.

Anyways, you will get better man it just takes time

Have you 99%+ 10's, 11's, and 12's yet? 

I haven't :/

And I just now realize that because ACME is a public venue... a public family venue, there will almost always be kids screaming, and if not, the sound of other arcade machines will be disrupting my concentration for FAing.

Can't even EA.
and the fact that I may not always have enough cash to play is concerning, since I'll never be able to get better at ITG if I have to wait until I have enough to play. If only someone had their own [dedi]cab nearby for me to come use :/

I wish I could build my own

Actually, I can't. I'm just a stupid kid with no money lol

Ugh

Kevin, it isn't about the kids being there, or the noise from other machines... it is that you haven't practiced FA'ing!

A lot of people get good by playing only a few days of the weeks/weekends. When I worked in the restaurant industry, I only played 3 times a week, most of that time I was just tired and couldn't play up to my full potential... But, I still kept at it, I didn't give up, and I had a positive attitude.

Point is, stop making excuses about why you can't get good. Just practice when you can.

That decent though... 

one



two three

Kevin, you improve by giving every song your best shot.  When I was younger and when my mother was alive I use to go out to the arcade once or twice a week to practice and days I wasn't I would boot up stepmania turn AutoCPU on and practice even though I had no clue if I could actually pass the song or not. I might not improved in FA but my stamina got better and I learned the charts. FA comes from solid practice,form etc etc you can't  say oh I need a machine to get better you need to play 9s,10s and 11s till you are 99%+ and the only way to do it by playing every chance you get


@Chris - 1

 @ Jacob

I hate you....

This is what I'm doing now xD lol

Love you too man

And so it begins
I should probably start an AAA count . . .

Do it man!

Also, how much did you get the machine for?