Improving your DDR skills

Rydain · Trick Member Joined: 27 Jan 2002 Location: /home/rydain

Yes, that ending is an evil stamina drainer. I use a method similar to what Abyssilicious recommended. When the sequence starts, I face left, using my left foot for D and my right foot for L and R. When the sequence is about to change, I swivel to the right (starting the turn on the last D so I can get there in time!) so I can use my left foot to hit U. I just swivel back and forth as needed. It takes practice and wears you out, but it works pretty well for me because I can alternate my feet throughout the entire thing.
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Abyssilicious · Trick Member Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Location: Freehold, NJ

Watching my bro play DDR is embarrassing, which is why I will tell the basics...again if they were already mentioned.
1. Play a simulator first. You don't want to trip and break a leg or something. As I watch my bro play, it looks like he's gonna trip and be paralyzed. THERE IS NO DRUNKEN STYLE PLAY OF DDR.
2. Read arrows ahead of time. The best spot is 3-5 beats ahead so you can add a little freestyle in the song.
3. Don't waste too much energy, there are other songs to play. Keep wasting energy, the more likely you are to pass out. I don't mean you can't move around a lot. Just know your limits. If you are fat and you get tired easily, don't start doing flips and handslaps and kneedrops. You are not superman.
4. Don't matrix walk. It damages the machine.
5. Don't go too hard for yourself. If you play maniac on the first day you play DDR, you deserve a beating in the head.

Naro_Neptune · Trick Member Joined: 15 Apr 2002

Abyssiliciousan I usour s too cuzits so funny.

Naro_Neptune · Trick Member Joined: 15 Apr 2002

damn my keyboard sux! Abyssilicious can I use and add to your sig? Pleez? It's so funny.

Squirrel Boi · Trick Member Joined: 22 May 2002 Location: Midlothian, VA

I've got two tips that've helped me go from having all perfects and, say, 50 greats, to all perfects and, like, 15 greats:

1)Listen to the music! I don't mean just hear the song and find an imaginary beat, I mean really LISTEN! Find something in the music that plays on each arrow, and time your feet to those noises. Your feet and the speakers are the same distance from your ears, so by timing your foot with, say, a bass hit, a share, vocals (but be wary with these, they can be VERY misleading on some songs and give you many greats! Prime example: Dam Dariram KCP Mix. There's almost nothing in that song to time all your steps to.), or anything that is within the 1/32 of a beat you're given before and after, you'll manage to hit all the perfects. Plus, by doing this, you'll notice that not all songs are perfectly in sync with the music by, like, less than 1/64 of the beat. How could I test this? One example: I noticed that all 80+ of my greats on Rhythm and Police were before the perfect gauge (Extra mix feature). Therefore, I have to transpose myself a little less than 1/32 of a beat after each audible connection. ...but if you can't accurately judge 1/32 beats, ignore the second half of this paragraph.

2)Okay, you know when to step, but now you need to know how to step! Of course, if you've progressed through runs while carrying a combo, you've managed to come up with an accurate form of stepping. Usually, tapping the arrows with your feet will do the trick, but if you're into hardcore PA, sometimes a tap can come out at an inappropriate time depending on the angle you've arced your ankle or how much force you've put on the arrow. Sometimes, it'll take a bit of weight for those arrows to react, so from the time your foot makes contact to the time you get enough pressure to trigger the sensors (30-40 lbs? Anyone have an accurate reading?), you could pass by 1/64 of a beat (not much, but cruicial at times). Plus, you have such a small point that you're hitting the pad at, you run the (small) risk of straying away from the center or not hitting any part of the arrow at all. So, now that I've said all that, where am I going? Right here: On songs that are slow enough (about 160bpm or less, lacking 1/16 arrows), you can improve your timing by keeping your feet flat with the pad instead of tapping with the front of your shoe. It did wonders for me, but hey, I'm only one testcase. Try it out and see if it works for you.

Oh, and...

There are So Many Men In The Navy who would love to Do It All Night after a good Electro Tuned Flashdance.
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T KONAMI STOP BUTCHERING CLASSICAL SONGS (SPEED OVER BEETHOVEN AND THAT HORRIBLE MOZART SERIES)

Squirrel Boi · Trick Member Joined: 22 May 2002 Location: Midlothian, VA

Oh, yeah... and those tips aren't aimed towards anyone competing around Basic or Trick level. It's sorta designed to bring you up from Maniac to No Life.

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T KONAMI STOP BUTCHERING CLASSICAL SONGS (SPEED OVER BEETHOVEN AND THAT HORRIBLE MOZART SERIES)

Abyssilicious · Trick Member Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Location: Freehold, NJ

Yes Naro_Neptune, if you want

Kensi · Basic Member Joined: 08 May 2002

i dunno if this will help, but i find that playing on things like hidden and sudden can help a bit. sudden helps u be able to read the arrows, even when they suprise u, a great skill for songs u have nvr seen before. and hidden can make u see how the steps fit the song, how they match the music. both sudden and hidden do makes things a bit harder but they can help a lot.
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Wizard's 1st Rule : People are Stupid

SaKuRa sHotGun · Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2002 9:25 pm Post subject: Hey Again

Yeah, it is can be good to do a hard song first, but it all depends on how people play. That is how I play, because I like to get my money's worth. (Im not exactly rich.... ^_~ ) You are right though, you do have a higher chance of passing a hard song with more stamina. But like you said, warm it up first. Get used to the heat of the game. Start easy, then blast it, if thats your style. Blast it then cool down, if thats your style. Im not critizing anyone's mode of play. Its all up to the player, but the advice I can give, is only advice coming from my personal experiences. With me, I like to start off slow, and go off with a bang.

Also, for "Don't Give Up!" - What I mean is, well, if a song is killing your stamina, find it within yourself to finish the song. IF you fail, keep playing (If the machine allows..) don't drop it and leave. I've done that plenty of times before (08B.... if your reading this, you know what I mean) and it doesn't make you look good. Don't be a quitter, and keep going. If your stamina is so drained, and your legs are about to give up, then that is a good time to stop. What I mean is, don't be lazy.... Fight till the end, and when its the end, its the end, hey theres next time.

There are times when I blew out a bunch of times, and yes, it was a time to give up, and hey, don't think you're alone, I fell too! Im sure everyone falls at least once. That time I fell, I tried to get up and finish it, but my leg exploded in pain, and I just dropped to my knees. So, there is a time to give up.

Thanks for showing me faults in my advices, it helps me to help others!

-Miyu(ki)

"Meatwad, its spaghetti time!"
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"Its Hamtaro Time"

Naro_Neptune · Trick Member Joined: 15 Apr 2002

Exotic Orion · Trick Member Joined: 14 May 2002 Location: Valencia, CA

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i want a PSP

monkeybone · Trick Member Joined: 17 Jul 2002

Kuu FiendX · Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2002 10:52 pm Post subject:

I'm not sure how it will apply to other people but I find sudden to be a great means for learning how to step out harder patterns. The key is when you have less to look at for that moment you have less to process. When using sudden i can step out patterns just as well as i normally would but it unconsciously takes out the spaz out factor. With the spazzing out of sight I can focus on how my feet should be moving and what beats they are. It also helps you're sightreading in more ways then one....sudden arrows have no color except white. It's done wonders for reading notes in general even pesky 16ths. One more tip. Dont let yourself be intimidated!! If you choose to fear a song because it looked hard the first few times you played it you are selling yourself out. Who's to say you wont be able to pass that if you have the courage?
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"These are my parting words to you. Those who give up are doomed."

Griffon · Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2002 3:01 am Post subject:

Anyone out there who knows good songs on 3rd Mix Korea 2 that help to get used to steps off beat like 8th steps and 16th etc. Cause I just cant get over 5 feet and the thing thats standing in my way are those go d damn off beat steps

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'This is my story, and it'll end the way I want it' - Tidus, Final Fantasy X

YooNeeQue · Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2002 6:48 pm Post subject:

dj Zeph · Trick Member Joined: 18 Jun 2002 Location: Florida

Here's what I think helps...

When you are climbing up the difficulty ladder, and you can pass maniac songs, then a good idea is to aim for those crazy songs with insane beats. If you only practice songs with only normal and 1/8th beats, then you'll never be able to do catas like Leading Cyber and Dynamite Rave. Leading Cyber is a great song to practice 1/16th combos. Not actually hitting the arrows, but getting used to irregular patterns so youcan do weirder songs in the future. And it is never too late to try and freestyle something, or practice doubles. If you aren't great at singles, then try doubles. Your skills improve that way easily, but over time. And freestyling something allows you to get a better feeling of mobility for when trying to play PA. When becoming great at DDR, it's all about getting the right feel, the rhytmn, and keeping your stanima up to complete the song. Oh yeah, and don't forget the speed. If you have never tried songs like Drop Out or Max300, then you need to. Getting used to fast songs like that makes it easier for you to read slower arrows in time to hit them. I'm not the greatest player, but I know what can help me get better.

doclkk · Trick Member Joined: 13 Jul 2002 Location: Irvine, CA

Trip Machine is difficult to listen to the music. The guides make a good point that the flashing arrows at the very beginning (arrows up top) - are indicative of the beat.

I have Konamix - I wish i had a stealth chip. Do external ones exist? Any ideas where I can get one for under $25?

I can pass 8 feet, and have received B's on .59 and Burnin' the Floor - 7 footers - but the step that is difficult for me is l, u, r. When people say slide ? How exactly do you slide? Do you jump to the arrow like you do at the beginning part of Burnin' the floor (Maniac) or the refrain of End of the Century (Trick).

Not sure.

BTW - I dunno if I'm allowed to say this - but how many people think Val is hot? Dang - too bad she lives in Japan =P

Abyssilicious · Trick Member Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Location: Freehold, NJ

1. ME!
2. Der....am I good if I got a B on Dead End Maniac (Konamix)?
3. For step patterns that have ONLY steps as [l,u,r], [r,u,l], [l,d,r], and [r,d,l], I twist my body and hit the steps like you would hit [u.l,d] or [d,r,u]

madhattr · Trick Member Joined: 28 Jan 2002 Location: Rhode Island

About 6 months playing, can do all songs except the max's.

I've found that besides working at staying on the beat(PA) there are really three main things I had trouble with once I was able to pass everything.

Hitting a single note(or a double step repeated) more then three times at a fast BPM

having doubles thrown into a stream I.E. End of the century maniac single or perhaps the end of DXY after the break.

On doubles the top horizontal cross like at the end of La senorita I believe...

all of these things are pretty straight-forward to work on just wondering if anyone at about this level encoutered some of the same problems? How did you deal with them etc....

the addict,
-madhattr

squirrel_wrangler[spoink] · Trick Member Joined: 21 May 2002 Location: work

if you were as lucky as i am right now then you would have no problem passing any song on stealth shuffle or whatever you like. how can you be this lucky you ask? well my friend luckyness is just a click away...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2126593510&rd=1
if you cant afford to purchase this item then i pity you
your only option is to practice a whole damn lot
or you could try stealing it from whoever buys it but they will be so lucky it probably wont work
so just practice practice practice
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