Exactly What IS it that makes "steps" fun?

[Phrekwenci]

[dooo ooo ug]

The only song 260 BPM and over that I like to play is Sakura. IMO the steps aren't that great but it's a good song. I don't like the Maxes, they're not good to listen to. IMO the Paranoias (with the exception of Survivor) are better than the Maxes.

[Yosh]

Sexy planet's oni steps=fun
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taco

[jamus_se]

Here's what I think after all these years of experience.

I think, when people say they like the "steps", they usually like the "song" first. For the most part, people who bother to take liking to a set of steps usually take liking to the song that goes with it, or otherwise he/she would not be growing an affinity to the steps at all. Step charts are, afterall, just arrows.

Also, when you understand DDR enough to sort of know what the step designers would design for any typical dance track (hence the sign of addiction that you'd DDR to any dance music), you sort of start to develop your own "personal step charts" to the songs in the game. If the "official steps" match what you personally hope for in the song, then you'd probably end up "liking" those steps.

For example, when you play "Cartoon Heroes" the first time, you might want the song to go in this manner:

Our friends are so unreasonable
X---X---X---F--X-X---X-X(EF)
(where X is a step and F is a freeze, EF = end freeze, X---X = full note X-X = half note, etc)

But of course, if you remember the official steps, this is when the song goes all jump crazy - not fun in my opinion. Some people might find that fitting to their level of difficulty and they want the steps to be jump crazy like that, so they might like it (or come to like it).

You can also look at songs that ware whored over throughout DDR history and you'll usually notice well developed patterns to each song:

BB$ (Basic: LLRR Shake it like a blah blah)
DR (Maniac: Tap Tap Tap Tap Talada Tap)
So Deep (Heavy: gal-loop gal-loop gal-loop ga stomp stomp)
Tsugaru (Heavy: Stop---Step Stomp Stomp Step Stomp Stomp...)

so on and so forth.
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[HM]

I agree with most things said here, especially

[Daniel]

[DJ_QUACKQUACK]

I mainly go for the step atterns that you can spin on, or ones good for knee drops etcetera etcetera etcetera. Examples: leading cyber, it is practically all spins, and i like it cause it gets me dizzy . Also butterly , mainly cause it's a good speed to do tricks on and the step patterns make it easy to practically do anything you'd like to....

[Rancidfish]

[limegreenpotato]

im gonna have to go with witch doctor for funnest steps. (is funnest a word?? ) yea anyway its awesome. on trick tho not really fun on heavy....wipes me oot
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"What in the world was that!?"

"Hsaw Aknow"

"Is that Japanese?"

"No, its Wonka Wash spelled Backwards"-Willy Wonka

[limegreenpotato]

im gonna have to go with witch doctor for funnest steps. (is funnest a word?? ) yea anyway its awesome. on trick tho not really fun on heavy....wipes me oot
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"What in the world was that!?"

"Hsaw Aknow"

"Is that Japanese?"

"No, its Wonka Wash spelled Backwards"-Willy Wonka

[ConMan]

The funny thing is, I find some songs have good music, but kind of ok steps, and other songs have music that isn't really my bag[1], but really fun steps. And I tend to play the two in roughly equal portions. Plus a small number of "challenge" songs, songs that I can't actually do well, but want to try anyway.

Max 300 has ok music, but is no good for me on single so I don't play it. That doesn't stop me, however, from trying to play it on Doubles (I find just the act of playing Doubles can increase the "fun" content of a song's steps by a significant amount). I agree that songs that make you turn your body in different ways are good - stuff like V[O], R&P, Little B*tch[H] are fun for the turns/twists involved.

However, really fast spins (like Max 300 Standard, and Saint Goes Marching Heavy - the 4-step spins, not the 3-step ones) are not fun because there's no feasible way to do them properly for someone with a high centre of mass (like me).

Another possible aspect of "fun" steps are those that can be done in a few different ways. Jet World[H], for example, at first looks like a foot-shuffling song. However, with a bit of practice you find that most patys work best if you keep your body in the same position in the short pauses, and use the opposite foot to the pad (so start a run with left foot on right pad, or vice versa). I daresay someone could find a way to spin it too, or something.

[1] No, not bag itself. In fact, bag manages to avoid making it into either category.
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ConMan, founding member of Odoru Baka - http://ddr.xware.cx

[[®eß¹r†µ] §åmßã Ðè Ãmígø]

bag is an incedibly fun song if you can look past the intimitating at first music. put it on x5 youll be having a blast.

funnest {and funniest} song evEr imo is across the nightmare oni steps.. the 1st time i ever did that song i bust out laughing during those jumps.. mucho fun song
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[Mr. Papaya...]

For me, it's generally 1/8th streams and gallops, especially 140-150 BPM songs. I hate songs where you have to slide or spin like Daikenkai, HVAM, and Break Down.
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