Arrow speed and FA

[Kaku]

Well then again he was top 5 in the world at DDR... itg is a different game when it comes to tough songs, since most songs include streams of 16ths and even 24ths/32nds etc compared to how DDR had very few of those. DDR's 10's were mostly made up of 300+ bpm songs which 1x would be fine on, while ITG's songs are mostly around the 150 range including 16ths and 32nds.

So it's just that 1x has gotten harder to read I suppose. If he actually used 1.5 or 2x and/or the bar he'd probably be able to compete, so I dunno why he's hindering himself =\

I believe they have no-bar divisions for tournaments in Europe? He'd own them pretty badly probably =D But yeah, otherwise he's getting beaten by tons of people who DO take advantage of the options provided by the game.
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http://www.groovestats.com/index.php?page=profile&id=1614

[Asymptote]

I wouldn't say he's getting "beaten"... he just has a different playing style and he doesn't really care about having the highest scores in the world. If he wanted to use the bar and mods, i'm sure he would be a force to be reckoned with. 90% Euphoria ex. no bar is pretty damn impressive if you ask me. It just isn't in the case in mod/bar play... 2 different styles of play, I don't really think they should be compared as such...
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[Emptyeye]

I'm going to derail this conversation further, because why not?

Anyway, I agree that for better or for worse, ITG is really a whole other beast than DDR at its highest levels. Whereas I believe even the most difficult DDR songs were designed to be played without the bar (Otherwise, why the "Do not use the bar for gameplay" warning in the DDR manuals? [This may have changed with Supernova, I don't know]), ITG makes it necessary to use the bar if you really want the highest scores. Whether this is a good or bad thing is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. I have noticed, via my experience with ITG on PS2, that even songs at the 9-foot or so level on ITG do indeed seem to have a lot more 16ths than DDR songs in a similar difficulty range, which would generally make it beneficial to have speed mods of some kind.

A few things to consider: I don't know how old Pickles is (Probably young enough to this question to be irrelevant in this specific case), but is it at all possible that he's "past his prime", so to speak? While it hasn't been around long enough to really say for sure, I'd imagine that as with any athletic activity, there's a limited time that a person would be at the top of their game as far as physical conditioning related to the game goes.

Additionally, I'm not sure how often he plays outside of tournaments, but if Pickles (Or anyone for that matter) doesn't have a lot of experience with bar use, isn't he theoretically, at least at first, putting himself at less of a disadvantage by not using the bar than he would be by using it badly (If bar use really is "just another skill" as many claim)?

As an aside, maybe it's because I'm exclusively a home version player to this point, but I'd love to see no-bar divisions in tournaments myself.

[J. S. Mill]

[0rion]

First of all, I would like to proudly acknowledge to poster that used the character from "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" as his avatar and signature picture. It was a phenomenally bad movie and stand side-by-side with Street Fighter as the worst Raul Julia performance of all time. Thank God for Mystery Science Theater.

On a much more relevant note, I am often at odds with my compatriots regarding this issue, as I'm the only person in the Central Colorado area that plays DDR, ITG, and IIDX without speed mods. Usually the conversation - always begun when I just finish a song and/or am about to play a song - is a variant of, "Why are you playing Utopia on 1x? 3x is way easier," or "Era Step Mix Another is messed up without at least HS3."

But the fact is that I play on 1x BECAUSE it makes things that much harder. I'm never going to get as many AAAs as Jadin (check him out with the member search), but I CAN play Checking You Out 7k on Low Speed 2, and for me that's a nice enough way to carve out my niche.

The same goes with ITG. Yes, I COULD use speed mods and get higher scores, but I just have fun when I'm doing stuff that other people don't really do. Going off the beaten path, you might say.
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-Sir "O"
There's a little yellow bird on my avatar. (Brawl FC: 4640-1720-6690)

[GiJew]

Pickles is still considered one of the great ITG players in the world. He can get some pretty sick scores 1x no bar. I believe his highest on Euphoria 1x no bar is something close to 95% so that is pretty crazy. Imagine if one day pickles decided to start using speed mods and the bar. Considering he can already Star and Double Star 10s and 11s (Not sure about 12s have to check the machine next time I go). If he used the bar and speed mods hed probably be comparable with the best ITG players in the world.

[J. S. Mill]

[JasonTheGreater]

[Asymptote]

[ihcw.stefank687]

Its always seemed to me that a persons timing is best when the arrows are moving as fast as possible that the person can read them comfortably... there is such a thing as too fast, you just need to find the fastest speed you can read and try and use the xspeed mods to get it as close to the number as you can... as you play that number where you read the best will change which can make things interesting. Most good players seem to play in the 600-700bpm range others go faster(Ninza lol) and others go slower(Pickles). Overall its what you are used to and whatever will let you score the best(Heck i've started 6x mini'ing almost everything 140 and lower now because its easier)

[Capajoe]

[Asymptote]

To be honest though I think GiJew is underestimating Pickles, it certainly doesn't sound good when he says "he can star 10's", after all I did see a video of him getting a ** on Destiny ex, so I know hes much much much higher than they typical "can star 10's" player. He's a damn good player bar or no bar, mods or no mods.
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[PKMN.YnoT]