Do i suck, or does my pad? How do i find out

PlayWithFire · Basic Member Joined: 28 Aug 2006

I've gotten back to playing DDR on my xbox, and the game is getting pretty frustrating. I can get an AA on most songs on light, but going anywhere past that kills me. It's easy for me to say that the pad sucks, but considering my skill level, i am not sure how to tell.

I don't want to shell out $150 on a metal pad if i don't have to, but i am willing to do that if necessary.

So, how can i tell whether or not i need a new pad?

The pad that i have is this (i "borrowed" the image from an ebay auction)

videoCWK! · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:05 pm Post subject:

It's probably the pad, since you got it on eBay. Never get pads from eBay, period. Especially metal ones. Anyway, you should get one of those BNS DX Extreme pads. They're foam pads, but from what I've heard of them, they're good.

PlayWithFire · Basic Member Joined: 28 Aug 2006

ok, that's good to know
but, why NOT buy from eBay? Aren't they just resellers?

psycho442 · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:14 pm Post subject:

Well, since it could be either (or both), I would suggest going to the arcade and testing your abilities there, so that you can see if its actually the pad or your ability. If you can't, than just try different pads. Maybe an ignition or something.
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videoCWK! · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:17 pm Post subject:

eBay pads are bad 99.999999% of the time. You should never trust it, it doesn't matter if it's metal pads, foam pads, or softpads, your always getting ripped off.

EDIT:

Weston · Trick Member Joined: 17 Feb 2003 Location: Minnesota

I would say it's a combination of things. From experience, what I've learned is:

1) Soft pads aren't really the best thing to play on... at all. I find it exhausting to play level 8+ songs just because of how my feet dig into the pad and carpet, making me move more with less control. There isn't a nice tapping sound to assist me either. Some people can do well on soft pads, and some just find it very hard. The brand of softpad also makes a difference in gameplay. My sister bought a wireless dance pad which is just horrible. It registers the steps about 80% of the time and there is massive lag.

2) The Ultramix series (2 & 3) has big problems with the framerate. I can AAA level 8 songs on the PS2 games, but I'd get lucky if I can AA something equivilent on the Ultramixes just because it's so difficult to watch. I think the framerate gets even worse when you have your Xbox settings to widescreen or hi-def screen resolutions. A friend of mine who can AAA bag (Heavy) on 1x on the arcade says he still gets 50+ Greats on Ultramix 3.

3) The timing on ALL home console games (besides Extreme 2) has been way off from the arcade timing. I set my Ultramix games on +2/+3 timing. Compare to the arcade to determine what you should set your timing to.

PlayWithFire · Basic Member Joined: 28 Aug 2006

psycho442, i do feel that i play better at the arcade
it might also have to do with the pad being a set distance from a screen, and i almost never loose my place, and also, i can feel whether or not i step on a button. I often loose my place on the pad that i have.

videoCWK, ok, thanks, i'll stay away from ebay, cause i have heard it mentioned before. And i know that the forum rules say not to ask this, but since you mentioned it, what kind should i get?

[edit] Weston, i don't even know what you mean by timing, so i'll have to go look up that term. Thanks for the info though

psycho442 · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:12 pm Post subject:

Weston · Trick Member Joined: 17 Feb 2003 Location: Minnesota

jpoppyz · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:46 pm Post subject:

get the BNS DX Sparkle or fusion. It works on PS2, xbox, and USB. The pads are incredible and I can get AA and AAAs all the time now with it.

you can order one off www.buynshop.com, after shipping the pad comes around $70(a bit pricey but you get what you pay for; the best damn foam pad ever!)!!
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DefaultGen · Trick Member Joined: 06 Nov 2005

The pad sucks, I can't pass many 9+ footers on a softpad, let alone score.
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ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

videoCWK! · Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:15 am Post subject:

ThePandemonium · Trick Member Joined: 05 Jul 2005

Dogswood · Trick Member Joined: 22 Feb 2006

DefaultGen · Trick Member Joined: 06 Nov 2005

If you're not going to get a CF or a Blueshark (I actually read good reviews about the Blueshark...) I wouldn't recommend getting a metal pad at all. A good foam pad (Hah, good luck) is better than a crappy $100 Metal Pad thats going to break in a few months.
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psycho442 · Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:02 pm Post subject:

My highest recommendation would be the Official ITG Soft Pad. I've had it for a long time now and I can still pass 11s consistently. A couple of weeks ago I could beat every song in ITG except Pandamonium, but it started to wear down. It's a brilliant pad that you have to get if you want a good soft pad. (Oh, and as a side note, I didn't mod my pads either.

)
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Fred 00 · Trick Member Joined: 02 May 2005 Location: offline

[quote="videoCWK"]It's probably the pad, since you got it on eBay. Never get pads from eBay, period.quote]

I got two ignition pads off ebay and they worked for two years

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ChilliumBromide · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR

DARREN HAYEZ · Trick Member Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Location: Michigan

You can find out what the problem is by wasting $300+ on a Cobalt Flux lol.
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