What is it with me and these DDR arcade games?!?

[thejaw]

ok, so i'll be playing ddr at home on my metal pad, and i'll get AAA's and everything, and it's fine. then, i'll go to an arcade and play ddr and get a ton of greats, sometimes even more than perfects !!! am i doing something wrong?

[NIQ9]

Most likely, the arcade pads are less sensitive and on top of that, the timing windows are tighter at the arcade. I have about 100 home version AAAs and only 5 or so at the arcade.
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[thejaw]

is there any way i can do better, like step harder?

[pleasedon'thurtme]

Well, if the pads have sensitivity issues, you could always try to find another machine. When I visit arcades nowadays, I often try some songs on light/easy to test the pads. You could always try playing on easier difficulties to improve your timing. I have played some machines that sort of require a little harder stepping for accurate step registration, but didn't I hear that stepping too hard is bad for people's health or something? If you find the pads are not adequately sensitive, try asking someone to work on them.
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[Suko]

There's a lot of suggestions and thoughts people could share on what could make someone a better arcade player. I'll offer a few quick and easy things you should consider.

Depending on the arcade, the pads may be more or less responsive. if you're a small, light weight player who us used to barely tapping an arrow, it will probably not work in the arcade. One technique many players adopt is called "Flat Footing".

Not only does Flat Footing generally help increase your accuracy, it also allows your entire foot to contact the arrow, giving you a greater chance at triggering the sensors underneath. This isn't going to eliminate pad misses if you're playing on a really bad arcade machine, but it is better than tapping lightly. Here's a quote I made in another thread regarding flat footing:

[Xanthros]

Honestly, once you get past the basics, like reading arrows easily and gaining some stamina to play harder songs, playing at home will hinder your ability to get better. If you intend to get good scores, I recommend not playing at home at all, or at least realizing that it is not comparable to arcade play and should not be looked at as practice.

It is also easier to play stamina songs at home, so you may find you can't pass certain songs at the arcade too.

The "learning from good players" advice is pure gold. I routinely play with players much better than me, and I have improved tenfold in the time I have played with them compared to before I met them. Find an arcade you can get a good (maybe "inside") deal on tokens, and play a lot!
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[videoCWK]

Stepping harder could help if the pads aren't the best, but it will hinder your stamina and make it more difficult to do quicker songs. Pretty much all you can do is find a well-kept machine and practice on it regularly to improve your timing. I'm not going to go very much into it though since everyone else has covered pretty much everything there is to cover.
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[thejaw]

ok thanks!!!

[pleasedon'thurtme]

[Suko]

[thejaw]

ok so i got stepmania! so now how do i make the timing windows tighter?

[chennymountain]

it's in options, most likely.
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[Technick]

The timing window is a lot different. Make sure the arcade you are playing at has good pads. If you are getting random BOO'S it is most likely the pads. If you need help forming a good arcade technique just contact me, I have a lot of experience.
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[thejaw]

well yeah i guess i need help lol. no boos, only greats .

where in the options is the narrow timing windows? thanx for being patient with me!!

btw is there any way that i can play stepmania on a metal pad/mat for PS2?

[Xanthros]

[Suko]

[suneelkumar85]

If you're used to playing at home, then the arcade's timing windows will be brutal to you. The home versions of DDR have always had considerably larger timing windows. Unfortunately, most console DDR games don't let you adjust how wide or narrow the timing window is, but if you download Stepmania ( http://www.stepmania.com/ ) you can go into the options setting and make the timing window "tighter" and more like the arcade. Short of playing on an arcade machine or stepmania, there's not an easy way to get yourself accustomed to these narrow timing windows.

Lastly, try and play at an arcade that has a lot of good, regular players. If there's a lot of good players around, it means the machine is probably in decent shape and the sensors work OK. Also, you can learn from those who're better than you.

It might seem intimidating, especially if you're a noob, but we all had to start somewhere. Generally players are willing to help if you ask a question. Watch some of the better players perform, and pay attention to how they move and hit the arrows and see if you can incorporate those techniques when you play. It might not end up being your method of playing, but it's a good way to start learning the more advanced stuff.
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[Travelsonic]

[Xanthros]

I didn't mean it as a 100% true blanket statement, but my post was long enough and I didn't feel like adding more. Sorry.

Yes, playing at home will get you better up to a certain point (maybe until you can pass 10s?), and can probably help you with stamina in the beginning as well. However, it will make your timing worse if you play mainly at home, and you will not gain any experience getting comfortable playing on a real machine (and subconscious technique improvements are a big part of gaining real stamina). You will probably adapt your technique to the home pad, which will yield an inefficient play style on the arcade machine. This can also lead to getting greats/misses due to being unfamiliar with arcade pads.

If you spend a lot of money and buy a CF/Blueshark with arcade risers or whatever and make your own bar (if you use it), then I'm sure that will help. But other than that I truly recommend not playing at home at all, plastic/foam pads are (nearly) worthless. This player wants to get AAAs, so I'm assuming he doesn't need beginner practice, which is all those are good for.

On a side note, since Stepmania doesn't have anything to do with your body technique, I'd say it wouldn't hurt to play. I played for the whole time I've been playing DDR/ITG, and I'd say it neither helped nor hurt me. Maybe helped because it made me want to go play more at the arcade haha.

Anyway I hope none of that sounded offensive, I'm just explaining my thinking.
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[pleasedon'thurtme]

So, would home play be appropriate for players around my level (remember, I can't even pass 10's)? When do people usually start focusing on score? I'm focused mostly on just passing more nines and consistently passing everything under. As mentioned/suggested in my earlier post, I do play easier difficulties some to work on perfect/fantastic attack. So far, the my only ***'s are all on novice, and I don't believe I've ever AAAed anything higher than five-feet (no heavy songs).