PitterPanda's Guide - Softpad Modding Results

[Assassin Ace]

Well, I was short a sheet of hardwood floor covering, and needed to buy extra so the mat wouldn't scrape my cousin's wooden floor (I did 4 pads yesterday/today - two of mine and two of my cousin's). Because it was the only one I took, here's a picture of my cousin's 2P pad:



Sensitivity

The pad senses everything, even under the hardwood floor covering, and that was barefoot. With shoes, it probably has more response than a good arcade pad, and holding freezes sure is easier.

Durability

After testing it for an hour (and having my cousin go for 20 minutes), I can say that with shoes, this homemade pad is extremely durable. There was not even the slightest sign of any ripping. I suggest putting a computer mat down if you have a wooden floor so the wood doesn't scratch.

Movement

I was testing some 6 and 7 footers, and the pad would move about a centimeter every round. I went to AM-3P and Afronova and saw that it moved about 2.5 to 4 centimeters after a round of 8-10 footers. This is much better than a soft pad by itself, or even a softpad taped down. The reason is that when it's taped to the ground, you can feel its movement, and it often moves back and forth rapidly. With this, it's a slight movement that you don't notice on only the most extreme of step charts.

Ease of Use

It's pretty easy to figure out once you get used to it. It takes about 15 minutes to a half hour before you get used to the steps feeling different. At first, I got pissed as I failed D2R halfway through, but then came back to AA it near the end of my testing session.

Overall

This is a great investment to make. If you have a staple gun and packaging tape, this should cost $30 to $40 for two pads, depending on prices. The fact that Home Depot has you pay for the entire wood, if you only get a bit of it is absurd, as well as them not knowing what hardwood floor covering is. But aside from that, it's definitely worth paying $40 to get a durable pad that feels like an arcade pad and won't slide.

http://www.ddrfreak.com/library/contributor-article.php?postID=7890244

EDIT: I hooked up my pad to Stepmania and tried playing Max. (period) Usually an easy keyboard pass for me, I hit a high score with 18 greats on it.. On the pad, I passed for the first time, but by the skin of my teeth.
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[Maxx301]

I did this and it rules. I just use my couch for a bar and im good to go. well ima gonna go play DDR now. BYE
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[Assassin Ace]

Any pictures?
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[Assassin Ace]

I just killed the pad.

The up arrow is completely useless on the first pad. Now I can't play doubles or versus until my Afterburner comes in. Just for posterity's sake (WTF am I saying?), I ripped off the hardwood floor covering from the second pad, because it was holding random buttons down. Now I can't play with shoes, but I never did anyway.
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The former Revenge of the Nemmy.