Bracket 2 - Discussion

[Zounder]

lol this is sad, but predictable. I'd say it's safe to say a song from Bracket 1, at least for DDR, will win this contest based on feedback. And I think we all know which song that'll be *cough*sigh*cough*

You mean the file that didn't even advance to the next round (even though it still has a chance I guess)?

Pretty sure he was joking and was actually referring to Space Truckin'.

It's a good point, though, that a lot of prominent and active artists are gone. I miss those guys.

[Hainaut]

Pretty sure he was joking and was actually referring to Space Truckin'.

Well in my opinion, Gangnam Style should win, but unfortunately the song has the unfortunate distinction of being a gigantic internet meme with a dance routine that I guess lots of people expected to see the Heavy steps and were let down that it wasn't included. Honestly, Gangnam Style probably would be up for the win had it followed the music video because simfiles like that tend to have a large-impact and heavily widespread appeal, but I love the file enough for what it is, anyway. But...yeah, I think it's pretty obvious that Space Truckin' is going to take home the gold unless the first round results were an unlikely fluke.

[will-i-am]

Pretty sure he was joking and was actually referring to Space Truckin'.

This.

Not that I don't like Gangnam Style, as we've all explained our reasons, but yes, Space Truckin' is scheduled to truck in the finals.

I was going to mention the lack of nDDRo besides Juuby, but I've been looking like a fanboy lately. I mainly use them as an example of a really solid team of consistently quality step artists. And, of course, their accomplishments with graphics still manage to trump most of the graphics created 4 years after their unofficial cease and desist, even if most of the visual presentation may or may not have been handled by titiln alone.

Overall, I do agree this is probably the most all-around sound BEST-mix ever. There aren't any files I hate, but there are a couple that come close only because of silly ideas.

Also, quitting for anime is...too much. But I understand in some way cuz I've been watching some series of my own as of late, although they're live action so they actually hold worth (jk, but actually), like Community and I'm now working on White Collar.

I appreciate the responses. There's some activity again! :) Albeit not entirely about the files, but still something.

[Zounder]

I agree that it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Space Truckin' is winning, and deservedly so. It's one of the few that really stood out to me in this contest. the only other file I'd even think about mentioning in the same breath is -maybe- Vertex.

[Valex]

Community is better than every animé

[will-i-am]

<3

[Juub005]

Played through a few of the files on Heavy...

Canonloid - Boy, this song is a headache. 612 steps is a lot too (at least for DDR). That being said, I enjoyed the parts with a high number of steps. I do think where there were fewer steps the positioning wasn't too interesting.

Ghost of Stephen Foster - I can see why this got all the comments, though I didn't really pay attention to the video myself. Excellent song choice. I understand why there is some criticism of the length (and also, if I review, I do want to call attention to one pattern that I don't think was a good idea to repeat by mirroring), but the steps are fairly cool.

Jump into the Fog - The BPM feels doubled here, although it was interesting to see how you worked with the tempo you chose. A fair amount of patterns were noticeably creative. Your graphics need a bit of work, in that the title text doesn't blend well enough into the background (although I appreciate the effort). Try making the outline blend as well.

Liberated Liberator - Some of the best patterns in the contest appear later in the chart. Some earlier might have been a bit much, though I'm undecided on that so far. Also, there's one part in the middle where the steps repeat themselves a bit too much.

Take Over Control - Very well patterned, and very well tied to the intricacies in the music. I did feel like it might have been a good idea to end the cut just slightly earlier but this is a minor qualm.

[BLueSS]

I agree and disagree. I agree that there's a lack of -amazing- simfiles in this pack, but there overall quality is something that I don't think I've ever seen in a non-DDREvolved pack. Now, I wasn't around for BM4, but in my opinion every other Best Mix pales in comparison to the overall quality in this pack. the lower-end files of this pack would fare decently well in some of the older mixes.

The overall quality of this tournament is high, no doubt there at all. :) It is nice to see this tournament community end on such a high note!

I do have disappointment in the activity during this contest, though. I mean, I know the community is basically dead, but there's about 25 contestants and the vast majority of them aren't even approval voting! I know life happens, I've had to duck out of activity mid-competition before, and I'm certainly not calling anybody out. I'm merely expressing my disappointment in the lack of votes and feedback. It's probably a bad combination of me just getting back into simfiling and the community being as inactive as it's ever been.

To repeat what others have echoed,
THIS IS THE LAST TIME GUYS!

Let's make this tournament go out with a bang! instead of a fizzing out.

Thankfully, BLueSS is still here to run Best-Mix Final, and to be fair, I think it's still been a pretty darn successful competition, but it's still pretty evident, based on the times, that the simfiling scene is in its elder years.

I am very glad we could get one last big tournament going though, despite the scene being very close to its final days! Before BM5 started, I had doubts as to whether we would have enough entries to have a final tournament.

[hellrazor]

Got my votes done finally... Seems like I graded way to easy, many files got perfect scores and some files got tore up but I was extremely unbiased, go judge files time is running out!!

[Excel]

I'll try to submit approval votes tonight! Sorry ahahaha ><

[will-i-am]

Hey hellrazor. Really appreciate the reviews. I know it takes a good chunk of time out of your life to evaluate all these files and I, as well as hopefully many others, don't take your dedication for granted.

As much as I'd love to count your reviews (cuz, uh, you gave my file a full score), I'm really seeing your stance on double-steps as putting a catastrophic disadvantage on files that utilized them in the spirit of DDR. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion based on whatever criteria they please, but this is simply unfair because all you're basically doing is deducting one full point for every double-step in a chart and not taking central consideration for patterning, structure, and overall fun factor.

I'm not exactly sure how I should go about counting your reviews, but as of right now, there's no way I can weigh your complete reviews on the same scale as everyone else's. This isn't a contest of who used the least double-steps. It's a contest of who created the most authentic or avant-garde DDR file, which means the double-step technique will take place.

You have every right to take points off for double-stepping that is distasteful, but not to the extent where that's the only thing you're taking points off for a chart.

There is no further discussion necessary as to the value of double-stepping. We are all beating a dead horse here by bouncing back opinions on whether or not they should be used based on the lack of double-stepping in current DDR versions and the apparent use in past DDR games. Please don't contribute to another argument in that respect.

Understand that I'm only trying to prevent another DJ Potatoe or LK4D4 situation. This is business, not personal.

What I can ask you to do so that your opinion still counts is for you to convert your complete reviews into approval votes. You can vote for any file in this contest for any reason you please without the requirement of critiquing by submitting approval votes that will be accepted without assessment. But for now, your reviews are simply feedback with point values unless BLueSS confirms them.

[Zounder]

Not to get involved, but what separates his vote style in this bracket with his vote style in bracket 1? Those were allowed.

[will-i-am]

There's definitely a clearer distinction on how many points he took off for each double-step used in a chart and how many points he took off for everything else this bracket.

In Bracket 1, hellrazor's double-step deductions came hand-in-hand with deductions for other aspects of the chart. Basically, he explained better why he was taking off points. Now it just seems to be "9 double-steps, 9 points off, 1/10". I don't think he ever took that many points off for double-stepping in Bracket 1 unless you can find something.

[hellrazor]

There's definitely a clearer distinction on how many points he took off for each double-step used in a chart and how many points he took off for everything else this bracket.

In Bracket 1, hellrazor's double-step deductions came hand-in-hand with deductions for other aspects of the chart. Basically, he explained better why he was taking off points. Now it just seems to be "9 double-steps, 9 points off, 1/10". I don't think he ever took that many points off for double-stepping in Bracket 1 unless you can find something.

Yeah, I did that in B1 as well, 1 point per double step. There may not have been a file that was so bad with double-steps as there was in B2 (I believe Gangnam Style was the worse and it was pretty bad). I think my justification should stand, the more double-steps the less I enjoy the file, if there were 8 in a chart I really REALLY do not enjoy the chart at all and I feel like it deserves 2/10. If there were just 2 or 3 it's not so bad, 5 is poor. Yes it's a technical way to judge the files but it also directly relates to my enjoyment of the chart, you'll notice I did not take away points for spins that I liked, but I did take away for spins I didn't like (1 point per each there as well and pretty much all double-steps cause odd spins that I practically never like), I think my judgements were quite fair even if I only was judging the play-ability of the chart and the accuracy of the notes to the music (simply start with a 10 and for every error deduct 1 piont). I also stated that in the next rounds I'll increase my judging criteria to include more than just the technical aspects of the charts but I was being quite simple in the first Round. Plus even though my votes can cause sway (such as a borderline 3rd - 4th swap), well everyone's votes can cause sway which is why the more votes the better, if you think I was harsh look at how Lisek voted with hardly any justification...

[BLueSS]

Yeah, I did that in B1 as well, 1 point per double step. There may not have been a file that was so bad with double-steps as there was in B2 (I believe Gangnam Style was the worse and it was pretty bad). I think my justification should stand, the more double-steps the less I enjoy the file, if there were 8 in a chart I really REALLY do not enjoy the chart at all and I feel like it deserves 2/10. If there were just 2 or 3 it's not so bad, 5 is poor (although I probably should up-rank that 1/10, it was a good chart and I contemplated breaking my own philophy, however it's 0/10 Standard chart was REALLY bad and deserves it). Yes it's a technical way to judge the files but it also directly relates to my enjoyment of the chart, you'll notice I did not take away points for spins that I liked, but I did take away for spins I didn't like (1 point per each there as well), I think my judgements were quite fair even if I only was judging the play-ability of the chart and the accuracy of the notes to the music (simply start with a 10 and for every error deduct 1 piont). I also stated that in the next rounds I'll increase my judging criteria to include more than just the technical aspects of the charts.

I had a much longer post but as fate would have it be, that tab got closed.

Hellrazor, your views (despite as much as you think they aren't) are extremely biased and you have a severe predisposition against legitimate types of steps. The bias is so extreme against "double stepping" and "bad spins" that your judging is creating an extremely skewed and unfair judging environment for this tournament.

I'm doing something I don't recall ever doing.
Hellrazor, due to your extreme biases, all of your reviews are not being considered for judging.
This extends to the next rounds, as well as bracket 1.

I was hoping your bracket 2 judging wasn't going to be more "point off for every double step" but it was just more of it, and it's to be honest a horrible way of judging. Your judging before that was even worse, of marking songs off simple because you didn't like the music.

You are extremely biased, and it's as simple as that. Your reviews are not fair, and will not be considered for this tournament.

I will not be reversing this decision, and if you want to stick around you still can, as long as you're not going to try to defend your insane justification for making the tournament unfair.

This is the last BEST-mix, and the last DDR simfile tournament I'll be doing, ever. This series is going to go out with a fair competition, and not an extreme "anti-double step" bias.

---------------

Bracket 1 will be rescored without hellrazor's reviews.
All of the files that originally moved on will still move on.
Any files that would have moved on will ALSO move on.
There will still be a wildcard.
:)