BRACKET 3 - DISCUSSION

[Hiryuu]

I for one like this sort of contest. It's a good way to say "HEY, here's my sim. You don't know who I am, so judge it how you feel. Give me input so I can improve my skills. And otherwise enjoy my work like you would a DDR game shows who made theirs."

Not that I'm at all against this...but the whole thing is I actually want some ACTUAL input.

I don't want someone to just drop in numbers and call it done. I don't want someone to come up with reasons for hating it because of biased opinions on what is right and what is wrong...and I certainly don't want a review saying 'oh the song's good but I don't know if it translates to steps'.

I do want to get better, I've said that earlier in either this, some other thread, or somewhere outside of this forum many times but it does take someone with an understanding of what it is you actually DO in a simfile that understands what good IS in order to learn from them...not some jagoff that doesn't like the song or can't pass the steps that doesn't have a clue. This would be the side of the people who think their feedback sucks.

For the neutral side, of course, trying to find something like that has its issues. There are far, far more people that look at a simfile yet don't sim themselves than the opposite. That's the problem going into one of these things and expecting professional and learned feedback...but it's always nice to see what the common individual is going to think of your file when it comes down to it. If you're too plain, they're obviously going to look at that regardless of it being flawless step structure or not. If it's not a song they like, it's going to be obvious when they go to rate it when they really don't want to.

And finally on the bias side, there may need to be a better way of handling it this next time around because, as we've all seen, people like to whine and complain about why they really aren't wrong in a simfile when they really could be and they are incapable of taking possible and credible critique when they really could be wrong once again. After a point, I sincerely stopped caring though...because it seemed more people are worried about taking first in a competition than taking actual feedback.

I'm sure BlueSS's PM box has been flooded with that tripe over the last few weeks.

Anonymous seems all well and good...but then we get these 'guess the step artist' threads that mostly debunk the purpose anyways. If people don't like an author to begin with and they sort of figure out who it is then their review will be as biased.

As for teams...well it's a nice concept, I'll admit that, and I don't have a problem working in teams with people and I've done it several times over the years and have no problem (in fact, I encourage it; I like taking and giving ideas) but I would wonder if that alone would double the drama...just a thought in terms of one person bitching about theirs anonymously then you'll get two or more double-teaming said person again.

The only thing is I couldn't tell you how to organize it to drop the drama the next go round. That'll be something that'll be up to BlueSS and subordinates.

CPU: I agree but only when it's one that you know is CLEARLY not about competition. That's why I've done the work in DSU that I've done from 2 on up; we're there to make a pack...we're not there to knock heads and call each other idiots because they have no clue what they're talking about, etc. etc.

[Wellian]

It does take someone with an understanding of what it is you actually DO in a simfile that understands what good IS in order to learn from them...not some jagoff that doesn't like the song or can't pass the steps that doesn't have a clue.

Try a career making Marmite simfiles. Then you'll learn that a lot of the "feedback" off those who shout should just be ignored.

[Hiryuu]

It does take someone with an understanding of what it is you actually DO in a simfile that understands what good IS in order to learn from them...not some jagoff that doesn't like the song or can't pass the steps that doesn't have a clue.

Try a career making Marmite simfiles. Then you'll learn that a lot of the "feedback" off those who shout should just be ignored.

Fooo...I hear ya...I've been questioned for my tastes at times too and doing 'unpopular' music.

I've backed it with giving into the crowd at times and simming something most have heard of. I guess I'm weak like that.

The thing is, it shouldn't matter, if you can make a sim out of OVER 9000 and it's worth the time then it shouldn't matter what you sim as long as the end product is good. That's the whole point.

[Sir.Rendr]

Watch Us Work It – Devo [9.999/10]

Just give it the MAX score.

MAX!

[Aki]

Watch Us Work It – Devo [9.999/10]

Just give it the MAX score.

MAX!

In before MAX on parade.

[The Period]

~I´m a simple foreigner. I'm so sorry if I don't use my English properly ~

Hi all,

It´s my first time, so I considered I´m not able to rate all simfiles. Of course, I just tested all of the Bracket 3 simfiles based on several variables that I think are very important as:

Sync, fun, bpm effects (if used), stops (if used), stepchart simetry, notes placement (if its right a tap instead of a freeze, etc), difficulty synergy, sthetic (non abuse of freezes or some bias stepcharts), Simfile and DDR style synergy.

I dont have enough time to place all my feedback now, but there's something to say to Spice of Life's Author:

-Man, I'm sure I don´t kown who you are, please read all my words as a feedback, I know this event is to develop some good quality simfiles and also to see how good you are making stepcharts, I'll try not to be a painful critic, so here's my feedback about your simfile:

I disliked 97% of your work at Heavy, for some reasons I'll show you:

1st: BPM.-
It's kinda easy to make BPM changes but there's a problem when a stepmaker's tastes are diferrent for the others when they put BPM changes. I know this is a biased opinion but (non like other ppl) I'll advise you what to do to fix it:

I feel totally shocked when tried your song, those BPM changes definitely didn´t stack with the song, it feels awfully...

Advise: Well, some "high-weighted" songs like Spice of Life doesn´t stand more than 1 BPM change because those kind of songs doesn´t have a notorious rythm change in speed like speed and boosted songs (see MAX period or Vertex from ITG series).

2nd: Mess.- Your song reminds me Pluto Relinquish (low bpm part) it's kind of messy but it's NOT a BIG problem (some stepcharts of this bracket had the same problem) so my advise is to try not to make it harder, higher difficulty and mess, you know, a lot of "yellow arrows" (implicit 3x speed use) are ITG expert charts philosophy. In fact your song is playable well at 2x speed, so as I said this isn´t a big problem.

3rd: Graphics.- Your graphics reminds me 2 years ago when I only used Paint to edit pictures, I realized that even if I put all my energy trying to make a good edit on Paint, it will looks terrible.
... It also reminds me that in my country we have a Stepmania Arcade "Buby's" which has a lot of Anime simfiles with this quality of banner and bg (anime + plain text), but its charts balanced this lack of quality.
Advise: Every person has friends, if you don't have enough time to study some advanced picture editor you may ask some friend to make you a good quality banner.

~Good Side~
1.-Stops: Your stop (really) stand with the bass stop perfectly... the 2 only other songs that stops amazed me are: You're in the Army Now (your stop were more amazing like this one) and Somewhere Over the Rainbow (even it has biased steps, its stops totally amazed me, and for me is the most funny chart of this bracket - yes, it means 1st place).

Last words:
I totally agree that this event is for FUN.
But there's a lot of stepmakers that wanted to be better than yesterday, so I just want to give them feedback to became better than before.

I wish I have presented my simfile but I realized this kind of events exists 3 days before this contest. Yes, I read Best-Mix 2 contest announcement on Z-I-V.

So, good luck to everybody.

[Hiryuu]

Best. Review. Ever.

[CoreyBlaze]

In case anyone cares, I'm done with my Bracket 3 review. Whoa, it sure was easy to do these back then when I was 17 and had nothing important to do .

[BLueSS]

Whoa, it sure was easy to do these back then when I was 17 and had nothing important to do .

I think that's becoming the story of the simfile community as a whole.

[The Period]

1.-Liar game
2.-Superstar
3.-WOW
4.-Somewhere over the rainbow

Oh... a bit surprised. Do you really think Liar Game simfile is better than Somewhere Over the Rainbow?

Definitely I`m totally agree with WOW in 3rd place but I think Satellites heavy stepchart is less simply than Superstar, it`s true that Superstar is 100% DDR style but Satellites is also better stepmaked than Superstar (and also could be a good DDR liscense).

And playing Somewhere Over the rainbow is too fun as playing CaptivAte or Why Not on SN2, no mistakes found on it, but Liar Game 3rd and 4th freezes with consecutive 12s? (I mean red arrows and blue arrows non according to the 1st and 2nd freezes with only red arrows) were too disgusting.

Its amazing how we all have diferent tastes.

[Zounder]

1.-Liar game
2.-Superstar
3.-WOW
4.-Somewhere over the rainbow

Oh... a bit surprised. Do you really think Liar Game simfile is better than Somewhere Over the Rainbow?

Definitely I`m totally agree with WOW in 3rd place but I think Satellites heavy stepchart is less simply than Superstar, it`s true that Superstar is 100% DDR style but Satellites is also better stepmaked than Superstar (and also could be a good DDR liscense).

And playing Somewhere Over the rainbow is too fun as playing CaptivAte or Why Not on SN2, no mistakes found on it, but Liar Game 3rd and 4th freezes with consecutive 12s? (I mean red arrows and blue arrows non according to the 1st and 2nd freezes with only red arrows) were too disgusting.

Its amazing how we all have diferent tastes.

I pretty much agree with everything said here, but yeah, we each have our own tastes.

[CoreyBlaze]

Ahhh, sweet controversy. No simfile tournament is complete without it .

YES, I think Liar Game was better than SOTR. Why? The author took a seemingly non-DDR friendly song and turned into an amazing simfile with killer presentation, and easy but totally sweet steps. Everything flowed SO naturally on it (except for the long right and then left arrow sections that I already criticized on the review and gave suggestions on how it could be improved).

SOTR on the other hand was an extremely formulaic simfile that, while admittedly good, it failed to impress me (and that's perfectly reflected, perfect score but zero tilt). It's like this pretty blonde girl that everyone likes because it got everything that everyone knows that makes a blonde girl pretty, but Liar Game was like the not-so noticed girl that, maybe it's not as pretty, but it has this "something" that makes you more interested and curious about it...

The thing I liked the most about these tournaments was the exposition to totally new music, but if to win (or do well) now all you have to do is take remixed DDR music and fill it with good but generic steps then that's another reason for me to quit after this is over.

This is more proof that, in one way or another, music choice WILL ALWAYS HAVE A PULL on what does well and what fails in these tournaments no matter how much the scoring system tries to stop that.

But HEY, after all BOTH Liar Game AND SOTR got perfect scores in my reviews, it's just that I have to be honest with myself and admit that I found Liar Game to be much more enjoyable than SOTR, as the "tilt" for both songs reflected.

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Answer to "Can U Feel It" author:

To make it perfectly clear to you why I didn't scored you so well, please get the following videos, in which I show you the way I expected the steps to be in *those* parts.

http://rapidshare.com/files/143736751/canyoufeelitexpert.AVI

http://rapidshare.com/files/143734732/canufeelitchallenge.AVI

Please compare to the way you stepped them. I can understand that you wanted to make those parts "unique" (I get what you attempted on Expert, but I still don't know what the hell's going on in the Challenge chart), but in my opinion the attempt to be unique backfired and makes it feel more like an unpolished file. People, if you want to be unique with your steps, pick songs in which those steps will fit (DDR "sorrow" songs are good examples), or else, don't force non-fitting steps. It sucks.

I assure you that people would have been far more inclined to give your entry higher scores if the steps were like my, umm, "fixed" version in the videos.