BRACKET 2 RELEASED: Discussion

[Super_Ray]

Junior - Mama Used To Say / Super_Ray

Presentation 4/5
Simplistic, blue, retro-feel to the graphics. I like the 3D effect to the title. Just docked off a mark for not being as stand-out to as the other sims in this bracket.

Standard 9/11
Jeez, this song brings me deja vu for some reason. This chart I felt also resembled to some DDR song back in the day as well. Although, I actually enjoyed that song, which pretty much states that I enjoyed this chart as well. I found this chart more groovier, cooler. More free-like. Yeah, I just enjoyed it thoroughly.

Heavy 7/11
Eh. This simfile actually made me miss S.P.A.M. I actually should not have ever been so harsh on that simfile, because at least that one was amazing. No lie. This one.. This simfile actually reminded me of some early DDR song. I think it was Get Up N' Dance, with all those long streams or maybe that was Think Ya Better D. Huh. By mentioning those files though, that is where this simfile lies in that some sort of category. Midtempo, dancy, yet.. dull

Tilt 1/3
Beh, I'd always have to compare to what your up against, so I can't really give you the full mark.

Total: 21/30

I'm glad this reminded you of early DDR songs like Get Up and Dance. I'm sorry you think it's dull, tho. Get Up And Dance is actually one of my current favorites to play :p
As for S.P.A.M, I'm guessing it may have been better received if not for the stupid bgas. (I wanted to see what sort of reaction they would draw and simultaneously vent frustration at Utada for her newest album)

Hey, I actually enjoyed Utada's (and after all these years I thought it was pronounced You-tah-dah -_______-), single on that album. Haven't heard the album, so I guess I should.. Stay away from it, huh? Plus, those stupid bgas you made were so genius, I think its cause of the fact that when you included those, people would seem to think that file was more of a tosser than a real serious contender. Which, I now thought it was...

And yeah, I was actually looking forward to you stepping that Chipmunk song, instead of the song you chose for this pack, hehe.

Utada's single (Come Back To Me) wasn't that bad, but the rest of the album I thought was mostly terrible. Just crappy cookie cutter type stuff instead of her usual goodness, but that probably has more to do with the record company and producers than anything. (Glad I could finally get some of this off my chest to an audience that might understand to a degree).
As for the Chipmunk song, I was all pumped to do that one for this contest, but I couldn't get a very good cut of it and Mama Used To Say was the only project I was able to get done.

Think outside the box
There are no rules to make art.

btw, don't turn down Uu-tah-dah's album without a deserving listen, Juku! It's definitely a much different style than her previous work, which caused a lot of ruckass amongst hardcore Utada fans at the instinctual impression that Utada had sold her musically enhanced brains and knack for creative tunes to the blinged out, rim spinning attired hip-hop/rap devils in order to cheat her way into a brand new American fanbase full of wanna hopstah white kids, but This Is The One is certainly not an album you should pass up - that is, if you're not one of those hardcore fans.

There are definitely a few keepers, and I stepped one of them myself for the Christmas pack I held at DDREvolved. Apple And Cinnamon is a good One, and of course Come Back To Me is another One, but I really think This One (Crying Like A Child) is The One.

The lyrics are kinda sell-outs themselves, though, but her spin on American music isn't that unbearable, so give those Ones I mentioned a shot if you haven't already.

Haha. I must be one of those "hard core" fans. That being said, the songs you mentioned were some of the better ones on the CD. I hope she doesn't use the same producers on her future English albums. She should hire Timbaland. The stuff she did with him on Exodus was pretty cool.

[will-i-am]

lol bein' a hardcore Utada fan is sweet! I was kinda one too during the Kingdom Hearts days, but I hear she's not making the theme for the next one! D: DAAAMMN YOOOOUUU DISSSNNEEEEEEYYY!! ...but i do love miley cyrus and the disney channel for truely Breaking Free in the tv/music business for kids (:

And I'd love to see more stuff from her from a better producer, even though Timbaland's Shock Value II was so-so as a whole, but had some great stuff in it, too. If We Every Meet Agaaaain

[JukuGuy]

Just listened to those you mentioned, and I must say. Her japanese music are definitely her zone. Those songs IMO seem so outdated. That can be a good thing, but the songs selected for her, eh. Not because it was two years ago, but you know what I mean. Speaking of Disney, can anyone re-upload the best-mix 3 community pack? I'd really like to keep some of those golden files it had. Shame when my computer rotted, I lost a wide collection of simfiling glory. That was one pretty dayrn great pack.

[t7r]

Katayuko no tori from DDR B2-2 could've been more fun if it ran in 220 BPM.

[Xythar]

Thanks for the great reviews, Juub.

I miss the old step competitions as well. I posted a topic on DDREv a few days ago asking if anyone was interested in a Cheesemix 6 or whatever but so far it hasn't gotten any replies. We need to get everyone together and revive that place.

[will-i-am]

Dude, I totally agree. Let's do that now! haha but seriously that place has seen too much pinoy spam, adbot spam, and meatspin spam LOL! and no actual classic DDR simfile goodness coming out of it. Since we're already warmed up from this competition, might as well keep up the steam, eh?

Speaking of Disney, can anyone re-upload the best-mix 3 community pack? I'd really like to keep some of those golden files it had. Shame when my computer rotted, I lost a wide collection of simfiling glory. That was one pretty dayrn great pack.

'Twas a dayrn great pack indeed! I can do that for you right now, actually. Good thing I've got handy dandy...mediafire!

Oh! I'll even add in the chat review we had about it, too. I just .rar'd the files together and found the .log file sitting right next to the mix banner! That'll be a nice re-upload easter egg. Also, there's an edit chart for WOLVES OF THE SEA cuz I had an impulse to make one back then to that awesome song lol. You, and anyone else who wants to download the pack, can just edit it out once you have it. I'm too lazy to go in and edit that out and since this isn't like an official release it doesn't matter much.

Should be about 25 minutes to upload.

[Xythar]

We also need to track down the_ditz from wherever he ended up disappearing to and convince Juub that it's possible to attend grad school and still make simfiles at the same time.

>_>

[will-i-am]

Hahahahaha! I think he just accomplished that with this contest. Well, it was probably summer break for him but at least he showed up with 2 files!

I don't know if finding ditzy would do much, though. I remeber after he left, every month or two he would pop up back at DDREvolved just to say something like, "Hey guys! I'm not dead yet! " Maybe we need new staff there or something, but Ray and Rage* are Mods, although Rage* is a pretty busy guy, and so is Hellrazor. Ray and Hellrazor both seem fairly active; Hellrazor checking back much more often than Ray, I would say.

Anyway, if something starts soon then that's all that should matter, not really who's in charge as long as it's not someone who'll screw up the pack.

[will-i-am]

Oh yeah, and this is done uploading.

BEST-mix #3 - Community Pack

[Super_Ray]

Thanks for the great reviews, Juub.

I miss the old step competitions as well. I posted a topic on DDREv a few days ago asking if anyone was interested in a Cheesemix 6 or whatever but so far it hasn't gotten any replies. We need to get everyone together and revive that place.

I'll go over there and make a post showing interest later. Cheesemix 5 was supposed to be the final one, so maybe we can do the much anticipated Funky Mix? I could finish up that Milli Vanilli file for either one, interestingly enough, lol.
Also, thanks Juub for the nice review! I'm really glad you enjoyed the file.

[Hainaut]

In the beginning, there's nothing going on except the vocals, but you used freeze notes instead of following the vocals, and that was weird.

I don't think it's a good idea to follow the vocals if there's nothing backing them up. It doesn't match the present intensity of the song and feels forced in my opinion, which is why I used the simple freezes instead.

In the beginning of the main chorus there's an awkward doublestep, which I'm guessing was just a mistake.

It's not a mistake, I generally add double-steps on purpose. It's not a good idea to overuse them, but really, they can actually make the chart more fun if you don't automatically close your mind to them (don't worry, I originally did, too).

Glad you really liked the file, though!

[JukuGuy]

Oh yeah, and this is done uploading.

BEST-mix #3 - Community Pack

salamaat,

[Xythar]

I'll go over there and make a post showing interest later. Cheesemix 5 was supposed to be the final one, so maybe we can do the much anticipated Funky Mix?

I suppose, but was there any particular reason CM5 was supposed to be last? I can't remember it if so and I have a hankering to step some cheese again.

If people are interested we could always do CM5 in the summer (or autumn, whatever) as is traditional and then FunkyMix in the winter? (Of course the seasons are the other way around for me, but I write them that way for the benefit of everyone else )

[jammitch!]

End of Distress - Marching

Hardest Chart (Expert) - 10/11
I'm kind of in a dilema, though. I honestly have no idea what you were getting with with the mines in the beginning. You're clearly supposed to double-step during those first few measures, but it's way too cramped to figure out what foot you're supposed to double-step with! I looked over the chart in Edit Mode and there IS a way to do that section without hitting the mines, but it's even confusing at that because you switch up the technique that was working so far after the first measure, because the player naturally puts their right foot on 2 and crosses over their left foot to hit 6 and 8 successfully. But then in the 2nd measure, you left a gap for two options to successfully complete the pattern. The way it seem you intended the player to do was, on beat 5.500, to hit 6 with their right foot and 4 with their left foot and then keep their right foot planted on 6 in order for their left foot to hit 8, completing the double-step. However, when a player who's playing ITG sees a 486 pattern, naturally he is going to crossover to complete that pattern, which is unfortunately an option left wide open at this specific point in the song, because you can avoid all mines by eith keeping your right foot on 6, or by performing a natural crossover and hitting 8 with your right foot instead of your left. At that point, the player cannot dodge the mine shortly following the Up arrow on beat 6.250 unless they hit 2 with their right foot while keeping their left foot on 6, forcing the player to fully be in a 180 degree position - back completely to the screen. Besides this puzzling fork in the road, terrific job with this chart.

Here's what I was intending:

Red letters are the double-steps. There's no switch-up in technique - the double-step is the same note in each measure.

Reading your issue, the left foot is on 4 at 5.75, and there's a mine on 4 and a step on 8 at 6.25. This should cue the player to use the left foot to hit 8. If they cross over as you describe, the left foot would be planted on 4 at 6.25 and hit the mine.

However, I did notice a problem in the green measure. It looks like I messed up the mines there. The mines are supposed to go to the drums, and they should be on the same beat as the double-step, which should cue it. But if it's off like this, it does mess up the training I was trying to set up somewhat.

[Xythar]

That chart seriously does my head in, I still have a lot to learn about effective mine usage. Which is why I rarely ever use them, although I did manage to figure out something semi-effective for Kokou no Sousei and Secrets.