OMGWTFBBQDDRMAX2ISTHESH1T!!!!!!!!

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

Ok, sorry, but I had to get that out of my system. A month ago I played the game for the very first time at a friends house, and now, I'm utterly addicted. I have DDRMAX2 and got DDR extreme for my b-day recently. I was actually very very very close to quitting magic for DDR. Like, I've been playing the game everyday for like 3 hours. Maybe it's just the Asian in me, but this game is AMAZING!!!

With that in mind, are there any other DDR fanatics amongst us?

-Bob

Also, would anyone like to give me any pointers to doing the heavy mode? I've gotten really good on the standard mode, but heavy just seems impossible.

[jpmeyer]

I love DDR.  The place where I work part-time is across the street from an arcade so I spend my lunch breaks there playing DDR on their EXTREME machine.

Have you learned how to "float" all over the pad?  That's one of the most important things to learn when you start moving up to heavy.

[Roxas]

Just FYI, DDR Extreme just came out (or will soon, not 100% sure) for the PS2.  It has Legend of Maxx on it, which is pretty much the #1 reason for buying it.  It has a bunch of shitty licensed music too, like YMCA, but nobody really cares about those.

[jpmeyer]

Just FYI, DDR Extreme just came out (or will soon, not 100% sure) for the PS2.  It has Legend of Maxx on it, which is pretty much the #1 reason for buying it.  It has a bunch of shitty licensed music too, like YMCA, but nobody really cares about those.

Does it have Irresistiblement?  That is my favorite song on Extreme, and that is solely because they do a routine to it in Waterboys.

[Jebus]

MAX2 US was ok.

Extreme US is terrible, but it has some decent songs on it.

Be sure to Pick up DDRMAX.

If you have a modded PS2, get the imports.

Yeah, I play DDR pretty religiously.  At least once a day.  I've lost like 40 lbs too.  It's excellent excercise.

First off, if you're gonna keep playing at home, get a decent pad.  Those flimsy soft pads aren't going to cut it on the harder standard and any heavy song really.

A dense foam soft pad is a good comprimise, but I'd say get a metal pad if you can afford one.  A good metal pad will run you $2-300.

Hopefully you have played long enough to not stand in the center of the pad.  If you do, stop.  There is no point to it and its a lot of extra work.  Always keep your feet on the arrows.

Alternate your feet.  Occasionally, you might have to double-step (use one foot to hit two different arrrows consecutively), but for the most part you should be able to alternate between your left and right foot when stepping.

Turn your body.  This can be tricky to get down, but once you do it will feel perfectly natural.

Say you have a run that goes Left, Up, Right.  Start with your left foot on the left arrow, then use your right foot on the up arrow, then bring your left foot around to hit the right arrow.

A good way to practice turning on Max2 is on Twighlight Zone Standard.  You'll enter a run with several repeating Right then Down arrows.  It transitions into a Left Down arrow run.  Start with your right foot on the right arrow and leave your left foot on the down arrow.  When the Left arrows come up, use your right foot on those and keep your left foot on the down.

Practice that a bit and you'll start doing it without thinking.  Sometimes you won't be able to turn and WILL have to double step (or spin ), but you'll begin to identify those parts.

Use speed mods if you want to.  They aren't cheating.

If you want to practice reading, play with the controller on some of the harder songs you can't do with your feet yet.

Or, download Stepmania and play on your computer.

Stepmania is pretty much all I use for home play now.  I have a dedicated machine for it.  I use USB adapters to connect pads to the machine.  I've got like, nearly 2,000 songs.

[Jebus]

Just FYI, DDR Extreme just came out (or will soon, not 100% sure) for the PS2.  It has Legend of Maxx on it, which is pretty much the #1 reason for buying it.  It has a bunch of shitty licensed music too, like YMCA, but nobody really cares about those.

Does it have Irresistiblement?  That is my favorite song on Extreme, and that is solely because they do a routine to it in Waterboys.

No, it doesn't.

Here is the Extreme US Song list:  http://www.ddrfreak.com/versions/songlist.php?mix=135

I really liked Maximizer.

The Japanese version for PS2 has it: http://www.ddrfreak.com/versions/songlist.php?mix=104.  So, mod your PS2 and import.

[Vegeta2711]

Irresistiblement isn't on U.S. DDR Ex, though I think it's on the Japanese version.

The U.S. MAX and MAX 2 are probably the best for U.S. releases and japanese Extreme and MAX 2 are probably the best DDR console released period.

Hm. pointers on heavy mode... my best suggestion would be to learn to do each type of step and master it. They really help learning the rest over time.

I'd probably start with Stream (Lots of arrows coming at a fast pace, example songs would be Healing Vision Angelic Mix, Exotic Ethnic, etc.)

Then fast Jump - Step songs (Waka Laka, Cartoon Heroes, etc)

And then Gallop, 1-2 steps, they're like mini jumps. (Twilight Zone, Sandstorm and Insertion are very good for this. The ultimate gallop song being So Deep).

Then the two things people seem to have the most problems learning.

Run and Gun or Machine Gun Steps - These would be those steps right next to one another that you'd have to slam down very fast for 5-9 steps in a row. Small examples of this are in B4U about a minute into the song or V during the Violin bits. A LOT of people have problems hitting these consistently, so these are close to last.

Last but not least are crossovers. These are the steps that will force you to use your foot to hit awkward arrows and make you turn a lot and such. Basically if you ever are going to fall down, this will cause it. Basically every paranoia song has these in spades.

Oh and practice fast songs, the ability to sight read quickly is important with so many arrows that may not fit the beat.

[Jebus]

Oh, forgot to mention Gallops.

A good standard song to practice Gallops is Tsugaru.  It has some gallops for you to practice with.

When you really get them down, try Tsugaru heavy.

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

Wow, thanks for all the replies.....as far as my skillz, so far, I can do about 10 songs on standard on MAX2. I'm quite sure I can do more though, I just haven't tried. Also, JP, what is "floating" over the pad? I'm so confused.

I'm good enough where I never stand in the center of the pad. some of the dance steps on heavy are just way too confusing. Like, my biggest problem is stepping with the wrong foot on a freeze arrow, thus fucking up next few steps. I do love the quick arrows (quick steps), I think they're the funnest to do.

As for pads go, right now I only have a Mad Catz Beat Pad. What foam pad are you talking about? is it any good?

Finally, I'll testify to DDR being mad good excercise. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a small asian dude, but I lost like 5-8 pounds in the span of about a month. It's crazy!

-Bob

[Jebus]

An "Ignition style" pad is relatively cheap, and WAY better than anything Mad Catz can produce.

The actual Red Octane Ignition can be found at http://redoctane.com/ignitionpad.html.

However, it's very expensive.

You can get the same thing from http://www.buynshop.com/productinfo/44/VG-DDR-ULTDX/ for much less.

You want to see weight loss?  This is my friend Matt:  http://www.getupmove.com/storymatt.html

He's the one that got me into DDR.  He wins.

[lizzish]

I became addicted to Magic right after I had played DDR so much that my knees were starting to make funny noises when I walked. Unfun.

If JP and I are talking about the same thing, "floating" is what advanced players do to both prevent fatigue and move their feet much faster. When you see it, you'll see that their upper body seems to be stationary ("floating" above the pad), while their feet are sometimes going too fast to follow.

I've noticed that a lot of players expend altogether too much energy flinging themselves around the pad, jumping too high, and stepping too hard. Ignition pads are pretty sensitive, and the jumping around both moves them and wears them out faster than need be. It helps to practice songs below your level, so that you learn how to keep your center of gravity more stable. There's really no need to move your arms when you play, and just letting them fall to your sides naturally gives you one less thing to think about.

Something you could look into if you're reasonably handy is pad-modding. It's a cheap alternative to metal pads, and they make your arcade play much better. I had a really quality pair of light-up ones that were modded, but sadly they're no longer with me. Otherwise, I could send you pictures.

Modded pads are soft pads attatched to a large piece of (usually) plywood. When I made mine, they also had a covering over them so that I could play with my shoes on. Soooo much better.

PM me if you'd like directions on how to do it.

Other than that, as in all things practice makes perfect.

[jpmeyer]

You're still forgetting the most important thing with DDR:

badplayermeyer: oh man i finally beat paranoia eternal on maniac
Lil Samoo: jp, it doesn't matter if you can do that
Lil Samoo: the main point of ddr is to look sexy
Lil Samoo: and if you don't think i look sexy, we can ask rian
badplayermeyer: but doesn't achieving something count for something?
Lil Samoo: chicks don't dig video games
Lil Samoo: they dig the long ball
Lil Samoo: now can you dig it?
Lil Samoo: SUCKAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

Can anyone tell me the good songs on DDRMAX???? I really wanna buy it cause it's got sandstorm on it, but I'm not sure if it's entirely worth it. MAX2 has got some AWESOME songs on it (So deep, Conga Feeling, Ghost, Kind Lady) and Extreme is so-so.....

So is DDRMAX worth it?

[jpmeyer]

OMG DDR Extreme for PS2 is SHIT.  I played it at Circuit City today it and had like the worst songlist EVER.  I'd be pissed off if I didn't have only a PSX.

[Vegeta2711]

Dude yeah, they cut almost all the actual new songs on DDR Extreme, replaced them with crap and then cut out every 10 footer except LOM and some new shitty 10 footer called Maxamizer. (No it's not ANOTHER Max song)

Oh and DDR MAX is pretty good. There's some songs on there that aren't on any of the other U.S. mixes. Peace-Out, Overblast, Sandstorm, Dark Black Forest, etc.  Also has a decent amount of challenging songs - Both Healing Vision mixes, Graduastic Cyber, Exotic Ethnic and of course Max300.

So yeah, it's a decent buy and you can probably pick it up for like 10-15 bucks.

[Jebus]

Maximizer is NOT a 10 footer.  It is an 8 footer.  It's kind of a Happy Hardcore song.  I actually like it.  Then again, I didn't pay $40 for it.  It has "boss" steps from mission mode.  They don't have a foot rating, but if anything they're a 9.

DDRMAX US is a must have.  The full song list is here:  http://www.ddrfreak.com/versions/songlist.php?mix=77

[Vegeta2711]

Yes I was thinking of the Edit steps in mission mode. (Oh man was the last mission easy compared to that Frozen Ray bullshit one) Maxamizer reminds me of a Beatmania or IIDX song that got cut for some reason.

I don't know, I keep hearing from people it's a illegtimate 10 along the same lines Sakura Heavy is. Obviously difficulty wise it's nowhere near the easiest of the 10's (Paranoia Surivior, unless your counting Bag w/ speed mods), but compared to Sak, it's close. Hehe.

Oh well, random question time then for everyone..

What's the hardest song you've completed?
And what's the highest grade you've recieved?

For me: Maxx Unlimited and AA on Healing Vision Angelic Mix

[jpmeyer]

lol Bag on speed mode lol

[Jebus]

Maximizer's "Boss" steps don't even have a foot rating.  People are trying to make it out to be something it isn't.  Just enjoy what it is, a fun song.

Hardest song I've completed was Max 300.

I've had several AAs.  Nothing really stands out.  Still working on those.

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

Wow, I guess it's settled, I'll be picking up DDRMAX ASAP....as far as hardest song completed, I'd have to say, So Deep on standard. I haven't really tried much on heavy, as it looks mad hard. Hysteria is also pretty difficult for me. The highest score I've gotten depends on what song I've done. I've gotten multiple AAs on my fav. songs (Conga feeling; though that shit is so offbeat, Ghost, Heaven).

I do feel like a dumbass though....DDR came out, what, like 3 years ago? I found out about it like a month ago.

-Bob

[TheBrassMan]

Not that it's really my thing anymore (though I'm sure I could still show up most of you slackers   ), I work at an arcade where we have a machine (in Fall River, MA).  I may or may not be able to hook a fellow TMD'er up with some free Dancing Dancing action, depending on how busy it is, etc.