Skill level transitions...

[mophmoph]

So, I still consider myself a total DDR newb (been playing about a month), but I'm starting to have some trouble. DDR extreme 2 is all I've ever seen of the DDR world, but it works nicely and has managed to do it's job of addicting me well.

I wasn't doing beginner for more than a couple days. Light produced a challenge for songs such as "It's a wonderful night", so it seemed a good place to be in workout mode. I started playing dance master mode and A was no problem and B gave me a couple of slip ups but over the last few weeks I managed to get through it pretty uneventfully.

Now here's the rub. I got to section C and now suddenly I'm hitting walls all over the place. Seeing 8 arrows pass by where I was used to seeing 4 is still just too much for my brain to process to feet movement, and it's frustrating. This wouldn't really bug me, except now light is getting WAY too easy for most songs. With a slower paced song, light's just boring now. With the faster paced, it's less boring but still possible with very few flubs. I realize that much like ^ > and < ^ showing up more often, it's just a matter of muscle memory, and training my body to react a certain way to the prompts early (step or two ahead), but it's just SO agonizing to have an almost perfect run on a fast paced light but I fail a standard so fast I almost feel I didn't get a chance to learn anything.

I know the answer is going to be "Just keep practicing". In the game's defense, I have started making it through a couple of the C songs. I'm starting to get the rhythm of a *stompstomp* that they're tossing my way. I'm just wondering if I'm the only one who's gone through this? Did everyone just wake up one day and suddenly standard wasn't so confusing anymore?

I'm mostly just afraid of losing my motivation because of frustration. It's unlikely, but I do get bored of trying to pass the same song 10 times and getting nowhere.

Should I try loading the song up in free play mode and just training my muscles to get used to it? Any tips that might make this transition a bit easier? Thanks in advance.

[abrannan]

You're not alone, this is standard "growth" for a new DDR player. And yes, it will magically "click" one day. A few suggestions:

-Go into the options and change the fail to "end of song" rather than "arcade", that way, even if you're going to fail a song, you can at least play it all the way through to start to learn steps.

-If you haven't, play the tutorial mode all the way through. It helps.

-There's an arrow mod you can do that will keep the arrows a solid color based upon their timing. I know it's in a weird place in Ex2, but I don't remember where off the top of my head. It'll remove some of the distraction of the cycling colors so you can better see how the arrow patterns are laid out.

-Training mode with handclaps on (there's a handclap sound every time there's a step) helps you learn the new rhythms.

Once you can hit the 8th note runs, you'll have a quantum leap in the diffculty of songs you can perform. From there it becomes about speed and stamina.

Hang in there, keep plugging away at it, and you'll get it. I promise.

[mophmoph]

Well, at least I know others have felt my pain. That always makes life a little easier. I'll try the end of song option, that sounds useful. I did a lot of the tutorial but I haven't completed it so I guess I'll "man up" and go through the manual, regardless of the fact that it goes against my very nature being male and all.

I'm not sure about switching the colors, but I might check it out. Generally I like the idea that it's warning me it's a half-step, but it can be a little bewildering at times.

Churn churn churn, eh? Well, that's how I started passing the early C rounds...time to take it up a notch. Thanks.

-MophMoph

[Nuggets]

Also, if you're just having a problem with reading the arrows, you can go free play mode and play with the controller. For me it was a problem of reading and stamina, so I took a few weeks off and did some hard core exercise every day and got my stamina up so that I could keep up with Standard songs and then I spent those weeks just playing with the controller so in my mind I knew what I was doing when I first stood on the pad and tried to do a standard song. Mostly standard goes along with the beat of the song so it shouldn't be too hard. I think Look At Us in standard has a change where it stops being main beat and goes to the half beat, but it's the only one I can think of on Extreme 2. Have fun with it though. Some songs are really fun in light, but once you hit standard it's like JACKPOT!

[Grant.]

I remember the jump from Light to Standard. I wanted to pass Pink Rose for EX1 sooooo bad. I used Stepmania, and that helped me out soooooooooooooooooooooo much.

[legend]

I found it helped me to pratice one song over and over again for me, because once I got good on Love Shine(that was the song I practiced)on light for a while I was able to it on standerd with a really good score, and it ended up being my first Heavy AA.

So really what I'm saying is try to get good at one song and that will help you a lot.

[JP_loves_rice]

Agreed

ngts said:

Also, if you're just having a problem with reading the arrows, you can go free play mode and play with the controller. For me it was a problem of reading and stamina, so I took a few weeks off and did some hard core exercise every day and got my stamina up so that I could keep up with Standard songs and then I spent those weeks just playing with the controller so in my mind I knew what I was doing when I first stood on the pad and tried to do a standard song. Mostly standard goes along with the beat of the song so it shouldn't be too hard. I think Look At Us in standard has a change where it stops being main beat and goes to the half beat, but it's the only one I can think of on Extreme 2. Have fun with it though. Some songs are really fun in light, but once you hit standard it's like JACKPOT!

[irisheyes07]

ngts said:

I think Look At Us in standard has a change where it stops being main beat and goes to the half beat, but it's the only one I can think of on Extreme 2.

OMG, that made me INSANE at first. I was all "what the f*! I know I am on the beat!!!" The I stopped and stared quizzically at the screen for a second until it dawned on me. "Yeah, I'm on the beat, that's the PROBLEM!" Yearg.

[mophmoph]

I practiced a bit over the weekend and I could feel a couple steps get mildly easier for me. A lot of it I believe is still learning positioning of my body as I go into and out of the mini combos of 4 beats. I recognize myself still spending too much time interpreting what the arrows are telling me to do and that gets me through one quick burst but then I'm behind for the next upcoming moves. I like the idea of sticking to one song for a bit, though I admit sometimes that drives me nuts to get to the same spot over and over and over and then somehow failing. It'll be the best way to train myself though, because giving myself something new to interpret every time isn't going to work well when it comes to practicing muscle memory.

[aaronsdropzone]

I'm at the same point. The < ^, ^>, V >, and < V combos are my sticking point right now. My brain just doesn't compute them yet like it can with everything else. To be honest this roadblock pretty much stopped me from playing for a while because I got so frustrated. I think I'm going to try the controller thing to teach my mind what to see.

[BIG ATHENS]

i can play standard songs now, i am so happy

[kikome]

I'm stuck between 7-8 footers for almost 2 months. I could remember Daikenkai's steps by heart but my legs and my heart always give me up before the song ends. Now I know why Norway had DDR registered as a "Sport". If all sports have subdivision of 'women's' and 'men's'. Why can't DDR? Like have men's 8-footers and women's 8-footers. It would be nice.

[BIG ATHENS]

cuz that would be considered sexist and someone would sue

[kikome]

Ha, never thought of that.

I was frustrated back then for not making any progress. So I blamed on being a female: with lower hemoglobin, fewer red blood cells, smaller heart, higher body fat percentage, ect... ...

Then I realized that every ddr player has more or less stamina problem. Being sedentary for most of my life, it'll take me longer to achieve next level. So I hold my whining and keep on playing. I will get better eventually, won't I?

[BIG ATHENS]

i have improved on my standard game now so where i used to get c's i get b's and a's
stamina is something you have to improve on if you want to play long sessions because if you cant move your feet anymore you cant play so stamina is somewhat key if you try to play longer without quitting and maybe do cool down songs your stamina will improve

[ddr2lose]

i was stuck on <^ and the like foreverrr so annoying!! It finally clicked while i was playing SHOUT from supernova on difficult. that night i went from failing that song to getting AAstar. Now I finnally got that down and i cant get when they overlap. I dnot have the speed honestly.

So I agree with legend, play one song over an dover again till you get it. Each time you run through it you should get a little further in the song without a mess up.

I totally get you on the brain ffoot disconnect. sometimes i stop and stare at it like what?! I cant even decifer that in my head let alone dance it haha. I dont have extreme2 (i want it thats what i first learne don) bbut im geting As in difficult in supernova which i think is equal to standard in ex2. And it too me forever lol. hang in there