=------------------==------------------= =DDRMAX2: Dance Dance Revolution 7thMIX= = Technical FAQ/Guide, version 2.2 = = By Steven Gerking, a.k.a. Gerk = =------------------==------------------= =-----------------= =Table of Contents= =-----------------= _1. Introduction Technical Aspects: -2. What are Dance Points? -3. The Scoring System -4. Grading Technical Play =5. Technical Tips/Strategies =6. The AA Guide _7. About Me _8. Version History _9. Credits/Copyright Info =-------------= 1> Introduction =-------------= Hello, and thank you in advance for at least taking a glance at this guide. This FAQ is dedicated to the more technical aspects of DDR, although it is specifically geared toward DDRMAX2 (7thMIX). Concepts such as Scoring, Grading, and the Dance Points System are covered here, not to mention the inclusion of varied Technical strategies and tips, in addition to the AA Guide. Remember, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact me. My information is at the end of the FAQ. This FAQ can always be found in its most recent incarnation at: http://www.pwninator.com/gerk-max2tech.txt And, subsequently, at GameFAQs. -=========================== -DDRMAX2: Technical Aspects============== ---The intricacies and logic of DDRMAX2.= -======================================== =-----------------------= 2> What Are Dance Points? =-----------------------= The MAX (And EXTREME) series utilizes the Dance Points system. A method of grading songs, as well as the primary means of scoring in Challenging Mode, the D.P.S. does its job well. Numerically, this is the system. Each step's point value is shown, along with an alternate way of viewing it. Perfect! = 2 Points ( 1.0 Perfects ) Great! = 1 Point ( 0.5 Perfects ) Good = 0 Points ( No Perfects ) Boo! = -4 Points (-2.0 Perfects ) Miss... = -8 Points (-4.0 Perfects ) O.K! = 6 Points ( 3.0 Perfects ) N.G. = 0 Points ( No Perfects ) While it may seem a bit overwhelming at first, it's quite simple with the right approach and a bit of memorization. As mentioned earlier, this comprises the score (Er, percentage) one receives for Challenging Mode courses; the game will take the amount of Dance Points the player acquired during the course, and then divides it by the maximum amount of points one can receive (Well, it also multiplies the result by 100, but that's besides the point.) So, in a nutshell: Dance Points are used in DDRMAX to calculate grades in addition to Challenging Mode scores, and are also somewhat popular for scoring in technical tourneys. =-------------------= 3> The Scoring System =-------------------= DDRMAX2's scoring system is largely based on, surprise surprise, the scoring system of DDRMAX1. However, MAX2's scoring also has hints of the systems used in 3rdMIX as well as 5thMIX thrown in. Just for fun, we'll throw in the full- blown equation of ONE STEP's scoring: Points Scored = V * (F*10^6/((N+1)*N/2)) * S That's a mouthful. Keep in mind Max300 Heavy has to do this 557 times, in a minute and a half. Well, let's start over. MAX2, in contrast to every mix but 3rdMIX and MAX1, doesn't require you to rely on heavy combos to get a high score. For example, let's take the song Afronova on SSR/Maniac/Heavy, which was quite popular in 3rdMIX and 4thMIX. Suppose two people are playing it; one gets Good's on his first five steps and the rest Perfects, and the other gets his five Good's spread out throughout the song. In 4thMIX, Player 1 would absolutely DECIMATE Player 2, scorewise, since, save for the first five steps, he combo'ed the song with all Perfects. On the other hand, if the two were playing in 3rdMIX (or MAX2), Player 1 would have won by a margin (For reasons that will be explained later.) The first thing to remember about MAX2's scoring is that, like 3rdMIX, every song has a predetermined limit as to the points that can be scored. While 3rd had a limit of 10,000,000 on every song, MAX2's varies a bit. Instead of a straight limit of 10 million, each song's difficulty is 1 million times the amount of feet the song's difficulty checks in at. However, it should be noted that all Edit Data is worth a mere 5-mil. Back to the equation: Points Scored = V * (T/((N+1)*N/2)) * S Points Scored is, well, the amount of points you are about to score on this next step. V equals Value (or, a quite popular song by dj TAKA; but that's a story for another day.) This corresponds to the value multiplier of the step you just made. Perfects are worth 10x points. Greats, like in the Dance Points System, are worth 5x points. Unlike the D.P.S., though, Goods, Boos, Misses, and N.G.s are worth nothing. Zip. Freeze Arrows, the O.K!s more namely, are also scored differently from the Dance Points method; they are worth one Perfect step. Moving on: F*10^6/((N+1)*N/2)) F*10^6 is the amount of feet of the step data (Excluding edits), times one million (or, 10 to the 6th power; 1,000,000.) This is basically the bread-and- butter "Maximum Points Per Song" I explained earlier. (N+1)*N/2 may sound confusing, but it's an "easy" algebraic method of finding the sums of all integers in a sequence, when N equals the amount of Arrows and Freezes put together. Don't believe me? Try doing it with 1 through 4. The four numbers added together quite easily equal 10. But, for kicks and giggles, let's throw it into the equation. (4+1)*4/2 = 5*4/2 = 20/2 = 10 So, there you have it. We know that works... Lastly, S is the NUMBER of the 'unit' in sequence, whether it be an Regular Arrow or the tail end of a Freeze Arrow. When there are more than one on the same line, they will count as one step only. Sure, it may add 2 to your combo, but you will notice at the end of the song you only got credit for one step on the scoring chart. Ever notice how, in MAX2 or Solo, the combo of a song is greater than the total amount of steps, when it's full combo'ed (Unless they're playing something with NO Air.) And, yes, for all those who weren't sure, this DOES mean that the 2nd step is worth TWICE as much as the 1st step. Imagine The final O.K! of Max300, as compared to the 1st step. 557 times the value o_O If there are an arrow and the end of a freeze on the same line, the freeze will be the first step to be counted, since it was started earlier. Now let's use an example. We'll take the 62nd step of a 127-unit (Unit = Step OR Freeze) song. Oh, and, we got a "Great!" on it. 127 units sounds like 3 feet, so we'll use that. Points Scored = V * (F*10^6/((N+1)*N/2)) * S Let's fill in the blanks. V is 5, F is 3, N is 127, and S is 62. So: Points Scored = 5 * (3*10^6/((127+1)*127/2)) * 62 = 5 * (3,000,000/(128*127/2)) * 62 = 5 * (3,000,000/(16,256/2)) * 62 = 5 * 3,000,000/8,128 * 62 = 5 * 369.0944~ * 62 = 1,845.4724~ * 62 = 114,419.2913 So there you have it. Step #62 was worth 114,419.2913. Of course, you don't see decimal places on the chart, but they add up. So, for all you math genius DDR players...When you notice you have 1 extra point (!) added up, that's why. My thanks to Aaron C. for resolving a few queries I had regarding the system. =--------= 4> Grading =--------= Finding out a grade in MAX2 is a cakewalk, compared to figuring out the scoring system (I like to say that the scoring system "just works.") As you may have remembered (or already knew), the grading system runs on Dance Points. Once again, here is the Dance Point Chart: Perfect! = 2 Points ( 1.0 Perfects ) Great! = 1 Point ( 0.5 Perfects ) Good = 0 Points ( No Perfects ) Boo! = -4 Points (-2.0 Perfects ) Miss... = -8 Points (-4.0 Perfects ) O.K! = 6 Points ( 3.0 Perfects ) N.G. = 0 Points ( No Perfects ) Unlike the original mixes, which had rather odd grading quotas (For any of the higher-end grades, you HAD to get a full-combo; it could have even been all Greats, for what they cared,) MAX1 and MAX2 have a system that is a straight calculation of your Dance Points acquired on a song. To figure out your grade on a song (or step data), take the amount of Dance Points received and divide it into the total amount possible. Here are the grades: 100% = AAA 99.9% to 93.0% = AA 92.9% to 80.0% = A 79.9% to 65.0% = B 64.9% to 45.0% = C 44.9% or lower = D Failure = E Note that an E applies mainly to machines that have Auto-Fail turned off, two- player games, and Extra Stages. If your bar barely dips into nothingness and you manage to full combo the rest of the song...You'll still get an E. Note that on the EX Stages, you can't get your bar back anyhow, so it's an exercise in futility to even try... If you have a memory card attached to the machine (With Link Data, of course), your personal records will be shown by each song, by grade (Always visible) and by score (When highlighted.) Challenging Mode does not give grades. Use the percentile scores, and your imagination. My thanks to Aaron C. along with 999,999 other people for telling me a AA grade was 93%, not 92.5% as previously thought/stated. -============================= -DDRMAX2: Technical Reference========== -Reference for DDRMAX2 Technical Play.= -====================================== =--------------------------= 5> Technical Tips/Strategies =--------------------------= The Given Stuff (The Basics, If You Will): -There are three main kinds of players in DDR: Technical (Plays for grades or sometimes points), Freestyle (Plays to look good and/or impress a potential crowd), and Survival (Plays to pass songs and/or just have fun; prove them- selves.) The last pretty much goes without saying because (almost?) every player starts out this way. And you should be no exception. Become a good "normal" player before focusing too hard on Technical (or even Freestyle, for that matter.) That is, don't expect to AAA (perhaps even Full Combo) something like, say, A Minute, if you still struggle to pass Paranoia. -Having trouble? Get to know the song well! This should really go without saying, but if you need to "know" a song better, listen to the song itself when others are playing, or, if all else fails (No pun intended), downl---er, PURCHASE the soundtrack to the game. (This applies even moreso for the hidden Challenging Mode songs.) -Watch the guide arrows, or "casings" as they're sometimes referred to, to get a clue as to the song's beat/rhythm. For all those who don't know, the guides will flash (or, 'pulse', if you will) to the beat of the song you are playing. This can be a significant help for steps that are a bit "out of sync" with the music; that is, the timing to step to doesn't quite match up with that of the beat (Popular examples include B4U, My Summer Love, D2R, and, to a lesser extent, Long Train Runnin'.) This can also help for songs that have a ridiculous "beat" to them (i.e: Secret Rendezvous; you're required, at times, to step to absolute silence.) The More Advanced Stuff: -Get into it...but then again, don't GET INTO it. Mental preparation is as important as Physical preparation in ANY style of play in DDR (let alone Technical.) Stay alert, and stay cool! (: -Learn the in's and out's of a song. This kinda goes along with the "Get to know the song well" tip listed above, but this becomes INTEGRAL once you reach the "deep end" (AAA'ing songs.) Practice often, and essentially, at times, immerse yourself in the given song. It tends to help. -WATCH the arrows. Ideally, they should line up with the casings during the time you want to step, that is, if you want a Perfect. If this seems hard, "start over" with basic songs and work your way back up. Even better, you can always force this technique into yourself by playing DDR with no volume (Granted, it's usually very hard to get someone to turn the volume on an arcade machine down, so stick to home versions for volume-less practice. d; ) -A technique I call "light-stepping" involves watching the insides of the arrows themselves. 1/4 (On-beat) arrows will briefly have all three of the "sections" inside lit up, coinciding with the guide arrows' pulsing; this is when you should step. Of course, for 1/8 (half-beat) arrows, step when only one section is lit up. 1/16 (quarter-beat) arrows should be stepped on when zero, or two, sections are lit up, respectively. This may seem a bit daumting at first, and, granted, may not even work for you as a player, but if you're willing to try it, at least start with the easier types of songs (Brilliant2U Light works well, as it has a steady stream of 1/4 and 1/8 beats in it,) and work up from there. -Predict and Anticipate! Of course, this goes with the techniques previously mentioned. For example, when I practice light-stepping to 1/4 arrows, I "officially" step when two sections of the arrow are lit up; usually, my foot registering on the sensors will coincide with the third/full lighting. -Don't sacrifice raw skill for style. While it may seem impressive to PA (Perfect Attack: the main staple of Technical play) a song while looking stylish, a AAA would be equally if not more impressive. When playing with 'style', players tend to hit different parts of the arrow with different portions of the feet, ever-so-slightly altering the timing of the step. Step uniformly and evenly, and you'll fare a bit better. Keep in mind an AAA photo will last much longer than the satisfaction of "PA'ing in style." Of course, if you can "AAA in style", then, well, more power to ya, but, remember, "AAA" comes before "Style" there. (; -Experiment! Find out what works for you. Why, I've even found, in some rare cases, that a select few people are better at Technical play on "Sudden" mode! So, experiment to find out what works for you! Most documented AAAs are shown to have 2x Speed and Solo mode turned on, but that doesn't mean you have to. Perhaps your unique "hot-spot options" will give you an advantage, should you ever find yourseld in a head-to-head PA match. -When using speed modifiers, be wary of 1.5x Speed. Due to the mathematical speeding up (3x) then slowing down (0.5x) of the arrows themselves, this can cause the framerate to drop (slightly, but noticeably) on some songs. I'm not sure why it does so, but it seems to be rather consistent on certain songs. Whether this has to do with the Background Videos in a song, bootleg issues, or just weird causes altogether, I'm not even sure. -Lastly: Don't get discouraged! Everyone has to start somewhere. This goes for Survival as well as Technical play. Just remember: There was a time when even "The Brothers" (Yasu and Take, Japanese PA'ers extraordinaire) were failing basic songs, and, later on, vastly missing their AAA attempts. =-------------= 6> The AA Guide =-------------= Below is a reference guide for reaching the Extra Stage. To do so, of course, you must obtain a grade of AA or higher (Of course, a AAA) on your last stage. It must be on Heavy, and Edit Data will not work. To all those who exhibit no need for such a thing, yeah, well, you can skip this part. d; Some points to keep in mind for your AA: -Pick a song you're good at. This is almost obvious, but still worth stating. -Remember, a song with lots of Freeze Arrows (A no-brainer 3 Perfects) tends to be easier to AA. But, if you want maximum satisfaction, try Freez-Off. Then again, if you're whiny and/or incompetent at standing in one place, well, turn 'em off. -If you opt for "Freez-Off" as an option, Freeze Arrows are thrown out and not considered in your Dance Points scoring. However, on Little, any steps that are thrown out will be regarded as "Good"s; that is, they count for nothing at all. -Any other option is fair game. Heck, you won't be rewarded/penalized AT ALL for attempting the fabled 8x/Boost/Sudden/Shuffle/Dark AA. Well, you might miss a few (er, a bunch), but that's not the game's fault. d; Alright, here's the guide. All songs are listed on Heavy difficulty (Since that's what you need to get to the Extra Stage, anyhow.) The amount of bare minimum Perfects to obtain a AA will be listed. This, of course, assumes the remaining steps are all Great, and all Freeze Arrows (if applicable) are O.K'ed. If not, or, well, use this guide: Here's my own little mental guide to calculating "Virtual Perfect/Great counts". Just follow this reference. I make learning FUN!! (: Perfect!: +1 Perfect, of course. Great!: +1 Great...Duh! Good: 1 Perfect becomes Great* Boo!: 5 Perfects become Greats* Miss...: 9 Perfects become Greats* O.K.: +3 Perfects N.G.: 6 Perfects become 6 Greats *For these ratings, follow the instructions and add an Extra great. Like, if you obtain a Good step, you'd actually be adding 2 Greats and subtracting 1 Perfect, at the same time throwing the Good out. If that guide's a bit too confusing, well, ignore it, and just try to full-combo your songs. With that out of the way...The AA Guide! Requisites for Freez-Off mode are listed in [Brackets]. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Green (Initial MAX2 Songs): - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A Minute (7): 212 Perfects, 46 Greats, 24 O.K.s [222 Perfects, 36 Greats] Destiny (7): 284 Perfects, 48 Greats, 8 O.K.s [286 Perfects, 46 Greats] Drifting Away (8): 304 Perfects, 52 Greats, 7 O.K.s [307 Perfects, 49 Greats] Ever Snow (8): 286 Perfects, 48 Greats, 5 O.K.s [288 Perfects, 46 Greats] Fantasy (by Lockout) (6): 185 Perfects, 33 Greats, 8 O.K.s [188 Perfects, 30 Greats] It's Raining Men (7): 221 Perfects, 40 Greats, 10 O.K.s [225 Perfects, 36 Greats] Long Train Runnin' (7): 197 Perfects, 37 Greats, 11 O.K.s [202 Perfects, 32 Greats] Look At Us (7): 250 Perfects, 44 Greats, 9 O.K.s [253 Perfects, 41 Greats] Maximum Overdrive (8): 210 Perfects, 41 Greats, 15 O.K.s [216 Perfects, 35 Greats] Nothing Gonna Stop (7): 214 Perfects, 48 Greats, 29 O.K.s [226 Perfects, 36 Greats] Rain of Sorrow (9): 270 Perfects, 45 Greats, 4 O.K.s [271 Perfects, 44 Greats] Secret Rendez-vous (7): 199 Perfects, 38 Greats, 12 O.K.s [204 Perfects, 33 Greats] Stay (9): 290 Perfects, 50 Greats, 6 O.K.s [293 Perfects, 47 Greats] The Reflex (8): 247 Perfects, 45 Greats, 12 O.K.s [252 Perfects, 40 Greats] Trance De Janiero (8): 248 Perfects, 40 Greats, 0 O.K.s [248 Perfects, 40 Greats] Baby Love Me (8): 324 Perfects, 56 Greats, 9 O.K.s [327 Perfects, 53 Greats] Candy (Heart/Vocal) (7): 265 Perfects, 52 Greats, 20 O.K.s [273 Perfects, 44 Greats] D2R (7): 279 Perfects, 48 Greats, 7 O.K.s [282 Perfects, 45 Greats] Dive Into The Night (7): 293 Perfects, 48 Greats, 1 O.K. [294 Perfects, 47 Greats] Little Boy (8): 270 Perfects, 52 Greats, 17 O.K.s [277 Perfects, 45 Greats] Living In America (7): 260 Perfects, 51 Greats, 18 O.K.s [268 Perfects, 43 Greats] More Than I Needed To Know (7): 190 Perfects, 37 Greats, 15 O.K.s [196 Perfects, 31 Greats] So Fabulous, So Fierce (7): 219 Perfects, 37 Greats, 3 O.K.s [221 Perfects, 35 Greats] Sweet Sweet Luv Magic (9): 307 Perfects, 70 Greats, 33 O.K.s [320 Perfects, 57 Greats] The Whistle Song (7): 265 Perfects, 43 Greats, 1 O.K. [265 Perfects, 43 Greats] There You'll Be (8): 275 Perfects, 52 Greats, 15 O.K.s [282 Perfects, 45 Greats] Tsugaru (9): 313 Perfects, 53 Greats, 8 O.K.s [315 Perfects, 51 Greats] Waka Laka (8): 311 Perfects, 50 Greats, 0 O.K.s [311 Perfects, 50 Greats] BreAk Down! (9): 345 Perfects, 58 Greats, 5 O.K.s [347 Perfects, 56 Greats] - - - - - - - - - - - - Blue (Songs from MAX1): - - - - - - - - - - - - Firefly (7): 243 Perfects, 58 Greats, 38 O.K.s [259 Perfects, 42 Greats] Highs Off U (7): 271 Perfects, 45 Greats, 2 O.K.s [272 Perfects, 46 Greats] Ordinary World (7): 230 Perfects, 55 Greats, 34 O.K.s [246 Perfects, 39 Greats] WWW.Blonde Girl (7): 202 Perfects, 36 Greats, 7 O.K.s [205 Perfects, 33 Greats] Do You Remember Me (8): 305 Perfects, 53 Greats, 9 O.K.s [308 Perfects, 50 Greats] Justify My Love (9): 233 Perfects, 61 Greats, 48 O.K.s [253 Perfects, 41 Greats] Let's Groove (6): 173 Perfects, 31 Greats, 8 O.K.s [176 Perfects, 28 Greats] Lovin' You (8): 244 Perfects, 40 Greats, 2 O.K.s [245 Perfects, 39 Greats] Miracle (7): 178 Perfects, 34 Greats, 12 O.K.s [183 Perfects, 29 Greats] On The Jazz (7): 285 Perfects, 46 Greats, 0 O.K.s [285 Perfects, 46 Greats] The Centre Of The Heart (7): 217 Perfects, 36 Greats, 2 O.K.s [218 Perfects, 35 Greats] True... (Radio Edit) (7): 249 Perfects, 50 Greats, 20 O.K.s [258 Perfects, 41 Greats] Yozora No Muko (8): 226 Perfects, 46 Greats, 21 O.K.s [234 Perfects, 38 Greats] Cowgirl (8): 232 Perfects, 47 Greats, 21 O.K.s [240 Perfects, 39 Greats] Dive (Deep Engrish Style) (7): 277 Perfects, 45 Greats, 0 O.K.s [277 Perfects, 45 Greats] Fantasy (by Melissa) (9): 289 Perfects, 61 Greats, 30 O.K.s [301 Perfects, 49 Greats] Sobakasu (Freckles): 266 Perfects, 48 Greats, 11 O.K.s [271 Perfects, 43 Greats] I'm In The Mood For Dancing (8): 250 Perfects, 45 Greats, 9 O.K.s [254 Perfects, 41 Greats] Let the Beat Hit 'Em! (R&B) (6): 166 Perfects, 26 Greats, 0 O.K.s [166 Perfects, 26 Greats] Look To The Sky (7): 247 Perfects, 40 Greats, 0 O.K.s [247 Perfects, 40 Greats] My Sweet Darlin' (8): 224 Perfects, 48 Greats, 24 O.K.s [234 Perfects, 38 Greats] Nori Nori Nori (7): 179 Perfects, 36 Greats, 16 O.K.s [185 Perfects, 30 Greats] Share My Love (7): 197 Perfects, 31 Greats, 0 O.K.s [197 Perfects, 31 Greats] So Deep (9): 428 Perfects, 70 Greats, 1 O.K. [429 Perfects, 69 Greats] Somewhere Over The Rainbow (7): 199 Perfects, 34 Greats, 4 O.K.s [201 Perfects, 32 Greats] True...(Trance Sunrise Mix) (8): 258 Perfects, 47 Greats, 11 O.K.s [263 Perfects, 42 Greats] Twilight Zone (9): 271 Perfects, 54 Greats, 21 O.K.s [280 Perfects, 45 Greats] Witch Doctor (8): 375 Perfects, 62 Greats, 2 O.K.s [376 Perfects, 61 Greats] Candy (Star/Instrumental) (8): 270 Perfects, 57 Greats, 29 O.K.s [282 Perfects, 45 Greats] Do It Right (7): 246 Perfects, 39 Greats, 0 O.K.s [246 Perfects, 39 Greats] Exotic Ethnic (9): 362 Perfects, 69 Greats, 21 O.K.s [371 Perfects, 60 Greats] Groove (8): 228 Perfects, 36 Greats, 0 O.K.s [228 Perfects, 36 Greats] Groove 2001 (7): 221 Perfects, 35 Greats, 0 O.K.s [221 Perfects, 35 Greats] Midnite Blaze (8): 287 Perfects, 46 Greats, 0 O.K.s [287 Perfects, 46 Greats] Healing Vision (Angelic): 412 Perfects, 67 Greats, 0 O.K.s [412 Perfects, 67 Greats] Orion'78 (Civilization Mix) (9): 343 Perfects, 55 Greats, 0 O.K.s [343 Perfects, 55 Greats] Max 300 (10): 477 Perfects, 78 Greats, 2 O.K.s [478 Perfects, 77 Greats] - - - - - - - - - - - - Yellow (Revival Songs): - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTE: These stepdatas were made before freeze arrows were conceived. As such, AA's utilizing Freez-Off are exactly the same, and, thus, not listed. Burnin' The Floor (7/9*): 266 Perfects, 43 Greats Absolute (8): 268 Perfects, 43 Greats Can't Stop Fallin' In Love (8): 283 Perfects, 45 Greats Era (8): 307 Perfects, 49 Greats Healing Vision (8): 304 Perfects, 49 Greats Orion'78 (AM-Euro Mix) (9): 276 Perfects, 44 Greats B4U (8): 280 Perfects, 45 Greats Brilliant 2U (6**): 194 Perfects, 31 Greats Broken My Heart (9): 310 Perfects, 50 Greats Can't Stop Fallin' In Love (Speed Mix) (9): 381 Perfects, 62 Greats Celebrate Nite (7): 239 Perfects, 38 Greats Drop The Bomb (6): 262 Perfects, 42 Greats End of the Century (9!): 301 Perfects, 48 Greats Hysteria (8): 261 Perfects, 42 Greats Insertion (9): 322 Perfects, 52 Greats Love Again Tonight (7): 264 Perfects, 42 Greats Matsuri Japan (9): 385 Perfects, 62 Greats Still In My Heart (7): 250 Perfects, 40 Greats Afronova (9): 319 Perfects, 51 Greats AM-3P (8): 210 Perfects, 34 Greats Brilliant 2U (Orchestra-Groov) (7): 195 Perfects, 31 Greats Dead End (9): 353 Perfects, 57 Greats Drop Out (9!): 342 Perfects, 55 Greats Dynamite Rave (9): 343 Perfects, 55 Greats Paranoia KCET (9!): 299 Perfects, 52 Greats Paranoia (8): 275 Perfects, 44 Greats Paranoia Evolution (8): 323 Perfects, 52 Greats Paranoia MAX (8): 293 Perfects, 47 Greats Paranoia Rebirth (9): 373 Perfects, 60 Greats Trip Machine (Luv Mix) (8): 252 Perfects, 41 Greats * Burnin' The Floor's Single difficulty is erroneous; on Heavy, it should be 7 feet, but, during development, the difficulties of Burning Heat! were inputted instead, accidentially. **Brilliant 2u has reverted back to its pre-4thMIXplus Maniac (Heavy) step data, which was rated 6 Feet. ! indicates a song that was legitimately re-rated coming into MAX2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Purple A (Unlockable Revival Songs): - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTE: These songs' steps, just like the above, were conceived before the invention of freeze arrows. Abyss (7): 266 Perfects, 43 Greats Sana Morette Ne Ente (8): 253 Perfects, 41 Greats Silent Hill (7): 228 Perfects, 37 Greats Higher (6): 212 Perfects, 34 Greats My Summer Love (9): 224 Perfects, 36 Greats .59 (7): 237 Perfects, 38 Greats DXY! (8): 306 Perfects, 49 Greats Ecstasy (7): 238 Perfects, 38 Greats Holic (8): 270 Perfects, 43 Greats La Senorita (8): 253 Perfects, 41 Greats Luv to Me (8): 304 Perfects, 49 Greats Wild Rush (6): 213 Perfects, 34 Greats Sexy Planet (7): 226 Perfects, 36 Greats Super Star (8): 249 Perfects, 40 Greats Trip Machine Climax (9): 295 Perfects, 47 Greats - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Purple B (Songs from IIDX): - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Burning Heat! (9): 354 Perfects, 59 Greats, 5 O.K.s [356 Perfects, 57 Greats] Spin the Disc (8): 247 Perfects, 45 Greats, 12 O.K.s [252 Perfects, 40 Greats] I Feel... (9): 284 Perfects, 47 Greats, 2 O.K.s [285 Perfects, 46 Greats] - - - - - - - - - Red (Boss Songs): - - - - - - - - - MaxX Unlimited (10): 454 Perfects, 101 Greats, 56 O.K.s [478 Perfects, 77 Greats] Kakumei (9): 317 Perfects, 54 Greats, 7 O.K.s [320 Perfects, 51 Greats] =---------= 7> About Me =---------= This is the first real FAQ I've finished. I'm not the best player in the world, I'll admit, but I have sufficient experience to warrant writing this FAQ. Which I did. (; At the time of the original version of this FAQ, I was a staff writer for Team Gwai Lo. I operated under the alias "Yoshi" (Like, the character from Tekken, sans Mitsu.) Of course, this was back when the site was a decent Bemani news source, BEFORE the site turned into a huge, crappy blog whose only redeeming feature was NNR. I'm very open to your comments. Be it a correction to a flagrant error in the FAQ, a suggestion on how to work/make things better, a technical play strategy, even to point out a typographical error, feel free to contact me by any of the below means. E-Mail: See my author name? Add an at symbol, 'direcway', followed by a .com, to it AIM: GerkIIDX Drop me a line! If you have something worthy of contribution, I'll be sure to Give you credit. (: =----------------= 8> Version History =----------------= Version 2.2 (23 December, 2003) -Happy 11 month no-update anniversary! -Updated self-information. -Fixed some minor errors. Version 2.1 (23 January, 2003) -Corrected some alignment errors. -Added a bit more miscellaneous info. -Thanks to two people, I've learned (and forgotten, then been reminded) that Edit Data does NOT give Extra Stages. Anyway. That's updated. Version 2.0 (23 January, 2003) -Apparently, an AA rating has been proved to be 93%, not 92.5% as logically predicted by me earlier. Thanks to Aaron C. (who told me first) in addition to almost 1 million other people for telling me this. Fixing this took soooooo long. @_@ (Note to self: Don't make an error like that ever again.) Tedium! -Corrected a flagrant error in my "Virtual Greats" chart. Thanks to Aaron Pieper for bringing this to my attention, if not directly. -Fixed various spelling/grammatical errors. All by myself (; Version 1.0 (18 January, 2003) -The first version, obviously. =-----------------------= 9> Credits/Copyright Info =-----------------------= Special thanks to: -Aaron C./seishinbyou/AAAaron For running an excellent DDR-related website, and clearing up a few inquiries I had regarding the scoring system. -Kevin Daluz, The Fresno Crew, Team Anton, most the Fresno/Hanford/Visalia DDR community, Lost Cause, Yasu/Take, AAAaron, plus countless others... For pushing me to try harder and get better, to the point of being able to write this FAQ (and beyond...) -Aaron Pieper For helping me to correct my "Virtual Great" chart. -SSC Thunderbird and Rahan Akero Both informed me Edit Datas don't herald Extra Stages. But Thunderbird did so first, and Akero reminded me, which is why I did update 2.1 in the first place. -Konami and the Bemani Crew For making DDR, and the Bemani series as a whole, not to mention the greatest song of all time, Burning Heat!. -All my friends and family. Well, the supportive ones. For being...uhh...friendly. And supportive. That's a gimme. -CJayC For operating this site. Duh! d; ... -And A Very Special Thanks To...YOU For reading this FAQ. And also partially because I've beaten too many games where the credits end with some cheesy saying like this. COPYRIGHT INFO -------------- This FAQ is Copyright (c) 2003 Steven Gerking You are free to reproduce/learn from/do whatever with this guide, except for selling; in that case, I'd want 50%+ of the profits. (No, seriously.) All the ideas/facts expressed in this guide are free for use/quoting/ripping elsewhere, preferably with credit being given where it is due. Dance Dance Revolution, DDR, Bemani, and all respective trademarks are Copyright (c) Konami. All rights reserved. -------------- That's all. I hope you learned something cool. Take care, stay cool, and keep on DDR'ing! (: ---Gerk