Dance Dance Revolution Memory Card Guide v.1.3 (Last updated on 6 August 2003)
Written by Cutriss (gamefaqs.com-2452847@phazon.net)

0. Minutia
0.1 Public Service Announcement (legal stuff)
0.2 FAQ History
1. Introduction
2. Memory Card Readers
3. Link Data
4. Edit Data
5. Custom Edit Data
6. Nonstop Order
7. Paint
8. Internet Ranking
9. What's Left
9.1 Future Versions
9.2 Requests
9.3 Credits
9.4 About the Author (Contact Info)
9.5 Copyright Info Footer

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0. MINUTIA
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.1 Public Service Announcement
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This document is Copyright 2003-beyond by Drew Lanclos, who would rather go by
Cutriss, since it's easier to pronounce (though apparently just as difficult to
spell...). It was written using information obtained from other sources, who
have been properly credited at the end of this document.

The only websites which have my permission to host this FAQ are:

GameFAQs ( http://www.gamefaqs.com/ )
DDRFreak ( http://www.ddrfreak.com/ )
ExtraStage ( http://www.extrastage.com/ )

If you want to host this FAQ, please contact me via e-mail (see Contact Info at
the bottom) to let me know.

I put a lot of time, energy, and even money into writing this FAQ. Needless to
say, I didn't do all that for the profit of others! Therefore, this FAQ is not
to be reprinted or distributed for profit without the express consent of the
author.

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0.2 - FAQ History
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v.1.0 - The beginning! Primarily covered Memory Card Reader hardware, Arcade
        Link Data, and basic Edit Data usage.
v.1.1 - Added details concerning 2nd ReMix and 3rd Mix. Still have a lot of
        information to confirm once I actually get to use a 3rd Mix machine
        with Memory Card slots...
v.1.2 - Added Paint and Internet Ranking information. Added details about using
        a SharkPort or X-Port with a PS2.
v.1.3 - Fixed up formatting, prepared for release at GameFAQs and Extra Stage.

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1. INTRODUCTION
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One of the most interesting extra features to Dance Dance Revolution is the
customization it affords to savvy players. There are a whole lot of different
features at your disposal, depending on the Mix you're playing, and what games
and hardware you have at your disposal.

One of the messageboards I hang out on, DDRFreak.com, was literally plagued
with people asking questions about using memory cards with DDR, and there
wasn't really a consolidated source of answers on the different applications
of a memory card, so I decided to write this FAQ.

Generally speaking, to make best use of this FAQ, you should have at least one
of the DDR home version games for your PlayStation or PlayStation 2, as well as
 an arcade machine convenient to you equipped with a Memory Card Reader. And,
of course...a memory card itself. :)

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2. MEMORY CARD READERS
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Essentially, you probably shouldn't even be seriously reading this FAQ unless
you've got access to a DDR machine with memory card slots on it.

To see a picture of memory card slots, go to the following URL:

http://www.phazon.net/img/MCFAQ/mcslots.jpg

That's what they look like. Each player has his/her own slot.

When the slots are set up properly in a DDR machine, the game's Attract Mode
will feature an "advertisement" mentioning the fact that this DDR machine works
with memory cards. If you don't see this ad, then your machine's slots are not
set up properly. Also, after credits have been inserted but before the start
button has been pressed, a notice message will appear across the DDR logo on
the title screen, indicating that now is the time to insert your memory card.

These are PSX (PSOne) memory card slots *only*.

They will only work with the original 128 KB PS1 memory cards, and with
PocketStations. You *cannot* use a PS2 8MB (or otherwise) memory card with
these.

Generally speaking, you should stick with only 1st-party (Sony brand) memory
cards, or the PocketStation. Other brands seem to have a tendency to fail to
work 100% in DDR memory card readers. That's not to say they won't work,
though. I've got a MadCatz purple and a Performance 2x memory card that both
work flawlessly in my local DDR machine, so your mileage may vary.

A note about the Performance 2x memory card and other "multi-bank" cards -
Don't bother with them unless you have your Link Data stored on the default
memory page. You could get data loss if you try to switch memory pages while
the memory card is being accessed.

Whenever you insert a memory card into the memory card slots, a message should
appear at the very bottom of the screen that says in blue letters "Inserted"
and shortly afterward, "Ready".

*This only means that your memory card has been successfully read and indexed.*

If there is a problem with your memory card, the text will be red instead and
indicate that there was an error.

Once you've inserted your memory card and received the success message, you
should go ahead and leave it alone until the end of the game. After you've
finished your round, the announcer will say "Don't touch the memory card!"
while it saves data to the card (if you have Link Data). After the data has
finished saving, the announcer will say "Now pull out the memory card". Pulling
out the memory card will cause the message "Removed" to appear in blue letters
at the bottom of the screen, and the game will go back to Attract Mode.

As for acquiring memory slots for a machine, kits can on rare occasion be found
on eBay, but they generally run in excess of $1500. If you're interested in
acquiring a memory card kit, it's often easier to locate a machine that has
slots already and just upgrade it. Furthermore, it can be rather difficult to
find an existing listing for a memory card kit on eBay, as you'll get loads of
hits for video cards, flashcard equipment for PCs, and the like.

Most memory slot kits also include a Flash ROM card (the factory default is a
32 MB ATA PCMCIA card). This card can be used to store player-created Edit
Data. The Flash ROM card can be enabled/disabled via the Operator Menu, in case
an arcade operator needs to disable it but can't/won't open the cabinet to
remove the card.

32 MB is a *lot* of space to store Edit Data steps, considering that a Singles
step data file takes a single 8 KB slot on a PSX memory card. It's probably
possible to replace this ROM card with a larger ATA flash card, but I don't
know that anyone has ever felt the need to, let alone actually tried to do it.

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3. LINK DATA
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Link Data is a feature that lets players save scores while playing in the
regular and Oni game modes. Link Data also allows you to automatically insert
your initials if you achieve a ranking score on the machine you're playing on
(5th Mix or higher). Link Data is a lot of fun, since you can keep track of
your score progress in the game, and bring your scores with you wherever you
go.

In order to use Link Data on an arcade machine, you need one of two things -
You either need a hardware tool that can read/write memory card images, such as
a DexDrive, or a game copy which can match up with the machine you plan to play
on.

If you have a DexDrive, you can go to:

http://www.aaroninjapan.com/

to download a file containing all the Arcade Link Data files you'll need. From
the front page, click "Dance Dance Revolution", and then "My Edit Data" on the
list of links on the left. At the top of the next page, you'll see a link that
says "Click here to get the link data for the arcade 4th/5th/6th(Max)/7th(Max2)
mixes". Download this file, unzip it, and use whatever software you find
appropriate to write the memory card image to your memory card. I recommend
PSXGameEdit by Lars Ole Dybdal. You can get it at:

http://moberg-dybdal.dk/psxge/

The file from AaronInJapan.com contains four files, each with a different
extension. They're all different formats of the same memory card image, so that
you should be able to use them no matter what memory card hardware you have.
GME files are for DexDrives, MCD files are from Bleem! saves, PSM files are
from SmartLink PSX interface kits, and MC files are an open-standard for PS1
saves that are used in a variety of different programs. As mentioned, they're
all the same file, so just pick one.

Having a DexDrive is very useful in general for DDR memory card usage, both for
getting started with Link Data as well as using edits made by other people, or
edits made yourself via DDREditMax or Edit Hacking (described below). InterAct
stopped producing them a couple of years ago, but quite a few GameStops and EB
locations still have them in a back corner somewhere, usually for around
$10-$20. You might also luck out at Walmart. If not, they do frequently appear
on eBay.

*WARNING* - If you're going the memory card writer route, be sure to back up
whatever you have on your memory card before writing the new files! Some
programs, like PSXGameEdit, let you write individual files to a memory card,
but others, like the InterAct DexPlorer, will only write an *entire* memory
card image, and they won't be very clear about it either. Be sure to back up
your data, lest you accidentally overwrite your wife's 40 hours+ Xenogears save
file!

If you decide not to use a DexDrive or some other device, you'll need to use
one of the Japanese console versions of DDR to create a Link Data file.

Here's how it breaks down:

2nd ReMix PSX -> Can create 3rd Mix Link Data (?)

4th Mix PSX -> Can create 4th Mix Link Data (and 3rd?)
4th Mix PSX -> Can create 5th Mix Link Data

5th Mix PSX -> Can create 5th Mix Link Data
5th Mix PSX -> Can create New Mix Link Data

New Mix Link Data is designed for machines beyond 5th Mix. It is what you need
to use Link Data on DDRMAX2 or Extreme.

***You must have 5th Mix in order to create Arcade Link Data for DDRMAX or
newer editions***.

In 2nd ReMix:
I don't have 2nd ReMix, so I'm taking this data from GurtyGurt's and DC's FAQs
on GameFAQs for granted. They are found, in order, at:

http://db.gamefaqs.com/coinop/arcade/file/dance_dance_revolution_a.txt

http://db.gamefaqs.com/coinop/arcade/file/dance_dance_revolution_2nd_remix.txt

Neither of the FAQs mention an option to create Link Data - They actually seem
to imply that the machine creates the data for you, which isn't the case with
the newer machines, so I'm inclined to think that, just as with 4th/5th Mix,
there's an option in the menus to create it.

In 4th Mix:
Select Arcade Link from the title. From here you can select either 4th Mix or
5th Mix. Select the one which corresponds to what you want. Then select "Link
Data Create". If you select 5th Mix, you can also enter initials to
automatically be displayed if you get a score ranking. This option will be
grayed out until you either Load or Create a data file.

3rd/4th Mix Link Data requires one block of memory card space.

In 5th Mix:
Select Arcade Link from the title. From here you can select either 5th Mix or
New Version Link. Select the link version you require (based on the machine(s)
you play on), and select Link Data Create. Once you've created a file on your
memory card for the Link Data, you'll be able to edit your initials for the
score ranking by selecting the appropriate option from the menu. Be sure to
save your Link Data file (s) after doing this.

*NOTE* - If you download the Link Data file from AaronInJapan.com, save some
song records, and then decide that you want to use the Initials Entry function,
be sure to use Link Data Load to load your scores, *then* edit your initials,
and *then* save. I overwrote my memory card's New Version Link Data file after
making one for my wife, switching memory cards, editing the initials, and then
re-saving (without loading my own scores).

5th Mix Data requires two blocks of memory card space.

New Version Data requires two *separate* blocks of memory card space.

If you only plan to play on DDRMAX or higher, and not a 5th Mix machine, you do
not need to create a separate 5th Mix Link Data file.

As mentioned above, to use your Link Data file, insert your memory card on the
title screen, before you hit the green start button. When the memory card is
inserted, a small message will appear across the bottom of the screen saving
"Inserted" and then "Ready". This message appears in blue letters in the space
where the game normally indicates the number of credits inserted.

After starting the game, pick your game mode (Single/Versus/Double). Once you
select your game mode, the game will take about ten seconds to load your Link
Data file. *Note* - I cannot be held responsible for people kicking your ass
for slowing down the line on a busy DDR machine because you want to use your
Link Data file. :)

Once your Link Data is loaded and you proceed to the song selection menu,
you'll notice that the screen looks a bit different. The screen will show you
your best score for the selected song/difficulty (provided you have a record
saved), and the associated grade.

Bear in mind that the Link Data records high *scores*, and not high *grades*.
If you get a high score with an A, and then get an AA on the same song but with
a lower score, the game will retain your A record!

Getting a score which beats your previously recorded score will cause the
announcer to say "Wow! It's a new record!". Don't be fooled into thinking that
this means you've earned a ranking on the machine's high scores...And
definitely don't get a swelled head from the announcer repeatedly telling you
about all the "new records" you've made on a blank Link Data file...

After finishing your round and viewing your final scores, the announcer will
say "Don't touch the memory card!", at which point the game will save your new
scores to the memory card. When the saving is finished, the announcer will say
"Now pull out the memory card..." and the game returns to Attract Mode
(assuming there aren't credits already in the machine).

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4. EDIT DATA
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Edit Data is a feature that lets you create your own step patterns for existing
DDR songs and play them at home or at the arcade. Additionally, you can also
use step patterns provided in the console versions of DDR via the Data Bank
feature, in case you're not feeling very creative yourself.

Using Edit Data does not require you to have/use a Link Data file.

Edit data does *NOT*:
* Let you add your own songs to DDR
* Unlock/add songs to a DDR mix that aren't ordinarily in it

Generally speaking, in order to create an edit file for a song, pop in the
Japanese mix that the song appeared on, choose the Edit option from the menu,
select the song, and start creating steps.

Extra Mix and 5th Mix also include an option on the main menu called "Data
Bank". This option presents you with hundreds of different step files for songs
throughout the DDR series (including songs which aren't actually in the Mix
you're playing).

Exporting these stepfiles to your memory card is pretty straight-forward in 5th
Mix (I don't have Extra Mix so I can't speak about it specifically). First,
select the Data Bank feature. You'll be presented with a list of "Blocks" of
~500 edits each. Pick a block and scroll down to find the song you want. On the
right, you'll see the CD covers of all the DDR versions up to 5th Mix, the ones
containing the selected song being highlighted. Edits are contained here for
all the songs prior to 5th Mix, including the Club Append discs, Best Hits, and
Extra Mix. A number to the right of each listing in the menu indicates how many
different edit steps that block contains for this song.

Select the song you want, and a list of the available edits (in this block)
will drop down. On the right, you'll see the step pattern for the song. You can
hit left/right on the D-pad to scroll through the steps, and up/down to select
the individual edits.

Once you've selected a step set that appeals to you, hit Circle and you'll be
taken to a screen where you name the edit you're downloading. Once you've named
it, select End (in the lower righthand corner of the letters area). Now you'll
be asked to pick a slot on the memory card for it. You can either pick a free
slot, or save over an existing Edit that your memory card contains. Select the
slot with Circle, and the edit will be saved.

Edit Steps, regardless of whether for normal songs or Long Versions,
Single/Double/Couple/Solo, will take a single 8 KB slot on your memory card.
Thus, not including Link Data, you can have a maximum of 15 Edit Data files on
your memory card.

***As I mentioned previously, Link Data is not required to use Edit Data! ***

As far as I know, memory card readers only work with standard DDR machines. I
know of no Solo machines with memory card slots, and thus, to my knowledge, you
cannot use Solo step edits in the arcade. Solo cabinets are designed
differently from regular DDR cabinets, and likely do not have the USB port on
the mainboard for connecting a memory card reader, assuming you were willing to
carve a hole in the cabinet to put the reader. The Edit feature in 4th Mix and
Extra Mix lets you make Solo steps specifically for use with those games, just
for clarification.

As said before, many DDR machines with memory card slots feature a Flash ROM
card. If installed and enabled in the Operator Menu, the DDR machine will
automatically save Edit Data steps to the Flash ROM card, so that they can be
played without the use of the memory card which they were installed from. If
the Flash ROM card is not available or is disabled, you will need to have your
memory card with you to use the edits on it.

To use Edit Data steps, select the song you have edits for on the song
selection menu, and then hit :right::right: to open the Step
Selection menu. If you change your mind about using Edit Data, hit :left::left:
to close the menu.

Since Edit Data steps are unofficial, Link Data scoring is disabled whenever
you use Edit Data steps.

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5. CUSTOM EDIT DATA
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LOKI has written far more than I could ever hope to write about this topic.
You can view LOKI's Edit Hacking FAQ at:

http://www.geocities.com/nightmare_hunter/ddredithackfaq.txt

What is Edit Hacking? Edit Hacking lets you make steps for songs that haven't
appeared in a home version. Edit Hacking also lets you make steps with Freezes
for songs in DDRMAX2 and higher that appeared in an older mix where Freezes
weren't supported. Finally, Edit Hacking allows you to create Edit Data in an
American version of the game and convert it so that it works in the Japanese
console and arcade games.

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6. NONSTOP ORDER
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Coming soon! I promise! :D

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7. PAINT
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This function, available in 2nd ReMix and 3rd Mix, allows you to create your
own custom arrow designs for use in the arcade. As far as I know, it's only
available for use in the 2nd Mix and 3rd Mix arcade machines. To create arrow
patterns, you must have the Paint option unlocked in the main menu - It's one
of the last things you unlock in both games. If you have both games, I
recommend using 3rd Mix's User Support function to unlock all of 2nd ReMix's
hidden features so that you don't have to play over and over just to unlock
Paint.

You'll see two sets of arrows when you enter the Paint screen - This is so that
 you can use Paint data in Doubles mode if you so desire. When playing in
Singles, only the first four arrows will be used. I assume that, if two people
are playing in Versus and both use Paint data, that it will use the first four
arrows of both.

To use Paint data in the arcade, insert your memory card at the title screen as
usual, and hold down the Start button when you push it to begin the game. If
you're wanting to play Doubles, hold down the arrows as you hit the Start
button, but continue holding the start button as the game loads data from the
memory card.

Paint data files take one block on the memory card.

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8. INTERNET RANKING
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In 4th Mix, using a memory card with Link Data will automatically put the
machine in Link Mode whenever you start a game. If your performance qualifies
for Internet Ranking, the game typically will present you with a password on
then screen for you to write down. If you have a memory card with Link Data
inserted, however, the Internet Ranking password will automatically be saved to
the memory card.

Take your memory card home, pop in 4th Mix in your PSX, insert your memory
card, and select Arcade Link. Select 4th Mix Link, and then Load Link Data.
After doing so, you the Internet Ranking option should now be unlocked on the
menu. You can go in this menu, and show your passwords so that you can
(theoretically) enter them on the Konami website. Of course, this is merely for
the record, since the Konami 4th Mix Internet Ranking is closed and the website
is no longer available.

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9. WHAT'S LEFT
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9.1 Future Versions
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Well, obviously, Nonstop Order information is still missing, as I'm still
working on that component, as well as another project related to DDR Memory
Card stuffs...I'm working on getting 1st Mix, 2nd Mix, and Extra Mix from a
friend of mine, so I'll be able to put that information in here as well. :)

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9.2 Requests
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If you have any additional information or corrections to send me, by all means,
lemme know at the contact information down at the bottom of this document.
Also, if you've got a space DDR arcade operator's manual, please get in touch
with me, as I'd like to acquire one of my own.

Also, if you have a nearby machine with 5th Mix or earlier, and a DexDrive or
other PS1 memory card reader device, please get in touch with me, as I'd like
your help with said above project. :)

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9.3 Credits
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Thanks to LOKI and Catastrophe from DDRFreak.com for all their hard work
researching the Edit Data memory card format and the machine code information.

Thanks to Aaron Chmielowiec of AaronInJapan.com for hosting the archive of Link
Data files, and no doubt for getting a lot of us into this. :)

Thanks to DC and GurtyGurt, and GameFAQs for information about teh old skool
Dee Dee Arr.

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9.4 About the Author (Contact Info)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E-mail: gamefaqs.com-2452847@phazon.net

Feel free to contact me if you've got any questions. It may take me a few days
to respond, depending on circumstances, of course.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.5 Copyright Info Footer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This document is Copyright 2003-beyond by Drew Lanclos, who would rather go by
Cutriss, since it's easier to pronounce (though apparently just as difficult to
 spell...). It was written using information obtained from other sources, who
have been properly credited at the end of this document.