Ow! Ow! OW!!!

[the_gneech]

That's the sound of lythandra KICKIN' MY BUTT on DDR.

We decided, screw the directions, we're using shoes! And it made a huge difference in how often the buttons registered our moves. Like, ever, even.

Laurie's score shot up in the A-B-C range on a regular basis; I managed to get one B. The problem is, the mats are so tiny. I can barely stand in the middle of the pad without pushing UP and DOWN simultaneously. To perform the dance as directed, I have to stand on tip-toes and make these incredibly diminutive steps.

If I wanted to go en pointe I'd take ballet, for cryin' out loud. If the pad was scaled up 100%, I might stop sucking.

I'm glad for Laurie's dramatic improvement -- congrats, Laurie! But my own game was intensely frustrating and very not-fun. Oh well, at least I got a workout out of it.

I'll try again later, hopefully I can find some way to make it work. But tomorrow I'm going back to the Bowflex, where being FRIGGIN' HUGE is an asset, not a liability.

-The Gneech

EDIT: Hmm ... turns out it might not be me after all! Okay, time to go pad-shopping.

Comments

[the-lizard-rat.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming you're playing it for the Playstation? The arcade version is so much better.

Lizard Rat out.
Dancing Candy on Heavy in Albany NY

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

X-Box. But getting the arcade version is not exactly a trivial pursuit!

-TG

[the-lizard-rat.livejournal.com]

Like I said, go to an arcade and spend a few bucks on the real thing.

Might be slightly expensive, but look at it this way, what money you'd spend at the arcade would just go toward elec bills from playing DDR on the XBox :P Same ending.

Lizard Rat out.
Ranting randomly in Albany NY

[the-mcp.livejournal.com]

Getting a DDR machine is actually fairly easy if you know the right people. :) (Which I do, if you really want one; I still have some contacts in the business...)

Paying for a DDR machine is the non-trivial part. :) A new DDR machine goes for at least $5000, while used ones typically trade anywhere between $2000-$3000 depending on condition. Shipping will probably run another $500 or so, depending on where it's coming from.

Expensive toy, to be sure, but it'd really impress your friends when they came over... :)

[the-lizard-rat.livejournal.com]

GEEZ that's expensive.

You could buy a car... go to Anthrocon... bribe Bush to not be such a dweeb...

You HAVE to be kidding me. I thought most arcade games go for what, $800 to... maybe 1K?

And contacts, eh? Worked in the arcade industry I take it?

Lizard Rat out.
Feeling his wallet scream in Albany NY

[bauske.livejournal.com]

DDR is also much bigger and has more parts than most arcade games. :p

[the-mcp.livejournal.com]

Yes, in the arcade industry. :) I used to be with a company that sold and serviced the equipment. (The company, alas, went out of business due to various mismanagement factors.)

And no, I'm not kidding. They really are that expensive. A brand-new arcade game is typically about $2000 for a standard upright-console machine with a 23" or 27" monitor (i.e. Area 51, Mortal Kombat, Golden Tee, or the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga combo unit); the larger machines that boast extra-large 33" monitors and/or highly-customized cabinets can reach $3000-to-$4000, easily. Brand-new pinball machines also tend to be in the $2500-$3000 range.

Actually, it's possible that DDR machines may be a bit cheaper than $5K nowadays; I don't exactly have an up-to-date price list in front of me. :) All I know is that's about what it cost when Michael Dell (yes, that Michael Dell) had us put one in his house for him... :)

Now, if it's an older machine from the 80s or early 90s, it will be a lot less -- though it depends greatly on its condition, rarity, and demand. An obscure and relatively unpopular game like Megatack or Lazarian (both of which I have in my collection), or a common game such as Street Fighter in a generic no-artwork JAMMA cabinet, may go for as little as $100 at auction; conversely, a fully-restored original Ms. Pac-Man or Galaga, or a difficult-to-find game such as the "captain's chair" cockpit version of Sega's Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator, can easily fetch $1000 or more.

[tehrasha.livejournal.com]

Totally agree with the 'too small' center. Somehow I dont think that people our size were the original target audience. :)
That and the pads migrate across the carpet... I am seriously considering building some hard pads at 125% scale.

[3catsjackson.livejournal.com]

Most of the pads out there are utter steaming excrement. After wearing out 7 (!) soft pads in entirely too short a time, I finally gave in and bought a Cobalt Flux hard pad. What a difference! It's still a non-trivial $400, but a vastly better deal than a full-sized arcade, and it will play XBox, PS2, whatever. If you're getting at all serious about the DDR thing, this does a great job of eradicating controller-based frustration, so you can instead focus on human error. ;-)

[nicodemusrat.livejournal.com]

As his upstairs neighbor and occassional DDR guest player, I can wholeheartedly back up his endorsement of the Cobalt Flux pad. It makes a huge difference in gameplay.

[d-l-leonine.livejournal.com]

I have a RedOctane 8 button pad and I will hit either the up or down key if I'm flat-pawed in the center, but I just figured it was because I wear size 13's. The 4 directional buttons are also raised slightly to help prevent the problem of loosing your place (I havn't lost my place anyway). It was more expensive for a soft pad, but I feel I really got my moneys worth. The only thing I can't yet speak for is the durability as I've only had it for 2 weeks. I havn't played on an arcade machine yet, so I don't know how my pad compares sizewise.

[bauske.livejournal.com]

Yeah, looks like it's the pad, not you. I highly suggest one of the Red Octane pads. That's the one I have. It may be a bit pricey ($100-$120), but it's well worth it.

Also, something else you can do it change the timing in your DDR game. There's a setting in the options somewhere that lets you adjust the timing sensitivity to steps, so you can set it to be a bit delayed or a bit ahead, depending on what you need.

Of course, that changes the options for the whole game, so then Lythandra would be screwed. ;)

DDR and cheap pads

[chanur2000.livejournal.com]

Well, i hate to say it, but........

Break down and buy at least a single metal pad from Red Octane. Gneech, I've met you and as a person of size myself, (6 foot, 255lbs) the $199 metal pad is a good mix between price and quality. I've had mine for 4 months now with no complaints. (Although if you DO insist on a soft pad, Bauske is pushing you in the right direction. Red Octane makes a VERY good soft pad, and best off, Best Buy stocks it, unlike the metal pads that have to be shipped to you for nearly $50 more.)

As for the size of your feet.... well I hate to say it but your pads most likely ARE "regulation" size. Go check the game out in an arcade sometime John, and I'll bet you see the "arrows" are the same size.

And how would you know that you feet overhang when you stand in the middle? First rule of DDR: DON'T keep moving your feet to the middle of the pad. Learn to step arrow to arrow, pad to pad. When you move upward in difficulty and keep moving to the pad center, you're going to look like a tapdancing spider: Legs everywhere.

Keep on dancing!

Chanur

[elektron.livejournal.com]

Try climbing shoes. Tiny, so you don't step all over the buttons, but I don't know if they'll damage the dance pads more or less than normal shoes.