First Time

Ok yesterday I went to Dave&Busters, for all of you who dont know what that is, it is like a huge arcade with interactive games and a dinner. So for fun I saw the Extream --------, (ya i know it wasnt DDR, but just wait) and I decided to try it. It sucked! I missed just about everystep, and the squars were spread so far apart. Guess what I scored, 0000000000, F! I wasnt really surprised. Now I have heard DDR is a lot better. So I guess this is a thread to decuss your first time on DDR or any other dance game.

Yeah, Pump It Up sucks. Never play it again. :)

First time I played DDR, I accidentally picked some really hard song and my whole family watched me fail in about 5 seconds. Good times.

My first song: Dynamite Rave Standard, because I figured since I had watched my Asian friends play alot, hell I could do it myself!

BTW, blame those same friends for the alternating caps in my s/n. ;)

Did they misspell MF horribly too? ;)

They were Asian, of course they misspaeld.

Just, I'm guessing it was Pump It Up's latest title, Exceed, that you played, right? I've heard a lot of good things about that version that I want to try it out soon. There's a D&B somewhat close to where I live, so I'll have to check it out.

Too bad that you didn't give it more of a chance, though. It's a great counter to Dance Dance Revolution, in a sense that it's more fun to actually dance on. Anyway, it's kind of sad that you didn't like it, since it's a good game.

First time on DDR was playing the 3rd Mix in a bowling alley. My friend forced me to play a hard level song, and fail it. I played it about 4 more times and beat it. I think it was Boom Boom Dollar or something like that.

As for Para Para Paradise / Dancing, played both where I work, and played on a normal setting first, then advanced in about 2 weeks to expert without doing the dances.

Dance Maniax was played at the local college arcade. Fun for first time, even though it took time getting used to.

I just got it today. DDRMax 2. I am still doing the lessons. I have been doing pretty well so far. I thought I was horrible at first, but I had the controller in player 1 slot, and the pad in the player 2 spot. I kept on seeing Boos! But then I realized that and I have been doing well.

coasterfreak, don't do the lessons, just start playing on light.

The first key to getting better is challenging yourself. I probably could have moved up from standard to heavy two months before I did, but I got complacent and didn't have the guts to select a heavy song. Just do it, you've got nothing to lose...

Haha, I have to do the lessons. I had never played before in my life. I had to get some moves down. Do you suggest me doing the training mode then?

Training mode is the lessons. But I think you'll learn more quickly just by playing. I never did any lessons or anything, I just went to the arcade and learned the basics in one afternoon from two guys who were there. Come to think of it, they weren't even that good themselves.

Even the hardest lesson on MAX2 is extremely simple compared to some of the stuff you'll see in even standard songs, so it's pointless anyway. Just play some 2-4 foot light songs over and over and over.

It is good to recognize things like spins from the lessons. I don't remember there being a lesson for crossovers, but if there is, you'll need to be able to read those too. Once you get passed the idea of "reading" (and before as well) just playing is much better than the lessons.

I just bought DDRmax2 today and apparently i'm pretty bad at it. How long did it take you guys to get all the techniques and stuff down?

It took me about 2 months of carpet mode (practicing with no pad) and about 2 months on a crap soft pad before I could beat anything on heavy. Once I modded my pad and starting playing real frequently (2 hrs a day) I could beat most heavy songs 2 months later. (which was when I started need to learn crossovers, spins, gallops, reading, etc.) *** Edited 7/21/2004 5:51:13 PM UTC by ApolloAndy***

I started at the arcade, and it took me about a week's worth of playing before I started doing standard most of the time. Then I bought a Playstation, and it was probably another month before I even tried a heavy song.

After that, I progressed pretty quickly. Though I made the mistake of getting really far into heavy songs before I learned crossovers. I used to double-step Tsugaru and CSFILSM, can you imagine?

The training mode is different than the lessons. What are the cross-overs? I have been doing DDR for 2 days. I am can do begginner and light mode. I looked at a heavy one, and I have no idea how you can do all of that at once! There are like 3 arrows across at the same time! I managed to get a AA so I am definitely getting better! :)

I thought the same about heavy, but once you start reading well, it's actually not too hard. You'll surprise yourself when you start doing those songs that you thought "How is that even possible?"

Cross-overs are when you turn your body away from just "front position." So if you see RDLDRDLDRDL, you might be tempted to use right foot, left foot, left foot, right foot, right foot etc. This is called double stepping. However, if you turn your body to the left, you can go Right foot (R), Left foot(D), Right foot (L) (crossing over your body onto the left arrow), Left foot (D), Right foot (R), etc. Notice that you're alternating feet which is much faster than double stepping.

In heavy, you really have to be proficient at cross-overs. Many many songs rely on and are built on the assumption that you can do them.

Thanks Andy. Does anyone know a song on DDRMAX2 that is slow and has x-overs so I can practice. Thanks.

I saw on TV a girl who bought DDR for her house and she lost like over 100lbs!

Sorry for posting so late, but I want to add my comments.

As for me learning, well that took about three months to complete a heavy song. I started using soft pads which to me was a complete mistake. My advice, (depending on how much you are dedicated to learning) buy a cheap metal pad off of Ebay. Like Den said, forget the lessons. Try light songs and most of all, keep challenging yourself. I do that and I learn something new each time I play.

As for a good song with plenty of cross-overs, try some standard songs. Light songs normally don't have many eighth notes, so cross-overs are rare. Try Twilight Zone (standard) to start cross-overs and I definately recommend Tsugaru (standard) to start galloping.

For reading the step charts like Andy said, go to ddrfreak.com for a complete set of step charts on all songs. Reading songs before trying them helps more than you can imagine.

Good luck!

What exactly is galloping? I'm getting better but I think i'm doing that double tapping thing you guys were talking about. But I did Kakumei or whatever on Standard. I was proud of that one.