THE COMPLETE UNOFFICIAL DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION SERIES FAQ
Version 0.573
Written by GurtyGurt/GG@RTF (gurtygurt@dancegames.com)
Last Updated: 20 November 2001
I am a member of the DDR Team 'Ranking Task Force' (http://rtf.genxer.net)
I am also a member of the 'Bemani Order of Madness' (http://gurt.50g.com)
This FAQ covers the following DDR games extensively:
Dance Dance Revolution (PSX, Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution 2nd MIX (DC, Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution 2nd ReMIX (PSX)
Dance Dance Revolution 2nd MIX Link Version (Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution 3rd MIX (PSX, Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution 3rd MIX Korea ver.1 (Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution 3rd MIX Korea ver.2 (Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution 3rd MIX Plus (Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution Solo Bass MIX (Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution Solo 2000 (Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution 4th MIX (Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution 4th MIX (PSX)
Dance Dance Revolution 4th MIX Plus (Arcade)
NEW! Dance Dance Revolution 5th MIX (Arcade)
NEW! Dance Dance Revolution 5th MIX (PSX)
NEW! Dance Dance Revolution: DDRMAX (Arcade)
Dance Dance Revolution GB (Game Boy Color)
Dance Dance Revolution GB2 (Game Boy Color)
Dance Dance Revolution GB3 (Game Boy Color)
Dance Dance Revolution Best Hits (PSX)
Dance Dance Revolution Extra MIX (PSX)
Dancing Stage (Arcade, PAL markets release)
Contents:
_____________________________________________________________________________
0.0 Introduction
0.1 FAQ History
0.2 Announcements and Notices
1.0 Basic Info
1.1 Frequently Asked Questions
2.0 Arcade Operation
2.1 Using your Memory Card on 3rd MIX Arcade
2.2 Dance Dance Revolution 3rd MIX Korea ver.
2.3 Dance Dance Revolution 4th MIX
2.35 Dance Dance Revolution 4th MIX Operator Settings
2.4 Dance Dance Revolution 5th MIX
2.5 DDRMAX
3.0 Console Operation (PSX, DC and GBC)
3.1 Dance Dance Revolution
3.2 Dance Dance Revolution 2nd ReMIX and 2nd MIX
3.3 Dance Dance Revolution 3rd MIX
3.4 Dance Dance Revolution GB
3.5 Dance Dance Revolution GB2
3.6 Dance Dance Revolution GB3
3.7 Dance Dance Revolution Best Hits
3.8 Dance Dance Revolution 4th MIX
3.9 Dance Dance Revolution Extra MIX
3.10 Dance Dance Revoltuion 5th MIX
3.11 Extracting Stuff From DDR CD's
3.12 Pocketstation guide
3.12.1 DDR 4th MIX NS Order Editor
4.0 Physics, Ergonomics and General DDR Advice
4.1 DDR Illness Guide
4.2 DDR Mat Review
4.3 Physical vs. Mental
5.0 Step/Scoring Guide
5.1 DDR, Dancing Stage and 2nd MIX songs
5.2 3rd (Re)MIX Songs
5.3 4th MIX Songs
5.4 5th MIX Songs
5.5 DC Edit Data and PSX 3rd MIX Konami Edit Data
(including 3rd and 4th MIXes on Arcade)
5.6 Techniques Glossary
5.6.1 Play Styles
6.0 Competition Guide
6.1 Performance Play
6.2 Perfect Attack
7.0 Myths, Legends and Trivia (as well as questions)
7.1 Different Group Name, Same Artist?
8.0 Codes and Cheats
9.0 Outroduction
9.1 About the Author
9.2 Links
9.3 Credits
9.4 Disclaimer
9.5 Future Versions
9.6 Requests
_____________________________________________________________________________
0 . 0 I n t r o d u c t i o n
_______________________________
Welcome to my Dance Dance Revolution FAQ! This FAQ covered the entire DDR
series of games. I started this FAQ quite simply because it's my favourite
game of all time! I usually play games for 2 weeks tops. Gran Turismo 2
lasted for 1 week. Zelda 64 lasted for 6 days. DDR games, especially 2nd
ReMIX, has lasted 8 months and counting! (My old favourite game was the old
Commodore 64 game, Monty on the Run, in case you wondered.) There's a few
DDR FAQs around, and most contain gameplay/menu information. Some contain
some stepping information. I think one contained a few performance hints.
While getting good at DDR is something best done by yourself in my opinion
(I had no such FAQs to turn to!) this FAQ will point you in the right
direction. For more information on this, see section 4.0.
This FAQ is based on the contents of my old DDR page at www.emutech.net/ddr/.
I've left it up for historical purposes, but I'm working on a new page, which
for better be...better! Or else!
This FAQ is based equally on the arcade, PSX, GBC and DC versions of DDR.
If you have something to contribute, don't hesitate to email me! This
includes DDR sites. If you email me edit data, I'll post it on my own
site if you so wish.
I might restart my DDR site from scratch soon, based on this FAQ...
0.1 FAQ History
---------------
v0.1 > The first version. (31 May 2000)
> Began the FAQ cos' I lost my NeoGeo Pocket Color while playing DDR
and thus was unable to finish my Sonic Pocket Adventure FAQ. Isn't
that ironic?
> Since the PSX version of 3rd MIX comes out tomorrow, I expect
there will be a small update within a fortnight.
v0.2 > Released 19 June 2000.
> Added further 3rd MIX arcade details after the arcade machine tried
to eat my memory card.
> Extended section 3.0 and of course, added 3rd MIX PSX info.
> Performance section introduction extended and new performance trick
added!
> Double mode tips added to 3rd MIX score info. Step/Score Guide
extended.
> Confirmation of the 'hackers version' of DDR in Myths/Legends.
> 3rd MIX GameShark codes added.
> I musta added a lot, because this version contained just under 2000
lines compared to just over 1200 or something for the last version!
Sheesh! (1976 lines)
v0.3 > Released 29 June 2000.
> Added ratings system for each difficulty level of song!
> Brief guide to announcer's sayings added in part 3.3 to help players
indicate where their health is if they aren't looking at the screen.
> Added hints on Official Edit Data!
> Begun techniques glossary!
> Added DDR Illness Guide!
> This version 3220 lines long and 185kb! Sheesh again! If I type
another 100 letters it'll be 186kb long! Oops! Now it is, isn't it?
Damn! And it's 3222 lines long now!
v0.4 > Happy New Year! Released 01 January, 2001!
> Added more song info!
> Added info on DDR GB, DDR GB2, DDR 3rd Mix Korea ver., and DDR Best
Hits.
> Expanded on DDR Illness Guide! Note 'Giddiness' and similar illnesses
can be avoided now no matter how long you play!
> Added mat reviews!
> Added some info on DDR Best Hits (esp. the PAL Speedfix code!)
> This version isn't really finished, but it's been so long since the
last update that I really should release it as is. Nonetheless,
I found a Korean DDR 3rd Mix machine (ie has all the extra songs),
so I'll give guides to the Korean version as best I can...keep
in mind that most of the new song titles are in Korean:) (NB: Not
all the band names are, though - so if in doubt...they will be listed
under the band name)
> A side note: Part of the reason why this FAQ hasn't been updated in
6 months is because I was in hospital for a while with a collapsed
lung. Doctors said it was spontaneous, as I don't smoke or anything,
but I have to wonder...marathon runners get collapsed organs a lot;
is it possible DDR caused my collapsed lung? A scary thought... (no,
it isn't a serious problem and the only permanent effect it has is
I can never go scuba diving. Boo hoo.:P)
v0.43 > Released 04 February 2001.
> Called version 0.43 for no apparent reason. I just like the sound of
it!
> In for a penny, in for a pound: Upon failing to find some DVD's I
wanted, I brushed past the ol' 3rd MIX hangout in hope of their
Daytona USA/Daytona USA 2 machines being vacant. Lo and behold, I
found DDR 4th MIX! And nobody was using it!
> Thus added info on 4th MIX and 4th MIX song guides.
> Added one technique for Gradiusic Cyber ~AMD G5 MIX~ which makes it
incredibly easier! (NB: in my opinion:P)
> And myths/legends/etc on 4th MIX.
> Added small descriptions of each different mix with the song guides.
> 90% of emails I get are asking for help with getting 3rd MIX started.
In section 8.0 I've clearly marked out some basic help for it.
> Added section 4.3.
> Added section 7.1.
> Added section 9.6.
> Totally rewrote the Author Profile thingy at the bottom end of the
FAQ that nobody reads anyway (I know because nobody submitted what
I requested in the 'in the next version part', and lord knows every
man and his dog would have if they saw it:P)
> This FAQ is exactly 5000 lines long now. Woohoo:P
(yes, I deliberately rounded it off cos' it was only 2 lines short)
v0.47 > Released 1 April, 2001. No April Fools jokes (honest!)
> Added even more and more 4th MIX song info!
> Consequently added 4th MIX PSX info!
> And DDR GB3 info!
> Great new DDR 3rd MIX PSX GameShark codes! Play the game at 75-150%
speed! And the music slows down/speeds up too!
> And don't forget the DDR 4th MIX PSX PAL Sync Code! Essential for PAL
users! Verified to be 100% correct cos' I got an AA on 1,2,3,4, 007
with it!
> Extremely detailed Operator/Settings info for 4th MIX Arcade! Great
for people who happen to own or have unrestricted access to a
machine's operator box and don't know what anything does!
> Oops. Forgot to list the 4th MIX arcade info in the index!
> Important update to DDR 4th MIX Internet Ranking.
> Added section 1.1.
> No more emails about getting DDR 3rd MIX started, but I added
a genuine FAQs section to the FAQ - section 1.1. Many of my emails
now are about unlock codes or PAL sync codes for DDR Disney's Rave.
It suprises me people actually bought this game in such vast
quantities!
> "GurtyGurt has equipped the Boots of Sluggishness." - put on big
loose-fitting sheepskin boots to find hidden techniques for harder
songs, and to find how easier songs might be hard for novice and
intermediate level players once again. The boots dull your reactions
so you require technique, namely not using the same foot twice in
a row for different steps...suprisingly, it worked. Not only did my
stamina rise massively, but my technique increased too! I recommend
you try it!
> Added 'recommendations' to song info, one list of recommendations for
each mix. Sorted into categories for every type of DDR player.
> Added detailed information on 'recommendations' to the very start of
section 5.0, including how to distinguish each type of DDR player.
See which one you fit in best!
> Added the most important DDR guideline of all to section 4.3 -
not being afraid to face new challenges, even if it means losing
a credit or two.
> This FAQ is getting a bit too big (it's over 360kb now). I don't
know if it IS too big yet, but in the future I may divide this into
two parts. Over 5000 lines long. Over 50,000 words long too,
apparently. I type too much!
> Joined a DDR team (see links). This will allow me to expand on info
a lot more.
> I got DDR: Disney's Rave but I haven't been able to find a PAL speed
sync fix code thing. I could slow down the music, but it'd require
a multitude of codes as it seems to switch between them a lot, and
it wouldn't really be fixing the problem, it's just be altering the
problem, wouldn't it? Don't expect a sync code...
> Added a few links & credits!
> Released in a bit of a hurry and is still messy. I couldn't delay it
any longer - I've been withholding this for a week now.
v0.5 > Released 1 May, 2001.
> An excellent method of checking the condition of the sensors in your
local arcade's DDR platform has been suggested by Andrew Campbell!
See the 'actual' Frequently Asked Questions section a few pages down.
> Much more detailed and much more accurate medical bits, thanks to
Vince Yim!
> 4th MIX PSX Bugs reported. Many thanks to H.Edward from Ranking Task
Force (the DDR team I'm in, plug plug:P) for the information on
these undocumented 'features'! All this information originally comes
from Konami's Message Board, but it's in Japanese, of course...
> Excellent contributions and feedback on 4th MIX Arcade technical
info from Dvae Van Horn!
> Section 8.0 and 8.1 condensed into one section, and made nice 'n'
neat. Some never used 2nd ReMIX code info removed to save space...
> Renamed section 1.0.
> Added section 0.2 for important notices and DDR news...it's sorted
by reigon (World, North America, Europe, Oceania). Hope this helps!
This info will be erased once it is obsolete. Info will not be
repeated.
> This is just so everyone notices: I have changed the trivia bit about
the 'swastika' X on Orion.78 AMeuro MIX (and Hero KCP Happy Grendale
MIX) because I was half asleep when I typed it up and forgot that I
knew all about backwards swastikas and stuff. I received umpteen
corrective emails about this, so I learnt my lesson...thanks to
everyone who snapped me out of it!:)
v0.5a > Released 2 May, 2001.
> Urgent news update. A few other things have been added and corrected
too to make it worthwhile re-uploading everywhere...
> One or two things I may have forgotten in the rush to release this
version: Giving credit where credit is due. If you gave me some info
and I forgot to mention your name, and you believe it should be
mentioned, email me...I've been awfully busy lately with RTF team
affairs and the launching of DanceGames.com, and I've had very little
time or motivation to write the FAQ. Email replies have been first
priority!
v0.51 > Released 31 May, 2001. First anniversary issue!
> H.Edward of Ranking Task Force informed me shortly before his trip to
Melbourne that Konami actually require a fee for the password to
unlock hidden songs. Not that any of the Southern Californian or
Japanese sites with the code mention that. But Konami's site don't
mention the code - he must be right. Oops. My bad. Sorry Konami! It's
gone now...
> Dans Dans Revolution from Melbourne pointed out to me that not all
DDR machines have the degaussing feature. I know they're on 3rd MIX
machines, but I'm not sure about 3rd MIX Korean or Dancing Stage ones
so remember that before you harass attendants to degauss it!
> Quite large step update for 4th MIX and Solo 2000/Extra MIX songs!
Nice to know since Extra MIX is coming soon!
> Results of RTF competition displayed now!
> Umpteen minor fixes on the step guides and tech info.
v0.53 > Released 23 June 2001.
> Webpage up the top changed. The site it points to now UPDATES! My
god! Shock! Horror! Go there if you want some really nasty Edit Data
or something! And please, submit your own edit data! The old URL will
no longer work as the domain expired (well it hasn't but it's gone
anyway and nobody knows where, but it's due to expire anyway soon).
> On the webpage up the top, perhaps the first DDR comic ever is
available... "The Adventures of Microphone Eating Guy and Clapping
Man", who feature in the background of some 4th MIX songs (eg Dream
a Dream). Absolutely zany antics, but I must warn this isn't a kids
comic or an adults comic...it's more of a DDR/Konami fan comic...
I would not recommend it for children, though! Sorry! Episode 2
should be coming in a few days...
> Arcade Operator Settings/Memory Card Options updated with more
specific details, as a lot of people don't know this extremely useful
feature exists! As our arcade is still waiting for 5th MIX (customs
detain our stuff a lot, apparently) it is unclear if it's on that
or not yet...
> Extra MIX info redone, now the game is out.
> Solo 2000 songs added a bit again, as well as a few 4th Plus and
due to Extra MIX, some 5th MIX songs as well.
> A lot added to the 'real' Frequently Asked Questions (section 1.2)
> FINALLY updated the Official Edit Data step guide section!
v0.573> Released 20 November, 2001. I have a twisted sense of humor.
> NOTE: My email address changed from .net to .com. The difference is,
it's not Yahoo! Mail anymore. This changed because of yahoo
frequently coming up with 'this page has not responded' when I reply
meaning I don't know if the email got through or not (it appears to
go through but I don't know). This affected emails after October 28
and in early-mid September mostly. Please redirect all traffic to
the .com address! Also note now you should specify you're talking
about DDR as I write FAQs for other Bemani games now.
> Release synchronized with the first releases of my Drummania and
Guitar Freaks FAQs.
> Come visit our new DDR and Bemani team, the Bemani Order of Madness!
See the link at the top of this FAQ!
> Added important PAL sync code info. Thanks to Anthony Cheng for the
email...
> Plenty more 5th MIX info as our machine arrived now!
> Make A Jam! info added to...
> Oops! I took so long releasing this, thanks to umpteen PS2 delays for
my other 2 new FAQs, that the planned simultaneous release got put
back almost two months! My bad!
> Consequently, a lot of 5th MIX PSX info is in this FAQ too.
> Added to censored names list, new total is 98!
> Added one more bit to 3rd MIX PSX info about the intro movie (same
movie as in the arcade, of course).
> Just so everyone stops emailing me about it, the .59 info has been
updated. Make it stop! Pleeeeeeease!
0.2 Announcements and Notices
-----------------------------
World
* DDRMAX, the latest incarnation of DDR, has been released. It is to DDR
what Beatmania IIdx was to Beatmania - a well timed revamp. See in the
FAQ for details...
North America
* DDR Disney's Rave was to be released on the September 18th. Thank you to
Daihaikusei(@)aol.com for the info! I think it was released, but I'm not
sure. Please don't email me to tell me or I'll get 50 billion emails
again! I'll ask someone soon!
Europe
* Dancing Stage: Disney's Rave was released in Europe and consequently can
now be found across the PAL market...or so I'm told. I avoid local games
shops so I don't know 100%.
Oceania/Australasia
* No competitions for the time being.
* For especially crazy DDRers in my neck of the woods, I'm pleased to
announce a new Bemani team has started - the Bemani Order of Madness. If
you're a crazy wierdo who likes to do edit data with all down steps,
endless spins or you like to do stupid moves when freestyling on purpose,
or you simply just mock DDR as much as you enjoy it with fake lyrics or
whatnot - feel free to check out our page at http://gurt.50g.com ! It
launched today (20 November) also, in fact. At the time of release we have
4 members and expecting 2 more very soon! Watch us step! We're sober!
(don't ask what that means, I don't know!)
1 . 0 B a s i c I n f o
___________________________
Dance Dance Revolution is a Dancing simulation, sort of. Unlike Bust-a-Groove
or even the old 8-bit breakdancing games of the early-mid 80s, Dance Dance
Revolution requires you to play with your feet. A 1½ minute long series of
arrows scrolls up the screen in time with some music. The arrows point in
the 4 principle directions - up, down, left, right. When these arrows get
near to the top they go under some greyed out arrows - this is the moment
you step on the corresponding arrow button on the pad below you. Depending
on your timing, you can score 'Perfect!', 'Great!', 'Good!', 'Boo!' and
'Miss!'. You can score combos by getting 'Perfect!' and 'Great!' steps in
succession - getting one of the others breaks this combo. An energy bar is
located up the top of the screen. Getting 'Perfect!' or 'Great!' increases
this, getting 'Boo!' or 'Miss!' decreases it. If it empties, you lose. At
the end you are given a rating based on your stepping accuracy. An E is
a fail. D is almost a fail. C is an average score. B is a good score. A
means you made one or two mistakes and got a lot of great steps, or made
several mistakes but generally got perfects. S means you missed one or two
steps. SS means you got all perfect/great steps. This scoring system changes
slightly in 3rd MIX - SS and S both mean you got all greats and perfects,
however if you got mostly perfects you get an SS as opposed to an S for
too many great steps. An A means you missed one or more steps. If you pass
the song, you get to choose another. You ultimately get between 3 and 5
songs (depending on what the settings are, and that's if you aren't playing
two player on one credit).
As you progress, the game's difficulty level will automatically become
tougher - by the last stage, missing a step will penalize you severely. If
you play in two player mode, only one player is required to pass the chosen
stage for both of you to progress. If one player loses all his or her energy,
but then gets a combo of around 40 or more, they will gradually start to
receive energy back (but will most likely get a D or E overall). This means
that if one player fails, but revives then the other one fails, you still
continue playing. Each song is graded on the difficulty of the steps with
a rating system which indicates the difficulty by footprint symbols. Songs
are ranked between 1 foot 'Simple' songs and 8 foot 'Exhorbitant' songs (in
3rd MIX, there are also 9 foot 'Catastrophic' songs and in 2nd MIX link
ver. or on consoles, there are 'Step battle' songs given no rank. In these,
each player creates their own step sequence of about 8 steps, then repeats
it, then the first and second player's created sequences swap over and
each player has to do the other player's sequence twice). The pace of the
steps and the speed of the song can not be configured.
1.2 Frequently Asked Questions
------------------------------
Q. Do you know the lyrics to (insert song title here)?
A. I might, but I suggest you check another FAQ for these. They are not
included here because they're a waste of space, the FAQ is big enough as
it is, and more often than not the lyrics freely available on the internet
are horribly inaccurate (especially in the case of Jam Jam Reggae and
Strictly Business!). This really irritates me for some reason. So I won't
include any.
Q. The Gameshark code to make DDR 3rd MIX work doesn't work! What's wrong?
A. Two possibilities: One is that you're putting the code in as the master
code - that won't work. The second is that you may need to put the code
C1000000 0000 at the top of that code.
Q. The Disc Swap mode doesn't work for me on any MIX! Why not?
A. Disc Swapping does not work with an external modchip/gameshark device -
you need a real modchip.
Q. Why did Konami release the arcade style platforms only in limited
quantities instead of mass producing them for cheaper?
A. Note this answer isn't a fact, but it's a theory: The platforms are in
actual fact the lighter Solo Bass platforms (apparently), and they may
have had a few thousand spare machines. So where did the actual cabinets
go to? Probably they were made into Para Para Paradise cabinets, which
use the exact same design. DDR 4th MIX Solo machines may have been made
seperately or only to order.
Q1.The DDR platform at my local arcade seems a little dead and sometimes I
could swear I got the step, but the game says I didn't! How can I fix
this?
Q2.The DDR platform at my local arcade has a mind of its own! Sometimes it
gets steps on its own, and sometimes when I push the (insert direction
here) arrow, nothing happens at all.
A. Both of these questions are regarding similar problems: As you might
expect, DDR platforms aren't invincible. Each floor panel has 4 sensors,
one for each side. If one of these starts to wear out, it'll start saying
it's being pressed when it actually isn't. This is the case in problem #2.
If the button is already held down (or rather, the machine thinks it is),
that means if you press the panel, it won't register the step. Meaning
you'll miss. Usually a hard stomp will temporarily fix this.
Problem #1 is similar: Some arcade operators will remove permanently
crippled sensors altogether. There is an easy way to check for this, as
suggested by Andrew Campbell: Simply with your hand, finger, foot, or
whatever, lightly press on all 4 sides of each panel. If one side has no
reinforcements, the sensor has been removed. This means if you step on
this side while playing, nothing happens! Of course, it's usually the
lower side which breaks first since it gets the most friction on it. If
this is the case, there's little you can do but play on Player 2's side or
play on another machine.
NOTE: DDR Solo tier machines (Solo Bass Mix, Solo 2000, Solo 4th) have
two sensors per panel, not four...because of this, they feel springier
and register some steps differently.
Q. The PSX DDR 4th MIX unlock code doesn't work! I've tried everything you
suggested.
A. Sorry, but that's just a small problem which hasn't been solved yet...
for some people it just won't work like it's supposed to. As I don't have
this problem I can't fix it. I suggest you try the following:
* Try it on a friend's PSX using your cheat cart
* Try it on your PSX using a friends cheat cart
* Buy another cheap cheat cart from somewhere
* If your PSX skips regularly, that's probably the problem, not the code
Ultimately, the game is so buggy and the bugs seem to appear randomly in
different copies, so it's quite possible that it's related to that.
Unfortunately I cannot fix this if none of the above ideas work. Sorry!
Q. My First MIX/2nd ReMIX edit data won't work in the arcade! Why not?
A. The original PSX version of DDR and DDR 2nd ReMIX used a type of edit data
called 'TYPE1'. All future versions INCLUDING 3rd MIX arcade and onwards
use 'TYPE2'. To convert the data to 'TYPE2', load it up in DDR 2nd ReMIX,
then re-save it as 'TYPE2'. 2nd ReMIX can save it as either, so always
save as 'TYPE2'!
Q. How do you get Emi to have no hat?
A. It's a 25% random occurance. I've managed to get over 20 consecutive
normal Emi's without getting hatless ones, though. For 4th MIX, you can
use my GameShark code (see waay down the bottom of the FAQ), but it won't
work on Extra MIX and I don't plan to convert it. It took hours to make as
it is!
Q. Petit Love doesn't appear to be in Extra MIX. Where did it go?
A. Nobody knows, but the old rumor of Smile(.dk) not wanting their songs in
DDR anymore resurfaced about the time of release. These last surfaced when
3rd MIX came out in arcades, so they're probably no more true now than
they were then...you got Dancing All Alone in 4th MIX, so consider it a
trade-off.
One thing though: Konami didn't properly remove Petit Love from the game.
A CD carousel image of it still exists on the DDR Extra MIX CD. If you
dump the VRAM on the song select screen in all music mode, you will notice
there are 51 CD's, not 50! It's probably not unlockable as Konami often
leave useless supposedly removed graphic data in DDR's. In 4th MIX, the
data bank was hidden in the VRAM. in 3rd, it was the 3 removed songs.
It's highly unlikely that the audio and steps remain in the game.
(this also explains why it isn't in 5th MIX! Don't say I didn't tell you
last time!)
Q. Will the Korean songs ever be in a home DDR game?
A. No. The PSX versions are domestic Japanese releases, the arcade ones are
domesticated in Japan, Korea and other places. Why would Konami include
songs from Korea if it's not going to be sold there? They were only
included to fight back against Pump It Up, anyway. Now Konami's lawsuit
against the Andamiro corp. was successful, they're totally useless. Sorry,
I'd like to have played them at home too, but they just have no reason to,
being a corporation and all.
Q. Will third party memory cards work on DDR?
A. Yes, both on PSX and Arcade. As long as they are not bad quality, they
will function great. Since Sony manufacture their memory cards rather
poorly nowadays, it is seriously worth considering the cheaper alternative
if there is one. Both my PSone style memory cards screwed up in less than
a week. I'm still using two memory cards I got for $15 (about US$8) and
I've never had a problem with them (they're by Joytech, if you want to
know). I personally recommend not having two memory cards that look the
same or you do tend to mix them up.
Q. Is 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You (70's Mix) in DDR 3rd MIX?
A. No. Often sites list this song in the 3rd MIX lineup for some reason,
and I've even seen the MP3 around so it must be widespread. My only answer
to how this occured is that someone mistook Bu Dam (from DDR 3rd Mix Korea
ver.1 and onwards) for this song, as the two sound similar (ish) OR that
it was removed from Dance Dance Revolution 3rd MIX at the last minute. As
CTMYOY (70's Mix) is on a DanceMania CD - one of the ones used for 3rd MIX
nonetheless - it's highly possible that it was in DDR at one point. But
then again, who knows?
Q. Will there be more song unlock codes for 5th MIX?
No. The secret songs have been known since the game came out in Japan,
thanks to hackers. Some people even hacked out the steps and made step
charts for the songs, without knowing what song they went with.
Unfortunately when I first learnt of the secret songs well before anyone
else I know or any website be it in Australia or SoCal, no other songs
were mentioned. For your information, my source was/is www.nissie.com.
Q. Is there an English version of Dive?
A. Yes - in Beatmania IIdx 6th Style, there is a song named Dive ~Into Your
Heart~ sung by Paula Terry - however, it's rather lame in comparison to
the Japanese version. Lyrics and even the music itself have changed
dramatically, resulting in it feeling rather 'tacked on' (ie, like it
wasn't supposed to be that way - even though it was composed before it
was written). Could have been better, but Paula Terry's voice is barely
audible in it!
Q. Are there any songs from any other Bemani games in DDR?
A. Yes. 20 November, The 4 hidden songs in 3rd MIX, all the hidden songs in
4th MIX and all the hidden songs in 5th MIX are from Beatmania IIdx.
Broken My Heart and Afronova Primeval both were in DanceManiaX (I'm pretty
sure Broken My Heart was in Beatmania IIdx first, but Konami says DMX, so
I won't argue...). Luv This Feelin' was in Guitar Freaks, but was
different to the DDR version and it was in DDR first. Finally, Hypnotic
Crisis is a remix of Hypnotica (also from Guitar Freaks).
2 . 0 A r c a d e O p e r a t i o n
_______________________________________
The arcade machines feature 4 arrows to step on per side, 2 selection buttons
per side, and a start button as standard. This type of setup is featured in
the US, Europe and World versions of DDR (such as Dancing Stage, the Europe/
World version). Some of the Japanese cabinets also feature memory card slots
(such as 3rd MIX) - you can insert PSX memory cards in here and save your
data. Also, DDR Solo and DDR Solo 2000 feature a single platform to dance on
and have 6 arrows instead of 4 - they feature 2 upward diagonal arrows. The
basic operation is as follows: You insert your coin. Use the selection buttons
to input any codes desired (more on those later). Press the start button.
On Japanese versions of the game, select a game mode using the selection
buttons and the start button. Then, on all versions, select your song using
the selection buttons and the start button. Codes must be entered using
the arrows if you wish to use them. On most DDR machines in the US, Europe
and Australasia, you get 3-5 songs per game (this is preset by the operator),
and the game will not end instantly if your energy bar is fully depleted.
On most Japanese versions of the game, you -do- end the game instantly upon
losing all your energy unless if someone else is playing. The game costs
the same to play as most sit-down or special cabinet games (Sega Rally 2
and so forth).
2.1 Using Your Memory Card on 3rd MIX Arcade
--------------------------------------------
If you have access to a 3rd MIX machine and you own 2nd ReMIX, you will
want to bring your memory card with you when you play it. You can save
your scores to it, for one. Also, using 2nd ReMIX, you can create Nonstop
mode data for 3rd MIX in the Non-Stop Order menu on 2nd ReMIX. (see the
GameShark code section for some extra info on this!) Also, if you save edit
data in _2nd ReMIX format_, you can use that on the arcade version if you
play in 2nd MIX mode. Holding down Start when you select a song on 2nd MIX
will show special edit data stored in the machine - these steps are also
hidden in the Dreamcast version. Well, most of 'em. They begin with 'PF-'
and the description is something like 'House Edit Data'. No new data is
shown on 3rd MIX songs with the exclusion of Let Them Move, Keep on Movin'
and 20, November, which allow you to do the steps from their 2nd ReMIX
equivilants. Also, if you have paint data, it finally has a use -
press both selection buttons and start, and hold them down when the
game loads from the memory card. You can press the selection button/s in
the game to change the arrows to the ones you set if you do this. The
memory card has no further use. When inserting the card, watch the bottom
left corner - it should say 'INSERTED' then 'READY' in white text if the
slot works and the memory card is not corrupt. It will also indicate if you
have removed it. Do not remove then insert the memory card too soon or the
game will not register it. After you have saved the data to the card
(it will say in english 'Now SAVING to Memory Card' down the bottom, I
believe), another screen entirely in Japanese comes up - this is just
reminding you to remove the card before you leave the game. Oh, one last
thing - DDR 3rd MIX does NOT save your Nonstop mode records. Bummer. At
least it saves 2nd and 3rd MIX data, as well as SSR...also note, do not
insert your memory card during the game or even the music select screens.
This will freeze the game...at least until you remove the card. (perhaps
it is reading from the card when it freezes?) If you see 'MEMORY CARD ERROR'
appearing in white text in the corner where memory card info is displayed,
remove the card. Do NOT reinsert it for the duration of the _current_ game.
Trying to do this will result in the word 'DANGER!' appearing in red text
in the bottom corner. Although this may not do permanent damage, it's not
a good sight.
Any edit data made for The Race or In The Navy '99 with 2nd ReMIX
will work in the 3rd MIX mode of the 3rd MIX arcade machine. Finally,
3rd MIX on PSX has almost no features to use with the arcade version. You
cannot view your arcade records on the PSX 3rd MIX. You CAN edit Nonstop
data. You CAN make new steps for 3rd MIX and some 2nd MIX songs. You CAN use
the paint feature. But that's all...
2.2 Dance Dance Revolution 3rd MIX Korea ver.
---------------------------------------------
The Korean version differs from the regular Japanese version in the
following ways:
* It says "Korea ver.' on the title screen.
* Charmy has allumiunium tights, presumably cos' her panties were visible
in the Japanese version (and aren't now).
* Many Korean songs added, most of which were in the Pump It Up series.
(many people in Korea think DDR isn't as good because it doesn't have
modern hit songs in it, only old stuff like That's The Way (I Like It).
Obviously the people who think that haven't played it recently!) The
Korean songs are situated between the special song you get based on
your character, and Upside Down.
* It's worth noting that there are more Korean songs in this than in
3rd MIX Plus or 4th MIX - many more! (they're roughly on par with
2nd MIX song difficulties, but they don't get anywhere near as hard)
* The writing on the cabinet is in Korean, not Japanese.
* The warning screen is in English (albeit poor English).
* Step Step Revolution mode seems harder to access, although the code
is the same (it seems to need you to push it faster)
* Xanadu was removed from the game as the artists (The Olivia Project)
were not happy with the mix (or so I heard). It Only Takes a Minute
~Extended Remix~ and Follow The Sun ~90 In The Shade Mix~ are still
in the game. Also, Get Up and Dance, and Get Up were removed. There's
probably more I haven't noticed.
* Nonstop mode was changed a little bit.
* The memory card slot is gone (is this only on some cabinets? Or did
some arcades just upgrade 2nd MIX?), but the software hasn't been
reprogrammed accordingly and trying to access edit data reports
a 'no memory card found' type error. Was this removed due to the
Korean songs being there, or since DDR on PSX isn't sold in Korea?
* Two versions of the Korean DDR appear to exist. The most common version
these days is caled 'Korea ver.2', although many places in the past got
ver.1 as a cheap alternative to the Japanese DDR 3rd MIX. The only
difference in the two is ver.2 is full of Korean songs as well (some of
which made it into 3rd MIX Plus, 4th MIX and 4th MIX Plus, obviously).
Thanks to Inuki for reminding me of this...I had long since forgotten
ramblings of SoCal players a year ago...hehe...
2.3 Dance Dance Revolution 4th MIX
----------------------------------
The latest arcade version (4th MIX Plus has been announced, so this'll
sound really stupid in a few months time because I -will- forge to change
that line, you watch!) has quite a different interface. Here's some of
the changes:
* ALL menus appear to now run in high resolution (like the 3rd MIX PSX
menus). This provides an interesting effect. The in-game resolution remains
unchanged, although on It Only Takes A Minute (Remix) I noticed the
background shrunk to ¬ then 1/8 of the normal size...which suggests that
it is high resolution, as it didn't become pixelated.
* Two versions exist: The most common is the regular DDR 3rd MIX style
cabinet (4 arrows, 2 players), but a 'solo' style cabinet also exists
(ie 6 buttons, 1 player unless linked). The 6 button one may be linkable
with other 6 button machines (I haven't seen one, but if so, I assume this
would be done via your usual 10base2 cable or ethernet cable or whatnot).
If this feature is in the game, netplay might also be available for
tournaments (a feature becoming common in games: A T1 connection is usually
required).
* Single, Double and Versus can be selected from the same menu which asks
you if you'd like link play. This is good because you're far less likely
to end up playing Versus mode by yourself instead of Double! (I did find
that I didn't have enough time to put in more tokens for double mode once)
But it's still possible, though. I've done it already.:)
* SSR is called Maniac again. Song difficulty is selected after the song,
a lot like how you could hold in the button to choose memory card data
before. Another is also named Trick, like in the World versions of DDR 1.5
and the Korean version of 3rd MIX. All former SSR songs are now called
Maniac.
* Holding down the button as mentioned above still chooses memory card data.
Choosing PF-BITCH is quite nasty because it prints the data title in
MASSIVE letters now.
* Most obviously, the songs are catorgorized now into groups of 30 or so.
No 'All Music' mode appears to exist, but may in 4th MIX Plus.
* 136 songs total. (source: my memory card with nonstop data on it)
* Less obviously, the catergory determines who the dancing 'model' is. Two
new types of Konsento seem to exist, both for Konami Original songs...
but one has a deceiving name, like 'Robo2000' or something. Devil Zukin is
still in this, but there's also a 'Maid Zukin'. Cute:P (NB: The Konsento
for Konami Original Side B (or whatever the course is called) is actually
'Konsento 3«'.)
* A personal favourite: The trippy background effects are a LOT trippier.
Trip Machine Climax made me nauseous. Seriously! (so did Paranoia:P)
* Banners for Korean songs are in English, however the backgrounds themselves
remain unchanged. Some still are in Korean, actually...but most aren't.
* Xanadu is back in the game, as are It Only Takes A Minute ~Extended Remix~
and Follow The Sun ~90 In The Shade Mix~, and anything else removed for the
Korean version, but Strictly Business is gone forever:( (I liked that
song! Good for performance play!)
* Another song has been removed too: So Many Men by Me & My. Big whoop.:P
* The announcer voices are almost identical to 3rd MIX, however some phrases
are re-recorded and it features a few 'new' ones, some definately stolen
from the DDR 3rd Mix Nonstop Megamix CD. ("You're a dancing hero!") Also
note that there are now phrases even lamer than "Your dance was so great!
It's like sunshine on a cloudy day!" - there's one that is REALLY bad...
"I can see a dream in your dance. I can see tomorrow in your dance! We can
call it, our hope!" - I mean, $@*$#@$#*&!!! WTF are Konami trying to do?
Make us vomit? It sounds like it's from a _really_ bad movie. Like maybe
R.O.T.O.R. (don't ask:P). Is it just us or do Japanese people find this
corny stuff repulsive too?
* The scoring method is similar or identical to 2nd MIX (I can't tell). This
may mean the high scores are back to in-game totals, not nonstop totals,
but I didn't see any high scores... (the scoring system SEEMS to be more
generous than 2nd MIX, but like I said, I can't tell!)
* Likewise, the rankings are changed. It appears to match the US and Euromix
versions: I got a lot of B's when I only got one good and the rest were
great+perfect (and a large percentage of perfects, too). A replaces
S/SS/SSS. It's very hard to get a D. I don't know what replaces SSS, but
the difference between S/SS is non-existant once again. A is one and the
same.
* The announcer seems to give 3rd MIX S/SS type praise for B's and C's as
well.
* The songs are easier overall. These 3 factors put together (see the two
above) make this game MUCH easier for beginners, and drastically reduce
the lifespan of the game.
* I have no idea why, but some built-in edit data was removed! It only seems
to be alternate steps from previous versions of DDR (I noticed Kung Fu
Fighting's old 'hard' mode steps were gone, for example). 2nd MIX data is
still there (ie Keep On Movin'), as does Club Mix data (Paranoia Max and
Brilliant 2U). All the 'PF-*****' data remains, however. Thank god!:)
* Some Naoki songs appear to be performed by two entirely different people
to before - except for the ones from the Solo series (Can't Stop Fallin'
In Love, Hysteria) and Love Again Tonight (which is by Naoki featuring
Paula Terry). There's a perfectly obvious explanation for this. See section
7.1.
* Nonstop mode is accessable through Link mode.
* Couple/Unison mode is replaced by Battle mode. In this, a single set of
arrows (like Unison mode) splits into two columns (like Couple mode). Only
one set of Battle songs are available for each song, though. To get Battle
mode songs, choose versus mode then push the down arrow twice when you
select the difficulty of the song.
* Internet Ranking will give you a password if you have no memory card. If
you have one, it saves to the memory card. The game won't give you one if
you aren't good enough. (see the memory card info below)
* How does paint data load? To my knowledge, it doesn't...
* You can create edit data for any song in 4th MIX or 4th MIX Plus by editing
a saved edit data set from 4th MIX manually. 4th MIX has unique checksums,
like 3rd MIX did, so you can't just use 3rd MIX saves. By editing it
manually you could make edit data for, say, Drop Out!
* Exactly ¬ of the time, Emi has no hat.
Since the 4th MIX memory card feature is so damn confusing (and annoying -
Konami, why is there no arcade records anymore?), I'll save everyone the
confusion and tell you all here how to use the memory card on 4th MIX!
(Note: The machine constantly loads from the memory card slot to check a
memory card is still there or still not there.)
1. Save some data from DDR 3rd MIX on PSX to your memory card. Anything at
all.
2. Take it to the arcade and shove it in the 4th MIX machine. The game will
default to link mode with the memory card in it, as only this mode uses
it (damn! You can't play for Records anymore!). Play anything in Link mode
and um...I think you're not allowed to get Game Over, either. It'll load
the memory card then briefly save to it once and only once. For now, the
only purpose the memory card has is for edit data. It's okay if you
insert the cards on the mode select screen (link/main mode, that is) - it
doesn't load until you select single, versus or double.
3. Take it back home and shove it in your PSX. Go to Options, then Memory
Card Option(s), Then Create Link Data. Also note it's added some info
in Information - this just tells you to do what I just told you to do.
Note that even though you could unlock Create Link Data with a Gameshark
code, it wouldn't work alone - it appears that the arcade machine does
something else to the saves too. Probably some kind of 'flag'.
4. Take it back to the arcade again. And do something there. Anything should
work, as long as it's in Link Mode. After the game ends, it'll save for
a while, load for a few seconds, then save for another second or so.
It's then safe to remove the memory card. It SHOULD save all Internet
Ranking scores, but it doesn't seem to for me...
5. Take it back home and shove it in the PSX and now you can make Nonstop
courses! For me, the 'Create Link Data' option appeared as 'NEW!' again,
as well as the same page in information, however in the information page
it said some info about what to do with your newfound data, which is all
about the Nonstop feature. It mentions the number 136, which I assume is
the total number of songs in 4th MIX...also, with edit data, you can use
both memory card slots for a 1 player game, however, Nonstop order only
works with one memory card per player.
6. Take it back to the arcade and shove it up the machine again. I'm in a
very shoving mood today. You can now play Nonstop stuff, at the expense
of 3 days and travel costs!
7. Whenever you do an Internet Ranking game, and you get an A on a song or
an otherwise high score, the game will save the IR password to your card
at the end of the game, along with the date, score and mode
(single/double). This is view in the Information menu under Link Data. I
don't know what Records does - it has some requirement that I don't know
about. However, to get an Internet Ranking password/save, you require
approximately 80% of the maximum _SCORE_. This means if you break the
combo up, do it near the beginning or near the end! There is no mimimum
score like 100 million for each song. It's about 80% of the maximum per
song. (on some of the easier songs you won't get near 100 million if you
get all perfects even)
NOTE! To get all the songs for Nonstop Data, you have to play in link mode
for a while. The more songs you do, the more that becomes available (no,
it's not do each song and you get it; more like play once and get 30 or
something big like that)
The Pocketstation can be used to bypass most of these steps with the use
of some software. The most up to date version of this software can be found
at www.nissie.com in the 'PK Room' link. A similar program exists for 3rd
MIX, but I don't have software for it nor can I test it because there's no
3rd MIX Japanese machines for 50km! The convenience of having this means
you can set your order at the arcade without having to go home - not to
mention you probably don't need to play the game repeated times to get all
the songs.
All that's required to use this Nonstop Order Editor is the Pocketstation,
and both saves for 3rd MIX (or 4th MIX?) and the link data on the
Pocketstation. The menus are in English, but the Pocketstation isn't. See the
Pocketstaiton guide in this FAQ for info!
2.35 Dance Dance Revolution 4th MIX Operator Settings
-----------------------------------------------------
An arcade operator or someone else with access to the settings menu (which
is basically software dip-switch settings) can reconfigure the game, as
well as other things. To access this menu, open up the operator box above the
coin box (the coin slot is built into the box you want). There's a service
button inside here which activates the menu. Make sure you don't push the
coin trigger by mistake! (note I haven't actually seen or done this myself,
but it's a common arcade game schematic) A large amount of this info has
been contributed by Dvae Van Horn, so thank you very much for that!
I know from the bootup sequence that the game HAS got a CD/CD-ROM in it,
and I also know this from upgrade kits, however I'm fairly certain it's just
used to store data en masse...DDR takes about 3-5 minutes to initialize,
and the music never skips...one section uses the traditional Konami countdown
sort of (first used in Gradius probably because it stored on a tape drive or
something). Except the game counts UP, and not to 99, but to about 160 or
something.
Main Menu
I/O Check
- Controller check. Allows operator to manually check all 4 directions
on both sides, the select buttons, the start buttons, the coin1
trigger, and the test and service mode buttons (which probably work
if you got into this:P). Note the directional buttons have 4 sensors each
in them, so when checking the buttons, check all the sensors work (one on
each side). It will display if they do or not on screen. Like most arcade
machines, especially ones without joysticks, this is probably the screen
you'll be looking at most.
NOTE: Solo machines have only 2 sensors per panel. Normal machines
definately have 4. If a left/right panel has the left/right sensor broken
(the outside one), don't worry about it unless if you need it for double.
There is also a slight delay between the steps and the screen update -
this is immediately obvious if you test the selection buttons! Pressing
both start buttons exits this menu.
Screen Check
- The generic screen alignment hash pattern test which is in all Konami
games. I thought it was identical, but in actual fact it's SLIGHTLY more
fancy than the generic Konami one. Braaaaaaaavooooooo!
* Also note that the test button should act as a degausser in case you get
screen burn. This feature works on Solo and Normal machines, but not in
all models. It is present in 3rd MIX machines and onwards, as well as
perhaps older ones. Very useful!
Color Check
- Displays a RGB color palette to allow operator to check for monitor
malfunction (manually).
Flash ROM Check
- Checks to see if Flash ROM is available and/or corrupt. See Memory Card
Options for related options and information. (Flash ROM is similar to
RAM; a user can write to it. In DDR, edit data is stored on it)
Dip Switch Check
- Reports status of all hardware dip switch settings. (dip switches are
a series of switches on a PCB which are set to on/off, and their positions
can define some essential options such as reigon, control type, etc) If
it's possible to access (and safefly at that) the dipswitches while in
this menu, you could check their effects in realtime.
CG Check
- Displays two texture mapped 3D rotating cubes.
Memory Card Options
Game Options
Difficulty Level [def. 4]
- 1 (Easiest) to 8 (Hardest)
Max Stage [def. 3]
- Number of stages in main game (1 to 5)
Max Stage(Nonstop) [def. 4]
- Number of stages in nonstop game (2 to 5)
Clear Player's Tendency
- Resets the songs in the "Player's Best" category, which is generated
from the 30 most popular songs (20 of which must be new songs, the
other 10 are from previous DDRs). Songs picked in Internet Ranking/
Link mode do not accumulate in this counter.
Sound Options
Atrract Mode Sound [def on]
- Disables/enables sound on demo screens.
Sound Scale Check
- Runs a sound scale through the speakers.
Stereo/Mono [def Stereo/Stereo Only]
- On some machines appears to be locked to Stereo (Solo machines?)
Coin Options
Free Play [def. off]
- Allows game to be played for free. Enabling this disables the other
two options (on/off)
Coin Slot1 [def. 2 coin/1 credit]
- Defines how many coins it takes to get how many credits.
(16 coin/1 credit - 1 coin/1 credit - 1 coin/4 credit)
Joint Game Premium [def. off]
- Allows two players to play for the same price as one and get the same
number of stages. Also affects double mode.
- Not present on Solo machines
Bookkeeping
- Records the income the machine has generated on a day by day basis. Resets
when the machine is turned off.
Lamp Check
- Tests the 4 lamps up the top, the neon tubes in the bass speakers, the
stage lights and the select/start button lights.
All Factory Settings
- Restores all settings to what they were when manufactured (ie, default).
Game Mode
- Returns to the game itself (exit menu).
Memory Card Options
Memory Card Check
- Checks if a memory card is present in the 1P slot, and if it's
correctly formatted.
Flash Card Check
- Checks for a flash card. Probably also checks if it works.
Use Memory Card [def off?]
- Does the game check if a Memory Card is in? (This should be turned
off if the cabinet has no slot for it! Probably set off by default
because of this)
Use Flash Card [def on]
- Enables any edit data stored to the Flash Card.
Store Edit Data
- Stores edit data from the 1P memory card slot (if a card is
inserted) to the machine. If it has trouble detecting it, it
will request if you wish to try again (def no). Press any of the
2P start/select buttons to change to yes and keep hammering
1P start until it accepts, because it's a bit dodgy. After it's
loaded, it's as simple as highlighting your edit data and pressing
start. Wait 3 seconds for it to work...you can store up to 8
edits per song, however I have never seen more than 4. WARNING:
Do not save any over existing Konami edit names (eg PF-PARAS for
Paranoia MAX). It will load that one instead of the real one
when selected! This can be a very evil trick to play on people
though!
Delete Edit Data
- Deletes any edit data on the Flash Card. Allows you to select what
to delete. All edit data is categorized by song. You are asked
for confirmation as well.
Clear Edit Data
- Erases all edit data on the Flash Card.
Factory Setting
- Resets everything to default.
Save And Exit
Exit
- Cancel changes.
Edit steps can take up as little as 8kb each, so it's unlikely
the machine will ever fill up. The machine only scans the memory card in slot
1. If you go to 'Add Memory card' (or something like that) another menu
will come up displaying the songs, the data's name, and if it's single or
double. The rest is pretty easy to figure out.
(Note that you seem to need some kind of memory plugin to save data, and the
machine might not be standardly sold with it)
The secrets menu allows you to unlock the following songs:
- If You Were Here ~B4 Za Beat Mix~
- Dam Dariam (KCP Mix)
- Hero (Happy Grandale Mix)
- Let's Talk It Over
- Leading Cyber
- .59
- Holic
- Era (nostalmix)
- Never Let You Down
- Make Your Move
- Don't Stop! ~AMD 2nd MIX~
- Get Me In Your Sight ~AMD Cancun MIX~
You will require a password - I used to provide it here, but I've since
been informed that Konami require some sort of fee for this. If you want to
know it, it's on heaps of websites so it's not hard to find. But don't ask
me for it cos' I haven't got a clue what it is...that's why I wrote it here,
see! The codes are not on Konami's site, therefore they are not here.
2.4 Dance Dance Revolution 5th MIX
----------------------------------
Finally our arcade got the machine so I've gotten a decent look/play at 5th
MIX. Here are the changes:
* Many songs from 1st MIX-3rd MIX Plus are gone, only about 15 remain. A poll
was taken to decide which ones would stay - Dynamite Rave came first, and
thus became one of the long versions of the songs. (Dam Dariam came second)
* Higher framerate due to no transparencies or similar tricks used - note
that the 'Demonstration' screen which has 'Demonstration' blinking with
transparancies has a nasty mysterious black bar down the bottom. Thus, 95%
of the old images used transparently are gone. The game is NOT in high
resolution contrary to popular belief...
* You cannot select Double mode or Versus mode on one credit anymore. This
might be an option in the settings menu...
* Rankings are changed once again. It is now like 2nd MIX in a way - D-A
means you missed a step or more, AA means you max combo'd the song. AAA
means you missed no steps and got all perfects.
* Songs are all in one category, and can be sorted. You only have 17 seconds
to choose a song, but if you change song intermittantly before the timer
can count down, you can get a lot longer out of it!
* Song order can be rearranged by holding down the selection arrows (< and >)
and pressing start ([]). The top left corner displays the sort method.
* The Beats Per Minute (BPM) is displayed next to the song sort method as
mentioned above. If it is red and changes, the song changes speed during
the song. It does not appear to indicate if it stops. If it is red, it will
change through the maximum and middle speeds, and NOT speeds in between!
* Easy songs (1-2 foot Basic) are marked with a yellow and green icon. This
I believed is a Japanese Learners Permit or similar icon indicating a
Learner Driver (as seen in Gran Turismo 2 when you import a Gran Turismo 1
save).
* High scores are saved to the machine once again. Unfortunately there is
no Nonstop mode or anything, meaning you could do Matsuri Japan over and
over and get the highest score simply by being good at one song.
* Scoring is now done in a manner similar to 3rd MIX and 2nd/4th MIX:
there is a maximum overall score, not a multiplier based on combo. However
the maximum score is different for each song (not 10 million like 3rd MIX).
If you missed a step in the middle of a hard song and max comboed it, you
would get more points than if you max comboed an easy song. The Max Combo
is given as a bonus - Kupster@RTF thinks this bonus is based on the length
of time that your energy bar was full for the song. This theory has yet to
be proven or disproven.
* Scores and ranking can be saved to memory card like 3rd MIX. Kupster@RTF
points out that the high scores will save an A over an AA if the _score_
is better, not grade. If scores do not save, see bugs below. When you get
a new score, it flashes "It's new record!" (sic) in your bottom corner.
Your current score and rank are displayed in the bottom left corner and
next to the song title respectively. The first player's score is green/blue
and the second player's is orange.
* You can save your initials to memory card so the game automatically inputs
them for you.
* The memory card has to be inserted before game mode is selected.
* Saint Goes Marching (Remix) has been removed.
* An event mode is concealed in the Operator Settings and cannot be selected
unless if you do something... (I won't tell you how to get it so there! It
is a secret, I'm afraid!)
* Only one code for hidden songs was released this time, however it is not
private and is freely available on Konami's website!
BUGS:
* 5th MIX songs in Extra MIX have slightly different timing to the arcade
counterparts and are 1-2 bars early. This is unnoticable unless you make
edit data, which will be massively desynched in the arcade. This bug does
not affect 4th MIX Plus songs, but may affect Wild Rush as an identical
bug was present in 4th MIX/Extra MIX for this song. In 5th MIX though,
this appears to be little more than a method of making you want to buy the
PSX version of 5th MIX when it comes out! Here is an up to date list of
songs, and how much slower they are on the arcade. Move the song steps up
this much to fix them.
Broken My Heart - 1 bar/s slow
Dive - 1 bar/s slow
Remember You - 1 bar/s slow
Sky High (Lucyfer) - 2 bar/s fast
Wild Rush - 1 bar/s slow
Regarding Sky High, on the PSX the arrows start as soon as the music does,
but in arcade they start a little later.
* THE FIRST TIME YOU PLAY WITH A MEMORY CARD, DO NOT REMOVE THE MEMORY CARD
UNTIL YOU ARE CERTAIN IT IS DONE SAVING! The game saves the song list to
memory card, and if you remove it, not all songs will record names and
thus you cannot get scores for them! If this happens, you must wipe the
save. This may also screw up your automatic initials.
* On Double Mode, instead of displaying 'STAGE FINAL' up the top during play
it displays 'STAGE FIN'. This is just a programming bug and does not affect
gameplay.
2.5 DDRMAX
----------
Also known as Dance Dance Revolution 6th MIX, but this title is probably
incorrect. DDRMAX is an overhaul of the DDR series, like Beatmania IIdx did
when it introduced the 7 keys to Beatmania's 5 (or Beatmania III's 5 and 1
pedal - which makes it Finger Drummania!). DDRMAX introduces the following
gameplay changes (a question mark indicates this is _suspected_, not known):
* Selectable arrow scroll speed
* Optional speed boost for song (?)
* The Freeze arrow: Similar to ParaPara Paradise and Keyboardmania, it
requires you hold down the arrow until it stops!
* Similar to DDR 2nd MIX, harder songs are only playable if you do well
earlier on
* Option to make arrows scroll down instead of up (like DDR Solo)
* An Extra stage a-la Drummania and Guitar Freaks - do well enough (machine
difficulty dependent) and you get an extr
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