As a an older stepchart artist that made several hundred charts from 2005 - 2015, I didn't know the names of some of these despite not seeing any actual new patterns. The jargon is real =D
These are extremely helpful videos, Vincent! I'm a returning player from the 2003-2007 era, and getting into modern ITG is unforgiving for returning players to say the least, much less new players! Something else I would love to see, whether it's by you or another community leader (but YOU are a fantastic teacher!), is how to set up Stepmania for modern ITG. From downloading and configuring SM5, to finding good a good metal pad/cab to set up for SM, all the way to getting Groovestats integrated into themes like SL or WF. I've used Stepmania since 2003, and even I had (have!) trouble figuring out what the go-to themes are, where to get them, and the best (or at least standard) ways to set them up. Keep making awesome content! It feels like ITG/DDR is coming back in the states!
Mind = blown. I was clueless how advanced ITG tech had become, and no way I would've worked out many of these notations on my own. I'm glad I won't have to go around guessing next time I find myself playing tech. Haha Thanks, man!
I've just started dipping my toes into ITG/Tech recently after getting an SMX a few weeks ago. This video is a huge help to me, and I really appreciate it!
An update: using this notation primer has helped me find some good charts to practice tech I’m unfamiliar with (such as footswitches) and I’m already noticeably improving! Thanks again!
This is the most insightful video for ITG players I think there's ever been made. Definitely saving this for use in making my packs stronger. Thanks, Vincent! :)
There's also a term "doublecross" that is used for crossover patterns that feature "switched" feet (left foot on R and right foot on R at roughly the same/consecutive time), this includes afronovas. Also there are 270s which are patterns like RDLULDR that are extremely turn-heavy. Other than that, I don't think I've seen a more helpful and well-made ITG video. Huge props!
Thanks very much for making this! My arcade friend sent me a link here and I just learned SO much. I love that you gave examples of everything from real charts too
WOW I did the """wadat""" thing with rolls like a decade before it ever existed in DDR or omeed simfiles, where's the credit for my We Met Dat Night chart???? #r00d #LearnStepchartHistory #JonxNumberOne #LordeOfStepmania #IdiotAwardWinnerOfECFA -Jonx #1 (AMAZING!!!)
Thanks Vincent! This was really helpful~ I'm not quite at upper level tech yet but I have seen a few in my lower level stamina. It might be fun if you did full chart analysis and examples on historical community favorite charts which might help show why people love(hate) them. You mentioned in the video to study charts before hand, do you do that by just letting the chart run on ITG or do you open the chart in a stepping program and actually analyze?
Doing individual chart analysis sounds like a great idea! My original plan was to focus on single moments in charts rather than doing full charts just to keep the videos a bit more concise. As far as studying charts beforehand, my preferred way is to sightread it on pad, then play it again to see if I can work out the kinks. If anything proves to be difficult still then at that point I would consider either watching videos, going through an editor, or just playing it more.
Thanks a lot for this! I got SMX recently and was completely confused by the wild level charts (which seem to be aimed at ITG players). The slow motion videos of you hitting the patterns is going to be super helpful to get over that hump in difficulty! Out of curiosity, are flams like gallops (so deep, Matsuri Japan) but with a smaller gap between the arrows?
maybe i'm just too much of a noob, but i've never seen someone play in the middle/center of the pad like that! is there an advantage to playing that way? i didn't realize pads even had enough sensitivity to register that tbh (EDIT) OH THEY'RE CALLED BRACKETS BECAUSE YOU'RE STANDING ON THE PHYSICAL BRACKETS ON THE PAD
Playing with the inner sensors has a lot of advantages. It's less travel time so you can move faster, it's more efficient so you can conserve energy, and also it's more consistent because you're aiming for the same part of the panel every time and contacting the sensor directly.
@@VincentITG los tiempos que tienen los holds son tan alto que puedes soltar antes y aun asi marcara el hold completo, como en la ddr, no es como en pump it up que lo sueltas y rapidamente comienza a contar los miss
@@christianhernandezortega4675 You can play it however you want but it was intended to be played as doublesteps. But don’t say that it’s not a doublestep just because you do it differently.
Can you include links to the simfiles for the charts shown in the vid? great explanations, cleared some weird ones like side switches and when to jack/footswitch up for me!
How would you mark something like stream+tech (ex. crossover stream or bracket stream)? Also, out of curiousity, any specific markings for drills, as well as really dumb gimmick charts (mine spam, stop charts, fake arrows, think PIU mission zone levels of dumb)?
I think the current decision is to mark them separately (XO, STR) rather than together (XO+STR). Drills are accepted as "DR". There are no hard rules on this though, so if you feel like combining notations works better you should go for it. :) As far as gimmick things are concerned, ECFA 2021 had a "Gimmick" scale that went from "None", "Light", "Medium", and "Heavy" though it was only available on the ECFA 2021 version of Waterfall. I think this another case where it wouldn't hurt to put "Light Gimmicks" or something similar in the notations, or even better in the subtitle. I don't think marking the specific kind of gimmick is necessary, people can find out the hard way. :)
This is ridiculous, but what shoes do you wear? I know it wont make me better at the game, but for some reason they seem like what I want out of an ITG shoe, so I'm just curious.
Altra Adams. Long discontinued. I actually don’t use them anymore because they don’t provide enough support, but with an insole they can feel pretty good.
Just getting into ITG again since 2011. I can't do cross overs anymore and am getting S scores on 8 hands. Those different foot single notes look hard. Are there any good song packs to practice these on that aren't 10 experts?
I’m curious if there’s any kind of song pack that is designed to help train someone on a specific type of tech skill. Similar to how fighting games have training modes with character specific combo execution trials
It sounds like it's time to put skill-specific lists together to cover that! The stamina community is huge and has cultivated a lot of content for focusing on playing streams. My recommendation for now is to pick up song packs from the bigger tournament series (DDR Storm 2019, Rumble in the Prairie 11.5, and Raj 6) and play everything out of those packs.
![An Introduction to Brackets: In The Groove [ITG] Tutorial](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PPFhR9uNyxE/mqdefault.jpg)
![An Introduction to Brackets: In The Groove [ITG] Tutorial](/img/tr.png)
As a an older stepchart artist that made several hundred charts from 2005 - 2015, I didn't know the names of some of these despite not seeing any actual new patterns. The jargon is real =D
Muchas gracias por las canciones, saludos
These are extremely helpful videos, Vincent! I'm a returning player from the 2003-2007 era, and getting into modern ITG is unforgiving for returning players to say the least, much less new players! Something else I would love to see, whether it's by you or another community leader (but YOU are a fantastic teacher!), is how to set up Stepmania for modern ITG. From downloading and configuring SM5, to finding good a good metal pad/cab to set up for SM, all the way to getting Groovestats integrated into themes like SL or WF. I've used Stepmania since 2003, and even I had (have!) trouble figuring out what the go-to themes are, where to get them, and the best (or at least standard) ways to set them up.
Keep making awesome content! It feels like ITG/DDR is coming back in the states!
Very informative not only for players who want to try playing tech, but also for people wanting to try their hand at charting tech!
Mind = blown. I was clueless how advanced ITG tech had become, and no way I would've worked out many of these notations on my own. I'm glad I won't have to go around guessing next time I find myself playing tech. Haha Thanks, man!
I've just started dipping my toes into ITG/Tech recently after getting an SMX a few weeks ago. This video is a huge help to me, and I really appreciate it!
An update: using this notation primer has helped me find some good charts to practice tech I’m unfamiliar with (such as footswitches) and I’m already noticeably improving! Thanks again!
Any tips on how to play ITG tech from home? I have stepamnia but would like to replicate an ITG theme and get good charts for the occasion 😅 Thankz
Before you'd even gotten into the notations, you've got my attention. Great teacher. Thanks for this video!
never knew what roundsteps were until your explanation! thanks a ton
This is the most insightful video for ITG players I think there's ever been made. Definitely saving this for use in making my packs stronger. Thanks, Vincent! :)
There's also a term "doublecross" that is used for crossover patterns that feature "switched" feet (left foot on R and right foot on R at roughly the same/consecutive time), this includes afronovas.
Also there are 270s which are patterns like RDLULDR that are extremely turn-heavy.
Other than that, I don't think I've seen a more helpful and well-made ITG video. Huge props!
Thanks very much for making this! My arcade friend sent me a link here and I just learned SO much. I love that you gave examples of everything from real charts too
I love it! This makes me feel more inspired to be a tech player and explore all these packs
This was a great breakdown for tech notation, thank you for this video!
13:05 so satisfying!
This is... Exactly what I was looking for! I wanna introduce my friend to tech and this is the perfect guide!
Thanks! this is very informative. Thanks for slowing the video down so that I can see the exact movements too.
Very well presented. Thank you! It would have taken me a while to grok some of those trickier sight reads.
Excellent video!
Great info, tnx :)
This is good and you should feel good.
WOW I did the """wadat""" thing with rolls like a decade before it ever existed in DDR or omeed simfiles, where's the credit for my We Met Dat Night chart???? #r00d #LearnStepchartHistory #JonxNumberOne #LordeOfStepmania #IdiotAwardWinnerOfECFA -Jonx #1 (AMAZING!!!)
Pump Primers
Man, this is too hard. I think I'll just stick to stamina :/
you didn’t even watch the full video I bet
Thanks Vincent! This was really helpful~ I'm not quite at upper level tech yet but I have seen a few in my lower level stamina. It might be fun if you did full chart analysis and examples on historical community favorite charts which might help show why people love(hate) them. You mentioned in the video to study charts before hand, do you do that by just letting the chart run on ITG or do you open the chart in a stepping program and actually analyze?
Doing individual chart analysis sounds like a great idea! My original plan was to focus on single moments in charts rather than doing full charts just to keep the videos a bit more concise.
As far as studying charts beforehand, my preferred way is to sightread it on pad, then play it again to see if I can work out the kinks. If anything proves to be difficult still then at that point I would consider either watching videos, going through an editor, or just playing it more.
thanks, I'm a ddr main uninterested in itg but this video definitely helps
Where do step artists usually list the tech notations?
Video: "Roundsteps are steps that you round"
Me: gee thanks vincent, what the hell is rounding
Steps: are rounded
Me: Oh, it's jazz squares
17:18 i play etterna and i do it all the time.. literally have calculator opened when playing lol
Thanks a lot for this! I got SMX recently and was completely confused by the wild level charts (which seem to be aimed at ITG players). The slow motion videos of you hitting the patterns is going to be super helpful to get over that hump in difficulty!
Out of curiosity, are flams like gallops (so deep, Matsuri Japan) but with a smaller gap between the arrows?
WHICH PEN IS THAT I CANT FIND IT ANYWHERE
maybe i'm just too much of a noob, but i've never seen someone play in the middle/center of the pad like that! is there an advantage to playing that way? i didn't realize pads even had enough sensitivity to register that tbh
(EDIT) OH THEY'RE CALLED BRACKETS BECAUSE YOU'RE STANDING ON THE PHYSICAL BRACKETS ON THE PAD
Playing with the inner sensors has a lot of advantages. It's less travel time so you can move faster, it's more efficient so you can conserve energy, and also it's more consistent because you're aiming for the same part of the panel every time and contacting the sensor directly.
wat is a wide boi [WB] ?
Is flam just a synonym for gallop?
@@GibbousTT No, the spacing for a gallop is much wider. Flams are way tighter.
xepher no es doble step, es un cmbio que te exige quedar mirando (en relacion a los pies) de espalda a la maquina y luego volver a mirar al frente
This is completely wrong, Xepher is forced doublesteps with the holds.
@@VincentITG los tiempos que tienen los holds son tan alto que puedes soltar antes y aun asi marcara el hold completo, como en la ddr, no es como en pump it up que lo sueltas y rapidamente comienza a contar los miss
@@christianhernandezortega4675 You can play it however you want but it was intended to be played as doublesteps. But don’t say that it’s not a doublestep just because you do it differently.
@@VincentITG ok
Can you include links to the simfiles for the charts shown in the vid? great explanations, cleared some weird ones like side switches and when to jack/footswitch up for me!
should be in the description!
@@VincentITG found it, thanks hahahaha I should have looked harder
How would you mark something like stream+tech (ex. crossover stream or bracket stream)? Also, out of curiousity, any specific markings for drills, as well as really dumb gimmick charts (mine spam, stop charts, fake arrows, think PIU mission zone levels of dumb)?
I think the current decision is to mark them separately (XO, STR) rather than together (XO+STR). Drills are accepted as "DR". There are no hard rules on this though, so if you feel like combining notations works better you should go for it. :)
As far as gimmick things are concerned, ECFA 2021 had a "Gimmick" scale that went from "None", "Light", "Medium", and "Heavy" though it was only available on the ECFA 2021 version of Waterfall. I think this another case where it wouldn't hurt to put "Light Gimmicks" or something similar in the notations, or even better in the subtitle. I don't think marking the specific kind of gimmick is necessary, people can find out the hard way. :)
This is ridiculous, but what shoes do you wear? I know it wont make me better at the game, but for some reason they seem like what I want out of an ITG shoe, so I'm just curious.
In this video Altra Adams but for the last few years Mizuno Wave Universe 4.
Thank you for the reply! Maybe when it’s time to change what I have (mine are no longer made) I’ll try those (if they’re still made).
what are those shoes man. im looking for a pair of sticky shoes and yours seem to do the trick
Altra Adams. Long discontinued. I actually don’t use them anymore because they don’t provide enough support, but with an insole they can feel pretty good.
Just getting into ITG again since 2011. I can't do cross overs anymore and am getting S scores on 8 hands. Those different foot single notes look hard. Are there any good song packs to practice these on that aren't 10 experts?
I’m curious if there’s any kind of song pack that is designed to help train someone on a specific type of tech skill. Similar to how fighting games have training modes with character specific combo execution trials
It sounds like it's time to put skill-specific lists together to cover that!
The stamina community is huge and has cultivated a lot of content for focusing on playing streams.
My recommendation for now is to pick up song packs from the bigger tournament series (DDR Storm 2019, Rumble in the Prairie 11.5, and Raj 6) and play everything out of those packs.
foot switches could use more emphasis a whole video honestly I find them hard
What type of shoes are those?
Altra Adams, they're long discontinued though.
What does 128-192 mean?
Can't tell if that's Shihen (Novice) or a chart I should cmod.
Idk what ratemod you but fang banger on but it's pretty fuckin juice
Most slowdowns were around 0.75x, some of slowdowns for more technical footage was 0.50x.
dude what
My eyes instantly saw the arcade stick.