(N)

This was written on the 16th, but didn’t post for some reason. :/

After 3 months of trying, I finally got the elusive AA score on Maximizer (beginner level).
Next ones to get AA on still are Ecstacy, Wild Rush, and V.
Someday I’ll get higher than a C on Legend of Max, but it’s going to be a while.

Scored an A on Maximizer with “Dark” and “Hidden” on. For those who don’t understand, those are two options that basically do the following:
“Dark” turns off the arrows in the “step zone”. These are the four arrows at the top of the game screen that pulse with the beat and let you know when you are supposed to be stepping as the arrows scroll up and intersect with them. Dark basically makes these invisible.
“Hidden” affects the scrolling arrows and makes them vanish half way up the screen.
Put the two together, and enjoy.

Also got a B on “Only You” standard level with those options

Got my Ignition 3.0 today via UPS. It’s basically a pad bought to make sure I have something that *works* to play on while I build my hard pad in the garage.

Well, “works” unfortunately is in question.

My steps are definitely better. Accuracy increased. And the feel of the pad is good. But, about 1 out of 100 times the Back arrow simply doesn’t register period. And this is on songs that I regularly get full combo on as I use them to exercise.

This is just not my month for Dance Pads. I sure hope the building of my own pad continues as well as it has been.

Well, I’ve heard a lot of accolades of the Blue Shark dance pads, however there seems to be a consistent number of them that are D.O.A. or have some sort of issue, and that, shocker, their customer service rivals that of Cobalt Flux.

So, CF is out the window, I wouldn’t give them a glass of water if they were in the fires of hell. Blue Shark is not an option because I’m not going to pay $400 and risk getting a dead dance pad.

So, what options does this leave?

Home brew.

And this is the route I am taking. I can’t cut straight with a saw, so I had someone else cut all the pieces as well as some other stuff. So far I have the down arrow sensor finished. In all honesty, it’ll be a miracle if this thing works. I totally suck at things like soldering and such. Still, it will be worth it if it does, and I have all the technical support and customer service I could possibly want for my product looking back at me from the mirror.

It’s almost like star wars or something where the Jedi have to build their own light-sabres. I guess you aren’t a true dance-master until you build your own pad. I’m just getting that out of the way early on.

I’ve heard glowing reviews about the Cobalt Flux dance pad for a couple months now.
I’m sure it’s a great pad, IF YOU CAN GET ONE.
I ordered on the 26th of June. I expected 4 weeks for delivery due to various reports.
Well, things started not looking right. So I called. “oh, we are having problems getting our control boxes in, but it should ship out last week of July”
Last week of July wanders by
I call first week of august. Ivory says “we are still waiting for the control boxes.” says the control boxes would be in on the 9th, and that my pad would ship on the 9th or the 10th.

August 9th rolls around. I call, being suspicious already. Ivory says “we got the control boxes in today, your pad will ship tomorrow or Monday”
Notice, the “ship on the 9th” vanished completely, and suddenly the 10th is in question

So, today, 2pm my time, I call and ask if there is a tracking number for it. Ivory says “I’m putting that together for you right now” and “yes, it should go out with our pickup today between 4 and 4:30″.

The tracking number she gave me is either bogus, or the product never got shipped. Either way, the dance pad, FOR THE THIRD TIME, has not been shipped out at the time she stated it would.
So, as of 5:30pm Mountain time (the time zone that CF is located in), I sent them an e-mail stating that they are to cancel the order, and that any charges made to my credit card would result in a chargeback. My card bank has been notified to expect the charges (I had asked them to block the charge but they can’t, oddly). I also told them that if they shipped the pad anyway, that I would refuse shipment, and that it would be their responsibility to get it back.

Their product may be stellar, but beyond that, they are clearly of the belief that if you lie to the customer enough, they will stop bothering you.

Yep. Still at it. Got a B today on “Only You” on Heavy. Have AA on a few standard songs now. Hard to list the songs anymore, as I’m playing between Super Nova, Extreme, and Extreme 2

Today was one of those days. Er.. yesterday was. Last night. whatever
Looking outside at 6am I see the full moon setting, so maybe that was part of it. Who knows.

Anyway, got up yesterday morning (for me this is about 11am) and decided to do some dancing, so I started up DDR Super Nova and had at it for about an hour.
It was good. Went and had a decent lunch afterwards, enjoyed the weather, etc.
Then later that evening I logged into Second Life, and started working on all the stuff I have to deal with in there. Sometime around 11:30pm I simply became overwhelmed with everything and logged out. I decided to go play DDR again. So, a couple minutes later, I’m dancing again.
Now, I like the Stellar Master Mode in Super Nova. It is challenging, but I enjoy the “showdowns” the best, because they aren’t just normal songs, they are almost like a type of puzzle. So I got kinda into it. 3.5 *hours* later I figured I should stop before my legs broke and fell off. Did pretty good though. Got a black flag (all perfects except for 1 great) on one song, so I now have 2 of those total. Still chasing the elusive AAA.
I think I picked up 4 or so “VIP Cards”. I finished the Showdown, and EX Showdown on Glow, Usuigu, Red Dolphin, Velocity, and the Showdown for Twin Hearts. I’m close to being able to take the EX Showdown on Twin Hearts, but the “get a full combo on one song” (where the song has to be at “difficult” level) is kicking my ass big time.

So far my legs still seem to be attached. will see what they feel like in 5 hours.

So, yesterdays work out lasted 15 minutes.

yeah, 15.

Because I thought “hey, I’ve got AA and A scores all over songs on light mode, lets try standard!”

6 songs later, most of them unfinished, I’m on the couch, unable to stand up because my calves hurt so bad.

I hope this is a temporary thing. Otherwise I’m gonna be stuck on Light Mode for a very very long time.

Ok. so on MAX2, I’ve had difficulty getting an AA score on some specific tracks on “light” level.

“Do it right” is one of them, and my favorite “Break Down” is another one.

Well, today I got sick of my eyes drifting up the screen and my attention being drawn to those silly blinking arrows at the top of the screen that determine how accurate things are. So, enter the wonder of DDR MAX2’s song mods, I turned them off.

I now have an AA on the two songs listed above, an A on several others, and a freakin B and a C on a few of the Standarnd mode songs.

guess it goes to show how much of a distraction those things are, and how much you can improve by listening to the beat.

Unlocked Afronova on DDR MAX2 today

Ho-lee shiat!!! 200bpm of pure fun. Given, that’s just the beginner level. I got an A, but then got a D on the “light” level. When I eventually get my Cobalt Flux pad, I’ll find out how much of my problems at the “light” and the “standard” levels really *is* due to pad drift. It really does seem that the higher the difficulty level, the more twisted and moved the pad is by the time I’m done with just one song.
But! I’m talented! I can reposition the pad during some beginner level songs.
*listens for the crowd to ooh and aaah, but hears only crickets*
:P @ y’all

Something I’m having issues with though on DDR MAX2 is that on a few of the songs, beginner level especially, I’ll score an AA on a song (example: the song “Will I”), and it will show as an AA in the scoring section. Full combo and all, then when it goes back to the song wheel for the next stage, it’s not updated and only shows an A. WTF?

A on Max Unlimited (beginner)
A on Afronova (beginner)
D on Afronova (light)
AA on Break Down (beginner)
A on Burning Heat (beginner) <– love this song.

The Island or the DancePad.

I’m definitely hoping the island. If LL takes til the end of the month to deliver an island, I’m going to be chatting with them on the phone.

It’ll show up eventually.

I wonder if I can get the dancepad to interface with my PC and use it to terraform…