DDR questions

[chadtower]

I'd like to buy my wife a DDR setup for ps1 for xmas. What are the issues with the pads? Is it worth spending a few more bucks and getting a hard plastic one like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4303

Is this a two player simultaneous game? Would I need or want a second pad? Will any of the pads have problems on a concrete floor? My wife loves dance aerobics and this is also likely a game genre she can whoop my ass in, so it looks like a solid gift.

[Luna]

DDR can either be played by a single player on one pad, single player on two pads (I don't know how they do it sometimes), or two player on two pads. From what you say, it sounds like you want to play the two player mode which will require you to get two pads. It's always more fun to make a fool out of yourself when someone else is doing it too.

I am nowhere near an expert on the pads however I do know that the hard pads tend to last longer than the soft ones. You have to be careful though, with the hard pads you can crack the plates and such. There are a lot of places you can go that will tell you how to mod certain pads to make them last longer.

Aside from saying that the most reputable maker of the hard pads is Cobalt Flux (http://www.cobaltflux.com), I'll leave the discussion on pads to those who are more informed than I. CFs are a pretty penny though.

And might I say your wife is mighty lucky. Especially if you go with the CFs.

[Anonymous]

A concrete floor is great except that it will be hell on your shins until you're good enough to properly balance yourself. The soft pads will be fine for awhile, but once you start learning how to do half steps really well, and start hitting some of the harder Standard songs, you'll find that the pads will begin bunching up on you, or the sensing will 'drift' towards the center. There are a couple of easy mods, such as the 'chair mat mod' you can find at www.ddrfreak.net which might work out if you get really into it.

Absolutely without a doubt buy two pads.

[Kroogah]

Soft pads are fine when you're starting out, as Fluke said. And if you're playing on a carpetless floor, duct tape or packaging tape solves the bunching-up problem. That is, if you have a dedicated game area (or you just don't mind having 2 DDR pads on the floor in front of the TV all the time ^^)

It'd be best to start with a couple cheap pads, and if your wife becomes a die-hard fan (or maybe you, you never know ^_^) then drop the big bucks on a Cobalt Flux or something.

[chadtower]

Absolutely without a doubt buy two pads.

Cool. Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll buy a package with DDR Konamix and two regular pads, then if we play it a lot I'll pick up better pads. That seems like a solid plan.

[Chunky]

he had mushy carpet int the game room so i stapled the cheapo game pad to 1" plywoodand cut it out to mak eit look nice. Then we moved this game to the big basement TV, and it's all tiled. We put glues 1/4" carpet padding to the bottom of the wood and 1/8" foarm to the back of the pad and restapled it. works wonders in shoes or socks, no rips yet.

[davidbrit2]

I would highly recommend you check the local game shops and look for the new Konami mats. They are some of the best soft mats available. In fact, I can clear Sakura Heavy easily on one of them, and it's a level 10 song. At only $30, those are probably your best choice.

[chadtower]

This is what I grabbed:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ory=21185&rd=1

[Kroogah]

Not a bad price at all. Looks like the Konami mats....

DDR Konamix is cool, not too many beginner songs though. DDR rates song difficulties by foot....on a 1 to 10 scale (on Konamix it's only 1 to 9) and Konamix has 2 1-foot songs, 1 2-foot song, and a ton of 3-foot songs.

Fortunately, at least there's Lesson Mode.

[davidbrit2]

Yes, definitely go through Lesson mode in its entirety, mimicking the example exactly. It helps a LOT.

[chadtower]

DDR Konamix is cool, not too many beginner songs though. DDR rates song difficulties by foot....on a 1 to 10 scale (on Konamix it's only 1 to 9) and Konamix has 2 1-foot songs, 1 2-foot song, and a ton of 3-foot songs.

Well, since I don't have a PS2 and don't plan on getting one any time soon, this was the only game available... or are there others I don't know about?

[Luna]

The original Dance Dance Revolution and Dance Dance Revolution - Disney Mix are both for PSX.

Also, I don't know if you have an Xbox or not, but they are releasing a DDR Ultra Mix for the Xbox in a couple days. All you would need to do in get controller converters and you should be able to use the mats you just bought with your Xbox.

[davidbrit2]

I highly recommend the original US PSX DDR. It's got classic songs from 1st through 3rd Mix. Boom Boom Dollar rules.

[chadtower]

I'll check out those other games. I actually don't have any current system. The newest system I have is the Dreamcast and I don't think I've played that more than 10 minutes total.

[devilman]

I've been trying to teach Han Solo to DDR but to no avail

[sisko]

There are 3 official US PSX DDR games

DDR
DDR Konamix
Disney Mix

However there are also really bad clones as well

Dance Dance Superstar is the only one I can think of at the moment.

I would advise against getting that pad. It is notorious for being extremely loud and having poor responsiveness.

Your best bet is to get a soft pad and decide if you like it. If you do, upgrade and get the Cobalt Flux metal pad (very expensive, but worth it). Everything in between is just crap. You will likely blow $80-$200 on a hard pad that will break in 3 forms or 4 others in the first 6 months. Trust me on this one, I've logged dozens of hours researching these things.

[Scoots]

There is the homebrew, Feet of Fury, available for the Dreamcast.

[chadtower]

There is the homebrew, Feet of Fury, available for the Dreamcast.

Yeah, but I wasn't looking for a DC game. Is there an adapter available that would allow me to use those pads on a DC?

[Scoots]

There is the homebrew, Feet of Fury, available for the Dreamcast.

Yeah, but I wasn't looking for a DC game. Is there an adapter available that would allow me to use those pads on a DC?

Consider that others reading the thread may be interested, and you did specifically mention that the DC is the other "current system" you own.

Yes, I believe you can use PS pads on a DC with an adapter. Check the Goat Store (www.goatstore.com).

[Luna]

Sure! It would just take a regular DC/playtstation adapter.

You should be able to pick one up from ebay. There may be cheaper alternatives though.