help me! I R B n00b!

[Ætheros]

I've been Playing DDR for 4 years now, and I play ITG as well. I fairly good and can play most 10 footers. I recent watched some PiU Tatsujins, and I am wanting to start playing PiU now. Where do I start? And PS2 versions (With pad) to recommend? Any advice for someone, who is such a n00b at PiU that i haven't even played once? HELP!

[Daniel]

There is only one version of PIU for PS2. Get that one. If you can do 10 footers I'm sure you will pick up nicely in PIU.

[Ætheros]

THX! and also, just for in the future, anyone know where I can get some sort or metal pad for PiU? And one that works for both DDR 4 panel, and PiU 5 Panel would be nice, but they probably don't exist.

[TheFlyingSquirrel]

One does. The Cobalt Flux. Remove the wooden prop in the middle panel and you can play Pump.

Uh huh huh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

Have fun.

[TougaKiryuu]

It's not that simple, you have to rewire the control box as well.

[Ætheros]

yeah... I'm not to into the idea of re-wiring, but i've heard alot of good things about the cobalt flux, so mebe if i get one, i can find out how to re-wire it to work for PiU! for now I'll just make it my mission to GET PiU first!

[cj iwakura]

Do you have an arcade with you? Because I think you should start there. Sight reading charts at home = not fun

But if the home version's your only option, then by all means, go for the PS2 version.

If you've never played PIU before, don't dive right into Crazy... get used to the setup first. Try some low-level Hards and see how you do. If you get a feel for the pads, then try some CZs and work up from there.

[Ætheros]

Originally Posted by cj iwakura

Do you have an arcade with you? Because I think you should start there. Sight reading charts at home = not fun

But if the home version's your only option, then by all means, go for the PS2 version.

If you've never played PIU before, don't dive right into Crazy... get used to the setup first. Try some low-level Hards and see how you do. If you get a feel for the pads, then try some CZs and work up from there.

No arcade within a few miles of here...

Since I've never played before, you're going to have to tell me what the hell you're talking about (and if you could compare PiU terms against DDR terms, that would be very helpful)!

[cj iwakura]

My bad, force of habit. :P

Hard is basically comparable to DDR's heavy. Lots of 8th note runs, occasionally some 16ths, and there's a few really tough ones that even reach the 11-12 scale in DDR terms(labeled as 14s-15s).

Crazy is basically like ITG's expert, loosely: expect to be stepping pretty much every major beat in the song. Expect triples, 16ths, maybe even 32nds. Crazy uses a different grading scale than Hard though, so don't except a 15 CZ to be as easy as a 15 HD or a 15 double(whole other story).

Very loosely, a 10 on DDR would maybe be like a 12 or a 13 on PIU. The toughest go into the 18-20 category, which can't really be graded on four arrow terms. 15s on ITG are arguably much worse, but they use a whole different system.

PIU also isn't as strict on grading, so it's a lot easier to pass crazier stuff. You can lose all your life and regain it, and still pass on any machine without auto-fail on.

[Ætheros]

So you think that since I can pass 10s and 11s on DDR/ITG i would be able to start out on Hard on PiU? mebe I'll try that once I get it. I'll probably check out the other easier modes as well if i need to, but untill i get it i could practise w/ the autogen steps for 'PUMP' on Stepmania, and turn autoplay on so i don't have to worry about having a pad! THX for the explaination too, and I suppose I'll learn more once i get it. soon hopefully! THX!

[valius]

I wouldn't recommend using autogen, since you shouldn't be getting used to playing DDR/ITG songs in PIU format! The place to visit for PIU simfiles is either PIUSM.com, although ph-online.net, the English board, can probably get you to other places for simfiles of official PIU songs, since those are much better for practicing.

One thing I'd like to note about the level explanations is that there is a LOT of disagreement for leveling (like IIDX) and some say things are overrated or underrated depending on what you excel at (some people are twist experts while others handle drills with ease). The level scale is supposed to be universal, in that a 15 on Hard WILL be as hard as a 15 on Crazy... there's one example in Love Is A Danger Zone 2 on Hard Mode, which is a 15, but comparable to Run! on Crazy Mode, which is also a 15. In essence...
Normal = Beginner,Light, and maybe Standard sometimes, Hard = Standard or Heavy depending on the song, rare instance, Challenge, Crazy = Oni/Challenge. In the newer arcade versions, there are Another stepcharts which can sometimes be even more difficult than the regular versions of the stepcharts.

If you're a 10-11 foot ITG player, you probably should work on the early 6s as warm-ups/getting used to the panel format. One of the things that PIU forces you to do as opposed to DDR/ITG is TWIST heavily. It's a good idea to build up some PIU basics, because, even if you have immense stamina, you'll likely be destroyed if you're not properly equipped to handle some of the tricky steps. A true test of how good your PIU basics are would be playing the song Pump Me Amadeus in Hard Mode (this will be on the PS2 version) or Moonlight in Hard Mode (this will be in either Zero or NX, the two newest mixes, but will not be on the PS2 version). I think, though, that once you get a solid grasp of the basic ways of destroying step formations, you'll be well on your way to trying out lvl 15+s.

And, as cj says, timing is looser on PIU, since the game is an emphasis on passing the song... not AAAing it (and considering how hard some of the stuff is...). If stage break is not on, you can still pass a song even when your lifebar is depleted... and you'll realize why this is a good thing... especially against fearsome songs you might meet later.

Anyway, for home versions, I recommend going for the PIU Exceed SE game for the US, since that probably has the best songlist of the two PS2 versions available (there's 1 that was Korean release... but that doesn't have as "new" a songlist). If you're having trouble finding a metal pad... a decent replacement softpad is the PIU Exceed pad you can buy from play-asia.com. It's way better than the softpad that comes with PIU Exceed SE for the US, and it's WAY better than any DDR softpad you'll run into. It's something to tide you until you can get a metal pad.

Hope an arcade near you gets PIU... PIU arcade versions now are going to be infinitely better than the home versions, considering how much more stuff you'll have to play. Otherwise... good luck, hope you get to play PIU soon.

[nightmare_jonh]

You must have play in the real machine
in your house is not funny
is most funny in a videogames center
and the pads are best than the pad
of the ps2 or X-box

[Ætheros]

Originally Posted by nightmare_jonh

You must have play in the real machine
in your house is not funny
is most funny in a videogames center
and the pads are best than the pad
of the ps2 or X-box

EDIT: sorry, I guess i didn't really think about that (read next post)

[June.H]

Originally Posted by diggit_6

WTF? Seriously, you should probably make sense when you talk, instead of just wasting a post on random nonsense. And my house is very funny.

That's because he/she doesn't speak English as a first language, so we'd appreciate it if you weren't rude to users who are unable to use proper English.

Thanks.

[Ætheros]

Originally Posted by Baka of the Orochi

That's because he/she doesn't speak English as a first language, so we'd appreciate it if you weren't rude to users who are unable to use proper English.

Thanks.

...oh, guess I didn't think about that.
sorry *apologizes*