New SM 4.0 CVS Intermediate Release.

[flamepanther]

Originally Posted by Quario

It is possible that SM could make up for this by adding a "warp" tool in the editor. Even though, previous .sm files would probably have to be re-coded to use this tech.

I think future stable releases of StepMania should include a "version" tag when saving SM files, so that future versions can emulate the behavior of older versions.

[eepiccolo]

Originally Posted by flamepanther

I think future stable releases of StepMania should include a "version" tag when saving SM files, so that future versions can emulate the behavior of older versions.

Has the .sm file format changed drastically so that this is actually necessary? If the only difference is not playing videos backwards, then I don't think so.

With "support" removed for playing videos backwards, there would be no way to emulate it, anyway.

[TheFlyingSquirrel]

But was there ever support for playing vids at negative speeds?

If there was, why are there like 50 vids that are simply vids played in reverse?

[flamepanther]

Originally Posted by eepiccolo

Has the .sm file format changed drastically so that this is actually necessary? If the only difference is not playing videos backwards, then I don't think so.

With "support" removed for playing videos backwards, there would be no way to emulate it, anyway.

That's not what I was talking about. I'm not using 4.0, but I've been hearing that the negative BPM "warp trick" doesn't work anymore. In 3.9, setting a BPM change to a negative number instantly skips all of the arrows in that file up until the point where the BPM changes back to a positive number and doesn't count any of the arrows in-between against your score. Some famous stepfiles, including songs from the Foonmix series used this trick. It can be used, for example, to make it appear that arrows suddenly transform into mines, or the other way around. Some songs would actually be unplayable without this "bug". There needs to be some way to make these steps work the way they intended. If SM kept track of its past quirks, then stamping a version number on all future simfiles will keep the simfiles from needing to be updated every time StepMania is updated.

[eepiccolo]

Oh, yes, I see, I thoroughly agree with that. Yes, I was mixing up negative video speed with negative tempo.

[laser123454321]

couldn't you just have a ridiculously high bpm for the in between parts?

[Wan]

Nope, Laser, since everything what's between the negative BPM section doesn't "count" as steps, and the effect itself is completely different.

[flamepanther]

Originally Posted by laser123454321

couldn't you just have a ridiculously high bpm for the in between parts?

If you did that, all the steps you missed or mines you hit would still count against you. The negative BPM warp literally erases them from the scoring system, even if they were onscreen before the warp.

[eepiccolo]

When arrows in a negative BPM section scroll by, is it at the absolute value of whatever the negative BMP value is? Or something else?

[flamepanther]

Originally Posted by eepiccolo

When arrows in a negative BPM section scroll by, is it at the absolute value of whatever the negative BMP value is? Or something else?

They don't scroll by at all. The change to negative BPM jumps you instantly to the start of the next positive BPM. Any arrows or mines that were scrolling your way when the BMP becomes negative instantly vanish. The arrows and mines after the negative section appear in the same instant the other arrows and mines vanished. Hence the "warp" nickname.

At least that's what I'm given to understand, and it's what's happened in every step file I've played that uses the trick.

[naoki1998]

it version sucks yet, i'll wait for the final one....