StepMania
StepMania is a free, open source, simulator of the popular arcade and console game, Dance Dance Revolution.
Gameplay
To play StepMania, you can use the arrow keys on the keyboard. It is also possible to play using a Playstation-compatible controller or dance mat, using a specialized adapter that connects to a computer's USB or PS/2 keyboard port.
The concept is simple: as arrows rise to the top of the screen, press the corresponding arrow on the keyboard/controller/dancemat. Sometimes, this is easier said than done, however, and takes some practice. See Dance Dance Revolution for a more in-depth description.
System Requirements
SM is a memory and processor intensive program, however. A relatively high-end processor and graphics card is required.
- Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Linux, Mac OS X
- Pentium II or higher, Celeron, Athlon, or compatible processor, 266MHz minimum (400 MHz recommended)
- Video card that supports High Color (16-bit color) and has 16MB video RAM and OpenGL drivers.
- DirectX 7.0 compatible sound card with drivers
The system specifications above are only the minimum recommendations and does not necessarily result in smooth operation.
Features
Below is a list of some of the numerous features:
- Dancing characters. In previous versions of DDR (DDR 1stMIX through 5thMIX, DDR for the PC, DDR Extreme (beginner helper only in arcade; the PS2 versions have dancing characters), and DDRMAX2 US, were characters in the background, dancing.
- Background animations. If you watch the background behind the arrows at the arcade, you'll notice some pretty neat animations going on. With StepMania, you can have these too!
- Step editor. Just like Edit Mode in the home versions! You can make you own steps to songs.
- Modifiers you won't find in the arcade! Mines (where some arrows turn into mines and you must NOT step on them), and Stomp (turns all the arrows into steps where you must step on 2 panels at once), just to name a few.
- Support for other rhythm game formats such as Pump It Up and EZ2Dancer. SM displays the symbols used for these games, but does not emulate their unique scoring system.
- Lyrics support.
Availability
The popular Debian GNU/Linux distribution currently will not provide an official package for StepMania because the artwork in the default theme is very similar to the original Dance Dance Revolution game. Because the artwork is not available under a free license, the game cannot be officially packaged with Debian until a unique theme is created.
Other DDR simulators include Dance With Intensity and Flash Flash Revolution. A particularly novel DDR simulator called Text Text Revolution can be displayed on text-only terminals.
