DDRMax2 and Pads
 

I'm a looking to get into DDR and I'm wondering what pads and modifications you would recommend. I've been checking out ebay and it seems that you can get the game and 2 cheap pads for about $45 or get the game and 2 ignition version 2 pads for about $85. Is it worth the extra money to get the ignition pads or would modifying the cheap ones be the same? Should the ignition ones still be modified to get the best results? I would be probably playing on carpeting if that would make any difference.

you might want to try the DDRMAX 2 bundle for $59.99 with the new official konami pad. it's pretty good but you might want to mod it if you're playing on carpet since pads don't last that long on carpet. i got the bundle and modded it, from what I've read on some online DDR sites and forums, the new konami pad is one of the best softpads you can get

Do a forum search on this game--I had some similar questions, and I found a thread discussing DDR Max pads and mods.

However, reading through everything, I'm still not sure what my best bet is. For those of you familiar with DDR and the pads, let me tell you my situation and see what you could recommend for me.

This past weekend, my wife and I first experienced DDR in the Gameworks Studio in Indy. Being bigger folks, this game was wiping us out quick, but it was a lot of fun. We're both Weight Watchers, and we figure this game would be a great way for us to get some exercise. My wife was really kicking some butt at the game, but one of her ankles was getting a little sore after about 4 songs.

I really want to pick up DDR (1 or 2) for her for Xmas, and get a pad that's going to maximize comfort and yet at the same time be very responsive. I'm still not sure what I should do. Regardless, it'll be on carpet, so I think I'm going to have to do a mod (get some plywood and velcro it to the board). I liked that idea from what I read in the other thread on this topic.

Any ideas, folks?

Thanks in advance!

goLUCKY, thanks for doing that search and posting the results. I picked up a DDRMax2 demo and bought a MadCatz pad at Best Buy for $15.00 this weekend.

I'm very new to the game and I was playing the demo on carpet. Those instructions will make the game much more enjoyable for me once I get better at it.

I seem to be leaning towards the official konami pads but you only get one with the bundle and I can't seem to find them sold sepeartely anywhere for a reasonable price. I cheapest I have found was $40 and I could just buy another bundle for $55 at best buy and unload the game on ebay. So does anyone know where to get the konami pad for around $20-25 which is what it should be since the game sells for $35 seperately.

I've been a pretty hardcore DDRer for a couple of years now. I use my DDR games as a form of excercise so I play pretty regularly (a few hours a week). I'll let you guys know about some of my experiences:

Dance pads, no matter how expensive they are, will eventually wear out. How do they wear out? Well the buttons will begin to get stuck and sometimes press down even when you're not stepping on it (that's called "ghost steps"). Because of this, I usually buy the el cheapo dance pads (e.g. mad catz dance pads) and replace my pads every few months or so. When you use these type of pads stock, they tend to move around alot (especially on carpet). Because of this you'll want to modify or "mod" your pads.

You could go all out modding your pads by buying plywood, stapling the pad to it etc., but i actually have a pretty quick and easy method of modding my pads and it works perfect.

Here's what you do: find 2 big pieces of card board (like a cardboard box from a big t.v. or refridgerator). Lay your dance pad over the cardboard and cut an outline around the dance pad. I like to leave alittle room around the edges. Make sure the 2 pieces are the same size. Now take the dance pad and lay it flatly on one of the pieces of cardboard. Take a roll of duct tape and tape the edges of the dance pad to the cardboard. Make sure you go all the way around to make it secure and flat.

You can stop there and the pad will work fine, or you can add that second piece of cardboard and sandwich the dance pad between the 2 of them. Of course when you sandwich the dance pad, you should secure the top piece of cardboard to the bottom piece with duct tape. That's it. You now have a modded dance pad that will work on carpet, wood, or tile and won't slip around or get buched up. If you want, you can take a marker and draw arrows on the cardboard to remind yourself of where to step.

Give it a try. You should be happy with the results.

I've definitely decided to mod my cheapo pad, keep the ideas coming!

Every few months? You must use them <i>a lot!</i> It took me a good nine months to wear out the first one that I bought and modded.
I'm all for easier methods, but how does lightweight cardboard prevent the mat from moving while you're using it? Plywood is heavy enough that it's not going to budge.

Also: if you duct tape a second piece of cardboard to the top of the mat, how do you know where the buttons are? More importantly, doesn't diffusing the area of impact reduce some of the accuracy?

- David Stein

yeah...i play on carpet. I know a carpenter so he hooked me up for a 35x39 in piece of plywood for free. Got some duct taped and taped the pad to the board. Never moves, it's just a pain in the butt to store since if you stand it up, the sensors could slightly shift down

while on the note of DDR, I just picked up DDR Konamix for PSX from target on clearance for $14.98, 50% off. It's a little weird after playing a lot of MAX and MAX2, but it has some nice songs.

They all have weird songs. -smile- But from Konamix, I recommend the following:

Cutie Chaser (medium or heavy) - just a great, fun song with groovy step patterns, especially on heavy. Not too challenging - actually, this is a good song for breaking into the medium and heavy categories.

Diving Money (heavy) - weird timings on this one (many steps off the beat), but great practice for songs that have lots of these.

Don't Stop (heavy) - not really challenging, but a great song that's well-timed and fun.

La Senorita Virtual (heavy) - pretty challenging heavy track. Eight feet, I think.

Look To The Sky (heavy) - again, not hard, but <i>really</i> fun, and a great track.

Orion.78 AMeuro-Mix (medium/heavy) - really challenging, but some cool step patterns. Be sure to try the original Orion.78 if you have one of the other mixes!

Paranoia (heavy) - not as good as some of the remixes, but hey, it's Paranoia, you've gotta like it.

R3 (heavy) - really neat double-steps with sort of a jam-step at the end of the patterns (you'll see what I mean!)

Think Ya Better D (medium) - a good mid-difficulty song if you're just getting good.

- David Stein

Well, I just placed an order for this puppy http://www.redoctane.com/redoctanemetalpad.html , but it's probably overkill for most people. :)

<B>DRG:</b> Let me know what you think of it. I've been considering ordering one, since people have generally had good luck with them. But aren't they out of stock?

- David Stein

I use ebay modded foam pads and they rock. Need to get DDRMAX2 US (only have japanese version now)

In case you don't know yet...

<a href="http://www.stepmania.com">Stepmania</a>

Having every single DDR track ever made (and a bunch of fan mods) at my disposal, for continuous play without having to swap disks, is an incredible experience.

- David Stein

They're supposed to be getting them in this week or the next. The availability has went from several months to "1-2 weeks" to "5-7 days" and is now at "3-4 days". I also got the PC control box so I can switch out for Stepmania. I'll come back and give you the report when I get it.

Nyan.....not loving this thread

I will say the truth. I have been on DDR from DDR3rdMix [PSone, NTSC/JPN] all the way to MAX2/Extreme era and the best way to DDR is the following

Soft pad [one can be bought on Ebay for $3 new]

After through modification [1/2 inch wood, heavy duty, industrial clear plastic, industrial staples, and duct tape] the pad is extremely accurate and feels a lot like the arcade [very hard pad] The pad will last as much as a year or two [my most recent one has lived 2 years, and I use it one or two hours a day] A doubles platform built this way will cost $35 and will support people of any weight.

If I had to choose mixes, I would choose Japanese 5th, Japanese 3rd, and Japanese MAX2. However, since you are US, buy both MAX1 and MAX2, so that you will have a good coverage that goes from 3rd mix to Extreme

If you like it, go import, you will play tons of great songs like Cartoon Heroes, Candy <3, and Speed Beethoven

I've been a fan of modded pads for a while (see the top of this thread.) I thought about using staples, but there are three concerns:

(a) staples and soles of feet don't mix;

(b) it would be too easy to staple through a wire accidentally, which would ruin the pad; and

(c) given the way most pads work (two layers of conductors separated by a thin layer of foam with holes, so that your weight causes contact of the conductors through the holes), a staple might cause permanent contact of the layers, which would also ruin the pad.

However, as I've improved, I've recently found two disadvantages to soft pads:

(a) On the hardest tracks - those with long streams of quick steps (e.g., Healing Vision - Angelic Mix), my feet feel bogged down in the softness of the pad surface. It moves, twists, and slides way too much - enough to slow me down.

(b) They do occasionally miss steps - one out of every 200 or so, I think. That's accurate enough for 95% of players, but when you start getting good enough to go for AA'ing and AAA'ing tracks, it's frustrating to finish a track with 200 perfects, 30 greats, and 1 miss.

- David Stein

Anyone ever use one of those covers from redoctane? They sound intruguing for 15 bucks - supposed to keep the pad from moving and prolong the life of it.

I'm interested, but want to see if anyone here had any experience with them.

The staples are not used ON the pad, they are used on the thick green/pink/blue [whatever color] seam on the edge of the pad [very far from the internal wiring and feet, and usually covered by the tape] and over the clear plastic cover [to the wood sheet]

It is the most durable and strong way to modify the dance pad.


Soft pads [newer ones] are no good because of the foam and padding which makes it very different from the arcade.

That is why the older models [which are cheapest] are better, they do not feel fluffy or plush and the stepping is as easy as on hard arcade pad.

Sliding and freestyle is also easier.

Well, that's pretty good, but I would still run into the same problems with map slippage.

Try this: Stand on one of the buttons, and then pivot one of your feet while pressing down on it with some of your weight. You'll find that the top surface of the mat moves with your foot, and it sort of swamps your foot in the mat surface.

That's exactly my problem. When you're doing songs with long strings of fast arrows and no pauses in the middle, your footwork must get a bit sloppy, just so you can reach all of the arrows in time! Having the pad slow down your footwork is just not an option for a track like Healing Vision: Angelic Mix (heavy).

Add in the occasional missed arrow - again, not a problem for most, but hugely annoying when you're going for AA/AAA ratings - and you'll see why I'm probably going for a metal pad soon.

- David Stein

David, I think it's time for a mental room, not ametal pad :) but I am buying the $200 metal pad once DDR comes out for Xbox