Help for a new player

[inflames07]

I play ITG2 and DDR at my work sometimes, and I can play up to level 8 on ITG. But for FFR I just can't seem to make the cut. Can someone help me with some tips to improve myself, because this is getting kind of boring when I can't keep up with most songs.

(I've only been playing at my work for the last two weeks though, and I understand clearly that it's all about practicing, but I can't even register most of what I see on FFR and react to it.)

[Doug31]

Re: Help for a new player

Screenshrink, practice a whole lot, and play songs that are neither too easy nor hard enough that you find yourself mashing. Also, use two hands.

[inflames07]

Re: Help for a new player

Use 2 index fingers? I just use one hand and 3 fingures over up/left/right arrow keys

[phe0nixblade]

Re: Help for a new player

Play spread it's easiest for FFR.
Here is where your hands should be:
left pointer finger:down arrow
left middle finger:left arrow
right pointer finger/middle finger(if you use middle and ring instead):8 key on the number pad
middle finger/ring finger(if you use middle and ring instead):6 key on the number pad

[inflames07]

Re: Help for a new player

Play spread it's easiest for FFR.
Here is where your hands should be:
left pointer finger:down arrow
left middle finger:left arrow
right pointer finger/middle finger(if you use middle and ring instead):8 key on the number pad
middle finger/ring finger(if you use middle and ring instead):6 key on the number pad

I tried that on "Alpha Helix" under "Dance" and it was working alright, but I still couldn't keep up when it started getting heavy after a few seconds.

[Pichu_XP]

Re: Help for a new player

That's where practice comes in.

[inflames07]

Re: Help for a new player

In the MSI song under rock, what are the yellow arrows? THose throw me off towards the end so badly, and at the start.

[GamerShadow]

Re: Help for a new player

Those are 16th's. Those are extremely simple compared to the 24ths, 48ths, 64ths, and other arrow intervals that come in the challenging songs.

[Dronak]

Re: Help for a new player

True, but if you're just starting out, and particularly if you're not expecting them, the 16th notes can be tricky. I'm not that great of a player, so my ability to handle 16ths often depends on things like the tempo of the song and the arrow patterns.

Obviously practicing will help, as will the tips Doug31 gave, at least if you stick with them. Things like playing 2-handed and screen shrinking can be tough to get used to, and you'll have to be persistent to get better using them. I didn't have the patience, so I still play 1-handed with a full screen. I'd second the suggestion to play songs that are "just right" -- not too easy and not too hard. There's a thread in here about the actual difficulties of the songs. Check that out for a good list of the songs in order of difficulty. Once you find the area that you can play OK, but still have trouble, you'll get an idea of where to spend time practicing. I think it's OK to play harder and easier songs, and I like playing the harder songs sometimes to see if I've gotten any better at them (sometimes I can improve my rank on them). But if I really want to practice and try to improve my skill, I try to find a song in the middle, where I can do it pretty well, but still need work to FC it, and spend time there.