Play Style and Rank

[OmegaOrdoss]

Hello all. I'm starting this thread to attempt to answer a battle inside my own head.

I started playing FFR over 5 years ago. I started playing 1 handed, but as I progressed I began to play using my index fingers, so I called it Indexing.

Once I registered my account and log onto the forums I found a thread talking about playstyles, I had never known playing with keys other then the arrow keys was allowed by using 3rd party programs so I assumed playing like that was cheating.

But today FFR Supports the use of other keys and Spread seems to be the generally accepted way to play.

So my question is aimed at the highest ranked players.

I as an index player of 5+ years experience, 108 AAA's and able to full combo songs like Rose, Gradeus and Vertex Beta. Is it possible for me to earn tier points and be on the top 10 players? Or will I be forced to learn how to play Spread and start all over due to the flood of spread preferred stepcharts?

Who are the top index players today? What are there top AAA's compared to Spread Players? Is it a matter of skill and not play style? Or are there conciderably more talented spread players then index players?

Anyone?

[LJRoX]

Re: Play Style and Rank

You know, I was similar to you in a way: I was one handed for quite a long time (perhaps 3 years). After, I felt that I needed a change because I knew I wasn't getting any better. I wanted speed, and most of all, PA (having the ability to AAA). I believe the Index playing style is good but you will be hitting a wall sometime soon. I'm not really an Index player but I think (from a one hand experience) that spread is the best choice.
I may be wrong, but I love spread. You can go ask Index players here that also use spread.. like Izzy.

Good luck.

[remedy1502]

Re: Play Style and Rank

Index + Hands = D=
Well you get it. Try to spread. You can still index files that are indexable + annoying spread (FotBB >_< ), but spread will obviously help for jumpstreamy/dumb files.

Lol RATO index

[OmegaOrdoss]

Re: Play Style and Rank

I think that's my problem, when I play spread I fail because my favorite songs are obviously index friendly and most are stepped by Rebirth0, Shash or Arch0wl

[25thhour]

Re: Play Style and Rank

Cool people play spread.

[One Winged Angel]

Re: Play Style and Rank

Or are there conciderably more talented spread players then index players?

pretty much this

I'll bet that there aren't any purely index players in the top 100 players on the website

edit: obviously including all the SM gurus that don't even touch FFR

[foxfire667]

Re: Play Style and Rank

I played on the arrow keys on FFR for maybe like...a month before I moved onto spread. I ended up seeing it in the play styles thread and tried it out on the Entertainer...I knew it was the right choice immediately after this.

Index is a style I've recently seen in action before, and it is definitely a ridiculously challenging way to play things that have any jump streams, hands, and pretty much anything VC and above for the most part. You have been playing for 5 years and you have yet to obtain 150 AAA's with the index play style, so most likely there won't be any way for you to make it anywhere near the top 10 using index. When I posted this, the 10th best player (in terms of average rank) had a rank of 5.1942 with over 90% of all their songs played AAA'd. Your average rank is 3,756 with less than 15% AAA'd, and your best AAA is a "Very Difficult" song (which for index in my opinion is a pretty decent AAA). Tier points at the very lowest rung are on VC's currently, and are generally pretty close to AAA'ing them (4 or so points for the AAA).

If you wanted to be within the top 10 players, I would assume you would need to change your play style for sure, unless SDG'ing FGO's and AAA'ing FMO's on index is something you wanted to strive to do (which would probably be a crazy feat to attempt considering the patterns involved).

[HoneyMelonCalibrator]

Re: Play Style and Rank

You're better off sticking with what makes you most comfortable (in this case index) and being recognized as a top index player as opposed to being an average spread player. But if skill plateau and increasing song difficulty is your primary concern, then yes, you're probably better off switching to spread! My advice would be that you learn spread; that way you could play both spread and index. This would be a huge advantage for you seeing that some files in FFR/SM are index friendly, others more spread friendly. Best of luck in whatever you decide to go with.

[TC_Halogen]

Re: Play Style and Rank

One handed players have a better potential than index players (see: Bynary Fission and his A on Disregard). Spread is the way to go, though (although I have index as a back-up; I AAA'd FotBB and Aim Anthem that way).

[rushyrulz]

Re: Play Style and Rank

gl FCing Church Bells with decent PA with index.

[C@!]

Re: Play Style and Rank

Index is a good skill to have with certain songs, but spread really is the way to go. It's universally the most used and most successful, and once you get to hands/jumpstreams with index your not going to have a fun time

[Mulie]

Re: Play Style and Rank

Is it possible for me to earn tier points ...

Yes.

... and be on the top 10 players?

No. It's conceivable to me that it may be physically impossible for you to reach the top 10 playing index.

[Goldenwind]

Re: Play Style and Rank

My stats suck due to an absence for a bit (So many unplayed songs... lol), but I'm pretty much in the same boat as you.

While I enjoy keyboard play, the core of rhythm gaming for me is on pad, hence my computer play mimics my dance play. (I legit do crossovers as index)

In the past I often felt betrayed by FFR, feeling like they're disrespecting their DDR roots by making this a spread-based game. But really, FFR's become its own thing. Can't complain about that.

To answer your question, no pure index player will ever make top 10 with the current chart mix. It's a battle of two fingers against four. It's like expecting a one-legged man to place top 10 in a marathon.

[rushyrulz]

Re: Play Style and Rank

...and be on the top 100 players?

No. It's conceivable to me that it may be physically impossible for you to reach the top 100 playing index.

fix't.

If you want to get top 100 AAAs or top 100 avrank you're gonna need to have a lot more speed than index allows for. Top 100 Overall might be conceivable tho, but you could get that playing with one pinky.

[vro]

Re: Play Style and Rank

I started with one hand, but that only lasted for a few months, and now I've played index for the last 4 years. I've never been able to AAA, but I can AA almost anything on SM, regardless of difficulty(if I actually took the time to play FFR more, I'd have a much better rank/way more FCs.). I have, in a way, reached a wall though (can't really FC the FMO and FGO songs if you index), but at the same time, I don't take the game seriously anymore, and so I haven't bothered to play spread. I think the main reason I'll always just stick with index is because I can move my pointer fingers the way I move my legs, and I play DDR/ITG/PIU WAAAAAAY more then I play FFR/SM. The main reason I use SM is to use those songs on local ITG2 machines. So, yes, if you want to be one of the "top FFR players," you may need to switch to spread. However, I agree with HoneyMelon in the sense that you should do what you think is more fun, but regardless, I'd imagine it'd be nearly impossible to be one of the best without playing spread.