The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

[TheHarlequinGirl]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

Yes, I am running Vista actually. Do you think that might have something to do with it?

I transferred the song over to Stepmania 4.0 and it didn't even show up in there with the steps. It's really odd because I've made at least a dozen simfiles and this has never happened before.

[Juggalo_rider151]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

can u teach me how to make a level or sim game or what ever. i want to try to make a level for ffr and i dont ave the knowledge to do it idk wut 2 do

[Ramengan]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

Yes, I am running Vista actually. Do you think that might have something to do with it?

I transferred the song over to Stepmania 4.0 and it didn't even show up in there with the steps. It's really odd because I've made at least a dozen simfiles and this has never happened before.

Vista doesn't like Stepmania. Quite a few people have been having issues with it. This may or may not be related to that. I have Vista, but nothing has happened (yet).

can u teach me how to make a level or sim game or what ever. i want to try to make a level for ffr and i dont ave the knowledge to do it idk wut 2 do

Try reading this FAQ, then.

EDIT: This, too.
http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...ad.php?t=48587

[4_teddybears]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

....I completed the steps, I saved them. It said saved as SM/DWI file. I played the song a few times and then put it into a ZIP folder and uploaded it to here. I checked back a few minutes later and it said "NO SM/DWI" So I went back and looked in the original song folder and there isn't a DWI in there. The SM file is unchanged, it still says the same things I put into it. So, I open Stepmania and my song still has all of the steps in it and everything is there. I have went back in and hit save at least a dozen times with each time saying that it was saved. I looked in every other Stepmania folder to see if it was in there but it isn't. Someone PLEASE HELP ME.

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I have had a 2 problems which sound similar to yours. After editing or downloading files into the stepmania folder. I am too running it on vista.

Problem 1: After editing a .sm folder and saving it, the new save does not show up in stepmania.
Solution: For some reason the changes wont show up the first time you open stepmania. It probably is using the .old file. Simply close stepmania and open it again.

Problem 2: After downloading or moving a file or package into stepmania>songs, the file is not visible when I go to that location, although it is visible when attempting to import or download another file to stepmania>songs.

Solution: There is a file in your home file(the file named with your username) called AppData. Go to start>*username*>AppData>Local>VirtualStore>Program Files>Stepmania>songs. Thats where the file will be.

Move it to your desired location in Vista(c)>Program Files>Stepmania>Songs if you like.


Hope this helps

EDIT:Ha! look at me posting in a thread which hasn't been posted in for 8 months. Well... it might help someone else with the same problem.

[4_teddybears]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

I have a few questions. Maybe someone can help.

Questions:
1-Is there a way to increase the speed of your song, or is that only done by BPM?
I would not like to have the arrows going so slowly. Sure I can increase the speed before playing in Stepmania, to 2x, 3x, 4, 8x...etc, but once the song is uploaded, it will be ridiculously slow and crammed together.
If not I will have to multiply the real bpm by 4 and space the arrows out myself. Is that the wrong thing to do?

2-Is there a program that will give a breakdown of the BPM in each part of the song?
The program mix meister tells me that the song has 101.5 BMP, but it is obviously an average.

[trumaestro]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

I have a few questions. Maybe someone can help.

Questions:
1-Is there a way to increase the speed of your song, or is that only done by BPM?
I would not like to have the arrows going so slowly. Sure I can increase the speed before playing in Stepmania, to 2x, 3x, 4, 8x...etc, but once the song is uploaded, it will be ridiculously slow and crammed together.
If not I will have to multiply the real bpm by 4 and space the arrows out myself. Is that the wrong thing to do?

2-Is there a program that will give a breakdown of the BPM in each part of the song?
The program mix meister tells me that the song has 101.5 BMP, but it is obviously an average.

1: BPM only by multiplying it by powers of 2. (1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16...)
1 Part 2: Or.. Press: Home key, spacebar, end key, spacebar, homekey, enter, down to tempo, choose Expand 2x however many times you want. Only works with constant BPM and will leave a time change at the end of your simfile.

2: No; have you tried that BPM yet to see if it would line up? Mix Meister does tend to halve higher BPMs. Either that or there are time changes to be found.

3: Don't double post.

[Ramengan]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

I have a few questions. Maybe someone can help.

Questions:
1-Is there a way to increase the speed of your song, or is that only done by BPM?
I would not like to have the arrows going so slowly. Sure I can increase the speed before playing in Stepmania, to 2x, 3x, 4, 8x...etc, but once the song is uploaded, it will be ridiculously slow and crammed together.
If not I will have to multiply the real bpm by 4 and space the arrows out myself. Is that the wrong thing to do?

2-Is there a program that will give a breakdown of the BPM in each part of the song?
The program mix meister tells me that the song has 101.5 BMP, but it is obviously an average.

1) F7/F8 will allow you to change the BPM manually at a certain point. The BPM in the step editor controls how fast the arrows scroll. Of course, it should match the song's real BPM, unless you want to space it out. In that case, highlight the section you want to space out and Expand 2x like trumaestro said. It will create a BPM change at the end of your selection, so if you don't want it there, delete it (F7/F8 it until it's equal to the doubled BPM).

2) MixMeister is best with constant BPM songs, but don't just take a decimal value as an "average". Decimal BPM values are common, so try plugging it in first, and if it doesn't work, tinker with it (F7/F8). Even at half BPM, the arrows should still sync to the music well, and you can expand it (see #1) if you want.

If you're sure that the song has dynamic BPM, then MixMeister MAY give you the predominant BPM in the song if there is one. Chances are it won't work, so try cutting the song up into sections with an audio editor (meaning, make a bunch of small song sample files) along where you hear changes in tempo (if you can) and plug those individually into MixMeister. It will hopefully give you a close estimate of the BPM in that section. Some songs will have so many BPM changes that this is impossible to reasonably do, and you'll have to recognize and place BPM changes in purely by ear, which is very difficult to do.

[4_teddybears]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

Thanks for the advice guys, I had already done most of what you both suggested. I was planning to sync the song at normal BPM, then increase the values to 4 times by editing the .sm file. I think that will be quicker than using the Expand option, as it only changes the first BPM value. (of course I will still use the expand to space them out.)
Mixmeister was the first thing I used to find the BPM, It gave me 101.5, which was much too fast for the beginning. I found that it was arround 82.30. Thought of cutting the file into sections using wavepad, and I did that but it's hardly worth the time. I have now gone back to to the primitive method of using a long line of red fourths to fine tune the BPM value. I have also discovered a usefull method for keeping the gap in the right place while changing the BPM, which I have not read in any guide.

Thanks for your help.

[Ramengan]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

Thanks for the advice guys, I had already done most of what you both suggested. I was planning to sync the song at normal BPM, then increase the values to 4 times by editing the .sm file. I think that will be quicker than using the Expand option, as it only changes the first BPM value. (of course I will still use the expand to space them out.)
Mixmeister was the first thing I used to find the BPM, It gave me 101.5, which was much too fast for the beginning. I found that it was arround 82.30. Thought of cutting the file into sections using wavepad, and I did that but it's hardly worth the time. I have now gone back to to the primitive method of using a long line of red fourths to fine tune the BPM value. I have also discovered a usefull method for keeping the gap in the right place while changing the BPM, which I have not read in any guide.

Thanks for your help.

Hmm... I would personally expand first, then do the BPM syncing. You can't expand without changing the first (and last) bpm values, so I'd space out the arrows to what I want, then sync them according to the new BPM. If you just change the values to 4x in the .sm file, your arrows will still be scrunched together, and expanding the whole thing will change the bpms around and it'll get a little hectic. I see what you're doing though, but I find it's easy to mess up doing it that way.
Yeah, with varying BPM, sometimes the line of quarter notes is the best option. Listen VERY carefully, though. Make sure your quarter notes fall on the actual beats, and don't get shifted to 8ths or something.
Also, gap should already stay the same no matter the BPM, since it's a value in seconds, and is independent of the tempo completely.

[4_teddybears]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

.....Also, gap should already stay the same no matter the BPM, since it's a value in seconds, and is independent of the tempo completely.

Not true.
If You change the BPM on a snap that is before your first note, then the current second of your first note will also change.
If you change the BPM before your first note, You must also adjust the offset until your current second for first note is back to its' original value.

Changing the BPM at any point in the song will have an effect on the sync of any subsequent notes you may have placed. The further on from the point, the more out of sync the notes will become.

I thought about this before when I was trying to work things out, and I wrote myself a few tips in a notepad. One of which was:
"In stepmania the current second shown is dependent on the values of the BPM up until that point. If you were to increase the BPM, then the same snap would be an earlier second."

But don't take my word for it, I'm a noob and havn't even completed my first song. =)

EDIT:I could be confused with the definition of "gap" though. I assumed it was the same as offset. Ahh.. I see gap is offset. I was thinking of gap as the differnce between the start of the music and the first arrow. Whereas it is actually the difference between beat0 and the start of the music.

[Ramengan]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

I was thinking of gap as the differnce between the start of the music and the first arrow. Whereas it is actually the difference between beat0 and the start of the music.

I was using this definition of gap/offset when I said it was tempo independent. I've always heard gap as the difference between music start and the first beat. So unless you defined a tempo before the first beat (not sure how or why you'd do that), your gap should stay the same no matter what.

[4_teddybears]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

Yeah, Insted of puting the offset to make my first arrow on beat0, I let the track start at beat0 and had my first arrow on measure 3. That was the nearest 4th snap to the second where I wanted My first arrow. I then adjusted the offset until the current second was perfect. So the BPM starting at beat 0 meant that I had to change the offset every time I adjusted the BPM, and vise-versa.

I guess That I should put my arrow on beat0 insted of measure 3, and have an offset of about -5 seconds.
The reason I did not do this is because I thought That If the music (introduction) was before beat0, It would not be part of the file.

[W3ET?72!#@]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

I have a problem with uploading on ffr when ever i upload my simfiles the banner and music wont apear on the download page. and you cant test it in ffr, but when i download it all the files are in the right formate and in thier properly.

[Professor Raine]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

wrong spot to post btw

[zackman080]

Re: The Ultimate Simfile FAQ

anyone want to walk me through how to work these sim files like a complete walkthrough?