![kommisar[os]](data:image/svg+xml;base64,CgkJCTxzdmcgeG1sbnM9J2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnJyB2aWV3Qm94PScwIDAgNTAgNTAnPgoJCQkJPHJlY3Qgd2lkdGg9JzEwMCUnIGhlaWdodD0nMTAwJScgZmlsbD0nIzg5ZDJhMicgLz4KCQkJCTx0ZXh0IHg9JzUwJScgeT0nNTAlJyBmaWxsPSd3aGl0ZScgZm9udC13ZWlnaHQ9J2JvbGQnIGZvbnQtZmFtaWx5PSdBcmlhbCcgZm9udC1zaXplPSczMDAlJyBkb21pbmFudC1iYXNlbGluZT0nY2VudHJhbCcgdGV4dC1hbmNob3I9J21pZGRsZSc+SzwvdGV4dD4KCQkJPC9zdmc+CgkJ "kommisar[os]")
A few things are to be taken into consideration when deciding to start a pack. If you think you have a good idea and that people will support you, here are a few things you should mention in your thread:
1.The pack's rules (length, hands, difficulty, etc)
2.Theme of songs (ie a dragonforce pack would only have dragonforce songs, or if the pack is general anything goes. This would be a perfect example of a terrible idea)
3.Pad or Keyboard (people often ask this question every time someone starts a pack, just specify)
4.Release date or submission cap
These are just the base things a pack needs to get started. It's your pack after all, the rules are up to you. The most important thing to have when you're creating a simfile pack is support. Without support you have no submissions and the project most likely dies.
If you're new to making simfiles or if you aren't very well known in the community, you may want to refrain from starting a simfile pack
Reason being, people will question your simfile knowledge and think the pack won't be a success at all. If you have some experience, display some of your work on the site so that people can see that you're able to create good simfiles. When you're new to making simfiles, the best thing to do is get experience and have people try out your songs. And by people i mean experienced authors who can help you make a good simfile, not your friend who's good at stepmania or some guy who plays ffr. The best way to get recognized is to get a simfile accepted in a top-tier pack (ex: red fraction 2). This way if your file gets rejected you can ask the judges to give you criticism to help either fix the file or give you tips on your next creation. If your file gets accepted, congratulations! You're one step closer to making the next Planet Karma.
Let's say you're becoming decent at making simfiles and you have a great idea for a pack. You need judges and graphic artists. Without these people, the pack would be an overwhelming task for one person and wouldn't assure the quality of the simfiles/graphics. Having more judges is an excellent way to have many opinions on submissions so that they may cater to different audiences, not just because one guy thinks it's cool.
Another factor that comes into play is time. How many packs have been released lately? Will people submit to my pack knowing that another one came out recently? Depending on the popularity of recently released packs, you may want to wait to start another project. Not everyone can keep dumping out files daily.
Examples
Artist compilation packs
If you're making a pack of files you made yourself, like a sort of compilation, you have to be certain to add only your best files or whatever has the best replay value. Files that people will recognize and make them want to download your pack. If I were someone nobody knew and I released an originals pack of my own simfiles, chances are hardly anyone would download my pack. Again this is where releasing individual files for criticism kicks in.
Good simfile artists often release packs which contains either their best work or all of their work. This would include people like Zaghurim, Tsuka, etc. Examples of packs that didn't do too well (no offense) would be Moches Depressing pack and Kommisar's Octozooka pack. Reason being the files in those packs were for the most part hard to enjoy and in all honesty, not very many people cared.
Simfile Megapacks
There are two kinds of open public (or private aka vgmp3) packs. The kinds that only contain previously unreleased files and the ones that mix both released and unreleased. Unreleased files packs would include packs such as the red fraction pack and the FFR community pack. Pack that mix both would be both ODI packs and the PPP packs. Most of the time, megapacks are created with the help of several judges to ensure quality. One exception would be ODI 2 which was entirely judged by GLoVE, who is one of the best simfile artists in the world; therefore his simfile knowledge lead this pack to be a huge success.
A perfect example of a horrible pack released by one person (although done purposely) would be the pokemon packs. Kommisar was the only one leading the project thus letting any file make it in. Patience can also influence the quality of your pack. Accepting files that could've been better or aren't that great but you decide to accept it just to raise the simfile count (vgmp 1+2) decreases the quality of the pack since the good simfiles are accompanied by others that hardly compare.
Moral of this post is, if you want to make a really good pack, you gotta work your way up like the rest of us. Because as harsh as it may be, people simply won't care about your bezerker pack. Not saying that you shouldn't try to make a pack yourself. Just saying that you shouldn't expect much from a pack with unknown authors (SMG Community Revival Pack).
Hopefully this little guide can influence your decision to make a pack. If there are other things to add just post it here and i'll edit this post.
1.The pack's rules (length, hands, difficulty, etc)
2.Theme of songs (ie a dragonforce pack would only have dragonforce songs, or if the pack is general anything goes. This would be a perfect example of a terrible idea)
3.Pad or Keyboard (people often ask this question every time someone starts a pack, just specify)
4.Release date or submission cap
These are just the base things a pack needs to get started. It's your pack after all, the rules are up to you. The most important thing to have when you're creating a simfile pack is support. Without support you have no submissions and the project most likely dies.
If you're new to making simfiles or if you aren't very well known in the community, you may want to refrain from starting a simfile pack
Reason being, people will question your simfile knowledge and think the pack won't be a success at all. If you have some experience, display some of your work on the site so that people can see that you're able to create good simfiles. When you're new to making simfiles, the best thing to do is get experience and have people try out your songs. And by people i mean experienced authors who can help you make a good simfile, not your friend who's good at stepmania or some guy who plays ffr. The best way to get recognized is to get a simfile accepted in a top-tier pack (ex: red fraction 2). This way if your file gets rejected you can ask the judges to give you criticism to help either fix the file or give you tips on your next creation. If your file gets accepted, congratulations! You're one step closer to making the next Planet Karma.
Let's say you're becoming decent at making simfiles and you have a great idea for a pack. You need judges and graphic artists. Without these people, the pack would be an overwhelming task for one person and wouldn't assure the quality of the simfiles/graphics. Having more judges is an excellent way to have many opinions on submissions so that they may cater to different audiences, not just because one guy thinks it's cool.
Another factor that comes into play is time. How many packs have been released lately? Will people submit to my pack knowing that another one came out recently? Depending on the popularity of recently released packs, you may want to wait to start another project. Not everyone can keep dumping out files daily.
Examples
Artist compilation packs
If you're making a pack of files you made yourself, like a sort of compilation, you have to be certain to add only your best files or whatever has the best replay value. Files that people will recognize and make them want to download your pack. If I were someone nobody knew and I released an originals pack of my own simfiles, chances are hardly anyone would download my pack. Again this is where releasing individual files for criticism kicks in.
Good simfile artists often release packs which contains either their best work or all of their work. This would include people like Zaghurim, Tsuka, etc. Examples of packs that didn't do too well (no offense) would be Moches Depressing pack and Kommisar's Octozooka pack. Reason being the files in those packs were for the most part hard to enjoy and in all honesty, not very many people cared.
Simfile Megapacks
There are two kinds of open public (or private aka vgmp3) packs. The kinds that only contain previously unreleased files and the ones that mix both released and unreleased. Unreleased files packs would include packs such as the red fraction pack and the FFR community pack. Pack that mix both would be both ODI packs and the PPP packs. Most of the time, megapacks are created with the help of several judges to ensure quality. One exception would be ODI 2 which was entirely judged by GLoVE, who is one of the best simfile artists in the world; therefore his simfile knowledge lead this pack to be a huge success.
A perfect example of a horrible pack released by one person (although done purposely) would be the pokemon packs. Kommisar was the only one leading the project thus letting any file make it in. Patience can also influence the quality of your pack. Accepting files that could've been better or aren't that great but you decide to accept it just to raise the simfile count (vgmp 1+2) decreases the quality of the pack since the good simfiles are accompanied by others that hardly compare.
Moral of this post is, if you want to make a really good pack, you gotta work your way up like the rest of us. Because as harsh as it may be, people simply won't care about your bezerker pack. Not saying that you shouldn't try to make a pack yourself. Just saying that you shouldn't expect much from a pack with unknown authors (SMG Community Revival Pack).
Hopefully this little guide can influence your decision to make a pack. If there are other things to add just post it here and i'll edit this post.
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