Dance Dance Revolutions... Quietly

June 17, 2004 12:32 PM

I'm considering trying Dance Dance Revolution as a way of tricking myself into exercising more. I have two specific questions that I am having difficulty finding answers to:

1) Can you play it in a second floor apartment without being a bad upstairs neighbor? If yes, any specific techniques or tips?

2) Assuming yes to 1, anything I should know about using a pad on top of carpet? I've seen recommendations to duct tape it down, etc., but this sounds a little extreme (not to mention ugly).
posted by PinkStainlessTail to technology (27 comments total)

1) Depends on the thickness of your floor and the force at which you jump. If you've ever had a lively party in your upstairs apartment without getting a noise complaint from down below, chances are you'll be fine.

2) It depends on the thickness of the carpet and the pad in question. Thin dance pads generally do need to be tacked down somehow, while Ignition pads generally don't. If you have a thick carpet, you will *definitely* need something, as the squishiness of the carpet will make you feel like you're running on sand.

I had thin dance mats when I started, and a very thin carpet - duct tape around the sides kept them firmly in place and fine for nearly a year of abuse from new players.

Duct tape on the underside of thick pads will help keep them in place if they're drifting, with the minimal ugliness.

If you have the previously mentioned thick carpet, using a rolling chair mat (as you can buy from any office superstore) tends to help give you a sturdy base.

Finally, I defer to the modding guide on DDRFreak, and the DDR Console Games board which I used to moderate, which can be a perfectly good resource if you avoid the more irritating members of the board.
posted by Remy at 12:53 PM on June 17, 2004

I've been thinking the same thing. If I can tack on to your questions:

I don't have a console system at all. Any chance this will ever find it's way to the PC? If not, which console should I buy? (I'm not much of a gamer.)
posted by JoanArkham at 1:08 PM on June 17, 2004

Can you wear shoes with any of those pads?

/further piggy-back
posted by callmejay at 1:15 PM on June 17, 2004

And to tack one more on: How good/what kind of a workout is this really? I can see it getting your heart rate up, but will it do anything beyond that -- losing weight, building endurance, etc.?
posted by jjg at 1:33 PM on June 17, 2004

Getting your heart rate up is a important element to losing weight, but you really need to sustain it for 30-45 minutes.
posted by corpse at 1:38 PM on June 17, 2004

I started playing DDR for fun a few months ago. I thought I'd be serious at first, but I've only played a handful of times. So far this is what I can say about it:

- personally, it would never work for me in an apartment. I weigh around 200lbs, so that's probably the issue. As the game gets harder, I end up having to jump around and I'm glad I'm in my own house now.

- my cheapo vinyl $30 ebay pad moves around a bit, but every 2 or 3 songs I just nudge it back and it's fine

- They have PC versions, and with enough tweaking you can get either a USB or printer-port hack to hook up a pad to it, but I found that DDR is fun when played together, and inside my home office, behind my desk isn't the best place to goof around on a dancing game. I bought a used PS2 for about $90 off ebay. Months ago when I got it, there were no DDR versions for xbox or the gamecube (I believe there are one or two on each now), and every ebay pad seemed to be playstation2 ready so I got that.

- I never wear shoes, just socks.

- You definitely sweat a lot playing it. It's akin to an aerobic workout like jumping rope or doing jumping jacks. I bought mine with the intention of using it as a workout device but found that the game options were either too easy, or as I often found, insanely difficult. Whenver I play with DDR, I probably play it for 30 min or so, and I usually don't stop because I'm exhausted, it's usually that I'm bored trying to get one song right or that I can't find anything I can do good enough.

The DDR 4 or 5 disc (it came out this year) I got seems to be about 10-20% for beginners, with everything else for advanced users. I just wished the progression was smoother, and not so abrupt. You're either doing the equivalent of bad country music line dancing, or you wish you had four legs to keep up with some insane japanese disco beat.
posted by mathowie at 1:39 PM on June 17, 2004

To the people who do have / use it, perhaps you could include what kind of pad do you have?
(I'm still in the deciding which pad to buy phase, you know, whether to splurge and get the good one to improve the overall experience or start on a cheapie with the knowledge that I may have to get another one for full enjoyment)
posted by milovoo at 1:45 PM on June 17, 2004

I just bought these a couple weeks ago. So far, I'm really happy with them. They're cheaper and better(IMO) than the Ignition pads. The thick foam insert helps with the noise level, but if you have a tendency to stomp, it won't help that much. They do bow a little in the middle on carpet, but not enough to affect gameplay. The DDRFreak forums suggest inserting a chair mat to help with that.
If you can afford it, definitely get 2 pads. The game is a lot more fun with 2 people and having a workout buddy will help you stick to it.
posted by deathofme at 2:13 PM on June 17, 2004

Joan:

Stepmania is a PC port (unofficial -- think emulator) of DDR, and you can get a Playstation controler to USB adapter for under $20. Google around a little to find the drivers so you can use that adapter with a dance pad.
posted by Aaorn at 2:24 PM on June 17, 2004

Currently, your game options, assuming you don't have a modded anything, are:

There are three mixes for the PS1, including "Dance Dance Revolution" (about 30 songs, all old, no real extra features), "Konamix" (about 52 songs, all Konami Originals and not licensed familiar tracks), and "Disney Rave" (a bunch of techno-y Disney songs, good for kids).

Two mixes are out for the PS2, DDRMAX (~72 songs, some licenses you might know like Sandstorm and I Like To Move It) and DDRMAX2 (more licenses, ~69 songs). I recommend DDRMAX2 as it's the best you're going to get in the US. DDR Extreme will be out in the US later this year for the PS2.

Xbox has Ultramix, which has pluses (online play & purchasable songpacks) and minuses (the ranking for online is by sheer number of wins, interface is buggy, etc). Ultramix 2 will be out this fall.

(If you don't have either console, get a PS2 for DDRing, as that's where the roots of the game are. The Xbox mixes are a little strange.)

On the PC, there was an official mix but it's out of print and wasn't worth it anyhow. There's a simulator called Stepmania, which is pretty much everything you'll ever need, and works with USB converters and pads pretty well these days. Song files are easy to find online, despite being legally a grey area.

(On preview: What aaorn said.)

Also, never use shoes on a home pad. You want to play in shoes, go to the arcade and wear LIGHT shoes. Heavy shoes will destroy your feet.
posted by Remy at 2:32 PM on June 17, 2004

I guess most everyone has probably seen this, but this was the original lose-weight-playing-DDR link (or at least the first I heard of it).
posted by milovoo at 3:05 PM on June 17, 2004

Here's a way to mod your soft pad and stop it from shifting or bunching up. I had a Konami soft pad, which I bought from Fry's a couple of years ago and don't see online anywhere, with a felt-type base that didn't move much. I did have thick carpet, though.

I know of people who've wrecked their ankles playing DDR, so if you have weak ankles -- that is, you're prone to sprains and strains -- I wouldn't recommend doing it too often.

I also found, believe it or not, that the Disney mix has a good variety of levels, as well as giving you a workout summary at the end of each song.

I agree with mathowie about it being a group activity, though. A friend of mine had two pads, a hard and soft one, taped down to his garage floor, and a big-screen TV so it was like playing two-player in an arcade, with room for an audience to watch you (or me in this case) make a dick of yourself. :)
posted by tracicle at 3:07 PM on June 17, 2004

I just wanted to chime in: My girlfriend and I started DDR a few weeks ago for the exercise benefit. Just to repeat what others have said:

1. Invest in a decent pad. We bought the Ignition pad from Red Octane and have been happy with it so far. As previously mentioned, if you can afford to get two pads, do so -- it's much more fun with 2 people.

2. DDRMAX and DDRMAX 2 for the PS2 both have a workout mode that you can customize to an individual. (Note: Each player will need their own memory card if they want to save their own workout stats, unlockables, etc.)

3. We bought a clear protective cover for a DDR soft pad which supposedily allows you to wear shoes with a soft dance pad. After using it, I still wouldn't recommend wearing shoes with any kind of soft pad, protective cover or not.

4. DDRFreak.com is a great site with helpful forums which will cover everything you wanted to know about DDR.

5. If you are in any way annoyed by techno (especially euro or japanese pop) dance music, DDR probably isn't for you. :)
posted by jca at 3:16 PM on June 17, 2004

And to tack one more on: How good/what kind of a workout is this really? I can see it getting your heart rate up, but will it do anything beyond that -- losing weight, building endurance, etc.?

I lost 20 pounds earlier this year with DDR, and got major improvements in thighs, calves, and ass. My endurance improved a lot, too. DDR can be a very good workout - at the higher levels of play, it's essentially the equivalent of fast step aerobics. It can be pretty hard to get a good workout at the lower levels, though... you will need to play at at least Standard (Trick) Mode to get a decent amount of kilocalories burned per hour. You can use the Workout Mode to track your performance in terms of kCal. If you can get up to Heavy (Maniac) Mode, you should be able to get noticable health benefits from an hour or two of serious DDR every other day. I can burn around 400-500 kCal in one hour on Heavy.

As mathowie points out, the learning curve for the DDR home games is pretty steep. There aren't very many songs that are suitable for a beginner. The way to get around this is by editing the steps to make them easier. You can do that on any of the PS2 home games. Just take out all of the steps you can't do, and replace them with something easier. Then come back to the tougher steps once you've mastered the ones you made.

I'm still in the deciding which pad to buy phase, you know, whether to splurge and get the good one to improve the overall experience or start on a cheapie with the knowledge that I may have to get another one for full enjoyment

Get a cheap one (I think the ones I'm currently using were 2 for $20 on Ebay), and then mod it according to the Mod Guide that Remy linked to above. Then switch out the pads once they start to glitch. Pretty much every DDR pad will start to fail after 6 months to a year of heavy use, so you might as well save your money. Some people swear by the fancy Ignition pads, but to me they are a waste - a modded cheap pad is just as good in terms of play, and will last almost as long at much less than half of the price. Better to spend the cash you'll save on playing the real thing at the arcade, unless you're willing to build a metal pad.
posted by vorfeed at 3:20 PM on June 17, 2004 [1 favorite]

I found this thread inspiring; I just bought DDRMAX2 w/2 pads on eBay for $41.99. (15.95 shipping though. Oh well.) Anyway, seller had loads of them up - I'm sure you'd be able to find a similar deal if you're looking for the cheap pads.
posted by ferociouskitty at 3:28 PM on June 17, 2004

I know of people who've wrecked their ankles playing DDR, so if you have weak ankles -- that is, you're prone to sprains and strains -- I wouldn't recommend doing it too often.

This makes sense, but I'm wondering, would regular use improve angle "stamina", do ankles get stronger and less likely to be sprained?
posted by milovoo at 3:29 PM on June 17, 2004

thanks vorfeed, that sounds like a good plan.

Are there any other games that use the pads? Step-tetris or something?
posted by milovoo at 3:39 PM on June 17, 2004

I bought a cheap mat to start (Best Buy for $19.99) and I'd recommend the approach. The pad sucks and I need a better one, but make sure you like it before you invest even more dough. The learning curve will kick your ass at some point. Once you unlock Endless Mode, a decent sweat is readily available.

haven't played in about 3 weeks because I'm pretty sure I gave myself a stress fracture playing down in the basement
posted by yerfatma at 3:40 PM on June 17, 2004

I just ordered the $49 one, I figure I can find some other use for it if I can't manage to get off my lazy butt.
Maybe I could use the USB adapter to make it a freevo remote control.
posted by milovoo at 3:53 PM on June 17, 2004

milovoo: It should be noted that the health benefits of DDR have been known for a while (I lost 15 pounds in the fall of 2001); getupmove.com is actually a promotional site put up by RedOctane earlier this year in the helps of selling more pads.

In terms of other games - there isn't really anything that recommends you use a dance pad, although it works fine for other music games a lot of the time. You can get some amusement out of playing regular games with them, but generally you need to liberally add some alcohol to get away with that without feeling like a complete nerd.
posted by Remy at 4:47 PM on June 17, 2004

I have a soft pad on carpet and have never had to tape it down or do anything of the sort. However, you need to wear socks.. otherwise your feet will push it around/stick to it.
posted by wackybrit at 4:56 PM on June 17, 2004

1) Get Stepmania, and use the P2P networks to find a bunch of .smzip files -- I've presently got more than 400 songs to play with. Hey presto, I've got more DDR action than any version of DDR ever, and it was entirely free!

2) get an EMS2 PS2-to-USB adaptor -- it supports two pads. I bought mine at levelsix.com

3) use "rug stop" stuff underneath your pads. These are typically a sort of soft grippy foam "net." Works great for me, and they're cheap.
posted by aramaic at 5:11 PM on June 17, 2004

I know of people who've wrecked their ankles playing DDR, so if you have weak ankles -- that is, you're prone to sprains and strains -- I wouldn't recommend doing it too often.

I'd recommend ankle-strengthening exercises in addition to DDR...
posted by five fresh fish at 5:32 PM on June 17, 2004

To answer question #1, I've been playing for about 2 weeks now and I live in a 2nd floor apartment. As long as you make an effort to do so, you don't really have to come down full force on the jumps to hit them so you can do it semi-quietly. I also try to keep my playing to the early evening hours (6-8pm) and I haven't gotten any complaints so far. Either it's quiet enough or I have very tolerant neighbors. It'd be nice to be able to do it in the morning but I guess that'll have to wait until I get a house or something.

Also, I've got a question about the workout benefits of it. I got the game primarily for exercise (Video games helped me get out of shape, so I figured it's the least they could do to help me get back into shape) and I was disappointed to find out that you can't set a playlist of songs to do all in a row (at least on the XBox version). When I'm playing it's a cycle of 2 minutes of frantic flailing followed by 30 relatively calm seconds of choosing the next song. Does anyone know if that kind of start/stop pattern would have negative effects on its weightloss/cardio effectiveness? I know that for a good cardio workout you have to have your heartrate up for at least 30 minutes, but would these 30 second pauses cause a problem?
posted by shinji_ikari at 6:19 PM on June 17, 2004

Stopping for 20% of the time isn't going to as good as continuous exercise, but there may still be some benefits providing the workout lasts long enough. There is a form of exercise/fitness training which builds in periods of more and less activity (Fartlekking), but which doesn't usually involve coming to a near total stop. The key is, if it's DDR on slumping on the couch then DDR is easily the winner.
Probably the key to effective weight loss/cardio benefit is to make sure you're training using a more demanding DDR track which takes into account the fact that you will be having a break after 2 minutes.
posted by biffa at 1:50 AM on June 18, 2004

If you are worried about the stomping noise, you could always pick up Eye Toy Groove for the PS2. Same concept as DDR except you wave your arms around like a lunatic. It has an exercise mode as well. I don't own it, but I do have the first Eye Toy game and it's a blast and will definitely get your heart rate up.

There were also a few DDR games released for the Dreamcast, which you can pick up fer cheap.
posted by Otis at 12:36 PM on June 18, 2004

takes into account the fact that you will be having a break after 2 minutes.

Endless mode allows no such breaks. Well, you could take time off every 5th song or so, but otherwise it's one song right after another.
posted by yerfatma at 5:41 PM on June 18, 2004