@@ -35,18 +35,20 @@ Table of Contents
11. Questions, Bugs, Suggestions, and Help
12. The StepMania Editor
13. The .SM File Format
14. Background Animation s
15. The .CRS File F ormat
16. Extra Stages
17. Creating an Announcer
18. Creating a Note Skin
19. Creating a Theme
20. How StepMania Loads Textures
21. Building StepMania from CVS Source
22. Thanks
14. Backgrounds
15. BGAnimations f ormat
16. The .CRS File Format
17. Extra Stages
18. Creating an Announcer
19. Creating a Note Skin
20. Creating a Theme
21. How StepMania Loads Textures
22. Building StepMania from CVS Source
23. Thanks
See the file "NEWS" for version history.
************************************************************
1. About StepMania
************************************************************
@@ -112,7 +114,7 @@ are on right half.
The following is a list of special keys:
Anywher e:
Any tim e:
* F4 = toggle fullscreen
* F5 = toggle detail
* Hold Tab = increase game speed 4x (useful for moving through menus quickly)
@@ -132,35 +134,11 @@ In gameplay:
* Hold Escape = abort playing
This controls the state of the background behind the arrows.
OFF - Only the background graphic of the song is displayed.
ANIMATIONS - Along with the background graphic, animated graphics
(found in the BGAnimations folder) will dance around behind the
arrows. Keep in mind that the animation files are small graphics,
and must be loaded on the fly. On slower computers, this will
cause jumpiness during the song. If this is a problem, try
changing to Visualizations or even off.
VISUALIZATIONS - Along with the background graphic, movies (found in
the Visualizations folder) will be played. The default StepMania
Visualizations pack (available at www.stepmania.com) contains
swirling and twisting effects, but in theory any AVI or MPEG video
can be used. You must have the DivX codec installed on your
computer for this to work. Keep in mind that DivX decoding is
processor-intensive, and will decrease the framerate. Slower
computers will have a hard time playing StepMania AND decoding
DivX backgrounds.
RANDOM MOVIES - Movie files from the "RandomMovies" folder will be
played as the background for the song.
Sample animations, visualizations, and random movies can be found at
www.stepmania.com.
************************************************************
6. How StepMania Loads Songs
************************************************************
All song files for a specific song (data file, music file, banner, background)
All files for a specific song (data file, music file, banner, background)
must reside in a single folder. This folder must have the following path:
Songs/<group folder>/<song folder>/
@@ -173,26 +151,22 @@ For example, the song B4U may consist of the following files:
Songs/Dance Dance Revolution 4th Mix/B4U/b4u.png
Songs/Dance Dance Revolution 4th Mix/B4U/b4u-movie.avi
StepMania supports the SM, DWI, BMS, and KSF song file formats.
StepMania supports the SM, DWI, BMS, and KSF song file formats. If the song
file format is BMS or KSF, simply put all the KSF or BMS files into the song
folder.
If a song file does not specify a valid banner file, StepMania first looks
for a graphic in the song folder that contains the letters "banner". If that
for a graphic in the song folder that contains the word "banner". If that
search fails, StepMania will guess which image is most appropriate.
If a song file does not specify a valid background file, StepMania first looks
for a graphic in the song folder that contains the letter s "bg" or "background".
for a graphic in the song folder that contains the word s "bg" or "background".
If that search fails, StepMania will guess which image is most appropriate.
If a song file does not specify a valid CDTitle file, StepMania will look
for a graphic in the song folder that contains the letter s "cdtitle". If that
for a graphic in the song folder that contains the word s "cdtitle". If that
search fails, StepMania will guess which image is most appropriate.
Also, for compatibility with DWI, if can reading CDTitles from the .\CDTitles
folder. Song makers are not encouraged to not use this feature and instead
should put the CDTitle graphic in the song folder. Having a separate CDTitles
folder breaks the principle that all files needed to play a song should reside
in the song folder.
If a song file does not specify a valid movie background file, StepMania will
look for a movie in the song folder that contains the letters "movie". If
that search fails, StepMania will use the first movie in the song folder.
@@ -213,15 +187,15 @@ of registering simultaneous presses of Left+Right or Up+Down. This
restriction will cause the player to miss many notes where two buttons must
be hit simultaneously.
* Highly Recommended: S pecial PlayStation->USB adaptor
* Highly Recommended: s pecific brands of PlayStation->USB adaptor
There is just one brand of PlayStation->USB adaptor that functions perfectly
with StepMania. These adaptors are available for purchase at the StepMania
web site (www.stepmania.com) and through some importers (www.liksang.com).
The adaptor is made by "Boom", and it small and black with a detachable USB
cable. These adaptors cost about $15 and allow you to attach one dance pad
per adaptor. The primary advantage of these adaptors is that they do not
require special drivers and require no configuring.
with StepMania. These adaptors are available for purchase through some
importers (www.liksang.com). The adaptor is made by "Boom", and it small and
black with a detachable USB cable. These adaptors cost about $15 and allow
you to attach one dance pad per adaptor. The primary advantage of these
adaptors is that they do not require special drivers and require no
configuring.
* Semi-Recommended: PlayStation->Parallel adaptor
@@ -245,6 +219,7 @@ NTPad XP 1.x, found at
PSXPAD 0.8.2002.0606b, found at
http://www.psxpad.com/download/downcnt.php?name=psxp_a020606b
************************************************************
8. Compatibility Issues
************************************************************
@@ -315,7 +290,7 @@ I'd rather not going to say. Sorry. It's gotten me in trouble before.
* Why won't you tell me? I promise I won't tell anyone else.
The reason I won't tell is because: a) I don't know yet, and b) I don't want
The reasons I won't tell is because: a) I don't know yet, and b) I don't want
to make anyone angry if it takes longer than expected (it usually does).
@@ -333,21 +308,21 @@ visualizations to all be installed by the Package Manager.
The file format of an .smzip file is actually the PK-Zip standard.
you can rename any .smzip file to have the extension '.zip', and then open the
file in any compression package (e.g. WinZip).
file in any compression application (e.g. WinZip, WinRAR ).
The StepMania Package Manager (smpackage.exe) can also create song packages
The StepMania Package Manager (smpackage.exe) can also export song packages
for you. Simply launch the Package Manager
(Start Menu->Programs->StepMania->Package Manager), click the song you want to
creat e a package for, click the Export button, and a .smzip package will be
placed on your desktop.
(Start Menu->Programs->StepMania->Package Manager), click the items you would
like to mak e a package for, then click the Export button. A .smzip package
will be placed on your desktop, and you can share it with friends .
************************************************************
11. Questions, Bugs, Suggestions, and Help
************************************************************
If you have a question or problem about StepMania, please try asking your
question to the StepMania message board. A link is available from the StepMania
If you have a question about or problem with StepMania, please first ask your
question a StepMania message board. A link is available from the StepMania
web site - http://www.stepmania.com.
If you have found a bug, please file a bug report into the SourceForge bug
@@ -355,7 +330,7 @@ tracking system (http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=37892&atid=421366).
This will allow the developers to track and fix bugs much more efficiently.
* In a bug report, please specify your video card brand and model, and your OS
version.
version (Win98, WinXP, etc) .
* PLEASE, PLEASE enter your e-mail address on the bug reports. In many cases,
we need more information from the bug reporter.
@@ -374,10 +349,22 @@ to the StepMania developers list ([email protected] ) or to Chris
************************************************************
The StepMania editor allows you to edit, record, synchronize, and play back
note patterns. Current, it support saving only in the .SM format. If you save
a song that was originally in DWI or BMS format, the old DWI and BMS files will
be renamed to have ".old" appended to avoid conflicts when the song is next
loaded. All of the comm ands are listed along the left side of the screen.
note patterns. When you choose 'Save', your song will be saved in both the .SM
format and the DWI format for use in Dance With Intensity. If you save
a song that was originally in the BMS or KSF format, the old files will be
appended with ".old", and a new .SM file will be written with your new song
data.
Following are a few basic commands that you will find useful in learning to use
the editor:
Esc - show/dimiss menu
Up/Down - change beat
Left/Right - change beat snap value
Enter - Set selection begin marker
Space - Set selection end marker
P - Play back current selection (if no selection, play whole song)
R - Record over current selection (if no selection, record whole song)
************************************************************
@@ -395,49 +382,49 @@ mp3, or wav format.
#TITLE:...; - The "main title" of the song.
#SUBTITLE:...; - This text will appear underneath the main title of the song
on the Select Music screen. e.g. "- Dirty Mix-", "(remix)".
on the Select Music screen. e.g. "~ Dirty Mix~" or "(remix)".
#ARTIST:...; - The artist of the song.
#CREDIT:...; - Give yourself some credit here for creating a wonderful song.
#BPM:...; - BPM of the music
#BANNER:...; - The file name of the banner image. e.g. "b4u-banner.png".
This image must reside in the song folder.
This image must reside in the song folder.
#BACKGROUND:...; - The file name of the background image. e.g. "b4u-bg.png".
This image must reside in the song folder.
This image must reside in the song folder.
#CDTITLE:...; - The file name of the spinning CD logo. e.g. "b4u-cdtitle.png".
This image must reside in the song folder.
#MOVIEBACKGROUND:...; - The file name of the a background movie. e.g. "b4u-movie.avi".
This movie must reside in the song folder.
This image must reside in the song folder.
#MOVIEBACKGROUND:...; - The file name of the a background movie. e.g.
"b4u-movie.avi". This movie must reside in the song folder.
#MUSIC:...; - The file name of the music file. e.g. "b4u.mp3". This image
must reside in the song folder.
must reside in the song folder.
#MUSICBYTES:...; - The size in bytes of the music file that this song was last
synchronized with. A "Song may be out of synch" warning will be displayed if
the value of this tag does not match the actual size of the music file.
synchronized with. A "Song may be out of synch" warning will be displayed if
the value of this tag does not match the actual size of the music file.
#OFFSET:...; - The time in seconds at which beat 0 occurs in the music. This
is specified as a floating point value. e.g. "2.34".
is specified as a floating point value. e.g. "2.34".
#SAMPLESTART:...; - The time in seconds to start the music sample that plays
on the Select Music screen. This is specified as a floating point value. e.g.
"32.34".
on the Select Music screen. This is specified as a floating point value.
e.g. "32.34".
#SAMPLELENGTH:...; - The time in seconds let the sample music play after
starting. This is specified as a floating point value. e.g. "32.34". Note
that in the last 1 second of playing the music will fade out.
starting. This is specified as a floating point value. e.g. "32.34". Note
that in the last 1 second of playing the music will fade out.
#SELECTABLE:...; - If "NO", the song can not be selected manually and can
only be played as part of a course. If "ROULETTE", the song can can also be
selected via roulette. The default value is "YES".
only be played as part of a course. If "ROULETTE", the song can can also be
selected via roulette. The default value is "YES".
#BPMS:...; - A value of the format "beat=bpm". Indicates that at 'beat', the
speed of the arrows will change to "bpm". Both of these values are specified
as floating point values. You must specifiy a BPM value for beat 0. Multiple
BPMs can be given by separating them with commas. e.g. "0=160,120=80".
speed of the arrows will change to "bpm". Both of these values are specified
as floating point values. You must specifiy a BPM value for beat 0. Multiple
BPMs can be given by separating them with commas. e.g. "0=160,120=80".
#STOPS:...; - A value of the format "beat=sec". Indicates that at 'beat',
the motion of the arrows should stop for "sec" seconds. Both of these values
are specified as floating point values. Multiple stops can be given by
separating them with commas. e.g. "60=2.23,80=1.12".
#ANIMATIONS :...; - A value of the format "beat=anim name". Indicates that at 'beat',
the background animation should change to the animation names 'anim name'. 'beat'
is a floating point value and 'anim name' is a string. Different animation change
are separated by commas. e.g. "60=falling,80=flower".
the motion of the arrows should stop for "sec" seconds. Both of these values
are specified as floating point values. Multiple stops can be given by
separating them with commas. e.g. "60=2.23,80=1.12".
#BGCHANGE :...; - A value of the format "beat=bg name". Indicates that at 'beat',
the background should begin playing 'bg name'. 'beat' is a fractional value
value and 'anim name' is a string. Different animation change are separated
by commas. e.g. "60=falling,80=flower".
Each pattern of s tep s for different mode s have the same basic format:
Each pattern of no tes ha s have the same basic format:
#NOTES:<NotesType>:<Description>:<DifficultyClass>:<DifficultyMeter>:<RadarValues>:<NoteData>;
@@ -462,36 +449,36 @@ values are "0.95,0.98,0.22,0.12,0.13". These values will automatically be
written when you save the song in the StepMania editor, but you may edit the
.SM file afterward to tweak them.
NoteData: This value requires a longer explanation. The format is pretty
similar to that used in KSF files.
NoteData: This value requires a longer explanation.
Each note is represented by a character:
0 = no note here
1 = a regular "tap note"
2 = beginning of a "hold note"
3 = end of a "hold note"
a-z,A-z = reserved for game types that have sounds associated with notes
a-z,A-z = tap notes reserved for game types that have sounds associated with notes
Notes are grouped into rows. The number of notes in a row depends on the
NotesType field.
Notes that are hit at the same time are grouped into rows. For example, if the
NotesType is "dance-single", the row "1001" would specify that both the Left
and Right and Down panels should be hit at the same time.
dance-single = 4 notes/row
The number of notes per row (also called the number of 'columns') depends on
the "NotesType.
dance-single = 4 notes/row (Left,Down,Up,Right)
dance-double = 8 notes/row
dance-couple = 8 notes/row
dance-solo = 6 notes/row
pump-single = 5 notes/row
pump-double = 10 notes/row
For example, a note row for a dance-single pattern may look like "1001" (press
Left and Right simultaneously. A note row for a dance-double pattern may look
like "10010000" (press Left and Right simultaneously on the left pad).
Note rows are grouped into measures. The number of note rows in a measure will
determine the time value of each note. For example, if there are 4 note rows
in a measure, each note will be treated as a quarter note. If there are 8 notes
rows in a measure, each note will be treated as a eighth note. If there are 12
notes rows in a measure, each note will be treated as a triplet note. Measures
are separated by a comma.
Note rows are grouped into measures. The number of note rows you specify in a
measure will determine the time value of each note. For example, if there are
4 note rows in a measure, each note will be treated as a quarter note. If there
are 8 notes rows in a measure, each note will be treated as a eighth note. If
there are 12 notes rows in a measure, each note will be treated as a triplet
(1/12th) note. Measures are separated by a comma.
Example:
@@ -512,80 +499,126 @@ Example:
;
************************************************************
14. Background Animation s
14. Backgrounds
************************************************************
StepMania supports three different modes of backgrounds:
BGAnimations - The background will cycle randomly through different sprite
animations. Each of these animation must reside in the "BGAnimations"
folder in the StepMania program directory. See the section called
"BGAnimations" in the readme for more information on the BGAnimations format.
BGAnimations will perform better than the other background modes on slower
computers.
Random Movies - The background will cycle randomly over any avi or mpg files
in the "RandomMovies" folder in the StepMania program directory.
Visualizations - A random avi or mpg file will be chosen from the
"Visualizations" folder in the StepMania program directory. This movie file
will be played and blended over top of the song's background graphic.
Many video AVIs will require the DivX codec for playback. If you haven't yet
downloaded DivX, you can get it from www.divx.com. Playing movies as the
background is very processor intensive, and may cause the frame rate to
decrease on slower computers.
Sample animations, visualizations, and random movies can be found at
www.stepmania.com.
************************************************************
15. BGAnimations Format
************************************************************
The BGAnimations folder in the StepMania program directory may contain several
BGAnimation folders.
\BGAnimations\<anim folder>\<layer files>
Why?
<anim folder> is the name of the animation.
Grouping all of the graphics for an animation into one file would be a pain. If you want your sprites to have animation and you put all the frames for multiple animations into one big graphics file: a) That file would be huge and many video cards can't draw large textures, b) You'd have to create some other text file that says which frames of the graphic belong to which sprite, c) If your sprites are different sizes, there will be a lot of wasted space between the frames of that graphic, and d) It's a pain for the artist to cut and paste a whole bunch of frames from different animations into one graphic (and make sure everything is lined up right).
<layer files> are one or more graphics files that will be used as layers in the
animation. Each sprite represents exactly one layer. Multiple layers can be
specified by having multiple <layer files>.
The BGAnimations folder should contain several folders for individual background animations. Currently, these background animations cycle in order of their folder names, changing every 4 measures of the song.
For example, a BGAnimation named "flower" may include the files:
In an a nimation folder, each sprite represents one layer. Multiple layers can be specified by having multiple sprites. Layers are drawn from back to front in order of their file name. Different "layer effects" are specified by adding tokens to the file name. Here are an explanation of the currently supported tokens:
BGA nimations\flower\1 TileScrollUp.png
BGAnimations\flower\2 StartOnRandomFrame ParticlesFloatDown 1x2.png
BGAnimations\flower\3 TileScrollLeft CycleColor 2x2.png
usesongbg - Use the song's background file instead of this graphics file. Since this graphics file will not be used, you might want to make thi s g raphic a 1x1 graphic to save space.
The first number in the name of a <layer file> will specifies it s d rawing
order. A layers with a small number will be drawn before a layer with a larger
number.
add - use additive blending instead of normal blending.
Different "effects" are specified for each layer by adding tokens to the file
name. Here are an explanation of the currently supported tokens:
cyclecolor - cycle the color of the layer over the colors of the rainbow
UseSongBg - Use the song's background file instead of this graphics file.
Since this graphics file is merely a placeholder, you might want to make this
graphic a 1x1 graphic to save disk space.
cyclealpha - cycle the alpha channel of the layer over type
Add - use additive blending instead of normal blending.
startonrandomframe - Start the animation on a random frame. This is mainly useful for Tile or Particle effects.
CycleColor - cycle the color of the layer over the colors of the rainbow
dontanimate - Stay on the first frame of this animation. This is only useful for layers with multiple frames.
CycleAlpha - cycle the alpha channel of the layer over type
StartOnRandomFrame - Start the animation on a random frame. This is mainly
useful for Tile or Particle effects.
DontAnimate - Stay on the first frame of this animation. This is only useful
for layers with multiple frames.
(stretch effects) - These scretch the graphic across the extire screen.
s cretchs crolll eft,
s tretchs crollr ight,
s tretchs crollu p,
s tretchs crolld own,
S cretchS crollL eft,
S tretchS crollR ight,
S tretchS crollU p,
S tretchS crollD own,
- Scroll the layer in a direction
s tretchw ater,
s tretchb ubble,
s tretcht wist,
s tretchs pin,
S tretchW ater,
S tretchB ubble,
S tretchT wist,
S tretchS pin,
- Deform the background sprite with an effect. Only stretch spin is currently implemented.
(particle effects) - Use the graphic to make individual particles on the screen.
p articless piralo ut,
p articless pirali n,
P articlesS piralO ut,
P articlesS piralI n,
- Spiral particles away from/toward the center of the screen.
p articlesf loatu p,
p articlesf loatd own,
p articlesf loatl eft,
p articlesf loatr ight,
P articlesF loatU p,
P articlesF loatD own,
P articlesF loatL eft,
P articlesF loatR ight,
- Scroll the particles across the screen.
p articlesb ounce,
P articlesB ounce,
- Particles start traveling in random directions and bounce when they hit the edge of the screen.
(tile effects) - Tile the graphics across the screen, forming a grid of graphics.
t iles till,
t iles crolll eft,
t iles crollr ight,
t iles crollu p,
t iles crolld own,
T ileS till,
T ileS crollL eft,
T ileS crollR ight,
T ileS crollU p,
T ileS crollD own,
- Scroll the tiles
t ilef lipx ,
t ilef lipy ,
T ileF lipX ,
T ileF lipY ,
- Flip the tiles along the X or Y axis.
t ilep ulse,
T ileP ulse,
- Tiles zoom in and out.
************************************************************
15. The .CRS File Format
************************************************************
Place holder...
CRS files define the courses used in the "Oni" Nonstop Challenge mode. All CRS
files must reside in the "Courses" folder in the StepMania program folder.
Header section...
#COURSE:...; - name of the course
#LIVES:<0..10>; - An integer between 0 and 10. This line is optional.
#REPEAT:<YES|NO>; - start over after last stage?
@@ -615,11 +648,13 @@ Header section...
You can manually specify extra stages for each song group by creating .CRS
files called "extra1.crs" and "extra2.crs". These courses must contain
exactly one valid song . Don't forget to specify modifiers - see the CRS
File Format section for more information. If a CRS file is not found or
is invalid, the program will choose appropriate songs , notes and option s.
exactly one song in the course . Don't forget to specify modifiers - see the
CRS File Format section for more information. If a CRS file is not found or
is invalid, the program will choose an appropriate song, notes, and modifier s.
Don't forget: extra stage CRS files belong in the song group folder
(e.g. "Songs/DDRMAX/"), not in "Courses".
Place these course files in the song group folder, not in "Courses".
************************************************************
17. Creating an Announcer
@@ -638,6 +673,7 @@ that you name the sound files according to what is being said (e.g.
folder, or the trigger folder is missing, then no sound will be played for
that trigger.
************************************************************
18. Creating a Note Skin
************************************************************
Chris Danford