ITG @ 505: The Guide

If you’re coming from DDR, the short of it is to “unlearn” stepping as wide and as hard.

Solution: Play on the right side (P2) instead. I’ve designated P1 to be the “high-difficulty” side and P2 to be the “regular” side.

If the online events and the cab’s song libraries hint at anything, it’s that ITG can get very demanding, so optimal form is a non-negotiable. We have a high-level (25s, 26s) player who claims P1 ↑ requires so much effort to trigger that he had to stop after one credit to prevent injury.

The truth is, I’ve received complaints from various players, on both sides, covering the entire spectrum of (in)sensitivity after modding them back and forth.

In advocating improvement, which I think is the whole point of this game anyway, I won’t be tweaking P1 to be any less sensitive than it is, unless a panel’s full stuck.

But if you want to pass harder stuff, most of us recommend getting used to P1 as a start. You’ll probably find it hard to accept that way off/decents are inevitable and it’s tempting to switch them off, but just keep them on.

>it’s always form issue

Solution: Restart by unplugging the power cable and putting it back in. Staff rarely checks the back rhythm game section for problems, so if you happen to find it acting strange, it’s faster for you to solve the issue yourself.

The game will remember your credits across exiting/power cycles, so you don’t have to worry about losing them. If they are lost for whatever reason, you can ask one of the front staff to get them to reimburse the lost credits.

If you’ve found a way to replicate crashing the game, let me know. Example: one time there was apparently a pack (which nobody really plays) that StepMania didn’t like, so I just moved it out.

If you notice the cab in some weird state for whatever strange reason (say, a command line terminal, or there’s open windows in the operating system) I’d also appreciate a picture because who doesn’t like meme material.

I’ve tried to do a thing (systemd process) where the game will automatically restart if it crashes, but the catch is when that happens there’s no audio. Plug pulling is the easiest and most hassle-free answer as of now, albeit not elegant.

There’s been a sighting of the swipers stuck on a white screen_{[image, 3.8 MB]} that once affected maimai and ITG, and restarting didn’t seem to do the trick.

Unfortunately, although a given, the swiper’s not under my control.

Solution: Wait a few minutes, if the cabinet’s just booted up. I’ve encountered the swiper just on a blank screen instead of having its usual startup messages, and then after about 3 minutes it worked.

Otherwise, try doing a power cycle for good measure in the event the swiper choked starting up. If that still doesn’t solve the problem, it’s probably a crediting system issue, in which case the best thing you can do is report it to the staff so they can escalate it to the tech. Keep in mind the staff at 505 are CityHeroes people, so they probably have no clue how to fix Koko issues themselves!

No worries, I can sort that out. I usually put on most of the packs from “the spreadsheet”.

Solution: If it’s on the spreadsheet, mentioning the name should suffice. Otherwise, shoot me a link or something.

So long as it’s actually for the pad, and appropriately rated, it should be fine. If it’s obvious that it’s a keyboard chart, or there’s unresolvable low-quality stuff, there isn’t much incentive to put it on as nobody’s going to enjoy it.

However, if it’s your content and you just want it on for pad testing, that’s cool as well. It’ll likely go in the AUS Junk folder for miscellaneous stuff unless you’ve made an entire pack (whoa okay, mad respect). Us regulars here are always happy to playtest and review!

Yes, you can:

• ITL: In the Advanced Modifiers page of the settings menu (accessible by hitting enter twice upon selecting a song), enable all three options under FA+ Options for the best experience. Then, at the results screen, press ◀ or ▶ a few times (left takes less keypresses) until you see a QR code. Scan that, log in to GrooveStats if you haven’t yet, and your score should submit.
• SRPG: Same idea with the QR code feature.
• ECS: send me your downloaded ZIP profile from the website, and I can put it on. Because ECS requires switching themes and enabling profile select, I have to be there. Let me know when you want to do your set, and I can come out.

The issue with LEDs is that apparently they depend on the original lights working. P1 ←’s connection looks busted, and P2 ↑’s input strobes when connected to the LIT board.

FSRs aren’t high on my priority list. If you want to crowdfund an FSRio and its sensors, I’m totally down, but then I’d have to consider how to interface the sensitivity controls – which means drilling panels for touch screens, getting them set up with Linux, then developing and testing. At the very least, I’d need a fair bit of help.

Actually, the PC’s set up for it and ready to go, but

• I’d need to drill a hole in the cab, and that’s a very low priority thing for Koko
• Random people can plug in input devices (keyboard, mouse, rubber ducky) and mess around with the system

You can do the following yourself:

• The HDMI cable from the PC connects to the TV on the left hand side. Keep in mind which port it was connected to. Connect the cable into your capture card, and provide passthrough back into the TV using the same port.
• You’ll have to record audio using an external microphone.
• A camera can be mounted on top of the TV; be careful though, that screen is pretty thin.

If I’m around (which means, you’ll have access to the PC):

• Provide a 3.5mm audio splitter cable to allow direct audio capture.
• I’ve written an API backend currently on the PC that can return score data for whatever you’ve played. You will need to provide your own WiFi dongle to connect to the PC, because your main one will be connected to your hotspot for the internet.

In the early 2010s, there was a DDR SuperNOVA2 cab next to the cinemas at Timezone (today, it’s a Koko, but today today, it’s turned into an extension of CityHeroes). After X, it was converted to ITG, and when the PC started to die out I was responsible for organising and setting up the new one. Our crew used to come out frequently to keep the pads working in top condition, and I organised a few competitions back in the day.

Timezone changed to iPlay, and in their final days, that cab was moved to Broadway Happydays (now iPlay), then subsequently went missing for several months. We thought with that was the end of an era for ITG here in Sydney, but thankfully we found it again at an iPlay all the way out in Edmondson Park. Nobody really goes there unless you happen to live near the area, so the pad’s been in a pretty bad condition. The last time I went there was to update the machine with ECS 10.5, but it’s unlikely I’ll ever have the opportunity to mod them given I personally know nobody at that venue.

Wanting to keep ITG in the city alive, I took an opportunity to purchase a DDR 5th Mix cabinet from a private owner who wanted it gone ASAP. As I had no space at all in my lift-less apartment, I decided to keep the cab at Koko and make it the next quality public ITG with the intention to sell it to them – which meant I had to get it in an “arcade ready” condition.

Update: As of 22/8/23, the cabinet is now theirs. We’ve made an agreement that I can continue to work on the pads as I’ve all this time.

What “arcade ready” means depends on how lenient you are. If you’re willing to overlook the lights not functioning properly (the Edmondson Park cab wasn’t either), the internal amp busted, or the PC occasionally rocking up some cursed states, the cab’s practically working the same as the old one.

By the way, I’ve never worked for any arcade (as floor staff or dedicated technician), and it’s not my intention to. You could call me a “freelance” volunteer who only wants to vibrate on good pads and help enable others to as well. If you insist, you can shout me some fud instead idk 🥣🍻

Software/Hardware:

• Ubuntu 20.04
• Stepmania 5.1 (built from source using commit 21bb1db)
• Simply Love 5.4.0 that I’ve modified (we call it the “Sydney Mod”)
• J-PAC and LIT Board (not in use)

PC Specs:

• Intel i5-4690 6MB 4.10 GHz
• NVIDIA RTX 2060 (yep)
• SanDisk Ultra Plus 128GB SATA III SSD (for WIP/current tournament packs)
• Seagate 2TB SATA III HDD (for most songs where the pack has been finalised)
• 16GB DDR3-1333
• Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speakers
• Retrofitted Hisense 43" A7G @ 4K60

• Betson SN2
• Intel NUC, i5-7260U 4MB 3.40 GHz
• Intel 760p 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
• Patriot 4GB DDR4-2133
• Retrofitted Panasonic 40" TH-40FS500A @ 1080p60

[23 Mar]

Not my fix; this is what they’ve reported.

• P2 ← was sticking for some players, so the following fixes have been done to attempt to solve it:
• • On the inner sensor (i.e. right), taken out the flipper and five layers of masking tape
  • Also took out two masking tape on the right and upper sensor (= seven in total on right?)
  • Currently they say it’s at a nice spot where it’s quite sensitive, but it doesn't stick

No other panels touched.

[19 Mar]

• P1 ← reported sticking, but I wasn’t able to replicate it; didn’t modify as a result
• Remade P1 ↓ and →’s flippers to replace old ones that were falling apart. They’re more sensitive than before
• • → raised to match the sensitivity of ←
• P2 ↑ added two strips of masking tape to the flipper

• P1 ↓ – you might not like how raised it is, but in that state, it is very unlikely there will be any possibility of sticking
• P2 ↑ – if you get non-held misses that feel like they’re sticking, loosen the screws that are closest to the centre panel by a little bit

[19 Mar]

• ITL 2024 base pack. I’m sweeping the entire content from top to bottom in order for unlocks, and will put them on when I get to them

[19 Mar]

• New DDR 2014 challenge chart update (Plan 8, Wadatsumi, Funky Summer Beach)

• The spreadsheet, as per usual
• [23 Jan] 5.1 converts of OG mod charts
• [31 Jan] Shpadoinkle’s new tech pack series, whenever it shows up on the sheet
• [31 Jan] Reinstate missing songs from Dingoshi Ramen 2