ITG vs DDR vs PIU vs. Flow sight reading

[Mostly_Harmless]

Hello ppl. this topic is to decide what game is the easiest to sight read. For myself I am going to vote for ITG. The two games I almost never use speed mods in is ITG and DDR. I have been playing PIU alot now at the arcades and I find it almost humanly impossible to read the notes without speed mods (at least 2x) Try playing what you really want on 1x and you will know what i mean. Flow on the other hand can't have any speed mods enabled but it's still much easier to read then piu. DDR i think is better then piu and flow because even though hard to see the flashing colors, it makes it alittle easier to read, I can easily read stuff like your rain on heavy 1x. lastly i think the best game to read is ITG. I almost never use speed mods because even though when the arrows get jumbled up, you can akways CLEARLY see the green blue red purple arrows without having to strain your eyes. I beleive thats one of the hardest things about PIU is trying to determine if those arrows are going to be a jump or a sixteenth note. I hope more games follow ITG's similiar style. What do you guys think?

[0rion]

This seems hard, but actually totally isn't.

DDR is by far the easiest of the three (I've never played Flow) to sight-read, simply because the songs don't get nearly as hard on DDR as they do on ITG or PIU. The steps are simply not as complicated as they are in its sister games, and there aren't as many "tricks" (hands, mines, rolls, etc.) to look out for.

On the other hand, ITG gives you a more consise breakdown of what to expect before you actually play by telling you how many steps, jumps, hands, etc. are in the song when it is highlighted. This is a very awesome and underappreciated feature.

Pump is POSSIBLY the hardest to sightread for one simple reason: the arrows are Flat by DDR/ITG standards. Pump uses the Dance Freaks method of note-coloring - coloring by column, not by beat; and therefore lower-speed reading is even harder. In addition, most people that play ITG or DDR have at least SOME period of adjustment going from those games (u/d/l/r) to Pump (diagonals + middle).

For absolute beginners, however, I would have to side with In the Groove. The Tutorial stage on ITG1 is a GREAT method for teaching the basics and (in my opinion) should be brought back. In addition, the Novice mode on ITG2 teaches good timing without endorsing bad habits (I'd like to see Bus and Train return to the center between every step on PSMO). In addition, it's set to C120, so beginners don't have to worry about accidentally picking a song that's too fast for them to read (a real problem on DDR, especially since the Paranoia Survivors are just a few slots above the default song).

So, that's my take on it. I hope that helps you with whatever it is you're working on.
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[Kyrandian]

DDR is the hardest to read period with it's semi-transparent arrows.

[Tyrgannus]

I think the arguement shouldn't be based on sight-reading easy or difficult step patterns but instead should argue about the interface.

Pump is awkward because of the 5 arrows and somehow getting used to what crossovers and the like look like with the 5-panel system.

DDR scrolls to fast because the arrows are too big, they're slightly transparent, and can blend in with certain backgrounds (Drifting Away)

ITG is 4-panel AND is solid without scrolling too fast.

ITG = easiest
DDR = hardest
Pump = odd setup hat can't compare well.
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[Kaku]

PIU's notes are colored similar to IIDXs, meaning you can't really tell the timing of each note by looking at the color. That's why speed mods on Pump are far more important than on ITG or DDR.

What is Flow? I've never heard of it.
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[Synaesthesia]

It's some PS2 game that was awful.
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[Mostly_Harmless]

[Marq(uistadorous)]

[Arch BemaniFest2006]

PIU's color-coordination doesn't help much on singles, but on doubles it's a lifesaver. DDR is very difficult to read compared to ITG, for one specific reason - DDR's arrows are technically all the same color, but for different notes the hue changes are at different times.

[Synaesthesia]

Well, a lot of us play on Solo. DDR's notes are awful trying to read on songs with certain retarded backgrounds, whether they're on Solo or Vivid. I never got too mixed up by PIU, but I was of course being a filthy dirty cheater using speed mods.
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[Mostly_Harmless]

[Quad]

PIU is intrinsically harder to read because it does not color according to beat.
ITG/ DDR is moot because it can really go either way...

[Synaesthesia]

No. ITG is infinitely easier to read than DDR because the arrows are models, not sprites. They don't fade into obnoxious backgrounds nearly as easily.
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[Liquid Zero]

I agree with Syn. There were soooo many occasions that had me not seeing the left or right arrow in DDR because of some crazy-colored background that blurred my peripheral vision on one of those sides. In ITG, I barely had any such problems and I have played it for quite awhile now. The rendered arrows are more distinct from the ITG backgrounds in comparison to DDR's cel arrows from the DDR backgrounds.

For the record, I HATE that bazillion-multicolored-balloon background in DDR. Every time it easily meshes the arrows in if you aren't focusing.

[Mostly_Harmless]