StepMania: system zero The Season Evolution (v0.5) _______________________________ ______________________________/\ /\ a skin for (currently) SM rc3 \ \____/\/\ created by AJ 187 \/___/\/\/\ http://kki.ajworld.net/syszero/ \/\/\/ ____________________________________/\/\/\ ____________ \/\/\/ /readme file/\ \___________\/ Welcome to system zero - The Season Evolution. This is that fabled "0.5 version" that I said I wanted to release. Granted, it changed a little bit from its previous idea, but I think you'll like the changes. This version's subtitle is "The Season Evolution", and for good reason. The bulk of the changes in 0.5 are in the BGAnimations, where certain things will happen on certain dates/times/weeks/months/whatever. To my knowledge, NO THEME has done this before. Also, I fucked around with the MusicWheel and now it's using 3D and looks a bit "cooler". Other changes are detailed in the changelog, aptly named changelog.txt. StepMania theming is a thankless job, and people rarely congradulate you on a theme well done (unless you happen to be one of the themers //EVERYONE// likes, not naming names). However, getting comments like these: "this is the best theme in the world right now to me" - xwidghet "nice job on the theme. it's in my top 10 favorites!" - Keoi_Naga "this has so far been my favorite theme" - boss matsumoto "AJ you tart, way to make a theme for your own personal tastes and have it be good" - Char "This theme is love." - Spiritsnare "I'd like to say that this is an unbelievable theme. I've been using it, and every time I play I notice cool new things I didn't even know SM could do." - Madmushroom989 are keeping the hope alive. And of course, some of the peers do like it (Katze, nsr_neko, others?), but they're few and far between. Oh well. In the last readme, something like this appeared: "I feel like theming is becoming an increasingly competitive environment for no good reason at all." k//eternal on Bemanistyle, (Emphasis mine, quote cropped) Yup. Dunno why it's here now, though. Pretty damn true if you ask me. ________________ /background info/\ \_______________\/ I've been working on this theme for the past year or so (SM alpha 19/20, see changelog.txt), taking breaks every now and then to work on my other (now dead) project, the DDR Ultramix theme. The work that I've done there has been assimilated into KatzeUltramix, so at least my work didn't go to waste. :) That said, system zero has been my personal theme for the past year or so. Over that time, I've experimented, implemented, and "innovated" with some things that weren't previously seen in public themes. (Namely PaneDisplay. If you don't believe me, check the ITG theme thread in the ITGFreak Simulation forums, look for my post, and then look for my name in the credits. I take no credit for figuring out what NumLevels does, that's all Wellian's doing. I can't thank him enough for finding that out.) Also, this version has its own "innovation" that I haven't seen in any other theme before. It's what gives this version its name. ______ /specs/\ \_____\/ The following settings are recommended: * Event Mode \ Not everything is fixed yet, sup Extra Stage transitions, etc. * All Music instead of selecting a group. \ I mean, why limit yourself? This isn't a 4th mix theme. _____________ /inspirations/\ \____________\/ This theme's two main inspirations are as follows: * Pump it Up \ I don't know why, but Pump feels a lot cleaner than DDR. Attributed "Inspirations": \ The song's BG on ScreenStage. \ Failure sound "HEY! WHY DON'T YOU JUST GET UP AND DANCE MAN" is lifted directly from Exceed. \ Probably some other stuff. * In The Groove, ITG2 \ Hey guys ITG is Stepmania 4.0/CVS with a fancy skin lol Attributed "Inspirations": \ PANEDISPLAY. First non-Roxor theme to have it implemented, sup \ The original ScreenIntroMovie did have some stuff from the ITG theme, but that was nixed. \ Challenge (difficulty) -> Expert. \ The awards. \ Difficulty level (number) on the Gameplay screen. \ Song Highlight pulsing to the BPM. Also on the list: * DDR Ultramix \ XBOX RULZ! Attributed "Inspirations": \ The logo on ScreenDemonstration. \ Having song name/subtitle/artist on ScreenStage. ________ /credits/\ \_______\/ I'd like to thank the following: * die Katze88 \ He's been my main beta tester and has given me a good amount of input on the theme. I've honored this by changing Nonstop to dieKatze88 mode, namely because the original picture of Devil Zukin was his old avatar. I've now placed said avatar on top of the picture. This mode is also slightly customized by him, and it will be customized even MORE in later versions of system zero. \ He's also let me use quite a bit of material from his themes in this. Like I mentioned, I used his old avatar, but I also used the _shared2 font from KatzeExtreme, along with other stuff that I happen to forget. \ Also, he's the one who pushed me to release the theme in the first place. * DumpsterKeeper (of Desktop Arcade; http://www.desktoparcade.com/) \ Steve's been my other beta tester. Although he hasn't tested the theme much, he's been testing... other parts... of system zero. What that means, you'll have to find out later. \ He's letting me use a picture of a ghost inside of a gutted DDR 5th Mix machine that he made. It appears as the Oni Mode picture on ScreenSelectDifficulty, right next to dieKatze88 Mode. * Shuey, nsr_neko, among others. \ They've given me support to release the theme. * dude \ Made the 3D System Zero logo. * The StepMania theming community as a whole. \ For inspiring me, while sadly at the same time making me afraid to release the theme because everything else looks so amazing. \ Also, for providing references and start points for themers. I remember way back when things were on DDRManiaX and more people posted stuff (Hideki, xatnys, djelyte back when he was doing Ultramix, DarkTemplar, Spig). Some of these people are back, and some aren't. I know djelyte is back as DxTcmix, and Hideki seems to still be working on themes. I've seen xat around DJMAX and #keysounds. Katze tells me DarkTemplar got bored of theming. :( Everyone else, dunno. * The DDR community and DDR simulation community. \ Even though some of you guys are drama queens and others need to wave around their MASSIVE AAAA COCK LOL LOOK AT ME I CAN AAAA [whatever] ON 1.8XMUSIC, we probably wouldn't be anywhere without you. p.s. otaku speedvibe sucks stop fucking playing it * The Dance With Intensity Team \ Yeah, I said it. I'm still really a DWI person at heart. It pains me to learn that DWI3 production is being slowed down/ temporarily halted. Maybe I'll release a version of system zero for DWI later on. \ All in all, these are the people who really got the ball rolling when it came to English-language DDR simulation. As much as Icculus or whoever's coding pydance these days wants to yell at them for the DWI file format, he should be yelling at the Japanese people who made the original MSD format. Thank god for DWI, or else we would have been stuck with BMS, and we all know how much of a mindfuck THAT is. * The StepMania Team \ Them too. I mean, this is what the theme is for, right? I'll congratulate them on finally passing DWI as "simulator of choice" in the community. I mainly attribute this to the reasons I use SM in the first place: theming and multiple game types. p.s. I'm going to combine these two soon just you wait. * Aaron In Japan \ I would like to thank you a total lot for being THE premiere place to go to talk about Bemani games without idiots coming in and screwing things up. And even when they do, the mods at the board turn crap into comedy platinum (see ahi se ven, BBH hijacks). Plus, you have the God of All Numbers, Taren. * The Wire Network and #keysounds \ Totally awesome people here, they helped me with a bit of the theme. * Some person \ Um... Whoever made the sexy Emi/Yuni fanart that I use on Standard, I don't know who you are so I can't ask if I can use the pic. Please let me know who you are and if you're okay with me using this picture in my theme. * ESTi \ Best DJMAX artist. Ever. * All the artists whose music I've used (alphabetical order): \ 3-burst \ Alice \ Guv \ KAiTOP \ Neal Hefti \ P.M. Dawn \ polygon prompt \ spin_deco (SPDC) \ spiritual vibes * sxc.hu \ I've taken a bit of pictures from here for the headers. Some of the borrowed things might be changed. The Difficulty Graphics were well recieved at Game Club, so they stay. ___________ /system two/\ \__________\/ lol rofl wtf soon maybe in like another year or two? If this theme is any indication, it might be that long. Maybe it'll be less.