DDR AC General Info
General Arcade Gameplay
Unlike beatmania IIDX and pop'n music, DanceDanceRevolution's menu layout tends to change a lot based on what version you are playing. Also unlike IIDX and pop'n music, DanceDanceRevolution has dedicated menu buttons.
All DanceDanceRevolution cabinets have at least left, right, and start menu buttons. Cabinets that were sold with DanceDanceRevolution X or later also have up and down menu buttons. The directional menu buttons are used to navigate menus, and the Start button to make selections.
Once the game is started, the first order of business is inserting your eAMUSEMENT card if the machine supports eAMUSEMENT. After that, or otherwise, you will be taken to the Select Style screen. After that, you will be taken to the Select Difficulty or Select Mode, and from there to Select Music or Select Course. In DDRMAX or later, you can hold Start when you select a song to enter modifiers. In earlier versions, you must use codes. After play, your score will be evaluated, and you will be returned to Select Music if not playing a course. When the game is done, a final evaluation is performed, and under certain circumstances you can enter your name.
Selecting a Style
- Single Play (シングルプレー)
- One side of the dance floor (4 foot panels), one player. Always requires only one credit.
- Versus Play (バーサスプレー)
- Two players, each with one side of the dance floor. This requires two credits unless Joint Premium is enabled.
- Double Play (ダブルプレー)
- One player uses both sides of the dance floor (8 foot panels). The BEGINNER difficulty is not available in this style. It also requires two credits unless Double Premium or Joint Premium is enabled.
- Couple Play (カップルプレー)
- Only available in 3rdMIX or earlier. Two players each have one side of the dance floor, but each has different steps for the same difficulty. This requires two credits. This style is still available to use in EDIT DATA songs only as of DDR (2014).
Selecting a Mode
- Modes that appeared only in a single mix are not included.
NORMAL MODE
This is the default mode available in every mix. It allows the user to select the individual songs to play and to select the difficulty levels (after 2ndMIX only) one at a time. Depending on how the operator set the machine, the user can play 1 to 5 songs per game, plus an EXTRA STAGE if earned. In DanceDanceRevolution, 2ndMIX, 5thMIX, DDRMAX and DanceDanceRevolution 2013 to DanceDanceRevolution 2014, this is the only mode available.
COURSE MODE
Instead of picking individual songs, the user have the possibility to select a course. A course is a group of at least four songs with each course having 2 difficulty levels. There are two lifebar types: the Normal lifebar similar to the standard lifebar, and the Challenge lifebar. With the Challenge lifebar, the player is given 4 or 8 lives (depending on difficulty level chosen) that deplete on each GOOD, BAD, MISS, or NG. When the player runs out of lives, they fail. One or two lives are recovered after each song successfully cleared. Before DanceDanceRevolution X, the COURSE MODE was split in two parts: NONSTOP MODE and CHALLENGE MODE.
- NONSTOP MODE
- First appeared in 3rdMIX and was removed in 5thMIX, and CHALLENGE MODE first appeared in DDRMAX2. EXTREME was the first mix to have both. NONSTOP MODE included courses with a selectable difficulty level and the standard lifebar.
- CHALLENGE MODE
- Features only songs available at the Challenge difficulty level, a lifebar set to LIFE4 and no choice of modifiers to select.
COURSE MODE was removed altogether in DanceDanceRevolution (2013).
Select Options
As of DanceDanceRevolution (2014), 14 modifiers are available in the game (during the Select Options screen) with a few choice options being exclusive to Premium Play (PASELI only in Japan, in yellow in the table). When using Versus Play, each user can have their own settings which have to be set before playing a song. During special events such as an EXTRA STAGE, the number of modifiers available is limited and some are set ON to increase the difficulty. Prior to DDRMAX, the modifiers had codes that had to be entered one by one. It was replaced in DDRMAX with a menu options. From DDRMAX until SuperNOVA, an option category named "OTHER" included ARROW, CUT and DARK (Screen Filter) together. Selecting them would turn them ON. They were divided each into a category in SuperNOVA. For the first time in DanceDanceRevolution (2014), the modifiers names were translated in Japanese instead of using English. From DDRMAX to DanceDanceRevolution X3 VS 2ndMIX, a category titled STEP was available to change the song difficulty for each player. It was renamed in DanceDanceRevolution (2013) to DIFFICULTY and in DanceDanceRevolution (2014), it was removed from the list as Difficulty received a screen dedicated to it.
Introduced in SuperNOVA2 during gameplay, a maximum of 11 modifiers square icons can be shown on the screen on top of the score box for each player. The modifiers icons are shown only when they are set to a value different than the defaults. The only exception is for SPEED which even "x1" is shown and for SPECIAL ARROW, SCREEN FILTER and GUIDELINE, they simply don't have any icon.
Speed
Allow to change the speed of the arrow flow from 0.25 to 8 times faster than normal (x1). During DanceDanceRevolution X2 to DanceDanceRevolution (2013), the x0.25 and the x0.5 speeds were removed. In DanceDanceRevolution (2014), x0.25 and x0.5 were added back. A total of 23 speed modifiers currently exist with 8 of them being Premium Play exclusives.
| SPEED (矢印の速度, Speed of the Arrows) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| ×0.25 | The arrows scroll at x0.25 times slower than normal. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×0.5 | The arrows scroll at x0.5 times slower than normal. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| x1 | The arrows scroll at normal speed. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
| ×1.25 | The arrows scroll at 1.25 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| ×1.5 | The arrows scroll at 1.5 times faster than the normal speed. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
| ×1.75 | The arrows scroll at 1.75 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| ×2 | The arrows scroll at 2 times faster than the normal speed. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
| ×2.25 | The arrows scroll at 2.25 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| ×2.5 | The arrows scroll at 2.5 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×2.75 | The arrows scroll at 2.75 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| ×3 | The arrows scroll at 3 times faster than the normal speed. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
| ×3.25 | The arrows scroll at 3.25 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| ×3.5 | The arrows scroll at 3.5 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×3.75 | The arrows scroll at 3.75 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| ×4 | The arrows scroll at 4 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×4.5 | The arrows scroll at 4.5 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×5 | The arrows scroll at 5 times faster than the normal speed. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
| ×5.5 | The arrows scroll at 5.5 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×6 | The arrows scroll at 6 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×6.5 | The arrows scroll at 6.5 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×7 | The arrows scroll at 7 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×7.5 | The arrows scroll at 7.5 times faster than the normal speed. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
| ×8 | The arrows scroll at 8 times faster than the normal speed. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
Arrow Move
ARROW MOVE was known as BOOST when it was introduced in DDRMAX until DanceDanceRevolution (2013). Also in 2013, NORMAL was simply known as OFF while BOOST was titled ON. BRAKE and WAVE were introduced as a fixed option in a course in DanceDanceRevolution EXTREME. They were later made as options in DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2.
| ARROW MOVE (矢印の動き方, Movement of the arrows) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| NORMAL | Arrows flow (scroll) at a constant speed. | DanceDanceRevolution |
| BOOST | Arrows scroll get faster as they reach the targets. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
| BRAKE | Arrows scroll get slower as they reach the targets. | DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 |
| WAVE | Arrows slow down and speed up at fixed points on their way up the screen. | DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 |
Appearance
| APPEARANCE (見え方) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| VISIBLE | Arrows are always visible. | DanceDanceRevolution |
| HIDDEN | Arrows will disappear when they reach the middle of the screen. | DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX |
| SUDDEN | Arrows will appear after they reached the middle of the screen. | DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX |
| STEALTH | Arrows are invisible. | DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX |
| HIDDEN+ | Display a lane cover at the top of the screen. ※From the bottom when using REVERSE | DanceDanceRevolution X2 |
| SUDDEN+ | Display a lane cover at the bottom of the screen. ※From the top when using REVERSE | DanceDanceRevolution X2 |
| HIDDEN＋＆SUDDEN＋ | Display the bottom and top lane covers. | DanceDanceRevolution X2 |
Turn
| TURN (回転) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| OFF | This is the normal position for the steps. | DanceDanceRevolution |
| MIRROR | Steps will be rotated by 180 degrees. | DanceDanceRevolution |
| LEFT | Steps are roated 90 degrees to the left. | DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX |
| RIGHT | Steps are roated 90 degrees to the right. | DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX |
| SHUFFLE | The orientation of the steps will be shuffled. | DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX |
Step Zone
The Step Zone refers to the set of stationary arrows near the top of the screen. It was known as DARK when it was introduced in DDRMAX2 until DanceDanceRevolution (2014).
| STEP ZONE (ステップゾーン) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| ON | The Step Zone is visible at all times. | DanceDanceRevolution |
| OFF | The Step Zone is visible at all times. | DDRMAX2 -DanceDanceRevolution 7thMIX- |
Scroll
| SCROLL (矢印スクロール, Arrow Scroll) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| NORMAL | Arrows flow from top to bottom. | DanceDanceRevolution |
| REVERSE | Arrows flow from top to bottom. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
Arrow Color
By default in DDR to DDR 2ndMIX, the arrow color was set to FLAT. The default was changed to VIVID in DDR 3rdMIX with FLAT being an option activated using a code. In DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA, ARROW became a new option category with VIVID, NOTE, FLAT and RAINBOW as options. Also in SuperNOVA, the color scheme SOLO was renamed RAINBOW. The category name changed in DanceDanceRevolution (2013) to ARROW COLOR.
| ARROW COLOR (矢印の色) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| VIVID | The colors of the arrows change. | DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX |
| NOTE | Arrows are color-coded for each timing. Different color patterns than RAINBOW. | DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA |
| FLAT | Arrows are not color-coded. | DanceDanceRevolution |
| RAINBOW | The default color. Arrows are color-coded for each timing. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
Cut
ON1 was named LITTLE when it was introduced in DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX. The name changed to CUT in DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA and again in DanceDanceRevolution X to ON1 as ON2 was introduced.
| CUT (タイミング別カット, Cut by Timing) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| OFF | Steps remain in their original pattern. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
| ON1 | Only shows the 4th step notes. | DanceDanceRevolution 2ndMIX |
| ON2 | Only shows the 4th and 8th step notes. | DanceDanceRevolution X |
Freeze Arrow
| FREEZE ARROW (フリーズアロー) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| ON | The step chart will include the freeze arrows. | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
| OFF | The step chart will include the freeze arrows. (No replacement?) | DDRMAX -DanceDanceRevolution 6thMIX- |
Jump
| JUMP (同時踏み, Simultaneous stepping) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| ON | Includes simultaneous steps. | Verify is also in SN |
| OFF | Remove the simulatenous steps from the chart and convert them into single notes. | DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA |
Special Arrow
The CLASSIC arrow was the default and only choice from DDR to DDR 4thMIX, it was replaced by NORMAL in DDRMAX. The ability to change the Special Arrow was introduced as an unlockable reward of the Enjoy Lv. system in SuperNOVA2 to X. In X2, the option was unlocked by default for everyone.
| SPECIAL ARROW (特殊アロー) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Modifiers | Description | First added |
| NORMAL |  Change the shape of the arrows.
|
DDRMAX -DDR 5thMIX- |
| X |  Change the shape of the arrows.
|
DanceDanceRevolution X |
| CLASSIC |  Change the shape of the arrows.
|
DanceDanceRevolution |
| CYBER |  Change the shape of the arrows.
|
DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 |
| MEDIUM |  Change the shape of the arrows to half the size of NORMAL.
|
DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 |
| SMALL |  Change the shape of the arrows.
|
DanceDanceRevolution X |
| DOT |  Change the shape of the arrows.
|
DanceDanceRevolution X |
| Butterfly |  Change the shape of the arrows.
|
DanceDanceRevolution X |
Screen Filter
In DanceDanceRevolution X, OFF was known as NONE. The default changed from OFF to DARK in DDR (2014).
| SCREEN FILTER (背景フィルター, Background filter) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Modifiers | Description | First added |
| OFF |  The screen filter is not shown.
|
DanceDanceRevolution |
| DARK |  Use the screen filter to highlight the arrows
|
DanceDanceRevolution X |
| DARKER |  Use the screen filter to highlight the arrows
|
DanceDanceRevolution X |
| DARKEST |  Use the screen filter to highlight the arrows
|
DanceDanceRevolution X |
Guideline
| GUIDELINE (ガイドライン) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| OFF | The guidelines are not shown. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| BORDER | Display guidelines along the edges of the arrows. This display is similar to the EDIT mode found in the CS versions of DDR. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| CENTER | Display guidelines to fit the center of the arrows. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
Life Gauge
This modifier was named RISKY with ON and OFF being the two possible options when it was first introduced in DDR X2. In DDR 2014, it was renamed GAUGE as LIFE4 and the classic NORMAL were added as options.
| LIFE GAUGE (ゲージ) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Options | Description | First added |
| NORMAL | This is the normal life gauge. | DanceDanceRevolution |
| LIFE4 | The song will stop and go to the results screen after 4 MISS or NG. This is an option for advanced players. | DanceDanceRevolution (2014) |
| RISKY | Get a MISS or a NG once will end the song and go directly to the results screen. | DanceDanceRevolution X2 |