What is most important to you in a DDR game's interface?  Do you like a specific mix's theme the best?

I really like pop'n music does with its interfaces. It creates whole themes like...a Carnvial or an Airport...it really gives it a unique feeling. With DDR, a lot of the times it just feels like it's a reskin of the last theme. I really liked how SN2 looked, but I think DDR could use some stuff in its interface to make it unique.

Even the smallest things make the interface really cool. Look to IIDX for example. When you get the Extra stages, the background animation actually changes. The one in Happy Sky is the coolest IMO, it just looks so awesome :). Why not something like that for DDR too? Sure, it would be purely visual, but it would be really awesome.

I like special themed interfaces like in Pop'n and IIDX as well.

Make sure the box that is around the difficulties have a border.

I want the groove radar to be fixed back to how it was though. They seemed to make it smaller so it looks like the boss songs are ridiculously harder or something weird.

The Extra Stage siren is still fine. A different background for the results just like in IIDX would be cool.

Seems this post is just like the above's.

Also,I would love to see customizable options like in IIDX.

You gave us some in Hyper Master Mode,but we couldn't use them out of it. 

To add to the above, it seems like it's about time DDR followed in the path of other Bemani and had (differently) themed games.  On the other hand, I like SN2's gameplay screen a lot more than the screenshots we've seen for X's (I know that things may still change, but that's how I feel about it given the screens released).  I really liked the look of SN2 and while I do feel a change in theme from game to game would be interesting, I'd like to see that sleek, metallic look retained.  IIDX has managed to retain that clean look with RED and other themed games, I don't see why DDR couldn't also retain that balance while having a themed game.  Also agree with what has been said above about ES stages having different backgrounds.

Just my two cents.

I'm going to disagree with everyone else in the thread; PLEASE don't make DDR become like IIDX. If I wanted to play IIDX all the time, I'd play IIDX.

I very much enjoyed the 3rd mix interface (even though it is far less in comparison to every mix from 5th forward). I prefer Extreme overall to everything else, but SN2 is pretty good as well.

Well, for the record, I wasn't suggesting that DDR go the way of IIDX. I was comparing the interfaces of IIDX and pop'n, how they have cool themes and animations, to DDR which is pretty bland when you compare them. I would like them to not copy IIDX and pop'n, but draw inspiration from them when creating themes.

What's important in an interface?

The current one since 5thMIX/MAX is very functional, no radical changes please. Honestly, by this point it's just little additions that could spice it up. For example, I like the way the background changes colour in SuperNOVA2. It's interesting and after these dynamic backgrounds, MAX-EXTREME feel a little less polished.

As a nitpick, I feel the difficulties look really tacked on. Having a little transparent black box housing them doesn't look very good, I would like the interface to try and absorb it more, like how the Groove Radar and BPM are part of the metallic look in SuperNOVA2, so can the difficulties. Perhaps go back to MAX2/EXTREME style, displaying one difficulty but indicating the existence of all others? Minor quibble though.

Never use an annoying scroll noise again; SuperNOVA's was horrible.

I actually like the idea of the background and overall mood of the interface changing for Extra Stage and other events; makes it seem like more of a big deal.

For the in game interface, I just like it nice and clean and open, like we've had since the first days of DDR and since CS EXTREME US/Festival.

I don't really have a favourite interface, but I suppose I really like SuperNOVA2's extra touches here and there. Also, I still like the feeling of MAX2's interface, very refined. Nice colours and arrangement.

I'm going to interpret "interface" as user input and game output. One of the allowed inputs I missed most from Extreme was step mods. Cancel All (and a crossover spin for Solo) saved a trip to the options when playing a Max. Boost helped in the Nonstop difficulty glitch (switch courses and select before the new difficulties load). It was a lot of fun to know these step codes and show them off. I'd say it would be perfect if they also allowed for speed mods.

As for the look and feel, I'm not an importer so I don't have IIDX/Pop'n/GFDM games to compare it to - SN2 was pretty slick with the metal, though. Hottest Party had pretty good dancers who were smart enough to stop when the song ends, plus the backgrounds were all really easy to read the arrows off of (probably because the whole game was on Vivid x_x). Still, SN1's Pizza Box stage was definitely my favorite, just for being wacky with DDR soda and being easy to read arrows on. It's a shame that the arcade versions don't have an option for selecting your dancing stage, or having any that really stand out above the rest, because in the home versions you could remember which stages went better with Solo or with Note.

The "themed" releases have been pretty neat too, like DDR and the planet songs. It would be cool to see more of this theme during gameplay, like having a starry night in the background above the stage.

The only other thing that's coming to mind is that I'd really like to see "Full Combo" displayed at the end of a song like in IIDX. 

I was dissapointed that the Supernova (2, really) theme only applied with the songs, but really, that is a good start. Now to incorporate that with the graphical theme!

I also didn't care for that transparent orb in the center of the screen. It should have been filled with a color and border and something else that can rotat around it that would be also solid (or transparent with a border). Would have looked nicer.

Another downside was not only the difficulty box which looked kinda sloppy and quick, but the mode selection screen where you couldn't see all of the modes at once like in almost all DDR games.

Do remember though that everything else I didn't say means it was nice.

Hmmm... Speaking of console interfaces here, I guess I like the Supernova interface the best, but they're all fine.  The only ones on the PS2 I don't like is the Extreme, as the wheel look just bugs me, and the Disney Channel one, 'cause it's pastel-ugly and the Groove Radar is uselessly tiny and the BPMs are unreadable and the song previews & "resting music" swap back and forth irritatingly and the grades are nonsensical and... oh, never mind.

The functionality of the interface - how it links me to the songs - is what really matters, so I'll take anything that gives me song data clearly - groove radar, difficulty, BPM, etc - and lets me choose my modifiers with a minimum of fuss.  To that end I would as that please, please, let me get to the modifier screen by stepping and holding on the song I've selected rather than requiring me to set the modifiers separately.  Putting the BPM on the modifier screen would be right neighborly too.

I don't know if you call this part of the interface, but I really like how Extreme showed you the calories burned on the results screen.  I would be very happy if that option were added to DDRXPS2.

Minor point here, but why is there always a 'select difficulty' screen before you get to the song wheel?  I can choose the difficulty when I get to the song wheel, so that just seems like extraneous button pushes. 

Also, for console versions, I have always wished there was a 'restart song' option.  It would be easy to implement, since both the back and start buttons can be used to exit a song.  Just make back restart the song, while start exits back to the song wheel. 

I really liked how on Universe 2 you can see your best grade for each song on all difficulty levels, not just the one you are on.

Finally, the interface for ddr online was really bad for Universe 1 and 2.  I'm guessing there just wasn't time to make a better one, but whatever the reason, I hope there are MAJOR improvements in DDR Universe 3.  I'm picturing a lobby where you can see who all is online, which 'rooms' are open, and which preferences are selected for each room (which difficulties are allowed, are speed mods allowed, controller or pad, will this be ranked or unranked, etc.).  Kind of like Yahoo chess.

Just get rid of the left/right/green selectors and take a lesson from pump! (teehee)

Thanks for that constructive post.

You're one to talk?

What is most important to me in a DDR Interface is the ability to access things pretty quickly.

The current interface for the Universe series is okay, but it could use more  of a graphical "facelift"

hopefully Universe 3 will show improvement.

I personally liked Ultramix 2's interface the best - i love the color blue - and it was used a lot in that version. Maybe perhaps give players the option to customixe their own interface in game?

Overall, the game for me personally comes to down to 2 things:

1) Songs

2) Options - including online game modes.

Hopefully Universe 3 will have a great online mode like the Ultramixes did.

As for PS2/Wii versions, no comment. Xbox is my main console of gameplay :) 

The worst interface change was the different levels of game difficulty that they put in supernova. You have to select hard and then heavy as a sub mod.... very confusing. And the different levels of unlocks was frustrating. Other than that everything has remained basically the same for quite a long time, and it seems to be working fine.

Minor point here, but why is there always a 'select difficulty' screen before you get to the song wheel?  I can choose the difficulty when I get to the song wheel, so that just seems like extraneous button pushes.

I totally see what you are saying, reeny, but I can't tell you how many times I've played on Beginner because of this feature's removal.  It is so ingrained in me to select "Heavy Mode" on that difficulty screen that when I play SN or SN2 I often forget to change the difficulty off of Beginner.

One minor quibble I have with the interface is holding the button to select mods.  Many times I forget I want to put a mod on and let go, then immediately hit the button again, but it is too late.

I would like to see mixes themed, like IIDX and pop'n.  I like in those games how each mix looks totally different and has a couple songs to match the theme.  It's fun and adds some flavor to each iteration.

My favorite interface has been Extreme.

Minor point here, but why is there always a 'select difficulty' screen before you get to the song wheel?

I don't mind that when it's to select the difficulty level of the songs.  But in the Supernovas, when it actually limits your selection of songs - man, at least make the default "All songs"!  And I wish I knew why we have to be informed about freeze arrows before every game.  My only guess is that they build that in to camouflage loadtime.

Many times I forget I want to put a mod on and let go, then immediately hit the button again, but it is too late.

Some mixes will let you step & hold or double-step. I can't think why they wouldn't build both options in.

My favorite interface has been Extreme.

Are the Extreme console and arcade interfaces similar? I often see people praising Extreme, and frankly it's my second-to-least favorite console mix. (Least is Disney Channel Mix.)  I especially dislike the interface.  Score not visible, songwheel goes backwards, no groove radar, loud sound effects when you move the wheel - ugh.

Extreme US home version has a VERY different interface than arcade. Extreme AC is more comparable to Max/Max2, but lots of green.

 I just miss the old feeling of the original DDR/Dancing Stage games where you really felt like you were picking a song from a jukebox rather than from a simple list. Even EuroMIX2 managed to transfer this well for me by simply feeling like a 'digital jukebox' with that awesome spinning cube for BPM. God I loved that thing!

 Even the 4thMIX/Party Edition banner wheel was quirky and interesting, although very unconnected to the previous interface.

 Seems like since 5thMIX each mix has been too comfortable with variations on the current song wheel, even though in many ways there is nothing wrong with that, it does get a bit tiresome and monotonous after a while. Recent screenshots of a DDR X machine make me fearful that the song wheel is going to remain just like SuperNOVA2's but perhaps with a colour change. I REALLY hope that this is just a temporary thing till the final version is complete.

 Personally I hate just displaying one difficulty at once. I think for an arcade machine that is meant to be accessible from the pro to intermediate all the way down to the casual player and those that have never tried DDR before, I believe a clear indication of the difficulty via a simple list is very important. True most will pick Beginner and just have done with it but I think it's a good idea to give them scope on what is hard and what isn't compared to something else.

 My ideal interface should hark back to early DDR games a little. Let it feel more like a music game again, lets have some references to music, CD's, and dancing. We don't necessarily need the disc images to return from 3rdMIX, however it would be nice to see something which feels more like what DDR did back then. A virtual jukebox of great licences and hot tracks for us to play and not a dominating machine that looks darn pretty and happens to play music.

When it comes to interface and theming, just go IIDX's way. I don't want to throw PnM in there because the themes are usually too cutesy-poo for my taste, but that's the direction of that series. IIDX's presentation is just so unique and superior to pretty much every other music game I've ever played.

Slackbot: Extreme AC looked like its japanese home version, here. Scores only showed at the arcade if you had a memory card inserted.

I wish DDR themes would be really "themed" and would actually make some sense and feel. For example look at PNM and IIDX themes or Master Piece Gold.

Otherwise the functionality of nowadays themes is good. so I wouldn't change that. There is just one thing I would change..

 transparency issue. 

I have problems with semitransparent objects on the screen. when I first played supernova I failed everything because of the partly transparent noteskin that  was set. that's why I never played with note noteskin as well.even though that's something that actually makes me score well. but with a slightest transparency I'm lost.There are many things that are quite invisible for me when at motion.

real cel note that has 100% opacity would be great. *sniff*

DDRX looks like a urbanized supernova crossed with happy sky. it's just well it seems like you did not manage to decide how DDRX should look like. if urbanized than make it that way (look at GFDM that is styled in one way). If as underground supernova than keep the supernova style and add graphics that would be more underground and dark but still fitting to SN style and such that would work....clouds??? where that came from Troopers? ...never mind...

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favorite themes are Extreme, Fever PS2,  Party Collection.

Agreed with STsung about DDR X theme - it's looks kinda weird.

As for arcade themes - they looks same for me, I can't pick up a favorite.

An idea about "disks" from 3rd mix looks rather fresh, epsecially nowadays. Song selection interface of Universe series is cool too. But I guess it not suitable for arcade - because not so fast as classical and looks kinda same with PIU series.